FOs: Off My Needles/Wheel

 
 
Off My Needles/Hooks:

I finished my first Hitchhiker Shawl (design by Martina Behm) on Christmas evening.  It wasn't a gift so that's ok.  This is a really easy pattern to memorize making it great travel or Craft Night Group knitting.  And it works well with handspun yarn.
  
I ran out of my handspun at 34 points, so it's more of a Shawlette (or odd-shaped scarf) than a true Shawl.  I'll probably use it as a scarf.   I'd like to try this pattern again with sufficient handspun yardage to make 42 points.


 
  
    
 
Off My Spindles/Wheel:
 
 
  This lovely skein is approximately 690 yds of fingering weight worsted spun and Navajo/chain ply yarn.  It was spun on both spindles and my wheel from my first Loop Bullseye batt in the Seafoam gradient colorway.
 

 
 

Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:  
  Audiobooks:    Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie;  Soulless by Gail Carriger;    
  DVDs etc:   Castle S4; Moonlight;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   Round The Twist; Cast On;      

 

FO's: Socks

  
 
Off My Needles/Hooks:
This week I have two pair of socks finished.  

First up are the "Woolgathering" socks, striped socks in the Woolgathering colorway from Three Ewes Twisted in Fiber.  These cuff-down socks have two different heels.  The righthand sock has an afterthought heel in the round heel style.  The lefthand sock has a Sweet Tomato heel.  Both heels were first times for me and I like them, but I still haven't found a favorite go-to heel. I will keep looking.  

 
 

The second pair of socks is Mom's Christmas present.   These are toe-up socks done in Berroco Sox color 1476 with sweet tomato heels.  
  

  
 
 
  
Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:    
  Audiobooks:    Blood Lance by Jeri Westerson; The Black Echo by Michael Connelly;    
  DVDs etc:   Castle S4;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist; Subway Knits; The Pagan Knitter; The Knitmore Girls;    
 

December WIPs/SWIPs

  
  There's no mad holiday knitting rush for me this year. Only person I'm knitting for is Mom (socks and mitts), but, sadly, as she won't really remember if she gets them on or after Christmas, I don't have to kill my hands rushing to finish them. The socks will be done by Christmas; I doubt if the mitts will even be started by Christmas.
  
  
  I would like to finish as many knitting and spinning WIPs as I can by the end of the year, especially these projects:
  
On My Needles
  
  Hitchhiker Shawl - I started this a week or so ago and am about halfway through and liking muchly (both pattern and yarn). I'm using my brown and white Shetland handspun from last month called DA3, and size 5 (3.75mm) needles. As of this (Thursday) evening, I'd reached 24 points. I think I have enough yarn to reach or come close to the 42 points called for in the pattern.
  
Apologies for the picture quality. This is from last weekend when I was out and about. 
 
  
   Mom's Socks - the socks I messed up last week are progressing nicely. The first sock is done and I'm motoring up the foot of the second sock. I'm using size 1 (2.25mm) dpns on Berroco Sox yarn.
  
I need to put the afterthought heel on the first "Woolgathering" sock (the second sock is finished), but it seems it's fallen into a black hole or is hiding somewhere.
  
  
  On My Spindles
  
Spinning Seafoam - The Loop Bullseye batt in the Seafoam colorway is going slowly. After what seems like forever spinning I'm just really hitting the first color change. So I'm hoping changing from spindles to the e-spinner will speed things up a little. I love the Bullseye batts, the prep is wonderful, as is the blending. I just wish it wasn't Merino. Note to self: stop buying Merino fiber! You know you don't like spinning it!
  
There are a number of other WIPs/SWIPs I'd like to finish by yearend, but I'll be happy if what I've listed above is all I get done.
  
