Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!!!

And happy holidays to everyone!

Hope santa brings everyone what they wanted! :)

Monday, November 10, 2008

Bunny Update

Well.. the day I planned on picking up the little ball of fluff, I recieved a phone call. One that informed me that I could not have the bunny.. because she had 6 babies! Apparently the current owner's bf accidentally let her out with the male bunny... and you know what goes on from there. I must admit I am rather relieved that I didn't get her earlier.. only becaus eI would not have had ANY idea on how to deal with newborn baby bunnies. So they should be ready to leave mom by mid december, so I get my choice of one of the babies instead. :D

Merry Xmas to me! XD

Monday, October 27, 2008

Sneak peek at my future bunneh!


She will be mine soon!

Isn't she gorgeous? I will be adopting her and hopefully picking her up sometime this week.. she's a German Angora.

I love the floofy!

Updates soonish!

I am SO neglectful of my poor little blog!

ARRRRGGGHHH.

I have so much I feel I need to update on and I'm sure I've forgotten half of it due to my having a goldfish memory.

Anyways.. update soon, I PROMISE. Will talk about future, current, and finished projects and most importantly my new stash enhancers fresh from guild and Rhinebeck. Yay

Now... to find my camera so I can not only take pics, but upload them to the computer. <3

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Tour de Fleece 08... Day 3 and 4

Day 3... last night

Attempted to ply the singles from the brown/rust/blue silk cap I purchased from MA sheep and wool. I only managed to get a teeny bit plied.. it snapped twice on me and I had to splice it back together. It also kept tangling.. which resulted in the snapping. Finally it tangled so much i just couldn't take it anymore. It's being set aside for now. Maybe that will be my challenge fo the challenge day lol.

Day 4... tonight

Having given up temporarily on the silk cap singles, I rummaged through my stash to see what has been sitting for a while waiting to be spun. I unearthed a 4 oz ball of cormo/mohair fluffiness from Foxhill Farm that I had picked up at one the othe guild meetings. Its a gorgeous variegated purpley fiber and I had actually forgotten I had it. I set out to start spinning it. Pre-drafted a chunk of it and discovered it was a batt (or something) that had been pulled into a roving. .so fibers were all willy nilly and it was very fluffy. Wasn't expecting that, but no big deal. What bothered me was that as I spun it, I had difficulty keeping it as consistant as I wanted and there are some slubby spots. Not what I was going for, but it will make an interesting yarn. Also it feels like there is still some grease left in the wool and I am hating the way it feels on my hands. Kinda late to wash it now.. so I guess I will give it a nice hot soak when I am finished. Only got through maybe half an ounce tonight. I realized its after midnight and I have to be in to work by 7:30. Should probably quit for the night and head to bed so I have a chance at getting there on time haha. Will definitely work on the cormo/mohair more tomorrow and hopefully finish the singles. Thinking about making it a 2 ply.. not really sure yet.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Tour de Fleece 2008

I've decided to join the group on ravelry and try this for the first time this year. I figure it'll give me the much needed motivation to get more spinning in.

I haven't been home since the weekend, thankfully I brought my spindles and some fiber with me so I was able to start on time with the tour. Can't say I've spun much so far though.

Day 1: Spun some more of the red/orange/purple batt from copperpot on my turkish spindle.
Day 2: Worked on some of the alpaca/sari silk batt from loop on my heavier bottom whorl spindle.
Day 3: Today.. haven't started yet and it's 10pm. Will get some spinning on the wheel done before bed. Will probably pop in season 2 of Angel and watch some of that for entertainment. Or season 1 of Gilmore Girls. Not sure yet.

No pics yet seeing as I have lent my camera to the bf. Gee that was fantastic timing.


I'm STILL working on my first pair of socks.. actually I'm still working on the first sock. I got overly ahead of myself and started decreasing for the toe. Finally decided to try it on. Found it to be way too short and had to rip back. Currently getting all the stitches back on the needles and continuing along my merry way. I am determined to finish the first sock by thursday's SnB meeting.

Monday, June 30, 2008

WEBS!

