yup, I’m making yarn. I’m taking a spinning class at The Fiber Studio with Virginia Parent. Our first class was last Tuesday - this is what I made that night:

I then went back on Friday to practice and created this:

I forget what fiber we used that night. I think it was a Corriedale cross.

in between spinning classes, I’ve been working on the sunflower tam, which looks like this now:

last night was our second class, and it went a bit better:

Coopworth

Corriedale

both of these fibers felt a bit ‘grippier’ than what we used last week, so I felt a bit better about letting it get thin.

we played with the hand-cards with the Corriedale, which is ok. I like the rolags you get, but not so much the act of carding. I tried spinning directly from the jumble of fleece (picked out a bit first) a little towards the end, and it went ok.

I’m tempted to see what I can do with the alpaca locks I bought ages ago (was going to be a SP gift, until I reread her info and saw she was allergic/sensitive to it. bah!), or maybe I’ll spin up the fiber I bought at Shepherd’s Harvest last year. I’m planning to head back down to practice some more before our next class - there’s a spinning group meeting at The Fiber Studio this Sunday (it’s the first Sunday of the month at 2pm, if anyone else would like to spin. are you busy Deb?)

I started the Sunflower Tam on Thursday night, using some SWTC Karaoke from the stash. (I had to cast on twice due to using the tail instead of the yarn the first time around. The second time I averted disaster - I realized my cast on was twisted as I neared the end of the first round and was able to use a trick I learned off one of the EZ videos for untwisting it.) I cruised through the ribbing on the bus Friday (there was lots of busing), sailed thru the stockinette on Saturday and was worried it was too small. (My gauge is off.) So I put it on waste yarn and tried it on. It is small, but it does fit. So, we’re carrying on, fully prepared to rip and try again with the yarn held doubled (if there’s enough).

Sunday was spent chatting and knitting at Amy’s with lots of other bloggers (many have blogs, some don’t. we won’t hold that against them.) My mind went out the window and I forgot my camera (bad blogger, no cookie), but I think Deb & Cathy got some pics. It was a good time. Thanks Amy!

at Amy’s I made it to the part where you get to make the pretty sunflower design on the top of the hat. first round, no problem. next round (and all that follow it): LT. translated as left-twist. haven’t encountered it before, but I can handle it, right? turn page back and see what they want me to do (knit the 2nd stitch through the back loop, then knit those 2 together through the back loops). ok, awkward but doable. so I manage a few round of these and then have to take a break because it’s really messing with my thumb. (I’m not sure if it’s the stitch or the shortness of the tips on the 16″ circs thats the culprit). So yeah, we hates them left twists.

If it comes down to reknitting the hat, I’m contemplating reworking it so that the decreases are on the LT side of things. I think alternating rounds of LTs and SSKs sounds better (and so does my thumb).

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease … leftover from various projects
Needles: Size 5
Pattern: Juggle Your Pleasure. Knitters Summer 2003.

Started & Finished: 20 July 2007 … 20 January 2008
made for: my husband

These went pretty quick - I did the first two the weekend of 20 July - each one took about 3 hrs. I had hoped to finish the third one that weekend as well, but the day didn’t quite go as planned. I started the third one yesterday (after having issues reading the pattern for the Afghan square I decided to start) when I wanted something a bit simpler to work on (yes, reading a fair isle chart is easier to handle than Knitters magazine’s unstandard cabling abbreviations). Finished it today.

more photos

yup, there was a falling down today. damn, I was doing pretty well. (17 days since my last yarn purchase)

I poked into Needlework Unlimited since I was sort of in the area for a doctor’s appointment. There was a ball of Panda Silk that was insisting it come home with me, but after further searches into the basket, there was only one ball. damn. they did have the Meilenweidt Tweed in an aran color, which I’ve been wanting since Nancy bought some a few years ago. and I also picked up 3 balls of Panda Wool (I don’t trust that there’s enough yardage in those tiny little balls!) - though now I’m having color regrets. (I like the color, but I’m not sure I’ll wear the color.)

then I poked over to their outlet, and only managed to avoid a second falling down due to the fact that I didn’t have enough cash on me. I’ll be heading back to claim that yarn soon.

the problem with this latest yarn purchase is that I didn’t really follow the rules of yarn buying. I’ve apparently not posted them here yet. Let me remedy that:

My rules for buying/swapping for yarn:
1. I need more to finish a project started from stash yarn
2. really good sale yarn, IF I have a project in mind for it and don’t have something suitable in the stash already
3. NO sock yarn unless I have a super specific need for it. (a vague “I’ll make socks” just doesn’t cut it anymore, until I actually start MAKING socks with the stuff I have, which is another goal for the year.)

the yarn purchased today does not fit any of my rules. the tweed is an ok purchase, due to the fact that I’ve wanted it for 2-odd years and has a little-less-vague thought of cabled socks. I did buy a pattern for socks as well, and I’m thinking I could use the Panda Wool for that, but it feels a little like cheating.

… might as well fry some eggs
as if that wasn’t bad enough, I discovered Christmas/holiday fabric on sale at JoAnns. what am I going to do with it? no idea. (I did come up with ‘fabric bowls’ as a sort-of vague justification.) I also bought a darning foot for my machine, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out if I’m putting it on right. must research that a bit more…

and for once I’m going to post a WIP update on Wednesday.

since L’s mittens are finally finished (and in the mail) and the baby bonnet went way fast, there’s not much to show. I’ve been working on dad’s hat again (after a bit of a break). I’ve decided I’ve made enough ribbing, so the ribbing continues. (it’s a doubled hat - start at the crown, end at the crown, stuff one inside the other. voila, double-thick reversible hat.) I need to work on charting out the design for the second half - though, on the plus side (if you can call it that), this ribbing is still taking forever.

other WIPs: I cast on for some odd CookieA sock pattern. I think I need to go down a needle size, so they just sit here taunting me. I’ve wound up the KP Superwash to start the GAAA. I’m thinking I’ll start with the Julie Levy square (it’s in the Winter 2000 issue of Knitters, which I just got off of someone’s destashing efforts on Ravelry. I have no idea what order it’s in if you have the book.)

in sewing news, I’m working on a quilted table runner from the book Quilt a Colorful Christmas (thank you HCLib). I’ve got the borders done (though I think the sides are off a bit and I need to rip and re-sew a couple spots), and am at the point of needing to make snowflakes to appliqué to the center background panel before I can sew my borders onto it.