A little of this, a little of that.

Posted on October 19, 2011 by | Comments Off on A little of this, a little of that.

First handspun? I turned it into an adorable little bowl, which I of course can’t find a picture of right now. Of course.

So between the spinning and the work and the trip to PDX and everything else that’s been going on this month, I snuck in a few minutes to try overdyeing some laceweight with Kool-Aid. I don’t really knit with laceweight anymore (between my lack of patience for lace and the on-and-off hand problems), but I keep thinking I will and this had been in my stash for a while.

Before:

And after:

I did this a few weeks ago and don’t at all remember what colors I used. What I do know is that I am much more fond of the yarn in its current state and I’m thinking to try some crochet with it, most likely the new design that’s been beating the hell out of the back of my head for a while now. Hopefully I can do justice to the yarn!

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Posted in Dyeing

*love*

Posted on September 22, 2011 by | Comments Off on *love*

Because I’ve said this too often but not as well.

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Posted in Life

New Obsession

Posted on August 30, 2011 by | Comments Off on New Obsession

Spinning may be my favorite fiber-related pursuit yet.

I put in a KnitPicks order a couple of weeks ago to get more Wool of the Andes bare for the kids to dye, and finally caved to temptation and got one of their spindles, some WotA roving, and a copy of Respect the Spindle. Since then I’ve made some gloriously awkward looking yarn and some progress in controlling what exactly I’m making.

And I’m finding that it’s a growing obsession in a way that I didn’t expect it to be. I spin before work, I spin after work. I turn off the computer and spin. (!) (Really!)

I’m making yarn!

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Posted in Spinning

Why I don’t knit lace.

Posted on August 21, 2011 by | Comments Off on Why I don’t knit lace.

I have a deep and inexplicable need for my knitting to be insanely simple. I wouldn’t find this at all remarkable if it weren’t for the fact that I don’t feel the same way about crochet. Or at least not to the same extent.

I’ve tried knitting cables, and I’ve tried knitting lace. I’ve even succeeded a time or two. Hell, if the pattern is rhythmic enough, I’ve even enjoyed it.

Building that rhythm seems to be the key for me. I suspect this is why I took to spinning like the proverbial duck to water. (Nevermind that I’ve worked with it for all of an hour or so…I know love at first sight when I see it.)

I look at projects on Ravelry sometimes and wish for a few minutes that I were the kind of knitter that could and would make those things. But really? I’m happy over here in the corner with my dishcloths. Knitting for me is sort of like my old Birkenstocks…simple, useful, and dead comfortable.

Which would be why I love it.

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Posted in Crochet, Knitting, Life

I made yarn!

Posted on August 18, 2011 by | Comments Off on I made yarn!

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Squee!

With my last KnitPicks order I treated myself and got a spindle and some Wool of the Andes Bare roving, along with a copy of Respect the Spindle. After an hour or so playing around with it, I’m just a little bit in love.

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Posted in Yarn

Mobius Much?

Posted on August 14, 2011 by | Comments Off on Mobius Much?

This is an incredibly neat technique for getting started. It’s based on foundation double crochet and makes a lovely join.

Doris Chan is just awesome.

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Posted in Crochet

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid…dye with it!

Posted on August 6, 2011 by | Comments Off on Don’t drink the Kool-Aid…dye with it!

So a while ago the internets told me that you can dye wool with Kool-Aid and my reactions were:

1. Cool!
2. I’ll never let the kids drink this shit again.
3. Omg I have to try this!

So then a couple of years went by, lol. But this last week I got the Kool-Aid and a skein of KnitPicks bare bulky weight and three eager children all together at once, and this is what happened:

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Posted in Life, Yarn

Scrub Happy!

Posted on July 27, 2011 by | Comments Off on Scrub Happy!

This is a collection of my previous dishcloth patterns. I’m thrilled to be able to offer them in a set and at a discount from the individual prices!

Buy at Etsy or on Ravelry or here on the site (patterns are served through Ravelry, but you don’t have to be a member to buy!).

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Posted in Crochet, Design

It’s a bit warm.

Posted on July 23, 2011 by | Comments Off on It’s a bit warm.

Warm enough, in fact, that I’ve gotten pretty much no knitting done for the last few days. With a heat index peaking at 109 yesterday and no a/c, I wound up spending the afternoon at the beach:

Anyway, right now I’m trying to finish a project-bigger-than-a-dishcloth and having issues doing it. There’s a bit of a deadline and I’m feeling like an idiot, because I started it months ago, then allowed myself to be seduced by the whole I have plenty of time! thing, even though I knew full well that summer was coming and I wouldn’t want it in my lap. Will I ever learn?

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Posted in Life

I’m afraid of Brioche.

Posted on July 13, 2011 by | Comments Off on I’m afraid of Brioche.

But I just might have to try it. Reading this makes me feel braver. Maybe even brave enough.

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Posted in Knitting