God I'm slow at posting to this thing. -_-

Soo... I got to go to Webs on tuesday!!! It was completely amazing. We had an overall fun day but webs was definitely the highlight for me. We walked in and I was like ouuu ok.. yarn store. Nice.. big.. lots of stuff to look at. And then. they took me to the BACK ROOM. The warehouse with boxes upon boxes of fibery goodness. I stopped in the doorway and stared. I had heard about it.. but hearing is one thing and seeing is quite another. Totally overwhelming and utterly fascinating. I wandered around for a while, wishing I had had a larger budget for the day. I'll be saving for my next trip! I purchased one skein of Great Adirondak sock yarn in a gorgeous mostly black with splashes of green purple and blue colorway, and one set of bamboo dpns. I am coveting the Misti Alpaca laceweight I saw and the beautiful shawl they had on display. Something for me to look forward to buying on my next trip.

My goal was to get sock yarn and learn how to knit socks. I see hand knitted socks online and irl and I WANT TO BE A SOCK KNITTER. Hand knitted socks are so pretty and there are so many patterns! DivineBird was patient enough to show me how to start a sock and explain what I needed to do. Dpns aren't as difficult as I thought.. I think it's the bamboo.. less slippery. I've been working on my sock every day and I am now done with the cuff, past the heel, and past the decreases! Just another inch and I think I can staet decreasing for the toe. I'm insanely excited and I want to finish before thursday's SnB so i can show it off. :)

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Two more days til I get to go to webs!!! EEEEEEEE!

Ahem.

So what have I been working on?

I started a Round Ripple Afghan to try and use up some of my stash acrylics. I have a ton of Caron Simply Soft, and I'm sure it'll be perfect for a blanket. I'm using my black, and orange, yello wand green in the brites for this afghan and I think I want it to be adult sized. I'm kind of doubtful on the black now that I'm working on it, but I really don't feel like frogging it completely so I will finish it.

Not much else to update on. I had to stop for a while on the afghan since my wrist hurts so maybe I'll get some spinning in while listening to my friends' gamin podcast. ( http://theawesomeapocalypse.com/ )

Friday, June 20, 2008

So.. camping has come and gone.. and look! Survival with no bear encounters. Yaaaaaaay. It was a good time, although it was bloody hot and it rained when we got there. Also, being eaten alive by mosquitoes for 4 days wasn't fantastic either. But it was fun and I got to experience something new, and I got to show how much of a tomboy I am.. haha. Dunno if that's a good thing! I did NOT get any knitting done, for fear of it getting completely dirty. I know I could have just washed it, but I felt it would be safer in my bag. :p

I've actually been able to make it to the last couple of SnB's, which makes me infinitely happy. Been spinning on my spindles, and working on some superwash on my wheel.. and I've started Wisp from knitty.com as my first foray into lace knitting. It seems simple enough, but I'm about 9 rows in and I have to admit, the the mohair yarn is kiiiiiiiilling me. It's so fine and.. fuzzy. I am going to plow through it a bit more and see if it gets any better, if not, I will set it aside and try something else first, returning to it when I feel more confidant and less like throwing it out the window. One of the girls at SnB suggested I start with the Shoalwater Shawl, which can be done with a worsted weight. I think that might be a better option for me at this point. If I don't like it for myself, it wil make a lovely gift for my aunt I think.

AND!
I will be making my FIRST trip to WEBS on tuesday! EEEEEeeeEEEeeeeEEEE! I am sooo excited it's not even funny. I have heard so much about it and how overwhelming it can be.. can't waaaaiiiiiit. And we'll be going to see Aaron do his stand up thing at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield. Should be a good time!

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Camping!

Going to Bradford, Maine this weekend with one of my best friends and a whole bunch of other friends. I haven't been camping since I was like 8 so I don't know how I'll fare.. lol I'm convinced I'm going to be completely unprepared. I like the woods and I like hiking and outdoors kinds of things.. but camping? Where there are no toilets or showers?? What's a girl to do? He's been my friend since third grade, so I couldn't say no. I tried and it didn't work.. lol I have been coerced into joining everyone for fun in the woods. Hopefully I won't be eaten by a bear. Or a moose. Or something of a fierce and angry nature. At least I can bring my knitting and get something done. Maybe with some shiny yarn so if anything chases me I can throw it and distract them. Ha!

