Yooo-hoooo! It's Me! I'm Catching Up...

(L-R: Patti, Eileen, Julie, Sharon and Me)

Hmmm...I thought I'd blogged more recently, but realized I hadn't. I'm finding it harder and harder to divide my time between Ravelry, Facebook and Blogging. A lot of people say that blogging is outdated. Is that true? I know that at least around 200 people are checking out my blog daily, but WHERE ARE YOuuuuuuuu, lovely people??? he he

Anyway, I wanted to share with you my FANTASTIC trip to NETA (New England Fiber Arts) Spa weekend and my recent finished handspun yarns and projects. Ready??

Since beginning spinning about 5 years ago, I've tried to attend the NETA Spa weekend. (I think I've only missed once.) For those of you who don't know about this great event, I'll explain. If you knit or spin or work with fibers in any way, this group is for you. On usually the last weekend in February, the group (who mostly only converse online over the Rav group or Yahoo group) meets in Freeport, ME at the Hilton Garden Inn/Hareseeket Hotel for a Thursday - Monday (or Friday- Sunday) weekend of shopping (wonderful shops around Freeport), visiting the yummy vendors at the hotel (where you can buy the most unique fibers, yarn, patterns, spinning wheels, spindle, looms, glass buttons and other accessories), chatting, eating, spinning, knitting, crocheting, weaving, and perhaps having a Spa treatment (at the Hareseeket Hotel or nearby Spa) - pedicure, manicure, massage, etc.


(L-R: Ericka, Kerrie-Ann and Sandi in our knitting/spinning corner of the hotel.)

It is totally worth trying out, if you've never been. You don't have to be a NETA member (though it helps because you get updates on what's going on, when/where to book your hotel room and how to win prizes, etc.) to go. If you want to pick a day, you can just go over to the hotel, shop and sit and work on your projects with the hundreds of other knitters/spinners/weavers/crocheters.

I love it, not only because it's a mini vacation, but because you'll see the most amazing handcrafted clothing, accessories and items all in one place! Everyday, you'll say to yourself, "Oooh, I LOVE that shawl!" or "Where did you get that YARN??", etc. And, the best part is, no one looks at you like you're crazy and back away from you screaming! LOL! Everyone is happy to share what they've made and let you touch it and answer as many questions as you want to ask. Sometimes, they'll even let you try it on! Or take pictures of them in the item! Woo-hoo!

This year, I think that the Winner of the Most Ogled Knitted Item in our group was Amy's Shetland Tea shawl from "A Gathering of Lace" book (pages 39/40) in oatmeal, pinks and natural white. What was most surprising, was that this was Amy's FIRST knitted lace EVER!!! (Yes, you may hate her. She's okay with it.) Not only was it beautiful, but it was knitted perfectly and it was the most flattering color on Amy. Now...if only I'd taken a picture of her with it on. Damn it.

I only got a pic of her WITHOUT the shawl. Ugh.


(Britni and Amy at Spa)

I had the absolute BEST time this year and even got to exercise on the treadmill every night, go to sleep early and wake up early so that I could spin, knit, spin and SHOP! Yay!

Heather even sold 7 of my Dreamscape books and 1 Lisha Lace pattern! Yippeeee!

Now, if I don't start showing off my loot and finished handspun...plus FOs...I won't ever be done before the end of the day. So...the rest of this post will be short and sweet - with pictures! ; )

1. Spunky Eclectic's booth (Amy's in a whirl...she's so busy!)



2. Heather/Sereknity's booth (Heather is wearing my Persephone beret in her Sweet yarn!)



3. Items I bought...mmmm.


(Della Q spinning bag and lovely sportweight Angora/merino for a sweater/shawl for me!)


(Spunky silk purple scarf for Donna, Spunky Targhee and Spunky bfl/silk fibers)


(Alpaca Obsession merino and bamboo with nylon sparkle fiber for Hilary)

I also bought some glass sheep stitch markers for Jackie and Donna, a glass needle threader for me, 2 skeins of gorgeous Sereknity yarn ("Margaritaville" in Classica for me and "Envy" in Worsted for Jackie) and a little more fiber.

