One Crazy Fiber Lady

Emanations

The heat right now is seriously oppressing. A storm is promised for tonight as a "cold" front passes through and the high tomorrow should be 85F, which by chance was the temp this morning at 7:15AM as I left for work. While I'm a summer lover and there's no doubt that I hate the winter, I could skip heat waves like we're having. Woops, I hear thunder as I type. Figures. Will type faster and hope that I can get this finished.  Connection seems a tad slow too.  Maybe I'll knit while I wait for the photos to upload.

Sunday, during the shortie naptime, I took advantage of the sunshine streaming into the backyard and hauled all the WIPS out to the lawn for some blog pictures.  I'm trying to spread my knitting time amongst all the real active WIPS and actually being somewhat successful at it.  I've also managed to wedge in the reading as well, so all seems to be good right now.  In no particular order (as always click for bigger and better pictures):

Pinwheel Sweater.  I've started the first sleeve.  The colors are pretty accurately displayed here and I'm pleased as punch with how it looks.  I'm magic looping it as I really wasn't in the mood for DPN's and well couldn't find the correct sized ones.  I doubt I even own any in a US9.  Anyway, the 40" Addi that I bought at Modern Yarn is doing the trick.  Speaking of MY, I had to miss the SnB last week as the folks were out teaching Basic Boating Safety to area Heavy Rescue Squads, so I had child watching duty (tonight as well) but they promised I could go this week.  YAY.  I really like that store and the people.  I have had a great time both occasions I've been able to get to the SnB, though I do need to curb the tendency to buy more yarn when there.  On the up side, I'm like 300 yards short of the 5 mile marker to get 25% off a future purchase!  With double yardage on purchases in July, I have no doubt I'll make that mark on Thursday.  I can always use more sock yarn.  Ha!  But I digress...

Next up are the Calla Lily socks from the Sundara Petals collection.  I had started it the way the pattern called for and didn't get very far before I was bleh about it.  So I ripped it out and restarted toe up using my standard pattern.  After doing the short row heel, I started the simple lace pattern that is in the original on the back half of the sock.  It looks pretty though I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do for the top of the cuff.  I'll probably just do a 2x2 rib, though picot cuff is not a bad idea either.  We'll see when I get there, probably tomorrow or Thursday as I turned the heel this morning and am finished with 5 of 11 lace repeats.  Love the yarn and the sock hasn't hit the blehs yet, so there is hope for finishing it and a matching mate.  (As an aside, I have a smaller laptop with a slightly condensed keyboard.  Normally this doesn't bother me, but when the nails get a little longer than stubs [their normal state] typing becomes an interesting adventure.  Tonight is one of those adventures.  I had a similar complaint while knitting these socks on a US0 wooden toothpick DPN and the pinky nail jamming into my palm.  Time for a nailfile!)

As I pondered my next project in my last post, I went with the majority and started CeCe in Rowan Calmer.  That lovely discontinued reddish shade that I bought over a year ago to make the NBaT.  It is progressing pretty quickly, though it would be quicker if I didn't divide my crafting attention so much, but still, I'm happy with how it is going.  The pattern is once again one of Bonne Marie's works of magic.  Once again, I can't remember exactly when I started this little lovely.  Man, I gotta get back to regular blogging!

I have one more project to fess up to.  I'm the biggest failure of the whole WIP Wipeout thing.  Not entirely surprising either.  Considering it was my whole casting on willy nilly that inspired me to reduce the WIP count anyway!  I saw the Mountain Stream Scart out and about on various blogs.  Bought the pattern and tucked it all away in the rainy day queue.  Well two weeks ago I was at MY for the SnB and saw the skeins of gorgeous kid mohair /silk blend laceweight from Habu.  I picked up a skein in white.  Par for the course, I started it on 7/9  while I waited for ever helpful feedback as to the choice between CeCe and Sizzle (now that I really think about it, I started CeCe on the 11th).  I love this pattern!  I can do one repeat of 16 rows during the commute home.  The yarn is soooo dreamy that I must find something else to make with it!  I have to do the math, or at the very least find where I stashed my KSH and see how it compares.

And to show you all that I do still spin (and maybe to justify what I purchased myself as a birthday present - more on that later), I picked up 4oz of some pretty roving at MY during my last visit there.  I started spindle spinning it but mere moments after snapping this photo, I pulled the Lendrum out, plopped it on the patio and spent an hour spinning in the sun before it got waaaay too hot.  I have probably a third of this roving spun up in what plied will make lovely...wait for it.. sock yarn!  Sorry no pictures as when I went inside to get the wheel, I put the camera away. 

