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I have to give up my spinning wheel. The dollar a day rent went up to $1.50. I can’t afford that. So I’ll be giving it back in January. Probably in two weeks. It’s fine. I actually haven’t really had time to spin. I have saved about 300 so far for the Ladybug. But the dog needs to go to the vet. She needs a distemper booster and she’ll probably get put on pain/joint meds. I hope they aren’t that expensive. Though I’m prepared to use all of my spinning money on her. I wouldn’t mind at all. I’d rather have her around then a spinning wheel. I think the spinning is something I can do – but not something I want to do. And it’s just so expensive. I’m going to put that towards paying off my cc instead.
But on a more knitterly note, I have finished the first lagoon sock. And it’s a little big. I’m not ripping it back. I’m just going to deal with it. I put it on waste yarn so that I can knit the next one up to that point and then divide the yarn I have left and finish them both off so that I use all the yarn. I love the colors, and the yarn is so soft. But I’m definitely going down at least two needle sizes. I’ll try it on 1s and hopefully I’ll get a denser fabric. I think I said that after my last socks – but I forgot. I’m determined to not forget next time.
I’ve picked up Karen’s clapotis again and have done a couple of rows. I’m almost halfway done. I’ll finish the straight rows before I start on the second lagoon sock. This whole clapotis thing, while really pretty – is really stressful. I hate dropping stitches, it makes me so nervous. I’m also worried that it might not block the way I want it. It does have some acrylic in it. Also I feel like it’s not going to be long enough. The straight section says to do the series of dropped stitches 12 times. But that doesn’t seem long enough. Other people have repeated the straight section 2 or even three times. I might do it twice. I have the yarn, and I want Karen to have a really awesome scarf.
I am thinking of making Karen some socks for her birthday. I’ll use one of the colors of the corn fiber sock yarn she brought me from San Diego. That way she’ll always remember the trip. I want to do something really cool for her. I definitely want to do toe ups, since the yarn comes in two small balls and I’ll be able to get the most out of those. But I think this project might have to wait for the perfect pattern. I want to start it by next month, so I have some time to do some digging. I think something sort of lacey would be good for her since she gets so hot.
As far as the SSS (Super Sister Slimdown) goes, it was a bust this week. Hopefully this weekend we’ll start. I’m buying my new exercise bike and Karen is going to help me put it together on the weekend.
I did not follow the plan at all this weekend. But instead finished the second pink/purple mitten, and the first pink camo mitten. I decided that I don’t have enough yarn to complete the second camo mitten, so I started on the blue snowflake mitten. I’m already up to the finger opening. I really like this pattern. Very easy to read and follow. I’ve been fiddling with increases and so far like the kfb (knit through front and back loops). It looks the neatest and doesn’t leave holes like the yarnovers. I’m planning on duplicate stitching the snowflake on, but I’ll wait till I have both mittens so I have a better chance of them being the same. If I have enough time I’ll do the same only opposite – white mitten with a blue snowflake.
The Central Park Hoodie is now available in plus size. I’m psyched. Finally a sweater I can get behind. I really want to spin my own yarn for this sweater. I think it would be a huge accomplishment. But, first I will need to purchase my own wheel.
I keep thinking that due to the wicked smallness of my turn-of-the-century saltbox, I’m going to need a small portable wheel. I’m due a 150 reimbursement in January. With that and my year end bonus from work I should be able to get the Schacht Ladybug. It’s wicked cute. Plus the plastic composite wheel is awesome since New England is known for warping wood with it’s temperature and humidity extremes.
Dude. Seriously. Seriously. I feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway. When he finally got the fire started. And he danced around yelling. “Look, I have made FIRE”. I feel like dancing around saying “Look I have made YARN!!!”
Without further ado:
SOOOOOOOOO, what do you think?
I ended up with ~55 yards of worsted/aran /chunky yarn. I’m at a loss as to what to use it for. Any suggestions?
Well the weekend started off easy enough. Woke up at 7 on Saturday and immediately thought: “this is the day I get my spinning wheel”. No going back to sleep for me. So I shut my alarm off and hopped out of bed. Threw my warmest favoritest black wool turtleneck sweater and shuffled downstairs. I got in the car and let it warm up a full 5 minutes before heading off to Iron Horse Farms. I got there a full 20 minutes early. Ok. So the Norwood Music Program ruined me for being late. I’m always early. Instead of catching Debbie unprepared for my crazy early arrival, I went back down the road and went to Dunkin’ Donuts. Then I drove back and pulled over to the side and drank my coffee watching the animals, thinking that she must have the best life in the whole world. 
“ Then it was time for my lesson. I walked in and the Ashford stared back at me. I was the typical beginner, where my feet and my hands weren’t jiving. She sent me home with a bunch of fiber and the wheel and told me that my homework was to fill two skeins. And to practice pedaling till it was super easy and I didn’t have to think about my feet. They would just go. I brought her home and we hung out all afternoon practicing pedaling. Then when I thought I was ready, I predrafted some fiber. It was a little rough at first so I got mad and took that bobbin off.
”
Then with the next one I predrafted a little less, and it was smoother going.
”
Then on the third bobbin, I forgot to predraft. Just picked up the ball of fiber and went to town.
Holy crap, it was amazing. I totally got it. I was rocking it out, my feet were flying and I was making passable singles. Not totally even singles, but way far better than before. I went to bed Saturday pleased with myself.
