Socks, shrugs, and wonderful days.

I found my favourite sock needles! Not before I ordered replacements, of course, but that’s just fine–means I’ll be able to have a couple of pairs on the go at once, like I used to. Being able to switch back and forth as the mood strikes me helps with the inevitable second-sock syndrome.

Instead of transferring my pink socklets from their DPNs to my newly-found needles, I sorta started a new pair since I was craving something more interesting than plain stockinette. No-purl Monkeys, in Fleece Artist merino, with the cuff/leg knit on bigger needles to better fit my fat ankles.

Despite a) putting a moratorium on sweaters until autumn; b) not having done the finishing work on my Nederland vest, I’ve been really wanting to knit another garment of some sort. Honestly, I’ve been seriously considering frogging my first sweater (a cropped cardigan in Noro Silver Thaw) and knitting something I’ll wear more often. I’m thinking of the Two-Toned Ribbed Shrug from Fitted Knits–I have a ton of cute sleeveless tops that coordinate nicely with the colours in the yarn, and I’m not always comfortable with leaving my upper arms bare. Plus, since it doesn’t even come close to closing in front, I can choose a smaller size that’ll be wearable now and yet not be too big in a few months’ time.

This post is taking me forever to write because I keep pausing to knit on my sock.

It was my 30th birthday a week ago (eek); I didn’t really do anything on the day itself, but later in the week I enjoyed the gift of the house to myself. I got to relax and recharge more than I’ve been able to in months, and really, I may have spent more than a few minutes on the floor with the cats in a patch of sunshine. I took the car-loving felines (leaving the car-hating ones to their sunny naps) with me when I picked up lunch, and they rolled, purred, and showed off so much in the drive-thru that the cashiers offered them little creamer cups as treats.

I carried my wheel upstairs and spun all afternoon, in front of the big window overlooking the bay, and in the evening I cooked something fabulously spicy and flavourful for myself, a sharp contrast to the bland, boring suppers I’m usually stuck making when I’m not home alone.

I crashed into bed early, and at sunrise the next morning headed to Moncton. Spent the whole warm, sunny day there, visiting favourite places and shopping with birthday money, only heading for home well after dark. I wish I’d been able to take some photos, especially of the crocuses and daffodils in bloom downtown, but I’d neglected to bring my camera.

The crocuses are starting to come up here, too–there are green shoots and purple buds sticking up through the bit of snow that still covers the garden. The snow is deeper, elsewhere, but the garden is on a slope and recent rains have washed it almost clean.

On a final note, I’ve started listening to audiobooks rather than watching TV while I craft. They don’t count toward my 7900s challenge, but my brain prefers them to endless reruns. My sock might not see much progress this afternoon, though, because I’ve been listening to The Hologram’s Handbook, both written and read by Robert Picardo. Apparently I cannot laugh like a lunatic and knit at the same time.

Socks, little knits, and more of the same.

It’s been months since I’ve knit a pair of socks, but I think the bug’s bitten again. I’m improvising a pair of simple summer-friendly socklets with Latvian Twist cuffs, knit in LL Shepherd Sock. (I love the Shepherd lines; I’m tempted by some of the pretty new colours, but I have more than enough already.

Hear that, brain? More than enough.)

I’d really prefer to be knitting these on my KP circs, but I… can’t find them. WTF? I’ve never misplaced my favourite sock needles before, no matter how long I go without using them. I’ve resorted to DPNs, which are slower and not as enjoyable for me, and am hoping the circs turn up soon.

I’ve just finished a little rust-covered slipover sized to fit a 3-month-old. I knit the front and back over a couple of days in February, then laid it aside and promptly forgot about it. I’m not altogether pleased with the finishing–some of the body stitches got stretched out when I picked up for the neckband–but a wash and light blocking will likely fix that. It had better, because the vest is supposed to be a sample for my LYS.

Apparently I haven’t gotten little knits out of my system, because I have another little sweater started now–a cabled cardigan from Sirdar’s Little Sweet Peas booklet. I’m using scarlet red Snuggly DK, and if one more person says “that’s not a baby colour” I may start using my needles as weapons. Washed-out pastels are mostly overrated.

