Spinning Causes Knitting

I spun this mixed BFL from Woolgatherings.

Here is a bobbin of the singles that I spun.

The finished yarn is a fingering weight and about 420 yards.  

I started a Noro Bias Lace Scarf with it last knit at KniCroSpin night at my LYS.  I am excited to see how it turns out.

Dragonfly Socks

I finished the Dragonfly socks over the weekend.

Pattern: Dragonfly Socks
Started: June 25, 2011
Finished: July 23, 2011
Needles: Size 0 DPN's
Yarn: Cascade Heritage Sock in Campfire
Yards Used: 340

So, I had to start a new pair.  These are Sunday Swing socks and I am using Two Windows Dye Company Knitty Bits 2 sock yarn.

15 Years

Dear Husband,

It has been fifteen years today since we got married.  I love you more than I did that day.  I loved you so much that day that I didn't think that it would be possible to love you even more.  We had a rough first year but we made it through and we are stronger with each passing year.

We have survived loss of loved ones, moving three times to different states, being away from family, and the addition of three wonderful children.  I can't imagine anyone else I would have wanted to share it with.  Thank you for choosing me to be your wife.  I hope you know just how much you mean to me and how much I love you.  I know that God gave me an amazing gift when He sent you to me.  I am looking forward to the next 15 years.

I love you,
Robin

Spin A Long

I finished my AllSpunUp spin a long fiber last week.  I ended up with 1230 yards of a laceweight.

Fiber 80/20 Merino Silk in the Down to Earth colorway.  I am hoping to make a circular shawl with it.

Where Did Those Two Weeks Go??

Isn't it amazing how time gets away from us.  I can't believe it has been two weeks since I posted last. 

I have finished a hat for a friend of mine who is going through chemo for breast cancer.  

I tried my first corespun yarn also.  I like the idea of this yarn but it is so much harder to do than it looks.  I am kind of picky about how my yarn looks and I never really know what to do with this after I am finished with it.  

I have been spinning a lot since it is Tour de Fleece.  I have yarn that is drying that I will show off in the next post.

Newest FO!!!!!

This is the newest finished object to come off my needles.  I knit this for the my LYS as a shop sample.  I think it is a fun and amazing scarf.  It didn't look too great on me but I so enjoyed knitting it. It really is hard to hate knitting anything that you get to knit with Malabrigo.

Just Enough Ruffles
Started June 17, 2011
Finished June 25, 2011
Needles Size 9 Knit Picks Options
Yarn Malabrigo Worsted in Rhodesian
Yards Used 304

A Little Bit of Spinning!

I finally finished the shetland I was spinning. I had planned to knit a Shetland Pi Shawl ( Ravelry Link), but I don't have quite enough yarn.  I ended up with about 986 yards of a light fingering weight yarn.  I think it will still make a beautiful shawl and I might still try to use the pattern I had originally planned on using.  I might be able to take a repeat out or something.

At one point I got a little tired of spinning the shetland so I started this.  I have eight ounces of this Merino/Silk in the Down to Earth colorway.  

This is the first bobbin.  This picture really doesn't do the yarn justice.  I am hoping it will look better when it is plied and in yarn form.

The Sock Post

I finished this pair of Mockery Socks out of Fleece Artist in the Cosmic Dawn colorway.

I am making good progress on this pair of Knit One Crochet Two 3/1 Rib socks.  I have a couple more inches before starting the toe of the second one.

I started these last Saturday while I was watching the kids play at the park.  I am almost done decreasing the gusset for the first sock.  These are just plain vanilla socks with a hemmed cuff, sometimes you just need some mindless knitting.  

Still A Success To Me

I didn't make the two miles like I had planned but I think it was a success to me nonetheless.   I was able to finish the Kick Sack yesterday.

 I was also able to finish my Electron Socks yesterday also. These two projects added 655 yards to my total. I ended up with 1021 yards knit in May, which is around .58 miles of yarn knit.

I got closer on the spun yarn.  I ended up with a total of 1356 yards spun including this Black BFL from Gale's Art.  I am planning on using this for another Forest Canopy Shawl I think.

