latest completions

Yes, sometimes I actually do finish some things! I just don't get around to posting pics of them.

These are the socks I finished few weeks ago, which I stuffed because I didn't have the right size of blockers for them. These are knit from Regia 4-ply in Jacquard colour. I've knit a smaller pair before, and was trying another method to do the caston for the toes, and then wanted to try a couple of increases --- and somehow they just became socks! I did both at the same time on the same circular needle, and was going to try something different for these after-thought heels, but decided to just do them later, since I hadn't worked out all the details and didn't want to delay them any longer. Next time.

In the meantime, I'm still spinning, and working on some scrubbies. More to come!

White Buffalo anyone?

You have seen that I like a lot of the White Buffalo wheels for spinning. A friend has written to tell me she has 12 wheels of it, mostly in dark olive, one of gold, one of turquise and one pale yellow/cream. She lives in NJ, and shipping to me would cost too much, but if anyone in that part of the world would like to get some of these, write and ask me for her address. I love the colours, but perhaps someone closer to her would like to have them.

Getting ready

This has been a good weekend!

Firstly, I had a good sleep. This is very hard for me to do, because of so many factors. One being that I stay up too late at night (so much to do) and then have to get up way too early to get to work (why do we HAVE to do that??). I have back problems a lot and find I can't lay down for long. I am a light sleeper, and any little noise wakes me up -- in a large city, with high-density houseing, there is never any silence. I slept very well when I was visiting Mom these last few times. But she lives in a small village, where nothing hardly ever happens, so it's quiet all the time. Love it! I got home on Thursday, very tired, and before 9 pm, I just went to bed since there is no sense in trying to stay awake when the eyes just won't have it! I slept until just before 11 Friday morning -- fourteen hours! I felt great! I don't understand it, but my poor old worn out body just needed it, I guess. No complaints!! I probably could have slept a bit longer, but felt there were things I needed to do, and felt compelled to get up.

I really didn't need to. There is nothing --- NOTHING -- in this world that is so very important that it needs to be done right now! Everything will wait. I know that. Still, I try to convince myself there are things I really should do; and I will --- later.

Secondly, I spent quite a bit of time preparing some wool for spinning soon. Remember those cheeses of 6-strand wool I had? Well, I have LOTS of those! So I spent most of the days separating them into individual strands, and winding them into balls. I have about 5 different shades of brown, and I am thinking that I need a nice sweater, in those colours. I only have 227 gm (8 oz) of each shade, but that should be enough. Now, I just need to come up with a colour sequence and it will all be done! There is the knitting too, but that is merely just the follow-up, right?

I also have some white and grey that was knit up, and then ripped out, and wound into balls (from the thrift shop) which I am taking apart and winding into little balls. I have some grey, white, and brown already spun. Those are 3-ply, all spun on the CD spindle; I quite enjoy working with it. The rest will be spun on the spindle too -- it holds more than my wheels do.

I grafted the final toe on the socks. I wanted to block them after washing, but don't have blockers that size. I need to make some, I know -- I was going to cut them from cardboard, but don't have a sharp craft knife handy. So I took a tea-towel, rolled it up into about the right size, and put it into a plastic bag.. and then slipped it into the sock. Well, slipped is not quite the right word; I giggled thinking it was more like putting on a condom on someone not-quite hard enough!! LOL-- not that I would know about that!! But it did seem to work quite well, and they look just fine now.

Now, there is that one shawl that is still mocking me.

Moebius is done

I got some pics of the finished moebius. I finally settled on a simple 3-stitch garter stitch border, with a YO thrown in for fun! I realize that it looks better on a person, than laying flat on a table. But you should be able to get the idea of how it lies, and see that it is one continuous shape -- with no beginning, no end, no inside, no outside. It is wide enough to just go around my shoulders, as a wrap, and if doubled, makes a nice neck scarf. You can pull it up over you head, with enough of the scarf hanging down to create a dramatic effect, or if doubled over your head, it makes a nice tight-fitting hood. It's really quite versatile!

There is a scarf in one of the issues of MenKnit Magazine "Cha Ching Moebius" by Witt Pratt. I think I will attempt one like that as well. I tried to do some lace patterns in this one, but since this thing is reverible, you need a pattern that looks good on both sides! As well, most of these are done with knit/purl ridges, or some other sort of reversible stitch. I will search for more patterns, but I suspect that keeping it to the simple, tried&true will still be the best way to go. I didn't wash and block this one; I thought it looked alright as it is, but will wash it at some point, which seems to make it settle in better, and make all my stitches more even! hahaha

Of course, I did it in red (not my colour, you understand) but because I had this HUGE ball of a mohair-type of yarn, and I needed some sort of project for it, didn't I?

These are fun to do, but rather tedious --- but all lace can be like that. But that first round --- well, you already heard the story!