I have more new handspun. (Shocking.)

Fibre: FreckleFaceFibers’ Merino/Angora in Strawberry Shortcake
Details: 2 ply, 10 WPI, approx. 115 yards

Mm, angora. 20% appears to be just enough to make the finished yarn deliciously soft with a bit of a halo. It feels lighter than I thought it would, and I got more yardage than I would have expected from the weight (of the fibre before spinning) and the WPI.

I wonder how much of that lightness is due to the angora and how much is due to my now being able to keep a lighter grip on the fibre, and not squeezing all the air out of it, without it slipping out of my hands. From what I understand, a short backwards draw (the only way I know how to spin at the moment) is going to produce yarn that’s on the dense side when compared to other methods, but not keeping a death-grip on the fibre should help keep it from being too dense, shouldn’t it?

There were a lot of little mats of angora to pick out while I was spinning. Most of them came out easily, but I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to use tweezers in the future rather than my clumsy fingers.

Fibre: Merino top from WC Mercantile, in Copperwood
Details: 3 ply, 9 WPI, approx. 155 yards

I shamelessly love this, and wish I could manage to take a photo that adequately shows the heathering. There are at least a dozen subtle colours in it, adding depth to the dominant brown. The singles didn’t look at all like I expected (kinda disappointing, actually) but after plying… yes! Just what I’d hoped for.

Count this as another Project Spectrum submission–North’s associated element is earth.

I’m thinking of knitting it into a hat based on Foliage, but altered into a beret.

Aaaand suddenly it’s almost twelve-thirty. I’ve been up since before sunrise, but still have lots to do before I take time off for Knit Night tonight. I’d better get moving.

On a final note, though, it’s Flash Your Stash day. My stash is rather well-organised at the moment, but not in a way that makes it photograph well. I don’t really want to screw it all up again quite yet, so instead I think I’ll photograph a few choice skeins, later, and leave it at that. =D

Fibre, fibre, fibre, fibre, yarn, yarn, cat.

New fibre, new fibre! Gorgeous Shetland/silk from Warratah Fibrecrafts, plus equally lovely BFL, merino/angora, and alpaca from FreckleFaceFibers.

I have lots of time to spin this evening, since I’m stuck home again instead of going to knit night as planned. If it weren’t so damp outside (beautiful, warm, and sunny, but the snow is melting so it’s messy) I’d be on the patio with the wheel. Instead, I think I’ll park myself next to an open window. Almost as good. Maybe better, since it’s not quite warm enough to sit outside without a jacket, and that might get in the way of the spinning.

There’s some knitting on the agenda, too. My Forest Canopy shawl is more than half-done, and I’m starting to get a little anxious to see how my handspun blocks out. It’s in my knitting bag at the moment, but I know I’ll reach for it tonight before bed–there’ll be a new ep of Criminal Minds on, and I’m incapable of sitting still for an hour.

I have two new skeins of handspun. The darker yarn started out as a braid of Fleece Artist merino, and the pink yarn is the roving from Handpaintedyarn.com that I photographed on the bobbin a few days ago. Both are about 10 WPI, and 3 ply.

I’m kinda thrilled with the pink merino, honestly. It’s a 210-yard skein of squish that’s as stupidly soft in yarn form as when it was a pile of pre- drafted fibres. I’m slowly learning how to loosen up and not keep such a death grip on the fibre, which is resulting in yarn that’s not quite so dense. Whatever I choose to knit with this, I think it’ll have to be something that’s meant to be worn against the skin.

And that’s enough rambling, I guess.

Before I go, I have one question. I know that Pi is a fairly ridiculous cat on a regular basis, but can anyone explain what he’s doing sleeping face-down with a ball of yarn against his forehead?

Shawls and spinning and possible projects.

It was a bright and sunny first day of spring, with temps above zero. It was nice enough to venture outside in a button-down shirt and wool cardigan, rather than my winter coat. I’m sure I’ll need the coat again, at intervals, for the next month or so, but temps are rising enough that it’s time to start steering the knitting toward summer accessories. It’ll soon be too warm for the winter ones.

