Woolarina
Sunday, February 27, 2005
party time
Thanks to everyone who came out for the fiber party! The yarns were sooo pretty and soft! so much fun! I didn't know where to start... I was incredibly careful, though. Maybe too careful since I am missing out on the sheep and wool fest in may. But, I can always order more online!
the two left are superwash/sock yarns- one for socks for me, and one for some baby gear. then two skeins of silk-merino softness. then 8 oz of silk roving and some mohair locks. I've never spun with either of these, so it should be neat!
the two left are superwash/sock yarns- one for socks for me, and one for some baby gear. then two skeins of silk-merino softness. then 8 oz of silk roving and some mohair locks. I've never spun with either of these, so it should be neat!
Thursday, February 24, 2005
shoes!
whee!!
These will be my first non-black shoes... ever?! I like them though. I hope they're dressy enough- I can't justify carrying my awful heels in a suitcase for a single wedding appearance. and we're taking a bus or something to the wedding site, so not like I can just get my comfy shoes out of the car.
yay! new shoes!
I'm slowly getting up to date from the great dye explosion at kate's house. I have loads more handspun done- used up enough fiber to justify buying (a lot!) And I sold a skein or two of handspun in bowie, so I'm raring to go!
pictures eventually! I failed to make use of my getting home two hours early today! yay snow.
EDIT: holy moly- I ordered it an hour ago, and just got an email saying they're shipping TONIGHT to get here TOMORROW! Woo!! guess I'll see!
These will be my first non-black shoes... ever?! I like them though. I hope they're dressy enough- I can't justify carrying my awful heels in a suitcase for a single wedding appearance. and we're taking a bus or something to the wedding site, so not like I can just get my comfy shoes out of the car.
yay! new shoes!
I'm slowly getting up to date from the great dye explosion at kate's house. I have loads more handspun done- used up enough fiber to justify buying (a lot!) And I sold a skein or two of handspun in bowie, so I'm raring to go!
pictures eventually! I failed to make use of my getting home two hours early today! yay snow.
EDIT: holy moly- I ordered it an hour ago, and just got an email saying they're shipping TONIGHT to get here TOMORROW! Woo!! guess I'll see!
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
dresses
we're going to a wedding in two weeks, and I have nothing to wear. well, really I do.. just, my favorite dress has been worn to the last two or three weddings. All different crowds, so not like anyone notices, but? need something new!
This one's nice, but not sure red is my color. Comes in black so it's an option. but black? I'm pale as it is, and it being winter doesn't help.
dress two is nice too, and springy.
I like dress three, except for the tiger stripe bit. not too noticeable though.
Ugh. The decisions to be made during lunch! Stores at the mall had nothing, of course. And I'm travelling next week for work, so no extra time. Boo.
This one's nice, but not sure red is my color. Comes in black so it's an option. but black? I'm pale as it is, and it being winter doesn't help.
dress two is nice too, and springy.
I like dress three, except for the tiger stripe bit. not too noticeable though.
Ugh. The decisions to be made during lunch! Stores at the mall had nothing, of course. And I'm travelling next week for work, so no extra time. Boo.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
can't stop rogueing!
I think I've been knitting madly away because I won't be taking this sweater to Europe. I hear things about airlines there not letting you knit! :( What will I do during takeoffs and landings then?!? so stressful! the knitting really helps! And no, not afraid of flying because of terrorists... I'm an engineer, studied a lot about failures, failure mechanisms, predicting failures... I can't help but think of how planes can fail! Eeek! Anyhow, the knitting takes my mind off of that, so boo. Guess I'll need a really good book or two then!
Now I'm back to square one, pondering how to start the body. Do I want to mess with the pattern? Do an easier hem? I have no idea! Why are there so many options?!?