  Off My Spindles:

Spinning Itty Bitty Bits - this is a catchall project/name I'm using for the little fiber samples I've been spindle spinning. Some are from Phat Fiber boxes and some are leftover samples from the Wool Breeds Challenge. (This is an ongoing project that won't be finished for a few years at least and doesn't count in the year-end completions.) Here are a few little skeins:
  
  
 
  
  
  Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:    
  Audiobooks:  These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer; Blood Lance by Jeri Westerson;            
  DVDs etc:   Castle S4;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist; Knitting Pipeline, The Knitmore Girls, Subway Knits  
 

What's Wrong With This Picture

This is the first of Mom's Christmas socks. What's wrong with this picture?



It's subtle, and I didn't notice it until I'd started up the leg. Did you catch it?
Yes, indeed! I worked the heel on the side (half instep/half sole) instead of just the sole. And I even know why I did that. It's because I automatically center the in-the-round join in the middle of the heel flap on Cuff Down socks, which is what I normally knit. Problem is, these are Toe-Up Socks (why? I don't know, I just felt like it). Also, I was turning the heel while chatting at our weekly Craft Night, so add in distracted and on autopilot and we have this week's recipe for a knitting boo-boo.

At 3AM when I discovered this I thought about ripping out the toe and redoing that instead of the heel (less stitches in toe), but ripping back from a cast on is always a major pain in the butt. I even considered (for just a second or two) leaving it as is on the chance my Mom might not notice, but decided even she'd likely notice a heel on her ankle bone. In the glaring light of day, however, I realize it's time to firmly grasp my knitting and dip my toe, or rather my heel, in the frog pond and RiiiiipIt.

Fall FO's Part III

 
  Off My Spindles/Wheel:
 
  Columbia-Merino cross:  there is a definite difference in this Columbia/Merino cross ("CxM") fiber than the solely Columbia fiber I previously spun.  The Columbia fiber was soft but crisp.  This CxM fiber is soft with an almost whispy/silky texture.  Also the finer staples allowed me to spin my finest singles from attenuated longdraw to date.  Very little veggie matter, short cuts & nepps meant I could card without precombing or flicking, giving me little waste and excellent (for me) yardage: three skeins of woolen spun fingering wt 3ply, about 840 yds total from eight ounces of fleece.  
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
  
   
   Manx Loughtan This is a breed I didn't get to spin in 2011 when I was doing the SpinDoctor Wool Breeds Challenge, so when I saw it at The Spinning Loft I couldn't resist. Manx Loughtan is one of the Northwestern European shorttail sheep breeds, and is on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's watch list.
  
  "Loaghtans and their relatives covered the hills of the Isle of Man until the 18th century but by the 1950s numbers had declined to a handful. As a result of the work of enthusiasts on the Isle of Man and in England, numbers have steadily increased over the last 50 years. Continued success will ensure the Loaghtan has a future providing excellent quality meat and wool as a pure bred." [Source: Manx Loughtan Sheep Breeders Group http://www.manxloaghtansheep.org/ ]  
  
  "Manx Loghtan fleece is a uniform dark brown, but is paler on the outside where it has been exposed to the sun. It can be either woolly or hairy. The wool is used for hosiery and knitwear, and the staple length is 7-10cm. Technical information about the fleece: Staple length 7-10cm, Fleece weight 1.5-2kg, Bradford count 46-54, Micron measurement 27-33" [Source: British Colored Sheep Breeders Assoc. http://www.bcsba.org.uk/coloured-sheep/manx-loghtan-sheep.html ]
 
  This fiber was spun point of twist from the fold on both my spindle and wheel, and wheel plied for about 490 yards of 2ply fingering weight yarn from four ounces. I enjoyed spinning this and would spin it again.  
  
   
 
   
   
 
   
 

Fall FOs Part II

Off My Needles/Hooks:   
  
  Finally finished knitting one of the many pair of socks I've got going!  These were started one year ago today, Nov 24, 2011, and finished yesterday, Nov 23, 2012.  They are a holiday gift for a friend, and were knit on size 1 (2.25mm) double pointed needles out of the defunct Cables and Lace Lizard Toes base (merino/nylon) sock yarn in the Samhain colorway. The only problem I had with these socks (other than they're black and that's difficult to work with) is the yarn splits a lot.  I hate split stitches; they're so annoying to have to fix.  It slows me down. 
   