Back to the birthday thing.  Well Saturday I'm having one of those nasty '0' birthdays and figured I could get myself something nice.  I bought one of these, a Fricke ESpinner.  I tossed in the nice wood cover and the On/Off pedal.  I didn't spring for the woolee winder for it because I already have a woolee winder for a majacraft flyer.  Oops, never blogged that did I?  Oh well.  I ordered it after reading all those MDSW posts.  Anyway, the ESpinner using Majacraft flyers and bobbins so what I have already will work.  What I did select was the one flyer that I didn't have, the one with the round orifice instead of the delta.  This I can use on Suzie while using the WW on this.  The pedal is a nice addition in that you tap it on and then tap to turn off the power.  No need to hold down to keep running.  As a bonus, I'm getting 2lbs of targhee roving.  Sadly while the thing is on its way to me, it won't be here in time for my birthday, but I'll have it on Monday!  Hopefully there will be more spinning posts in the near future

Saturday the folks and I took the twins to their first circus which had popped their big tent in the field of a nearby high school.  My father went all out for the little people, giving them the entire experience.  They had their first cotton candy, an interesting experience to say the least.  They then feasted on funnel cakes.  Dad bought them these really annoying plastic horns, which I just remembered I hid in the foyer closet after we got home because I had a killer headache), and some nifty light things.  I think they were overwhelmed by the circus performance and really I think they just didn't appreciate how amazing the performances are.  Still, they sat and watched a great deal of it and saw elephants up close for the first time.  It was HOT though.  Kathryn was not amused by the clowns, surprising really considering the whole Big Comfy Couch obsession.  I love the look on Kat's face!

Craft on!

Sunny Sunday

It is a gorgeous Sunday afternoon here in Northern NJ.  The little'uns are playing on the patio with their ever present sand so I decided to take advantage of the mobile blogging platform (dude got a Dell laptop a couple of months ago - Inspiron 710m - tiny little thing that does me good) and whip out a post.  The pictures may not be the best as monitor is competing with the sun for dominance and the monitor is losing.  Plus I'm too darn lazy to go inside and do this so we'll just hope for the best.  Good thing I touch type ;)

Anyway, yesterday we had a lovely visit to Deb's house to share in the celebration of Chappy's 5th birthday.  Deb's friend Cindy came over with her two dogs.  There were plenty of dogs, sunshine, food and friends which made for a wonderful day.  It was even worth the 45 minute meltdown histeria that Alex pitched after having a napless afternoon followed by only a 30 minute nap on the way home.  Suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty.  Thankfully a good bit of it took place up in his room while I was in the kitchen with a sleepy, but quiet, Kat making dinner. Deb gave me an early and very cool birthday present:  the boxset of the Electric Company. How cool is that?  I loved the show as a kid and I look forward to seeing it again, this time with my kids.  Thanks Deb!

Sorry had to take a break there.  The shorties fell apart and I had to get them in for a nap.  I'm listening to them argue about how they aren't going to nap over the evil monitor.  Oh yes they are.  Anyway...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I finished the Lisa Souza Socks! in the What-A-Melon colorway.  The pattern was nothing more than my basic toe up recipe with a straight stockinette, the PGR YO short row heel, 2x2 rib and a sewn bind-off.  I love the yarn and look forward to digging out the Mahogany colorway sooner rather than later.  The socks are definitely fraternal twins, but I have a preference for that variety anyway!  Not surprisingly.

I've made very decent progress on the Pinwheel sweater.  Friday night I completed the last two rounds and braced for the i-cord bind off.  I tried it as written, but I just wasn't happy with how it was looking.  I thought it looked a little busy, especially for someone tiny like me.  I ripped it out and tried a simple knitted on i-cord edging.  I was a little underwhelmed with that as well.  It was as I was ripping that attempt out that I figured that it didn't really need anything.  The last 6+" was garter stitch, it could stand on its own without anything else.  I bound off loosely.  I like it!  A few sleeves and this baby will be done.  I love the color range and how the thing feels.  The down thing is that it is a large amount of worsted weight wool sitting in my lap in July. 

[update:  all is quiet upstairs as the monkeys are napping.  I love the "I'm not tired" complaint.  The more they complain the tireder I know they are and the quicker they actually go to sleep.  :) ]

That brings me back to my lack of focus feeling towards my current WIPS. 

• While I'm quite close to being able to finish Pinwheel, I'd rather not have all that wool in my lap now, plus it is too darn big to commute with. 
• I have Reid underway, but haven't touched that in quite a while and realize that I'd really rather not do lace with cotton.  It was less than kind to my hands.  I'm trying to decide if I'll ever go back to it or would it be better served made out of something different, like um Rowan Wool Cotton.  Now there's an idea.  I'll probably modify the pattern to make it in one piece rather than four and sewing it.  Blech.  That's settled, Reid is DOA.
• I had been going like gangbusters on Wendy's Lisa, but lost focus on that as well.  Maybe it was the gauge.  Maybe it was the endless 2x2 ribbing.  Whatever it was, I just don't have it in me to continue it.  I should check the yardage of the yarn and see what else it might be good for and redirect that wonderful drape and feel someplace else.
• Ribby?  Another bit of worsted wool that just isn't summer knitting friendly.

