Sewing up September

This month just flew by, the girls went back to school, I got a year older, we went on a trip, and this morning someone was scraping the frost off their windshield. I have a feeling that winter is going to be here sooner than later. At least it is good handmade sock weather.





I finished the roving I got from the Loopy Ewe. It is the best yarn I have spun so far I think. I got about 348 yards of a fingering weight. I really like how it turned out. Not quite sure what it is going to be yet.






My friend, Linda, took a dyeing class on Saturday and inspired me to dye some roving. I decided I wanted to make something Christmasy so I split it in half and dyed half green and half red. I am still trying to decide if I want to mix it while I am spinning or spin the two colors separate and then ply them together. My husband thinks I should go with the latter. This is some Blue Faced Leicester that I got in Kansas earlier this year.




To end up this month I am hoping to being sewing the toe of this sock together sometime today. So hopefully a FO will be in my very near future.

D.....

is for a DETAINED and DELAYED post. I am a DAY behind on my ABC Along post so please forgive me.





It seems like I have been busy but I DON'T really have much to show for it. I have been bitten by the DYEING bug as this picture will show. I used some food coloring and it was lots of fun. It is fun to come up with stuff that is all mine and no one else will have anything like it.




This is some of the wool that I got when I ordered my wheel. It is a Corridale cross I think and it is called Vineyard. I am thinking of spinning it up for a shawl knitalong but I am not sure. I DO have some yarn that I have spun but I haven't washed it yet and I think it looks better after it has had a bath.





D is also for DISTRESS. Buddy was not very happy with me so I had to share this one. Before the picture was taken he pointed his finger at me and told me "DAT'S not nice". I am sure you will survive not getting another piece of cheese.

The Knitter Needs to be Smarter than the Sock

I think I have finally gone off the deep end. I have just spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out why the turning of the heel flap of my Monkey sock wasn't working out. I started over the turn twice I still couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I finally figured it out. I DIDN'T READ THE PATTERN RIGHT. Do you want to know the sad part??? I have made this pattern before. I knew it was the operator and not the pattern, almost anyone who knits socks has made this pattern. I just felt really dumb. I kept slipping the first stitch when I was just supposed to knit the 17 stitches. Oh Well, you live and you learn I suppose. It might be that I stayed up way too late Saturday night but that is an entirely different post.




I thought I would show off my first handspun yarn. It has issues. It has spots where there is no spin and spots where there is too much spin but I am really proud of it. I have thought of using it to make a little scarf that would just fit in the top of my coat but I think I might just save it as a momento. I still have to get better at plying too.





I also have been bitten by the dyeing bug. I am really enjoying dyeing some of the roving and top I have purchased. I dyed the pink that is in the first handspun and I dyed this Friday morning. This is some Corridale, I am practicing on some more of this top and then hope to spin the top that I dyed into something I can use to make something for me.

Robin's Got a New Toy!!!!!

I got a new toy and I think it has been stolen, by the Punkinbug. She had asked to treadle last night so I let her and all morning all I heard was "I want to pin on your pinning wheel".




I have went to the spin side. I have been thinking about it for a long time and did a ton of research on different wheels. I was not able to try very many out, I did try a Ashford Traditional single treadle and a Kromski Mazurka. I like the looks of the Kromski's and I wanted something that I could put away from little fingers. I got a Kromski Sonata.




The roving on the floor next to the Punkinbug is some Border Leicester that I got at my LYS. We dyed it with some Kool Aid in Black Cherry and Berry Blue.




This is how it spun up. I have some natural left and I am debating between spinning in natural or dyeing it with more Kool Aid just to have something fun to spin up. I am still waiting for the roving that I ordered when I got my wheel. I hope it gets here soon.