I’ve put a moratorium on sweater knitting until the fall (I appear to be shrinking–how fabulous is that?), so of course that’s mostly what I want to knit right now. Instead, I’m trying to turn my attempt to lightweight scarves and shawls, short socks, and sun-friendly hats. I have some silks, bamboo blends, and cottons in the stash that are begging to be used.

I’ve started a shoulder shawl with some pretty BFL singles I spun last week. The second skein is much more purple than the first, but rather than alternating skeins I’m just going to let the colours do what they want. The darker blues will be at the center top, and the purples will be along the edge, which should look all right.

The yarn is both squishier and fuzzier than I thought it would be. I’ve never spun singles before and left them as singles; they looked like bad spiral perms fresh off the wheel and I thought I’d arsed them up, but after being washed/whacked and hung to dry unweighted, they were fine. Possible crisis averted. I hope. I’m still kinda paranoid that something crazy is going to happen to the yarn during blocking.

Sometimes it’s nice to come back to a pattern after a long while and see how different it feels. I knit a small Forest Canopy as my first lace project; I remember having to concentrate on the chart and double-check stitch counts at the end of each row. Almost three years later, I’m knitting another one, but this time in front of the TV with the lace pattern memorised after the first repeat.

Speaking of TV, there’s a Star Wars marathon on tonight. I haven’t really been watching, per se, but I’ve been listening to it while spinning the first bobbin of a pink merino from handpaintedyarn.com. The colourway, Damask Rose, doesn’t appear to be on their website anymore. It’s been in the stash for ages, though, as leftovers from my disastrous attempts at drop-spindling.

There’s a pile of pre-drafted fibres on my bed, and they’re so soft I could sleep in them.

I took a nap earlier, though, so chances are I’ll be up for a while. I haven’t decided yet whether I want to keep spinning or take a knit break. I have my shawl to work on, but I’m also very, very tempted by some of the lovely things in Knitted Lace of Estonia. I have a skein of Malabrigo Sock in Tiziano Red that would make a gorgeous Triinu scarf. I have some black Alpaca with a Twist Fino that would make a striking Madli’s Shawl. And let’s not even discuss the amount of pretties I have that would be appropriate for either the Peacock Tail & Leaf scarf or the Lily of the Valley scarf.

Can anyone lend me several hours and/or days? I promise I’ll give them back when my pattern queue is shorter.

FO: Stevie’s Blanket

Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Sirdar Big Softie, 3 balls of Muffin and less than 1/2 a ball of Teddy
Needles: 8 mm

Stevie’s been sleeping on (or in) my Oakseed cardigan, anytime he could get away with it, since before I even finished knitting it. He seems to love something about the yarn, so I decided to knit him a blanket with the leftovers.

Garter basketweave saved me from too much rectangular stockinette, and I edged it in single crochet to tidy up the edges and add a bit of contrast. I didn’t bother blocking; the yarn doesn’t require handwashing, so I put it through a gentle machine cycle and a short low-heat stint in the dryer.

I had no worries that Stevie would reject the blanket in favour of the cardigan he’d already claimed, because he tried to pull it out of my hands and sleep on it several times while it was still on the needles. Hee. I actually had a hard time getting clear photos of him with it, when it was finished, because of all his rolling and snuggling.

Good thing the other cats don’t have the same affinity for the yarn, because I don’t think he wants to share.

Spinning, an FO, and Pi.

Fibre: Black Cat Fibres New Zealand Corriedale
Details: 2 ply, 10 WPI, approx. 170 yards

I have one orange cat, one brown cat, one black-and-white cat, and one black cat. Four colours, total, which happen to be the four colours in this yarn. This was not an accident. =D

I managed to spin the singles to a relatively consistent thickness; my plying twist is still uneven, but I’m working on it. I spent a lot of time picking neps out of the fibre, but for all I know I might have been creating some of them with the way I was drafting. I’ve never spun Corriedale before, so have about zero knowledge as to how it’s supposed to act. It does fluff up into a nice-feeling yarn, though, easily soft enough to wear against my skin.

I’m thinking, though, that I might not knit this one. I might warp my loom and weave fabric for a tote bag, instead, which might be kinda awesome. Spin the yarn, weave the fabric, sew the bag. Oo, and I could use the buttons I made from maple branches last fall.

