It is time again for the Tour de Fleece

Wow how time has flown.  Lots happened this past year in life, dance and fiber, but it is now time again for the Tour de Fleece.  I have fallen behind (again) on my Spunky Club fiber, so it is my goal to work toward catching up.  I have 17 club fibers to spin.  Since I don't really want lots of just 4oz skeins, I was looking to see what would combine to make 8oz groups.  I didn't see any of the club month's going together.  Silly me I totally forgot about the rest of my huge stash.   I have "white" and dark brown Romney fleeces, a pound of charcoal merino, and several 4oz balls of random natural sheep colored wools from different breeds.  I do plan to work from oldest to newest of the club fibers adding in other fiber from my stash as I go to make each yarn.

So here are the 17 club fibers in a "group" shot:

 For the first yarn I chose to combine Feb 2012, Abstract on Corriedale with a bump of CVM I got at a fiber festival in Newark, OH either last summer or the year before.  I have 4oz of each and they are both very sproiney (is that a word?).  I am not sure if I will do a 3 ply (2 of abstract and 1 of the CVM) or a 2ply with 1 of each.

 

So here is the product of day 1 of TdF 2013:  (I did cheat a bit and started the CVM the night before)

 

It is finally fall

I love the return of cooler weather. Now I can wear the sweater I just finished.
Green Apple Bohus sweater with a reduced number of colors. I used KnitPicks Palette, but instead of 5 shades of red/pink used only 3. The hardest parts were the rounds with 3 colors being used. The sleeves and body knit quickly and I didn't get bored.

I also fixed up a brown sweater I knit a while ago, but in a cropped style. I didn't wear it because it was too short, so I snipped off the bottom and added about 3 inches and then grafted it back together.
I also finished spinning my Tour-de-Fleece project:
Night Owl, Merino, Spunky Eclectic club, 803 yds, 4oz.
I then started in on my next project:
This is for my sister. It is a mix of BFL, Mohair and glitz. It looks like a purple haze, but is spinning up to make a bulky 3-ply. There are only 2 oz on that bobbin. I have 12 oz total to spin and will make 2 skeins.

Next up is the current knitting project:
I am making a skirt from Classic Elite Yarns. I love the yarn and I am knitting this to use as a over-up before/after dance class, so I don't need it to be too long or need to worry about where the eyelets land as I will always have tights and a leo on with it.

The next knitting project to start is:
Mittens for me. These should match my new winter coat. The ones wore last winter are a rust color and just don't go with the coat so I went stash diving and found these.

The next wool project is:
I got this at The Wool Gathering today at Young's Dairy near Yellow Springs, OH. It is just under 2 pounds and needs to be washed. It was my only purchase (other than an ice cream cone) and was only $17.

So as we move into fall I will be spinning and knitting to the sounds of a beginning Cello musician. There might be a fight over the chair as he needs to practice and I want to spin, but I guess we will deal with that when it comes.

About to begin the new school year

In family news, school starts next week for Nathaniel and I can't believe how time has flown. This summer was packed with events- trip to Yosmite, cub scout camp, a week at the farm, and a ballet performance. The trip to Yosmite started off a bit bad with an unplanned night of sleep on the Augusta airport floor and only one day in San Fransisco. The weather was wonderful, but caused a few sunburns. We came home with only 1329 photos. We had a week of normal work and then it was scout camp time. Then 2 weeks off and it was time for Nathaniel to spend a week with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Sydney at the farm in Illinois. He had a blast helping mow the lawn among other things. Now school starts next week and I can't believe we are done with summer.

In dance news, Nathaniel and I danced for a local event. For his first time performing ballet, he did great. He started ballet this spring in March, I think. He danced in both a quartet with another boy and 2 girls (including lifts). They worked really well together and pulled it off with only about 5 hours total of practice. I danced in both a group number (with the tutus pictured in the last post) and performed the Paquita variation #4 (or 5 depending on which numbering system you use). I have never done a solo and this was on pointe as well. I have seen the video and boy do I need to work on some stuff. I have never seen myself dance before and it was scary. It didn't help that the stage was slick. We both performed in the finale which was learned by everyone in about 3 hours. We definitely were not a polished group, but had fun and no one got hurt by the slippery stage. We are also getting ready to help my ballet teacher launch his new studio (this includes a repeat performance of what we did before, hopefully better than before).
Other than ballet I also competed in the Dublin Irish Festival adult dance competition. It was a fun evening. For the first time I was in the over 35 category and therefore dancing against about 18 other people. I got first in Jig and third in Treble Jig. I really messed up the Slip Jig and slightly messed up the Hornpipe, but had fun.

