Spinning

Last night/early this morning – had trouble sleeping b/c of a  tooth ache – I spun woolen for the first time.  I’ve always been afraid of the long draw; something about letting the twist get into the drafting triangle freaked me out.  I guess I just never thought I was good enough to do it.  I was planning to work on the Spirogyra spinning (btw…the name of the fiber is Teddy Bear Trio and it’s a 50/50 blend tencel/merino from dkknits, who makes gorgeous roving/top.) but the little bit of merino/bamboo that came with my newest spindle, a gorgeous creation from Yorkieslave called Monet’s Lily, a beautiful combination of colors that were just like the colors painted on the spindle, with a bit of color-coordinated firestar to go mixed in just called to me.  It was a much smaller project and it wasn’t for a specific project, so I could experiment a bit.

I’ve always gone out of my way to buy combed preparations of fiber b/c, as I said, I was terrified of the long draw, and it just seemed more orderly.  This mini-batt, or mini-batts as the case may be, they seem to be hand carded in small little batts were totally different than anything I’ve worked with before.  I did work with a batt awhile ago, but I did that on the wheel and I spun it worsted with the short draw and a very tight grip on the fiber in front of the drafting triangle preventing any twist from getting past me.  Like I said, this time I was more willing to play, and I loved the effect.  I also learned that firestar really wants to get everywhere and you must have a towel under it if you are going to spin in bed while watching General Hospital (which is great right now, isn’t it?).  I spun about half of it last night and plan to spin the rest into one cop that I will then turn into a plying bracelet and ply on itself – another new technique for me.  I’m thinking/hoping that the finished result will be about a fingering weight two ply; the singles are fairly thin.  I haven’t checked the wpi, which I should, but I’m just having fun.  I just ordered six ounces of the fiber from Sally at Yorkie Slave and I’ll be a little more careful with that since I want to make a shawl with it.

Does anyone have any experience with shawls that have firestar in them?  As I’m spinning the singles, I’m noticing that the firestar has a tendency to stick out all over the place and I’m hoping it will tame down to some degree after plying.  My big question before I plan a shawl and how to spin the big batt is will it be itchy?  Am I better off making something else with it?  What projects lend themselves well to firestar in the prep?  Thanks.   It doesn’t seem to be blended in well, more like it’s sort of sitting on top of the prep just barely carded in…I don’t know much about carding, though, so maybe it’s just the top layer…

Back from Cali, knitting socks and staying off my feet…fun times!

Been awhile again since my last post.  I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t seem to find the time or the energy for the computer these days for some reason.  I can’t remember the last time I actually checked my email.  If anyone has sent me anything and I haven’t responded, sorry.  I’m more apt to see something you send me on Facebook or Twitter than I am in an email…LOL  Kind of sad, huh?!?!

So I went to California on June 9th and stayed for 3 weeks.  Seeing my mother is always so great for me; if you know me and my mother, though, you also know that it’s a hugely stressful time for both of us.  We are both very strong personalities and we tend to clash in a lot of ways.  There is so much love there, though, that the happy moments always far outweigh the stressful ones.  This trip was about going to see David Cook with my favorite family member in the world, Krista and taking Jake back to Sea World to actually touch the dolphins.  The rest was all up in the air.  Spending time with Krista is always one of my favorite things to do.  We have the sort of relationship where we don’t really have to be doing anything special, we just like to be together.  One of our favorite group activities is, believe it or not, just sitting around with coloring books and colored pencils and coloring.  We both have these stupidly expensive Disney Princess coloring books that have really high quality paper and we guard them jealously, not letting anyone (no, not even Jacob) color in them but us.  Kind of sick, really, but it’s really so much fun to just stop for an hour and do something so simple and so rooted in our childhoods.  Oddly enough,though, neither of us really color at all when we aren’t together.  Krista gave me another new hobby this trip, though.  The Lakers were playing in the NBA championships against the Orlando Magic and K is a HUGE Lakers fan.  So the first night we hung out together game 4 (I think) was on and she said she had to watch it.  Anyone that knows me well at all knows that I’m absolutely not a sports fan in any way, shape or form.  So we got out coloring books and I got out Mom’s laptop and settled in for what I thought would be a boring television event, but still time with K is so rare b/c of the distance, so any time at all is priceless to me.  About halfway through the game, though, I realized that I was watching the TV almost as much as I was reading posts on Ravelry.  By the last five minutes of the game I had put the laptop down and was watching the action raptly.  By the time the final game rolled around a few nights later, I was all about the game.  I cheered and I booed and I jumped up and down.  I was almost hoping the Lakers would lose so that there would be another game.  They didn’t lose, though, and the victory was amazing.  So now I’m a basketball fan. A Laker’s fan at that.  Looking very much forward to pre-season.  Of course, knowing me, it may not last.  We’ll see.  I was a “hockey fan” for awhile when the Wings won their first Stanley Cup in however many long, long years.  That lasted about half of the next season and then I got bored out of my skull with it all (I think I just committed a sacrilege as far as my mother – a RABID Wings fan – is concerned).

