pandemic shift

 Having the opportunity to knit more and spin more can only be good.  I love finishing a project and recent quiet evenings and lunch hours (no extra curricular activities due to the epidemic) means I have finished another pair of socks this fall.  

The yarn was purchased in Las Vegas (Henderson I think); called Wool Pop from Universal Yarn - colorway 606 Marmalade.  So very soft and squishy and stretchy!  

The pink yarn used in the previous post is made by indie dyer Shirley Lou of Berry Patch Yarns. 

 My new spinning toy is this lovely tahkli spindle and spinning bowl (bowl is from Dancing Goats). 

 I really like supported spindles now and I am finally mastering cotton. I bought the cotton ages ago and finally got some cotton carders at Earth Guild this past year.  I made lots of puni rolags and that goes a long way with spinning cotton. Much better than roving! You can see I'm a recycler of all things. 

Now, where was I?

 

In the last several weeks I finished these Merino gloves.  They're made with handspun yarn - made from roving that came in my Paradise Fibers club shipment a few years ago.  The two colors are Cyan and Dresden. Wow, fancy huh?  

This is a simple two-ply sport weight yarn and the pattern is from an old issue of Interweave Knits; my go-to glove pattern.  Hands down (no pun intended).  

I am almost finished with some lovely egg-yolk yellow socks with a pattern that I've scrapped together.  More later! 

I am really getting the sweater mo-jo again, now that's its cold here in the deep south.  We only have about 2 months of winter so about the time I'm ready to make sweaters, it's time to put them up in the closet. But I frogged a black cardigan I made with lion-brand acrylic. Just enough to test knit a pullover raglan from my favorite sweater pattern.  That will also be in an upcoming post.  

SPINNING

I finished this spinning project a couple of weeks ago.  This picture does not do it justice!  

It's sparkly and deep and rich.  Perfect Purple. 

FINISHING UP A VERY GOOD YEAR

I have been doing a lot more knitting than spinning this year; it always settles me when I need to unwind. I take my little knitting bag in the car every day to work, drive to the park on lunch hour and begin to knit after finishing my lunch.  You see, I started a diet last November after having put on about 15 lbs.  There was a lot of talk at work about all of us losing weight during the fall of 2019 and I felt like everyone was looking at me.  I know that's not true, but you know how it is. Anyway, I began to eat more fruits and veg and less snacks and sandwiches.  Little by little the weight came off and then the pandemic hit.  

My goal for losing weight had been to fit into some cargo pants I planned to wear on a trip to the Holy Land with our church.  The trip was cancelled due to the epidemic, so instead we flew to Las Vegas and visited the Grand Canyon and some other nearby sites in the West. 

I took my knitting on the trip and visited several local yarn shops, making purchases along the way.  It was so much fun, and the year would have nearly been a bust if not for the trip. God knew how much we would need it. We also visited family while in California and got some real perspective while out there. Truly.

Since returning from the trip, I've been knitting with the yarn I purchased as well as using yarn from our local yarn store.  Thank you JESUS for knitting. :-) 

Here is the current pair of finished socks made with purchased yarn. 

Autumn Dawn Socks

I have a great appreciation for yarn shop owners.  I really try my best to give them my business, whether on Etsy or at a brick & mortar store.  

POINTS OF INTEREST

 So here we are, September is half over; so much water under the bridge....or in the yard.  Hurricane Sally just left town and while our city did not take a direct hit, we were all left without power for various lengths of time. Our power was restored last night and what a glorious time we had!  AC was running, fridge was cooling, lights were on everywhere, and the coffee maker was ready to get back to work.  I don't want to relive the hades we had.  All I will say is that sleeping at night was like sleeping in the trunk of a car, and getting ready for work with a cell phone flashlight and a candle left me looking pretty rough. I'm using a hotspot to write this blog since our internet is still not fixed. :-( 

Onward and upward! 

KNITTING

I finished a pair of socks during the Labor Day weekend that I had determined to finish. They have a lovely color combination and the pattern was pretty much made up as I went.  I used a 2x2 rib for the cuff, moss stitch for the leg, slip stitch short row heels, and basic Kitchener stitch toe close.  

SPINNING

I haven't done much weaving since a doctor visit revealed that I have a bad back and the start of scoliosis. Spinning however has been more successful.  I'd been spinning a pound of green wool (can't remember where I got it!) on the jumbo flyer of my Kromski Symphony.  This week I started plying Navaho style on a regular bobbin after switching out the flyer back to normal.  Green is a great color to spin.  It always brings me to a better mood.  

BOOKS

I finished an audio book by Simon Brett. He has started a new series about a lady who cleans up for and helps hoarders with their mess.  Its a cozy mystery with all the fun of a Murder She Wrote episode.  Its a compelling read that's pretty believable; definitely recommend. 

HOME & GARDEN

We trimmed trees last weekend before the storm and had no idea how fortuitous that would be. The day after the hurricane had passed, our lawn guy came and removed all the branches, leaves and cut the grass perfectly as usual.  He's a great guy, a homeschool dad who brings his son to help whenever he can.  We homeschooled our kids so I have a soft spot for families who walk a different path. God bless them. 

A New Phase of Life

  What a year this has been!  We are all reeling from the drastic changes to everyday life and have begun to embrace some very basic practices that we'd forgotten.  Things like bread baking, bicycling, raising chickens, home improvement, family time and faith. Our journals reflect that we are forever changed.  Even though 2020 has gotten a bad reputation, we have to stop for a minute and give thanks that we may just be better for having been through all this. 

  Fall is here.  Its time for pumpkin spice drinks and autumn leaves. This is pretty much my favorite time of year & I find more inspiration in these months than any other time.  This week I've cleaned out my planner and decided to brush off my old blog.  We'll see how long I stick with it.  The last post was in 2018.  Since then I've added 2 more grandchildren, lost my father in law who lived with us for nearly 10 years and started weaving.  

  Knitting has long been my favorite pastime, and it ranks first every time, but spinning is a close second.  I hardly ever sew anymore and rarely cook or bake. So when a friend of mine from my spinning guild introduced me to a woman back in January who wanted to give away a floor loom, I couldn't resist. Why not?  Weaving was never something I was very good at, but this floor loom has been a game changer.

  

  Picking up the loom and meeting my new friend and benefactor made for a perfect birthday present.  We loaded the thing into Jamie's (my husband) truck and brought it to the house on January 20, 2020.  I brought each box into the house, and hour by hour, day by day cleaned it and put it together.  It had been stored in my friend's garage since she moved here 20 years ago.  Life just didn't allow for her to use it anymore and since she was downsizing, she needed to find a new home for her beloved loom.  

Assembling the pieces without guidance was so hard, and if it weren't for a set of Youtube videos, I could never have done it.  This is a Union Loom from 1930 and was used by housewives to make money from scraps of fabric.  I ordered string for the warp and started scouring the house for any bits of fabric, which were mostly vintage aprons and table cloths from an old trunk.  While waiting for my warp to come in the mail, I set up the loom with some old string in one of the boxes. It seemed likely that the warp would break but at least I would be learning.  Surprise, surprise!  It made a lovely rag rug! Who knew?