because I know I will forget and likely loose tags. I'm up to 10 skeins for the beekeeper.
Lorna's Laces: Patina
Lorna's Laces: Monkeyshines
Malabrigo: Butter
Lorna's Laces: Magnificent Mile
Madeline Tosh Vintage: Ginger
Malabrigo: Rich Chocolate
Malabrigo: Applewood
Madeline Tosh Vintage: Dusk
Lorna's Laces: The Bean
Araucania Coliumo Solid: Color 24
I need to make a decision soon. Either just keep adding random colors (in my scheme obviously) or consider those a good amount of variety and go buy more skeins in each one. I'm not sure yet. I'm leaning towards that being plenty.
Monday, November 14
Friday, November 11
Spinning Coi
Awhile back, close to 3ish years ago, I bought a bunch of fiber off Etsy. Some of it got spun super fast but one sat. Unloved. Untouched. It was Coi.
As you can see it was gorgeous. In person, it was even better but the colors are hard. The changes are on the width and I know when I bought them, I thought they were on the length. It was gorgeous but I didn't know what to do with it.
Fast forward to 2 nights ago. The youngest has a birthday coming up and I'm in the process of making her a doll. Dolls need hair. Hair is usually lovely yarn. I had nothing in my stash that was worthy. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Coi and knew it was meant to be. I dusted off the wheel (it's been a year since I last spun!) and got to working.
In the end I got 2 large skeins (unsure of yardage) and 2 mini skeins. One mini isn't a real one since it was more an issue of running out of bobbin room. I ended up plying a lavender thread into it as well (which you can see here...I swear the spinning isn't as sloppy as it looks!).
In the end, having a mini skein of just one color (one single was longer) worked out in my favor. I have enough there to do the scalp portion of hair without the added fussiness of COLOR! to distract the eye. All the multi colored parts will be able to stand on their own against a solid back.
I don't know that I love the yarn. I expected it to be brighter. The green and peach tones in the center were kind of murky once spun which was a bummer. I do like (just not love) it though and it'll rock as doll hair I think. It's a tad thicker than I normally spin but I was hoping to get as much texture as possible. Between that and the thread I think it worked out in my favor.
Why did I let myself go long without spinning? It was so nice to feel the pull of the fiber through my fingers as I peddled. My wheel needed a bit of love to get it ready (moving wasn't easy on it) but once it was in top top shape it was a dream. I'm glad I pulled it out.
As you can see it was gorgeous. In person, it was even better but the colors are hard. The changes are on the width and I know when I bought them, I thought they were on the length. It was gorgeous but I didn't know what to do with it.
Fast forward to 2 nights ago. The youngest has a birthday coming up and I'm in the process of making her a doll. Dolls need hair. Hair is usually lovely yarn. I had nothing in my stash that was worthy. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Coi and knew it was meant to be. I dusted off the wheel (it's been a year since I last spun!) and got to working.
In the end I got 2 large skeins (unsure of yardage) and 2 mini skeins. One mini isn't a real one since it was more an issue of running out of bobbin room. I ended up plying a lavender thread into it as well (which you can see here...I swear the spinning isn't as sloppy as it looks!).
In the end, having a mini skein of just one color (one single was longer) worked out in my favor. I have enough there to do the scalp portion of hair without the added fussiness of COLOR! to distract the eye. All the multi colored parts will be able to stand on their own against a solid back.I don't know that I love the yarn. I expected it to be brighter. The green and peach tones in the center were kind of murky once spun which was a bummer. I do like (just not love) it though and it'll rock as doll hair I think. It's a tad thicker than I normally spin but I was hoping to get as much texture as possible. Between that and the thread I think it worked out in my favor.
Why did I let myself go long without spinning? It was so nice to feel the pull of the fiber through my fingers as I peddled. My wheel needed a bit of love to get it ready (moving wasn't easy on it) but once it was in top top shape it was a dream. I'm glad I pulled it out.
Sunday, November 6
Consumed
Do you ever get a project going that consumes you? One of those ones that you think about all the time, that you refer to by pattern name as if it were its own person, maybe even dream about?
I have one.
It's not cooperating.
It started with some yarn (as all projects do). This yarn to be exact.
Prairie Silks It's from the Brown Sheep Company and, sadly, a discontinued line. It is a blend of silk (10%), mohair (18%), and wool (72%) and while it's lovely the mohair in it is bothering my hands. I have a lot of this. A LOT. I bought a small lot of 14 skeins, with 9 being in the color you see above (Ruble Red). Other colors in the box are: Bolivar Blue, Franc Framboise, Burnished Copper, Green Back, and Baht Blue. A color card can be found here.
The skeins are tiny. 1.75 ounces and a whoppin' 88 yards. What on earth could I make with that!?
Enter Abalone.
I've had this lovely cardigan in my queue for awhile. Browsing Ravelry the night after I got my yarn, looking for motivation to work on ANYTHING, I came across it again. I did a check on yardage and double checked my new stash and sure enough I had plenty!
It started out very well.
The color is awesome and the drape of the fabric is nice. I suppose I could easily go up one needle size and have a much drappier fabric but it's working on the ones the pattern calls for. I've worked on this for a week now. The entire body is done. The sleeves are seamed. The arm cuffs are complete.
Yet this sweater sits, disgruntled, in the chair behind me. Unfinished. Festering. Uncooperating.
The pattern is more of a guideline by the time you get to the edge. While I am ok with this, the actual cardigan doesn't seem to be. I'm on my THIRD go round of it. The first time was only a half attempt. I had made a mistake and frogged it for the sake of doing it right.
The second time? Well here, take a look.
