Play At Life Fiber Arts "Acid Trail (Light)". 3.9 oz
Plus This: (or something closely resembling this)
Louet S15 spinning wheel (S17 shown - very close)
Results in this:
Singles soon to be chain-plied!! Wahoo!
Have a good weekend!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Photo Phriday
This:
Play At Life Fiber Arts "Acid Trail (Light)". 3.9 oz
Plus This: (or something closely resembling this)
Play At Life Fiber Arts "Acid Trail (Light)". 3.9 oz
Plus This: (or something closely resembling this)
Friday, May 27, 2011
Photo Phriday
I am leaving you today with this lovely Pissaro. It is called "Woman Carding". She looks so peaceful, I just want to bring her a cup of tea, and sit with her, working quietly. *Sigh!*
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Putting my money where my mouth is
If you've wandered around this blog a little bit, you've probably noticed that I am big on creativity. No matter who is getting creative, I am into it. I especially like the feeling when I am inspired to make something, that rush of an idea, the itch to get started...
Now I just have to work on my follow through. I tend to complain that I have no time to do, well, anything, but that isn't exactly true. I have two small children, and a household to maintain, but there is some time for creating, if I can just get into the routine of doing it. April, over at Blacksburg Belle, suggests that I get up earlier. That is a very good suggestion which I have been fighting for awhile, staying up late and complaining that I can't go to bed yet, I haven't gotten anything done (which I would do in the morning, if only I got to bed on time...) And because I am not accomplishing anything with my old way of doing things, I am going to switch. Today.
This morning, although I did not get up early, I snuck (sneaked?) in some creative time with a sketchbook, coming up with a girls sweater design for fall. I've been meaning to do that for a long time, and finally just sat down and did it. The big kid was at preschool at the time, and the little kid was at babysitting at the gym. I shortened my workout, got dressed, and sketched without any interruptions before picking up the little one. Boy, did that feel good! I am happy with the design, and now I can go to bed early, and get up early tomorrow.
On a separate note, sometimes the well of inspiration runs a little dry. We all have that problem sometimes. I've written about it before, and I'm gonna do it again. I had an idea that it is easier to be inspired by something someone else says, maybe because those words come from a different brain (one that isn't in a dry spell?) So Cheryl and I came up with inspiring each other, to keep the creativity ramped up.
I figure if I post something inspiring on this blog, and you're reading this blog, then you can get into the game too. Feel free to use the inspiration notes that I'll be posting for your own creative endeavors, whatever they are. I'm sure you can find a way to do that. You're so creative!
Inspiration Notes for Today:
I saw someone reading written music today. She wasn't playing music at the time, she was reading the music and making some notes. Written music makes me think of, well, music, even though I cannot read written music.
Outside it is hot and humid - for this part of the US anyway. Summer is almost here! For some reason I want to listen to the same music each summer. Beach music. I listen to it and I become a teenager again, a prettier, younger, and (in my mind) fitter version of myself. When I hear Love Shack by the B52s, Dancing Queen by Abba, or songs from the movie Grease, I need to crank up the volume and sing along! These songs' lyrics are feasts for the imagination:
...see a faded sign at the side of the road that says 16 miles...
...Friday night and the lights are low, Looking out for a place to go...
...Took her bowling in the arcade
We went strolling, drank lemonade
We made out under the dock
We stayed out 'till ten o'clock...
Just reading the lyrics makes me think of the hot sand and faded colors during the day, and the boardwalk lit up like fireworks at night.
Do with the notes what you will. Leave me a comment - tell me if this is inspiring at all, or if I'm totally missing the mark. Or leave lyrics from your favorite summer song!
Now I just have to work on my follow through. I tend to complain that I have no time to do, well, anything, but that isn't exactly true. I have two small children, and a household to maintain, but there is some time for creating, if I can just get into the routine of doing it. April, over at Blacksburg Belle, suggests that I get up earlier. That is a very good suggestion which I have been fighting for awhile, staying up late and complaining that I can't go to bed yet, I haven't gotten anything done (which I would do in the morning, if only I got to bed on time...) And because I am not accomplishing anything with my old way of doing things, I am going to switch. Today.