I finally got my own copy of New Pathways for Sock Knitters, so I can finish the second Spiraling Coriolis sock.  I’m about 2/3 of the way done with it, maybe a little less.  I got so excited about sock knitting that I joined the 52 Pair Plunge III @ Ravelry.  Of course I haven’t even finished pair #1 so I’m WAY behind…LOL  I think , though, that once I finish the WIPs that are outstanding gifts I owe to people (the Moderne Baby Blanket for Fran’s new granddaughter and the Anouk dress for Lisa’s new baby due any time now) I’ll throw myself a little more into sock knitting.  I’ve just ordered matching sets of fixed circs. from Knit Picks: one each of the Harmony and the Nickle plated in sizes 0-3 (which is actually 6 needles in each material b/c there are 2 different sizes of 1 and 2 b/c of the metric measurements) in the 24″ length.  I was going to just order the sizes in the Harmony wood in the 24″ and 32″ lengths so that I could differentiate easily when using 2 circs (which I really do like for socks) but I thought that the different materials for the tips would make the distinction even easier and I really have found that I like the nickle more than I thought I did.  I have the Options sets in both materials so if I need longer than 24″ needles I’ve got that covered as well.

I love shopping at Amazon, btw.  I just ordered and received the newest version of the Kindle; it was an early birthday gift from my mother.  LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!  I’ve already got five or six books and several blogs on it.  So nice to have choices in such a slim and light container.  I always want to take something to read with me, but can’t ever decide what so I end up schlepping three or four hard cover books with me on vacations or when I know I’ll be bored for awhile.  Great for choice, but heavy as all hell.  This is much nicer!!  I also ordered a whole slew of knitting books:

• A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Volumes 1 & 2:  I’ve always wanted to have a great stitch dictionary collection and I like these the best so far.  I’m not big on designing things myself – I’m still too chicken to even play too much with changing elements in patterns that I’m following.  Just looking through these books, though, has inspired me a bit.  I found myself thinking ‘that would make a great cuff or edging on a sweater’ or ‘that would be a great cuff or leg pattern for a sock’.  It’s a step in the right direction.  I WILL get braver with my knitting before the end of year.  My goal is to design one thing, no matter how simple it is – maybe I’ll design the scarves I’m planning to make for TJ and Jake this year rather than following a pattern.
• Elizabeth Zimmerman’s  Knitting Workshop, Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Almanac and Knitting Without Tears:  I’ve  heard so many great things about E.Z. and I thought this would be a great time to “get to know her”.  I thought I ordered The Opinionated Knitter as well, but I guess not.  It’s something for the future.
• Lace Style:  You can never have too many lace knitting books
• A Gathering of Lace:  See above….love the lace knitting!!
• The Intentional Spinner, The Spinner’s Companion and Spin Control:  I’ve been spinning for a little more than a year and a half now and I still kind of feel like I’m working blind.  I can spin a decent yarn but I have very little control as to how it comes out.  I’m still not sure about the different kinds of drafting and how to do them.  I’m in love with spindle spinning, which I feel like I have a lot more control with, and I love my wheel, but I feel like I’m always playing catch up when I’m using the wheel.  I rarely, if ever, get the yarn that I expect to get from it.  I want to learn more and to get better.  I really need a spinning class to get me on the right track.  I need someone to teach me all these different “draws” and how they work and what I’m doing wrong…
• Teach Yourself Visually Hand-dyeing:  I love hand dyeing and another book on it can only be good.
• Sock Innovation:  I’m all about sock knitting these days and I’m a big fan of Cookie A.’s designs even though I’ve never knit one.  The chapters on design are really a big selling point for me.

• Toe Up:  This is the WendyKnits book.  I didn’t actually order this one, I bought it at Barnes N Noble while I was in CA.  I found I really like the toe up method of knitting socks and there are really cute patterns in this book.  I’m looking forward to knitting some of these for the “Plunge”

I’ve had a lot of time to look through my book and play with the Kindle in the last few weeks.  Here’s a big TMI warning if you don’t want to know more than you ever dreamed about my cycles and periods….