In spinning news, I tried to do the Tour de Fleece this year. I was going to spin the 3 Spunky club fibers I had (April, May and June), but didn't finish. I got the first 2 done quickly and then had other things going on. I did get some drop spindle time in while at scout camp. The scouts and other leaders were interested in the spinning, so hopefully some packs out there might try it. Today was the Mid-Ohio Fiber Festival in Newark, OH. I got there around 9 when they opened and was there for about 1.5 hours. I had a lovely time just looking at the vendors. The Woolery was there and I got some stuff from them:I got a packet of 2oz of silk bells, 3 packets of cocoons, and a 3/4 oz turkish spindle. I got a small packet of silk from a different vendor (can't remember who) and also 2 4oz balls of undyed wool from another vendor (a CVMX and a RomeldaleX).

In knitting news, I finished Darin's sweater, so I got to start my Bohus sweater. We revised the color pattern from the Wild Apple sweater to have fewer colors. I am using KnitPicks Palette and only 9 colors. Some of the color rows had 3 colors used and they took a long time to knit. I am now in the boring plain round and round of knitting using Asphalt Heather. I do like that the sleeves are done before the body and the armpit transition is done with a provisional cast-on, so no seam.

Finished items!

I have almost cleaned off my needles. There is still a list of things to do, but they haven't been cast-on yet. First here is the group of us in the tutus from the last post.We performed well with no major issues or injuries and had fun, so that passes all of my criteria. It was a lot of work for 2 minutes of dance, but well worth it.

I also finished up the afghan for Warm-up America. Last year's was very ugly, so I made this one all myself instead of sewing up mis-matched blocks that got donated. I think it looks a little like the '70s, but still nice and someone will be nice and warm.
I also finished up the In Dreams KAL. I didn't get the last clue worked on as I normally would due to the tutus, but finally finished. It blocked to 66" wide and 33" neck to bum.I am almost done with Darin's sweater as well. I am doing the neck edge this evening and expect to get it done by next weekend.

Now what do I work on next? I have tons of stuff lined up for the spinning wheel, but I need some knitting for N's class time and when there isn't enough time to spin. I have finished washing the fleece I got, but now have to card or comb it. I purchased some Acorn 4 pitch English combs and the lace flyer kit for my wheel from the Woolery.

Lots going on

It is May already and I have tons of photos to share. I have been doing lots of stuff, but in the last 2 weeks most of my work has been on some tutus for my ballet class. There are 8 of us in the class. The tutus have invaded my crafting area. Our performance is next Sunday, so all but 1 will depart for new homes then. The boy and I also dyed Easter eggs this year and I am very proud of the rainbow one I made. In the bottom row his are the 3 on the right and mine are the 3 on the left. He did some good work on gradient dyeing.

I have also finally gotten around to plying the BFL that my sister dyed for me. I needed to clean off the wheel for a spinning class (didn't get much out of that class, so no more comment here about that). I did get 433 yds of 3-ply in this skein.
And the last thing for this post are the pictures of the finished clue 5 and 6 of In Dreams. I haven't finished the shawl yet due to the tutu invasion.
I have photos taken of the fleece washing process/project and will make a separate post for that.

Beginning of spring

Have finished a pair of socks. They sparkle. I am not sure I like the fit of the toe-up heel flap, maybe I need to make the foot section shorter?I did knit these on dpns since I don't like the magic loop or 2-circ methods, but I followed the pattern from 2-at-a-time-toe-up-socks.

I continue to work on Darin's sweater. I have both sleeves and the back done. I don't think he will get to wear it before next fall, but maybe the way Ohio weather is going, he might.