Wish me luck!

Monday, June 02, 2008

SnB and spinning

I actually made it to SnB on saturday! Can you believe it? I'm still in shock about it, especially since I haven't been able to go since roughly december. Work keeps me too late on thursdays and I don't have sat off so I usually can't make it. Or if I can, I would only get to spend an hour there and the drive there and back is longer than that, so it just isn't a great idea for me to waste all that gas. Especially with it being over $4 a gallon now. UGH. I did bug my manager to let me leave earlier on thurs so I can go, since we hired on an extra person and school is over, so the people that would normally leave early won't have to and give me a chance! And I digress.. lol

Anyways.. I had a lot of fun and it was so great to see everyone again and meet new people. I love knitters/crocheters/spinners. They are an awesome bunch of people. And it was the first time I had ever been to It's a Grind. It was such a cute little coffee house, even though I think the coffee was a bit overpriced. At least it was yummy. And I got to work on a simple seed stitch scarf that I've been working on for what seems like forever... I'm finally making some progress on it. I'm knitting it with Paton's Soy Wool Stripes, which I LOVE because of the pretty color changes that appear as you knit. I'm hoping to gift it to a friend, but I'm not sure anymore if she will like the colors... we'll see.

I also got to get some spinning in this weekend while at the bf's place. I love that he's not horrified by my spinning/knitting or whatever, but instead finds it endearing and actually looks interested and asks questions. It's a nice change.. lol Sometimes he even asks if he can help spin, which means he wants to give the spindle a twirl every once in a while, which I find adorable. I figure a few more times and I'll see if I can get him to actually take the spindle itself and try drafting. Muahahaha.. we'll make a spinner out of him.. ehehehee I am absolutely in love with my turkish spindle, and I actually want another one.. perhaps a smaller one. It spins so beautifully and I love the novelty of having a nice neat center pull ball when I'm done.

Which reminds me that I have a little ball that is calling to me to come ply it. I want to see how what I'm spinning will look as a two ply and I am way too impatient to spin up another ball and ply those together.. so i guess I'll end up with at least one teeny skein. Oh wellz. I better go get on that while I have Family Guy to entertain me.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Memorial Day Spinning

Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone got to enjoy a day off as much as I did! It was sooo gorgeous out... nice and warm.. and no clouds in the sky. I figured it would be a nice day to sit outside with my wheel and play with some of the new fibers from MA Sheep n Wool.

Of course, after 4 hours in the sun, with spf 30 sunscreen, I still ended up burning to a crispy red shade. Yay for being pasty. =(

I also somehow managed to get purple dye all over my hands and under my nails from the silk cap I was spinning. (I swear there wasn't even any purple in it!)

I started with the merino/cashmere from Spunky Eclectic in the mermaid colorway. I'm trying to spin it finer than i normally would. I love the bright hues of the green and blues. Not sure if I want to ply it back on itself or chain ply it. Will have to decide when I'm done.


And while I was working on that, I noticed I had a little visitor. I dub thee Charlotte. Checking out another spinner's work I see. Usually i would freak out and smush a spider. But we were outside and she wasnt' bothering me.. so I let her live. I mean, she was probably there for some inspiration right? Too bad she can't spin in such gorgeous colors.


I took a break from the merino/cashmere to try out a silk cap. It was calling to me, I swear. And look at the color difference in the sun! Yes this is the same dark colored cap I got from A Touch of Twist. (and do you see purple in there? I see blue, but no purple! I'm still trying to figure out how my hands got that color)

It was recommended to me to spin a cap from the end as opposed to peeling off layers like you would do to a hankie, so I attempted to do that. It drafted nicely but after a while I noticed no longer held a cap, I held a fluffy mas off fiber. I wondered if I was doing it correctly, but I figured I wasn't hurting anything if I wasn't and continued.