HANDSPUN GALLERY

1. Spunky Ecletic's BFL/Tussah Silk (I created a 2 oz, 2 ply, 100 yard, worsted weight yarn in "Cotton Candy" colorway)



2. Spunky Eclectic's Targhee Combed Top (4 oz. 2 ply, dk weight, 195 yards in "2010" colorway)



3. Alpaca Obsession's Alpaca with Angelina Sparkle (3 oz, single ply, laceweight, 300 yards, in "Faded Jade" colorway)



4. Enchanted Knoll Farm's Superwash Wool/Nylon/Recycled Sari Silk/Sparkle (3 oz, single ply, fingering weight, 280 yards, in "Birthday Party" colorway)



5. Enchanted Knoll Farm's Superewash Wool/Recycled Sari silk/Sparkle (3 oz., single ply, fingering weight, 300 yards, in "Blue Jay" colorway)



And, FINISHED OBJECTS!!!!

1. Lego Man for Ben (Some Assembly Required pattern with Cascade 220)



and



2. Hat for Ian (Ann Budd's Hat pattern with Rowan Lima in a goregous deep green, 881, I think)



3. Log Cabin Square Pillow (Log Cabin pattern with Noro Kureyon- 226 on back, 250 on front)



4. Persephone Beret (My pattern with Sereknity Sweet yarn in "Floozy" colorway)



Whew, I'm beat! Off to do some bellydancing, hula hooping and then have some lunch!

What have YOU been up to??

16 Years Has Gone by SO Fast!

I can't believe (well, maybe I can....) that I haven't blogged in SO long! (Do I always say that???) I feel like I'm being sucked into a time warp of too-much-to-do-not-enough-time. Have you ever felt like that? Ugh. It's frustrating!

But, besides being busy, I've had a pretty productive and really nice month.

And here are the reasons why:

1. I'm up to a 63 pound weight loss on WW in the past 6 months. I'm hoping to reach my final goal by October 15th, which I when I first started. Yippeee! I'm very, very lucky because Ian is incredibly supportive of me - he gives me compliments every day and cheers me on even with the smallest of weight losses - like 0.2 or 0.4. I love you, Ian!!

2. I got a new haircut and I really like it. I wasn't sure if I was going to at first.....it's really short....but, I've gotten so many compliments on it. And - most importantly- the hubby likes it.



3. I finished the Amy Beret by Diane Mulholland - using my 2 ply worsted weight Polwarth handspun (which was AWESOME to spin, by the way) - and, although it doesn't really look that great on me - I loved knitting it and it was really fun to make. Diane is a truly talented designer. I just bought two more of her handspun patterns.



4. I've gotten ONE WHOLE PANEL of my Lizard Ridge Afghan done! I need to make at least 4 full panels before Christmas (I'm in the A Year in a Blanket group on Ravelry) and then add the trim in Cascade 220. Most of the people seem to be making only one square a month but, for this blanket, I need to make 2 a month - there are 24 pieces (at least) in all. The first panel is huge! About 10.5" wide by 72" long. Yikes! Should be sooo warm, though. And, really, I think it's gorgeous. (It's for my oldest son as a gift)



So.....the only thing that hasn't really gone my way....is.....dun dun dun.....

THE DAMN DRAGONS!!!!!

I am incredibly irritated with the Hai-Riyo knitted dragons. They were such a fun, quick knit and I was excited because the yarn was nice to knit with and all of the pieces were very easy.

BUT....(a big but)....

They are a pain in the ASS (yes, ASS!) to sew up! My boss had already made one and told me how hard they were, but it was her first knitted toy, so I thought that maybe I wouldn't have such a hard time. I was very, very wrong.



The pieces are in a bag (for both of them) and I'm trying to get together my courage to continue sewing them up again. Hopefully (for the kids' sake), it'll be before I die. (Maybe)



I was also planning on getting out a new pattern for Earth Day on the 22nd, but (alas), it was not meant to be. Maybe next week. I'm planning my oldest son's 16th Surprise Birthday party (eeeek!) for this Saturday and I'm slightly freaking out.