”
Sunday morning dawned and I thought, “there is no Patriots game today”. So sad. So Stella and I went down stairs and commiserated over coffee and freshly baked jiffy mix cinnamon rolls. I was fighting a headache all day so finally I just went upstairs to my room and played on ravelry all afternoon. The Ashford was glaring at me, with her three full bobbins. “Ply me” she seemed to say. I thought to myself, the second lesson with Debbie is supposed to teach me how to ply. But I already know the basics since I have plyed yarn on my spindle. So I went about taking the first (horrible) spun yarn off the bobbin and placed that empty one on the wheel. Then researched ravelry for ideas for a homemade lazy kate. Found a couple and ended up using a shower bucket and two knitting needles stuck through the drainholes. Worked great. Didn’t even have to tension it. I started the wheel in a counter-clockwise motion and just kept going. It was working out great – till I filled my bobbin. I still had yarn left to ply! So I looked around, and found my drop spindle. Aha! I finished plying the singles, and sat back to take pictures of my masterpiece.
Week Wrap Up
- Finished first Peekaboo mitten*. Looks pretty good. Easy, quick pattern. I think I’ll be making a lot of these in the weeks to come.
- Discovered my problem with spinning is that I’m not drafting enough and that my spindle is weighted for sportweight yarn.
- Spun the roving from the Sherborn Fiber Fest. Not bad. I just feel like I need another hand. Although I switched hands and seem to be a little better. Although after plying seems like an aran weight yarn. Which I guess is what you would get with two sportweight yarns held together. But not sure if that is how it works.
- Decided to take actual spinning lessons on an actual spinning wheel after the first of the year. If I don’t totally hate it, then I will start saving up for my very own.
- Finished green/brown socks. Glad they are done.
Weekend Goals
- I’m buying 3 skeins of Caron Simply Soft in an off-white color this weekend for my dear, dear sister’s Clapotis. If she isn’t going to appreciate nice yarn, then she isn’t going to get nice yarn.
- Set twist on all fiber. Maybe swatch a bit to see what’s what.
- Purchase some Woolease for more mittens. Hey, it’s on sale.
- Suck it up and go to Braintree to meet other Ravelers. I’m a little scared doing it, but I won’t stay long, so that I don’t have to navigate that rotary in the dark.
*Ok, so I haven’t totally finished the mitten. I didn’t kitchener the top, and I didn’t do the thumb. But I decided I would have better luck looking like these match if I did them both at the same time. So, I’m casting on the other mitten and putting the live stitches on waste yarn till I finish the second mitten body and then do the thumbs and close the top on both at the same time.
It’s simple really. Because I can’t. That’s it. I learned how to crochet, taught myself off the internet in college. After exhausting the world of crocheting (and making every thing I could think of) I turned to knitting. Now that my knitting skills are starting to eek towards my crocheting ones, I need something to occupy my hands. Why? Because I’m the oldest in an Irish/German family. Now, that probably doesn’t mean much to most people. But where I’m from, that means you are the responsible one. When I was 15 my father died from ALS. It was a really hard time for my family, but we got over in the typical stubborn fashion (and I learned how to crochet). We’re made from strong stuff, and nothing is going to get us down. Three years ago, in the same week span of time my mother’s sister had a sudden brain aneurysm, and my nana fell and broke 2 ribs and cracked her cheekbone. It was touch and go for a while, with my mom in one hospital with her sister, and me in another hospital with my nana (teaching myself to knit). But again, we are stubborn, everyone pulled through fantastically. Last year, mom got taken by a bad mortgage broker. In order to stop forclosure proceedings, she had to sign the house over to me. At the time, I was living out of state. I had to quit my job, and move back home to live with my mom and her sister (and I learned how to knit in the round). Two weeks ago I got a call: Nana was in the hospital. She had broken and dislocated her ankle and was undergoing surgery. She is now living with us since she is totally immobile (let me tell you potty time is NOT FUN). I’m making hats, socks and mittens like nobody’s business, but the urge to do something new and concentrate on that instead of the mess that is my life is strong. I need to learn how to spin. To save my sanity. Do you remember reading “A Tale of Two Cities”? Remember how the father made shoes in prison so he wouldn’t go crazy? That’s me. I’m only 26. Sometimes I just have too much responsibility. Knitting and crocheting are the only times I can escape and forget who I am. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and would do anything for them. But sometimes a girl needs a break. Since knitting and crocheting are not really doing it for me right now, I’m banking on spinning. I think it will breathe new life into my handcrafts and simultaneously stop me from burning out.
So picture taking isn’t going as well as I thought. It always seems like my camera is downstairs and I’m upstairs. Or I have my camera but my knitted stuff is scattered all around the house. I have to clean my room tonight so maybe that will help. I finished the Yarn Harlot’s Unoriginal Hat. I held two strands of black acrylic together. Good way to get rid of the acrylic. I worked it on size 10.5 needles. I’ll definitely go up a size or two when I do it again. Very tight on my widdle head. I’ve also decided to make Karen a Clapotis out of some acrylic too. She loves Caron Simply Soft. And I’m not going to spend a lot on yarn if what she really likes is the 1.99 a skein kind. I found someone on Ravelry who has done it in the acrylic so it should work out. I’ve started a Peekaboo mitten for Karen too for Christmas. I bought the yarn from Iron Horse Farms at the Sherborn Fiber Fest. It’s so pretty. Pinks and Purples and a sparkly thread running through it. I just realized that I’m making a lot for Karen for Christmas. Oh, well. I’m going to haul ass on the mitten, and get one done, then maybe do the clapotis and then do the other mitten. Then see which one Aunten likes. I’ll make her either one. Lisa and Abby are hopefully getting mittens. If I slack off then Abby is getting a pretty skein of yarn.
