My Knitpicks yarn finally showed up, so I'm ready to get started. I've got 9 colours, but after playing with them and trying to come up with an attractive combination of stripes, I decided I don't like the green in there. The other 8 suddenly look so much nicer. I haven't decided if I'm going for a random stripe pattern, or a particular sequence. I've got the initial order planned out, and once I've completed one pass with each colour, I'll decide what to do then. I have no idea how wide to make this afghan!

Continue reading "Afghan Colours and Birthday Plans"

As it turns out, I'm in very good company with that crochet project I mentioned the other day. There is even a massive crochetalong that I only found out about a few days ago! And just like them, I started coveting this afghan when I first saw it here and here. I'm not joining the crochetalong because sometimes I can barely be arsed to post to my own website (although lately I'm on a roll), but I've been visiting often because there are so many gorgeous photos to look at. This one is my absolute favourite. I'm going to make a queen-sized one too, one of these days, but not now.

I ordered a few balls of superwash, each in a different colour, from Knitpicks last week and I'm still waiting for them to arrive before I can start. I'm a little nervous about the colours; I picked bright ones. So not like me.

Clown Vomit: Okay, so it's not as bad as I made out. After sleeping on it some more, I decided to finish spinning it up and then we'll see.

Boring Irises: Also, not nearly as bad as I thought. Now that I can see it spun up, I actually really like it. I still think it would have been better, were it a little bit on the brighter side.

My latest attempt, late last night. I think it's my favourite so far. Since I can't think of any flattering names, I've been calling this one, Bruise. All three of these are corriedale fibre.

This turned out great, but I have to admit that I liked it better in the roving than in the finished yarn. This one is going to be Monkey socks.

I mentioned yesterday that I had dyed more fibre, two batches of corriedale. I've taken to calling one of them, Clown Vomit. Clown Vomit didn't exactly turn out the way I'd planned, but I wasn't discouraged right away because sometimes the ugliest roving can spin up beautifully. Not so with Clown Vomit. The colours I used were a dull blue, a rusty red and some pale yellow tossed in for fun. They looked great together when I was testing them on small bits of fluff, but on a larger scale in the roving, the result was disappointing. I tried spinning it up yesterday and the result of that was even worse. I have learned some things.

Continue reading "Making Ugly"

Yarn: 100g spindle-spun from Crown Mountain Farms "It's My Party" Sock Hop roving, superwash merino
WPI: I have no idea, but they're knit firmly at 7.5st/1"
Pattern: My own basic, top-down heel-flap sock

This is my first completed project from handspun yarn. I'm pretty damn proud of them - I don't know if I should wear them or hang them on the wall! The thing about spinning to knit socks is that it doesn't matter if the yarn is not entirely even, and I think a rustic yarn looks really nice knitted up.

I've got two more Crown Mountain rovings on my spindles, one is nearing the end of the plying stage, and the other I had just begun when I got my wheel. They fell by the wayside, but I'm in the mood to pick them up again. But then there's the polwarth I dyed myself that's already on the wheel. I also dyed some more fibre; I've got two batches of corriedale hanging in my laundry room, ready to go. I've also got 2 big projects on the needles, and the yarn for a crochet (of all things!) project on its way to me. I don't have enough hours or hands. It's funny how I can go from not feeling like doing anything at all to feeling like doing EVERYTHING at once.

I got over myself and started fooling around with my acid dyes. This is 100g of polwarth dyed with Gaywool dyes. I used three separate colours (turquoise, yellow and brown which I mixed from primaries and black) and let them intermix in the wool to make this. I'm happy.

The title says it all, really. I haven't felt much like posting here and that's due to the fact that I haven't been knitting much, spinning much, doing much at all, and I am so sick of the way my site looks that I don't even want to look at it anymore. I'm also ready to move beyond the smoking-quitting and get on with the rest of my life. Today is Day 42 without cigarettes and I'm just so sick of this being the focus of my days. When will this just blend into the background? I've been having a particularly hard time with it this last week, and while there is no danger of me lighting up (I have never been more determined), I am just exhausted from the sheer awareness of my non-smoking status.

Continue reading "Stale"

I'm supposed to be at my mom's this morning at 10:30 in order to go to a wedding shower. My sleeping schedule has been so crappy lately that I was worried I'd sleep in and be late, but I managed to get up with the alarm today and get in the shower. I had lots of time to sit and have my coffee and read weblogs, when I noticed that instead of 9 am, it was 10 am. BRAND NEW DST FUCKED ME IN MY ASS. I swear I thought this was happening in 2008 - the DST change, not the assfucking.

Yeah, so I didi for 30 eays. 30 whol.e days! ANd i celefrated woith some peole, her and the jusband, and my own husband. An he did 30 days too! Bvut they did 100+ days. WE all did lots of days, and no cmokes. but we daranks with no smokes! That's the real test. Alchol with no smokes. And wie didi it. Because we boweled Wii bowling. I didn't win.

So. I dyes some fivbrfe yesterday and today. Yesterday came out nice, but on tstarurated. the colours wer ckind of a bit light. But I'm spinning it. ANd I think it's nice. Rochelee came over and spun too, she bronght firber she bought and it's nice and pretty . I tried the woolee Winder...I thinks i must get it. But I dont need it right away. I like itd, though.

Also, I had a good time. Don't forget o good time, because so improtant. Esprciially when you achieve not smoking, and have som ewine. It s good drink.

It's the weekdne. I enjou the weeknd witgh my fiends and xome fun and drinks. Thank Girl is on tv. I c tEa is th gy with theears. Kangaroo. Black ars look betert in the shade.