The summer semester has started and I'm already frazzled! One of my classes, the professor decided NOT to turn in a list of books to the bookstore and left everyone scrambling for books. One of which must be some kind of super rare book because nobody had it including Amazon, except in their used section. Thankfully I found someone locally who was selling this super rare book on Amazon and I picked it up yesterday. The reason this super rare book drove me crazy is because, after perusing the syllabus for the class, I realized that I basically have to read the entire freaking book by next week! Nice, huh? Meanwhile I'm also taking ANOTHER class (and I wanted to add a third class to my schedule! psht! THAT wasn't going to happen!) that gives quizzes at the beginning of each class and on the first day, which happened to be Tuesday, the professor had assigned us to read something like 200 pages in three different books and web articles for a quiz today. Mind you the class is from 6:30 to 9pm after work(!) and she acknowledges that most people work, so I guess we're just supposed to procure this time out of thin air to read what is the equivalent of an entire freaking book in one night! I stayed up til practically 1am yesterday doing my readings, taking notes, and having discussions with my better half on the reasons why feminism is so good for our society, men and women alike (since my class is on women's studies) and why he better damn well start helping me out around the house! Yeah, I was tired, I'd been reading loads of feminist materials, and although I still think he could wash a dish every so often, I don't think it was executed in the right way because of the aforementioned groggy/tiredness.
Needless to say because all this has been going on, knitting has come to a screeching halt. On the plus side (or maybe not so plus), I sold some fiber! I sold Underwater Gardens (which i don't think I actually blogged about, but if you check out my Flickr or Ravelry it's there), and Glades Gator which is great because extra cash for yarny/fibery goodness is always good, BUT ...... I really liked how that fiber came out. Yeah, falling in love with fiber you want to sell is bad, I know, but it's really nice stuff and the colors! O.M.G. THE COLORS!
I think I'm going to have to dye up a batch just for me then really, really soon, or as soon as I have a spare moment for myself to be able to dye, spin, and knit something up because right now I hardly have time to go to the bathroom let alone knit!
In more good news, I sold some textbooks that I've had laying around too! I'm SUPER excited about this because I've been trying to make room in our office since it's looking like something out of a horror movie that's about to swallow you whole, so getting rid of some stuff was a necessity, and making some cash for it is always great. So, if you need any textbooks, go to my Amazon store and buy stuff!
Hopefully, some time in the near future, there will be some knitting content going up, but for now, please be patient with me as I'm trying to become more learn-ed.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
This is the yarn that was misbehaving with me so horribly the other night. It's still on the bobbin. I'm probably going to turn it into a skein tonight. I have a real bad habit of under-plying, so I'm hoping that this one did not do that because I gave it an extra couple of spins as I was plying to avoid that, but then I reached the areas that were fighting me horribly and I lost track of the extra spins, so I'm not sure if it's under-plyed, over-plyed, or what. I'll find out tonight.
This yarn has been a dream to spin up! This will be part of the Miami Collection at Deco Handspun, once I'm done with it, and there's a batt that I'm still working on that will be part of the collection, along with the fiber that I dyed last night that is a dream! I left it drying by a window when I left for work this morning, so I haven't seen the colors pop yet, but I know when I get home I'm going to be pleasantly surprised. When I pulled it out and cleaned it the colors were already starting to show beautifully, and I've noticed that after kettle dyeing the colors don't really come out until it's fully dried. I know this is going to come out gorgeous.
Speaking of dyeing fiber, this was the last one I dyed. I finally snapped a picture of it yesterday and put it up at Deco. I'm calling this Mango Milkshake, because the muted yellows with the red/orange and pinks reminds me of mangos. See...
It's not perfect, but it's a close resemblance. I'm hoping to have Key Lime Pie done tonight and hopefully plyed as well. All I have left is a little bit of fiber to spin, so that should be ready to go real soon, and I'd also like to put Twilight (which is the fiber I'm playing with) through the drum carder a couple of times tonight to smooth out some areas that are still a little lumpy. This is my inspiration. This is what I see every night on my drive home, when I'm relaxing on my backyard with a Mojito.