This morning, although I did not get up early, I snuck (sneaked?) in some creative time with a sketchbook, coming up with a girls sweater design for fall. I've been meaning to do that for a long time, and finally just sat down and did it. The big kid was at preschool at the time, and the little kid was at babysitting at the gym. I shortened my workout, got dressed, and sketched without any interruptions before picking up the little one. Boy, did that feel good! I am happy with the design, and now I can go to bed early, and get up early tomorrow.
On a separate note, sometimes the well of inspiration runs a little dry. We all have that problem sometimes. I've written about it before, and I'm gonna do it again. I had an idea that it is easier to be inspired by something someone else says, maybe because those words come from a different brain (one that isn't in a dry spell?) So Cheryl and I came up with inspiring each other, to keep the creativity ramped up.
I figure if I post something inspiring on this blog, and you're reading this blog, then you can get into the game too. Feel free to use the inspiration notes that I'll be posting for your own creative endeavors, whatever they are. I'm sure you can find a way to do that. You're so creative!
Inspiration Notes for Today:
I saw someone reading written music today. She wasn't playing music at the time, she was reading the music and making some notes. Written music makes me think of, well, music, even though I cannot read written music.
Outside it is hot and humid - for this part of the US anyway. Summer is almost here! For some reason I want to listen to the same music each summer. Beach music. I listen to it and I become a teenager again, a prettier, younger, and (in my mind) fitter version of myself. When I hear Love Shack by the B52s, Dancing Queen by Abba, or songs from the movie Grease, I need to crank up the volume and sing along! These songs' lyrics are feasts for the imagination:
...see a faded sign at the side of the road that says 16 miles...
...Friday night and the lights are low, Looking out for a place to go...
...Took her bowling in the arcade
We went strolling, drank lemonade
We made out under the dock
We stayed out 'till ten o'clock...
Just reading the lyrics makes me think of the hot sand and faded colors during the day, and the boardwalk lit up like fireworks at night.
Do with the notes what you will. Leave me a comment - tell me if this is inspiring at all, or if I'm totally missing the mark. Or leave lyrics from your favorite summer song!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sheep and Wool Overload
I made my yearly pilgrimage to Maryland Sheep and Wool at the beginning of this month, and had a ball! This year, I left the kids at home (thank you honey!) and was ready to go when my sister Cheryl arrived from RI. (yeah, that's how crazy we are. She traveled across SIX states! And in RI, they consider anything over 10 miles a trip where you need a hotel reservation...)
So we met up with some delightful friends in MD. We took classes and did way too much shopping. The best part was chatting with other knitters, spinners, and other assorted fiber fanatics. It was heaven.
I took two classes on Saturday with Maggie Casey (yeah, that one). She was wonderful. What an impressive amount of knowledge this woman has stored in her noggin! BUT, I think that her classes should be longer. The entire three hours was packed with information, and we definately covered the class material, but she didn't seem to be out when our time was over. She most likely could have filled another hour or two. Yeah, I'd pay more for that.
Teach your old wheel new tricks was the morning class. Little did I know that my (very) old Louet would be treated with such respect in a room full of fancier (and more expensive) wheels. Seems Maggie learned to spin on a Louet, and dispelled my feelings of inadequacy right away. We cleaned our wheels, and oiled them, then got to work. She explained how each type of wheel (Scottish tension, double drive or Irish tension - my Louet) worked, and the quirks of each. Then we got to adjusting our wheels and spinning. She talked about fiber, and staple length, and how to spin a finer yarn, etc, etc, etc!
Spinning Lace Yarns was the afternoon class, also taught by Maggie Casey A little repitition of basic information at the beginning of class, and then on to spinning thinner, and thinner until I actually had yarn on my bobbin that, when allowed to twist onto itself for a length, was an actual LACE WEIGHT. That's a two ply laceweight yarn, something I never thought I'd be able to do on the Louet. But thanks to Maggie, I did. She's brilliant. And very patient.
I've been stuck at dk weight two-ply for ages, and frustrated to no end that I just could not get the hang of spinning thinner. And Maggie's class made it easy. (hint: It wasn't so much me, as it was the settings on the wheel. Simple but amazing.)