I think I've been knitting madly away because I won't be taking this sweater to Europe. I hear things about airlines there not letting you knit! :( What will I do during takeoffs and landings then?!? so stressful! the knitting really helps! And no, not afraid of flying because of terrorists... I'm an engineer, studied a lot about failures, failure mechanisms, predicting failures... I can't help but think of how planes can fail! Eeek! Anyhow, the knitting takes my mind off of that, so boo. Guess I'll need a really good book or two then!
Now I'm back to square one, pondering how to start the body. Do I want to mess with the pattern? Do an easier hem? I have no idea! Why are there so many options?!?
Monday, February 21, 2005
presidential spinning
well, just the first one was done today.. and the yellowish/rainbow neverending yarn was plied today. the rest have been done in the past week or two in an attempt to clear out the stash so I can refill it at the fiber party this weekend!
colonial merino, 8 oz. from copper moose. Singles- 93 yds and 125 yds.
merino superwash, from woodland wool works. total of 8 oz. approx. 4 oz. here. 302 yards. dyed using kool aid and food colors.
corriedale from copper moose. hand dyed by us. (cushings?) 66 and 55 yards
and the purple/fuschia below: 47, 55, and 42 yards. dyed with the real dyes!
colonial merino, 8 oz. from copper moose. Singles- 93 yds and 125 yds.
merino superwash, from woodland wool works. total of 8 oz. approx. 4 oz. here. 302 yards. dyed using kool aid and food colors.
corriedale from copper moose. hand dyed by us. (cushings?) 66 and 55 yards
and the purple/fuschia below: 47, 55, and 42 yards. dyed with the real dyes!
pretty colors!
I spent saturday at kates, making a mess of her kitchen and dying tons and tons of yarn all sorts of pretty colors.
the purple/fuschia yarn is my latest handspun- 8 oz and about 144 yards of bulky yarn, from dancing leaf.
also, my christmas cactus flower flowered!! Hoo-ray!!
I knit tons on rogue, so will take pictures and update that eventually.. today I have off and plan on spinning a whole lot, if I can manage to finish this skinny sock yarn stuff that's taking forever to spin!
the purple/fuschia yarn is my latest handspun- 8 oz and about 144 yards of bulky yarn, from dancing leaf.
also, my christmas cactus flower flowered!! Hoo-ray!!
I knit tons on rogue, so will take pictures and update that eventually.. today I have off and plan on spinning a whole lot, if I can manage to finish this skinny sock yarn stuff that's taking forever to spin!
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
a very pretty V-day
I'm more than halfway through with la clapotis. It's coming out great! I hope I can pull off the brightness!
I'm sure lara will be sad to hear that I'm zooming along on rogue.. almost to the cap on sleeve 1, and up to row 10 in leeve two. only, not for long, really.. I should perhaps be working on other things, maybe some gifts for the people putting us up in Paris? Where I'll be shopping and sitting in jazz lounges in just a few short weeks? ooh la la. I so cannot wait! Work has been crazy the past few weeks, and we have a biggish review the week before paris/spain. so my vacation will be SO WORTH IT! who cares if i can never afford a house?
also, presenting the "maybe we'll bloom this year" christmas cactus... It's got several buds, so I'm hoping this means that it is happy enough to bloom! I'll try to keep up my remembering/forgetting routine of watering to keep it happy!
Anyhow, happy post-valentine's day, everyone!
I'm sure lara will be sad to hear that I'm zooming along on rogue.. almost to the cap on sleeve 1, and up to row 10 in leeve two. only, not for long, really.. I should perhaps be working on other things, maybe some gifts for the people putting us up in Paris? Where I'll be shopping and sitting in jazz lounges in just a few short weeks? ooh la la. I so cannot wait! Work has been crazy the past few weeks, and we have a biggish review the week before paris/spain. so my vacation will be SO WORTH IT! who cares if i can never afford a house?
also, presenting the "maybe we'll bloom this year" christmas cactus... It's got several buds, so I'm hoping this means that it is happy enough to bloom! I'll try to keep up my remembering/forgetting routine of watering to keep it happy!
Anyhow, happy post-valentine's day, everyone!