There is so much to do and I'm doing it all myself....balloons, ordering cake (thank goodness Jackie is picking the cake up for me!), favors, decorations for the house, banner, food (ordering pizzas and getting ice cream for the sundae bar), drinks, cleaning the house, uncluttering the house (harder than cleaning!), and trying to keep all of this from Tim. My mom is bringing some snack stuff for me (thank you!!!) and ice cream toppings. Ian and I still aren't completely sure what we're getting him for his birthday, either (it's actually on May 7th) and that's up in the air for now.

But, I can't wait to see his face when he comes in the door. He thinks I'm having my knitting friends over for lunch. He he!!!

Well, wish us luck on the party and I'll have tons of pictures to show next time. And, hopefully, the FREE pattern will be done by then.

I hope.

Have a great weekend!!!!

I Spun, I Dyed...and I will Knit. (Sometime)

Look at what I made!!



After a year (off and on...mostly off...lol) of spinning this fiber, I'm finally DONE!!!

I bought this fiber at last year's NETA Spa Retreat in Freeport, ME from the Fresli Farm booth. I'd never spun either Icelandic Lambswool or mohair before and I was excited to try it. It had such a nice feeling - not soft - but interesting and touchable...and fuzzy.

One of my spinning goals is to try to spin a consistent, 2 ply laceweight yarn...I thought I'd done it this time...but, sadly, I was not quite in the laceweight catagory.



I was able to spin a 2 ply light fingering at 20 wpi (wraps per inch), though...and it came out really nice.



After it was all spun, plied and set, I thought that the yarn wasn't quite as white as I'd hoped and decided it would be fun to dye it as well. So....I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what color I wanted.



I took at look at that pattern that I'd like to use for this handspun, The Spinner's Lace Shawl (very appropriate I think!), and thought that the yarn was calling out for a light turquoise.

After some trial and error in mixing the dyes, I came up with this color. AND I LOVE IT!



Only thing is...the pattern calls for 600 yards of laceweight/light fingering and I've only got 520 yards of my handspun. I thought I'd have enough, but not quite>. So, what I think I'll do is...

1. Use a larger needle and hope that I can finish it close to the end (and hope it fits) or do I repeat less.

OR

2. Knit the edging in another of my handspun yarns in a coordinating color or use a yarn from my stash that matches.

Any other ideas??

Now, I'm not sure when I'll start this...I'm still working on the Golle Molle Baby Cardigan, some Lisha Lace Scarf samples for Heather and my Fabulous Scarf (see link on right) store sample using Ivy Brambles new yarn, "Superwash Worsted" in colorway "Tulips" (see below for matching hat). But...I WILL knit it soon...probably around my birthday in May.

Here are other FO's that I've worked on or finished since the last time I blogged (soooo long ago!! he he):

The Amanda Hat



I used the Ivy Brambles yarn I mentioned above (available HERE) and it came out very cute. I love the pooling and color pattern it made with my hat pattern. (I think Ben looks adorable in it, too)

Crocheted Dishsoap Aprons



I saw these and knew I had to make them ASAP...they were sooo much fun to make (and I'm really only a beginning level crocheter)...and I was able to finish 3 of them in under an hour! What awesome instant gratification.....

See HERE for more pics on my Ravelry project page.

Hoping to finish more handspun by the end of the month! (It's for a beautiful beret pattern...more details later...)

Spinning Made Me a Loser!

Finally, after many months of a spinning "dry spell", I got back on my *ss (literally) and started spinning a little on my Ashford Joy. The fact that I owed my friend, Donna, a skein of handspun for over a year now was also very good motivation! (he he)

For those of you that spin, you might have had that "nah, don't really feel like spinning right now..." turn quickly into "omg, do I have enough fiber to keep spinning through the weekend?!!??" feeling. Yup, that's what happened to me.

I not only finished this large handspun skein for my friend, but I'm also very close to finishing 7 oz of a beautiful blend of Icelandic lamb/mohair in an off-white color. Sooo pretty. I always hope for a 2 ply laceweight (which I've come close to, but not actually achieved yet) and I think this one might be the one!! I have a beautiful lace scarf or shawl in mind for this yarn, depending on how many yards I can get out of it after plying.

