Woolarina
Monday, November 29, 2004
monday blahs.
holiday weekend number one down. already! how did the time fly so quick? Anyhow, I've been assured that this Christmas will, in fact, be the BEST EVER! Can't say why yet, but it's not just my spinning wheel (that still isn't here).
I finished a commissioned bag over the weekend, and have to mail it shortly.. took a loong time. I don't think these pictures do justice to how big it actually was. But, it turned out nice, despite it's hugeness. Why can't more of my bags be proportioned like this? Ah well. The handle's a bit longer than I wanted, but manageable.
Also made some more pretty yarn this weekend. It reminds me of this ice cream Giant used to sell that was orange sherbert and vanilla ice cream in one tub. Back when they had actual plastic tubs. good times..
And dyed a boatload of roving. Pictures maybe next time.
I finished a commissioned bag over the weekend, and have to mail it shortly.. took a loong time. I don't think these pictures do justice to how big it actually was. But, it turned out nice, despite it's hugeness. Why can't more of my bags be proportioned like this? Ah well. The handle's a bit longer than I wanted, but manageable.
Also made some more pretty yarn this weekend. It reminds me of this ice cream Giant used to sell that was orange sherbert and vanilla ice cream in one tub. Back when they had actual plastic tubs. good times..
And dyed a boatload of roving. Pictures maybe next time.
Friday, November 26, 2004
happy t-day plus one.
So Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I neglected to totally stuff myself, in spite of two dinners yesterday afternoon. Both were great, just, I wasn't hungry. So I made a frozen pizza when we got home. (actually, I knit for a few hours, then made pizza.. whatever..) I find it wierd anyhow. But I haven't bought pizza in weeks, as we ordered pizzas from my dad for a fundraiser, and have been waiting for him to drop them off. Hence the post-turkey pizza craving.
Good news- I sold some stuff. Bad news- I gave it to the guy for WAY cheaper than I should have, as I felt we were ambushing him into looking at my stuff. And my guy didn't help- he is just interested in clearing out the apartment! Would have given it away for free, I think! Ah well. I'm happy that he took a scarf anyhow, and hope someone likes it! I covered the yarn, at least! And friends should get discounts, right?
I'm knitting a rad red hat and scarf set.. in a chevron pattern.. similar to this, but modified. And just red. Different shades of red, though. And I think I might finish the scarf without dying of boredom.
The goal for the weekend is photographing and dyeing. My website pictures suck mostly, as they're all taken indoors, and now that it's nearing winter, there is zero light in the usual spots. So I'm gonna attempt outdoor photography if it stays dry and isn't too cold. And dyeing.. finally spinning my last two ounces of superwash merino to ply with some ugly orangish kool-aid-dyed. Hope to overdye it and make it less ugly. Then there's the pound of fiber to do something with. Yay! Happy Friday. 4 more hours of work. :|
Good news- I sold some stuff. Bad news- I gave it to the guy for WAY cheaper than I should have, as I felt we were ambushing him into looking at my stuff. And my guy didn't help- he is just interested in clearing out the apartment! Would have given it away for free, I think! Ah well. I'm happy that he took a scarf anyhow, and hope someone likes it! I covered the yarn, at least! And friends should get discounts, right?
I'm knitting a rad red hat and scarf set.. in a chevron pattern.. similar to this, but modified. And just red. Different shades of red, though. And I think I might finish the scarf without dying of boredom.
The goal for the weekend is photographing and dyeing. My website pictures suck mostly, as they're all taken indoors, and now that it's nearing winter, there is zero light in the usual spots. So I'm gonna attempt outdoor photography if it stays dry and isn't too cold. And dyeing.. finally spinning my last two ounces of superwash merino to ply with some ugly orangish kool-aid-dyed. Hope to overdye it and make it less ugly. Then there's the pound of fiber to do something with. Yay! Happy Friday. 4 more hours of work. :|
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
so sad.
my wheel is on backorder. and noone told me. I thought that maybe I just hadn't gotten the email with the tracking info, but no. Won't be shipped until at least next week. (who sells stuff on ebay that they don't actually have, anyhow?) :(
In the meantime, last weekend I tightened up some bolts on the old louet, and it is now working much better.. less wobbly. still loud as hell, but.. better. I finished spinning that red and grey stuff from the last post. soooo soft! I love it! Merino-mohair. 195 yards.
I did get in about 2 pounds of roving, and some more for k8. This weekend we'll hopefully be dyeing like mad! My Loot: half pound each of the colored: colonial-merino, colonial mix, and a pound of white corriedale.