Sounds like a plan.

Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: my handspun
Needles: 5 mm

More for Project Spectrum. I just knit a simple rectangle, starting with a two-row seed stitch border, then added a button and finished the top and sides with a crochet edging. My crochet skills are limited, but I like using it to stablise edges that I don’t want to stretch too much.

I had less than a yard of yarn left over. Cutting it rather close, yes, but yay for using almost all of the yarn.

I started spinning a braid of Fleece Artist BFL sliver with the intent of ending up with a worsted-weight 3 ply, but it’s looking so pretty as a singles I’m almost tempted to leave it as-is. It probably has too much twist for that, though. I think.

Once again, I’ve been making an attempt at trying to consolidate my clutter into something resembling organisation. I have a helper, this time, but unfortunately he’s not been able to come up with a solution for the entire-apartment-of-stuff, single-room-to-put-it-in issue. He does purr, though, so that’s a point in his favour.

I’m basically fighting a losing battle, though. There’s just not enough physical space, unless I start suspending things from the ceiling. Heck, there’s not even enough space for my bed–I’ve been sleeping on (and sitting on, since I also have no space for a comfortable chair) an air mattress since I moved back here ten months ago.

This is going on a total tangent, but sometimes, especially when I’m frustrated that I still haven’t been able to get out into an apartment again, I dream about stuffing everything I own into a moving van, heading west, and driving until I see the Pacific ocean. It’s been a dream of mine, for years, to move to coastal BC; when I search employment sites, I find open positions everywhere, but, of course, on a casual basis. I like to think I’m being realistic when I say that it’s not a good idea to move without some kind of safety net, be it a bank account with enough to live on for several months or the promise of full-time employment. I have neither.

Anyhow. Off to feed my ever-growing Shubunkins, then get back to work.

FO: Ravelling Leaves Cowl

So! How obvious is it that I have no work this week?

Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: my handspun
Needles: 4 mm KP circ

I did a quick search for cowl patterns and didn’t come across one that screamed “knit me!”, so I picked a lace pattern out of a stitch dictionary instead. The pattern was simple (I figured anything complex would get lost in the yarn’s irregularities), but I learned more about spinning by knitting it. Mostly by feeling the variations in consistency and twist, and paying attention to which spots felt nicer to knit with than others.

I only noticed a little bit of colour bleed when I washed the freshly-spun skein, but wow did it bleed when I blocked the finished cowl. The water was as dark as the yarn, and it stained the towel I used to roll the wetness out. It doesn’t seem to have lightened the yarn overall, though, and I did give it a quick soak in vinegar after the first bath. It should be fine. I hope.

By virtue of the yarn I used, I’m labelling this a Project Spectrum knit.

And speaking of Project Spectrum… green!

Fibre: Alchemy Fibre Arts merino roving
Details: 2 ply aran-weight, approx. 92 yards

This started off as a grab bag of two-foot-long strips of roving in eight different colours. I split each strip lengthwise, half for each bobbin; I knew the colours wouldn’t line up precisely when plied, which is what I wanted. It seems to have worked all right, and should stripe nicely when knitted.

Now, I think I need tea. I’ve had to give up caffeine because of gastrointestional issues, but that hasn’t ruled tea out. Some of the teas I like best are naturally caffeine-free, and for the rest, it wasn’t that hard to find nice decaf versions. I found a decaf black & green Earl Grey that’s particularly good–I think that might be what I’ll make right now.

More of the same!

I learned a couple of things today. First, a lot of people use Ravelry to keep up with blogs. Second, the Rav URL for my RSS feed was still pointing to the old domain. Third, even if the feed URL had been correct, there was a small error that prevented said feed from validating. *facepalm* I guess that explains why it’s seemed so quiet around here since I switched over. (It’s all fixed now. I hope I haven’t lost everyone.)

I wish I had a local source for spinning fibre, because I have two braids left and a whole week without any shifts at work. All right, so my bedroom could use some reorganisation, my loom could use some attention, and I have some knitting projects I could be working on. But. But! Well, you know how it is.