Anyway, here are the details of the very vibrant handspun I just finished...

DETAILS of HANDSPUN

Fiber: Sereknity's BFL (blue faced leicester, 100%) in colorway, "Blue Hawaii)
Weight: 4 ounces
WPI: (wraps per inch) 20-21, fingering weight yarn
Ply: 2 ply (singles spun with Z twist, plied with S twist)
Ratios: Singles (8:1), Plying (11:1)
Yardage: After plying, 355 yards
Fun Level: Absolutely awesome - not just because the fiber was a good quality, which it was, but also because the colorway was so interesting to look at and see how it transitioned from the bright blues to the turquoise to the purple. Lovely!

And, now, some more pics:

On the wraps per inch guide- (notice that I plied it loosely so that it would have extra softness and bounce- oh, it's SO soft!)


Finished yarn all wrapped up nicely-


I had a number of yards of singles left over from one of the bobbins, so I decided to use the navajo ply technique to make myself a little 3 ply to keep.



and, the wraps per inch for this was...about 14, which made it a DK weight-


I ended up getting only 9 yards of the 3 ply, but still enough to make a swatch!



I love this yarn so much that I'm having a hard time thinking I'll be giving it to Donna on Friday. But, she deserves it for waiting soo many months for it and I hope she likes it as much as I do! (if she doesn't, I can always keep it, right??!!??)

Now, how did spinning make me a loser?? Well, I did so much spinning this week (as well as my Wii fit, yoga and jogging some here and there), that I lost 4 pounds this week!!!! I can't tell you how happy I am about this!!!

So, now I'm up to 44 pounds in 16 weeks..woo-hoo!!! (I was wrong last week - I was only on my 15th week - I talked to the receptionist at WW today and I just finished my 16th)

I don't know if my back, shoulders, neck and wrists can keep up this level of knitting and spinning, but I'm going to try.

If you're a spinner, how is YOUR spinning coming along so far this year??

Happy New Year!!!!!

(Here is my family and I at Christmas....Back L-R: Ian, my mom, my sister, my dad and me. Front L-R: Ben and Tim)

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged!!! Between shopping, wrapping, holiday parties and cleaning, I think I got completely overwhelmed with time - and blogging has suffered. Sometimes, I feel like making sure that my Ravelry is updated is more important than blogging. What do you think? Have you felt this way, too??

Anyway, Happy New Year!!

I usually try to do this blog post on New Year's Eve, but we got home pretty late (details on what the heck happened next) so this was the very first year that we missed watching the ball drop in NYC and I forgot to blog somewhere near the end of the year. Ugh.

Christmas Vacation and Pics

Our trip to visit Ian's parents' new house in SC was pretty crazy. House is very nice, though.....huge ceilings, great big yard and the kitchen is amazing....here's a somewhat obscured view of the outside.



The trip there started with us leaving the house at 4 am to get to Boston. Even though we had 1.5 hours before our flight boarded (and had no bags to check in), we got on the plane with 5 minutes to spare. Although, we managed to get to D.C. with no trouble (it was Ben's 1st time on a plane and he loved it!), our connecting flight was cancelled and Ian had to scream and yell to get United to pay for our hotel room for the night (we'd been waiting in the airport for 5 hours at that point). The hotel was beautiful and the amenities fantastic (Holiday Inn in Dulles....AWE-SOME!) - here is the pool area with Tim waving to me- so it actually worked out for the best.



We had a nice visit, like I said...Ian's sister, Felice (see her pic below with the Felted Tote that I made for her) and his grandmother were there, too...and the weather was gorgeous - warm and sunny. A nice change from the freezing cold. Took lots of walks, went shopping, and Ian and I got to stay at ANOTHER beautiful hotel at the Clemson University (where Ian's dad is Head of the Graphics department) - it had a dining room, kitchen, living room, 3 sinks!! and the most comfortable beds/pillows that I've ever slept on in a hotel. It's called the James F. Martin Inn. I totally recommend this place!



