Spinzilla 2015

I went rogue again this year because I wasn't sure what I would be able to accomplish.  I did manage to spin every day but one - better than I thought. 

Clockwise from right:

The white yarn is mystery fleece I found last year. Prepped a couple of ounces just before Spinzilla started. Spun supported longdraw on wheel and got about 147 yds of 2ply. 

The yellow multicolor is the first of two bumps of Shetland fiber from Spunky Eclectic in the Gerbera colorway.  Wheel spun semi-worsted end-to-end for 437 yds of 2ply. 

The final little skein is all I could fit in of Polworth fiber from Crown Mountain Farms in their Finding Rainbows colorway. Spun worsted/semi-worsted for 41 yds of chain ply yarn. 

My total yardage for this year is 1,916.  

Reality Sets In

Sometimes the discrepancy between what I want to or think I can do and what I actually can do takes on the dimensions of a canyon.  

Take my Stash Dash plans to finish the stash-busting Log Cabin blanket and the Hexipuff Baby Blanket, as well as a couple of pairs of socks.  Great idea but totally unrealistic. 

Seems I've lost my sock knitting mojo so finishing the half dozen pairs I've started is like pulling a shark's teeth - a messy and painful endeavor. And never mind the other half dozen pairs I promised to make that I haven't started. 

All I've been in the mood to knit on is the Log Cabin blanket which I've decided will be a Queen/King size.  That's 120 blocks, 12 long & 10 wide.  And so far I've got a dozen made.  I'm guessing this project will take a year or more to finish. 

I'm supplementing the Palette yarn with my handspun stash that's approximately the same fingering weight.  And I will also supplement with some yarn from my stash that I've either hand dyed or overdyed.  

The first ten blocks are joined, and I really like how it looks. I think it's going to be a great blanket - however long it takes me. 

The Hexipuff Baby blanket on the other hand is languishing in a corner. It needs about 50+/- more puffs I think. And I also need to decide on a border or not.  I just can't seem to get interested in it again.  I think I'm going to have to set aside a week to work exclusively on it and just get it done.  Maybe next week. Or the week after.  Maybe. 

OFF MY SPINDLES/WHEELS:

I've finished some spinning:  

First up, about 332 yds of 2ply BFL in the Forever colorway from Miss Babs. This was spindle spun and wheel plied. 

Also spindle spun and wheel plied is this approximately 275-300 yds of chain ply Masham in the Verdigris colorway from Spunky Eclectic. 

July Summer fun

If it's Summer, it must be time for Stash Dash, and if it's July, it must be Tour de Fleece time!  

This year for the TdF I'm just spinning with no big goals or plans. I'm currently spindle spinning this Masham bump from Spunky Eclectic in the Verdigris colorway.  

 

And I've finished a few others too.  Like this one: BFL in the Gumball colorway that I started in Dec. I chain plied and got about 188 yds of DK weight yarn. 

I also finished this one, a Cheviot called Golden Fields from Spunky Eclectic. 

All three of these are included in my Stash Dash total, as is a pair of sock

My last two skeins of the Corriedale/Polypay fleece

Log Cabin fever

ON MY NEEDLES

Finally gave in and cast on a log cabin afghan (or blanket depending on finished size) using all the Knit Picks Palette yarn I have. I'm making color blocks that are outlined in white and will be joined in a three needle I-cord bind off in black.

There are over thirty different Palette colors in my stash, but the majority of them are only one ball each. Some of the colors I'm picking out are coordinating colors and some gently contrasting colors. Some will be picked by random number generator, which should make some very interesting (& probably wildly clashing) color combinations.  This is the yarn colors and the first two blocks (without the white border). 

And another block with white border 

Most of the blocks will have five or six colors although some will have only three.  

I'd like to get both this project and the hexipuff baby blanket finished by the end of Stash Dash in August.  Doubtful but I'm going to try. 

