2010

So far this year has been pretty busy. Although I have to admit last month was kind of busy too…and the whole year. I haven’t posted anything in months. I really thought that I would be able to keep up with a blog a lot easier than this. Well since October I had been working on X-Mas presents. By the beginning of December I had made a little over 30 mini-sweaters. It was an idea I got from a friend the year before. They weren’t hard to make and required no sewing of pieces, which is what I love about making sweaters like this. I hate sewing pieces together. Neck down patterns are awesome.

I also had been working on birthday presents. There is this neat pattern that is for a hat and neck warmer. It can be worn 3 different ways. I received it as a X-Mas present from a friend of mine and decided to try out the pattern on my own. I’ve made 2 so far and am currently working on my 3rd. It’s a really easy pattern. 1-1.5” rib, 7.5-8” St st, eyelet row, 2” St st, BO.

I then started a project that a local knitter at the shop and I have been talking about for a few months. It’s a project that my Ravelry friend, Elemmaciltur, has knitted and posted on his page. It’s such a gorgeous pattern. I just never thought that I’d be working on a doily pattern. The Hemlock Ring goes really far back and I think it’s even an old Irish pattern. I thought that I would go around the shop to find the best worsted yarn for the project, but recently I went through my stash and organized it all. A few years ago I had bought a few skeins of yarn in Fort Collins at Lambspun. So it wasn’t until then that I remember that I already had a few skeins of worsted yarn for my project. It wasn’t the color that I wanted for this project exactly or was looking for at the shop, but it works. I did like the color when I bought the yarn and can definitely live with the color.

So the original pattern is for a table doily and my friend is making a shawl. Since I have about 900 yards of this Burgundy 70% wool/ 30% silk, I figure that I can make a throw for myself. I just bought a new bed set and I think it’ll look nice on my bed. I started my project a few days before X-Mas. It’s my first flat circular project and my first time starting from the center out. I started with a size 10 needle but decided that since it was going to be a throw, that it was too loose. So I decided to change to an 8 and it looks much better. During X-Mas break, I worked on it a lot. I wanted to get as much as I could while I could. There were a few rows that had I known how many stitches were part of a repeat, I would’ve counted instead of frogging back. Once I got to the chart, things were all good though. About a month later it’s about 2 ft in diameter. I’ve almost gone through 1 skein of 318 yds. I just increased to 408 stitches. I can’t wait til it’s done, but with every increase row, it takes more yarn and time to make one round. It’ll be gone before I know it though.
Last weekend was Distaff/Rock Day. It’s the first day after the 12 days of X-Mas, that everyone gets back to work. Last year I filled in for Rosemary, but this time I went for me. I just wish that I hadn’t stayed up late the nite before to finish a project on the wheel. Because of it, I was about 2 hrs late. It’s a good thing though. I was able to finish my Cranberry Merino that I’ve been working on for about 1.5 years. I still have a full plyed bobbin that I need to put into a skein, but when doing so my bobbin decided to fall apart. So not it's all tangled! :-/ I still have about a third of a bobbin full of a very thin single. I’ll have to find something to ply it with.

I did get some spinning done though. I worked on some variegated Alpaca that I got at the Taos Wool Festival in 08’. Sharron had worked her’s up the last time I saw her at Knit Nite, and so I decided to get mine done so that I could make a hat for my niece. I actually just finished spinning it the night before, Andean plied it yesterday morning.

I’m not sure what else to work on now. I want to do some more spinning, but out of my stash I’m not sure which fun fiber to work on now. I did get more fiber to add to my stash. (Like I need more.) I went to Fort Collins to see what Lambspun had up there since I had been up there more than a year ago. I got a handspun skein of mint baby llama that has a hint of silver metallic, a bamboo/wool blend, silk, and lavender mohair locks. While at Rock Day, I wasn’t able to stay away from the goodies. I got about 2 oz of Alpaca from Allie’s Eyedazzler and about 5 oz of a merino/angora blend. I really didn’t “need” all of it, but it was nice. The Alpaca I think I want to put together with the bamboo and silk I got from Lambspun. Although I think I need to borrow a drum carder from Allie or someone. I think the combination of the orange, pinks, and purples would be awesome!