Spin A Yarn for Ewe

So clue 2 of the SotS2 came out on Friday and I managed to get it done on Sunday night. It is looking nice, a little wider then I usually like my shawls, but I do like the pattern how it is shaping up. A lot more intricate then the last SotS which is nice.

I still love this yarn and the color.

I have been working on my Montego Bay Scarf in the Sea Silk I bought. It is looking great but I did have to adjust the pattern a little as it was HUGE wide so I just cast on less and it is now the 7" it is supposed to be. Guess I should whip it out and take a photo.

I also FINALLY decided on a sweater pattern. I have been all over the place on what to knit with the Calmer. Mostly because I had a look in mind but couldn't seem to find a pattern that had the look and the right gauge. I now have both. I am doing the Ribby Pulli from ChicKnits. The one sweater I have knit and liked above all others is the CeCe also by Bonne Marie so why I didn't think to look there before I will never know. I am doing the scoop neck/short sleeve version and will probably do shorter sleeves then the pattern shows but that is really the only change I see happening.

The hat is done too and I took some quick shots of it before it left out the door.

Not the best but you get the idea.

Simple ribbed hat is soft yarn. Very satisfying to just whip something up for a change.

Now if I could just decide on a lace pattern for my handspun I would be set. I was thinking about maybe a simple Ostrich Plumes stole as the yarn is variegated and I know this pattern looks good in variegated yarn but I am not totally sold. Any one have suggestions?

Like I said in my last post I finished up some spinning the other day. I ended up with 815 yards of lace weight singles. I dyed the roving for this ages ago, in fact, I don't even remember when. Found it!
Flickr says I uploaded it in July, 2007. Yikes!
It was actually even before I got into to lace which is kind of scary now that I think about it. I decided to slightly felt the singles with the hot/ice cold dunking method with a little rubbing around which worked out very well.



The colors turned out really great I think and I can not wait to knit it up. This one is going right on the needles after I finish up a requested hat by my hubby for a guy he works with. I usually would of be moaned doing such a project as I don't even know the guy but I was looking for just this kind of project. Something fast and easy and it is using up very old stash.



This is some Mission Falls Wool that I am not sure where or when I got but it is knitting up into a very nice and soft hat. The pattern is a free one and I chose it since the recipient is totally bald and I have no idea of his head size. Figured this would work.

I also have the next clue in the Secret of the Stole 2 so that will be on tap for tonight.

After the lace yarn spinning success I am itching to spin some more up. I have SO much to choose from, this should be fun.

Last week was a LONG one for me. Sunday my computer started making a terrible noise and then just decided not to do anything. After a trip on Monday to the fix it place I found out that my hard drive had totally failed and nothing was retrievable unless I wanted to send it out to so recover place and spend major $$$! I came home and almost cried even though I had backed up MOST of my stuff. I decided to go through all of my paperwork on the computer and found out that it was still under warranty. Good for me as it made the hit to the pocketbook a lot less to take. The repair guy was fast and made it out right away to replace the hard drive but then found out that the disk drives had also gone bad. So he came back the next day with those, installed them then left me with a quick, "It should work now but if it doesn't we will have to replace the motherboard." Just what you want to hear as he leaves on Friday afternoon. Luckily it works and after reinstalling all of my software I am up and running again. The weird thing is I really felt like I had backed up everything I needed too but really there are things that are gone that I didn't think about. Oh well, I am trying to be a big girl about it.

I did manage to get a bunch of knitting done instead so that is the plus side. I finished the red leaf scarf but I really need to get some good photos of it. Edited to add some between rain storms.


I waited until today and of course it is on and off rain today. I did get a shot of the Secret of the Stole 2 I am doing. I am a sucker for these clue a week KAL's as I know that at the end of 9 weeks I will have a finished project. Here is clue 1 all done.

I am using the Funky Carolina Lace I bought a while back and I have to say I LOVE this yarn or maybe it is the color I love. Whatever it is I think I will have to buy more.

I am also, I think, ready to cast on for my Calmer sweater. I have had much indecision on this project from the size to make to the pattern. Hopefully the final choice will work out.

I also spent some time spinning this weekend and as soon as I get it skeined up I will have shots of it. Of course this might mean casting on something else but I am fine with it. No more squashing the creativity, I have no deadlines so go crazy!

Gina asked to see photos of what I end up buying with the gift certs so here you go or at least a start.

I bought some of Stephanie's great hand dyed yarn in the Fey base and color Moody Blues.

