I’m in love with this scarf. I was flipping through Ravelry forums and one thing led to another and I ended up on the MimKnits website. I think I was looking at shawls to begin with. That’s usually where it starts… No, wait. This time I was looking at undyed yarn in bulk (I love the thought of “winding off” some yarn to dye for a project.) and it led me to the owner’s blog (neither the company nor the blog name are coming to me right now…will add when I remember) and a shawl I liked and here I am…

 

I’ve been trying really hard not to buy anymore patterns. One of the things on my “knitting goals” list for 2008 is not to buy any more pattern books (stitch bibles and spinning or dyeing books do not count) until I’ve knit at least one thing from the majority of books I’ve been collecting for years. My FO list at the end of the last few years has been pitifully small and I aim to change that. I tend to get involved with several large projects and no smaller ones. I never finish anything and have no real sense of accomplishment. I’m working on socks now, and I want to work on smaller things like scarves. So I’m not buying pattern books, but would this one little pattern be breaking my promise to myself? Probably, but I don’t think I care. I REALLY dig this scarf. What do you think?

Imagine a sing-songy voice when reading the title.

I finally have my spinning wheel.  She’s an absolutely gorgeous Kromski Sonata named Penelope.  Shannon and I went to The Spinning Loft last Wednesday to look at wheels for me.  It was a great day - I hadn’t seen her since I left for CA and I missed my favorite spinning/knitting buddy - the weather was perfect for a long car ride and Beth’s shop was amazing.  Beth (the owner of The Spinning Loft) was patient and very helpful.  She brought me about a million different wheels (the number may be a bit lower in reality) to try and told me to just treadle them and that would tell me if I liked the wheel or not.  I have to admit I was skeptical; it didn’t seem like less than a minute of pushing foot pedals would really tell me anything significant about how I felt about the wheel, but boy was I ever wrong.  I quickly narrowed it down to four wheels (Louet’s Julia, Ashford’s Joy and Kromski’s Sonata and Minstrel)  The Joy was the first to be eliminated as it was an as-is wheel with no possible add-ons for later as I got more advanced in spinning.  Next the Julia went b/c I really did like the way the Kromski wheels felt more, but also, I have to admit, b/c I couldn’t get the Julia right away and it definitely wasn’t a travel wheel.  Once I was down to the Sonata and the Minstrel it was more difficult to choose.  The treadling felt virtually identical on both wheels.  So Beth grabbed some awesome purple Corridale wool and I spun on both of them.  In the end, the Sonata won and Penelope (I named her Olivia at the store, but it just didn’t stick in my mind) became my new spinning friend.  The final decision involved that fact that the Sonata was a folding travel wheel and b/c there were more options for adding on later with it.  I loved both of them and could definitely see myself getting a Minstrel later on.  I’m pretty sure at this point, though, that my next wheel will be the Louet Julia.  Look at me, barely knowing how to use the Sonata and already choosing my next wheel.  This is addictive.  It’s crack for the spinner/knitter’s soul. LOL

We picked up Penelope on Monday on our way down to the Detroit area.  We visited Rusty and Shannon and Jake got to play with their adorable daughter Alex.  She’s a perfect cross between her mother and father looks-wise and I just couldn’t get enough of her.  I really want to have a little girl!  While we were there Jake got the most massive bloody nose I’ve ever seen.  If it wasn’t for the fact that he was totally calm and clearly not in any pain I would have thought he had smashed his face into something.  It went away pretty quickly, but it was still a horror for me while it was going on.  I managed to keep it together and not freak out, though, b/c I was afraid that would just scare and upset him.  After we left, we went to Dad’s to spend the night.  Jake was so thrilled to see his Papa and Papa was thrilled to see him.  After TJ and Jake both went to bed, I sat up until the early morning spinning and talking to Dad.  He was very intrigued by the wheel and how it spun.  The next morning we got up and Jake watched The Bee Movie twice and then we packed up and headed home.