I have also been working on the In Dreams KAL. We have finished 4 clues and the 5th came out this past Friday. The beads are all on the wrong side, and it therefore takes about 30 minutes to purl the return, but I think it looks great.
Clue 3
Clue 4
I also saw some knitting bags while looking on Ravelry the other day. I loved the fabric, but since I can sew I thought I would make a lunch bag instead of buying a knitting project bag with the fabric. I found the hedgehog fabric at Fabric.com and ordered 3 coordinating fabrics. Using 2 of them I created a bag for my LaptopLunch box, but discovered a design flaw. I had just done a handled bag and my orange tried to roll away in the car. I re-designed the bag and made 2 more of the new design (one for my sister and one for me). This one uses drawstrings to make the handles and close the top. All 3 are reversible with hedgehogs on the outside and mushrooms on the inside.

I have decided not to go to Maryland Sheep and Wool this year, but I really wanted a spinning class, so I looked into classes at one of the local yarn shops. I am now signed up for a Spinning 101 class in 2 weeks! I also fell down a slippery slope and into a rabbit hole and ordered a fleece from Pitchfork Ranch. I will get photos when it arrives.

Nutcracker 2010 is done!

Today were the two performances of the Nutcracker for this year. I was a Party Adult and it was the first performance in point shoes for me since 1990!! All went well, but it was a long day.

I haven't finished much knitting recently. I did finish the mittens for the mitten tree at church.
The pattern is from Spilly Jane and they are knit with KnitPicks Palette. It is not a style that fits my hand, but was fun to knit and someone here in town will have warm fingers. I also started a project using my handspun merino. This is the Henley with a Twist from Knitspot.
I have finished the back and I am past the armholes on the front. It is an easy pattern to memorize and is very well written, not too much extra info. The next major project's yarn has been ordered and received, but I can't start until I get this one done. I am going to knit an Aran sweater for my husband with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in the blackberry color. He picked both the pattern and the color, now I just have to find the time to knit it.

I am still here

I haven't fallen off a cliff. I just have been doing other things and not using the main computer or my camera. I have gotten a bit of spinning done. I tried to work on the Alpaca from a few years ago (from the alpaca named Sienna), but 2 of the 3 balls were very matted. I gave up and plied most of what I had, ending up with about 350 yds of a 2-ply and more still on one bobbin. I gave the rest of the fiber to a spinning co-worker to see if she could work with it or pass it on to friends who do needle felting. Since I gave up on that I started on some pencil roving in the Teddy Bear color. While spinning it looks like cake batter you are mixing melted chocolate into.
I have also been working on lots of baby shower presents. I love the little sock pattern I use as they knit up fast, but after a few pairs I am getting bored a bit. I need to get them all finished up so I can go back to the sweater I need to finish. I also have knit a cute, lovely sweater using Webs yarn. I forgot to take a picture of it, but it knit up quick and the yarn is nice a soft. I will definitely use it again.

A while back I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool festival. This year I took a class on a knitted Gansey sock. I used fingering weight yarn instead of the worsted, so the socks came out just the right size for Nathaniel. He loves them. I got the first sock done the first day and started the second sock in the second day of class. This was the second class I have ever taken on knitting and I learned just a few things, not as much as I really wanted, but I had fun with my sister. The rest of the festival was fun also, I didn't buy too much this year as I have tons of fiber I need to use up first.

It has been a while

Well I have been busy with lots of stuff. I keep knitting, but the photos haven't made it to the computer from the camera. We also tilled up the entire back yard and put down sod. I have been working on a knitting project I can't post pictures of here because the intended recipient may read this blog (check Ravelry to see them). I have also been doing some spinning. I finally finished the never ending pile of dark brown merino. I ended up with 1742 yards of a 2-ply fingering/sport weight. I thought I would have enough to knit Darin a sweater, but at a gauge of 7 sts/inch I don't. Now to decide what to do with it.
I also got around to spinning some wensleydale wool I got at MS&W last year. I got 2 braids for a total of about 8 oz. I wanted to learn how to chain (navajo) ply before I got to working on this wool.
I think I figured it out. I have about 165 yards of chain-plied.