Not too much shopping on Saturday, as the market closed soon after the class ended. I made up for that later.
On Sunday morning, I took a class called Thick and Thin and Coils with Jacey Boggs (ravelry link). I have not spun any "art" yarn before, and I was looking forward to trying some. The class was crazy good. Jacey talks non-stop, but not in an annoying way. She's engaging, and nice, and has a lot to teach. We started with the thick and thin yarn, and after I got the hang of it, I considered the class paid for. But then, there was this whole other type of yarn (using some overspun thick and thin) that was AMAZING.
Like Maggie Casey's classes, Jacey's class was totally worth the admission price, maybe even more. If you can find either of these ladies teaching in your area, I highly recommend their classes. And I've taken a LOT of classes.
After Jacey's class, I went SHOPPING. More about that later (with pics!)
So we met up with some delightful friends in MD. We took classes and did way too much shopping. The best part was chatting with other knitters, spinners, and other assorted fiber fanatics. It was heaven.
I took two classes on Saturday with Maggie Casey (yeah, that one). She was wonderful. What an impressive amount of knowledge this woman has stored in her noggin! BUT, I think that her classes should be longer. The entire three hours was packed with information, and we definately covered the class material, but she didn't seem to be out when our time was over. She most likely could have filled another hour or two. Yeah, I'd pay more for that.
Teach your old wheel new tricks was the morning class. Little did I know that my (very) old Louet would be treated with such respect in a room full of fancier (and more expensive) wheels. Seems Maggie learned to spin on a Louet, and dispelled my feelings of inadequacy right away. We cleaned our wheels, and oiled them, then got to work. She explained how each type of wheel (Scottish tension, double drive or Irish tension - my Louet) worked, and the quirks of each. Then we got to adjusting our wheels and spinning. She talked about fiber, and staple length, and how to spin a finer yarn, etc, etc, etc!
Spinning Lace Yarns was the afternoon class, also taught by Maggie Casey A little repitition of basic information at the beginning of class, and then on to spinning thinner, and thinner until I actually had yarn on my bobbin that, when allowed to twist onto itself for a length, was an actual LACE WEIGHT. That's a two ply laceweight yarn, something I never thought I'd be able to do on the Louet. But thanks to Maggie, I did. She's brilliant. And very patient.
I've been stuck at dk weight two-ply for ages, and frustrated to no end that I just could not get the hang of spinning thinner. And Maggie's class made it easy. (hint: It wasn't so much me, as it was the settings on the wheel. Simple but amazing.)
Not too much shopping on Saturday, as the market closed soon after the class ended. I made up for that later.
On Sunday morning, I took a class called Thick and Thin and Coils with Jacey Boggs (ravelry link). I have not spun any "art" yarn before, and I was looking forward to trying some. The class was crazy good. Jacey talks non-stop, but not in an annoying way. She's engaging, and nice, and has a lot to teach. We started with the thick and thin yarn, and after I got the hang of it, I considered the class paid for. But then, there was this whole other type of yarn (using some overspun thick and thin) that was AMAZING.
Like Maggie Casey's classes, Jacey's class was totally worth the admission price, maybe even more. If you can find either of these ladies teaching in your area, I highly recommend their classes. And I've taken a LOT of classes.
After Jacey's class, I went SHOPPING. More about that later (with pics!)
Friday, February 25, 2011
My so-called knitting club
Earlier this month, I decided to start a knitting club. Even though I'm the only member so far, calling it a "club" seemed more friendly and less dorky (or is it more dorky to call yourself a "club"?) I picked out projects to give as holiday gifts and organized them with needles, yarn and instructions - I always think of knitting patterns as "recipes"; not sure why.
The plan was to knit one a month and I'd be 11 projects up on my holiday knitting. I probably shoulda thought about this earlier and started in January, but in January there's too much pressure to pick a new years' goal and I just could not come up with something to do until the pressure was off. I guess that's a reason to like the month of February. "February: crappy weather, but less resolution stress than January."