Maybe not so much the beach and palm trees, but the way the sky looks. I'll try and get a picture of this batt tonight.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
And what does she buy? Vogue Knitting Stitchionary volumes 1 and 2, The Friday Night Knitting Club, and Knitting without Tears, AND she orders Knitting Lace Triangles by Evelyn Clark. I guess I could take these things off my wishlist then. I'm writing this off as a Mother's day gift to myself. Yes my boys would have gotten this for me, but in truth it's more fun if you buy it for yourself!
As you could probably tell, I'm getting stuff to help me design stuff, which is something I'd like to start doing. Since I've been in this whole "I want to make these items completely mine" mindset, I figured why not go all the way?! Why NOT get raw fiber, dye it my own colors, spin my own yarn AND design my own patterns? It seems logical to me, that is until I actually get into it and wonder, "what the hell was I thinking?!" like I did last night.
Let me explain.
I finally spun up the fiber from last months Spunky Club. This yarn was fighting me the.whole.way.through. What do I mean by this? Well, this yarn would break at every instance, would not cooperate while being plyed, did not want to be turned into a center pull ball, and tangled to the point that I spent about 2 hours last night untangling simply so I could finish plying the stupid thing. But even through all of this, I overcame it! I conquered it and I finished the yarn! Just in time too because my new shipment came in. In truth, with all the fighting I did, I learned a lot along the way. I learned how to continue plying even when one of the singles breaks, I learned how to find the end when I'm turning a single into a ball from a swift and it breaks, but then you can't find the end and ditto for when it breaks on the bobbin. I learned that it's better not to mess with a single, to just ply it off two bobbins because it just makes life *that* much simpler. This one misbehaving yarn gave me a tremendous headache the past two days but in the end I'm more experienced when it comes to handling fiber.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
This is one of my latest creations! I learned to use my crockpot to kettle dye fiber and I'm having a blast with it! This fiber came out so absolutely beautiful with the mild variations of greens and yellows, and it's so soft and fluffy. There's another fiber that I dyed that I have been unable to photograph. This one I'm calling Glades Gator and will be part of the Miami Collection on Deco Handspun. Why Glades Gator? Well take a look...
This is an image I took while in the Everglades, and I think it's very fitting name for this fiber. Be on the lookout for the next fiber in the collection, and I'm thinking I may be dyeing some tonight as well.
In other news, UPS left me a really nice package on my doorstep yesterday and inside was this
I've been wanting this Lazy Kate for a while, because plying and winding things onto balls with the Lazy Kate my wheel came with is nearly impossible! The thing just spins out of control and drives me nuts, so I dished out some cash for this. Of course, this wasn't the only thing in the box. There was also this...
I'm already having fun with this. That will be another fiber that will pop up soon on Deco and it's looking beautiful so far. I'm thinking of calling it "Bayside Twighlight". You'll see why soon. I'm also in the process of spinning up some great yarn in Superwash called Key Lime Pie. Wait til you see it! I'll try to get pictures of it from the bobbin tonight.
On a more personal note, since I'm in between semesters right now I have all this time for playing with fiber that I'm taking advantage of it and I'm learning as much as I can. My best resources thus far have been the internet and trial and error, and I'm looking into some books as well. I'm excited because this is something I'm really enjoying. Playing with fibers, dyeing them pretty colors, spinning them into luscious yarns, and then turning them into something wearable is so incredible to me. I like being a part of this creation process. I like knowing that I can take something like raw fleece and turn it into clothing that will keep me and my family warm or comfortable, and I hope that I'll be able to share that with you guys through my blogging.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
As promised, I cleaned up the booger and had him put on THE sweater. It's a bit bumpy, it's in it's unblocked state, but here you go. Comments, as usual, are appreciated, and if you see anything I could do to fix the bumpiness or whatever, let me know. Don't be shy, I can take constructive criticism.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
I have a good reason to not be blogging lately. I finally finished the Stepson Sweater from hell, but I haven't taken pictures of it yet. I know, I need to, but I haven't. I'll try and see if I can get him cleaned up enough tonight to put it on and snap a picture. I'm gonna warn you though, it hasn't been properly blocked yet. I attempted to steam block it, but I haven't been able to wet block it yet. Hopefully this weekend I'll get the chance.
