Drum carders and fiber blending

I am sorry that I have been unable to post for a while. Our internet decided to go on vacation for a few days, but I think we have it back now :) Here's what I did this weekend! We have been working on our craft room, more details over at my mom's blog. So, we now have all this space specifically designed for creativity and fiber-y fun! I broke out the drum carder and decided to blend some roving that I got for Christmas. It started out like this, but I wanted more blended color rather than sections of color.

I pulled the colors apart and pre-carded them on their own-
(By the way, the colors below are true to the way they really look, more so than above)

I took these and split them all up, making little groups of one of each color


I put them on the drum carder like this-


After one layer of the colors in this order, I added another layer of colors laid out in a different order. I pulled it off the carder, pulled into more of a roving and here it is!


I wanted a lot of color definition so I only put it through the carder once. I am so excited about how it turned out, I can't wait to spin it all up! I will be posting a knitting update, turning the heels on my socks and my cardigan! I am on the left front...moving right along! :)

Rain, rain DON'T go away!

It rained today for about 30 minutes and it was wonderful! I have missed it so much! Our poor plants are so thirsty and our front lawn has really suffered. It was wonderfully cool this evening and we all went out to work on our playground which is coming along very nicely...pictures up soon! The kids are so enjoying that, it has morphed into a ship with swing sets coming out of it. My uncle is here working on our remodeling projects as well as the playground-today he made an anchor, put on the helm and a telescope up in the crows nest. It's basically everything you would ever want to use your imagination in play, which is perfect!

My socks are coming along nicely although I had to frog them a couple of days ago because I wasn't pleased with the way I continued the pattern after the heel flap. I am happier with them now but it seems to be so slow as I work toward the point where I left off last time :) I ordered 4 different colors of this self-striping yarn from Ram Wools about a month ago and I got 2 of them, but they told me that the other 2 would be back ordered and ready to ship in 2 weeks. Well, I haven't gotten them yet and I am nearing the end of these socks. As soon as we get our A/C again I will be working on my afghan, but not till then! So, I will have to place another order I suppose :) Alas, what torture! I have already chosen the yarn that I will be using for Mallory's legwarmers. She showed me some baby blue, thigh high legwarmers out of a ballet catalog that she wants so I will be working on those. Fortunately for me, she has thin legs, lol.

I haven't done ANY spinning since we started all our projects in the house and am so looking forward to that. I helped my mom buy 3 pounds of fiber for her birthday and it arrived today. I am so jealous! It positively screams "spin me!!!". So, as soon as my uncle leaves for home on Saturday evening, we will be finishing things up and then trying to get back to "normal" life :). I am not sure I remember what that is actually!

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry --
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll --
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human soul.

-Emily Dickinson-

Knitting through time and space

There has been a warp in the time-space continuum of my knitting universe. Is there a penalty for bumping knitting projects up in your queue 3, 4, or 5 places? :) I sincerely hope not because, as you are about to read, I would be in big trouble!

You know that purple Shapely Tank that I was working on? I decided that I was displeased with it and not even enjoying working on it anymore so...out it went! So, then I thought, I will start working on that pair of socks for Levi. As I am knitting along happily on the gauge, I was talking to Levi about what he would want in a pair of homemade socks. Turns out he wanted something colorful with stripes, of course- something I have none of! I then decided to go online and I ordered enough yarn to make 4 different pairs of socks: 2 skeins each of the 4 different colors of Kroy Jacquard (Patons) from Ram Wools. While I am waiting for that order to arrive, I think to myself, I will start that hooded sweater pattern that's in my queue! I have been wanting to do that for so long now and I got really excited about it. I bought some purple yarn from a store in Cincinnati recently just for this pattern, so I begin to whip up the gauge. About this time, I thought to look at the pattern and check the yardage requirements-I have 1200 yards...the pattern calls for 1500!! ARGH!

SOOOO...The only thing left on my queue that I could do (without going to buy new yarn) is a stole :) And, I couldn't possible be without a knitting project right now! I could never show my face in polite society again! ;) So I have now taken that same yarn that was intended for the hoodie and am making myself a stole. I knew I would get to that stole, but I didn't know it would be this soon! I took a pattern for a scarf from the Little Box of Scarves by Melissa Matthay and Sheryl Thies. I chose the fern lace wrap pattern and am making it about 3 times as wide as the scarf pattern. I am 2 rows into the pattern and it is turning out very beautifully.

I also bought some yarn today to work on that lap afghan. So, I will be doing those at the same time, I think I will take the afghan to knitting night at B&N because I am planning on doing it plain garter stitch. That will be so easy! No interruptions from chatting!

