Happy New Year

If you live in Nebraska, then you know it’s snowing. There you go Gina, Your kids got their wish.

I have found that procrastination does no good in the face of good friends. Saturday events conspired against me and instead of bringing the handspun sweater all I had was the Job. Well, it was a good thing, because while talking with my older ladies group, I remembered how to pick up seed stitch and found that I really did know how to finish this. (I had picked up the bottom edge on my handspun sweater and because of the cast on I used, I had big holes. I was beginning to doubt my skillz) so now all the Job needs is the collar picked up and knit, and the buttons sewn on. Piece of cake.

Because of the snow I may not be able to get this or the next Job out to the owners. We will see. Time is certainly not an excuse.

Lets see what every one else did. The Yarn Harlot surpassed her Knitters With Out Boarders goal in like 3 days, Deawn came back to Nebraska from Canada, (blame her for the snow) The Panopticon gave his sister’s baby to be a democratic sweater. I think Brooklyn Tweed and Knitter Guy went west for the holidays; Annie Modiset is celebrating Chanukah and Christmas while selling her house. (We’re selling ours too.) Most of our podcasting friends are spinning, knitting, and being generally yarn obsessed. (Minnie, I figured out how to listen to the girls, I have to do it at home.) David of Sticks and String just had his sister pass so you might want to send some love.

The fiber show has picked up again; Yesterday I got the printed copy of my interview with the Nebraska Sheep and Goat. I’m having a hard time getting the IK advertisements off. I also have been playing around with software to get the pamphlets up and the classes finalized with materials, times, and costs. Please contact me if you would like to be a vendor, and pass the word around; May 11-13 2007 Bellevue.

On the needles, the handspun sweater almost had its second sleeve but the yarn was thicker than I used on the first sleeve. I frogged it, got out all the yarn I have for this project in search of thinner fare. I think I have found a ball that will continue the lacy effect. The thicker stuff is for the upper chest. This sweater is based on the Eliz Zimmerman seamless sweater pattern. It has gone very quickly and Happily.
Another project is the baby jacket. I bought pink Lionbrand homespun for the project. When I tried it out on # 10’s it was too tight. So I broke out the # 13’s but have not cast on yet.
J’s sweater is next, hopefully by February. Since I already have his measurements, I can just start it. I refuse to tell him when because I don’t want to deal with the pressure.

The wheel has been slowly coming back to life. After getting all that angora, I didn’t know what to do with it. Spinning it by itself was just tedious. I have a lot of Icelandic down in oatmeal and the bunny is a brownish grey. The down is short like maybe 2-3 inches long. I broke out my cotton cards and blended them 50/50 and spun it up in a sports weight yarn. It’s so soft, I can’t think of what to do with it. I could sell it since the exotic fibers are “In”. I have also been spinning some red multicolor Louet roving, and some plain white Romney.

I also have been listening to some audio books from I tunes. The first was The Shop on Blossom Street and now we move on to A Good Yarn.
Well like many I’m sick, so I’m going to get something hot and medicated.
Toodles, and Happy New Year!

Have you been good this year?

I would say sure! Wouldn't you? Merry Christmas /Happy Channaka, Kwanzza / Blessed Yule

You know me I'm not much on sentiment.

Have you seen these?

http://www.stick-and-stone.com/Spindles/spindles.html

and this?

http://www.spindlicity.com/winter2006/index.shtml

or this?

http://www.etsy.com/


Yeah, that's kept me busy for the last two days. Now it's your turn..
Toodles!

Life goes on..

This post is a mix of good and bad.
The good is like Heathers concert, she was one of the last violinists left playing as the concert went on. That means she was one of the two most talented in her grade and below.
Bad like I forgot to take photos, I'm sorry.
Good like I think we found a house we will actually buy, in our price range, elligible for the grant assistance and with enough room for us all.(2 bathrooms) The bad is it's still in S Omaha, but that also means the kids get to continue going to their Magnet schools.
Good like everyone is healthy and happy, bad like at 730-830 this morning Riley gave birth to two giant stilborn fetus'. I spent the morning in a funk crying on and off. She spent the day confused as to where they were and only stopped pulling wool around 5 pm. I had to hold her and pet her for a while this evening for both our comforts.

Good in that while waiting for my cars oil change I got a lot of knitting done, bad in that it wasn't on my customers project.
Good in that I contacted my secret pal today, and I also tried spinning today. Bad in that Icouldn't get into it. I tried Border Lester, Alpaca and Angora. It might just need to be a plain wool day. I'll try the silk tomorrow and if that doesn't work then I've got plenty of wool.

That's all for now,
Toodles!

Santa came early

Look what Santa left me...Yeah, isn't that cool? He got it from the Wool Peddler. It's merino handyed in the colorway Tango. So cool, I will be spinning it as soon as I can. Projects? What other projects?