And just look at the colors that shone out! Ambers and brown and copper.. So pretty!!



While I was working on the cap, I heard voices behind me and a "what kind of animal did that come from anyways?" I peeked over my shoulder and saw both my parents in the window staring at me. "It's from a silkworm!" I replied, to which I got some confused looks. So of course I proceeded to inform my parents of how a silk cap is made. Haha. Shortly after my mother appeared in the yard wielding a disposable camera and began taking pictures. "What are you doing?" I asked. She said, "I want pictures! This is so different.. like in old times! And it looks relaxing..." I laughed at her and said "It is.. when there aren't cameras in my face!" I swear there's a spinner in her somewhere.. she looked too interested. lol

I finished spinning the cap.. it was only.. hmm.. well I'm not sure how much there was.. the label said "weight... 05" I dunno what that means? Its sitting on the bobbin waiting to be plied. I think I'm going to make a plying bracelet and ply it back on itself. I won't get much yardage out of it, but that's ok. Not sure what's going to happen to it yet either.

Now to apply more aloe to my poor shoulders and try and sleep!

MA Sheep & Wool ... part 2!

So. My day started off with work.. eh. Couldn't be helped. I didn't mind except it meant that I wouldn't be able to get to MA until 2 or 3 since it would be a 2 hour drive. I was hoping that Jenny and Deb would still be there by the time I got there, but I wasn't sure since I knew they would be there since early that morning.

I left with minimal directions and was hopign that I wouldn't get lost on the way. I passed at least two craft stores, several yarn shops, antique shops, and places that boasted maple syrup products. I wanted to stop sooo bad! Anyways. I didn't get lost and I got there areound 2:30. I couldn't get ahold of Jenny due to there being NO CELL SERVICE. Ugh. I wandered around for a while just taking in the sights, also trying to see if I knew anyone by chance. I watched a guy shear two lambs (boy did they seem pissed!) and I browsed all the vendor booths in and out of the barns. I think I walked around at LEAST 3 times before I purchased anything.

( I did get a decent amount of fibery goodness! Look!!!)


My first purchase of the day? 4 silk hankies and a silk cap from A Touch of Twist. Sooo pretty. I have been dying to buy more silk hankies since they are so much fun to spin and I love the shininess of the silk combined with the nubs. And I've been wanting to try silk caps and see what the difference is like.


Next I wandered over to Spinner's Hill and drooled (not literally) over all her gorgeous fibers, but I managed to walk away with only one silk cap in lovely red, oranges and pinks. Reminds me of a sunset. :)


Wandered around some more, ogled the baby angora bunnies (one day when I am better able to take care of such sweet animals, I will get one!) and bumped into Kim at the Enchanted Knoll booth. I wanted to buy waaaay more than I did, and I will be sure to procure more fiber from her in the future. I did purchase some tussah silk and a very lovely batt that was a sw merino/silk/cashmere/angelina mix. I can't wait to try the silk.



Wandered around some more with Kim and we bumped into AGuyThatKnitsinCT and then bumped into Jenny and Deb! Finally! I was so excited to see that I hadn't missed them! They went to browse something else int eh barn and I ran up to Spunky Eclectic to see if I could catch her before she closed. And I made it! Just in time to buy some SW Corriedale in two gorgeous colorways, a merino/cashmere blend in the Mermaid colorway, and a merino/tencel mix in the Black Cherries colorway. I was thrilled to meet Amy and to be able to purchase yet more fiber that I havent' tried yet.



We all left soon after Kim, Jenny, Deb and I stopped by a quaint little restaurant to get our grub on. We were all STARVING seeing as none of us had really eaten that day. Out waitress was uber funny and nice and the food was amazingly delicious and well priced. We're totally going to have to make a little tradition of that and get more people to come!

The car ride home was completely uneventful although I was sooo tired my vision was stating to go blurry.. lol I can't wait to go again next year. And to Rhinebeck this fall! <3

Sunday, May 25, 2008

MA Sheep & Wool... Part 1

Just a quick post.. Look I haven't fallen off the earth!