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I’ve been undergoing the very beginning of fertility treatments since late March.  50 mg. of Clomid from days 3-7 of the cycle.  Only did one cycle and it didn’t work.  I got my period 50 days into the Clomid cycle and it started with spotting that lasted for almost 2 weeks, which was annoying but tolerable.  When I was out in CA the real period finally started and was heavy (which I expect) and irritating – it got bad the same day as the David Cook concert, of course – but it wasn’t unbearable.  Now that I’m three weeks into this period and I’m bleeding like a stuck pig half the time with HUGE clots and not bleeding at all the other half, I’m irritated.  It’s gotten to the point where I have to stay in bed or on the couch most of the time b/c any real activity or straining myself makes the bleeding horrible.  For example I got out of bed on the 4th to hang out at the bonfire in the yard b/c my mother-in-law and TJ’s Aunt Nancy were there.  Just sitting out there, walking around and playing with Jake a bit was the most I did and when I got back inside I ended up having to change my pajama bottoms twice in 30 minutes.  I’ve been feeling dizzy, foggy headed, crampy and just plain yucky since this started.  Saw the doctor today, had an ultra sound and am going to meet with a new fertility specialist tomorrow morning.  So nervous!!  I am terrified that I’m going to find out that I can’t have another baby and that would break my heart.  TJ and I are not necessarily in agreement about fertility treatments.  I’m all about doing whatever it takes to have another child and TJ isn’t sure if he’s on board for getting really into the infertility treatments.  He’s terrified by the though of higher level multiples and he’s afraid that my body won’t deal well with “forcing” pregnancy.  IVF is still a long way away, I hope, but he’s so against the thought and while it’s not my first choice for a way to have a baby, if it’s my only option, I’m totally on board with it.  This is going to be a long process, and it’s going to take a lot of talking and figuring out what is important to us and what our priorities when it comes to family are.  I’m scared!

Adventures in Sock Knitting

Sock knitting has been one of the things that I’ve always been most intrigued as well as most intimidated by since I learned to knit.  I’ve tried to knit a simple sock on a few occasions and have failed rather spectacularly.  I’ve always been terrified at the thought of a toe up sock – the top down was more than difficult enough for me.  So I got this New Pathways for Sock Knitters book out of the library a few months ago (I’ve renewed it twice now; I really need to buy my own copy) to check it out.  I was so impressed with the Coriolis sock that I was emboldened to try it even though I was sure I was going to fail just as horribly as I have in the past.  I did the practice sock since I hadn’t knit on 2 circs before and even though I’ve done several things with Magic Loop, I didn’t want to deviate from the instructions at all since I knew I was going to be intimidated enough to begin with.

I used Socks that Rock Medium Weight in the color Hot Flash which I bought as a gift for a friend (I was going to knit her something with it) that I never got around to doing.  I thought the color was WAY too pink and bright and I really didn’t like it much – until I wound it and realized that it was actually a gorgeous color.  I started a pair of Monkey socks with the yarn, but frogged it when I decided to try the Coriolis socks.  I decided to use the Spiraling Coriolis master pattern and got started.

What I’ve discovered is that toe-up socks are much easier for me than their top-down counterparts and that sock knitting is not the frightening concept that I thought it was.  It took me about two weeks of working a few hours a night to finish sock #1.  The biggest problem I had was binding off in a way that made the sock go over my foot.  After tearing out several different B.O. methods, I settled on Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Sewn Bind-off, and that worked for me.  I just finished the heel turn on the second sock (no “second sock syndrome” here) and I’m hoping to have the pair done before I leave in a few weeks for three weeks in CA with Jake, visiting my mother and going to the David Cook concert (which I’m so excited about I’m like a 14 year old teeny-bopper….mmmm….David Cook).

The thing that I found most intimidating was the short rows with the wrap and turn and then concealling the wraps as well.  I think I’ve finally mastered it, though, or at least it’s not so scary for me.  I think the heel turn is my favorite part of sock knitting; there’s something magical about it to me.  I simply love sock knitting and now I completely understand why there are people who are so obsessed with it.  I love having a project that is small enough to take anywhere, yet interesting enough to keep my mind occupied.

What I really need to do is to get back to spinning.  I look at my wheel every day and I never seem to find the time or energy to pull out fiber and spin.  I think I’ll take the wheel with me to CA.  I’m sure I’ll find time at Mom’s house to get some spinning done.  I have some great bamboo batts from Loop that are deep brown, scarlet red and amber colored bamboo in layers.  I have 15 oz. of it and I think I’d like to spin it to fingering weight in a 2 ply and then make a shawl for myself out of it.  We’ll see how that goes since I’ve never spun bamboo before.  Maybe I should grab some bamboo in a single color that I don’t love as much as these batts and give it a go first.  Any hints/tips on spinning bamboo would be appreciated.