652 + 340 = 992

I am still plugging away on my mile of handspun.  This is 340 yards of shetland that I plan on using in a shawl of some sort.  This brings my spinning total up to 992 yard out of 1760.

I am in the process of plying this up so I will have another finished yarn to share soon.

Make that 652

Yards of handspun total so far this month.  This is Two Windows Dye Company out of Hutchinson, KS.  It is 414 yards of superwash fingering weight.

I have already started a project out of this yarn.  I am making a Kicking Bag for the principal at my oldest daughter's school.  She is having a baby boy in August.

One of these Days I Will Learn......

NEVER to make knitting plans.  I had this great plan to knit a mile of yarn and spin a mile of yarn.  My spinning might make it but I think the knitting is a no go.  Maybe I should just shoot for a mile total.

I finished my Forest Canopy Shawl on May 11, 2011 and finally got around to blocking it yesterday.  I love love love this pattern.  I am already spinning yarn to make another one.

Forest Canopy Shawl 

Needles Size 8 Knit Picks Options Circulars

Started April 30, 2011

Finished  May 11, 2011

Yarn AllSpunUp SAL fiber for October/November 85/15 BFL/Silk in the Rustic colorway

366 Yards

238 Down / 1522 To Go in the Spinning Mile

I started with this Blue Faced Leicester from Gale's Art.  It was called Orange Juice Overload.

It became 238 yards of a heavy fingering.  I navajo-plied it to keep it stripy.  I am thinking of using it for a pair of socks or fingerless mitts.

The Miles of May

I have come up with an idea.  I am not so sure that it is a good one but hopefully it will help me get finished with some spinning and knitting projects.  I am planning to spin a mile of yarn.  Unfortunately, it won't include this bobbin since I finished most of this yesterday.  

I have four pairs of socks on the needles right now. I need to get them finished. The green and black pair I am considering ripping out. I have also have decided to finish a mile of knitting projects.

So my plan is to knit and spin a mile of projects.  As of right now, I have spun .54 miles of yarn this year.  As of right now I have knit 1.32 miles of yarn.  Hopefully by the end of the month my goal will be accomplished.

Demeter Shawl

Singles

Yarn

 Demeter Shawl.

Bath.

Blocking

Pretty pictures

Gratuitous shot #1

(Gratuitous shot #2)

Specifics

Demeter Shawl by Laura Linneman

Yarn handspun  394 yards of a heavy fingering

Needles 4.5 mm (size 7) KnitPicks Options circular

Started April 21,2011

Finished April 28, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

Today Ten on Tuesday is 10 things you like about your family!

1.  I am so thankful that we are a family together.

2.  I am still deeply in love with my husband.

3.  I have three great kids.

4.  They make me laugh and bring me joy daily.

5.  My little boy gives magic hugs.  They always make me feel better when I am in a bad mood.

6.   That my family gets along most of the time.

7.  We are all pretty close together except for a sister and a brother that live on the east coast now.

8.  They have my back.  I know I can depend on them for anything.

9.  Since three of them are married I get an extra brother and two extra sisters.  One of my sisters in law is one of my closest friends.

10.  I had a great mom.  She has been gone for almost ten years and I still miss her but I know she is watching over me now.

Three out of Four Ain't Bad

I didn't quite finish my goal of finishing those four projects by today. I am okay with that though.  I did get three of them finished.  The sweater still needs buttons and the shawl still needs to be blocked but the knitting is done.

One is Done

I finished one of the four Take em Out projects.

Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks
Started: March 6, 2011
Finished: April 4, 2011
Needles: 2.5 mm Kollage Square DPN's
Yarn: Hill Country Yarn in Bluebonnet

I am really excited since this yarn is from my stash.

Takin' Em Out by Tax Time!!!! (Knitting Edition)

I realized today, that I didn't finish one single project in March.  So I have declared the next fifteen days as "Take 'Em Out by Tax Time."  I am going to get these four projects done by April 15th.  All but one of them is over half way done so I think it is a goal I can accomplish.

Simple Skyp Socks,  first sock is done and the second one I just finished decreasing the gusset.

Coffee Bean sweater, just needs the ribbing on the bottom and the two sleeves.