It’s been a pretty uneventful week here at Casa Dwire.  I was supposed to (and really wanted to) go to Shannon’s to spin on Friday, but TJ took my car while I was sleeping (of course, he leaves at 5 am) b/c he didn’t want to ride the motorcycle b/c it was supposed to rain, which it didn’t.  So no spinning for me.  Hopefully I’ll have a chance to get together with her this week as Jake will be up north with his “Unkie” and “Kay” all week.

Time for me to go to bed.  Hope all of you are having a great night.  Talk at  you soon!

I’ve been a very lazy and bad blogger.  Lots has happened and been going on.  Life is better than it’s been in years and I’m thrilled with almost every aspect of my life.

I was wary about being away from home and visiting Mom for as long as I was.  Friends were starting to ask if everything was okay with TJ and myself.  Yes they are, better than ever, actually.  This trip was one of the best things that I’ve chosen to do in a long, long time.

Today was not a great day, though.  I planned to get up early, get some chores done and hopefully spend part or much of the day with my friend Shannon who I haven’t seen in over two months (sigh).  I didn’t end up being able to fall asleep (probably due to extensive napping earlier in the day) until after 9 am and when the alarm went off at 1:30, my head was pounding so bad that I couldn’t even turn the light on.  Migraine hell, my friends, migraine hell.  It wasn’t until almost 6 pm that I was even able to get out of bed.  Even now my head still hurts to some degree, even down into my neck, but it’s more bearable as long as the noise level is low.  I probably shouldn’t even be playing with the computer, but TV hurts, reading hurts and I’m crazy bored.  Anyone that called today and I didn’t answer or get back to you, I’m sorry.  Will get with everyone tomorrow or over the weekend.  I’m going to keep it simple and quiet tonight b/c tomorrow is ZPDK and I’m not missing it for anything.  I miss my knitting buddies.

Back to my life changes…since I’ve been back, I’ve left the house more than I have in the last few years.  Living in Lake City screwed with my head a lot and I became very much of a recluse, to the point where leaving the house was frightening for me.  Moving here helped, but not as much as I would have liked.  I joined my knitting groups, which I love, but even that was hard.  I have yet to drive myself to any of the meetings.  First Andrea went with me, which got me going in the first place, then either TJ would drop me off and pick me up or Shannon would pick me up and take me.  The fact that I was going was progress, but not enough.

Driving has been a huge issue for me.  I don’t know what it has been, but I’ve been terrified of driving.  Even getting the new car last year didn’t change it much.  Socialization has also been an issue.  I was really shut off, preferring to stay at home and watch TV or knit or whatever over going out and having fun.  In CA, though, I didn’t have that option.  I had to go out with Mom and the family and having renewed my friendship with my cousin Krista was a HUGE factor in my change.  She really pulled me out of my shell a lot.

Since I’ve been back, just over a week, I’m happy to say that TJ and I have taken Jake bowling twice, have gone to the carnival in town twice and since they’ve been up north (since yesterday) I’ve left the house to pick up this and that ON MY OWN, even driving the car.  I know how stupidly simple that sounds, but to me it’s a HUGE deal!!  I feel better about myself than I have in a long, long time.

I’ve been knitting and spinning quite a bit as well.  I finished my first mini-skein of plied yarn.  It’s far from perfect, but it’s pretty.  I’ll post pictures once I get the camera back (I left it in CA).  I’ve been working half-heartedly on a few mystery shawl projects, and I’ve gotten really back into working on my Clapotis shawl.  I love working with the bamboo yarn; it’s hand-dyed from Yarntopia Treasures (Tammy has gorgeous yarns, btw.  Her bamboo and cotton/bamboo blends are so soft and so pretty.  I love them) and the colorway is Seventh Heaven, a combination of blues and greens.  The drape on this yarn is so pretty and I can’t wait to finish this so I can wrap myself up in it.  This and the multi-directional scarf I’m working on for Krista (also with Tammy’s bamboo yarn - Surreal colorway this time) are the only two I’m really working on at this point.  I’ve tended to start many, many projects and set them aside when something else catches my eye.  I’m determined to finish at least one of these two projects before I start something else.  I want to work hard now, b/c I know that once I get my wheel, I’m going to be spinning all the time for awhile.