The phone reception in that area wasn't great (no reception in their house) so I was lucky to be able to use my iPhone (a Christmas gift from Ian!!!) to check Ravelry and my email while I was there. Really - it was SO cool! (Jackie was so sweet and checked on Cocoa the Bunny and Jack the Cat while we were gone-thanks so much!!)

The trip home was pretty interesting. We left the hotel at 7:30 am and didn't get home until 7:30 pm. (It was supposed to be a 2 hour direct flight) Come to find out, the airport was 2.5 hours away, the flight was slightly delayed, the flight (once we got on) couldn't land in Boston due to the snow, we had to detour to Albany for a while and then we were finally back in Boston. The ride home in the snow was v-e-r-y slow going. We were soo glad to be home last night. But, then, as I said, we were too tired to stay up to see the New Year. At about 9 pm, I poured seltzer water in 4 fancy glasses (didn't have anything else in the house except water) and we clinked glasses....and fell asleep. ZZzzzzzzzzzz...

How was YOUR night??? Hope it was more exciting than mine! LOL

To end this very lengthy and blabbering blog post, I wanted to share some of my finished projects/handspun/books read for the year...with pics sprinkled here and there.

Knitting Projects Finished in 2008

Click here for Ravelry link to all of my projects....

1. The Amanda Hat (3...and pattern) by me
2. Squarey by Jess Hutchinson
3. Icarus by Miriam Felton
4. Christmas Eve Mitts (in pink) by me
5. Hello Kitty Monster Hat by Insubordiknit
6. Wavy (pink) by Sarah Smith
7. Spherey by Jess Hutchinson
8. Lobster Claw Mitts by Morehouse Merino
9. Moose Hat by Bea Ellis
10. Dragon Scarf (Puff) by Morehouse Merino
11. Phiaro Scarf by Katie Himmelberg
12. Forest Canopy Shawl by Susan Lawrence
13. Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark
14. Mountain Scarf by Amy King of Spunky Eclectic
15. Cocoon Lace Scarf by Evelyn A. Clark
16. Lisha Lace Scarf by me
17. Kirby by me/Jess Hutchinson design- inspired
18. Meta Knight by me/Jess Hutchinson design-inspired
19. 1 Poseidon Sock by Tsarina of Socks
20. Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
21. Sarena Cashmere Cowl by Tonia Barry
22. Felted Tote by Two Old Bags
23. Armando Hat (3...Tim wearing his below...and pattern) by me

24. Presto Chango by Valerie Wallis (buttons to be changed to wooden ones)

25. Reverse-Bloom Flower Washcloth by Cindy Taylor

26. Branching Out Scarf by Susan Lawrence

27. Mr. Frosty by Michele Wilcox


Completed Handspun Yarn Created in 2008

1. "Cantaloupe-I'm Already Married" (Globe Mallow by Spritely Goods)
2. "Dragon Flames" (Smouldering Embers by Sereknity)
3. Random handspun (Rolags from different colored corriedale by Halcyon Yarn)
4. "Sexy Silk Bamboo" (Bali Hai bamboo by HollyEqq)

