Some short lists

I hate:
-school
-my management paper
-the end of the semester (which, I swear to god, is never coming. I'm just going to be stuck in this black hole of hellatiousness forever)
-Christmas knitting

I'm looking forward to:
-this weekend, even if I have to rewrite my &%$* management paper. Again.
-turning in the management paper of DOOM
-finishing my Christmas knitting

Except that I'm pretty sure none of that stuff is actually going to come to pass. I'm just going to have to relive this week over and over again. End of the semester blues have me. I shall return when I have something cheerful to report.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had plenty of turkey and pie yesterday. I certainly did! I love Thanksgiving, it's one of my favorite holidays because of the food, but also because of the fact that we get to see people who are pretty much family. My favorite.

I don't have any pictures, since I was having too much fun, but I did take a picture of what I purchased today, since I went out on Black Friday and I was right near my favorite yarn store, which was having a sale!

This is a ruffle yarn, called Flounce that I"m going to use to make a scarf that I may or may not keep. Mostly I just want to be able to say I did it. But I do like the colors, and it's supposed to be a quick, fun project. So it may end up being a Christmas present, which, hey, isn't that bad an idea, since I'm a little slow going this year.

Some Alpaca with a Twist Fino, because of the beautiful shawl that was made out of it. Unfortunately, they were out of the book that the shawl is in, so I need to find that book somewhere... I'm working on it. It's beautiful, and I shall have it, even if it's scary real lace that looks like poo while you knit it. Much like the edging that I'm avoiding.

I will probably require a great deal of moral support.

This is some luscious baby alpaca fiber that I have had my eye on for a while. It's pretty much amazing. And it's mine, all miney mine mine.

In other news, I did some good work on the leaf lace shawl, and really need to get back to the melonstrosity, since I left it here for the last 2 days and am therefore behind. Gotta catch up!

I have nothing to knit

That's a lie. I have many things to knit, including the stash and the WIPs. I should say I have nothing that I want to knit. But you know the feeling, right? I've been slaving away at the melonstrosity (4 rows a night equals a little less than 2 hours of work, somewhat less if I'm not procrastinating/distracted/tired). But the melonstrosity knitting is just... duty knitting. I'm doing it because I know I should, and because it will yield a product of which I can be proud and which will be useful. I'm not knitting it because I want to. So it doesn't really count.

I'm also knitting on a cowl, which I started a few days ago because I was bored and because it counts toward Christmas knitting. Which I should really get on. I'm just not inspired about it yet. I probably will be when I get back from Thanksgiving, though, because that will really be crunch time. But now is not the time.

I have, as you know, several shawls on the needles. But the lace shawl I had big plans for last weekend pissed me off to the extent that it's back in time out because I've decided I hate it. Big scary holes, that's all I have to say. The other shawl I'm working on is the leaf lace shawl that I've been eyeing for a while, primarily because the sample I saw is made out of Karabella, which is a yarn company that only manufactures luscious, uber expensive yarns.






Mine is made out of slightly less luscious yarn, because I don't really need to spend a hundred bucks on a shawl. I just don't. Anyway, it's coming along fairly well, although it would be doing better if I could remember my freaking pattern when I leave the house. I'm still on the first ball of yarn, but nearing the end of it (I like to think).









To distract myself from the fact that I have nothing to knit, I have been spinning many things. Firstly, I started some of the fiber that I purchased at last year's Estes Park Wool Market (where Caitlin and I were overcome with wool fumes and nearly hyperventilated because we couldn't purchase everything).

It's Bonkers superwash merino in Indigo. It's very pretty, in person, and I haven't even washed it yet. I'm a little worried that the dye is going to bleed quite a bit when I do wash it, so I'll have to be careful. Anyway, it's pretty and it's plied and now I need to think of something to do with it.

I've also been plying my singles from the Tour de Fleece this summer. I only had a hand spindle for the TdF, so I went a lot more slowly than I thought I would, and didn't get nearly as much done as I had planned. I was proud of what I accomplished, however.

 This is Prim on BFL, from Storied Yarns. It's a representation of a character from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. This BFL isn't as luscious as the BFL singles I gifted to Caitlin last weekend, but might be nicer after I wash it.

 This, I think, is Rose Quartz on Merino, from a mystery fiber company. All I know is that I purchased this fiber from my LYS, because I lurved the color. It's very nice, and fairly smooth.

This is Mint Petals on merino/silk, from Funky Carolina, which has closed since I purchased this fiber in the spring. It's also my first attempt at 3 ply, which came out quite nicely, and is quite gorgeous because of the silk. It's actually kind of pastel, but I like it. Excellent.

You know what I really want to work on? I want to start a new sweater... I've got it picked out and the yarn and everything, I'm just a little concerned that the yarn is the wrong weight. Which would suck. We shall see. Maybe.

Big plans

I had big plans for this weekend. Ambitious. I was going to do some serious work on the lace shawl that has been languishing in time out for several months. And I was going to work on the leafy shawl that promises to be gorgeous and comfy. And I was going keep up my streak on the melonstrosity.

The only one of these that I accomplished completely was the melonstrosity goal. I worked 4 rows on the blanket each night, which means my streak is still intact. I think I only have 7 more blocks to finish. Which will take me approximately 35 days, if I stick to my goal. Which I won't, because next week is Thanksgiving and I'm not dragging the albatross with me for that holiday. It would be pointless, since it would just get ignored.

