Happy Halloween

Well I finally got around to spinning the last of my Mandy colorway this morning. I washed it in some wool wash and warm water and rinsed it several times in gradually cooler water. There was a LOT of dye bleed that I wasn't expecting. But this is the first time I have worked with a dyed fiber like this. Before I used the natural colored fiber.

I have it in 2 halves, hanging up on hangers with water bottle weights in the kitchen while it dries. It looks like I ended up with roughly 158 yards of a worsted-type weight. I am not sure what I am going to make with it. I will have to look around at some patterns to see what kind of yardage is required for hats, scarves etc. It will be pretty exciting to knit something with yarn I spun myself :)

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I've been really stressed out lately with some things going on in my life and with my husband being deployed recently. I want to get back into my knitting to maybe help alleviate some of that stress. Video games are good for passing the time, but I think I also need to give myself some extra relaxation time.

I want to make a new pair of socks now that the weather has turned fairly cold here. But I still have to finish that darned Giselle sweater. And the second Giselle that is going to be a bellydance top. I really need to finish these things I already started before I start new projects. I also have the kitchen towel WIP going, but I don't mind leaving that one unfinished. It's a good on-the-go project to take with me when I leave the house.

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Today I have a sick kindergartener. He started throwing up last night a few hours after trick or treat, and I thought maybe it was from eating too much candy. But it continued all night long and this morning, so I kept him home from school. Seems like it might be some kind of stomach flu. At least I am hoping that it's something that will be quick to pass. He's driving me nuts with asking me for something to drink constantly. I keep trying to explain to him that guzzling down liquids and throwing them back up 2 minutes later are related events...

Better late than never

Well I've not posted for quite some time, a fact which does not make me happy =(

I have been knitting off and on. I started 2 new projects, one being a kitchen towel than can be hung on a stove handle using Sugar N Cream cotton in Ecru.

The second is a bellydance wrap top I am basing on the Giselle pattern using Paton's Brilliant in Beautiful Burgundy. I am probably going to improvise this one. I am not sure how I am going to handle closures or what the sleeve length is going to be, but it will be a crop top for me to dance in.

Speaking of Giselle, I don't think I have made much progress on the original one since I last posted. I really have no willpower when it comes to that picot edge and join. It gets on my nerves and makes me have no desire to work on it... I really need to just force myself through it so I can finish.

Things have been pretty hectic this month and there's a lot of stuff going on right now that has kinda disrupted my flow. So I have been trying to knit when I can, and spin a little (still working on that "mandy" colorway). But I can predict that there will be a lot of knitting and spinning going on in the coming months because I will need something to relax me and help me pass the time...

Meanwhile, I got myself a sword for bellydance! It's a baladay scimitar from Kult of Athena (http://www.cultofathena.com/). I am able to balance it fairly decently so far, but I want to work on my strength and flexibility so that I can do some really neat floorwork and stuff someday.

I have also been messing around with makeup a lot, watching youtube tutorials and teaching myself how to do some dramatic looks I can use with dance costuming etc. Here's some of the goodies I got this week from http://www.cherryculture.com/.

Here are 2 of the looks I created this week:

Black and grey matte -

Purple shimmer -

Well that's about it for now. I will try not to take so long to make the next post!

Picot edging is the devil

... at least when you are doing it with fingerling weight yarn over a large area! So I started working on the edging for Giselle yesterday, and worked on it pretty much all day. So far today I joined one sleeve flare to the top portion. The first time I did it I realized I had it positioned wrong, so I had to rip it out and start over. That's what I get for working on it at 7:30 am after very little sleep. It looks pretty good I think, but this edging is killing me with its painstaking annoyingness!

It will look a lot better when it is blocked, because I am still having a lot of curling issues. At least Cassie seems happy with it.

Random stuff

Well, since the olympics are over I thought I would do some small projects that I had been wanting to do for a while. So I made one of these Swiffer cloth thingers, and I really enjoyed knitting it. I used my knit picks harmony options needles for the first time and it felt really nice. It was a quick and easy knit and I am totally going to make a bunch more of these things since I have a lot of random Sugar N Cream yarn I got on clearance. I think I may be able to get 2 cloths out of one of the super size skeins.

I also resurrected my old dishcloth that was one of the first knits I ever did. I added a crochet border around it this week.

And now I am back to working on Giselle here and there, with a little bit of spinning thrown in. I still haven't finished spinning my "Mandy" roving and finished that yarn yet.

I did it!

After cutting it really close and staying up all night on Saturday night/Sunday morning, I finished my sock put project in time for the closing ceremonies. Here's a pic of the FO - Monkey socks.

And here is what I received:

I'm pretty proud of it because this is the first pair of socks I have ever completed and I learned some new technique along the way. I think the socks came out great. I will definitely make more with this pattern.

I cast on for one of the Swiffer cloths that I have been meaning to make, but I didn't get very far on that yesterday because I was way too tired. I also spun another section of the "Mandy" yarn I had been working on. Not sure what I will do today yet.

I loves me some roving

The last shipment I've been expecting showed up in my mailbox today :) I ordered from Mary Jane's Attic (http://www.maryjanesattic.net/index.php) who were very friendly and helpful.

I chose 2 roving colorways, the "Punkette" superwash merino and the "Rainbow" superwash merino. Unfortunately I found out that the "Rainbow" was sold out, so instead I asked for the "Purple Maize" corriedale.

"Punkette":
"Purple Maize":

I also ordered the "DIY Spin Kit" because it contained the spindle used in some of my favorite videos by Megan LaCore (http://www.youtube.com/user/theartofmegan).


What's really cool about this spindle is how versatile it is. I had no idea until I received my package and read the included booklet that it comes with 2 whorls. You can choose to use it as a top whorl setup or a bottom whorl. It also says you can use one or two of the plastic pieces at a time -- one if you are spinning singles and 2 if you are plying or making heavier weight yarn. I think that makes this an excellent purchase for a beginner because it lets you try out different things. It says on the package that the total weight is 2.2oz so I assume that means with both plastic whorls attached. I've not tried it yet but it feels good in my hands :) The kit also comes with a bag of assorted fibers.

I also received a little sample pack of misc fibers that I can play around with. Yay! =)


I picked up the new fall issues of "Interweave Knits" and "Vogue Knitting" magazines while grocery shopping today. I'm looking forward to browsing through those.

It's been a really busy past week. My husband had an outpatient surgery and I've been busy getting everything ready for my kids to start school this week. As a result, I've not gotten much knitting done on my socks and I fear that I may not actually get this second sock done by closing ceremonies. Next weekend will be a busy one so really I need to do most of my work before Friday afternoon. I need to get my butt in gear.

First hand painted roving!

My order from Spunky Eclectic (http://www.spunkyhats.com/) came in today! I ordered 4 oz. each of their handpainted BFL in "Kites" and "Mandy". They are absolutely gorgeous!

I can't wait to start working with them, but part of me is afraid because I don't want to mess up... =/ I guess I have to just jump in and start somewhere.

I also got the other book I had been waiting for to come back into stock at Amazon. There's some really cute stuff in here.

Now I just have to decide if I feel like knitting or spinning tonight.... choices choices. =P