Planning a Spin, Spinning a Plan

I have taken this braid of FatCatKnits superwash merino in Moxie.

I have split it into six (almost) equal bumps.  I think one of them might have one more gram or so.

I have started to spin the first bobbin for some three ply sock yarn.

On My Way to Stitches South

Okay, I am not going to Stitches South, these awesome mittens that I knit are though.  These will be in the UrbanGypz booth.

Pattern: Ruba'iyat Mittens
Yarn UrbanGypz Superwash Merino sock in Stay Golden and Nails
Needle 1.5 KnitPicks Options circulars
Started  February 20, 2012
Finished April 13, 2012.

Why Fiber Friends Are Awesome

I have wonderful fiber friends.  My friend Linda sent me a package that I received on Saturday that made my weekend.

She sent me two braids of Two If By Hand Superwash Merino, a handspun shawl, and a braid of fiber from Gritty Knits in Fish Bowl.  The bag says I Spin Yarn, with a spinning wheel in place of the word spin.  I need to get a project in it soon.  THANK YOU LINDA!!! I loved it.

Maybe I Should Stop Spinning

I really haven't been knitting much this year.  

 I think it is because I have been doing so much spinning.  

I want to knit with all this great yarn but I just keep spinning.  I have already spun over three pounds of fiber this year.

Wednesday on my Wheel

I have one more skein left to ply for my vest.  I am hoping I will have enough to make the vest I have picked out.  If not I will make something smaller with this yarn and try again.

I think this will be what I will spin next on my wheel.  I think it would make a great spring/summer scarf or shawl.

Polwarth/Silk How I Love Thee

Oooh Shiny!  Gale's Art Polwarth Silk in Blueberry Bush approximately 530 yards fingering weight two ply that is destined to become a Flower Basket Shawl.

Another FO and a Big Spinning Project

Well since I have been doing a lousy job of posting lately I totally forgot that I had a project I had finished.  I knit these socks for a lady that I work with. These are the Jeck socks and I used Socks that Rock in River Rocked.  These were a fun knit and took too long because I just messed around and wasn't in any hurry.

I have also started a large spinning project.  I am hoping I will have enough to make a Mondo Cable Vest or maybe a short sleeved cardigan of some sort.  I am using natural BFL and Wild Ivy BFL and I am going to ply the two together.

I have finished three bobbins of the natural.  I don't have enough bobbins to spin it all at once.  I have spun six of the eight ounces that I have of the natural wool.

Here is the first bobbin of the Wild Ivy BFL.  I am almost done with the first two ounces of the eight that I have of this.

Quick Knits

I knit a couple of pairs of Camp Out Fingerless Mitts since the last time I posted.   I knit the darker pair in less than a day.  Those were knit from some handspun.  

The second pair took me a little longer. They would have been done really quick as well but I didn't knit on them all weekend.  I just used some yarn from my stash to knit those.  I think the girls like them.  I am considering making myself a pair but I may tweak it a little to add a little shaping to the arm.

First Finished Object of 2012

This is my first FO of the new year.  Sadly these were on the needles for almost six months.  I am so glad they are done.

Vanilla Socks
Started August 27, 2011
Finished February 3, 2012
Needles Size 0 Addi Turbo Circulars (two circular)
Yarn S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes with Aloe

I am not a huge fan of this yarn.  It was very splitty and there was a knot that changed the direction of the yarn stripes which was kind of irritating.

Spinning Has Taken Over

I have been spinning quite a bit this year.

This is Wild Ivy BFL, it is around 182 yards of worsted weight.  I usually don't spin thicker yarns but it turned out okay I think.  I am planning for some mittens or fingerless mitts.

This is Woolgatherings January 2012 fiber club.  It was a BFL/Seacell blend.  I am planning another Sockhead hat I think.

This is UrbanGypz Superwash Merino.  The colorway is Little Laney and it is a three ply fingering weight.   I plan to make some socks with this.  I love this yarn for socks.  They are so soft and cushy.  The two pairs I have made from yarn spun from this fiber are my favorites.

So far this is what I have spun this year.  I am really enjoying spending time with my wheel.  I already have another braid on the wheel.

Awesome!!!!!

I have to admit that I was a little afraid to spin this fiber.  I have never spun BFL/Seacell blend.  I love the streaks of seacell that didn't take the color.

I started spinning this today.  I am spinning it kind of fine to navajo ply it for a hat or a scarf. I think it would make a very happy Hitchhiker scarf or an amazing Sockhead hat.

Ten On Tuesday 1.17.12

Today's Topic:  10 Things To Do Inside When It's Too Cold To Go Outside.