It is a great blend of blues and greys and I love how it looks. This will end up being lace of some kind.

I also splurged on a skein of Sea Silk. I got it in Cornflower and I love how it looks.

I plan to knit the Montego Bay Scarf from IK Summer 2007. It only takes one skein and looks really cute. I don't think the major color changes will be too much of a problem in this pattern.

My favorite skein is yet to come from Stephanie at Spritely Goods. I asked her to dye me a custom double skein of her other base fingering yarn, Sylph, in a great color combination. She said she would have time to work on it towards the end of the month and I can not wait to see it.

I also finished the other Amanda Hat the other night and it is so cute that I might just keep it for me or make it a family hat.


I almost forgot. I did a trade on Ravelry for some Calmer that in the end only cost me $10. I got 8.5 balls of it in Pool, which I think is discontinued, but I love the color.

I plan to knit myself a sweater. Yes, you heard me right, a sweater. Something I can actually wear around here that is why I chose the Calmer. Wool sweaters here just never get worn. I am thinking of using the EZ style sweater since I checked out Knitting without Tears from the library. I have never been totally happy with the fit of the sweaters I have knit except for one so hopefully this will help me.

I am having a horrible case of start-itis when I really should just be finishing what I already have started. I am trying to remain steady and finish the Leaf Scarf since I am already more than halfway done.

Edited to add: Does any one know of a good basic baby sock pattern top down? It seems like every time I try they look kind of "funny" and I hate fooling with socks since I don't like knitting them to begin with. Also I like magic loop best but 2 circs would work. They are for a baby shower I just got wind of that luckily is not until April.

I decided on a whim Sunday that I was going to knit Gina's Amanda Hat pattern. It is free and very cute and I thought I might have some yarn that would work. I first tried to sneak a skein of the called for Malabrigo into my order from Spritely Goods but the ever efficient Stephanie had already shipped it 2 days before. So stash diving , I went. I needed a heavy worsted and it had to be soft, really soft as I hate itchy hats. Turns out I had a perfect skein of unbelievably soft merino /tencel handspun that would work but it was short about 9 yards but of course I cast on and knitted away not worrying. I got to the top and then started to worry. I only had a very small amount left and I hadn't even started to do the decreases. So I fudged it. I left out 2 rows of the lace pattern on the top then only did 1 ridge of garter instead of 2 and then decreased away. When I got to the end I had less then a yard left did one last decrease round of k2tog all the way around and pulled it up tight. Wove in the end and now I have a very cute, super soft hat and about 8" of yarn leftover. Perfect!


The hat was so much fun and quick to knit that I cast on for another in a more "manly" color, also handspun, and I am close to halfway done with it.

We won't tell him the name of the pattern for fear he might think it is a "GIRL" hat but I think it looks great either way.

Thanks for the great pattern, Gina!

I know today is the 3rd but better late then never. I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. I had a great holiday season with the family and I got some great gifts from the family too.

My Mom and Dad got me something just for me as they know that if they don't get me something specific I will spend the money on stuff for the family. So I got 2 gift certificates to yarn stores. The first is Spritely Goods, which has to be one of my favorite stores to just drool over colors. Plus Stephanie is a great person to work with, you really need to check it out. The next is the Yarn Chef. Katy also has a great eye for colors and some of the gift cert was already used up on a great ruby red wool/silk yarn.



Yep, I already cast on even though I have not finished my other lace project. This one I just took a lace leaf pattern and went for it. Probably been done as a pattern by somebody somewhere but I consider this one my design as I wrote it out for myself. Super easy but I think it has a good look to it.



The yarn has just a small amount of shading to it and I can not wait to block it out. It is somewhere between a scarf and a shawl for width so I guess it is a scawl or maybe a sharf.

I also got some great new bags from my honey and son so I am very stylin' now. Here is one of them.

My little guy also got me a present that he picked out all by himself from a sale they have a school. The gift even came home all wrapped up and he didn't tell me so it was a complete surprise.

I thought it was perfect since I am always counted on to be the one to cook/bake for the family gatherings. Guess he really knows me.

I have also been spinning and I am almost done with the merino I dyed a LONG LONG time ago. It is looking good and I will probably leave it as a single to knit with.


You know lace can handle the bias thing since you block it anyway and then I have more yardage to work with plus I am lazy when you get right down to it.

Now I just have to finish the 2 lace projects I have going before the Secret of the Stole II starts.