Summer Oddments Part I

OFF MY NEEDLES:


The Charlotte Bronte Shawl by Stephanie Swarek that I started on Sept 1, 2011 was finished on June 16th. The yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in November Muse colorway. I used a little more than four skeins or about 1,822 yds. It wasn't part of the pattern, but I added beads to the first lace border (silver lined dark topaz Miyuki-6).  I think if I knit this again and added beads, I would put the beads in both borders. Most likely I would leave out the beads altogether.  This took me what seemed like forever to block since I had to do it in sections (it was way too big for my blocking boards).   This is a bad picture, I know, but I wanted to get a quick picture before I left on vacation.  The blocked shawl measures approximately 60'x34".  It's nice and big and squishy and comfy.  If this coming winter is anything like last year's winter, it will be well used and much appreciated.

I made a Snug Sack and a Baby Hat for baby shower gifts over a three day period (Aug 4-6).  The hat is the Bunny Hugs Hat by Shana Schasteen (without pompoms), and the snug sack is well just a snug sack I made.  The yarn is Bernat Softee in soft fern (green) and Bernat Baby Solids in antique white.  The snug sack is a strand of each and the hat is in just green.  Altogether I used about 505 yds, 177 grams. 

Stash Dash, sponsored by The Knit Girllls, began on May 23rd and ran through August 7th.  This year's goal was 5k or 5,468 yards of yarn.   I managed to finish a number of projects, both knitting and spinning, however, I still fell 681 yds short of my goal.  Regardless, I'm pleased with what I did accomplish.  Hopefully, I'll get to cross the finish line next year.

Tour de Fleece 2014

The first week of the Tour de Fleece I finished spinning the remainder of my Phat Batts, this:

And spun it into four skeins of worsted weight, thick and thin, chain ply yarn totaling about   426 yards.

My second project, spinning sock yarn from some lovely gray Finn/Lincoln cross fleece I hand combed is a traditional worsted spun 3ply with two singles strands spun clockwise and one counterclockwise, and plied counterclockwise. I've never spun this kind of yarn before so I was eager to see what happens.  I ended up with about 299 yds of 3ply which isn't enough for a full pair of socks but would work if I use a different yarn for the legs.

It probably should have more plying twist to be a good sock yarn. I may add that later on.

My third project was to finish plying the 2x2 cabled yarn I was making from the Rambouillet/Montedale cross fleece. I thought I'd finished it several months ago but found some extra bobbins tucked in a corner.  The end result is about 61 yds worth of worsted weight yarn.

Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:  
  Audiobooks:. Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas; The Vampire King by Heather Killough-Walden; Curtains For Three by Rex Stout;           
  DVDs etc:   Murder She Wrote; The Big Bang Theory; Witches of East End; Moonlight;              
  Pod/VideoCasts:  The Knit Girllls; Two Tangled Skeins; Twinset Designs; Yarnspinners Tales; Knitmore Girls;                                    

Dashing Through the FOs

  The finished May Day project - socks knit in Miss Bab's Cosmic yarn in Vlad colorway - was started March 20th and finished May 5th.  The stitch pattern is from Simple SKYP Socks by Adrienne Ku and the heel is from Basic Strong Heel Socks by Gerdine Crawford-Strong.  

  STASH DASH - PART 1:

Stash Dash, sponsored by The Knit Girllls, began on May 23rd and runs through August 7th.  This year our goal is 5k of yarn (5,468 yards).  

Over these first few weeks I finished: 

1) The second bump of Annunaki at Tiaman colorway from Crown Mountain Farms. I started spinning this fiber January 1st-ish and finished May 24th.  All singles were spindle spun and chain plied on either spindle or wheel (depending on whether I was home or on vacation). Some of this fiber was used to teach spindle spinning, which is why my 394 yards weighs only 3.7 ounces. Total singles yardage is 1,182, and the average wpi is 16.  

2) The white Oxford/Border Leicester cross fleece (10.1 oz raw, 8.5 washed) was hand combed then run through my drum carder, and spindle spun semi-woolen for a traditional 3ply yarn that was plied on either spindle or wheel from plying balls.  I got 306 yards (164 grams) of 3ply DK weight from 918 yards of singles.

3) Another leisure hat for the Socks For Soldiers group (168  yds) from leftover sock yarn. Started May 8th, finished June .

4) Spun Cloudlover's merino/cashmere/silk blend in the Mother of Dragons colorway.  This four ounce bump gave me approximately 350 yards (underestimated - twist hasn't been set yet - probably higher) of yarn with an average wpi of 15. It was wheel spun semi-worsted and chain plied. Start/Finish June 6-19. 

5) a small, 17 yd woven rectangle made on a mini loom I got to make washcloths with some old yarn that I don't like knitting or crocheting with.  Not too bad for a first try but I definitely need practice.





Brought To Me By: Crafting accomplished with the following audio/video accompaniment:    
  Audiobooks: Skinwalker by Faith Hunter; The Tale of Briar Bank by Susan Wittig Albert; These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer; The Black Echo by Michael Connelly;          
  DVDs etc:   Murder She Wrote; Veronica Mars Movie; The Big Bang Theory;                  
  Pod/VideoCasts:  The Knit Girllls; Two Tangled Skeins; The Knit Wits; Twinset Designs;