Okay, the headache is back a bit, so I’m going to sign off for now.  More later…

I hate wordpress!!! That about says it all. In the last two days I’ve written two lengthy posts about this trip and about the spinning wheel that I’m going to be getting when I get home from CA (will I ever get home seems to be the question at hand). So I had these two posts written, I published them both and…and…well, nothing. Neither of them are here nor are they saved as drafts, nothing. They just don’t exist. ARGH!! I’ve never had this happen to me before. It quite sucks ass!! On with life, though; an abbreviated recap of them…

What started out as a three week trip has turned into an epic journey. I was supposed to go home at the end of Feb. but my mother is coming back to MI with us and b/c of doctor’s appointments she wasn’t going to be able to do that until at least the middle of March. Then her birthday (March 24th) came up and it was suggested that we stay until after that so everyone could celebrate with her and Jake and myself. Next we moved onto my aunt Marion’s birthday which is only about a week and a half after my mother’s and my mother is very close to Aunt Marion as am I etc. so now we’re at April 16th for a fly home date. I’m booking the tickets this week and they will be non-refundable. LOL

Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a WONDERFUL time out here. This is one of the best vacations/visits I have ever been on. My mother and I are getting along better than we ever have in my adult life, I’ve renewed a friendship with my cousin Krista that’s deepened and become very important to me - she’s one of my closest friends now and leaving her to come home will be difficult at best. Jake has gotten the opportunity to play with his cousins Brandon, Logan and Olivia and he’s taken to all of them. Olivia is his special one, though. He adores her like a puppy adores it’s new master. Too cute!! He’s got a little Brandon worship going and I think he relates to Logan the best - Logan is the only one who will play chase with him and there is nothing Jake likes more than a good game of chase. Spending time with Diane and Melissa has, as always, been a blast. You can’t be around Diane and not laugh and Melissa and I have been close since we were kids. I’ve always loved spending time with her and that hasn’t changed at all. I do wish she weren’t so busy with all things kids, as all mothers are, and we could have some one on one time, but I understand how it is with kids in your life; hers have the added bonus of acting auditions on a regular basis. Yes, my little cousins are going to be big, famous stars one day and I’ll be able to say I knew them when…they were in diapers…LOL I never really thought much about family and how important it can be, but now that I have Jake and especially after spending all this time as an adult with them all, I see how much it means and that it would be unfair of me to keep Jake away from this crazy, loud, obnoxious, wonderful, loving and oh so fun family that he’s now a part of. If any of you are reading this, I love you with all my heart and am so glad I was blessed to be brought into this family!!

Now onto the important stuff: my spinning wheel!!! When I get home TJ and I are off to the Knitter’s Nest in Howell to pick out, and hopefully pick up, my new spinning wheel. I couldn’t be more excited!! This is where all of you experienced spinners come into play. Right now I have myself settled on one of two wheels: The Louet Victoria or the Ashford Joy. The Victoria I have actually had the chance to spin on briefly and it was a dream, even for someone who had no clue what she was doing. I’m pretty sure it had less to do with the wheel itself than with the fact that I was actually using a wheel for the first time, but that is a pretty powerful thing. It will always be a special wheel in my head b/c of that. My friend Shannon Too has one and I’m pretty sure she’s happy with it - she certainly spins gorgeous yarn on it. The Ashford Joy, OTOH, I’ve never spun with or even seen in real life. It’s got a good reputation though, and I’ve heard good things about it. So there I am. At this point I’m looking for a smaller wheel, most likely a portable one. I want to get the “fairy tale” wheel one day (which will be a whole other deciding frenzy) but right now we’re in the middle of houses (the owner of our rental home has decided to allow the house to go into foreclosure so we’re screwed. At least we get 6 months or so of rent free living there while we look, but we have to move, ugh!) and I don’t want the big wheel until I know we’re in our “forever house”. So I want a traveller, something that’s good for a beginner, but also that will grow with me as I learn. I tend to spin fairly fine, but that may be mostly b/c of my light weight spindle. I want to be able to spin a variety of weights. I tend to love things with “bells and whistles” but in this case I think something a little more simple is in order. So I would love some advice. The Victoria or the Joy? Or another wheel altogether. As much input as possible would be appreciated here. I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say.

