Fourth of July!

 Hi everyone!  It's been a minute, so let's catch up!  

Here & Now ~

We've been living on the Gulf Coast since 2014 and every so often we comment how much we love living here.  The temps can be hot and sticky in the heat of summer, but let's face it, most people spend their time indoors, except to get out of the car and go inside and vice versa.  Sunday night we went to our town's Independence Day Celebration; I got a gourmet popsicle and DH got a slice of our local pizza parlor's pepperoni pizza. It was so hot (how hot was it??) It was so hot that we left right after! 

Spinning ~

I recently ordered a Malabrigo braid of wool for spinning.  All of it so far has been done on spindles, either Turkish or supported.  It's so portable to grab a little bag with some combed top and a spindle.  I can work on my spinning while watching TV, on a break at work, or riding in the car while hubby drives.  And this particular braid is so beautiful, and easy to spin now that I've loosened it up a bit.  I found it compacted, probably due to storage, but it's spinning up very well now! 

Knitting ~

I had been trying to knit a lace tank with some cotton-linen.  After way too many tries, I let the sweater win.  It was just not fun, and frankly a pain at times.  I threw the whole thing in the trash. :-(  I even burned my hand trying to knit! (JK)

There are a few projects on the needles right now.  One is a tam with lots of fair isle patterning. It is taking forever, probably because the circular needle is not really long enough to handle all the stitches. I'm just too lazy to switch to a longer one. 

  Another project is a small set of gloves. I'm using scraps for them as well and they'll have to go in the "only use in an emergency" basket of woolens. Since I prefer spinning to knitting, there will have to be more knitting projects if I'm ever going to use up my yarn.  By the way, I boldly threw away several balls of yarn recently, just to show everybody who's boss.  

GLOVES, SOCKS AND UFOs

YARN ACQUISITION AND GLOVES 

The latest purchase of cool looking yarn was from Haute Knit; fingering weight in colorway Spicy Amethyst.  Such a pretty hank and when caked up it lost a little of its charm, but the gloves I'm making are super fun! 

Haute Knit sock yarn

Spicy Amethyst

The pattern is my go-to pattern from the Winter 2003 Interweave Knits issue called Progressive Gloves by Pam Allen.  In this case I used size 2 Knitters Pride Karbonz circular needles.  The thumb gusset has 21 stitches with a cast on of 52 with a 1x1 rib. 

SOCKS 

These finished socks are handspun wool from Earth Guild which I bought on a vacation several years ago.  I threw in some angelina for sparkle and they are spun more like sport weight than sock weight even though it's 2 ply. 

Finished handspun socks

Round Toe

 I finished with my first ever round toe (woo hoo) and an afterthought heel with Kitchener stitch close using the 'no ears' method.  I really like this way of closing off those last few stitches as it rounds out the finish.

SPINNING

I've spent some time lately watching and hanging out with my Jenkins' Turkish spindles.  There's a forum online about using the spindles to try out wool from various sheep breeds.  

Kuchulu and Romedale

The folks are making knitted squares from each breed and they share the spinning as they go.  I have bought/been gifted some wool including CVM, Targhee and Corriedale.  All have very different characteristics in the roving or carded stage, but the spun yarn singles seems to be consistent.  I am also trying to challenge myself to do at least 15 minutes a day.  I prefer to ply on my wheels, either the Louet Victoria or the Kromski Symphony.  My spindles are a Kuchulu (fav!) and two Ageans, all from Jenkins Yarntools.  

  PERSONAL

In 2020 we had planned to go with our church to Israel but that trip was cancelled and we opted to use our money to go out west here in the United States.  In preparation for the trip I lost weight and really upped my game on the treadmill.  Little by little the pounds have crept back on so I'm trying my best to count calories and keep those cute clothes I bought last year (they are getting snug). I had used Noom and they worked so well, I'm incorporating the lessons I learned to get back into shape. And just to keep things interesting, in order to avoid the news, I've jumped on the UFO craze.  I really enjoyed Skywalker Ranch on Discovery Plus and there are lots of other shows like that to keep you away from the news for weeks!! 

