Monthly Archives: April 2009

Knitting and Spinning

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Scarf

What else would I be talking about?  Anyway, I mentioned that I started a new scarf from Victorian Lace Today and here it is.  I’ve knit a few more rows on it now, but it looks pretty much the same.  The pattern is called “Scarf with Clarence Border” and it’s a nice, simple pattern that works good with the variegated yarn.  The yarn is Helen’s Lace, leftover from my Whisper Cardigan.  I really hope this looks better when it’s blocked, it’s a mess right now.

Wool/Llama roving

Yesterday I started spinning this roving, it’s 4oz of that same wool/llama/mohair, this is the very last of it.  I actually forgot I had this bit of roving and found it in the bottom of a box while I was looking for something else.  I felted the roving pretty bad when I dyed it so I got out my hand cards and carded it the best I could.  I finished the yarn today and I have a little over 200yds of fingering weight singles.  The yarn is drying outside right now and it looks pretty good, if a little over twisted.

I really want to do some weaving but I’m not sure what.  I have some green handspun that would work or I could go buy some yarn or I have that undyed cotton from KnitPicks.  I just don’t know.  I guess I’ll just wait until I decide what to do. 

In the mean time, I need to get back to my work knitting.  I still have around three inches to knit before Sunday to meet my goal for the week.  This has become one of those black hole projects where you knit forever and never seem to make any progress.  Maybe I’m not knitting as much as I think I am, could be all the spinning, scarf knitting, digging through yarn to find something to weave…

Whisper Cardigan

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Whisper Cardigan

I was finally able to go outside and take a picture of my Whisper Cardigan today.  This is the first day it hasn’t either been raining or dark or had the wind blowing at 20-30mph (seriously).  No modeled shots, I just didn’t feel like it.  I do love how the cardigan looks just hanging up, it’s so light and floaty.

The Details:

  • Pattern:  Whisper Cardigan by Hannah Fettig from the Spring 2009 Interweave Knits
  • Yarn:  Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace in a variegated purple.  I had planned on overdyeing this with a touch of black dye, to give it a gray cast, but I really like the purple so I’m keeping it.
  • Needles:  US6/4mm for the body and US4/3.5mm for the ribbing and US2/2.75mm for the gathering at the back.
  • Modifications:  I made the sleeves a little longer, just by an inch or so.  I also made the body longer, ten inches instead of eight.
  • See it on Ravelry.

I used a little over half a skein of Helen’s Lace and I started a scarf with the leftovers.  I have a picture of it, but I’ll blog about that tomorrow.  I’ve set aside my Peace Fleece vest for now, I’m not too happy with it so I may just frog it and start over.  I’m going to finish my new work project first, though.

Four Years

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  • Your Quit Date is: 4/11/2005 9:00:00 AM
  • Time Smoke-Free: 1461 days, 10 hours, 13 minutes and 5 seconds
  • Cigarettes NOT smoked: 43843
  • Lifetime Saved: 11 months, 4 days, 21 hours
  • Money Saved: $5,478.75

This makes me happy.  I smoked at least two packs a day for right about ten years.  I woke up one morning, slapped on a NicodermCQ patch and I’ve only had one cigarette since (and it was gross but I was very stressed out).  Every now and then a craving will creep up on me and I just pop an Altoid and wait for it to go away (like right now, gah!).  Yay, me!

Hi

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Laceweight Yarn

My internet access has been spotty this week, there’s some road construction going on near my house and they keep knocking it out, so I haven’t had a chance to do much of anything online all week.  I’m kind of surprised I’m on now considering the crazy tornado weather last night.

Needless to say, it’s been dark and rainy all week and I just can’t get a decent picture to save my life, so I don’t have much to show.  I managed to get this picture of the yarn I spun last week and finished Monday but that’s it.  So, this is the blue and brown lace weight I was showing last week.  I thought I had about six ounces of roving but it was more like three (way to go there, reading the scale wrong, whoops!) so I only came out with a little over 200yds of yarn.  It was really smooth and soft but after I washed it the yarn poofed up and got fuzzy so it is a touch heavier than I thought it would be and not quite as consistent as it looked.  I still really like it and I do have enough for a little lacey scarf, so I’m pretty happy.  This is my first lace weight yarn and I know that I’ll get better with practice.  I can see lots more handspun lace yarn in my future.  In fact, I have eight ounces of Shetland wool that would make a lovely lace weight yarn.

I’ve been doing lots of knitting, trying to finish everything that I’m working on before the yarn for my next work project gets here.  The Whisper Cardigan is finished and blocked and just waiting for pictures and the Peace Fleece vest has a full back, one side front and almost a full second front, all that’s left after that is the trim and blocking.  It’s knitting up super fast.  And I have to say that the yarn feels insanely thick after working with so much lace weight for so long.

I need a throw over anything, light weight Spring cardigan and I’ve decided that it will be Veronik Avery’s Dollar and a Half Cardigan.  I’m thinking about springing for the yarn called for in the pattern, Reynold’s Soft Linen, but I’m not sure I want to spend that much money and I can’t decide on a color.  I guess I’ll spend my weekend looking.

Sally & Cashew

Just because, here’s one of my cats, Cashew, and Sally sleeping cuddled up together last night.  Cute!