Spinneret

There is a Little Stranger

God, how I coughed when I received a baby bottle birth announcement from a friend. It proclaimed the arrival of ...

his new puppy.

Crisis averted.

No folks, this stranger is on loan only.

I've joined The Ulster County Handspinner's Guild and we are entered in the first "fleece to shawl" competition this guild has participated in. August 1st at the Ulster County Fair. The Louët Victoria has been kindly placed in my care for me to brush up and use when we reach The Day. Handily enough at the first meeting I attended one member was de-stashing at very reasonable prices and I came home with 4 oz of a beautiful blue merino roving

and 2 bumps of a lovely brown stuff (LBS).

This meeting was their first fiber flip. Most members brought their traveling wheels, 2 of us drop spindles. And each about an ounce of fiber of our choosing. Passing the fiber to the person on our right, receiving fiber from the person on our left, setting the timer (3 minutes was a good amount of time to get the feel of the different fibers) we sampled Sea silk, An Alpaca blend, A Romney, a Cormo, a beautiful hand dyed batt, and Milk protein. This was a whole lot of fun. Here's the swatch that came out of it all. After I blocked the skein my favorite turned out to be the milk protein. It softened up in the nicest way -slick to spin, as was the sea silk - both spun most happily in the frog hair division.

In other news;

Summer socks - Bouton D'or 50/50 Cotton/Modal. Shaped arch, slip stitch rib.

Well Travelled Socks

Lorna's Laces

"Amy's Vintage Office" colorway

Some sort of slipped stitch 3/3 rib, toe up jobber. Same pattern as for the Costume Imp's socks.

These patient items have been riding around in my bag since January. They have been the "I'm too addled to knit anything that requires counting" socks. They have been the "I'll just keep ripping out this baby surprise jacket until I figure it out" back ups. These guys deserve a prize for never getting lost and stalwartly remaining a pair in spite of the vicissitudes of the traveling bag that holds just what is needed. Sometimes more … getting dumped … emptied … re-packed … changed over … cxxxxt! just finish the damn things wouldja?

I love the yardage put up on this yarn. These will be pretty swell come the next cold spell. The way this spring has rolled and wallowed around I may be wearing them at the Memorial Day parade tomorrow. And perhaps for the 4th of July fireworks.

Yarn Knuckles

As I was saying;

Yarn Knuckles©

It was a little chilly in the studio while I was working on the salamander in the dead of winter in this old house. I was hungry for some color and I needed some warmth. I hadn't really intended to put the ditsy little popcorns on but was feeling whimscal and felt the need for something a little feminine, having been buried in indistinguishable layers for the many months that this past winter dragged on. feh.

The first one popped off of the needles in fairly short order and the knitting women kept up the gentle inspiration to finish the pair. So by the end of March, when they were still necessary damnit, they were done.

What are they? Mitts. With an open cable around the cuff/wrist transition. Using a variegated yarn that is "Rose Garden" from Farmhouse Yarns - Fanny's Fingering weight. And a solid from Koigu (#1521) that is the palest spring green/yellow. Alternating stitches, twined for a good solid bullet proof fabric. Twined. Each stitch wrapped around the other yarn on the back side. Because this is all I can manage with color work and not have snagging floats that mess with my tension. Sad that.

Long they are. and a little baggy quite frankly. It's been a while since I knit gloves and was winging it from the get go on these.

Why "Yarn Knuckles"?

A woman I work with who has known me for many years glanced over while I was trying the first one on and piped up with "Oh, Yarn Knuckles". As I fear, dear friends, I am rather not the dainty delicate type to wear ditsy girly stuff. She had hit the nail on the head.

Crikey

I promise - 

1) photos of the new Kim Hargreaves pink sweater.  I may need this one in other colors.  It's a nice design.  This was a break from the Yarn Knuckle® mitts on size 1 needles.

2) Yarn Knuckle® mitts. Just the thing for Spring

3) Suzy's Christmas socks in Koigu Kersti.

4) Lorna's Laces "Amy's Vintage Office" colorway  socks.

You see it isn't that I haven't been finishing things.  Just busy.

And then there was the minor matter of the BB drive by and what to do about the window next to the front door.  Besides board it up and be annoyed.

Radio Free Sophia

Been a little quiet around here.

No, I did not go to Bulgaria for 3 months. Вы шальные?  Folks ain't got no heat out there. Sheesh. No heat - pipes freeze.  Ya gots no water, and no means of boiling it if you did have it.  No. Too old for that one.  I think I've been to that fire before. Here, A - heat, hot water. There, B- No heat, international travel and adventure. Disappointed me to choose "A" until my friend J sent me a picture of the truck he is running the job off of

.

He's a miracle worker, our boy. And increasingly fluent in Bulgarian. Sigh, I hear Sophia is lovely.

All at the same time, an invitation was extended to create a piece for an exhibit of amphibians at the Environmental Education Center at Yale.

And it was time to get back into that saddle here,

More information on this guy can be found here.

Just for grins I could try to knit one.