Lots of puckering and it pulled in so much that the bottom, the part that SHOULD come around my hips, was sitting on my back near my ribs. It was like a tight bolero. Frogged.
I asked for help online and got suggestions. I picked up less stitches last night and placed markers for my corners. FAIL. I could tell 3 rounds in that it wasn't working. Did I frog it?
No.
I was hoping that if I got a couple more rounds in things would lay right and I'd be in the home stretch. It doesn't seem to be that way.
At this point, I have a feeling the all consuming focus is more about just finishing it, than it is about being in love with it. I WILL finish it. I WILL do it soon. I still haven't frogged it. I tried to convince myself earlier that if I just finished it, I could try and block out the puckering that's happening. I know it won't work. Which is why it sits in the chair behind me.
What's consuming you lately?
**This post is a perfect example of why red tones are difficult to photograph. The most accurate color is the second picture.
I have one.
It's not cooperating.
It started with some yarn (as all projects do). This yarn to be exact.
Prairie Silks It's from the Brown Sheep Company and, sadly, a discontinued line. It is a blend of silk (10%), mohair (18%), and wool (72%) and while it's lovely the mohair in it is bothering my hands. I have a lot of this. A LOT. I bought a small lot of 14 skeins, with 9 being in the color you see above (Ruble Red). Other colors in the box are: Bolivar Blue, Franc Framboise, Burnished Copper, Green Back, and Baht Blue. A color card can be found here.
The skeins are tiny. 1.75 ounces and a whoppin' 88 yards. What on earth could I make with that!?
Enter Abalone.
I've had this lovely cardigan in my queue for awhile. Browsing Ravelry the night after I got my yarn, looking for motivation to work on ANYTHING, I came across it again. I did a check on yardage and double checked my new stash and sure enough I had plenty!
It started out very well.
The color is awesome and the drape of the fabric is nice. I suppose I could easily go up one needle size and have a much drappier fabric but it's working on the ones the pattern calls for. I've worked on this for a week now. The entire body is done. The sleeves are seamed. The arm cuffs are complete.
Yet this sweater sits, disgruntled, in the chair behind me. Unfinished. Festering. Uncooperating.
The pattern is more of a guideline by the time you get to the edge. While I am ok with this, the actual cardigan doesn't seem to be. I'm on my THIRD go round of it. The first time was only a half attempt. I had made a mistake and frogged it for the sake of doing it right.
The second time? Well here, take a look.
Lots of puckering and it pulled in so much that the bottom, the part that SHOULD come around my hips, was sitting on my back near my ribs. It was like a tight bolero. Frogged.
I asked for help online and got suggestions. I picked up less stitches last night and placed markers for my corners. FAIL. I could tell 3 rounds in that it wasn't working. Did I frog it?
No.
I was hoping that if I got a couple more rounds in things would lay right and I'd be in the home stretch. It doesn't seem to be that way.
At this point, I have a feeling the all consuming focus is more about just finishing it, than it is about being in love with it. I WILL finish it. I WILL do it soon. I still haven't frogged it. I tried to convince myself earlier that if I just finished it, I could try and block out the puckering that's happening. I know it won't work. Which is why it sits in the chair behind me.
What's consuming you lately?
**This post is a perfect example of why red tones are difficult to photograph. The most accurate color is the second picture.
Saturday, November 5
It's been knit (in the past): A pretty hat
This hat has been waiting for it's day in the spotlight for about a year now. I knit this last year, intending to gift it, and due to random life occurances I never had the chance. I don't remember who it was knit for now! I do know that I ended up making it a bit longer than the pattern (Ear Warmer Cap) says too. I also opted for no texture on it. 
The body of the hat is Knit Picks Wool of The Andes. I don't remember the color name but it reminds of sweet cream butter. It's a gorgeous yellow without being neon or Crayola hued.
The flower and ruffled part are my favorite thing about this hat. For longtime readers of this blog you might remember seeing the yarns before. Both handspuns were used to make baby items for my last kiddo. Each skein had just enough leftover that I wanted to keep it (in the case of Tumble it was quite a bit). I think both of them complimented the yellow of the hat perfectly.
It was geared to fit a young child (my oldest here is 6) but has enough length and stretch that I can easily wear this. The flowers are on their nice and snug (and were a pain to knit! that's a lot of ruffle!) and help make the hat feel more sturdy. Wool of the Andes isn't the thickest of yarns so I actually really appreciate that fact. I love the hat. I know someone else will too (the oldest has declared it not for her). Eventually this hat will get some lovin'. In the meantime, it'll sit on my finished items shelf and make me happy everytime I see it. What more could I ask for?
The body of the hat is Knit Picks Wool of The Andes. I don't remember the color name but it reminds of sweet cream butter. It's a gorgeous yellow without being neon or Crayola hued.The flower and ruffled part are my favorite thing about this hat. For longtime readers of this blog you might remember seeing the yarns before. Both handspuns were used to make baby items for my last kiddo. Each skein had just enough leftover that I wanted to keep it (in the case of Tumble it was quite a bit). I think both of them complimented the yellow of the hat perfectly.
It was geared to fit a young child (my oldest here is 6) but has enough length and stretch that I can easily wear this. The flowers are on their nice and snug (and were a pain to knit! that's a lot of ruffle!) and help make the hat feel more sturdy. Wool of the Andes isn't the thickest of yarns so I actually really appreciate that fact. I love the hat. I know someone else will too (the oldest has declared it not for her). Eventually this hat will get some lovin'. In the meantime, it'll sit on my finished items shelf and make me happy everytime I see it. What more could I ask for?
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