I’ve been here in sunny, happy Seal Beach for three weeks tomorrow and I’m having a great time!  I miss TJ like crazy, but if it wasn’t for that, this would be a perfect trip and I’d be happy to stay here forever.

Right now I’m sitting in a recliner with the laptop on my lap and the big screen TV in front of me.  It’s 80 degrees and sunny and absolutely gorgeous.  I’m sitting here instead of playing outside with Little Man b/c my feet and ankles have been really badly swollen for the last three or four days.  I’ve been trying to ignore it and just go on, but they have been getting worse and worse and today it hurts to even walk.  Not sure what the cause is:  blood pressure (but I don’t have the headaches that have typically gone with my b.p. problems in the past), sodium issues (but I haven’t been eating or drinking anything different from back home), and my favorite, pregnancy.  That would be a real blast.  I’ve had other “symptoms” of impending mommy-hood as well:  heartburn, changes in the way the areola look as well as my nipples (they’re darker and they’re bigger around, my fatigue has been crazy (I’m always crazy, but it comes and goes whenever it feels like it).  I know the odds are so small that I’m pregnant, and I also know that I always think that I’m pregnant as soon as there is one little symptom that “might” mean pregnancy, so I’m trying not to get my hopes up here.  It would be wonderful, though, and a great birthday gift to my mother to have another baby.  I guess we’ll see in a few weeks; it’s too soon to do a test - still a few weeks to go until I’d be around 6 weeks, so I’ll just keep waiting and hoping.  :)  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

As I’m sitting here I’m watching my mom and Little Man playing outside.  They’re blowing bubbles together and it’s the most heartwarming thing I’ve ever seen.  He’s really taken to her and she’s so in love with him.  Just watching them together makes my heart swell with pride and joy.  It’s like she’s 20 years younger when she’s with him.  I can’t remember the last time I saw her happy like this and I love it!!!

****ETA****Didn’t finish writing until now; I was called outside by Little Man to participate in the bubble blowing and leaf finding and said to hell with my legs and went for it wtih him.  Bad idea, for the most part.  Lots more swelling and a little more pain as well.  I’ll be okay, though

Hi all.  I’ve been absent for almost a month…not good for the old blog stats…LOL  I’m still here, though.  I’m in Sunny (or rainy as the case may be today) Seal Beach, CA visiting my mother with the little man.  It’s been almost 2 years since he’s seen her; shameful, isn’t it?!?!

We left Kalamazoo on the 5th for Chicago to catch a JetBlue flight on the morning of the 6th, managed to miss the flight on the morning of the 6th and get stuck in Chicago for an extra day.  This would not have been such a bad thing if it hadn’t been for the MAJOR snowstorm that hit; they actually canceled over 1,000 flights out of O’Hare that afternoon/evening.  We were going to take in some of the tourist sights for kids:  the Aquarium, the children’s museum, maybe even the Art Museum so I could see a genuine Monet, it was a fun and exciting day that we had planned and then we went outside.  We made it about 50 ft. outside the hotel and towards our car, took one look at the roads and the amount of snow already collected on the car, turned around and marched right back inside for a day of ordered in food and old TV (Bewitched, Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies etc.).  All in all, not a bad day at all, I must admit.  TJ and I got to cuddle while little man pigged out on pizza and “colored” with the Super 8 pens and tiny pads of paper.  We also watched The Devil Wears Prada that night, which was a really good movie.  I was surprised that TJ enjoyed it, but he did.  He does have a feminine side after all, LOL.