Earth, sky and figs

    I finished spinning and plying the Earth & Sky batt I purchased recently online. It was so pretty in the ad but there were bits of light brown wool that felt so different from the rest of the batt; it felt like changing from silk sheets to burlap bags.  I love the color though - periwinkle, navy and green.  They represent the main elements and I can't wait to do a test swatch to see how it knits up! (Approximately 4 oz worsted )

    The skein was soaked and dried and one day, as the temps here are in the 90's.  I hung it out to dry this morning before we left for our Saturday errands (Target & Lowes) and when we came back it was dry! Very squishy by the way and it feels softer and fuller now. 

    Our 2 errands were to get a baby gift for my niece's shower next weekend, and to look for a generator.  We often lose power here on the Gulf Coast of the US due to hurricanes in the late summer and early fall.  Last year we broke all records and this year we've only had one so far.  I'm praying for a light season. 

    The fig pictured here is the first one from the two plants I put out a couple of years ago.  They are doing really well and have lots of leaves during the warm months.  Winter time saw them lose all the leaves but I knew we were good.  The little trees did not disappoint!  This dollop of sweetness shows me they will be good for snacking next year. 
 

INTARSIA! EUREEKA!

    So I finally learned the intarsia in the round technique!  This was one of my New Year's resolutions.  I have not mastered it, but hopefully I have a better understanding of the method.  This is the type of knitting used in argyle socks.  I found some support videos online and discovered a book I already had called, "The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques".  They go at it from another angle but the process is the same.  Intarsia is worked flat, so to do this in the round you have to find a method of attaching the sides as you go "in the round".  

    I saw a documentary recently about a cruise ship that was so big it was made in two pieces, front and back, and then welded together.  Sounds impossible, doesn't it?  But it worked.  And knitting intarsia in the round also works. Voila! 

Bending over backwards

 It seems like I've finally found a pain management system for my back pain.  I am using a Salonpas lidocaine patch most every day.  Other folks opt for surgery or physical therapy but my quick and dirty answer is always the same; and it only costs about a dollar a day. I order them in bulk through the mail so I never have to go without. 

Now, on to other news.  I frogged a little black cardigan I'd made last year; I made it before losing a few pounds and it never did fit right after that.  The new pullover sweater fits like a glove and gave me the confidence to start more sweater knitting. 

 I am also planning to make some argyle socks this year.  I got a Craftsy subscription and started the Intarsia class.  It feels like conquering this technique will be the ultimate mountain climb for me, knitting wise.  Its something people did all the time back in the 40s and during the second World War.  I know I can do this!! 

Our little town here in the country has been busy lately - we have a full fledged coffee shop!  They are always coming up with new drinks and fresh sandwiches.  The meet all the politically correct requirements, but I usually just like a regular espresso drink with cream.  Plain and old fashioned.  

Reading is always enjoyable and old paperbacks are so fun.  They are cheap and readily accessible, available online or even at thrift and antique shops.  What a great escape reading can be.  What's your goal for the new year? 

I am packing today for a visit to my sister in Florida.  The weather promises to be warmer than here and sunny. Perfect for sightseeing and fun drinks on the go! 

I got a blending board for Christmas.  It is harder than you think, and if you're a spinner, you will know that finesse is always important.  Making a rolag is one thing, but getting it off the dowels is quite another!  If you aren't good with your roll up tension, it can be like pulling gum out of hair.  You really don't want to cut the rolag off the dowel!

One last knitting project I'm working on is a scarf for my DIL. She gave me a description of what she'd like, but I don't really have enough yarn so I'm making due with that I have on hand. That requires some finagling and adjusting of the stitch count, pattern and gauge.  It may get frogged and made with some lovely treat from my local yarn store.  We'll see. 

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? 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!  

 I spent the better part of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day knitting a pair of fingerless gloves.  My knitting goal for the new year is to knit at 12 pairs of these using various techniques that would be intimidating to try on socks.  The plan is to sort of use these as wearable swatches and use up my stash of yarn at the same time.  I have a lot of single skeins that really aren't enough to make anything much with.

Here is the start. 

 And here is the finish!  I used size 6 DPNs and the pattern is a very simple fingerless mitts pattern from Ravelry.  The yarn is a leftover bit from a friend I used to be in knitting group with.

Getting into some new things...

Audio books have always been a favorite resource for me, and podcasts as well.  Both have pushed me to new experiences and inspired me to be better and go further.  When life feels a bit stale, or without color, I use these two avenues for fresh perspective.

