Spin A Yarn for Ewe

I did take pictures of the beaded yarn I just did. I just forgot to post them. DUH! I always seem to have getting a good shot of the beads but no more. I finally went out and got a new camera. I have had 2 other digitals but always hand me downs from my Mom. This time I knew what I wanted and I love it. Here are the beads close up. And then a skein shot too. The camera is a Canon Powershot It has to be the easiest camera I have ever owned. I scanned the manual but really most everything can just be figured out with trial and error. I love that.

I have also heard the Amanda has joined the spinning side. I know it won't be long before she hears the siren song of a wheel calling her name. Plus all the pounds of fiber she will now have to stash somewhere. Hee, Hee.

I have been working on my swap pal's stuff of the KSKS I don't really sew. I have a sewing machine but it is nothing fancy and I know just enough about it to stay out of horrendous trouble. The swap says you have to make your bag. I didn't feel like felting one so I whipped this baby up out of some old jeans. I used small ones so it didn't end up being a tote bag. I lined it and made sure it had a snap. No pockets inside as that is way beyond my expertise. Here is the inside. Besides the bag you have to send sock yarn, a pattern and other goodies. This is what I am sending, hand dyed yarn, the bag, her favorite chocolates and 2 circular needles. Needles are on the way. Hope she likes it.

Now Swamp Land. The singles are moving along and looking good. The rust color is growing on me. In fact brown in general is growing on me enough that I mixed up some brown Lanaset today along with 4 other colors I was out of. I dyed more today too so stay turned for more roving shots.

Amanda asked about spinning the roving dry in the washer. I just throw it in there loose, sounds crazy but I have a front loader with really nothing to catch on. If I am doing mohair locks or something that might fall apart I put it in a zippered pillowcase first.

I spun up the BFL last night, plied with beads and we now have 160 yards of pink cotton, pastel beads and natural BFL yarn. I was going to take photos but I decided to set the twist and it is still wet. Don't need a bunch of yuck sticking to it. But I do have photos of the rovings I dyed yesterday. I always spin them dry in the washer so they were dry this morning. First up we have Swamp Land. The roving is a very bizarre color combo that I am really looking forward to spinning. I have learned that the ugliest roving can be the best finished yarn. It has purple, blue, green and a rusty brown with lots of the natural color left in. Really swampy.

Next is Sea Breeze. My personal favorite color combos of yellow, blue and green also with white left in but not as much. These will both be standard 2ply so it will take me longer to spin.

I also finished the bag for my Kit Pal. I made it out of a pair of short guy's old jeans. Lined it with a turquoise fabric and finished with a nice silk scarf through the belt loops. I plan to photo the whole "kit" as soon as I get the last items. She said she wanted to try 2 circulars to knit socks so I am going to get her those and of course a few more pair for myself.

I finished the Carnival yarn last night. I stayed up way too late watching "Hustle and Flow" and finished the plying. Good movie that kept me awake but I am dragging slightly today. I would love to sleep in but I just can not seem to make it much passed 6:30. Even if I don't have to get up. So without further ado here is Carnival. 260 yards of DK weight yarn. Fun bright colors that should be very lively when knitted.

I am currently dyeing 2 different colored rovings for spinning. I spaced out last week, didn't dye anything so now I have nothing with color to spin. I am thinking I will spin up some more plain BFL and ply it with some beads I got last week. I have about 1/2 a bobbin full already as the Vanilla yarn took way less than I thought. One of the bead mixes is natural browns, rust and some iridescent amber colors the other choice is off white, pink, purple, green and blue in frosted muted shades. I am leaning towards this one with a pink cotton thread.

Stay tuned to see what this very fickle spinner picks. I bet you can not wait. ;)

I have not worked on my lace a ton but I am still plugging away. I really only seem to work on it in the car and on the weekends. I am currently a little more than half way through it and I really like how it looks even though it is scrunched up on the needles. I hope to have it done in the next few weeks. No rush as it is way to hot to wear it now even at night.

Dinner was GREAT the other night. We had a fun time with the couple we went with and the food was delicious. After we left we drove down the old main street in town. April though September they have what they call Cruisin' Grand. Friday was Packard night and they had over 40 of them there. It was really fun to drive down the street and see every parking space occupied by a pre-1974 car. It was like a flash back. We will be going back as I think the short guy would love it.