So the next morning we get to the airport early enough, they allow TJ to go through security to go to the gate with us b/c of my back problems and the little one and things are good.  Except for one thing:  the day we were leaving, we realized that my ID had been in my jeans pocket the last time I went to knit night, b/c I didn’t want to carry a purse, and the jeans had been watched, dried and folded.  Somehow, the ID went missing during all of this.  ARGH!!!  Luckily I still had the expired ID from when I renewed, so that gave me a picture ID.  We called the airline to make sure it would be okay, which they assured us would be fine.  When we got to security, though, it was a different story.  I got “chosen” for “selective screening” b/c of my lack of picture ID.  They pulled me aside to frisk me from top to bottom and they took my bags (we gave the bag with the knitting stuff to Jacob, b/c we were afraid it wouldn’t make it through the “special” screening) and rubbed a cloth through most of my things to check for explosives etc.  Needless to say, there were no explosives in my stuff and, all in all, it was a pretty interesting experience, if a little inconvenient time wise.  By the time we got through the check point (did I mention the airport was packed with people trying to make up for missing their flights the day/night before?) the plane was boarding.  We had to rush a little, but it was kind of nice not to have to wait for the plane to land, get cleaned etc.  We said goodbye to TJ and we boarded.  I was a little nervous about Jake flying, especially without his car seat, but he was an absolute angel.  JetBlue is a wonderful airline.  Love the DirecTv on every seat, the variety of snacks and the entire can of pop (soda, out here) they give you; they even encourage you to ask for seconds if you want them.  Jake was an angel on the plane, he didn’t even want to watch TV channels, rather the channel with the picture of the plane and which state it’s currently over.  Strange kid.  LOL

We landed a half hour early and it was in the mid-70’s here.  Big change from Chicago.  I was dying in my sweat pants and my sweater while we were waiting for the luggage at Long Beach Airport.  It’s a really small airport and we could deplane from both the front and back of the plane and had to wait for our luggage outside.

Jake took an immediate liking to Aunt Marion and hasn’t wanted to be away from her since.  He warmed up to his Nana a little slower, but he loves her, too.  We’ve done a lot of shopping since I’ve been here:  I didn’t bring my laptop b/c of it’s broken all over issues, but Mom bought me this great new one I’m typing this entry on.  It’s an HP with Vista instead of HP (and I like it a lot more than I thought I would) and a nice and fast 3 GB RAM with a 250 GB hard drive and lots of other fun features.  It’s also a 15.4″ screen instead of the 17″ that my Vaio is and I’m MUCH happier with this one.  It also weighs about 7 lbs less.  I’m thrilled with it.  She got Jacob an awesome portable DVD player for the car trip we’re taking to Arizona later this year; he loves it.  We’re actually getting to watch something on the real TV other than Dora or Diego now…YAY!!! Along with the DVD player, she bought him a ton of Disney movies and he’s in heaven.  There are also toys for him to play with and cousins his age to play with.  He’s having a blast.  He does cry at night occasionally, though, that he wants his Daddy, which breaks my heart.  I know how he feels, I miss TJ terribly as well.  Tried to talk him into flying in for a few days, but I know it’s not practical.  UGH!!  The trip was originally slated for three weeks (leaving the 27th) with Mom coming back with us.  Now, b/c of her cataract surgery and other doctor issues, we’re going to be here until mid to late March before we go back.  6-7 weeks total away from home.  That’s a LONG time.  I hope Jake, and I, can make it.  We are having a good time, though, all in all.  It’s great to spend time with my mother and she’s in absolute heaven having Jacob right here all the time.  It’s going to break her heart when it’s time for her to leave Kazoo and fly back here after her visit with us.

Gotta run, but I’ll post more later about the trip and what we’ve done and where we’ve gone.  Hope everyone is happy, healthy and staying warm in Michigan and the other cold states.  Love to all!!!

Which Alice in Wonderland character are YOU? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Walrus You scored the Walrus! You like to look after yourself and indulgence is your favourite vice. You use charm and manipulation to get what you want and don’t mind taking someone else’s share… if they aren’t watching of course. Walrus 100% The White Rabbit 92% Carpenter 83% Queen of Hearts 83% A Playing Card 83% Oyster 75% Caterpillar 75% Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum 75% Cheshire Cat 67% Mad Hatter 58% The Dormouse 58% Alice 58% March Hare 50% Flamingo 42%

This post is actually going to be about knitting and only knitting.  It won’t be super long, as I’m in the midst of WIP’s and have no real FO’s at the moment.