Thursday, February 10, 2005
there are some days where I just wish I was a housewife or something.. that I could spend my days cleaning and cooking and spinning and knitting. Instead of working all day then cooking a healthy dinner instead of going to the gym. Then maybe getting a few rows in before starting all over again. And people do this WITH KIDS? how?!?!
anyhow, work is mad busy, which is good/challenging and bad/stressful... I'm about halfway through clapotis and chugging along on the sleeve for Rogue. Pictures this weekend if it's sunny!
We're contemplating more craft fairs and I'm wondering what sort of knitted items people would buy in April/May... or should we just make yarn? the thought of tons of knitting scares me! I'm all about knitting for mememe lately!
anyhow, work is mad busy, which is good/challenging and bad/stressful... I'm about halfway through clapotis and chugging along on the sleeve for Rogue. Pictures this weekend if it's sunny!
We're contemplating more craft fairs and I'm wondering what sort of knitted items people would buy in April/May... or should we just make yarn? the thought of tons of knitting scares me! I'm all about knitting for mememe lately!
Sunday, February 06, 2005
is guage so important?
so my sleeve is whack. not that anyone would notice. not even me, really. the only thing that *might* be off in the end is the wrist part being a bit smaller... when I realized how tight I was knitting, I kept it up til after the cable part.. now I'm more relaxed, and the guage is way bigger. I think I was at like 5 st./inch at the worst of it.. now I'm maybe 4.25 or so? not bad. But getting the other sleeve to match is gonna suck!! Also, the row guage? It's over 7 rows per inch. so to get to 17 or so inches long, it's gonna take about 20 more rows! Eek! I am going to ignore all this for now. :) I'm up to row 75 on sleeve 1 though!
oh, and ignore that part of the cable (top right here) that isn't actually there.. no idea what happened there. musta been before I implemented my color code system!
In other news, k8 and I took a load of yarn to the Folk Art Studio in Bowie to consign. Our prices were a bit on the low side compared to some other handspun there.. (so buy it quick, before we're rich and famous! ;) w'll see how it goes.
oh, and ignore that part of the cable (top right here) that isn't actually there.. no idea what happened there. musta been before I implemented my color code system!
In other news, k8 and I took a load of yarn to the Folk Art Studio in Bowie to consign. Our prices were a bit on the low side compared to some other handspun there.. (so buy it quick, before we're rich and famous! ;) w'll see how it goes.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
color coded
so I've never done cables before. Maybe an attempt at a swatch here or there, but not REAL CABLES... so rogue has me slightly worried.. you can't really BS your way out of a cable screwup, right? And the yarn I'm using makes the stitches all blurry once they are knit. So, I can use al teh help I can get!
This was my evening activity today.. color coding my sleeve chart and "practicing" with some other yarn... not perfect, but doesn't look too bad! I'm so paranoid I'll mess it up and have to rip!!
This was my evening activity today.. color coding my sleeve chart and "practicing" with some other yarn... not perfect, but doesn't look too bad! I'm so paranoid I'll mess it up and have to rip!!
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
rogue-ing
Just started the first rogue sleeve, and already I'm sure I've messed up. not sure where, but... one of my cables? is flat. hmph. Ah well.. the rest seem okay, so no sweat.
Also starring in this photo? (aside from mosaic table that is literally falling apart because of the stupid humid/ not humid expanding and contracting of wood)... my trusty calculator. Which I haven't touched since grad school. I'm surprised the batteries work after 2 years! But yeah- even it did not have the power to help me reconfigure rogue. I'm just going with the second size and hoping for the best! Sure I'll change my mind again once I see how far off I will be! :)
Also starring in this photo? (aside from mosaic table that is literally falling apart because of the stupid humid/ not humid expanding and contracting of wood)... my trusty calculator. Which I haven't touched since grad school. I'm surprised the batteries work after 2 years! But yeah- even it did not have the power to help me reconfigure rogue. I'm just going with the second size and hoping for the best! Sure I'll change my mind again once I see how far off I will be! :)
