Paying it forward

Well, long time no see. I have been really busy with not fun stuff, but now I'm finally starting to breathe again. I haven't been doing any knitting (gasp!) but I have been spinning. I had my first lesson with Marie (selkieb on Ravelry) a couple of weekends ago, and this weekend is packed with good things- firstly is our first spinning get together at Black Bear Crossing on Como Lake on Saturday, and then there is a gem show at Har Mar Mall. I haven't been to a gem show in ages, so it will be interesting. Then there is the Body Mind Spirit Expo- and I will be ogling over the stuff from Crystalline Light, I'm sure!

Speaking of which, on her blog, Jennifer has posted a "Pay it Forward" offer, which I greedily took her up on! So, for the first three people to shout "ME!!!" (from the continental U.S. please) I will mail out some lovely handmade goodness- probably in the form of herbal bath teas, oils, or salts. I promise that whatever I send will be lovely, and I can work with preferences of scents to make something you love! In return, you agree to pay it forward to 3 people on your blog as well! You know you want to... ;-)

Tis the season

Well, I'm just about finished with Ice Queen, although she has been renamed- she is now Snow Maiden. I finished the picot edging on the top, but have run out of yarn... I could go get another ball right now, but I stepped in cat puke, so I washed my foot in the bathtub, and then decided to just take a shower. So now my hair is wet, and it's mildly cold out (actually warm for Minnesota at 37) so I don't want to go out. I'll go get it tomorrow.

I am working instead on my bulky bolero- this thing is not quick, because I get bored with it so quickly. However, tonight, we'll hopefully hunker down with some movies so I can get some solid work done on it.

Not much else is going on right now- just relaxing. It's so nice not making a big deal of Christmas, and just enjoying it as a day of rest and relaxation. More power to those of you who do it up in a big way... but I appreciate my quiet holidays!

Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, whatever you celebrate- have a lovely weekend!

Queenie

Here she is:



Pretty eh? There are more pics where that came from.

Fluffy Goodness!

I am usually not a girly girl. In knitting patterns, I tend to choose warmth and cables over frothy prettiness Not to say I don't appreciate flowers or lace, I generally just don't wear them. But perhaps I have changes.
I saw Ice Queen in the Winter Knitty, and fell in love. While everyone else was oohing and aahhing over Jeanie, I was already thinking of how, were I to get stuck in the Wintery Narnia, this would be the perfect thing to tromp through those idyllic woods with talking beavers. And since anything can happen, it is best to be prepared.
So, I adopted some unspeakably pretty mohair/merino laceweight by Crystal Palace that is a mixture of lavender, rose, mint green, and pale blue, all mingled with subtle grace (I really love this yarn) with a lovely halo, and a nice, not too slippery hand, but plenty of lustre.
Then I went to the local bead shop, which happens to be having a 30% off everything sale. It was meant to be. I bought one adorable little tube of gleaming mint 6/0 beads, and went home to eagerly cast on.
Damn. Provisional cast on. I hates it. I tried the method preferred by the designer, but it just didn't work for me. So I googled it, and found a method that worked relatively well in a technique article on knitty. It took forever- one hundred fifty frickin six stitches- and then I went on my merry way. This is my very first lace weight project- I've done lace in worsted weight before, but it is so different when your yarn feels nonexistant. However, I've gotten into the groove of it, and I am thoroughly enjoying this! So, when I get a little bit further, I shall take some pics, and there will be much rejoicing (YAYYYY!)

Taste the rainbow

Yummy. I loved knitting this scarf- it is the one row scarf from the Yarn Harlot. It was brainless fun, perfect for tv, and so satisfying. It made my bumpy handspun look great! I casted on 4 extra stitches for a little bit meatier of a scarf. It goes great with my raspberry down coat too!



Taste the rainbow!

snowy

snowy shed
Originally uploaded by autumns.daughter

What a beautiful day. The snow is falling in abundance, gentle little flakes, and it is a perfect day for knitting.
I've been working on my hemlock bolero- but I am confused. I seem to be getting a different gauge on the sleeves than on the body, so I might rip them out and try knitting them on 10 1/2s instead of on 10s. Sigh. I thought that this little sweater would go quickly. I think it would, if I didn't have all of these gauge issues. But, I want to have a nicely fitting sweater, so I'm willing to reknit if that's what it will take to make me happy.
I've been spinning a fair amount as well... but until I get some better light, I won't be able to get nice pics.
Ah well. In this weather, I don't feel much of a rush anyhow. It is just nice to be able to sit and watch the snow fall.

City Lights

This is the City Lights Polwarth roving I bought from the Fiber Studio.
My first impression? The colors! Wow! So gorgeous, and vibrant! The texture was less hairy than Corriedale, with more crimp and softness. It also had an appealing "greasy" feel- not gross, but well moisturized. It drafted really easily, and was simple to spin, it practically spun itself.
I separated the roving into to long strips, and rolled it up into two balls. I spun one and then the other, and then I plyed the two together, for a long continuum of color. It was incredibly satisfying to see the results. Here is my city lights yarn!
I haven't had the heart to tie it into a skein yet, it is too
pretty on the chair!