Since I finished that project, I started the Drawstring Chemise from the latest Interweave and let me tell you, the lace at the bottom is already giving me all kinds of issues. I got so frustrated yesterday with it after I had ripped back for the fourth time that I threw the stupid thing across the living cursing at it as it flew through the air. My boyfriend laughed at me, and the cat thought she had a new toy. It's pretty comical now that I think of it. The best part is that the problem I was having was my own stupid fault. I should have read the pattern notes and I didn't, so when I kept getting to the end of the third chart row I kept coming up two stitches short and that's just the way the lace is. I could have smacked myself when I read that.
Right before this project I had terrible startitis, and it has since been quenched by this frustrating lace.
I did find something super cool while I was blog surfing today. I ended up over at Boogie Knits and found this post for a crocheted swiffer thingy for the Wet Jet. O.M.G. this thing just seems as if it's too cool for words! I have plenty of kitchen cotton laying around the house after the Absorba I knit, so I'm thinking I'm going to use some of it to make this. The best thing is you can just take it off when you're done and toss it in the wash and voila! It's as if you have a new swiffer pad without spending big bucks and contributing to the downfall of this planet.
I haven't been spinning as much as I would like lately. I just haven't had time with the camping and the finals I just took and all. It's been pretty hectic around the house lately, but I'm thinking I'm going to start spinning again real soon, especially since I should be getting a shipment of fiber from Spunky Eclectic real soon.
Oh, and I made a purchase today of some really good stuff. Let's just say that I want to work on my craft room more then ever now. More on that later.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
Yesterday I attended the Hollywood Diva's knit night. I had the greatest time. There were some girls there I had already met, some I didn't know, two that were really new to knitting, and a couple that I had met at the Stitch n' Pitch. I had a great time. There's nothing like spending the evening with good company and being productive too. I'm 3/4 of the way done seaming the second side of the Stepson Sweater from Hell. It's so close to being done that he was able to try it on this morning before school and I was actually able to see it finished. I need to finish seaming about 4 inches on the sleeve, sew in the zipper and sew down the collar and it's done. Honestly, it's something I could probably finish tonight so he could wear it tomorrow, but I have an evening full of stuff to do, so I'm not sure it that'll happen. I'd like to to though. We'll see.
I also finished reading "Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair". What a great book! Truly inspirational, and I hope that the friendships she acquired from attending her knitting group will be friendships that I acquire as well. I know I still haven't completely come out of my shell after all the drama I've been through, but I feel it slowly cracking open. I would recommend this book to anyone, knitter or not, divorce or not. It's a good read for anyone.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
Yesterday was boys night out, so I had time all to myself to do this. I dyed up two 4oz rovings and 5 skeins of superwash, sock weight yarn. My inspiration was my home town, Miami, with it's bright lights, bright colors, neons and the whole Miami Vice feel. Check out this page for more pictures. Once I'm done with this, it will be up on Deco Handspun as well so I would love some critiques, good or bad. Let me know what you think . There's some that I know I need to redo because the colors didn't completely take, but you get the idea.
On top of this crazy dyeing project I also decided to pick up Frost Flowers & Leaves again. :shock:
That's right. I have FINALLY finished ripping back to where I completely screwed up (which was an entire chart repeat, about a months worth of work) and I'm going to start working on this thing again. I need to go through it before I start knitting again and fix all the live stitches that are on there now to make sure everything is in order because I know when I ripped back there are some stitches that got twisted, some that lost a stitch and the yarn is dangling behind it instead of looped through it, things of the sort. Frost Flowers and Leaves has finally been allowed to come out after the massive time out it was on. I need to finish this. I want to finally start using it because every time I stare at it and grope it, it's soft silkiness calls to me. It's saying, "finish me! I'm soft and comfy and you'll love the way I feel wrapped around you comforting you" so it's time be done with it already. Besides, I started this thing something like a bazillion years ago and I think that's just way too long to not have finished it already, and it's taking up precious needle space. I could have cast on another stole or a triangular shawl or something by now, but I can't because of FF&L.