Fibre: FreckleFaceFibers’ Alpaca/Merino/Silk roving in Vintage
Details: 2 ply DK weight, approx. 77 yards

I meant to save this until I was much better at spinning, but it was so soft and pretty. A little slippery, but not enough to make it difficult to work with. I keep ending up with yarns that are dense and tightly spun and plied, so this time I tried to keep it a little looser and softer. It worked! The resulting yarn is nice and squishy.

The colours look rather washed out in the photo, but they’re gorgeous–dusty pinks, creams, and a bit of tarnished gold. The yardage is a little short for an entire project, but if I can find a pink or cream yarn to coordinate, then I have a hat idea that might work.

On the knitting front, I started a cowl last night using a stitch pattern out of one of my reference books. I’m using my handspun, too. Yay!

I’d planned on four vertical repeats of the lace, but the ball of yarn isn’t shrinking nearly as fast as I anticipated. I can definitely get five repeats, and maybe even six. I want to use as much of the yarn as I can, even if that means the cowl turns out rather tall.

It should be finished tonight, I expect.

All crafting aside, it appears that I’m close to the number of hours required to quality for EI. I’m still working casual (and expect to be doing so for several more months at least), so EI will fill in the gaps on the weeks I don’t have any work. If all goes well, it’ll mean I can afford to move into my own apartment again, which is pretty much vital for me if I want to maintain some manner of sanity. I’ve been feeling the anxieties and panics creeping back in again for the past few months, and the last thing I want is to end up like I was before, especially since, thanks to my year in Moncton, I now know what it feels like to not be in a constant state of stress.

I might not be so prone to panic and overwhelming anxiety if I could just learn not bottle things up. To, instead, just stand up and tell people point-blank when they’re being childish, materialistic, selfish, self-centered, hateful, obsessive, wildly illogical, or just plain batshit crazy, but, well. Nobody ever said I had a spine.

And that’s enough about that. I’ll go back to pondering important things, like whether or not I should insert my finished-handspun posts into my FOs category.

Project Spectrum: North

This year’s Project Spectrum theme appeals to me so much that I’m actually participating. It’s based on the four cardinal directions and their associated colours, materials, seasons, and elements; there’s so much more to work with than previous cycles of PS that assigned specific colours to specific months.

So. Here’s my first contribution:

Fibre: Fleece Artist Merino Sliver in Stardust
Details: 2 ply sportweight, approx. 105 yards

It reminds me of the colour of low-hanging clouds, just before a mid-winter dawn. The photo makes the lilac tones rather obvious, but they’re much more subtle, just adding depth to the grey.

FA’s merino is soft without being wispy and/or slippery, which I think makes it easier for me to spin. The resulting yarn has a tight twist, is more or less balanced, and is the weight I was hoping for, too. The yardage seems low for the weight, but it’s a pretty dense yarn, so maybe that’s why. I’m not sure. Insert waving of newbie flag here.

… I need more bobbins.

On another challenge-related note, I’m doing all right with my 7900s. See:

 
Not bad. If I stay on track, I’ll succeed on all three counts. I know it looks like I’m hopelessly behind on the knitting, but I do have an almost-complete Nederland Vest that will add over 800 yards to the total, putting it on par with the pages and the minutes.

Note to self: Finish vest.

FO: Leaf & Bark

Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Leaf Green and Chestnut Brown
Needles: 4.5 mm circs

I started this on a whim to use up some of the leftovers from the colourwork band of my almost-complete Nederland Vest. The weather’s getting warmer; wool hats are no longer an absolute must every single day, but that’s not going to stop me from wearing them.

It fits just as I’d intended, which is a relief, considering I winged it from start to finish and didn’t try it on until after I’d woven in the ends on the little green i-cord stalk in the centre of the crown. There’s more slouch than the photo shows, and I used concentric decreases to avoid obvious vertical lines.

Since I appear to have stumbled on my ideal beret recipe (and since it uses very little yarn, making it ideal for leftovers or small skeins), I may have to knit at least one more. Perhaps in a plain, versatile colour, with a textured stitch pattern, or perhaps multicoloured, with Fibonacci stripes.