  The Julia Child biography by Laura Shapiro is very enlightening and has details I'd not heard before.  I loved the book, My Life In France, and it definitely inspired me during the time of my daughter's high school graduation.  That summer, she and I took a trip to Boston, stayed with my cousin and toured the city, including Cambridge, where Julia taped many, many television shows.  I love the cluttered usefulness of her kitchen.  It seems to be designed for using, not for looking at.  For once, that matters more to me.  Cozy, inviting, and functional.

I love crime podcasts and have listened to pretty much everything that's out that's worth listening to. I renewed my audible subscription from ages ago and have jumped in with a cozy mystery, a Lisa Scottoline non-fiction book, some free exercise picks and a free short story about a girl who lived above a NYC library while her dad was the custodian.  I am anxious to get my next credit, so in the meantime I use my Hoopla app from the library (Cyanide Canary and Corrupted by Lisa S.).  I also finished a paperback by Harlan Coben who never disappoints.

I realize that knitting and spinning can be an escape as well as a hobby meant to relax.

I finally finished the lavender sweater and made a few adjustments once it was done.  The sleeves were a bit long and the neck a bit wide, but otherwise it fit pretty well.

I also made these socks using two colors from my stash. Both colors are handspun and the pattern was a basic toe up pattern from Wendy Knits.

I gave up my fiber of the month subscription when I switched to part time at work.  It has really been a good decision, since I only spin on Saturday mornings.  I have plenty of fiber to spin, and its all so beautiful, that I'm savoring it very slowly now.
I spun three small bags of fiber from my January fiber of the month shipment and made this lovely tonal feather and fan blanket for my new granddaughter. I did not make her a blanket when she was born, so I'm a little late, but better late than never!

(I need to get a finished picture of my granddaughter with the blanket.)

June 2018

At the end of each year, I have made resolutions for the coming year.  Not everybody likes to do this, but for me, its a matter of goal setting in hopes of self improvement.  I think I'm just that kind of person.  I like things neat but not too neat. I'm not a clean freak, just orderly, as it brings peace of mind mostly.
Setting goals helps me to keep the end in mind. This sweater WILL be finished by the end of June.

I wanted to knit a sweater for each of the grandkids but have taken a little detour to knit myself a sweater. Supposedly an easy raglan sleeve, top down, *seamless* (so far) summer-ish sweater.  This lovely Coastal thingy has been straightforward, but way more of a commitment than I really wanted.  Its knit on size 4 needs, so there's red flag number 1. It got me the gauge and look I wanted, with lovely drape.  Not too loosey goosey, just good solid fabric, that's not dense either.
All I can say is, I'll be glad when I'm done.  I haven't even started the sleeves....maybe I should move on to those now, and it will feel like I'm going faster.

I've just about kicked the regular TV habit.  I love Britbox and Netflix and some Amazon video.  I love audio books and classical music while knitting.  As for books, I'm reading Stormie Omartian's biography, relating to childhood abuse, a later relationship with Steve Martin, and finally her marriage to music producer Michael Omartian.  Very good book, notably, she was a regular cast member on the Glen Campbell show back in the 70's.

I have loved getting my fiber of the month shipments from Paradise Fibers.  Each box is a little (okay, a lot) different from what I would normally order, but like many other subscribers, it gets me out of my comfort zone and helps me work my creative muscles.

I have so many spinning works-in-progress aka WIPs but only one knitting project. Why is that?  I need to get to the bottom of this. Note to self. 😊

Work has been good, steady and pretty peaceful.  Like I said, I like things orderly.  Summer is pretty quiet at the office and we work on projects that get us ahead of the game.
Family is always good, and in the last month, we gained a two new family members.  My niece married a very dashing young man from Australia.  Beautiful bride.
My son and his wife had a new baby girl, who has lovely dark hair.  A first for all the grandbabies, since all the rest are blonde, or close to it.

Church is always inspiring.  We are growing and changing all the time, yet this congregation remains faithful and very traditional.  I love the physical aspects of the sanctuary, the wood beams and beautiful mid-century light fixtures.  The activities are all very people oriented and the deep southern roots mean there's always a pot luck around the corner.