Home again, Home again…

So we’re back at our house now, the blue house if officially a thing of the past.  I ended up sleeping there last night as well; we figured out that there was a day or so more than we thought and I wasn’t going to watch TJ work himself to death going back and forth after midnight with the snow blowing and him being awake since 4 am.  So he came back here, Jake went to his Unkie and Katiebugs house and I stayed at the blue house so that if we were wrong, they wouldn’t be able to lock us out.  Needless to say, things went smoothly, no one came to change locks etc. and we’re all moved out.  It took some doing and a lot more time than we thought, but we also have a TON more stuff than I thought.  We have over 80 boxes in this house of different sizes.  There is almost nowhere to walk in the living room, we have to kind of manuever around things, pretty funny.  We have a plan to open and get through at least 2 boxes a day.  It will still take awhile that way, but we won’t feel overwhelmed and there is no rule saying we can’t open MORE boxes in a day.

On the knitting front:  Not much.  I’ve finished the thumb gusset on the Twist Wrist warmers.  Not much knitting last night, I watched the rest of season 2 of Dr. Who in bed and, I have to admit, reveled in the alone-ness and quietness of it all.  Even with the stress of having to move, it was nice to be all alone for one final night.  So I’m planning to finish that up in the next day or so.  Total side note:  I’m really LOVING this project on the DPN’s.  I think I’ll have to rethink my Magic Loop only policy for small things over a size U.S. 4 (I have all harmony or options interchangable needles right now, so anything under a size US 4 is not a possibility for me, unless I dig into the addis, so I guess I really could do M.L. with any size needle.  There is no point to this thought, but I’m not going to delete it…LOL).  I really do prefer the 5 needle method that I’m using with the Monkey socks over the 4 needle method that I’m using for the wirst warmers.  I know I could have easily added the extra needle and worked out the number of stitches for each, but I really wanted to be kind of mindless while I did this, so I didn’t bother.  The Malabrigo color is so pretty…I can’t remember the exact name of it, but Amore is in the name and it’s shades of red, mostly deep.  I think it might be possible to get two pairs of mitts out of the one skein, but it may be deceptive.  The ball still seems pretty big, but I think I’m going to have to rewind it through my fishing line measuring thing to find out how many yards I have left.  I’ll bet it’s a lot less than I think.

On the spinning front:  I haven’t done any.  LOL  The Girl Insane yarn is done, though (link to a picture in Ravelry to follow).  It’s been hanging in the bathroom since Sat. night, so it’s obviously dry.  Tomorrow I’ll measure the wpi and photograph skeins.  I’m excited to have my first spinning project of the year done!!  I have the feeling that it’s going to be a heavy sport or light worsted yearn.  I was hoping for something a bit finer, but it seems that I can only acheive seriously fine singles, or plied yarn for that matter, with my spindles.  Speaking of which, I really need to get a plying spindle sometime soon.  My next project is to navajo ply the singles for spirogyra and hope that I get the 13wpi I’m looking for.  The singles are about 28-30 wpi and I think I read that you should plan for twice or a little more wpi for the final wpi you’re looking for in a Navajo ply.  I hope I’m right.  Once that’s done, I still have the other half to pre-draft (as called for in the pattern instructions for the spinning portion), spin and ply before I start the mitts.  It will be my first planned fiber to finish project.  I have the camel/merino mitts that I’ve started knitting, but I didn’t have a plan for the fiber when I spun it.  Come to think of it, I need to take care of that as well…finishing the second mitt.  LOL

Girl Insane

I finished spinning the Girl Insane roving last night.  I got it from flawfulfibers.  It’s an 80/20 blend of Merino and Tussah Silk; about 4 oz.  I think it’s going to be a heavy dk to light worsted, but we’ll see after it finishes drying.  It’s in the bathroom right now hanging over the shower rod.  I really like the way the colors blended together.  I split the roving into the light shades and the dark shades and spun singles on the middle whorl of my Sonata.  then I took the singles and rolled them into a two stranded ball for plying.  I plyed on the largest whorl for a lightly plyed yarn and I got what I was hoping for.  I just hope, now, that there is enough ply twist to hold the thing together.

