The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown

This is some yummy looking roving I purchased on EBay this week. You know that I'm going to have a pile by the time the wheel arrives and is ready for spinning!



Here is a picture of the Opal yarn in the ball. I'm not sure that the photo captures it well, but as I said in my last post, it looks almost muddy with the colors running together.


I thought I'd post a better picture of the Jaywalker. Can you catch the mistake I made? I made a very concious decision NOT to frog back since it will be hidden inside my shoe!


Now here is the gauntlet mentioned in the title. Here is Mark's favorite skiing hat. He wears it every day. Last week he unwittingly threw it in the wash with his ski shirt and pants and guess what happened. Definitely some felting happened and now the hat is even too small for our daughter . . . Once he discovered this, he looked at me and said - "Can you make one for me?" What could I say??? Off to the KnitPicks site I went, hat in hand.

This is the package that showed up yesterday. I was able to match the colors pretty well! Now, of course, to knit it. I have made it abundantly clear that this will not be finished this week and may not even be finished for this season!

He's still butting in though - he walked by yesterday and asked if I would be able to make the stitches as "tight" as the original hat. I just looked at him and he backed sheepishly away. Then today he asked how I knew it was going to be the right size. Again, I just looked at him. And then he picked up the original hat and said "this looks like it was knit in two pieces . . ." The final look I gave him should keep him quiet until the hat is finished . . . ;-)


But will I be able to do it?????

Work in Progress

Here is a picture of progress on my first pair of Jaywalkers! The pattern is very easy to memorize, so these are humming right along. I'm making them in an Opal colorway sent to me by my Secret Pal! The color is washed out in this picture - too much flash - but it is pinks, browns and creams. It's actually very interesting because the ball of yarn looks very muddy in color, but the individual colors really pop as they are knit, so the sock looks great. Another case of "you can't judge a book by it's cover"!



And here is a top shot of my completed hat from Spin to Knit. I'm very pleased with it. The yarn is my first handspun using the wheel and the fiber is one of my purchases from Rhinebeck. This was the fiber that I started to spin using the spindle. I wasn't happy with the way it felt in my hands while spinning and I seriously considered giving it away. Then I decided to try it for my spinning homework and it was a completely different spinning experience on the wheel! I really can't wait for the wheel to get here! Of course, then it has to be stained and have a poly coating put on it. But just to be able to look at it will be fun!

I've joined Spunky Eclectic's Fiber of the Month club and have bought some roving on EBay in anticipation!. My goal is to practice practice practice until I can spin very thin yarn appropriate for sock knitting. A girl can dream can't she??

Blizzard Recover and Finished Objects

We are definitely in the recovery stage here - what a lot of snow! And all in one day! I think I cleaned the car off 3 times during the storm and still had to clean it off the next morning to get to work.

Mark made it up to Gore and back again - amazingly! He was actually very lucky. He might have been the last to make it off the mountain. You can look at some pictures at Gore's website. It's pretty wild. He said his ride home was the worst in his life. And he's driven in some tough weather.

Our back deck. This isn't even the worst of it. We had to clear it all off yesterday so the deck wouldn't collapse.

Here are some finished objects! I finished the first of my test knitting for Mezzo Diva! The pattern is fabulous and was very easy to follow. I'd definitely recommend them when she finalizes the pattern and puts it up on her blog!

And here is my second finished object! My bag for the International Tote Exchange! It came out great and knitting the mitered square pattern was fun. This is pre-felting with a magazine to show the size.
Here it is post felting - I think it looks great! I took it to my parents for the felting process. I have a front loader and since they're right next door, I took the easy way out! Dad was amazed with the process. I don't think he's ever seen it before or actually given any thought as to how anything is felted. I hope my pal likes it!

Here it is post felting with the magazine to show how much it shrunk! The Rowing Cat thinks it's pretty cool. We experienced a quiet miracle with her this week - she took a shower on Saturday afternoon and Mark and I then heard the miracle sound of the hair dryer! Usually she just lets her hair dry or asks me to dry it for her . . . This could be the start of something good - as any parent of a teenager can attest to!


