Take 2

Hello! Hope things are cooling off there, and that the start of fall is going well for you. We're in the midst of tomato harvest (yep, lots of the garden is slow because of our cool summer) and adjusting to school. My house is strangely quiet during the day now. I'm doing a lot of jobs around the house to celebrate (??) my "freedom." I still feel busy but my stress level is going down!

I had to restart my felted bag because it was using way more yarn than I thought it would. I decided to go with a single-strand of yarn rather than the double I was trying and use a simpler color pattern to get the most mileage out of my handspun. I'm now making Hermione's Magic Knitting Bag from the fun book Charmed Knits. I also started my first real lace project! It uses laceweight yarn but on size 6 needles (whew) and is from the All New Homespun Handknit; it's called the Prairie Scarf. I got the book on ebay and it came with some alpaca/silk laceweight (not handspun, but it'll be eons before I have the skill the spin enough consistent laceweight to make anything). I don't have pictures of those yet, but I did update my Ravelry projects page with pictures.

Bye for now, love, Cindy

Summer update, part 1

Hi Alene! Here's some of what I've been up to this summer. No, I'm not playing poker; those & the jar are for a Hogwarts-style points system for the kids. That's a raspberry dessert (yum!). I'll get together my spinning for a photo op as soon as a few skeins are dry. Hope your Tour is going well. May the Fleece be with you until my next posting, Cindy

p.s. I LOVE your Team's Oz-themed ravatar.

Check it out!

New spinning books on the horizon: this summer and this fall (all about spindling!). Hurray!!

The blog slacker on 8-8-08

Hi, thanks so much for the fun birthday package! Yum to the chocolate ;) and the felting book is amazing!! My digital photos are in disarray again so no pics this time, but otherwise things are going well. Next week I will teach "Spin & Knit Fingerless Mitts" (first of 2 sessions) and "Beginning Knitting" (first of 3 sessions). I have some new design ideas, she adds, slyly laying a finger alongside her nose. DH says "hi." Let's see ... Fall Rowan magazine is here and awesome. DD was perfect for her first dentist visit (whew)! The garden is doing well despite bunnies that are sneaking through the fence; we believe we have now live-trapped them all and that they will like living in the park instead. DS has turned his knitting into a Nintendo DS case which needs a lining and I will post a pic of it soon. Bye for now, Cindy, age 43

Books 'n all

Hi Alene, yes, we did have a few flurries on Nov. 5 (hmm, guess time is flying by again). As one of those odd people who love November, I was good with that despite us all getting colds here over the last few weeks and me having an achy forearm for a while.

That got me off the computer and needles for a few days, so back to reading! Thanks for sending Back To Blossom Street, which I really enjoyed. Except for Blossom Street and Elm Creek novels, both of which I really like, I don't read anything set in "real life" these days. I read a lot of non-fiction (there's where reality comes in, I guess) about a variety of things (esp. crafts :), the newspaper, various magazines that cross my path, and of course things like HP. Musically I'm still largely ignorant, able to listen to most things for while, but wandering if I have to chose on my own . . . classical, folk, rock, world music. We all love those TMBG kids CDs! I loved the sound of your Decemberists but found the lyrics too dark for me; I did make sure the CDs you sent me got an appreciative home with a co-worker cooler than me! Found and enjoyed an old REM cassette in DH's car a few weeks ago. I know a lot of people listen to music when they spin but I still crave silence then. In the mini-van? NPR usually!

I also did some spinning since I'm gentle to myself with that. I was getting thread instead of yarn when I tried the silk top spun from the fold (holding on too tight I guess) so I switched to my usual spindle spinning technique (worsted) and am now getting yarn! Arm good now! Out of time, gotta get the kids up, more soon. Cindy

P.S. Back from school. DH has asked for a vest from the Timber Frame pattern (Philosopher's Wool Co.). I'm getting yarn from Blackberry Ridge for it. Picture of the sweater version of the pattern above.

Picture catch-up

Another view of the cardigan, although I'm not sure it shows up any larger. Next: the treasures I found at Half-Price Books last week. Then, DS in the Rambling Rows sweater; not sure why he's sideways when he was upright before . . . And my spindle spinning. The natural color became a sample skein for my drop spindle class, and that's the silk you sent me on the other.

DH wants a vest so I may get to that before I forge ahead with the handspun sweater (whew!). We are having a mild but lovely fall.
Cindy

Help wanted

No, I'm not hiring! I need advice. I'm contemplating spinning a sweater's worth of wool. I have enough creamy natural white (which I could use as is or dye with Kool-aid), I think, to be a sweater and about 3 oz. rainbow dyed Corriedale I could use for accent colors. I'm thinking about this cardigan.

I've never spun for a large project but think I can do it if I'm diligent in following this Knitty article. But plied or singles? I like the look of singles a lot . . . but am I consistent enough? Would it pill a lot? If I chose plied, should I do it woolen (I want to practice what I learned at WSWF, but that would mean handcarding most of it into rolags) or worsted (so I could use the wool without re-preparing it). Any suggestions??

In other fiber news, I stopped at Half-Price Books yesterday (a rare trip shopping alone) and scored big: Kaffe's new book and Knitting In the Old Way at great prices. I have the old Knitting in the Old Way and didn't plan to get the new one, but I'm glad I did now that I see the additional info in it. I tried to upload images of the book but no go; pics next time. Cindy

Those creative & inspiring twisted sisters

Here's my Farli doing a little light reading. ;)

Gardening books because I'm reading up on blueberries; ours haven't been doing so well and are getting a new raised "lasagna" bed of their own.

The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook and The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters because I really like Lynne Vogel's books and beautiful spinning. I want to make a rectangle vest from the Sweaters book on my Bond sweater machine with stash yarn. I was hoping to have enough handspun for the whole thing but what goes well together isn't close enough in gauge. . .hmm, the hazard of spinning with nothing in mind. :) Back to the stash I go. Bye for now, Cindy