Shut Up & Knit!

& The Tour Ends w/ a Thud

Not that shade of blue, but you knew that

 

Remember that 2 pounds of Shetland I got from the Meat Sheep Industries, which is a division of the Cupcake Fiber Company?  If I was a better blogger, I'd link you to it, but I suck and ya'll know it, so here we are.  Linkless.

Anyway, the photo shows the spun yarn before any spa soaking, thwacking or counting.  It is currently soaking and I'll be back with more photos and numbers at some point.  That's assuming I survive the counting and that's iffy at best.

(It's been a not good weekend on top of a hard couple of weeks on top of a really bad couple/few months/years.  We're fine and will be fine, but just more struggle than I care for these days.  Not getting enough sleep has taken a toll and it's far too high a price.  Anyway...)

The yarn is 3-ply.  Fabulous and really blue.

I used all the fiber.  Made 3-ply the honest way.  Made a cake and made 3-ply the slightly shifty way.  Then n-plied the leftovers.  I love n-plying, btw.  Although, I hate how that yarn turned out in relation to how the rest of the yarn turned out.  I can see how it has its place and I see the drawbacks.

I have socks to show, more handspun to show off and current spinning/sock to share.

 Who knows?  Maybe I'll blog again this week.

Then again, maybe not.  ;^) 

 

This I love

1144 yards of 2-ply

4.5 oz

BFL

Briar Rose Fibers

It was fun to spin and I hope it will be fun to knit with.  Not that I knit anymore, but whatever.  Either the world is going to end or winter will come.  

Or a little of both.

This is also the end of my Rhinebeck fiber stash.  There's still yarn from that annual sheep/fiber show but that's it for the fiber.  Yeah, I know.  Gotta do something about that this year.

I know.  I know.  The people who pay attention and the ones out in the azaleas are wondering where the Rhinebeck stuff came from because the azalea people will tell you that it's been a long time since I was gone overnight.

This fact alone makes me sad on several levels but whatever.  One day, the azalea people will get their meds adjusted enough to go home or move on to someone else.

Anyway...

I asked our Anne if she would be willing to buy me some fiber type stuff at the Rhinebeck last year.  Of course, I thought of this and texted her the question 2 days before the show but whatever.  Anne is so truly fabulous.  She said yes, I told her how much I was wanting her to spend in my name and told her to pick what she wanted.  I trust her, love her, blah, blah, blah.  

She did great.  Of course, she did!  She's Anne!

Anyway, that's where the Rhinebeck fiber came from.  

Happy?

In a weather related update, yes, Friday was much better!  With a high in the 80s and a fabulous breeze that pushed the smoke away, it was a nice day.  Both meteorologically and personally. 

When training a submissive, you break them down to nothing and rebuild them the way you want them.  In a non-twisted relationship with me*, the breaking down goes both ways and the rebuilding is a fragile thing at times.  Totally worth the work but still a hard thing.  The rebuilding is totally worth it and things will only improve with time and effort, but it was a week.

No, there's no story for you from any of the above.

Being an enigma wrapped in a mystery while wearing handknit socks takes hard work, ya know.  ;^)

 

* Not that I have relationships because I do NOT.

 

Rest Days are not always Good Days

Still trying to get back on schedule.  Still trying to remember why I wanted to spin a sweaters worth of anything when it's hot enough to bake a potato in the car.  Never mind the whole I don't really knit anymore thingy.

Did I mention that the forest fire in the next county over has sent us smoky air to go with our 3 digit temps?  Did I ever tell you that too much recycled air gives me a sore throat?  Then there's the fact that EVERYONE here is cranky.  

Yes, everyone.

720 yards 

2-ply

Corridale Mix Roving 

Gale's Art Fiber

I enjoyed spinning this fiber until the end.  Then I encountered a clump of dye hanging on to the fiber.  Slightly less than thrilled.  I know how it happens and what it is and everything, but it was still a bit of a letdown.  Not a big deal but the first time I've ever had to deal with that sort of thing.  

Yeah, I'm lucky.  I know.

I had planned on cabling it and using it for socks.  Then I saw how it plied up and decided to leave it.  I think it might be fun as one of those boring garter stitch scarf thingies.  Or as a gift to one of those weirdos that loves the color blue.  ;^)

Happy Friday, everyone!

 

The Yarn That Started It All

Merino-Bamboo-Silk

Tea cup is  the colorway.  Forest Fiberworks is the dyer.  It's 4 oz and was a wheel warming gift from our Opal.  

I fell in love with the fiber and managed to get 1373 yards of 2-ply lace weight.  I have no idea what I'll knit with it, but I look forward to knitting with it.

Spinning this blend made it very easy to get frog hair style singles.  Plying took ages but I sort of knew that going in.  I think it was worth the time served.  

It also got me wanting to spin more of this blend.  While not entirely sure what happened, some CupcakeFiberCo fluff found it's way to me.  I do have a pattern in mind for this.

Remember that good well designed pattern we talked about last week?  Yeah, that's the one.  

I just need to finish the current sock in-progress and knit a second one.  Finish spinning and plying for that Shetland sweaters worth and spin the new fluff.

Yeah, that won't take long.  o.O

Walking a tightrope

Typing and posting in real time for a change.  

Normally, I write in the afternoon and auto-post in the early morning of the following day.  That way, I arrive online in the morning with comments and have a better chance of getting to replies.  Although, as some of you know, the doing comments thing is a bit hit or miss lately.  

Tonight I found myself making promises.  Yes, there's a story.  No, my darlings, it is so not for you.  No, not even later on.  It's for the best.  Trust me.

So... Why not keep that up?

I promise to try better with the comments.  

While Master Yoda teaches that there is no "try", sometimes, all we can do it try.  I shall try to post more but I make no promises.  Life is hard and sometimes content in thin on the ground.  If you blog, you get that.  If you don't blog, why not?  What could be better than opening yourself up to the faceless masses that populate the internet?  Doesn't everyone want their moment in the sun?

Yeah, no.  Not so much but we all know about me.  :p

I have yarn to show and I will.  I spun 2-oz of Meat Sheep fluff and plied my first 3-oz skein on the world's longest Monday.  I'm trying to make progress while being reminded that the Tour will end at some point.  Right now, I'm in love with the Tour... although, not so much time trial days.  I don't want it to end and am already looking forward to the next big race.  Cycling has to keep me sane while we wait for the World Cup, ya know.

Okay.  What passes for sanity around here.

Shut up!

You know you love it!

Happy Tuesday, people!  Make it count!

 

xo