picture overload

09 Sep 2005 in journal

hi. it’s friday, so i decided to post a ton of pictures, hoping to entertain you on this last day of the working week (yeehaw).

first off, meet slim, bubby’s cousin. unlike cuddly roly-poly laid-back bubby, slim is a little older and, so, a little more worried. he’s also a bit scrawny and has a sprained left ankle – hence the swelling you see (ahem). he is destined for my sweet niece kiyra and hopefully she will make him a happier bear. (more info on slim’s project page)

black sheep knittery, a good lys – though usually too pricey for me, recently had an enormous sale, with a ton of really great yarn for $1-3 a ball. i went and shopped my heart out (what a weird phrase, now that i’ve typed it..), buying maybe $250 of great yarn for $50. the kind of sale you dream about (silly me, what dreams i have!)

the haul: eight balls of lana grossa’s 100% merino royal tweed, eight balls of some GGH cotton tape, one ball of GGH java – i love that yarn – and lastly i snagged some old R2 paper skeins in a pretty green.

then, when i got home i decided to take a good hard look at my stash – and nope, this isn’t all of it, but probably half of it (gulp). i frogged a number of items – it felt so good, just riiiiip, you know? i even tossed out one, just put it right in the trash – the stitches were really reluctant to part with each other – and it felt good.

i’m also finally accepting that i’m becoming one of those purple people – i love purple! really though, i think it’s red’s fault – i truly love red, so much that i’ll take it in any of its various forms, however distant, i.e. pink, burgundy, rose, lilac, purple, etc.

until that day, when i took a good look at the yarn i had, i hadn’t been knitting much at all in weeks – partially because i was traveling, the weather was too hot, my mood was bad bad, but also partially for reasons i couldn’t figure out. i was worrying, maybe this knitting thing for me is slowly ending, that my enthusiasm is just going going gone?

now, i’ve realized, i was just feeling overwhelmed with all the knitting stuff i had accumulated – especially all the unfinished projects that i just wasn’t crazy about. i’ve slowed down my yarn-buying these last four months or so, and am now only buying on sale and only getting enough to actually make something, i.e. at least four balls, in general.

that same weekend, i went to my first spinning guild meeting – it was great. i was all nervous and shy, but the women (and a few men) – about twenty-people – were really welcoming and sweet.

they brought in a professional storyteller and we all sat there either spinning, carding, fluffing, knitting, felting, etc. etc. while he “spun yarns”. i got to try out three more wheels – a lendrum, a journey wheel, and a reeves. and one very nice women gave me this basket of, as she called it, “sacrificial fiber”, i.e. for any newbies who came to the meeting to practice spinning.

i’ve learned i don’t mind double drive wheels, that i do in fact prefer double treadles, and that while i’d be happy with any sort of wheel, i love the classic look of older castle wheels. that is, the lendrum is a great wheel with amazing ratios but the look, for now at least, a little too modern for me.

i’m hopefully going to try out a majacraft rose some time this month, and i’d really like to see a kromski in action. one thing for sure, as much as i like – and miss! – the ashford traveller i rented, the way bobbins are taken off worries me more and more – it’s just plastic! – versus on other wheels, it seems to be done much more thoroughly, with wood and hinges and sturdier material.

then, here’s some yarn i discovered while sorting through my stash (!). when my mom came to visit me back in march, she brought me some yarn from bolivia! 100% alpaca in various weights and colors – here, i skeined up the buttery worsted-weight white alpaca.

i’d love to make a hot lava with it – a la winnie’s gorgeous white one – but i’m such a wuss, alpaca makes me itch like crazy. but the cats go crrrazy over the alpaca smell and that’s always good for a laugh.

then,like a month ago i happened to spy at a local very-expensive-and-very-snooty yarn store (coughwildfibercough) in their 50% off section some brand new ashford hand cards. i couldn’t believe the price but they said yes it was 50% off and then asked me what hand cards where used for – one sales lady said “oh, that’s for felting, right?” ha.

(hey, if anyone else wants some, just write me.)

last but not least, christine’s bevin tank top pattern – i love me some lace! and this top came out so cute – except for the fact it’s three inches too short! once again, my powers of self-recognition fail me – this is like the third top i’ve made that is just way too short. so frustrating. it only took a few days to knit, and the yarn is really fun to knit with, so i’m hoping this frogging and re-knitting won’t be too sad.

and there you have it, folks – a truly fiber recap of the past month. this is what’s helped me just deal with these last horrible angry sad weeks. i know i rambled a bit – hey, i’m lonely – but if you lasted this far, lemme just say you are sweet and patient. yes, you are.

p.s. didn’t realize it, but my fotos section was down for a while so i decided to just overhaul it for good – i’m still working on the styling, but it should at least work now.