Just a pile of stuff...

So, I just have a pile of stuff to share today.  Nothing with any connection, just stuff.
  Okay, pic is kind of not showing, but it is a Japanese crafting book (The Life of Amigurumi Cats) that His Majesty brought back a few years ago.  We both thought it was a knitted cat...wrong!  Crochet and I don't know how :(  Anyway, found a website today with the English conversion and now I know how to make my crocheted kitty if I learn to crochet.

Someone needs to drive over here and teach me this week, please!  I will make muffins!!!  I will make iced mocha too.  Heck I will order pizza, just come teach me to crochet please.

We took a couple of days and drove to the beach with the poopies.  We stayed in my in-laws camper and had a good time.  I loved the RV park (first time we had done this), but next time need a bigger camper! 

I did get to knit on my Arrow hat while at the beach and made more progress.  I like this pattern and hope to finish it by tomorrow.

Hats are so much fun, let's make more

I love hats, so I need to knit a few more.  For Me?  Maybe, maybe for gifts.  I just cast on this Plymouth Encore worsted for the Arrow hat.  It was a peachy color that I wasn't crazy about, so I dyed it with Kool-aid and got this pale green that is much nicer.

I am also casting on this tealish-blue baby for the Shroom hat.  Another lovely hat on Ravlery that is a free pattern.  Awesome!  This yarn is from a recycled sweater I picked up at the thrift store.  It was a grey, black and white striped sweater.  So I took the white and dyed it this color with Easter egg dye.  I thought it would be a different blue, since the tablets were a royal blue....but that's what I got, no complaints.

And while casting on, Finley observed in his handsome way :)

A finished project, thank goodness!!!

I finally dedicated myself to finishing a project.  Yes, I am a SLOW knitter, but I think it is because I continuously stop knitting to surf Ravelry for patterns.  I know that is a bad habit!

So here is the 198 yds of heaven getting ready to go into a soak and then out for a little block...

I am happy with it, loved the Noro, but not happy with the size.  I knew it would be small, but not as small as it actually is :(  I blocked the heck out of it, but still not very large.

Oh well, I did it and by tomorrow I can wear it...always a good thing!

Plying like the wind....

 

Whoever said slow and steady wins the race was SOOOO wrong.

What I learned today....

I REALLY need to get a lazy kate!  I need one that will fit my Spinolution bobbins, but that isn't expensive.  I can't find that combo...all I keep finding are too expensive for my checkbook these days :(  boohoo....
So right now I am winging it with a basket and knitting needles.  I like to think it is old school...like I'm cool :)

I started plying my BFL this morning and hopefully will have it finished by tomorrow.

I also learned that I need to learn to crochet.  The reason is this website.  Milky Robot is the coolest thing ever!  I love these patterns, but I can't crochet :(  another sad moment...  Please go check out the patterns if you love little monsters, they are adorable.  And then come teach me how to crochet.

I also learned that breaking braids down into small bumps will make a mess, but it is a fun mess. (The top is a Twoifbyhand braid and the bottom was a swap gift) I worked on 2 braids this afternoon and can't wait to get these beauties on a wheel.  I'm going to aim for a chunky single with the above purple/turquoise fiber pile.  I want to make a hat out of it...keep your fingers crossed with me.

I freaked out....

and about fell over when I was shopping yesterday and came across this book.  It was on sale for $3.99, yes you saw that, $3.99!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I bought it before they changed their mind.
I love this book.  I have looked at it repeatedly at the stores.  I have checked it out from the library....repeatedly.
Now I have a copy...for $3.99.  I freaked out!

Of course, it takes me FOREVER to knit a pair of socks, but I love it!






It takes me just as long to spin, but love that too.  I have been working on the sparkly batt I bought at a destash and feel like I am getting nowhere, but have finished up 3 of the batts now.

 

You can't tell in my fuzzy pictures, but the blues and greens are blending nicely.  I have no clue about my wraps per inch.  That stuff confuses me and I need to reread those sections and get a WPI tool, but I'm lazy :)

I hope to ply my fire roasted lasagna tomorrow and resume spinning this baby up.  The TDF continues in my house....

I wish I had a tiny head...and could knit faster

 

I finally started the 198 yards of Heaven shawl, finally!  I kept changing my mind on the yarn choice and went with a Noro Kureyon.  I am enjoying this project, though I have ripped back SEVERAL times, due to stitch counts being off.

 

 

 

198 yds of Heaven

If I was a faster knitter, this would have been done ages ago!

I joined the Remembering Remy Ravelry group, go give it a look and consider joining too.  It is a wonderful cause.

 

Hats for Remembering Remy

I wish my head was tiny so I could wear one of these little hats.  Yeah, I know I could knit one for my big head, but they look so sweet little.

 

TDF11 day 15

I finally finished my 8 ounces of BFL I have named Fire Roasted Lasagna....I'm celebrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I didn't think I would EVER finish this roving.  I was getting antsy to start spinning up another braid I have in the wings.

I will ply these two bobbins tomorrow and hope to get some decent yardage, but no clue what to knit it into....shawl??????  I love shawls and have quite a few in the favorites folder on my Ravelry page.

Big obstacle in plying...I need a lazy kate :(  I'm going to do a makeshift kate until I can find an affordable one that my Spinolution bobbins will fit on.  Why are lazy kates so expensive?  Seriously, they have gotten crazy high.

It has been a good day!

 Today I went to Asheville to visit the Friends and Fiberworks store and their Summer Retreat fiber fun.  I did not take classes (boo to you economy!), but did make a purchase to make me happy.
Yep, I needed to buy a little fiber happiness on this cold, rainy day...to boost the economy and my spirit.