Having finished my Christmas knitting, sort of (I still have the shawl to finish, but am working on it rather slowly b/c I got so sick of it in those last months of trying to finish it in time), I’m not really in the middle of anything, rather at the beginning of several things.  I’ve gotten one of a pair of Fetching mitts done in Alpine Pearl Malabrigo (there should be a law about wool singles that butter soft) and I’ve been totally slacking about finishing number 2.  It’s the knitting ADD I tell you.  I know it would only take a day at most to finish, but I’m all caught up in trying to pick patterns, yarns etc. for new projects.

First up I have Secret of the Stole ii.  (BTW, Emily, it is still open for sign ups, in case you didn’t already check for yourself)  I’ve chosen my yarn:  a rayon/silk blend from Over the Rainbow yarns.  It’s listed as sport weight, but feels a bit lighter than that to me.  The colorway is Vanilla Parfait and it’s gorgeous.  The instructions say we shouldn’t use varigated yarn for this shawl, but the varigation is so subtle that I think it will be okay.  Even if it’s not, so what?!?!  It’s my shawl and I can do whatever I want with it, so there!!  LOL  It’s a blend of cream and some very pale taupe and tan.  I really love this colorway and plan to snap up more of it if/when it’s offered.  I’m thinking about socks with this yarn, but I don’t think that rayon/silk is a great combination for socks; not enough elasticity and I think they would sag terribly.  We’ll see.  I’m in the process of swatching it right now, from written directions that I copied by hand b/c the printer is being a butt.  LOL  I like the pattern thus far and I think that I’m going to like the number 4 Harmony needles for this, although I have to finish the swatch before I’m sure.  It may not be lacy enough.  This will be my first mystery knit-along.  I’m going to be gone for 3 weeks of it and I’m not sure if I’ll have my laptop with me as it has some “issues” (like it’s falling apart and I need a new one, but won’t be getting one before I go) and I’m worried about getting behind, so I’m going to make sure that I’m up to date before I go and hope that I’ll be able to borrow an aunt or cousin’s computer a few times a week to check in on stuff.  My email alone will get completely out of control with me not checking it for 3 weeks.

Next project in my mind:  The Silken Cowl from Sensual Knits.  This is a pattern and a garment that I REALLY love.  I used to have a silk tank top just like that.  I loved that thing and have no clue what happened to it.  I’m guessing one of the roommates from hell has it in her collection of clothing at this point.  I started swatching with the same rayon/silk yarn that I’m using for SotS ii but in a different colorway, but the gauge is off.  The weight called for in the pattern is worsted/aran and the rayon/silk is more like a heavy fingering to light sport weight, so I’m having trouble getting to where I need to be gauge-wise.  I don’t want to spend all this time and yarn on something that isn’t going to look right.  I have a fingering weight 100% silk that I might use, doubled in two different, but similar colorways.  I would just double one colorway, but I don’t have enough of it and I bought it at least 2 years ago from Ebay and doubt I could get an exact match for it, or even a close one.  It kind of sucks, b/c I really had my heart set on the colorway in the rayon/silk blend.  Any suggestions on using a much different weight yarn for a project like this?  My only real concern, other than weight, is that the pattern states that the yarn is un-elastic, which seems to be true of the pure silk yarn that I have as well.  The rayon/silk combo, however, does have some stretch to it.  Will that be a problem in the wearing of the tank top?  Any suggestions/opinions are appreciated.  Thanks.

Other things I’ve been playing with:  I’ve got yarn and needles chosen for a pair of Jaywalkers (my very first pair of socks).  The yarn is also from Over The Rainbow Yarns (do we have a pattern here or what?  LOL) and it’s rainbow colored. In the skein it transitioned from red to violet ala ROYGBIV and wound into a yarn cake it’s just as spectacular in a different way.  I’ve been holding onto it for about 2 1/2 years or so.  I wanted to make sure my knitting skills were up to par for sock knitting and not end up wasting the yarn on a non wearable effort.  I bought the Giselle pattern from Stitch Diva; I’ve been stalking the site waiting for this to come out for a LONG time.  It’s also one of the Sexy Knitter’s Club KAL’s this time around.  I’m going to do it.  In fact, I might put my thoughts of the Silken Cowl aside for now and concentrate on Giselle or Belle Paquita (the other SKC KAL choice for Jan-March).  I figure three weeks in CA without a computer to speak of will allow me to get a lot of knitting done - I hope.  At least I’ll have 5 hours of plane ride each way, if Jake cooperates.  I’ve also got the pattern for Fiber Trends Felted Clogs and lots of Cascade 220 and Philosopher’s Wool also, as well as the first SotS pattern, Guenivere.  It’s an unusual stole in that it’s got a forked end, like a renaissance  banner or flag.  Very pretty.