And some colonial mix for kate:
(not so dark in real life.. just, my photo-taking abilities aren't so great!)
In the meantime, last weekend I tightened up some bolts on the old louet, and it is now working much better.. less wobbly. still loud as hell, but.. better. I finished spinning that red and grey stuff from the last post. soooo soft! I love it! Merino-mohair. 195 yards.
I did get in about 2 pounds of roving, and some more for k8. This weekend we'll hopefully be dyeing like mad! My Loot: half pound each of the colored: colonial-merino, colonial mix, and a pound of white corriedale.
And some colonial mix for kate:
(not so dark in real life.. just, my photo-taking abilities aren't so great!)
Sunday, November 21, 2004
another (un) productive weekend.
okay, so in reality, I spun a hella lot. a whole bunch of merino (166 yds, plied), some more super soft merino mohair, and some more of the big ball of fun:
Mostly, I'm trying to fly through some old roving before the wheel (and two more pounds of roving) gets here.
In the meantime, I'm *not* knitting stuff I should be.. I'm off to hopefully finish a large bag this evening, minus the straps. There's more than two hours of TV, plus breaks from cooking. Will I make it? 4 more inches of rows, at about 106 stitches a row. Whew! Then there are still the handles! But they aren't too long, so will be Fini soon!
Mostly, I'm trying to fly through some old roving before the wheel (and two more pounds of roving) gets here.
In the meantime, I'm *not* knitting stuff I should be.. I'm off to hopefully finish a large bag this evening, minus the straps. There's more than two hours of TV, plus breaks from cooking. Will I make it? 4 more inches of rows, at about 106 stitches a row. Whew! Then there are still the handles! But they aren't too long, so will be Fini soon!
Thursday, November 18, 2004
WHEEEE!!!
I did it! I went for this byoot:
And two pounds of fiber to occupy me until well after christmas. :)
Best Christmas present EVER! Even if it's mostly from me!
And two pounds of fiber to occupy me until well after christmas. :)
Best Christmas present EVER! Even if it's mostly from me!
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
I'm *THIS* close
to buying a brand spanking new spinning wheel. The used ones? I've been looking for them, but they just aren't out there in the type I want, and if they are, it's more worthwhile to get a new one.
I've found a pretty good place to buy my wheel- Copper Moose . I've bought roving and stuff from them before, and they are great. I know I want a double treadle wheel. A double treadle Louet. The only choice now? Which wheel?? I've narrowed it down to an S-10 DT and an S-75 DT. The problem- I have no idea which!! So- the pros and cons for each:
Pros:
S-10- clean and modern looking. I also think it'd look super rad if I were to stain/tint/paint the front of it a solid color and left the rest wood colored. I like that the supports are just rectangular (not turned wood).
S-75- still somewhat clean looking. And more solid looking- has more support. (though, in actuality, I thought the S-10 was sturdier looking than other louet models). Definite pro- comes with a skeinwinder for not too much more money.
Cons:
S-10- no skeinwinder, would have to pay $80-100 or so for one. (Though having a skeinwinder isn't necessary, just something that would make life more pleasant, and reduce the need in the future for a tabletop skeinwinder) Not quite as sturdy as the S-75
S-75- not fond of the turned wood or clunkyish/boxy construction. Also, don't care greatly for the old-fashioned spokey wheel look.
Basically, it's come down to pure looks, and my possibility of getting a skeinwinder for a few bucks less than if I were to buy separately.. both probably spin the exact same. What to do?? Does anyone have any insight at all? Any preferences? What do *you* think looks prettier? Both match our horrifyingly ikea-fied home! :) PLEASE!!! Let me know!!
I've found a pretty good place to buy my wheel- Copper Moose . I've bought roving and stuff from them before, and they are great. I know I want a double treadle wheel. A double treadle Louet. The only choice now? Which wheel?? I've narrowed it down to an S-10 DT and an S-75 DT. The problem- I have no idea which!! So- the pros and cons for each:
Pros:
S-10- clean and modern looking. I also think it'd look super rad if I were to stain/tint/paint the front of it a solid color and left the rest wood colored. I like that the supports are just rectangular (not turned wood).
S-75- still somewhat clean looking. And more solid looking- has more support. (though, in actuality, I thought the S-10 was sturdier looking than other louet models). Definite pro- comes with a skeinwinder for not too much more money.