Nypon Shawl, one more repeat of chart A, 6 rows of chart B and then just 16 rows of Chart C.

Mockery Socks, these might be the ones that do me in but I am going to give it my best shot.  I am on the heel flap of the first one.  

I will have my spinning goals in the next post.

Ten on Tuesday--Library Edition

First I have been knitting just not very fast so hopefully I will have a good knitting post up soon.


Ten Reason to use the Public Library

1. It is cheap.  (unless you have late fees)

2. I don't have to store all the books that I read from there.

3. E-Books I can get books for my e reader through the state library.

4.  Inter library loan.  If they don't have it.  They can get it.

5. Story time.  NaNa at our library is awesome.

6. Mini classes for kids. The girls are taking sewing right now.

7. Movies to check out.

8.  Don't have buyers remorse if you read a book that sucks and think you wasted your money.

9.  Librarians are super neat people.

10.  Free bookmarks!!!!!!  My youngest daughter has a collection.

Ten On Tuesday

This week's topic is ten things you love about spring.  Thanks Carole.

1. Getting rid of the heavy coat.

2. Sleeping with window open.

3. The sound of the woodpecker waking me up.

4. Spring break.  A week of not carting kids to school and making lunches.

5. March Madness.  I love watching college basketball on the weekends.  Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!!!

6. Going to the park with the kids and watching them play.

7. Knitting outside on the porch.

8. Trees budding out.

9. Green grass.

10. Thunderstorms.

Socks!!!

Simple Skyp socks out of Hill Country Yarns in Bluebonnet.  I have the first one finished now and I have started the second one.  I am just past the ribbing on the cuff and a few rows into the pattern.

Mockery Socks out of Fleece Artist 2/6 Merino.  I haven't worked on these much since I took the picture a couple of days ago so they look about the same.

Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten on Tuesday is your favorite kinds of pie!!

1. Pineapple Pie, it is something that brings back wonderful memories of my childhood helping my grandmother make them. Before we baked them we always sprinkled them with sugar!

2. Pecan Pie, one of my absolute favorites.  I loved how the pecans get all sugary.

3. Pumpkin Pie, I like to make this all year long.  It reminds me of fall.  I think I have everything I need to make one today.

4. Chocolate Cream Pie, how can you not like pie that has chocolate in it????

5. Coconut Cream Pie,  especially if the coconut on top is toasted just a little bit.

6. Apple Pie, with lots of cinnamon and sugar with butter makes the house smell so good.

7. Peach Pie is a favorite that I always forget about.

8. Oatmeal Creme Pie, I know it is not "pie" but I love them.

9. Chicken Pot Pie, but without peas.  Peas are yucky.

10. Ice cream Pie, I love any pie that involves ice cream.

On the Wheel

I thought I would show what is currently getting attention on my wheel.  This is the AllSpunUp Spin a long fiber for February/March. It is a 50/30/20 alpaca/merino/silk blend that practically spins itself. I have enjoyed this blend and the color is amazing.  I am trying to decide if I should leave it a single or make it a 2 ply.

This is the first bobbin of the fleece that I am working on.  I love the oatmeal color.  I still have a lot of it left to do.

This is some BFL that I got at the Wicked Stitch.  Jennifer dyed this and I so enjoyed spinning it.  It just needs to be plied at this point.  I let it rest while I started the alpaca/merino/silk.  I will probably ply this after I finish the first bobbin of the other.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Things I Like About March

1. My husband's birthday, without him I would be very lonely.  I am so thankful that he is my husband.

2. My youngest daughter, Punkinbug, has a birthday this month also.  She is a joy to have around and smart as a whip.

3. Spring Break, a whole week that I don't have to make the "school run".

4. The grass starts to peek out of the ground.  Those little pieces of green give me hope that winter is almost over.

5. March Madness, I love watching some unknown team bring down a big name.  There is always a Cinderella team that comes out of nowhere.

6. Melting snow.

7. Taking the kids to the park.

8. Warmer weather

9. Knowing that I won't see -5 degrees for at least 8 months

10. 31 days in the month gives me more time to knit.