I also worked up a quick hat from Spin to Knit with my purple handspun! I'll post a picture of that next time!

Blizzard Part 2!

It's just 1:00pm and this storm is still intensifying. WHEW! I caught the wind in this picture.


This means we're just shy of a foot, and the way it's coming down now we'll be there soon.

The drivewa has already been plowed once! They'll be back again later.

Here's the Rowing Cat almost up to her knees. And there was NO SNOW on the ground yesterday! (Notice the Amethyst hat out and about :-)

Blizzard Part 1!

Here are some pictures of the start of the Valentine's Day Blizzard! Mark has driven off to Gore Mountain this morning - a case of trying to be a manly man . . . But, I packed him an overnight bag in case the roads become impassable, which they are saying may happen. But the skiing should be good! And my school closed today so I have the day off to do knitting! I'm working on my International Tote Exchange bag. I'm hoping to finish it and maybe even felt it today!! Then I may also wind up the two skeins of my handspun and cast on for the scarf I'm going to make. Such a treat!

Enjoy the pictures - stay warm - and I'll post some more later!




This stick is at the bottom of our deck steps and is marked in feet increments - it will be fun to see where we end up!

Family Matters

Well, the Rowing Cat has taken up spinning! And look how well she is doing! It took me weeks of practice to get this far. And this was about 20 minutes after starting . . . She's using some roving sent by my Secret Pal! She has learned how to predraft and the park and spin method. This weekend she's going to try standing up and letting the spindle go - I'm in trouble when that wheel shows up!




Here are my completed Socks That Rock socks! Boy are they comfortable and the yarn is really dreamy to knit with - it's very "springy" and it bounces back on itself. I will definitely invest in some more.

This is the beginning of my bag for the International Tote Exchange (see the side button). I picked up some Patons Classic wool in purple, turqouise and pink. My pal likes tropical colors and boy are these bright! The bag is destined to be felted, so I'll have pictures of before and after that process. I think I go use my Mom's top loader for this. The front loader does seem to work, just not that fast.


I've completed the heel and am onto the leg on my test knit sock for MezzoDiva! The pattern is lovely and I think it's turning out wonderfully with the Trekking yarn. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

And I want to say HELLO to Ellen! She's moving to Saratoga in a few weeks from California, so there's another knitter coming to town!

I've Spun Yarn!

Ta Da! Here is the first skein of yarn that I spun on the spinning wheel! I think it came out great! And did I have fun! It is a soft creamy yarn!


And here is the second skein in progress. It's a beautiful purple merino I bought at Rhinebeck. My task was to spin two spindles full of singles and then ply the two together before my third class! I had some intense spinning time, since I had to work 2 nights before the class. But I persevered and completed my homework.


Here it is all plyed and ready to be put into a skein for washing. During my last lesson, Lin showed me all about carding the fiber. Lots and lots of work involved there - maybe I mean lots of muscle! But, knowing how the fiber is prepared really gives you insight into the different types of yarn. And now I'm on my own! Cindy, the owner of my LYS, Saratoga Needle Arts, is also taking lessons from Lin. And she is ordering a wheel from Louet. I talked to her on Friday and I'm going to piggyback on her order! So - my own wheel in March!!! There will be no stopping me then!

Here is the EZ sweater. I've started to use the handspun from my SP for the yoke. I'll knit until I use up the ball of yarn and then switch back to the cream for the finish!

The Rowing Cat took up the spindle this weekend and she is spinning better than I did after 3 months of practice - Now is that fair?? She'll probably take over the wheel when it comes . . .

I've started the test knit sock for MezzoDiva - it's really a great pattern - I'm knitting it in the Trekking yarn I bought on EBay. And I also cast on for my International Tote Exchange project! I'll have more pictures soon!