1. Knit

2. Read a Book

3. Watch Kansas Jayhawks  Basketball

4. Bake cookies

5. Clean house (not really but it sounds good).

6. Put a puzzle together

7. Watch TV or a good movie 

8. Take a hot bubble bath

9. Spin beautiful yarn

10. Take a nap all snuggled up under a blanket.

A Start

I have started on my 12 lbs of Crazy project.  I have really been "bitten" by the spinning bug lately.  This is the first yarn I finished this year, approximately 322 yards of heavy fingering two ply.  It was dyed by Wild Ivy and it is BFL.

My second yarn for this year is the December SAL from AllSpunUp.  It is approximately 332 yards of merino/tencel heavy fingering weight.  The colorway was Water Lilies.

Both of the yarns turned out really well and I am excited to knit something with them.  I just need to find the "perfect" project for them both.

10 on Tuesday 2.0

The topic today is 10 Things You Want to Do This Year

1. Take better care of myself.

2. Continue to read my Bible everyday and develop my relationship with God.

3. Spin more.  I signed up for the 12 Pounds in 2012.  I am calling it my 12 Lbs of Crazy project. (The above yarn is what I am currently spinning.

4. Make two sweaters for me.   This includes the one I started in 2010.

5. More organized.

6. Knit 12 pairs of socks, six of them from my stash.

7. Listen more.

8. Worry less. Quit worrying about things I have absolutely no control over.

9. Read 75 books this year.

10. Find more happiness in everyday.  We tend to focus so much on the bad and not enjoy the good.

New Year=New Yarn

Well it is a new year, and I have new handspun yarn.  This is some Wild Ivy Designs.  She doesn't always give them names so I make them up as I go.  I called this one Easter Basket.

This is the Polwarth from The Knitgirllls SAL/KAL.  I don't know the yardage on this one either but I am going to put it back on my niddy noddy to find out.  I had a little over 400 before I soaked it, but Polwarth seems to bloom so I will check it again before I decide what to knit with it.

My Last Finished Object of 2011

Well this is it.  This will complete my finished objects for the year of 2011.  (I don't think I can whip anything else out before midnight tomorrow.)

Sockhead Hat
Started December 22, 2011
Finished December 28, 2011
Yarn Handspun Wild Ivy in Hooligans
Needles Size 3 Hiya Hiya 16 inch circular.

I really like this hat and I eventually I will make more.  I didn't have enough yarn to do the whole 14 inches so I started decreasing at about 9 inches total.

Finished!

I finished my Christmas knitting.  I really don't knit for Christmas but someone asked me to make a pair of socks for her mom for Christmas so I said I would.  Her family does "special" things for Christmas and she thought her mom would LOVE a pair of hand knitted socks.  I thought it was a really sweet thing to do for her mom.

Hermione Everyday Socks
Socks that Rock Lightweight in Rocktober
Needles 1.5 Knit Picks Circulars
Started November 15, 2011
Finished December 18, 2011

I really enjoy knitting with Socks that Rock it is one of my favorite yarns.

I started a couple of new projects yesterday.  I am making the Sockhead hat out of some handspun.  The roving was dyed by Wild Ivy Designs.  I also started a pair of Jeck socks.  I am using Socks that Rock in the River Rock colorway.

I Have New Handspun

I finished spinning part of the Polwarth/Silk in the Tapestry colorway.   I have about 250 of a light worsted to worsted weight.  It is amazing how much this "poofed" up.  I had 300 yards before I washed it and now I only have around 250 yards.  I love this fiber and I think that it is one of my new favorites.

I am spinning some Polwarth now. It is the Haunted Vineyard from the KnitGirllls spin a long/knit a long.  

Tiny Tea Leaves

Oh how I enjoyed knitting this sweater.  Which is a good thing since her older sister wants one like it but in pink.

It was such a fun knit.  The only problem I really had was when I was trying to do the sleeves magic loop and I didn't like it so I put it down for a while.  I hope I can remember just how much I dislike magic loop knitting. So I don't "try" it again.  It just leads to frustration for me.

I think she likes it.

Tiny Tea Leaves Cardigan
Yarn is Berroco Vintage
Needles Size 6 and 7
Started September 25, 2011
Finished December 4, 2011

Stranded

My first stranded knitting project that I have ever completed.  I used some Wildfoote sock yarn (that I wouldn't recommend) and some handspun.  The pattern is the Selbu Modern and I used size 1 and size 3 needles.  I really enjoyed making this hat and at some point I will probably make it again.