I've switched to the new blogger. It doesn't seem all that different from the old one except it asks me for labels for my posts. I think this one will be mostly spinning. Let me know if you notice anything different.

Last night I gave away some 5 lbs of Suffulk wool roving I didn't like. This morning I cleaned out my stash and threw out some alpaca seconds, some chaffy Jacobs wool and some donated fiber that looked like merino or something blended (badly) with some (felted) angora. It was tacky and weird.
Then I re orginised the fiber shelf, brought the antique spinning wheel down stairs and debated about when to go through the lincoln fleece I bought. I still have many fleeces to move or spin.
Here's the list..alpaca, romney, icelandic, columbia,lincoln, silk, mohair, morino,border liecester, shetland lincoln cross,angora, and cotton(I know it's not a fleece).


FOR SALE: Louet David 8 harness 36 inch width loom. String heddles, 10 treadles, removable breast beam(front bar) foldable back beam. $700.00
I don't weave anymore.
Email me for details.

To whom It may Concern

Dear errant knitting personality,
This letter is to remind you of the many projects you have going. We of the unfinished basket have had enough of your new projects and the dust that continues to cover us as we wait for you to get back in touch. The recent stirring you gave us only has increased our frustration with your wandering ways.

The open front vest wants to know how come it will now be split into 2 separate tank tops instead of being finished as intended. It only needs the top quarter of the front panels knit and then sewn together. We have noticed you doing this for others while we languish in the basket.

We were not intimidated by the ruthless frogging you gave the 2 color turtle sweater. With now more yarn for the vest, your excuses are baseless. I, the finished sweater vest wonder if I’m so finished why I am in here. If you don’t like the way I turned out, you could give me to someone who needs me more and won’t mind my little quirks. The socks J gave you to finish are packing as we write this.

The Camalid scarf is desperately waving its ends in the air, yet night after night you walk right by and ignore it’s shameful display. The binding off you gave it last week could not compare to the alpaca scarf that you laid on top of it…Completely finished. Did you need to add insult to injury?

Now we are hearing, not whispered rumors but shouted plans to knit another sweater or vest, and don’t think we haven’t noticed the yarn, needles, and pattern have all been gathered up in a bag together! What of the grey wool acrylic sweater you were making just this September? Is it too destined to become a UFO? And the mittens only need their duplicate stitching finished. Is that so hard?

What is wrong with this picture? Don’t we mean anything? Can’t you commit? We will have to take drastic actions if this behavior continues. You might never see your favorite dpn’s again, or worse yet, how would you like a wool strike? Don’t think we won’t!
Come finish us, and you can start those new projects with a clear conscience.

Fuzzily,
The gang in the UFO bin

Car-ma

Good afternoon ladies and gents..if there are any. Lets give a moment of thanks for Karma. Now lately I have been stocking up the cool points hoping a good job would come my way. You know letting people go first ,helping those in need, donating to charities, tipping wait staff. Well I went to my Fremont teens karate graduation and on the way home that night was not paying attention, ran a red light and managed to hit the breaks in time(going 60 in a 35) and miss the car turning in front of me. With the choice of this or the job, I vote saved from a nasty my- fault car wreck every time! Did I mention that my 8 year old was in the passenger seat? Yeah. Go Karma! I have tipped both my waitresses today in thanks and for future stock.

"In the news today" Quisha broke her board in karate and graduated to green belt..Yeah! I had fun watching the kids work out, spar and show off. It was a blast. I have photos....

Christine had her play last Friday..I have photos...
Yup, she's the one on your left, first in line to kill the lion.
Next week Heather has a Christmas violin concert. I will have photos.

I learned that my driving at night problem has been solved by my new car. The lights illuminate both sides of the road and at least one car length up front. Night driving is scary no more!

The house buying thing is back on, cross your fingers. Johns yarn came in and I'm going to break down and knit him a vest that zippers down the front.
I picked up yet another knit job, but one I won't start till January.(Procrastination? No I'm actually on holiday.)

I want to go back to that post where I said no more ramblings and talk about yarns I've knit with.

To all the yarns I've loved before...
Thursday I picked up some Paton's SWS. This is a single ply variegated yarn 70/30 wool soy blend. I'm knitting a sock purse on #6 DPN's. The yarn is shiny and fuzzy. I have to watch that it doesn't twist too much when I knit, and it looks positively awesome in seed stitch. The balls come in almost 3 oz and 110 yards. I purchased two different colorways, natural earth and natural navy. It seems to be doing ok.

If anyone reads the Yarn Harlot and can remember the entry "Stop Me" where she was making small shoes from 50 baby Booties to Knit, I have a co worker who is having a baby soon(like 2 weeks ) and I want to knit booties instead of a blanket. I need this book! I will otherwise be knitting squares with leggings!
(Sigh)
Small shoes.

Just pictures today

The new un named Doe...any help here with a name?
Kiki, or kiwi I don't know
1 mitten almost done
scarf blocked out and drying.

That's all today boys and girls!