I did a small amount of work on the lace shawl. I hate the edging. I'm sure it'll look good eventually (that's not true, but I'm trying to believe it is). But right now it's funny looking, hard to work, I'm pretty sure I'm joining it wrong... let's just say there's a good reason that it's in time out. Someone want to work a lace edging on a lace shawl?

I did a few rows on the leafy shawl. Which was fairly satisfying, but I was really lusting after some spinning. Since I didn't bring a spindle with me, and I don't travel with my spinning wheel (it makes me nervous), I was unable to scratch that itch. Which mostly meant that I didn't craft. I read my books. And spent time with people that I don't resent because they're intelligent and I don't have to tutor them. And I watched Caitlin spin things, because the spinning process is rather soothing, even if you're not the one spinning.

Know something interesting that she spun?

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary on BFL roving. I spun it on a hand spindle, she plied it on her wheel. ANd it's finished! And quite luscious, really. It was an early birthday present, because I can't think of anything that I would make with it. It's not in my colors, but she loved the bright greens and the pretty purples and blues. So, let this be a lesson to you: cultivate friendships with other crafters with different tastes than you because that way they won't try to steal your favorite stuff, and you can give them stuff you don't love. Genius!

I didn't take a picture of the other things that I gave her. I should have, though. They were project bags, with little handles and elasticated openings to keep the yarn and stuff on the inside. Caitlin seemed to like them. I'll probably be making some more as gifts for other yarny friends. It'll be good stuff! I really need to get to my gift list. Too many friends have birthdays this time of year (I'm looking at you, Shelby and Caitlin), and then there's Christmas. Or Hanukkah. And all the things that I want to make for myself, of course!

What's on your gift list at this time of year?

Streak

I haven't been doing very much interesting knitting lately. It's a result of the fact that I haven't had much knitting time, I feel that my WIP list has reached critical mass (this is an arbitrary determination, not like I have a set number of WIPs that can be called "too many"), and the fact that I am really determined to finish the freaking melonstrosity soon-ish.

Or at least to make consistent progress on the beast.

I have, if you wish to know, knit 4 rows on the melonstrosity each day for the past week. That's right. I've got a knitting streak going. It's really great, because I can see that I'm making progress; I mean, I finished more than an entire block! But it's also putting pressure on me, because I don't want to fail now, when I'm doing so well.

So I've mostly been working on that blanket. And haven't really had time for much else. Because 4 rows of melonstrosity takes up about 2 hours of my life. Which isn't a big deal, since I have tv to catch up on and whatnot. It just means that I'm not knitting on anything interesting, or spinning anything that needs to be spun. Oh well. This needs to get done too.

What projects in your life have felt like a ball and chain?

Adventures in Spinning

I've been spinning a lot lately. It might be a result of the fact that I'm not very enthused about my knitting projects, so breaking up long periods of melonstrosity (yes, I'm back to working on it. It's freaking freezing and nothing sounds better than a big cozy blanket) with spinning either on the wheel or finishing up some stuff on the hand spindle. I showed you a picture of the stuff on the hand spindle before, but here it is, nearly finished:

This is Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, from Storied Yarns. It's just BFL, but it's pretty luscious. I haven't had a chance to ply it yet, because my ball winder broke sometime in October, and I put off getting it replaced. I'm hoping that it'll come in the mail today and then I can get on with plying some stuff that I spun over the summer.






Next, let's take a look at my first handspun from the new spinning wheel:

This is some mystery fiber. I purchased it last year, shortly after I learned how to use a spindle. I think I got it because I loved the color so much. It's not my favorite fiber, but I did have quite a bit of it. Took forever to spin up. But it was a good first project because I didn't care if I messed it up, or had to throw a bunch of it out or something. Anyway, it's kind of tweedy, and I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Anyone have an idea?





Finally, we have my first attempt at spinning from a batt:

This is Octarine, again from Storied Yarns. Octarine, for those who don't know, is the color of magic on the Discworld. It's kind of a greenish purple. This batt is "textured" so it makes kind of an art yarn, which is not really my style of yarn, but you should try everything at least once. I'm going to have to try it more than once because I bought another textured batt from this lady, and it's lying in wait in my pile of fiber waiting to be spun. At least now I know what to expect. This yarn is going to have to be just a piece of art for a while, because I really have no idea how much yarn i have, and what I would want to use it for.


Since I've finished with all this fiber, I've pulled out some of the fiber that I purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market this last June. I bought quite a lot and haven't really made a dent in it. Anyway, I pulled out a bump of Superwash Merino roving, and am relieved that it's spinning quite well, because I was beginning to worry that I'm rubbish at wheel spinning, since the stuff I'd spun so far was a bit lumpy. Turns out it's meant to be that way, or the fiber wasn't the highest quality. Good to know.

Mission Accomplished

Look what I finished! Do you see those wonderful mitts? And the thumbs? The thumbs are amazing. Because I spent a great amount of time working on those freaking thumbs. Admire them. Thank you.

And now, I need something else to knit. I'm thinking I'll yank out the good old melonstrosity. Because it's been quite cold lately, and a blanket would be nice. 

Next time, remind me to show you what I've spun. It's very exciting.