   
 
  
 
  Off My Spindles/Wheel:

 
  Targhee fiber:  in the "Freshwater Pearls" colorway from Enchanted Knoll Farm was finished in early October.  This is the fiber I started spinning at the Campaign For Wool spinning demonstration in Bryant Park, Manhattan back in September.  I ended up with about 280 yds of sport weight 3ply yarn from four ounces of fiber. The colors in this yarn are very subtle so there are actually more colors than the picture shows.
 
 
 
 

 
  Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:  
  Audiobooks:    
  DVDs etc:   True Blood S4; The Dresden Files;  
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Electric Sheep; Cast On; The Knitmore Girls; Round The Twist;

Fall Spinning FOs Part I

Off My Spindles/Wheel:
  Remember the 8oz of Bluefaced Leicester fiber I really really wanted to spin but was supposed to finish two UFOs first before starting?  Well, the oooo pretty lure of the fiber was stronger than my good intentions.  Here it is all finished:  approximately 522 yds of fingering wt worsted spun, Navajo plied yarn in the Annunaki at Tiamat colorway from Crown Mountain Farms. I just love the colors in this!  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Next up is this approx 360 yds of Shetland 3ply fingering yarn in dark brown and white, spun smoothed point of twist from the fold.  My idea for this was to make a kind of gradient yarn by starting with three strands of the white, then swapping out one strand at a time until I had three strands of the brown, then reversing.  I also experimented a little with changing plying twist to accentuate one color over the other.  It didn't come out exactly as I envisioned, but I am pleased with it.  I'm thinking of maybe using for a Hitchhiker shawl.  This fiber is also from Crown Mountain Farms
 
   
   
   
   
  Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:    
  Audiobooks:  Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead; A Modern Witch by Debora Geary; Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth;          
  DVDs etc:   True Blood S4; The Dresden Files;    
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist;
 

I Can Haz Badges!

 
  Hogwarts at Ravelry group finished up the last class rotation for year five and has started classes for year six, and that means more badges!  Squeee!  I know, it's kinda dumb, but I like Badges.  So here are the badges my new badges for the end of year five: 
 
  :::Drumroll please:::  
 
For completing all my O.W.L.s with an Outstanding grade: 
 
 

For completing all three Dumbledore's Army missions:
 
 

For completing Level Four of the Order of the Phoenix:
 
 

And finally, because Badgers Rule The Pitch, and I helped, our Hufflepuff Quidditch Championship badge:
 
 


Coming soon, Finished Objects both spinning and knitting.

Reinbeck 2012

This year was my first trip to Reinbeck for the New York Sheep and Wool Festival.   Last Saturday was a beautiful day for it, sunny, warm but not too warm, with a nice refreshing breeze. All the yarn, fiber and fleece you could ask for, plus podcasting celebrities, a good selection of food, and animals from the expected (sheep, llamas, etc) to the unexpected (kangaroo).     
   
First up, what I bought. From the top down:  a bump of multicolor Jacob roving, Bosworth featherweight spindle (my first Bosworth), two Loop bullseye bumps (merino/nylon/angelina & oh so soft) and a Jessalu project bag in Tardis fabric.  Not much, but I stayed within budget for once and that counts.  
   
   
   


Next up, a few animal pics.   
   
 
   
    
   
    
   
 
 
 
 
 
I had a great but exhausting time.  (I slept for eighteen hours when I got home.). Next time I go I'll go with a plan for what I want to buy so I can pace myself and do other than shopping stuff.  