Cons:
S-10- no skeinwinder, would have to pay $80-100 or so for one. (Though having a skeinwinder isn't necessary, just something that would make life more pleasant, and reduce the need in the future for a tabletop skeinwinder) Not quite as sturdy as the S-75
S-75- not fond of the turned wood or clunkyish/boxy construction. Also, don't care greatly for the old-fashioned spokey wheel look.
Basically, it's come down to pure looks, and my possibility of getting a skeinwinder for a few bucks less than if I were to buy separately.. both probably spin the exact same. What to do?? Does anyone have any insight at all? Any preferences? What do *you* think looks prettier? Both match our horrifyingly ikea-fied home! :) PLEASE!!! Let me know!!
Monday, November 15, 2004
one last bag.
I'm about halfway done with a commissioned felted bag. very much turquoise! It's to be done and mailed before the end of November... I hope to finish it in the next week! It's nice, mindless knitting. Even if it is *way* too big! I'm hoping that it'll felt to 15" by 15" once it's all done. And considering that lamb's pride loses about a third in tallness? lots more stitching to do!
And the humongo afghan is progressing:
I'm finally getting around to fixing the website a bit. Adding paypal and all that fancy stuff. (what a pain!) I have yet to figure out how to change the names of the pages from numbers to real names... am I retarded or something? I think I have to find the html mumbo jumbo embedded somewhere. Later..
And the humongo afghan is progressing:
I'm finally getting around to fixing the website a bit. Adding paypal and all that fancy stuff. (what a pain!) I have yet to figure out how to change the names of the pages from numbers to real names... am I retarded or something? I think I have to find the html mumbo jumbo embedded somewhere. Later..
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
hm.
thought I'd posted these already. I swear I wrote about them, and the cute little hat, and the cute daddy that bought it for his little girl? Hm.
and for kate (who sold the fishie bag seen in the first shot, finally! :)
I think for future craft fairs, it'd be fun to run a contest.. like, we pick *the* item we want to get rid of the most, and if someone picks and purchases it, they win something neat. The fish bag was this item this time, and once it was gone, the black bag with the red flower (below somewhere).. we got rid of both of them! :) my voodoo worked.
and for kate (who sold the fishie bag seen in the first shot, finally! :)
I think for future craft fairs, it'd be fun to run a contest.. like, we pick *the* item we want to get rid of the most, and if someone picks and purchases it, they win something neat. The fish bag was this item this time, and once it was gone, the black bag with the red flower (below somewhere).. we got rid of both of them! :) my voodoo worked.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
throwy greatness
So I've recovered somewhat from the mad knitting and sewing.. jumping right into yet another involved project. This one? an afghan. a wedding afghan for a good college friend and his soon to be Frau. I'm spinning about half the yarn for it, which is great, since I've decided that, in fact, 40 inches by 60 inches wasn't sufficiently large enough. Really not the cheapest project to be upsizing on! So instead of casting on a more manageable 150 stitches on a mere 29 inch circular, I've gone for 180 stitches. Each row is a different yarn takes about 5 yards, and I've got well over 2000 yards. In the end, it will be about 6 feet by ??? til I run out of yarn. I think I might need a longer needle!
I'm 20 rows, or 4 inches in. I have my handy dandy chart of how much of each yarn and color I have, in the hopes that I won't prematurely run out of ribbon or mohair or ??? and have this awful ugly blanket. As long as I remember to mark down my rows, it should be a good deal! There are 36ish days to go til the wedding, so if I manage 5-10 rows a night, or more on weekends, I should be done with enough time to fringe and send in the post. I hope.
I'm 20 rows, or 4 inches in. I have my handy dandy chart of how much of each yarn and color I have, in the hopes that I won't prematurely run out of ribbon or mohair or ??? and have this awful ugly blanket. As long as I remember to mark down my rows, it should be a good deal! There are 36ish days to go til the wedding, so if I manage 5-10 rows a night, or more on weekends, I should be done with enough time to fringe and send in the post. I hope.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
free again!
So another craft fair down.. I am free again! This craft fair was okay.. not great. We did get rid of two bags that have been sitting around for decent sums (though they were pretty hard work to finish!) so that made me happy. We sold several hats, and a few wine totes, and a single scarf. that was it. In the end, we traded some of the other artists for a few cups, a pot, two sets of earrings, and a photo. We also bought a fun print, and a plant pot from some awfully sloshed people.
So now, we have WAY too much stuff left over. Boo. We might possibly attempt to sell stuff at Eastern Market, or Western Market. We'll see. Mostly I wanna be rid of some things! We'll see.