I guess that’s it for now.  Oh, I also got two spin your own sock kits from Fiber Fiend that I can’t wait to work on.  I have two of my three Spinsanity spindles (She does AMAZING spindle work, btw, go get a spindle from her right now, you won’t be sorry) full of singles right now waiting to be plied.  I also want to be a little more proficient at sock knitting before tackling them.  Any advice for spinning yarn for sock making (I have one braid of superwash Merino and one of Angora to spin) would be much appreciated.

That it for me.  I hope all of you are doing well, and 2008 has been full of joy thus far.

Howdy folks.  Just wanted to take a minute to wish y’all a happy and healthy new year.  Nothing at  all exciting going on at Casa Dwire tonight.  TJ and Jake have gone up north to spend a few days debauching with Unkie and Kay.  After having over a month of 24 hour Little Man care while TJ worked overtime, I’m thrilled to have a few days to unwind and just veg out.  Since I don’t really drink (why is that?  I used to enjoy it so much), New Year’s Eve hasn’t been that important of a “holiday” for me.  Right about now, TJ is putting Little Man to bed and then he’ll begin to imbibe until he falls down.  That’s not much fun to watch and I know he doesn’t have as much fun worrying if I’m having fun or bored etc.  Besides, having this time to unwind is going to be great for when he comes home (without L.M. who is staying with Unkie and Kay for a few days) and we have some much needed and missed time alone together.  We haven’t been alone since we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary last December.

I’ve had a few offers from some friends to come by their places tonight, and I actually considered going, but TJ took the car and I didn’t want to inconvenience friends by asking them to come and pick me up and then get me back home.  I do enough of that.  That should be another one of my New Year’s resolutions:  drive myself around more.  I’m tired of feeling like a mooch all the time and having to ask Shannon to pick me up for knitting etc.  I’m going to drive myself to the next meeting I go to (unless it’s Guild b/c I have no clue how to get to Marshall or what to do once I’m there).  I really want to have more freedom and be able to do things that don’t include having to be picked up.

On the knitting front:  I finished the first of my Malabrigo Fetching mitts last night and I love the way it came out.  I did it on DPN’s b/c I was nervous about the 2 circs or the Magic Loop method.  The second one, though, I’m doing using 2 circs b/c I was annoyed with the dpns.  I’m going to go look up ways to cable without a needle b/c the cable needle irritated me, the regular dpn was even worse and the short dpn, while better, still bugged me.  It’s only a C4B, so it should be pretty easy to do.  I love working with the Malabrigo.  It’s just as great as I’ve been hearing it is.  Soft like butta and the colors are so pretty.  No real pooling and the slight effect of striping without actual striping.  I really want to get more of this and make a sweater for myself.

I really need to get busy swatching for the Secret of the Stole ii.  I have several different yarns that I want to try; different colorways as well.  I have some fingering weight silk/rayon in a variety of colors.  They aren’t solid, but I like the variegation and it’s fairly subtle.  I’ve also got some cashmere and some bamboo I’m considering.  I’m looking forward to swatching and playing with color and size of needle until I get a fabric that I like.  This is my first mystery a-long and I’m very eager for it to start.  I’ll be doing much of it once I’m in California visiting my mother, so I’ll have to have her get the cable modem for the month or so that I’m there.  Come to think of it, I’ll have to consider a new laptop - I’ve got a fairly cheap on in mind; I’ve realized that I really don’t need the bells and whistles to be happy with a laptop - since this one is falling apart and I don’t think it could take the journey, to be honest.  This one can become a desk top with the laptop portion as the “tower”.  I’m already using an external keyboard and want a mouse as well.  It’s totally falling apart.