I know I never post twice in one day but I just had to when this showed up in my mailbox just now. It is from my One Skein Swap Pal. 300 yards of handspun 100% silk. (I know your jealous.) She spun it then dyed it afterwards. I love it. I love everything about it. The color, the fiber and especially the fact that it is handspun. I don't think anyone has ever given me handspun before. Here is another shot to show the color from a different angle. I can not wait to make something with it. I have been thinking of a smoke ring that should work perfect with this yarn as it it written for something in this WPI. I can not wait for the July yarn.

Well, at least in the roving department. I have finished the first single of the Carnival roving and it is looking good. I know it will be a very fun yarn when it is done. Lots of color and life to it.

I will probably start the next single tomorrow as we are actually going out to dinner minus the short guy tonight. It should be really fun and my parents will be babysitting which they love to do. Plus we get to try a new to us restaurant. I have tried it for lunch with my knitting buddy but never for dinner. I can not wait.

I have also been working hard on my Knit Sock Kit Swap buddy's bag. I finished it yesterday. I totally lucked out in her favorite colors category as I had already started it. I will have to take photos of it. Now I only have to get the rest of the stuff together. I like some yarn I have already dyed and it is in the colors she likes but I need to include a pattern for her. Any suggestions? Anyone have a new and fun pattern not yet on the internet?

Vanilla was a quick spin as I only spin one single then ply with a cotton thread strung with beads. The beads take a while to string but not too bad. I always think I have TONS of beads on then I always run out before I want to. Always. Her is the yarn. It has 5 different colored beads, some frosted some sparkly, all in the same family. I think it is fun without being too flashy as my pal doesn't like that. She is also a new spinner so I figured maybe this would inspire her to try new things. She told me she tried plying yarn for the first time after she got my first package of yarn. Gotta love that.

So I finally finished the Watermelon yarn. It turned out how I had hoped, similar to all the pink and green yarns I have been looking at. Of course spinning it vs just dyeing it gives it a little different finished result I like it. Here it is piled up. Then I skeined it up. It is funny how yarns take on a much more serious look when skeined up nice and neat instead of a big pile. Here's the serious pose.
I have also dyed more roving to spin but first I need to spin for my swap buddy for the July installment. I have decided on a beaded yarn this time. I am going to spin a totally natural BFL roving then ply it with a natural cotton strung with a selection of beads that came premixed in a color combo called "vanilla", should look nice when it is done. Here is what I plan to spin after the plainer yarn. I call it Carnival and it should be a great change after the "Vanilla" yarn. I couldn't for the life of me get the red right. It is much more cherry colored then the orangey color the camera caught but you get the idea.

What are your favorite colors? I would say blue, green, purple and yellow. I also like red and pink.

Are you a new sock knitter? No, I have knit socks before.

How long have you been knitting socks? I did my first pair last year and have done several pair since then.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Multicolored

What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? Wool

Where do you usually knit socks? At home or in the car my 2 favorite places to knit.

How do you usually carry/store small projects? I have a few felted bags that I love to use.

What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? I have really done basics so far but I have Sensational Knitted Socks and like a lot of those patterns.

What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? Top down vs toe up.

What new techniques would you like to try? I would like to figure out toe up but the first ones I finished did not fit in the heel at all.

Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? I use 2 circulars.

What are some of your favorite yarns? I love Lorna's Laces, Koigu, Mountain Colors Barefoot and handspun of course.

What yarn do you totally covet? Really depends on the dye job.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? Not that I can think of but tempt me.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I like Inox Grey or Addi circulars but own more Inox.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? I really like Altoids Sour Candies or sour gummies.

What’s your favorite animal? Dogs and horses tie.

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? I have 3 dogs, Rocky and Daisy are Boston Terriers and Bear is a yellow Lab. We also have 4 cats, Sirius, Magic, MeowMeow and Princess.

If you were a color what color would you be? I would be a blue green.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? Nature inspires me everyday as I spend lots of time in my garden so not just one image.

Do you have a wishlist? No

Hope that helps Swap Pal.