This coming weekend is MS&W 2010. I can't wait. I have a list of books I want to look at and then a few things for the spinning wheel. I probably could survive an entire year without buying anything else, but what is the fun in that.

Welcome to the Year 2010!!!

But before I start the new year of knitting here are the last bits of last year's work. First up are the arm warmers. This is a pattern for 18th century knitted mitts by Mara Riley. I liked knitting them, but when I make another pair I will make several changes- I didn't like how the decrease/increases look and they were a bit boring. I also need to check my gauge as these were a bit tight on my arms, but fit a friend perfectly.
Next up are the pilates legwarmers. I discovered this fall that when my calves get cold I get toe cramps in pilates class. I needed some shorter legwarmers as all of mine are thigh high for ballet class, so I found this pattern at KnitPicks and added the stirrup to the bottoms to help keep my feet warm. They fit nicely under my yoga pants and really work without interfering with my feet.I also finished the green Panda Silk socks, but I don't have a photo of the finished pair. They fit well, but stretched out a bit during the day and ended up a bit loose.

I am currently working on the edging for the Lacewing shawl by KnitSpot. It is taking a long time. After that I really don't know what to start. I got a few knitting books for Christmas (The Knitter's Book of Wool by Clara Parkes and Twisted-Stitch Knitting by Maria Erlbacher). I think I will work on another set of arm warmers with a twisted stitch motif. I also have to finish spinning the Merino roving I got a long time ago (actually before I bought my wheel). I am not loving the finished ply and I will probably have to make a 3-ply to get anything remotely even in thickness. I guess I prefer spinning worsted instead of woolen and this is not the best fiber prep for that.

My goals for this next year are to make a dent in spinning some of the fiber I already have before I get to MS&W in May; knit a few more pairs of socks than last year; try my hand at designing some items; and I think I already have an idea for one Christmas present for next year to get started on (after consulting my color expert).

Wool Gathering 2009

Before going off to buy more wool I finished spinning up some merino/tencel I got at MS&W2007. I have had this for way too long and finally got to it. It is one ply of a light green and on of a dark green. I ended up with about 550 yds total.

Last weekend was the Wool Gathering 2009 at Young's Dairy in Yellow Springs, OH. I went all by myself and had a nice time wandering around for a few hours.
There was a huge bunny for sale:
A very beautiful Border Leister sheep:Some very interested Jersey cows:
Two big tents of vendors:
It is about 1/8th the size of MS&W, but is only about 1 hr from here. I came home with 1.5 pounds of Romney in an oatmeal color that I want to spin and knit a sweater for Darin, 1 pound of a charcoal merino to spin and then knit something for me, 3 oz of a hand dyed BFL and 1 pattern from Knitspot (aka Anne Hanson).On the way home I had to stop at Jo-Ann's (since I didn't have enough yarn at home) and get some Cotton ease to knit a mesh shopping bag that I have been wanting for several months.

I finished the mesh bag this afternoon and here it is:
Pattern: BYOB from Knitty
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, 4 skeins total (1 each of the contrast colors and 2 of the main)
Needles: US 7 and 10 KnitPicks options
Time: about 1 week total

Stupid Alpaca

Two weeks ago I sat down to start the Andean Chullo Hat kit from KnitPicks. I was going to make it for N, so I called him over and asked him to help pick out the patterns for the different bands. I told him I was going to use the alpaca ear flaps and he said "I don't want stupid alpaca on my hat". So the hat is not his, but Darin and I will wear it instead. It took only about a week for the knitting part. I love how Palette knits up in the color work. I couldn't stop, I had to see how the next section would look. My original kit had the substituted colors (navy for bark, sky for pool ,and turmeric for masala), but I was able to get the original colors before starting. I ended up using all of the colors I had.

I got some pictures of the Sarah cardigan today as well, so here they are.

In spinning news, I finished the socks-that-rock sheep-to-shoe kit I got a few years ago. I ended up with 413 yds in the big skein, 280 yds in the smaller skein and 71 yds of 2 ply in the smallest skein. I hope it knits up as nice as it spun.