Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Where are the kittens?

Cause here are more mittens!


Mitten number two.  Wheel-spun leftover yarn from a BLF/silk braid from Bee Mice Elf (pronounced:  "Be myself").

And then there are three.





Mitten three was spindle-spun!  Yeah!!  Merino/silk from Fluff Fibers.
I am on a roll.  And I almost finished socks #2 too.  And it's not even February yet.



Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Spindling fun

One of my new year's spinning/knitting resolutions is that I am determined to become proficient in spindling.  Unlike most spinners, I did not start with a spindle but jumped right on to the wheel.I decided I would try spindling during last year's Tour de Fleece and got bit by the spindle bug --  mostly in collecting the spindles.  This year,however, I am determined to put them to use.

Two events helped reallized this.  The first one is the "monthly spinning club" on the Spindle Candy group on Ravelry.  You pick a fiber, a spindle, set to work and post your picture on the group thread.  The second one is that my Snobby Spinners group on Ravelry has launched a "handspun smitten mittens swap."  These miniatures mittens are based on a free pattern "Smitten" on the Knitpicks website.   Each mitten only takes about 20 feet of yarn.  I figured this would be perfect for leftover handspun scraps and, more importantly, practicing my spindling!  I only need  to start small and got almost an instant gratification that would encourage me on.

The first spindling  was done in a couple of days.


Less than an ounce of merino/camel/silk batt from Corgi Hill Farm was spun on a Bosworth Midi, Mini and a Golding spindles.  The three singles were plied on my brand new Schacht Matchless Wheel.

I was surprised how much yarn I got - almost 50 yards, three-ply, light-worsted weight.  And here is the first mitten:

I have enough yarn left for another mitten.   We are supposed to knit one mitten a week, to have enough to exchange in the fall to make a holiday garland.  At the rate I am going I could have several garlands.













Friday, January 13, 2012

12 in 2012

A tall order?  Maybe not

Almost everybody does it.  Almost nobody follows it through.

The New Year Resolutions, that is.

But I am not resolving to lose weight.  Nor to eat right.  Nor to exercise.  I am already good with that.  I am not going to stop buying yarn or fiber either.

We are talking spinning and knitting folks.  All things woolly and wonderful.

Here are the goals:

Twelve pairs of socks;

Twelve handspun items:  spun and knitted, at least one spindle-spun.

Spindle every day!

Finish 12 WIPs (works in progress), including at least one sweater on the needles for two years now.  Shame on me!

Get rid of the yarn I no longer like or want.  Sell it or give it away.  Get in out of the house.

Tall order?  Maybe, maybe not.  We'll see.  I am off on a good start though.

The first pair of socks are already in the bag.  Actually given away.


BFF Ann's Pittsburgh Steelers socks.  Well they may look more like bumblebees, but I finished them in time for the Steelers play-off.  They lost, but that was not the point.  So that's one pair of socks down, eleven to go.


I also have one handspun item in the bag too!


Icy Honeycomb Cowl, test-knitted for a fellow snobby spinner on Ravelry.

Not bad for a start, eh?  And we are not even half way through January yet!




I'm not the only one!

Squirrel lovers of the world, unite!


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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Let it snow!

We had our first snow of 2012 yesterday. Not much, but still it was pretty.


Nutty didn't mind. He kept munching away.


But Nibbler says: "I am staying in where it's dry!"