Yesterday I started work once again on a cardigan. I got much of sleeve #1 done. Despite that it was on 6 needles! Such a change from all the bulky yarn.. Today, I start a gimungous tote for a customer. After some yarn shopping! :)
So now, we have WAY too much stuff left over. Boo. We might possibly attempt to sell stuff at Eastern Market, or Western Market. We'll see. Mostly I wanna be rid of some things! We'll see.
Yesterday I started work once again on a cardigan. I got much of sleeve #1 done. Despite that it was on 6 needles! Such a change from all the bulky yarn.. Today, I start a gimungous tote for a customer. After some yarn shopping! :)
Thursday, November 04, 2004
almost done...
another boring craft fair post.. everythings is just about ready to go, and there is only one more bag to sew handles on to! Yet again, didn't get around to embroidering the others, but perhaps I'll be motivated tonight?
I just need to make signs and business cards and more tags, and maybe finish another scarf or hat. and load up the car. We have an insane amount of goods. so much. I really hope people buy a bunch of them, as I *really* have no space at home!
and then? I want to make this throw/afghan for a friends wedding. In 6 weeks. Is that possible? I have the 450 yards of handspun already, and can probably spin another 450 yards with the roving I have left.. so that means I just have to buy another 1200 yards or so. And then knit knit knit. One pattern I'm eyeing uses one row per yarn, so lots of switching around.. seems easy enough. the question is if I want to do it lengthwise or widthwise. Is it more annoying to knit super long rows, or just long rows? Hmm.
Also, I need to start and finish a humongo felted bag before the end of november! Yikes!! By my estimates (which I am REALLY hoping are off) it'll require 5 skeins of lamb's pride. FIVE! That's can't be right, can it??
I just need to make signs and business cards and more tags, and maybe finish another scarf or hat. and load up the car. We have an insane amount of goods. so much. I really hope people buy a bunch of them, as I *really* have no space at home!
and then? I want to make this throw/afghan for a friends wedding. In 6 weeks. Is that possible? I have the 450 yards of handspun already, and can probably spin another 450 yards with the roving I have left.. so that means I just have to buy another 1200 yards or so. And then knit knit knit. One pattern I'm eyeing uses one row per yarn, so lots of switching around.. seems easy enough. the question is if I want to do it lengthwise or widthwise. Is it more annoying to knit super long rows, or just long rows? Hmm.
Also, I need to start and finish a humongo felted bag before the end of november! Yikes!! By my estimates (which I am REALLY hoping are off) it'll require 5 skeins of lamb's pride. FIVE! That's can't be right, can it??
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
do you bobble?
finally downloaded my camera- been a busy week in terms of finished goods! There are still many more, and even more still to be done! Will I make it? Will I be stuck with two oh-so-soft-and-fuzzy alpaca scarves that I won't ever wear? Will I have a hat to match the wristwarmers? Stay tuned!...
I think I will be bobbling again. It definitely takes some of the monotony of knitting felted bags away.
I love this bag. It totally is not me, but it's still neato.
This yarn is what I hope to use for a wedding afghan... probably just a garter stitch pattern, with some doubled loops for special effect.
I think I will be bobbling again. It definitely takes some of the monotony of knitting felted bags away.
I love this bag. It totally is not me, but it's still neato.
This yarn is what I hope to use for a wedding afghan... probably just a garter stitch pattern, with some doubled loops for special effect.
blah blah craft fair blah
nothing new.. still haven't finished my stuff. boring boring.. 3 days left.
I spun/plied about 450 yards of wool- lots of golds, browns, reds, greens.. not my colors, exactly, so I'm thinking of making it into an afghan for a friend's wedding. I'll be needing at least 2000 yards, so the other half should be a start, then I can go shopping!! I have 6 weeks to do all this. Will it happen??
And in voting news: I'm somewhat proud but confused to report that there were ZERO signs and/or annoying people trying to pester me to vote for George Bush outside my polling place. Not a single one!! I mean, sure, my neighborhood is pretty liberal, but still.. none!
I spun/plied about 450 yards of wool- lots of golds, browns, reds, greens.. not my colors, exactly, so I'm thinking of making it into an afghan for a friend's wedding. I'll be needing at least 2000 yards, so the other half should be a start, then I can go shopping!! I have 6 weeks to do all this. Will it happen??
And in voting news: I'm somewhat proud but confused to report that there were ZERO signs and/or annoying people trying to pester me to vote for George Bush outside my polling place. Not a single one!! I mean, sure, my neighborhood is pretty liberal, but still.. none!