Went to MA Sheep & Wool yesterday.. it was my first fiber festival experience! It was sooo much fun and I bought lots of lovely stash enhancing fibery things.. (which I am about to go take photos of).

I will post in more detail a little later.. Just wanted to sneak that in because I am still uber excited that I got to go! lol

Pics and details coming in a bit!

Monday, March 31, 2008

It's April Fool's!

Which means...

Happy Birthday to me! ((and no I'm not joking.. lol))

I got a shiny new Blackberry Curve in RED from my parents.. and my mom made me a delicious looking funfetti cake. Yum. Can't wait to dig in. Guess 26 isn't so bad.. lol

Going to see Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Seether tomorrow.. possibly going to the club on thursday, and best of all.. guild on saturday! I will have to treat myself to some yummy fibery goodness. Hee.

To everyone:
enjoy the day as much as I hope to and I'll cross my fingers you don't get pranked!

BUT
if you have any great ideas for a prank for my boss, that'd be nice of you to share. lol

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Concord - A FO!

Whee!

I finished the spunky fiber I was working on... Isn't it lovely?


It's called Concord.. appx 315 yds! That's the most yardage I've gotten so far from anythign I've spun.. but then again.. it's the first time I've actually spun up the entire 4 oz without getting distracted and wanting to work on something else..




I've started in on some of the beautiful stuff I've gotten from The Painted Sheep. I love Kris' colorways.. so gorgeous! What I'm currently spinning is 4 oz of BFL in her Tiger Lily colorway. It's so bright and springy.. it's been perfect to work on during the cloudy, rainy weather we've been having. I'm trying to spin it thicker than I usually do. I want to navajo ply it and I'm aiming for a bulky weight.. but we'll see. I always seem to spin thinner than I mean to... Either way, it's going to be bright and pretty! This is also th efirst time I've worked with BFL.. and holy cow.. it's so soft and sproingy. It's like spinning from a cloud!



I also ordered yet more fiber... it's like an addiciton.. I just cant stop! I get paid.. and it's hey! money! let's go spend it on pretty stuff! lol I finally ordered from loop on etsy. I've been dying to order one of her batts for the longest time. I ordered a bamboo batt in a pretty rainbow of colors, and a sari silk and alpaca batt. I can't wait til they get here.. it's going to be so much fun to work with. :)

And here's a gratutitous shot of my lovely new turkish spindle I got at guild with some of hte alpaca fiber I'm spinning..


Aaand now I'm going back to watching The Waterboy and spinning more of that lovely Painted Sheep fiber. But shhhhh! I'm supposed to be cleaning. heehee

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Spinning progress...

Don't have great pics.. I'm too sick to go outside and take advantage of the gorgeous sun I see streaming in through the window... actually I'm being lazy and I don't even want to go near the window to attempt to take proper pictures so the ones I have are just sad.. indoors with flash. Bleah. But I'm excited to show off my progress so far.. lol Especially sinc eI havent' had all that much to show recently.

Anyways.. I have been working on the lovely Corriedale fiber from Spunky Eclectic, in her Rocky Mountain High colorway. I've been spinning it bit by bit for a while now.. and I did get quite a bit done at guild. I split the 4oz of roving in half and spun half of it completely already.. and 'm maybe a little more than halfway done with the other half of it. I plan on plying it together when I'm finished.

Finished bobbin.

2nd bobbin in progress.


Remaining fiber.

I also couldn't wait to start in on some of the beautiful fibers I just got in the mail, so i selected one of the bags from copperpot and decided to break out my louet spindle and start spinning some of it up. I'm currently spinning her Sugar Plum Fairies colorway and omg is it delicious! So soft and fluffy.. and the sparkle in it is to die for. The richness of the purples are amazing together and I love the way it's spinning up so far. I can't decide if i want to ply it or leave it as a single, but I'm sure it'll tell me along the way what it wants to be. ;)




And since I'm still sick i have nothing to do to occupy my time other than tv and crafts, so this is perfect for me to catch up on some of the spinning I have been lacking... so it's back to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and my wheel for me!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

lalalaaaaa

Ugh.
Again I foget to update my blog despite promising too... and despite visiting so I can view other blogs I like to read. Lazy lazy me.