March knitting

OFF MY NEEDLES 

The  Rainbow socks are finished. These are my basic cuff down sock with a Strong Heel knit in Knit Picks' Felici yarn in the Rainbow colorway. 

I also finished these cuff down vanilla socks in Knit Picks Hawthorne yarn in Ladd's Addition colorway  my first time knitting with this yarn and I liked it. It will be interesting to see how well they hold up in use. 

And last but not least are two more pair of baby socks, one in Kroy Socks blue-brown marl, and the other Monster socks from yarn scraps I had with me. 

Start with a bang

OFF MY NEEDLES:

I finally decided what to knit with the Handspun yarn I made with all those Phat Fiber samples.  I cast on the Spectrum Scarf on December 24th using size 9 needles (5.5mm) and just knit until it was wide enough.  I finished on January 20th and used about 290 yards.  I still have one skein and a little bit left.  Final measurements: 58 inches long and 8 inches wide.

Lissie chose a skein of  Biscotte & Cie Felix base in the Conte de Fee A colorway for her birthday socks.  It's a self-striping yarn so I suggested the Fruit Stripe Gum socks pattern by Leah Oakley,  I started them on January 22nd and finished on February 1st.   It was a very easy pattern and I look forward to using it again.

The Mona Lisa socks I started on October for #OperationSockDrawer are finally finished (February 5th).  This is self-striping yarn from Desert Vista Dyeworks in their Viso base, Mona Lisa colorway.  I used a Strong Heel, but otherwise they are my standard plain vanilla socks.  Very nice yarn to work with. 

In February, I also made a little pair of socks for Matthew to wear over his regular socks. It's out of Kroy Socks FX in their clover colors colorway.  They are big enough to fit him next winter too.

ON MY NEEDLES:

I started my poll winning January Challenge socks - Water for the Elephants by Rose Hiver - on Jan 24th in Knit Picks Stroll in Gypsy Tonal (red) and natural colorways.   This is about halfway through the first leg:

Jan's birthday socks were started on Feb 1st (a wee bit late there, but oh well) out of Knit Picks Hawthorne in the Ladd's Addition colorway.  The first sock is done and I'm on the heel flap of the second:

My February Challenge socks - made out of the brightest yarn in my stash - were started on Feb 19th.  I chose Knit Picks Felici in the Rainbow colorway.  These will be second pair for Lissie.  First sock leg:

Also in the queue to be started are the March Challenge socks from the oldest yarn in my stash, which I believe is Lisa Souza Sock!; olive drab socks for Socks For Soldiers group; five pair of socks as gifts for others; and Dither by General Hogbuffer for me in KP Chroma's Buttermint & Black colorways.  Guess this is the year of the sock for me!

Another Year Over

My last FO's for 2014:

OFF MY NEEDLES:


My ninth pair of socks during 2014, Socks on a Plane by Laura Linneman, were started on November 13th as a holiday gift for a friend. They were finished on December 25th - just in time. I thought the yarn, Red Heart's Stardust, had very nice stitch definition, and I'm hoping they wear well. I would use both the pattern and the yarn again.

OFF MY SPINDLES/WHEEL:


The final skein of Promise colorway was spun between November 25th and December 22nd. I ended up with 180 yards of 3ply yarn with an average wpi of sixteen. The fiber is a 50/50 blend of soy silk and wool dyed by Tempted.

ON MY NEEDLES & WHEEL:

I cast on my Spectrum Scarf on Dec 24th using my Phat Skeins Handspun and size nine needles.  I'm knitting lengthwise in garter stitch and really loving the way the colors are lining up.




BROUGHT TO ME BY:
Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:
Audiobooks:
DVDs/TV, etc: Blue Bloods S2; Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries S2; GiGi; NCIS New Orleans; Hawaii 5-0; Scorpion; The Big Bang Theory;
Pod/VideoCasts: The Knit Girllls; Two Tangled Skeins;
Knitmore Girls;