Books Read in 2008

1. Firebird by Janice Graham
2. Child Goddess by Louise Marley
3. Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett
4. The Little Princess by Frances H. Burnett*
5. Mandy by Julie Andrews
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katharine Peterson
7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte*
8. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse*
9. True Confessions of C. Doyle by Avi
10. Witch of Blackbird Pondy by E.G. Speare
11. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (strangely enough the name of the woman who owned this house before us)
12. Ann of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
13. Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery
14. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
15. Down the Garden Path by Beverly Nichols
16. A Thatched Roof by Beverly Nichols*
17. A Village in a Valley by Beverly Nichols
18. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
19. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini*
20. The Age of Innocence by Edith Warton
21. Kissing Christmas Goodbye by Mary Higgens Clark
22. My Antonia by Willa Cather
23. My Life in France by Julia Child*
24. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
25. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
26. Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert
27. An Innocent Gentleman by Elizabeth Jolley
28. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
29. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
30. Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
31. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
32. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
33. New Day Revolution by Sam Davidson
34. The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
35. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
36. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
37. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
38. Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
39. The Castle of Lyr by Lloyd Alexander
40. Tender to the Bone by Ruth Reichl
41. Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl
42. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
43. The Clue in the Old Album by Carolyn Keene
44. The Mystery at Larkspur Lane by Carolyn Keene
45. What Tarot Can Do for You by Barbara Moore
46. Tarot Tips by Ruth and Wald Amberstone
47. The Host by Stephenie Meyer*
48 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer*
49. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
50. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
51. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
52. The Mystic Faerie Tarot by Barbara Moore
53. Strawberry Girl by Lois Lowry
54. Shoo Fly Girl by Lois Lowry
55. The Curse as Dark as Gold by E. Bunce
56. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
57. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
58. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier*
59. Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano
60. The Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes
61. Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden
62. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
63. A Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
64. Heidi by Joanna Spyri*
65. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
66. A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
67. Out by Natsuo Kirino
68. The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
69. The Painted Veil by A.S. Maugham
70. The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket
71. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
72. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
73. Mason Dixon Knitting II by Kay Gardener and Ann Shayne
74. Mah-Jong, Anyone? by Kitty Strauser
75. French Milk by Lucy Knisley
76. Candy Freak by Steven Almond
77. Cat Among Pigeons by Agatha Christie
78. Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie
79. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
80. The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
81. Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLaughlin
82. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
83. Miracles on Maple Hill by Joan M. Blos
84. General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn
85. The Conjurer by Cordelia F. Biddle
86. Watership Down by Richard Adams

(*denote my favorite books of the year. I wasn't able to finish 2 of the books I planned on finishing (Animal, Vegetable Mineral and Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver) and didn't get to the other 6 books on my list for the year (Treasure Island, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, Tombs of Atrean by Ursula LeGuin, Fire Study and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte), but I think I did pretty well for attempting my book goal. I'll add these books to next year's list...which has 25 books on it so far.

Have a wonderful New Year's Day and hope this year is EXTRA good to you ; )

Bamboolicious!

I LOVE my new handspun!!! It seems like it took me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to spin it up, but it was sooo worth it!

I bought 3.5 oz. of bamboo fiber from HollyEQQ a while ago...definitely last year sometime. I spun a bit up at a time...it spins up so quickly that I had to remember not to overdraft it..or the fiber would immediately fall apart from itself. The shine on this fiber is just amazing. I've tried to take a couple of good pictures of it, but I don't think it truly shows how fantastic the shininess is....or was.

I've realized that bamboo fiber (or at least the 100% bamboo that I spun) tends to halo after washing and, the more you handle it, the more it fuzzes. Now, with cashmere, angora and other luxury fibers, you want the fuzziness to happen as much as possible. Because I was so much in love with the exquisite shine of this handspun (during and right after spinning), I was disappointed when I started seeing fuzz.

I'm sure it will knit up beautifully and I still love the yarn...(and just bought more bamboo fiber)...but the loss of that bit of shine was a little sad.



The color was originally in a lilac purple, pink and peach, but (after setting the finished handspun) a lot of the dye came out during soaking. It's still got a very pretty rosy pink and very pale pink, but the purple was mostly washed out and the peach got overtaken by the pink. Not that I mind that!

My final yarn (which never fails to bring a little bit of happiness to my day) is about 450 yards of laceweight or fine fingering. I think I'm going to take Jackie's advice and knit up the Seafoam Scarf [Ravelry Link] with it. After seeing how beautiful Lora's came out, I'm excited to make one, too.



I'm calling the handspun, "Sexy Silky Bamboo". It looks to me like some sexy, pink panties you might wear on a very romantic evening. Or even a silky satin robe. Either way, it's bamboolicious!!!!

Noolie, Rolags and Lace...OH, MY!

(Okay, I freely admit that I've stolen this title idea from Laurin. Thanks, LaLa!)