I’ve gotten totally off topic here.  So I’ve got to swatch for SoTS ii and I also want to play with a market bag pattern.  I’ve been talking to TJ about it and then read a post on Holly’s blog that spurred me to want to do something about it.  I’ve had the patterns printed for awhile, but have never really paid much attention to them.

I also just got a few new book:  Big Girl Knits, , Sensual Knits and Romantic Hand Knits.  All great books and some great patterns for tops, cardigans, and sweaters.  This is a big goal of mine, but I seem to continuously find reasons to put it off.  It’s either something else that needs knitting (market bags, shawls for gifts etc.) or I don’t have the right materials (even though if I dug hard enough I bet I could find them) etc.  I need someone to keep on me about making a garment.  I know I’ll feel such a sense of accomplishment once I do it, but I put it off.  There’s another resolution, one garment for myself this year, be it a tank top, cardigan, whatever.  I must knit something to wear for myself this year.  Another knitting goal I have is socks.  I have TONS of sock yarn, dpns, sets of circs, long circs for magic loop (even Addi’s in the long ones).  I really want to knit socks, badly.  So come on knitting pals:  bug me, nag me, tease me, do what it takes to help me keep my goals.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who is in my life for what you’ve added in the last year.  Everyone I know, especially my newer friends (read knitting friends) have added so much to life, more than I can say.  I’m thrilled and grateful  to know you gals and hope our friendships continue to grow in the new year.  To my “older” friends:  I’m sorry I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to spend with all of you.  You know that I love you now and always and promise to make more of an effort in 2008.  Happy New Year everyone!!!

I’ve had it. That “Aha” moment in spinning that everyone talks about; the one where your brain and your hands start communicating about what needs to be done without any extra effort on your part; happened to me yesterday afternoon. Of course I’m no master spinner and won’t be for a long time to come, but it’s no longer a struggle for me, nor does it require the amount of preparation it did just a week ago. The night before last I ripped off a chunk of roving to pre-draft it so I could spin it. The only way I’ve been able to spin any sort of consistent yarn to this point has been to pre-draft to the point of being even narrower than pencil roving so that there was very little drafting required during the spinning process. That wasn’t a bad way to spin; anything that makes yarn at the end is “right”, but it certainly was a very time consuming way of doing it. I watch Shannon or Em spinning at knit nights or here or wherever and for them it has always seemed to effortless and I’ve been so jealous of that ability, thinking I was never going to get there. So I had the chunk of roving in my hand and I thought “what the hell, I’ll give it a shot the “real” way, at least what I think of as the “real” way. I held the roving in my right hand, used the hook to grab some fiber (rather than using a leader) and pulled a little fiber out and started to spin. It just happened. There I was holding a fat ol’ chunk of gorgeous bright blue and pink roving and drafting it pretty well. The singles are fairly consistent. There are some fat and thin places, but not as many as I expected and it’s really renewed my passion for spindling. I’ve been so anxious to get my wheel ASAP b/c I thought it would be so much easier to deal with the drafting issue with two hands free from having to spin the spindle by hand etc.. I’m still very anxious to get it, but not to get me away from spindles now, rather to add to my knowledge. I’m going to visit my mother for three weeks in Feb. and I had told TJ that I didn’t want to go without my wheel, but now I don’t care. I’ll be perfectly content to bring my spindles and lazy kate and to keep working on the skills I’ve developed. AHA!!

I’m having another really cool spinning/knitting experience today as well. I’m knitting a swatch with my own handspun for the first time ever. There’s not enough singles here to do anything else with, not even ply, but it’s been in a ball for about a month now; I took it off the spindle and balled it quickly one day when I needed the spindle and didn’t have a free one. It’s silk and it’s really pretty and it’s REALLY slubby. When I picked up the ball yesterday, I realized that it was perfectly balanced now, no twist at all when I pulled a length out and let the tension off of it. I will post a picture when I’m done playing with it. I thought that I spun really thin, but I guess I’m not a great judge. I started swatching with my Harmony needles using a US 5 and that was way to small, right now I’m up to a size 7 and I’m still not loving it. I’m just going to keep swatching with bigger needles until I’m out of yarn or until I love the result.

Exciting stuff, huh?!?!