February's project is a pair of socks (sorry - can't tell you who they are for) and I started them with plenty of time to complete them in February. Then I had to re-knit the heel (foot too long), and I started a cowl for some easy knitting to work on when watching TV. So the socks have been languishing in the knitting basket until today, when I realized there are 3 more days in February. Including today. The socks are barely past the heel. It will not do to fail to finish my first project in this whole deal. It will not do. They must be finished before the end of the month. No excuses.
So, I'm knitting my fingers to the bone while watching "White Collar" on DVR. Trying to finish up BIG socks on size 1 needles is going very s l o w l y. Keep your fingers crossed.
The plan was to knit one a month and I'd be 11 projects up on my holiday knitting. I probably shoulda thought about this earlier and started in January, but in January there's too much pressure to pick a new years' goal and I just could not come up with something to do until the pressure was off. I guess that's a reason to like the month of February. "February: crappy weather, but less resolution stress than January."
February's project is a pair of socks (sorry - can't tell you who they are for) and I started them with plenty of time to complete them in February. Then I had to re-knit the heel (foot too long), and I started a cowl for some easy knitting to work on when watching TV. So the socks have been languishing in the knitting basket until today, when I realized there are 3 more days in February. Including today. The socks are barely past the heel. It will not do to fail to finish my first project in this whole deal. It will not do. They must be finished before the end of the month. No excuses.
So, I'm knitting my fingers to the bone while watching "White Collar" on DVR. Trying to finish up BIG socks on size 1 needles is going very s l o w l y. Keep your fingers crossed.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Call it what you will
I have a serious inability to estimate how long knitting something will take. For instance, when Christmas is just two weeks away, I will insist to myself that I can add two or three knit items to my list. (Notice that in this scenario, Christmas is in two weeks, and, not only am I not yet done knitting the list items, I am ADDING TO IT. Seriously delusional.)
Somehow, I just don't realize how limited my knitting time is, and even more so now that I have two little people to take care of in addition to my regular holiday duties. It was because of those little sweeties that I completely took the year off in 2010, and knit absolutely nothing for Christmas. NOTHING. I just could not take the deadline stress in addition to the stress of making a Christmas for my babies.
I thought I would really miss it, but it was more like a little gift I gave to myself. Much more relaxing. But, as soon as January arrived, I started thinking of what I would knit for Christmas. I do not usually start that early - I am usually forced into thinking of what to knit when I have already started gift shopping. After Thanksgiving.
So when I saw what Stephanie had done with her Self-imposed Sock Club, I decided to plan early and start NOW. It is kind of like giving myself the gift of a less stressful holiday season again this year.
So I got a bunch of zip lock bags and started assembling. I labeled the projects by dropping into the bag an old (outdated) business card with info written on the back: recipient, size, pattern to use, needle size, etc. Then I placed yarn, a copy of the pattern and when possible, needles and even notions together in the bag. Now when I need a project to work on, I just select a bag and knit something ahead for Christmas.
Need rules? I have rules! At least one project for Christmas is to be started and finished each month, and NO knitting for people who have not appreciated knit gifts in the past. I should have at least 11 happy giftees at Christmas this year. ( I didn't start until February - I'm late for everything...)
I do not have Stephanie's gift with words, so I'm not sure what to call this "club". The Christmas Crafting Club? The Less-Stress Christmas Knitting Club? My Bag O Projects For Christmas Knitting? The Hey I Don't Need To Name Everything I Do (Especially 'Cause I Can't Come Up With a Good Name) Club? Is it even a club if it's just me? What else do I call it? A Mission?
Anywhoo, here's the first project from the Whatever You Call It Club is a pair of socks for someone who shall remain nameless. That's the problem with this whole deal - I'll be working on, and blogging about, these projects, but I can't say who they are for. I don't wanna ruin the entire surprise.
(This is a few days' work here - check out the craaazy pooling!)
Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Socks from Wendy D. Johnson's Wendy Knits book. Brown Sheep's Wildfoote sock yarn in "Rock 'n Roll" colorway. Size US 1 /2.25 mm needles, and a couple of extra stitches. The intended recipient has BIG feet. No more hints, otherwise these socks' intended will figure it out.
