I've been busy

So, I've been pretty bad at updating my blog. There are reasons for this. They aren't great reasons, but they are "life" reasons.

1) I work a lot. My job seems to take up more of my precious knitting time.

2) I have these two smallish people who call me "mom" and follow me home...ALL the time! ;)

3) I've been dating a man on a regular basis. I guess you could say he's my boyfriend. Freaky huh? It amuses me to no end really. We dropped off my girl over at a birthday party in a part of town neither of us were familiar with. Would you believe he noticed the yarn store before I did and he pointed it out to me and encouraged me to go back and check it out. I like this guy.

So in the time I've been playing hooky. I've finished plying the wool I spun that I purchased in Estes Park. I can't wait until the fiber festival comes back next summer. I keep seeing all this lovely fluff online and I'm just trying to wait until summer. But I think it turned out pretty good.

So, there I was thinking that I was done for awhile spinning yarn because I needed to start on Christmas presents. Most importantly two pairs of slippers for my children and a scarf for my...ahem...boyfriend.

But then I was seduced by this gorgeous spindle Imbrium gave me. It spins amazingly smooth.

I've had to put it up on a shelf. Out of sight out of mind right?

But it spins so thinly...and fast...and and...

So then I started a slipper for my girl. It's with bulky Lamb's Pride and Malabrigo. I thought the kids needed matching slippers. My girl, "Is that for me?" Well, yes, do you like it? "Well you can give that to my brother because I want to have slippers made out of the yarn you're spinning for me." That's not going to be thick enough (see picture above). "Oh, well I guess that can be for me."

This coming from the girl who told me she likes green. Well, she is 7 and a girl...mind changes constantly. Santa is in for a big job.

This was the first project I ever felted. I prepared my washer, stuck the slippers in a pillowcase and started the machine. I checked it after about a minute and it seemed as though the process was starting. I was surprised at the amount of wool that had already come off in the pillowcase. I put them back in thinking to myself that if I watch it I'm going to go nuts. So, I went and sat down and watched TV for 5 minutes. I came back. And wah-la...slippers. The size...for my son. Rats. I tried fitting them on my sleeping girl to see if they would fit. Nope. Tried when she woke up this morning...nope. Rats. Back to the knitting needles to make a pair for my girl. At least I started with her in mind.

Mommy's counting

My children are wonderful creatures. They are polite and sweet most of the time. They are learning...they are learning that a moment is sometimes needed when mommy has knitting needles in hand. I got all the way to row...

uh, rats...forgot the pattern, but I remembered the yarn...guess I gotta run home for lunch...

...anyway, I think I was on row 15 or so before I realized the clog I was knitting...the toe had migrated somehow to the side of where it was supposed to be. It wasn't because I was counting wrong...*blink* *blink*...oh!...k33 not some random number...

Yes...so happily I frogged away. Again. I will have pictures of projects soon.

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers. All 2 or 3 of you. ;)

*giggle* my "boyfriend"...for lack of better term...is quickly learning how boobytrapped my bedside is...a foray of knitting needles, yarn, patterns, spindles, fluff, scissors (although those *try* to stay by my bookshelf...sometimes they end up on my bed...I'm trying...this kind of amuses me some. But thus far...he'll happily smile as I'm showing him some sort of clog like lump of knitted yarn at 2:00 am. And that, makes me happy.

Can we say obsession?

I can think of more projects to start...than well...yeah. Tired. Very tired...it has something to do with a clog. It was a nice little clog, with lots of directions...lots and lots of directions. Challenge is good. It also had to do with a 250 cast on scarf. Seems like a good idea...I need to go get a cable needle now. Right. More cable needles. I just bought two. And then there is this yarn thing...oooh...pretty colors, I like pretty colors. Must obtain more yarn...for what...I don't know...but I'm sure it will come in handy...for something...eventually.

And did I mention I need to spin more yarn? More hand spun fluff for projects yet to be determined? Hmm...

Oh, and I think my gray scarf and new bottle of pink fluff must be put on hold. I have clogs and a black/red scarf to finish for Christmas. Whadda ya mean it's almost December? Ack! Ack! Quiet babies...mama's gotta knit some stuff...

Ah, a Sunday...

I finally finished the roving I bought in Estes Park. It turned out beautiful. I'm not sure if I'd like spinning on a wheel, but I do enjoy the process of spinning on the drop spindle.




I'm not sure if I'll ever find anything to do with the yarn I spin. I just love watching the colors. I am happy how it turned out. I had much more consistancy in the thread this time.





I've also conquered the appliances. I have thus far fixed my vacuum cleaner and now my hand held blender. With satisfaction I can now go join my little duck.

I'm here I'm here

Over here on the right...the progress on the gray scarf for my friend the Student. I think that next time I will modify the cable pattern so that there are only 3 columns instead of 4. It's turning out to be quite large.

Oh, and looky here...apparently now is the time to redo. Wow...look at that...my patience for the scarf that's taking too damn long was right now. Even one of my male co-workers eyed it warily...the width really was ridiculous and I had botched the pattern at the bottom.

Oh, oh...and now it's a happy wound skein of non frusteration. I will start it again soon I'm sure. After all scarves are great for small projects easily transportable to the office. Blanket are not.

I would start it now...but over the weekend my food processor and I and I exchanged words...and well...after all was said and done...I lost. Thank goodness no need for stitches...I was just very very surprised and got a lesson in how to bandage wounds.