WIPs and SWIPs

 
 
On My Needles: I keep poking through my knitting WIPs basket, but my only reaction is  Eh!   Not good.  I should be swatching for my SPAKAL sweaters (yes, plural), but its just not happening.  Also Not Good.  So the only knitting I've been working on lately are my striped socks in the Woolgathering colorway.  I'm about four inches down the foot on the second sock. I need to finish it, put the afterthought heel in the first one, and then they'll be finished.  At least something will be finished.
 
 
 
  On My Spindles:  
 
  Once again I'm working on multiple projects at the same time, or perhaps it's more accurate to say serially rather than at the same time.  
 
  There's the Manx Loughton.  This is the first spindle worth:
 
 
 

Then there's the Shetland in black and white I'm spinning for my Dumbledore's Army project on Hogwarts at Ravelry group (sshhhh it's a secret).  My singles are spun, I just need to ply




 I finished spinning the Columbia and moved on to the Columbia/Merino cross or CxM.  The staple length for most of this is less than 2 inches so I'm not combing first, just hand picking and hand carding.  I'm almost finished carding and already spun 10 bobbins worth.  Pic shows rolags left to spin, fleece left to card and spun singles.

 

Of  course, there's also the East Friesian cross that I haven't touched in over a month.  I'm not even sure where I left off on that.  Think I needed to wash more fleece and just wasn't in the mood. 
 And the "Promise" fiber that's buried in the bottom of the SWIPs basket.  Haven't touched that since August or thereabouts.

And then there's this:



This  bit of loveliness is what I really want to spin right now.  It's 8 ounces of BFL from Crown Mountain Farms, dyed in the Annunaki on Tiamat colorway.  I keep picking it up and petting it.   But No. There's this voice that keeps telling me to Step Away From The Fiber. You can't spin it until you finish two SWIPs. Three would be better but two is good.   Damn annoying voice! insert fingers in ears La la la la, I can't hear you!



Brought To Me By:  
  Audiobooks:  These Old Shades & Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer;    
  DVDs etc:   True Blood S3; Cadfael;
  Pod/VideoCasts:   The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist;
 

We Have Knitting & Spinning

On My Needles:
"Woolgathering Socks" were started as stripey plain vanilla afterthought heel socks in Three Ewes Twisted in Fiber yarn.  The first sock was finished (except for the heel) last month, and the second started.  Along the way on the second sock, I read about Cat Bordhi's Sweet Tomato heel and couldn't wait to try it.  So I did.  Me likey!   This is my first Sweet Tomato Heel:  
   
   
 
Of course, this means my socks will be mismatched with two different heels, but who cares -  they're heels
  Modifications to original pattern:  heel worked on 60% instead of 2/3rds(66%) of stitches; center heel sts 12 on 1st repeat, 10 on 2nd, & 16 on 3rd (no idea why I did that, but it worked).  
   
   
  On My Spindles:   
   
  I've been working on the Columbia fleece I started processing/spinning last year. This was slightly less than a pound of pre-washed fleece from two sheep that I acquired separately, so there's a difference in the fiber's texture & color. As of this morning when I finished spinning, I have thirteen bobbins of singles to ply tomorrow. That should be enough for two more skeins of 3ply.
 
   
   
   
   Also started spinning the Manx Loughton I've been eyeing for six months. Its really wonderful fiber prep and lovely to spin. This will be a 2ply, and I'm spindle spinning semi-worsted.  
 
   
  Brought To Me By:  
  Audiobooks:    
  DVDs etc: True Blood S3.1-4; Buffy TVS S7.11-end; Moonlight S1.1-16;   (guess I'm on a vamp role)
  Pod/VideoCasts: The Knit Girllls; The Knitmore Girls; The Pagan Knitter; Round The Twist;      
 

Off My Spindles Part VI

Off My Spindles:  
  At Last!  Tex, the Texel crossbreed fleece is finished.  I plied the last three skeins on Monday morning, making the total number of skeins, 26.    
   
