Have Ewe Any Wool?

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Spinning...and Spinning.....and Spinning Some More

I've really been spinning lately......8 3/4 hrs. last week, and 7 hrs. already this week! I still need to take pictures of the skeins of white BFL that I'd completed earlier....as well as all the other stuff I've been spinning. I've started on the brown BFL as well....no skeins of that yet.

I did finally start spinning the blue wool with flecks of blue jeans in it. It makes a lumpy single (the blue jeans chunks create thick "bumps"). I've got one skein completed (it's a heavy worsted to Aran weight as a two-ply). I have two more large bobbins full, so I should have two more skeins by the end of the day tomorrow.

The unspun wool really reminds me of "dryer lint".....it's not a very pleasing wool to spin. It leaves your hands rather dry and the cotton from the jeans seems to be the predominant "feel" in the final yarn. The yarn by itself is rather "lack luster", but it really pops when put against bright blue jeans. It's OK against black, but it really needs a bright blue as a contrast.

I've done some knitting this week, even though my focus was on the spinning. I continued to work on the second "Pretty Petals" - I'm now finished with the heel shaping and am half-way finished with the gusset. I'm still working on the first Alpaca bedsock, and I've started a purple scarf from some novelty yarn I'd received from my secret pal.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Spinning and Knitting Update

I managed to spin for a total of 5 1/4 hrs. last week - part of which was on the drop spindle. These hours don't include the 2 hrs. I logged at my usual "bi-weekly" spinning group. It's been a very productive week! Yes, I'm still S-L-O-W-L-Y plodding away with the drop spindle.....I think the 1 lb. of fiber I'm spinning on that will end up being a "Lifetime Project".

I've finished spinning all the white BFL that I purchased from Toni at The Fold. I managed to spin a total of 3 hours tonight.....including plying another skein! Wahoo! So far, I've spun a total of 4 hours toward this weeks 5 hour goal!

As for knitting, I didn't quite complete my second "Pretty Petals" sock last weekend, but I'm ready to start the heel shaping.....after that, it should be done in a jiffy. I've also started some Alpaca Bed Socks.....they're sooooo incredibly soft!

Friday, September 08, 2006

Even MORE Spoiled Than Originally Thought!

Whew! How embarrassing. I went to put away my stash from my secret pal, and dummy me....I noticed it was a bit too heavy to be just a tin. In my haste the other evening, I didn't look INSIDE the Betty Boop Tin! There were MORE goodies inside! I have two skeins of eyelash yarn (in purple) - "Flutter" and a sticky pad in the shape of my initial, "J". Thanks again Mia! Sorry for the delayed acknowledgment!

Spinning - I finished 6 hours of spinning this past week. I plied another skein of the white Blue Faced Leicester....all I have to do now is wind it off, then ply yet another skein! I'm getting near the end of the BFL I bought from Toni at "The Fold". I even managed to make 1/2 hr. of my spinning time "spindle time".....with the same generic brown wool that I've been working on for "oh-so-long"!

Knitting - I finished the second "Fearless Fiber" mock cable sock....so I now have a complete pair! I started the second "Pretty Petals" sock in the Tess handpaints - I've completed the ribbing and 1 1/3 repeats of the pattern. I hope to have a finished pair by the end of the weekend. Then, it's back to the lilac Wildefoot socks......I'm going to do the second one on size 0 needles and see if I like that better. Then, I'll just re-do the first one. I REALLY love the pattern, it's just that the way I knit, it's too loose and baggy....especially around the ankles. Started AND finished "Fireside Socks" for my mom out of multi-colored purple, red, blue, and off-white "Iceland" - these are "bed socks" for her to keep her tootsies warm during the cold midwest winters. She picked the pattern and the yarn.....hope she likes the finished results!