Socks

First, here are my finished Pomotomus socks. I ceremoniously grafted the second toe at knit night on Tuesday.


And here I am in all my pink glory. I am very happy with the socks. They seem to stretch enough to accommodate my wide foots and big calves without sagging at the ankles. And the color is perfect.

Now, here's a sock contest you will want to enter, but hurry. Wildflower is a (primarily) sock knitter who is having a blogiversary comments contest. Just tell her about a sock problem you've had and you are entered to win great sock prizes.

Crud

Still down with the crud. I've got socks to show but can't get out to take photos. Send NyQuil, please.

Dirty Air

There are wildfires burning throughout the state. We've been smelling smoke for days. Air is bad throughout the Bay Area. We probably have some of the best, since we get the breeze off the ocean.

However, as this photo from late yesterday afternoon shows, the air is still bad. That's a mixture of fog and smoke. Luckily we don't suffer from asthma, but I've got a raging sinus infection, no doubt caused by stuff I've been breathing in.

Booties

I sent these booties off last week, so I think it is safe to post the photo now:

They are Stay-on Booties from "Knitting for Baby" in Koigu KPM.

Spinning the Ultimate Lasagna

This is how the Rose Garden swatched on size 8's. I love love love it. It's like an abstract meadow of wildflowers. I contacted Karen at Royale Hare and she can dye solid roving for me any of about six solids. I need to do some math and calculate how much I would need to make the Faux Fair Isle from Spin to Knit by Shannon Okey. I would do the lower body in rose or pink.

An article, "What Are You Doing? and Why?", in the Summer issue of Spin Off compares spinning to cooking. Abby Franquemont says "it's rare for people to wonder why someone might cook her own food", when they could just go to a restaurant. Even people who eat out a lot can usually still cook at least a few things. But people don't understand why one would take the time spin their own yarn. She also talks about how evolution of textiles contributes to creating a technologically advanced society.

Kristen's lasagna garden got me thinking more about this. I would go one further and compare spinning and knitting a sweater to making a lasagna. You could make a great lasagna, buying canned sauce and veggies at the market, much like making a sweater out of purchased yarn. But imagine using your own home grown tomatoes in the sauce, and just-picked vegetables and herbs. Maybe even cooking your own noodles. It would be the ultimate.

Luther Burbank Rose Garden

I washed up some yarn today. I bought the roving from Royale Hare last week at the spinning event. The colorway is "Luther Burbank Rose Garden".

I am still new to spinning so it amazes me that this:

Becomes this:

It is spindle-spun and plyed. About 9-11 wpi's. Not sure what it will become, maybe mittens. I can't wait to swatch it. Still not totally consistent or thin, but I'm starting to think I may get to sock weight eventually.

More handspun

I've been spinning more than knitting.This is my second and third handspun. The white is Jacob sheep, and I forget what the pink is. Merino superwash? I've ordered more of both.


I just love the feel and look of the pink. Not sure what I'll make with it, maybe a tank to wear over a t-shirt?

Here's my Greensleeves "Anne Boelyn" spindle:


I used it to spin the sampler I won at Retzlaff. What an eye-opener. They all spun differently, some easy, some difficult. I felt like I was spinning much thinner but after plying and washing the yarn is not much thinner than what I did on the heavier spindle.

News

The news today is my neighborhood blog is featured in the S.F. Chronicle.

That and I went to another spin-in yesterday and had major self-control. All I bought was some beautiful roving. Mr. TVP asked when I was going to get a wheel. I really don't see it on the horizon, I like using the spindle, my new light one is like a whole new world. Plus with my gimpy back, it helps to stand instead of sit. We'll see. He says the name spinning "guild" is just another term for "cult".

Summer Knitting

You know I love contests, but a contest that makes me think, even better. Ali at Skeins Her Way is having a contest, all you have to do is list your summer knitting goals, link back to her, and you are entered for a chance to win: six skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca's Skinny Dyed Cotton, a raglan sleeve pattern, a kit bag, and cute earrings. The other fun thing about contests if finding new blogs and bloggers. Turns out Ali designs for Blue Sky Alpacas, how funny to find out that she designed this kids kimono I have adored. I don't know how she does all that and raises six kids, with one on the way.

So here are my knitting and spinning goals for this summer:

1. Finish Pomotamus socks
2. Finish Fana cardigan
3. Finish undisclosed UFO
4. Design and knit cabled "licorice" socks
5. Spin enough pink yarn to make a tank or something similar (provided more of the pink I have in mind is available)
6. Spin and knit a pair of stranded mittens
7. Spin a two-ply sock yarn and make short socks

Realistic? Not really because there are a lot of other things I want to do that might get in the way:

• Make a felted bag with beautiful yarn I got for Christmas
• Design socks for Think Outside the Sox contest
• Make some korknisse for secret project
• Make something from Viking Patterns for Knitting
• Make a Bohus sweater

This and That

I've been spending a little more time than usual on my neighborhood blog.

Not a lot to show, knitting-wise. I'm finishing a UFO from 2004, and am almost halfway through the second Pomatomus. I'm really anxious to get on to the cabled socks I'm designing. And the poor Fana sweater? Well, it's been a good break, I think I'll be ready to finish it when I'm done making up the UFO.

I've got my second skein of hand spun washed. Really chunky white Jacob. Now I'm spinning some pink to go with it (I was thinking stranded mittens) but I can't get it quite as thick. It's a different fiber. I love the color though.

I Wish!

I came across this gadget on another Ravelry knitter's site. Here's what they have to say about how I looked in high school:



And when I was pregnant (the last photo I could find where I looked rested):



I am so psyched! I love Xena the Warrior Princess.
Try it out. It's fun.

Not Drunk

Just a quickie to say I have one Pomotamus sock done, the ribbing done on the second. Also, when I dug down to find the error I had made on the day of the spinning event, I found it was made while I was knitting on the way there, not after I had been wine tasting. Somehow that makes me feel better.

First Handspun

This started as 2 oz. of 70% Jacob/30% llama.

I started spinning it supported, about 3/4 of the way through I switched to the spindle suspended. I went back and re-spun the first bit so the twist would be more similar. I wound it onto a nostepinne and plied in on the spindle from there.


Then I wound in onto my little niddy-noddy.


Tied it up.


Next it got a hot bath. Here it is all washed and dried. It is really bulky, and approximately 23 yards.


Yeah it's really humble, and after the washing the alpaca hairs are really standing up. But I kind of like it.

Since then I've spun 2oz of white Jacob. I'm getting ready to ply that. It was a bit easier to work with. The singles isn't that much thinner than this stuff, but there's more twist and it is more consistent.