   
   
  There are over a half dozen rolags left to be spun (I originally didn't spin them because I didn't get all the lanolin out) and some singles, but they, as well as the leftover combing waste, are being held in reserve in case I run out of yarn for the sweater.  And frankly, I've been working on this for six months, and I'm kinda sick of it. It's on to the finishing baths for this stuff, and then I can start swatching.  
   
  Also finished two out of three four-ounce bumps of the Gotland fiber in shades of wine and pink.  I'm spinning this semi-woolen (mostly point of twist, from the fold) and chain/Navajo plying. It's a little twisty because I haven't set the twist on it yet, but this is the first skein:  
   
   
   
  Brought To Me By:  
  Audiobooks:    
  DVDs etc: True Blood S4.1-2; Buffy TVS S7.8-10; H5O S2.1-9;   
  Pod/VideoCasts: The Knit Girllls; Cast On; SpinDoctor;      
 

On My Spindles

On My Spindles:

I finally finished washing Tex, the never-ending Texel crossbreed fleece - all of it. And I've been combing and carding enough every few days to fill a two-gallon bag with rolags to spin. So far this week that's two bags which spun up to seven variable sized bobbins of singles. I'm guestimating that I will end up with enough singles for at least two maybe three more skeins of yarn. I also need to start "finishing" the 22 skeins I've already spun, i.e. giving them a soak to set the twist and see how much they'll poof up. With any luck I'll be finished spinning this fleece this weekend. Yay!

As part of my WIP Busting efforts, I've pulled out the rest of the white fleeces I started spinning last year and before. That's a Shetland, a Merino cross, and a Columbia. They're the washed stuff, and range in weight from half a pound to about two pounds. There's also the other half of Mo, and the original never-ending fleeces: the two Clun Forest. They need scouring.

After all that white, I needed a little color so this past weekend I started spinning the twelve ounces of Gotland I got last Spring from Two Sisters Stringworks.

I'm spinning this mostly from the fold, semi-woollen, and planning to chain/Navajo ply. It will probably be a thicker yarn than I'd originally envisioned, but since I have twelve ounces I'm pretty sure I can get enough for a good sized shawl.



Brought To Me By:
Audiobooks:
DVDs etc: Doctor Who (season 6); Downton Abbey (S2);
Pod/VideoCasts:  Knitting Pipeline; The Knit Girllls; Round The Twist; Yarnspinners Tales;

Finished Object: Ohio Star Pillowcover

Ohio Star Pillowcover
Ravelry Project Page

This UFO (UnFinished Object) dates back to around 2006 when I picked up a couple of quilting magazines with an abundance of block schematics. Now, I'm not a quilter, although I do love looking at them, especially the more classic designs.  I can appreciate all the work that goes in them.  Maybe someday I'll try it, but for now I'm more interested in translating the quilt block designs into knitting designs.  And these two magazines had a number of block designs that readily translated.  My original intention was to make a sampler afghan from different block patterns, but opted to start smaller with a pillow cover.

I picked the Ohio Star pattern because it consisted of squares and triangles I could easily duplicate in knitted fabric.  The only problem I encountered was in seaming the blocks together.  For some reason I made the join a randomly striped two-and-a-half inch saddle shoulder seam.  I say it was a problem because I seamed a little more than two sides and then stopped.



After six years I can only guess that either I was bored (understandable) or unhappy with what I was doing.  Or both.  Probably both.

I'm certainly unhappy with how the striping looks.  I think it detracts from the overall block pattern and is distracting.




So as I previously posted, I ripped it all out and went with a simple single color (green) applied I-cord seam.  This seam went smoothly and quickly and I'm very pleased with the results. For a closure I went with a simple I-cord lacing for which i put in I-cord 'buttonholes' approximately every two inches. The Pillowcover measures approximately eighteen inches square. The yarn is Lana Gatto California DK 100% cotton.









 Now to find the pillow I made it for...