I'm using two circs, I just worked each toe flat as the instructions indicated, then put them both on the two circular needles to work in the round. Edited to add: I really need to find a set of circs that have less of a bump where needle meets wire. Half my knitting time on this project is trying to get the stitches back onto the needle from the wire in order to knit them. And no, I'm not a tight knitter. Anyone know some good circs with a nice smooth transition point?
I'm looking forward to having the finished projects pile up throughout the year.
Somehow, I just don't realize how limited my knitting time is, and even more so now that I have two little people to take care of in addition to my regular holiday duties. It was because of those little sweeties that I completely took the year off in 2010, and knit absolutely nothing for Christmas. NOTHING. I just could not take the deadline stress in addition to the stress of making a Christmas for my babies.
I thought I would really miss it, but it was more like a little gift I gave to myself. Much more relaxing. But, as soon as January arrived, I started thinking of what I would knit for Christmas. I do not usually start that early - I am usually forced into thinking of what to knit when I have already started gift shopping. After Thanksgiving.
So when I saw what Stephanie had done with her Self-imposed Sock Club, I decided to plan early and start NOW. It is kind of like giving myself the gift of a less stressful holiday season again this year.
So I got a bunch of zip lock bags and started assembling. I labeled the projects by dropping into the bag an old (outdated) business card with info written on the back: recipient, size, pattern to use, needle size, etc. Then I placed yarn, a copy of the pattern and when possible, needles and even notions together in the bag. Now when I need a project to work on, I just select a bag and knit something ahead for Christmas.
Need rules? I have rules! At least one project for Christmas is to be started and finished each month, and NO knitting for people who have not appreciated knit gifts in the past. I should have at least 11 happy giftees at Christmas this year. ( I didn't start until February - I'm late for everything...)
I do not have Stephanie's gift with words, so I'm not sure what to call this "club". The Christmas Crafting Club? The Less-Stress Christmas Knitting Club? My Bag O Projects For Christmas Knitting? The Hey I Don't Need To Name Everything I Do (Especially 'Cause I Can't Come Up With a Good Name) Club? Is it even a club if it's just me? What else do I call it? A Mission?
Anywhoo, here's the first project from the Whatever You Call It Club is a pair of socks for someone who shall remain nameless. That's the problem with this whole deal - I'll be working on, and blogging about, these projects, but I can't say who they are for. I don't wanna ruin the entire surprise.
(This is a few days' work here - check out the craaazy pooling!)
Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Socks from Wendy D. Johnson's Wendy Knits book. Brown Sheep's Wildfoote sock yarn in "Rock 'n Roll" colorway. Size US 1 /2.25 mm needles, and a couple of extra stitches. The intended recipient has BIG feet. No more hints, otherwise these socks' intended will figure it out.
I'm using two circs, I just worked each toe flat as the instructions indicated, then put them both on the two circular needles to work in the round. Edited to add: I really need to find a set of circs that have less of a bump where needle meets wire. Half my knitting time on this project is trying to get the stitches back onto the needle from the wire in order to knit them. And no, I'm not a tight knitter. Anyone know some good circs with a nice smooth transition point?
I'm looking forward to having the finished projects pile up throughout the year.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Snow again!
We had a little bit of snow last night.
That's the grill, I think.
Only after the snow we've been having this winter could I refer to what happened last night as a "little" snow. About a foot fell in these parts. A foot. Of snow. Normally around here, that would be a crazy amount of snow. Not this year.
When it snows I would like to knit something warm all day, but my children had other ideas. So, we watched cartoons and danced around the living room. I took some pictures of new items for the shop, and a new finished hat!
That's The Amanda Hat, designed by Gina House. I took a class with her last weekend, up at Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI. What was Manos from my stash, now is a comfy, warm hat. Fits pretty nice, too. I might just make another one. or two.
Only after the snow we've been having this winter could I refer to what happened last night as a "little" snow. About a foot fell in these parts. A foot. Of snow. Normally around here, that would be a crazy amount of snow. Not this year.
When it snows I would like to knit something warm all day, but my children had other ideas. So, we watched cartoons and danced around the living room. I took some pictures of new items for the shop, and a new finished hat!
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