"Unique Spinning Adventure"

Early Sunday morn while getting ready for church, I was sittin' under the hairdryer at the computer desk and checkin' out spinning videos on You Tube. Really! (It's best that you don't linger on the mental image.)

While flipping around and feeling my "I want to spin" sap rise, I stumbled across LadyBean73's "Long Draw" video. She started out with a huge batt that she called "ugly". Intrigued, I followed her instructions and found more ugly batt at High Prairie Fibers. The site's description reads "made from the bits and splots of leftovers, the waste from the drum carder, odd lots and poor oprhan fibers all blended for unique spinning or felting adventures". Who can resist that description?

For a spinner who never reached any great proficiency and hasn't done any spinning in a few years, an ugly batt seems like a fun way to do some practice spinning. Who am I kidding? If it spins into something usable, it will be knitted!

What a stash!

I'm completely overwhelmed by the phenomenal stash owned by Mochimochi’s MIL. Mochimochi comments that the yarn provides natural sound-proofing. Seems like a great way to create a studio that would suit my interests and Big M's recording sessions.

To have more yarn than one could possibly use in a lifetime seems stressful (so much yarn, so little time), however, I do envy the MIL's great space. My version would have a little less yarn, a few spinning wheels, a large worktable, a couple of knitting machines, some comfy chairs with ottomans and cabinetry for storage. Of course, I would save one wall for M's recording equipment. Can't say I don't know how to share.

It seems that FIL is very supportive. He wrote "she deserves every last skein". He's a keeper!

Don't You Just Love Being Organized?

Thank goodness for Ravelry! My fiber arts stuff is finally organized. I've loaded my stash, my needles, my projects, and some of my books and magazines. What a fine community Ravelry is!! It's to this huge organizational effort (and workin', travelin' and readin' Ravelry and blogs) that I owe the long time between posts.

The current project is two socks, toe up, on two circulars. (Let’s call it 2-toe-up-on-2.) I made one sock on two circs a few years ago (just one) but the two at a time and toe up parts are real firsts! I bought Nenah Galati’s Socks II DVD to learn two at a time but her example is done top down with short row heel. In that I've never done a short row heel, I'm not sure that it can be done upside down (I can hear you laughing).

Google rarely lets me down but I'm not finding any guidance for my dilemna there or among my MANY books on sock knitting. Is it safe to assume that one cannot do standard gussets on 2-toe-up-on-2? Is a short row heel the only way? I sincerely hope that one of my many regular readers has an answer... :->

Tomorrow I knit!

I came home with bed in mind but I sat at the computer first. Four hours later and I'm still here. There wasn't a bit of knitting done this night. Instead, I played with my blog format, read a few others, checked out Ravelry, downloaded some patterns from Knit and Crochet Today, bought a book on eBay (with USM/Bond patterns), and generally killed time sitting in front of a computer. Isn't that just like work?!? Tomorrow, I knit!

Knit and Crochet Today, is a great addition to the stitcher's viewing lineup since our options are so limited, however, I'm terribly unimpressed by host Kassie DePaiva. Thankfully, at the end of each episode, Linda Cyr demonstrates the techniques that were presented. Kassie acts so silly and does such a poor job as "student" that she interferes with the guests demonstrations. Check it out on your local PBS station. You'll see what I mean...

It is important to note that the show has some very interesting guests. I was extremely pleased to see Detroit's own Karen Kendrick-Hands, owner of City Knits, on the "purse" episode!

Here's a random observation: I've become such a fan of watching recorded television with DVR that I want the ability to rewind or fast forward other aspects of my life (i.e., conversations, radio). Anybody feel me?

Nose to the grindstone...

The idyllic time of vacation is over. Had to drag myself back to work this a.m. On the way there, I thought longingly of knitting, reading, TV, napping -- anything but work. I could picture myself in my spot and the view that I would have. It's much the same as above except it's all white outdoors today, even the evergreens are covered with snow. Once I arrived at the office, I thought of nothing but work and put in an 11 hour day.

Even though I actually finished an afghan on New Years' eve, I still haven't posted any pictures of WIPs or FOs. I added this one (that includes my Ashford Traditional wheel) just so that I don't disappoint my extensive readership. :->

Too Busy...

I'm still trying to figure out how one can blog regularly, read/post lots on Ravelry, make beautiful handspun, hand dyed/painted yarns, knit gorgeous projects, photograph them so beautifully that they make others yearn and drool while maintaining a full-time job.

I'm doin' okay this week but it helps that I'm on "vacation". Today's activities:

• Work four hours,
• Knit a few rows during the mid-day news broadcast,
• Stroll through Ravelry,
• Cruise blogs as you find them,
• Spend an hour or two trying to figure out how to create your own slide show on your blog (hate seeing other folks photos there),
• Save links to appealing blogs (so you can find them again since you aren't expert at blogging),
• Read knitting magazines while eating,
• Machine knit through one HGTV show,
• Sit at computer to write blog post through another show,
• Consider whether next step is hand-knitting on sofa or machine-knitting in basement,
• All the while, dreaming up potential groups for Ravelry...

I still haven't finished one project, photographed any old FOs or my "not too shabby" stash. I haven't even glanced at the list of personal business to attend to during vacation! How the hell can one be stressed while on vacation?!?!? I just don't get it...

Merry (?) Christmas

Exactly two weeks ago today, I took a fall in Toronto. Never missed a beat in terms of the presentation that I had to make mere minutes after hitting the ground REALLY hard. I had some bruises and scrapes and badly sprained my left arm. After taking a break for holiday prep, I just discovered that the arm doesn't react well to knitting. At least not on a cabled scarf in a super bulky yarn.

I guess this discovery was in keeping with the rest of the day -- it just wasn't our best Christmas.

I'll give the USM (ISM, Bond, Ultimate Sweater Machine) a try tomorrow. Perhaps I'll find a few pleasant hours at the machine....

Bloggin' Again

Can't believe it! Did this in early '04 and thought I was the stuff 'cuz I had a blog about my stitchin' interests and family. Then I went to France for a while. Life changed when I returned and I never found time for my blog again.

But then came Ravelry.com... I'm hooked there and I'm back into bloggin'.

Question of the day: How do all of the knitting bloggers with careers find time to keep up with it all? Please comment!