Merino/silk bend

I bought 4 ounces each of orange and purple roving.  It feels so soft, like a little kitten.  I hope I can do it justice when I spin it up. I did not buy yarn, which is a good thing.  

I told all of that gorgeous yarn, "NO, get away from me, stop tempting me with your lovely softness....evil yarn! "

 Then on my way home I stopped in Black Mountain for lunch.  Let me just say, I LOVE the Wendy's Baja salad.  It is now my go-to fast food meal when I am out and about....don't get me started on how yummy it is...

Anyway, I stopped at a wonderful yarn shop called Black Mountain Yarn Shop.  People, you must go to this store and make many purchases.  Not only do they have scrumptious yarn (and other goodies), but they are sooooo nice.  Friendly, helpful, pleasant....so refreshing.  I made a few purchases while there, which included a bottle of Eucalan (for me to try out) and a cute pattern. 
This Blue Sky Alpaca Cropped Cardigan was knitted up and hanging in the store.  Gorgeous!!!  Had to have the pattern.

 

And I rounded out that visit with this shawl pin.  It is so cute!!

Overall, the trip was great for my spirits.  (Though I froze...what happened to summer?  It was 92 degrees yesterday and 67 today.  What?????)

TDF11 day 12 for me

 Yep that is the same BFL I have been spinning, nope not finished yet even though I spin EVERY DAY!!!
Yes, I am crying now....

On the better side, I knitted up a charity preemie hat and cast on another.  It took my mind off of the never ending BFL above!

Day 11 of the TDF...

 

Okay, I am getting sick of this BFL.  I said it, I hate to admit it, but it is true!  8 ounces of the same fiber is not as easy for me as I thought it would be....I want more diversity :)

But the end of this baby is in sight, since these are the last of my little bumps to spin up...yes!!!!

I hope to get all of this spun up and then plied by the weekend, otherwise I will be looking like the TRex!

Hand cycling today (mostly)...

 The TDF 11 continues and today I have spun on both rovings....still!  And I finished my niece's Four Cables Slouch hat and took it to her at breakfast.  I hope she loves it as much as I do :)

 

Trust me, it looks better in person and the cables stand out...

 

I also washed some fleece that was given to me.  I was meticulous about the washing.  Followed all of the tutorials, books, suggestions.  Then I was very disappointed to see little balls of lanolin in the fleece at the end.  WHAT?  WHY?  I washed it 5 times, rinsed it 3.  What happened????

Help.  Was it old fleece?  That is what I am wondering.  I don't know.  I don't even know the breed.  It was a gift....so I don't know.

Any suggestions?  I hate to trash it, but I don't want it to gum up the drum carder.  Suggestions????

And while I was doing all this, Ava was napping on the bed :)

Retro

My grandmother was cleaning out closets and gave me a bag of her old knitting stuff.  What fun!!!  This lovely McCalls pattern was only 15 cent.  The Glitter Knit Seperates leaflet is promoting the "new" glitter yarn from Lion Brand and Dupont acrylic fiber, good times!

And then there is this little lucious bit of business...Fashion Fancies from Coats & Clark.  This pattern if for a midriff and shoulder bag with Red Heart yarn.  Rock on!

Along with the patterns were piles of needles.  The circular needles are funky , I can't even get them to bend :)  And of course, those are the ones I forgot to take pics of...

 One circular was $1.42 from Sky City.  I love the wording "Knit and Relax with Marcia Lynn."  I wish I had dates on these things.

Day 7 of TDF

I did spin on my BFL, but it just doesn't look like I did.

I finally called in Woody for a backup, so I could vacuum :)

Tour de Fleece progress...

I'm losing track of my TDF11 days!  I think we are day 7????  I did spin yesterday, but I swear you could not tell much of a difference on my bobbins, so I didn't take any pics of that.

Instead, I took pics of Woody.  His Majesty's coworker left a box on his desk.  It was a Woody alarm clock.  I think it is some boy joke, but the clock is cute. 

In honor of Woody coming home with him, I took a few pics of his first night in our house...just some random shots of what he did with his time.

 

His Majesty told me I had problems :)

TDF day 5

Dueling wheels for me today.  I spun a little on the mystery batt (nuclear jello) and the BFL (fire roasted lasagna).
I made a little progress towards my goal for finishing both of these up for the TDF 11, so I can't complain.  I hope to spin on both again tomorrow and if the rain storms we have been having return tomorrow evening, I will be able to stay indoors and spin :)

(If you look hard enough you can see Finley's legs under the wheel on the right.  It started to storm and he clung to my side.  As I type, the thunder is booming and he is snuggled up to my side.  Is it wrong for me to love that?  I just love when they snuggle, rain or not).

My TDF days 3 and 4...

Day 3

This was my day yesterday.  I know, not much on there, but I tried to be productive.  We had storms, which freaked out the dogs and they kept trying to get in my lap and bumping the wheel :(
So slow going, but that is okay...

I spun a little on a stash batt and am liking the colors of green and blue.  I've been calling this one Nuclear Jello

Day 4

Day 4 (today) was mostly hand cycling (knitting) on a slouchy beret and splitting a 4 ounce roving into more manageable balls. 

I spun a little on this roving, but not enough to brag about. 

Day 5 is tomorrow and I hope to spin on both wheels to get a little more progress going....

Tour de Fleece day 2 (yesterday)

Day 2 was yesterday for TDF11 and this is what I ended up with :)  I finished my 4 ounces of BFL that I am calling Fire Roasted Lasagna.  (a roving from The Dizzy Sheep)  I spun this up on Jolene, which is my Cherub wheel.

Today is day 3 and I am going to start the 2nd 4 ounces of this roving and work a little on some bluey-green batts too.  I also cast on a new hat last night, but no pics yet...but I love it so far.  I think my niece will like this one much more :)