As far as my spinning, I think I will use that merino for a scarf for myself. I have chosen one, but I might see something I like better between now and then. Who knows, that might not be too far away! :)

I have found a blog that has inspired me to add SEVERAL more things to my knitting queue. I don't even know if anyone needs these items, but who cares! You have to go check out Brooklyn Tweed- Especially if you are a fan of Elizabeth Zimmerman. I am just in awe of all his completed projects and have to have a Tomten Jacket just like his! My mom introduced me to EZ's patterns and we both love her. We went to knitting camp in 2002 and fell in love with her daughter, Meg Swansen, as well.

Knitting,spinning dogs, and life

This is my puppy, Bailey Marie, a blue merle sheltie. As you can probably see, one of her eyes is blue. Isn't she beautiful?! She's 7 moths old now and I don't know what life would be like without her :) She's everything I always wanted in a dog- loyal to a fault, (she ran alongside my dad's truck tonight when she saw that I was in the back) sweet and loving, affectionate and very happy. Pets make life all that much better! Oh, and Bailey enjoys my spinning as well ;)



As I mentioned in my last post, I am a member of Dogster. I have thoroughly enjoyed that and they just recently sent me an email informing me that I had a special offer from Shutterfly, who has recently teamed up with Dogster. Anyway, they gave me a free 8.5" x 11", 20 page photo book for free since I have been a member with Dosgter since before June of this year. I have been working on compiling all my photos of Bailey and arranging them in this book. They give you all different kinds of backgrounds, layouts, and options to add text and captions. It's so awesome! So, I am almost done with it and I just have a few more pics to add...I will keep you updated on this (although it is probably not exciting to anyone but me, lol).

Today was my sister, Kelsey's ninth birthday and we all had a very good time. We have a family tradition that the birthday girl (or boy) gets to choose their birthday dinner. Kelsey chose sauteed vegetables and fresh corn. We had a dessert of oreo pie and ice cream :)


My knitting projects are frustrating me right now. I am about 3/4 of the way done with my shapely tank, but I ran out of yarn. So off we go to Hobby Lobby to get some more, and, of course, the dye lot was a teeny bit off. My brilliant mother gave me the idea to change the pattern of the top half of my tank to disguise the yarn color change, and it IS working! The only drawback is that I am doing a seed stitch now, and that takes me about twice as long to knit, lol. Anyway, I am STILL working on that and I am so ready to be done with it. I mentioned before about the pair of Christmas socks I also have on the needles, but to be perfectly honest, I still haven't officially casted on for those. Tuesday night, at our knitting group, I did a gauge swatch. Then I realized that I should've done my swatch in the round...so I took it all out and started again. About 1/3 of the way through that swatch, I realized that my needles weren't the same size so I was totally throwing my gauge off. Since then, I have found the other pair of size 2 needles, but haven't had the heart to start again. :) I am also working on finding that magical measurement of the intended foot x stitches ratio and that's slowing down my motivation as well. Tomorrow, I WILL tackle that!

I am almost done with my Tour De Fleece-fleece :) I have been faithful to spin each day and I am very proud of myself! I am using a double treadle Lendrum wheel and it spins like a dream. Of course, I already had this bit of purple merino about halfway spun up before I started this, so I guess it doesn't really count. I will be starting something new soon and I am excited about that! I have been inspired by Peggy and my other knitting friends to branch out, break free, and otherwise cast all bonds of one-project-at-a-time-itis aside and have more than one project going at a time! You would be proud of me ladies! (and my mom, who has started to at least think about it, lol)

Tour De Fleece Project

I have begun my spinning project for the Tour De Fleece! This is the fiber I am working on (merino) as well as what I have plied so far.I am very thrilled with how it turned out. I am planning on using this for a stole, but we'll see what happens between now and then, lol.

I have had a recent opportunity to experience one of my pet peeves. I cannot abide when one bobbin of singles has more on it than the other! When you ply, you are left with singles on one bobbin and not the other...what is the cure for this malady? Please, someone give me an idea! I was talking to a couple of my knitting friends (Peggy and June) and they mentioned weighing your bobbins before starting to ply to determine that you have an even amount on each. I may have to resort to this method! As you can see, I have a significant amount left on this bobbin, ARGH!

So, I will soon be looking for that stole pattern. It will be my first shawl/stole to make and I am actually pretty excited about it! I will be posting the link to the pattern as soon as I decide on which one I like the best. Of course, if you have looked at my knitting queue, you will know that I have no business thinking about this yet, but a girl can dream, right? :)