Brought To Me By:
Audiobooks:
DVDs etc: Downton Abbey S2; Doctor Who S6; Vampire Diaries S1;
Pod/VideoCasts: Round The Twist; the Knit Girllls; Electric Sheep; Knitmore Girls;

Spinning FOs

I finished spinning the second four ounce bump of the yak/merino blend over the Labor Day weekend. "New Moon" was spun semi-woolen (longdraw from the fold or the end) into approximately 230 yards of 2ply.

50/50 yak/merino blend, New Moon colorway from Abstract Fibers:



I was lazy and didn't pull the first bump's skeins to check what weight/diameter my singles should be. I just spun what I thought I remembered it should be. Not one of my most brilliant ideas. Second bump skein came in at a third less yardage (about 230 yds) than the first bump's skein (360 yds). Lesson learned: my memory sucks.


Another spinning project that changing parameters brought mixed results in is Rasputin. This was an eight ounce bump I divided into eight approximately one ounce braids. All were spun worsted from commercial top and chain/Navajo plied. Here I got variations in yardage by spinning singles on different spindles or switching between spindles and wheel. Weight varies between lace to heavy fingering weight. Total 3ply yardage is 921 yds (2,763 yds of Singles).

Wensleydale, 8 oz., Rasputin colorway from Crown Mountain Farms:

Again With the Oddments

Scouring with soap nuts:
Soaps nuts in the pre-scour cold soak helps cut the dirt and suint. Love it. Also seems to act as a pre-treatment for removing lanolin in the hot wash. Cuts down on amount of detergent or Power Scour needed when used in conjunction with detergent. Whole soap nuts by themselves don't get lanolin out entirely in hot wash. Haven't tried it yet but others say soap nuts liquid alone does remove lanolin. Will have to try that myself someday.

And just when I think it's safe to come out of the scouring water... I find more to scour. Turns out that last seven ounces I thought I had to wash wasn't the last of Tex. I found another bag with a little over ten ounces that needs scouring. Sigh My SPAKAL spinning will never end, I think

Stash Enhancement:
Two month fleece buying binge netted me at least a pound each of these breeds/crossbreeds:
E. Friesian/Corriedale lamb
E. Friesian/Corriedale adult
Merino/Shetland/Romney
Shetland/Jacob
Jacob
Cormo
And Under a pound of these:
Llama
Oxford/Border Leicester
Bluefaced Leicester lamb
Border Leicester/Romeldale
Shetland
They are all raw fleece, except for the Cormo which I had the seller wash for me. I didn't want to deal with the heavy lanolin, plus if you even look at it wrong it felts.

I had a "When Knitting Attacks" incident earlier in the week: finished the first sock, kitchenered the toe, measured length, then realized I made the foot three inches too long. So I had to rip back and redo. (Well, at least i didn't work a heel instead of a toe like I did the last time I had a major sock knitting attack!)

Rasputin spinning finished :::insert muppet flail::: Yay, that was another "I thought it'd never end project".

10 Mile Goal Update: at 95% of goal (17,600 yds spun/knit/crochet). At this rate should reach goal by the end of September. Major raising of the bar next year.

I Haz An FO

Yay! I finished something:

Buccaneer - this was my fractal spinning experiment on some superfine merino in the Buccaneer colorway from The Unique Sheep. It's mostly gray and white with some brown. 2ply, semi-woolen spun (attenuated longdraw from faux rolags from com'l top). I ended up with seven mini-skeins. The first four skeins (from left to right) are fractal 2ply and the last three are traditional 2ply. I think I like the traditional 2ply better than fractal because traditional gives me larger sections of solid color in addition to shaded, blended and barber pole sections.

This picture was taken before their twist setting bath:




Also finished spinning braid #7 of Rasputin. It's resting to make it easier to pre-chain and rewind on another bobbin. Then all I have to do to ply is add twist. Makes for very travel friendly Navajo/chain plying. I will probably start #8 tomorrow.