What does this boil down to?  I'm not too sure.  There are two DOA's where I need to reclaim the yarn.  Pinwheel will slowly but surely get done, but only at home and only with the A/C cranking.  Ribby will just go into the holding pattern that it has been in for months.  I need something to knit (other than the endless progression of socks and whatever lace is on the needles).  The two leading candidates are:

  CeCe and Sizzle.  I have yarn for both of them.  Well, in all honestly, going to a yarn store for a SnB has been the death of my SoS, and I picked up some Cascade Sierra in a dark green black for Sizzle on Thursday.  CeCe has some gorgeous Rowan Calmer pegged for it that has been aging in stash for a while.  I sense that Sizzle would be the quicker knit, but I could get more use out of CeCe.

Such choices.  Lets have a show of hands a quick vote here please.  In the meantime, I'll be working on the much neglected Shetland Tea Shawl or the Calla Lily socks (which I ripped out Friday morning BTW and started again using my standard sock recipe - can't actually tell why).

Craft on!

Bits and Bites

Well the LONG weekend is over, I'm taking a quickish minute at work to post an update.  Work, well now, this is a job that I love with a fabulous company!  I need to send an email to my arse of an old boss who pushed me out as a bit of a thank you.  While I was less than pleased by what happened in March (a bit of an understatement I know), it has seemed to turn out for the best.  Things do indeed happen for a reason.  The company at least from the 2 weeks I've been here, seems to have figured out that a happy employee is a productive, if not loyal, employee.  We won't even begin to discuss how very cool the discount is.  We'll just leave it that my wardrobe has expanded in the recent weeks.  The commute is pretty much the same as it was before with the exception of getting off the PATH train one stop earlier and walking East instead of West and into a nicer neighborhood.  It's all good.

I have been reading recently on the train rather than knitting, but there has been knitting (no pictures at present of actual works in progress), though nothing coming close to fruition.  I might have to drop out of my own WIP Wipe-OUt as I seem to be incapable of finishing off things before starting something new. 

First off there are the socks.  I did finish off those yummy Lisa Souza What-a-melon socks.  Once again, I can't remember when, but vaguely remember it them taking some two weeks to finish... wait it is coming back to me, I finished it the Thursday night before I started my new job.  That makes it:  June 15th.  I did start the Trekking Along socks in that pastel-y color I bought that same night as I was going to the DMV to renew my driver's license on Friday.  Blech.  I tried my standard toe-up pattern.  Boring.  A week later I ripped it out and decided that since I do all my trekking in the big bad city and I usually jaywalk to boot, a particular pattern seemed appropriate.  Well I started it, reducing the stitch count to make up for the particular shrimpiness of my foot and actually made some good progress.  Until I just couldn't stand looking at that pastel blandness of the yarn.  It was truly underwhelming.  I pulled the needles out last week and handed the skein to my mother.  I'm no 0 for 2 with Trekking yarn.  Not sure if I can keep on in the KAL.  Last week the first of the Sundara Petals Collection arrived.  YAY is all I can say.  The yarn is gorgeous.  Umm, I did take a picture of the kit when it arrived, but no, don't have the photo available (nor the Souza finished socks either for that matter).  Deb has lovely photos of the yarn if you're dying to see it.  I did get the first one started but haven't made it very far into it. 

The socks have become primarily train knitting (when not distracted by books that is) and home knitting, when given the opportunity has been on a new and not surprisingly, unblogged project.  I found this pattern, Pinwheel Sweater, on Elann and just had to make it for myself.  I couldn't wait for ordered yarn to arrive, so I went local, with my favorite yarn:  Cascade 220.  I conveniently remembered that Close Knits was on my way to the DMV so I made a stop on the 16th.  The owner was super helpful as she assisted me in picking out colors of my beloved Cascade in a complimentary and long enough range.  After first playing with reds and blues, I finally settled on oranges going from an off-white to a rust.  It is very pretty and I WILL have photos of it for you soon.  I'm now halfway through the 7th and last band of color.  Each round is now taking me some 20 minutes to knit with the 40" Addi Turbo jam packed.  I hope to make further progress tonight at the SnB at Modern Yarn.  While I am looking forward to finishing this garter stitch in the round business, I am decidedly not happlily anticipating the i-cord edging that awaits me.  Never a fan of i-cord, but two color i-cord over 576 edge stitches?  Ugh.  Might take me longer than the actual body of this sweater has taken me to do.  Oh well.  I'm hoping to have enough left over yarn to make a mini-matching version for Miss K.

Anyway, gots to fly.  Wanted to give a quick update and leave you with some monkey zen pictures taken this weekend.  Not up to the normal snuff as they were camera phone shots, but they do give you some shortie goodness.

 

Craft on!