It feels like I've been a lazy lump lately when it comes to blogging. With the kids home for April vacation this week (and the weather being so rainy and cold), we've tried to get out of the house as much as possible. Tim, Mike and I went to the movies on Monday night together after buying sneakers (Tim wears the same size as Ian now!!!), which was fun...and I tried to take a picture of us sitting in the very last row of the theater (as teens must do)...with a seat separating each person....wouldn't want to be caught dead sitting next to your knitting mom! (or at least I assumed that...)

Tuesday, we met up with Jackie, Lora and the kiddies at the library, which was fun. Anything to get out of that rain!! You should've seen the three of us sitting at the little kids table knitting and chatting away....very funny : )

Yesterday, we spent the day at the Planetarium in Concord, NH, which is soo much fun! Ben actually sat through the hour show called, "Black Holes". It was GREAT! Even better than a movie, I think. I always love sitting there looking up at the "stars"...with no bugs and noise to distract me. If you haven't seen one of the shows, you should really go. They're amazing!

So, now I feel like I can finally talk about what happened in my knitting life since the last post. (This IS a knitting blog, I think!)

VISIT WITH NOOLIE & CHICKS WITH STICKS!!!



Super Fun Julie Noolie and lovely Patti, owner of the Yarn Sellar, came to visit the ManchVegas Knitters on Friday night (two weeks ago) while I was working at The Yarn and Fiber Company. This was their second visit to see us (woo-hoo!) and it was so much fun! It worked out well that we were also having Jackie's birthday party that night because we were in the partying mood and very lively (aka loud, obnoxious and silly). I got to fondle Julie's lace (which is even nicer in person) and talk about Clover....and catching up with Patti is always great. I know we'll be planning on visiting the Yarn Sellar this summer and Julie promised me that I could hold Clover (I have witnessses!). I love getting together with their group....I think we get along well together - and they put up with our craziness!



Look at us surrounded by yarn! Mmmm.......cozy.


ROLAGS!



This is my recent attempt at hand carding fiber and creating rolags. I have to admit that, though I feel like I have the technique down, I'm not sure how much I like it. It was nice to be able to create different colors and shades with the fibers...and I think this technique will truly come in handy when blending in shorter staple fibers or sparkle (yes!), but I just didn't enjoy the spinning process as much. I think rolags are more suitable for the long draw method than the short draw method, which is what I'm used to.

I spun up the rolags...



and then plied the two bobbins together to make this yarn: (which is kinda rough and not so great)



I think I'll stick to batts and rovings.....


LACE!!

I'm still working on THREE lace shawl projects -

1. The Leaf Lace Shawl (in the "Lipsticks" Prism Wool Lace): no update here. I can only work on it at night after Ben goes to bed and, again, since the kids are out of school this week, I've had much less time to knit overall. (and the yarn is so damned THIN!)

2. The Forest Canopy Shawl (in the "Red 56" Silky Wool): it's about 2.5 skeins of yarn done. I'm attempting to make this much bigger than the shoulder width/length since my other one was too small for my ah-hem bust. I'd say that I'm about halfway done or more. I'd like to use up the 4 or 5 skeins of this yarn I have so I can wrap the shawl over my back, arms and shoulders. We'll see....I'm trying to find out how many more repeats to do of the main lace before starting on the edging. Any ideas?



3. The Swallowtail Shawl (in "Rainbow-EQ" Kauni): Okay, I'm definitely copycatting on this one. After I saw how beautiful Jackie's came out, I just had to knit one for myself. I tried some other shawl patterns using this yarn before trying this one, but none of them seemed right for the weight or color of the yarn. I've started this shawl with the blue and hope to send with blue, but (with the way the ball is looking), I think I'll probably end with orange. I'm aiming to use up as much of the ball as I can (I've got 660 yards) and I'm using a size 7 needle instead of the size 4 that it calls for. The main lace repeat calls for 14, but I'm on number 18 now and might even go to 20. I'd like this one to be bigger as well.



I know some people love wearing the rainbow and some are freaked out to even consider wearing it. What do you think? Can I pull off wearing this with a pretty solid colored summer outfit/dress without looking weird?