I've finally caught the bug that's been going around so since I'm stuck home and feeling like crap, this seems to be a perfect opportunity to update the nothing that's been happening craft wise.. lol

I didn't even post about guild yet! omg.. I'm sooo behind. I went to my second meeting of the Nutmeg Spinner's Guild the 3 saturdays ago.. and it was soooo much fun. They did the yearly auction which was really fun to watch and participate in and I was amazed at the amount of money that was raised. I managed to score a book on crochet amigurumi which I will have to make for some random people and I also snagged as turkish spindle! I've been DYING to get one for the longest time.. they look fun and the fact that it makes a nice neat center pull ball when you're finished spinning just makes it all the more attractive. What I was bidding on was actually the turkish spindle, a heavier spindle which will probably be good for plying and a wicker shelf unit. I honestly didnt' even see the other two items, all my focus was on the turkish spindle.. which I won for only $22!! What a steal! It's beautiful and perfect and I love spinning with it. I was really confused when the person walked up and handed me a whole shelf with my spindle.. lol Talk about tunnel vision! I also nabbed more fiber from The Painted Sheep.. Kris is sooo sweet and I love her colorways... I bought her Tiger Lily BFL.. it's so bright and springy,
I can't wait to spin it up. I also nabbed some alpaca fiber to try which I am spinning on the turkish spindle and I can't believe how amazingly soft and yummy it is. i just want to snuggle in it! lol And Deb came with her new baby.. so cute! And i got to see Jenny's shiny new wheel... so pretty! I can't wait til the next meeting in April.

Since I'm on the lines of fiber.. I bought some lovely stuff from copperpot and Wooly Treasures on etsy this weekend and they all arrived today! I don't know why i keep buying all this gorgeous stuff when I dont' have the time to spin it! lol

Knitting-wise I haven't really been working on much lately.. just making some garterlac dishcloths for my new bf (who LOVES the fact that I knit and crochet!!) Other than that.. not doing too much.. I set aside the socks that i had started.. I think I'm going to frog thema nd try again.... maybe with a more interesting pattern instead of just a basic sock...we'll see.

Crochet-wise I've been workign on a pretty scarf done lengthwise.. in green, baby blue and royal blue.. striping it randomly.. I'm using a nice merino/alpaca yarn.. I don't rememeber the name of it right now.. but it's soooo soft. I have no idea what I'll do with it when I'm done either.. but it'll find a nice home somewhere.. lol

Not too much else to post about at the moment I suppose. .so I guess I'll get back to watching Project Runway!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Welcome to 2008

Hrm.
I am a little late.. but hurrah! 2008 is here! I'm hoping (and I say this yet again) to keep up with this poor, sad, neglected blog and actually post once in a while. One of my goals for the year is to post here at least once a week. Starting now, since I obviously already missed out on most of January. *sigh*

I am also hoping to actually finish some of my current projects and attempt to have less WIP's and UFO's lying about. Of course, I have to locate a good many of them and decide of they need to be frogged or if I should continue on with them. I also want to make mroe of an attempt to attend SnB on thursday nights.. or if the Cheshire one changesto a different night.. whenever that is. I've also FINALLY attended the Nutmeg Spinners Guild meeting.. I went in December and I had a blast. I spent more money than I should have.. and I defintiely wish I could have bought more. I'm still coveting those gorgeous turkish spindles.

Spinning is another thing I want to work on more in 2008. Not only learning new techniques, and improving my overall spinning, but I also want to try and spin more.. get in a few nights a week instead of once every week or so. I can't improve if I don't do it after all.. and there's lots of fiber hanging out in my closet just beggin to be spun. :)

No pics or anything interesting right now.. but I will ty my best to keep up here and actually update once a week minimum. After all, I do have plenty of time to do it! lol