oh dear.

So, we were at the fair on Thursday night. We turned a corner, and there was a tent with a few spinning wheels, some looms, some yarn and rovings. Naturally, I was drawn to it.

In order to avoid missing my daughter's first pony ride, I quickly had to abandon the fiber tent. But this morning, I braved the zillion degree heat and went back. There was a lovely woman from this farm spinning on this wheel and she explained it all to me, as I'm green enough that I've never witnessed actual wheel spinning firsthand.

This is trouble, I can feel it.

Of course I bought some fiber:



A lovely Cheviot/Mohair blend in a colorway called, "Like a River Glorious." The photo doesn't do it justice...it's absolutely gorgeous. I scanned it too:



But really, you must see it. Lovely. Sigh. And there's just something about buying fiber from someone who can tell you about the sheep it came from. ;)

I'm SO in

FO 94 & 95

#94



Ruby's Cardigan (my own pattern, modified for gauge)
Knit in Henry's Attic Inca Cotton (100% organic cotton, color: sage)
(approx. 300 yards...less than one 8oz skein, with enough left over for a hat)
3.5 sts.inch on US6 needles.

#95



Wee hats, knit in DB Baby Cashmerino on US3 needles.
I just sent them off for Carmell's new addition -- he's a tiny one -- may he wear them in good health! ;)

IMHO

Plying is sooo much more fun than spinning. That's when you get to see the magic happen!

Really, I was just thinking, "okay, spinning, cool and all but I don't foresee a wheel in my near future, so maybe I should stop looking at fiber and go back to looking at yarn." Then, the hankies. Then plying the hankies. I think I'm in love.



(Still every bit as wonky as my other yarn...but oh so soft and shimmery...)

UFO trifecta

As soon as I finish the right front of the lace-inset cardigan, I'll have three cardigans waiting for sleeves! (counting Trellis) (ugh)



Left: the left front of the lace-inset cardigan, which I finished on Saturday at Mosaic. You won't really ba able to see the pattern until it's blocked. Center: a wee hat, also from Satruday. Right: baby cardigan in Henry's Attic Inca Cotton. Mmmmmm.

I'm off...

To a new yarn store! The IL knitters from KH (plus Sara Jayne) are meeting here today. A bit off my beaten path, and the fact that I'm jumping on I294 despite the fact that my car needs a new transmission makes me a teeny bit nervous. But I'm always up for a day of knitting with my peeps! ;) (And if I get stranded by the side of the road? I'll just pull out my knitting.)

So, the classic question faces me yet again: what to knit? I'm halfway throughthe left front of the lace-inset cardigan, but #1, it's wool, and it's supposed to be 93 degrees today; and #2, I don't know that I want to be knitting from a chart during a social gathering. Ditto for Trellis, which is still staring at me, sleeveless, from outside my office door.

What I really want to do is spin silk hankies, 'cause I PUFFY HEART them. ;)

on the needles this week...

Clockwise, from top left:

Well, on the spindle. Yarn. Another 15 yards or so...not quite so awful as the first spindle full, but still not knittable.

Hats. The Harlot announced last week that a few WIC programs were seeking donated hats for some kind of breastfeeding awareness thingy. Glad to oblige...I've sent off seven of them. The last one I made, I modified the sweaterbabe beanie to include five cables instead of four -- I think it turned out great!

Li'l Lucy-ish bag. Another random skein gone from my stash! Jodi, do you like it?? ;)

Swatching for the sweaterbabe fabulous lace-inset cardigan. The yarn (Bartlett) didn't soften up as much as I'd hoped when I washed the swatch, but it's a cardigan, so it's livable.

it's craptastic

But I made it with my own two hands.

close, but no cigar

I was at W&Co. a few weeks ago for a workshop, and I brought along my recycled sweater yarn. Of course I started a project with it, (I weighed it and everything to estimate the yardage before starting), and found that I would run out before I could knit the cuffs and collar. So I thought that maybe I could find a coordinating bulky yarn with which to knit them.

I was completely gobsmacked to find this yarn... (my hand-dyed yarn on the left, my find on the right)



My fear was, however, that it was so close, but not close enough, that next to the sweater it would look like a mistake.

I just swatched it, and I was right. My very honest husband confirmed it. It contains too much of a dark grayish blue that my yarn doesn't have in it.

Sigh.

I *am* still working on Trellis.

Really.

I did lose some steam, there, when I had to rip out half of it, but I'm now done with the body -- only sleeves left to go.



I did the collar because I'd finished the body (knit in one piece, shoulders 3nbo-d together) and the collar (knit on instead of sewn on, that was pretty cool if I do say so myself) I thought it would be nice to finish most of the fiddly stuff in the middle, so when I finish knitting the sleeves, I'll have four ends to weave and I'll be done. Oh yeah, and the buttons. I have them in my possession, though, and that's half the battle.