Time Keeps on Spinning

This is going to be a short post. I've got a migrain and I can barely put 2 words together into a coherent sentance.

I've been slowly working on spinning some Corridale this week. I got a little frustrated because I was letting the drafting triangle get a little long and poof, I'd loose the end and it would get buried in the bobbin. I got some advice from people on Ravelry to use some masking tape find the missing end. In the end though, I just had Adam find the end for me. He was much more patient than I could be. Once I shortened up the drafting triangle I didn't have any probem.

I'm in the midst of doing the plying for this right now. It's turning out to be about a worsted weight when it's plied. I have no idea what I'm going to use this for, it's mostly just practice yarn at this point I think. Maybe it will the skein that sits in my stash so that I can look back at it in several years and see how far I've gone. :) Or how bad I still am I suppose.

I don't know why, but I'm really amazed at how much fun spinning is. (Don't ask me why I thought it wouldn't be.) I think I resisted for so long and now that I have a wheel, I can work on it a little each night. I'm really looking forward to branching out and trying some different fibers and expanding the colors that I would normally choose.

Follow the Link

Pursuit of Fiber is doing a Blogaversary Contest.

Oh yes, check out the Leyburn socks pattern on Pepperknit. I don't have anything photoworthy to show yet.

Fiddleheads - DONE!

I finished and blocked the second pair of Fiddlehead Mittens this week. Since my Flip Top Mittens are getting a bit ragged, these will be my new every day mittens. So far I've had 3 people at work try to take them from me! :)

Now that I've done two sets of these mittens (one with lining, one without) I am very much done with the pattern. I may try variations at some point, but for now it's being set aside. I need something new.

Pattern: Fiddlehead Mittens from Hello Yarn
Needle: Size 3 - I'm using a 9" circular for the main body of the mitten. I cannot believe how fast these go when you're not changing needles all the time!
Yarn: Manos Silky for the outer mitten. Sport weight Frog Tree Alpaca for the inner lining.

I just discovered that we have a really nice backdrop with lights in one of our storage closets at work. Apparently the artists use it for posing photos. Guess what I'll be using more of?!

Eeeeee!

I'm so excited that I'm squeaking. I got a spinning wheel over the weekend. It's a Hitchhiker from Merlin Tree. I got it from someone semi local - She's NothernDyes on Ravelry. Check her out as she's got great fiber for sale also.

A Visit to the Darkside

Darkside Cowl (Free Pattern on Ravelry)

Malabrigo worsted weight in the Baby boy Blue colorway. It's the never ending skein of yarn. I bought 2 skeins because I just didn't think I'd have enough for mittens, a hat and now this cowl. I still have most of a skein left!! I think it's bound to become some baby hats - something to use it up quick because even though I love the colorway, it's getting a little old.

Addie had to model the cowl for me because Lily refused. As you can probably see, Addie wasn't all that enthused either. That child puts everything in her mouth, so the cowl went in too.

Artic Blast

On the last day of Artic Blast my Momma gave to me...



One Chickadee Cowl.

Addie's cowl is done. She's not too sure about it, but when the temperature is sitting at -20 F before the wind chill is factored in, I think she'll appreciate something warm on her face. And boy is it warm!

Pattern: Chickadee Cowl from Through the Loops (link on previous post)
Yarn: Leftover Freedom 100% wool and some purple bulky spun wool that my friend Darla found at a farmer's market.
Mods: None really. It's pretty simple, brainless knitting.


I promise that my floor is really not as dirty as it looks. The floor is just really scarred from our old dog's claws. We have almost no good light at 7am right now so I couldn't take it out into the cold to photograph it in the snow. Besides, I don't think my finicky camera would like the Artic Blast any more than I do.

Oh Canada...

There are a lot of good things about Canada, especially when the state you work in shares a border with that country. Canadians use the cute "eh" sound at the end of their sentances. You can always spot one when they're going "oot and aboot." Canada gave us Michael J Fox, William Shatner and of course Stephanie Pearl McPhee. Mounties... Mounties are good. They've got sharp uniforms and they don't mess around with anyone.

But seriously, Canada can keep their "Artic Blast." It's horribly horribly cold here. This morning it was -18 F at our house, and that doesn't include the wind chill. I could go into a whole rant about why the schools are not closing for this and keeping kids home where it's warm, but I won't.
(Photo from Through the Loops)

So instead, I'm on a mission to make cowls for the girls. I don't like scarfs for little kids, I think they're dangerous. However, I think that a cowl won't get hung up on something as easily because it sits inside the neckline of your jacket. I'm making the Chickadee Cowl from Through the Loops and the Darkside Cowl out of leftover Malabrigo. Now the race is on to see if I can finish both of them before the extreme weather ends.

My Elf Name

In a clear attempt to avoid exercise, I was surfing Ravelry while my tennis shoes warmed up. I came across a Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap, which led me to a Fairy Name Generator.

Your fairy is called Tangle Elfdancer

She is a cheerful sprite.

She lives at the bottom of tangled gardens and in hedgerows.

She is only seen when the bees swarm and the crickets chirrup.

She wears tangled dresses of multicoloured petals. She has delicate green wings like a cicada.

Get your free fairy name here!

Ok, I'm going to run now. Running is good for me. Running will justify the 3,000,000 calories I will have tonight by eating a yummy burrito, large margharita and movie popcorn. It's date night and we're going to see Valkyrie!

I'm Drinking the Kool-Aid

I'm drinking the Clapotis Kool-Aid. I have no idea why, but I just got a wild hair and decided that I HAD to make a Clapotis. Right. Now. It's not even that beautiful of a pattern. It's not stunning lace, it's simple. I'm not much of a scarf/shawl person, although I'm trying to be one. I don't know why I need to make this pattern. It really makes no sense at all. But I'm doing it anyway.

In case you've been living under a rock or you read this blog and are not a knitter, here's the photo of it. I'm making it out of Misti Alpaca laceweight - the handpainted Bar Harbor (I think that's the right colorway, I lost the tag). There's 800 ish yards so that should be plenty for a long lacy scarf that's a little lighter than the Knitty.com pattern.

I'm really quite content with stockinette with the occasional knit through the back right now.

I'm such a joiner.