All in all, I think that yesterday was a fairly productive fiberlicious day, between the W.T. socks, the FF&L ripping fiasco, and that dyeing that I did, I think I did a lot, considering I also pull down a full time job.
Tonight is SnB night, so maybe there will be another productive night as well. Maybe tonight I'll finish seaming the Stepson Sweater from Hell (S.S.F.H for short). I have one side seamed (side and sleeve), now I need to do the other side, get the zipper sewed in, and sew down the collar and it'll be done! I'm not too hot on mattress seaming the sides though. Actually, I think I suck at it. I'll post pictures later on and you guys can be the judge of it.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
I have become inspired by Abigail's recent post about Wee Tiny Socks (W.T. Socks for short). I received a tiny sock blocker and pattern a while back as part of one of the many swaps I've been a part of, and I just got inspired to knit one yesterday.
Then one led to two...
And I think a third and fourth may follow. Actually, what I was truly thinking was that I was going to take some of the fiber I've spun and use it to make these as a marker of my spinning progress. What upsets me though is that in my search for information on these little socks, I came to find out there was a swap for them and I completely missed it by a month. I would have LOVED to have been a part of it but, as the title suggests, that's what happens when you're too busy.
This Wee Tiny Sock thing can be really addicting. I started the first sock late last night and finished it about an hour and a half after I started it because it's one of those knit where you think, "ok, I finished this repeat, let me get to the next challenge. That wasn't so bad, let me get to the next" and before you know it it's 2am and you're knitting this itty bitty little sock while you're man is sound asleep next to you. Actually, it was a most pathetic sight to have seen me last night.
Imagine this: It's 11pm, you're laying in bed, you have 3 knitting magazines, 2 knitting books and various leftover sock yarns strewn about the bed with no man in sight. Just my cat laying at the foot of my bed watching me as if I was a crazy woman who would just die if I didn't read everything I had just gotten yesterday while knitting at the same time. I had received two Spin-Off magazines in the mail yesterday, and I had also gotten some books at Barnes & Nobles along with the Twisted Sister Sock book that I had found and was going crazy looking for.
My boyfriend happened to be out last night at a meeting for his hobby, and I came to the realization that this knitting/spinning thing has really become an obsession with me, which leads me to wonder what is truly at the root of my obsession, or is it just because I happened to pick up the funniest most depressing book in the whole world yesterday. I finally picked up Crazy Aunt Purl's book "Drunk Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair" and O.M.G.! I'm about 20 chapters in (mind you I bought it during my lunch hour yesterday) and I've laughed, I've cried, but most of all I've related to just about every single word she wrote. It's an amazing book, and not really so much about knitting, although that does have a big role to play in her ordeal, but it has a lot to do with what she went through due to the divorce, the coping, and the healing. It's truly an amazing book, and I would recommend it for any woman in her 30's who seem to be going through an early mid-life crisis of sorts.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at Crafty Girly. You can comment here or there.
I feel I have officiamlly earned the "Crafty Girl" title. It's been raining all day today so the dyeing I had intended to do never got done. Not to mention all the dye I was waiting for never came. After tracking the package, it now says I should receive it by Tuesday. So instead of dying stuff I decided to sew a needle roll. I sewed the end all of needle rolls.
I don't think the pictures explain the enormity of this thing. It's about 20" long by about 22" wide. It has enough space to hold 14 pairs of straight needles 14 pairs (or whatever, I have about 4-5 in each slot) of DPN's and 7 circulars. Maybe I should say that it can hold this many sizes because you can actually fit more into each spot. This thing is huge. It's so huge. I can't explain how huge it is. It took me all morning to make because I wanted to be sure it would come out perfect, and I think I got it pretty darn close to perfect. Now I need to finish the sweater.
While I was at Joann's yesterday buying fabric, I found the cutest things!
These are mint boxes, and they can be used fr so many things afterwards. I just thought I should share this with you all. I found them at the $1.99 bins next to the register. Well, off to knit my sweater.