Started spinning the second bump of New Moon earlier this past week. New Moon is the colorway name for the yak/merino blend I spun during the Tour de Fleece. This will be a 2ply spun semi-woolen to match the first bump. Mostly I've been spinning this while visiting Mom at the nursing home. I'm a little more than halfway through the first half, so it's progressing.


On My Needles:

I've been good. I've been concentrating on just my two projects that I picked last time: the Woolgathering socks and the Ohio Star pillow cover. Both are coming along nicely, although I did have to rip back almost four inches on the sock (boy did I made the sock too long!). It's striped sock yarn and I think I got a little carried away watching the stripes form. Nice thing about having to rip so much is those early stitches are fairly set, so I don't have to tink back. I can just rip without the stitches running.

The 2 1/2 inch pillow cover seaming edge has been ripped back and I'm replacing it with three needle applied I-cord bind off. Looks much better than the striped seam. I don't know what I was thinking with that...



2012 Yardage Goal: 17,600; Total to Date: 16,753; 95% Complete

Brought To Me By:
Audiobooks:
DVDs etc: How To Train Your Dragon; Mad Men; Dr Who end-S5;
Pod/VideoCasts:  The Knit Girllls; Cast On; Electric Sheep; Subway Knits; Sticks & String; Knitmore Girls; SpinDoctor;


I

Too Much

I was updating some projects on my Ravelry Project Page this morning and noticed it says I have 73 projects. Wow, I hadn't realized I'd done that much. But then I really looked at the projects, broke it down to finished, WIPs, hibernating and frogged, and you know what, turns out I haven't done that much after all. Only 39 projects were actually finished. Three were frogged and seven hibernating. The rest, 24, are WIPs. And not all my WIPs are posted. Now, I've never been a monogamous knitter or spinner, but that's just too much. No wonder I don't seem to get anywhere.

Soooo, this morning I picked two spinning and two knitting projects to concentrate on, at least one of each has too be 85% or more complete. Why two each and why not all almost complete? Well, mainly because the newer or less complete projects tend to be smaller and I can just pop them in my bag when I leave the house. Save the bigger stuff for at home.

For knitting, I chose the Ohio Star Pillowcover which only needs edging/seaming and a decision on how it will be closed. I'm not happy with the seaming I'd started so I need to rip back and redo. The new seam/edging will be applied I-cord. The second knitting project is the first pair of socks I grabbed from the pile (which happens to be one of the projects not yet on Ravelry). Maroon and yellow stripped socks in sock yarn from Three Ewes Twisted in Fiber.

For spinning, I will be concentrating on finishing spinning the last two (of eight) mini-braids of the Wensleydale top in the Rasputin colorway. And also processing and spinning "Tex", what I call the Texel/Border Leicester/Coopworth/Corriedale/Finn crossbreed fleece - my SPAKAL project. Tex is about 90% done with only about six ounces left to scour

I started with Tex this morning:

Ravellenics Update #4 - Finished

Well, after a marathon nine and a half hours knitting on Sunday I finished knitting my preemie hats (a dozen total) with thirty-five minutes to spare! This was immediately followed by picture taking and a flurry of postings to the Finish Lines for Charity Rowing, Hat Dash, Synchronized Stash Bust, & Baby Dressage Events for teamDAM (Diagon Alley Marauders), more postings to pertinent Ravelry boards to proclaim my success, and then a good long alternating hot and cold soak for my tired aching right hand. And then a nap.

So, here are the finished preemie hats, which along with the four previously knit hats, are going to the Remembering Remy charity.




And here are my medals:













And now back to our regularly scheduled programing...


Brought To Me By:
Audiobooks:   Curse The Dawn by Karen Chance; Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie; The Tale of Holy How by Susan Wittig Albert;
DVDs etc:
Pod/VideoCasts:  The Knit Girllls; Cast On; Electric Sheep;