After plying I skeined the yarn and soaked with some shampoo in the bathtub (our sink was full and I don’t have a bowl here that’s big enough yet) and then wrapped the skeins in a towel and had Jake jump  on it to get water out.  Then I whacked the skeins on the bathroom counter to get them to hang evenly, which they did – amazing for me.  Now I’m just waiting to find out what the wpi is.  I’m thinking with 214 yards maybe I’ll knit a hat or a skinny scarf for myself out of the yarn.  I don’t see Jake or TJ wanting  a hat/scarf made with shades of pink and purple.

A Barrel….er Pair…of Monkeys

Happy 2009 everyone.  I hope New Year’s Eve and the beginning of this year have been great for everyone.  Both have been pretty good for me so far.

We went down to Farmington Hills to visit with TJ’s dad and mom (separately, of course) for New Years since we didn’t spend Christmas with them this year.  It was the first year in our new house and we wanted to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (Pictures to follow soon, I promise) in it.  So we left Tuesday evening and drove down to Dad’s.  We spent an uneventful but very enjoyable night there; Jake opened Christmas gifts from his Papa and Grandma Fran and so did TJ and I.  As always they were generous to a fault.  Jake is now the proud owner of the game Operation which he’s been coveting from TV commercials for months now.  It’s much more high tech then the version that was out when I was a child.  Instead of just making that horrible buzzing sound for the parts, there are individual sounds for each different part.  Wicked.  He was very happy.  My favorite gift was the incredibly warm pair of pink suede moccasins that I swear have hardly left my feet since I got them.  I love having warm feet!  I’m not sure what TJ’s favorite gift was, probably the lined, puffy lumberjack type jacket – he likes being warm too.  Why do we live in Michigan again?  Not to mention right on the edge of a lake effect snow band?  Hmmm…  After presents we got the Wii (by far our favorite gift of the holiday season) out so Jake could show Papa how good he is at boxing (stay out of the kid’s way, I tell you, he just kind of punches and kicks wildly, but does very well) and tennis.  He ended up playing baseball, too, and now that’s his obsession.  I see Little League in my future this summer and possibly tennis lessons as well since that’s his other favorite thing.  After finding out how much we love the Wii, my mother very generously offered to buy me a Wii Fit as an extension of my gift (an already ridiculously generous Sony Alpha 300 DSLR camera).  I can’t help but wonder if this is her not so subtle way of reminding me that I need to lose weight.  Either way, I’m thrilled to be getting it and I can’t wait to start getting in better shape (one my resolutions for this year).

Wednesday afternoon we went to TJ’s mother’s house to spend the afternoon and eat an early dinner.  We were surprised, pleasantly of course, to find Aunt Nancy at the house when we arrived.  It made for a great afternoon filled with Christmas gifts, Wii bowling and pizza and ribs.  So much fun.  Mom knows Jake so well and got him a Michigan CAT train set which he went crazy for.  After the afternoon at Mom’s we left Jake with Dad and Fran and we went to a party with friends that we haven’t seen in a few years.  It was a great night and it was so much fun to see friends that we haven’t been able to spend time with.  I’m usually not much for parties and I actually thought about not going for a bit, but I didn’t want to disappoint TJ so I went and had a better time than I can remember having in a long time.  I should really do things like that more often.  Depression sometimes makes you forget how much you like your friends…:)

So now we’re back home and the Christmas knitting is done.  It was a relief to finish in time (just barely) but also a bit of a letdown at the end.  For a few months now I’ve been working to get these gifts done in time and once they were done I had nothing on the needles so to speak…I actually have quite a few WIPs in the not finished basket.  I decided that this would be a perfect time to actually knit that pair of socks that I’ve been wanting to make since I taught myself to knit a few years ago.  I grabbed the Socks that Rock in Hot Flash ( a color which I thought was atrocious when I bought it as a gift for Andrea, but when I balled it I discovered that it was absolutely gorgeous) and swatched and grabbed a set of dpns to cast on.  This time I’m going to finish these socks.  I picked the Monkey Socks because it’s a pretty pattern that seems like it’s not too complicated.  I’ve started multiple pairs of socks with a plain 2×2 pattern or a simple 4 st. repeat from Sensational Socks but have always gotten bored and stopped by the end of sock one.  Not so much Second Sock Syndrome as bored out of my mind with the boring pattern syndrome.  This time, though, I’m determined to finish these socks so I’m not allowing myself to cast on anything new until I’m done with these…and I have some really great yarn in my stash and some more on the way.  I may not be able to force myself to work on only the socks until they’re done; I’ve never been able to be quite that monogamous with my knitting, but if I get bored with the socks I will pick up a WIP rather than starting something new.

On the spinning front I’ve got two things currently in the works.  I just finished the first half of the roving for the Spirogyra Mitts which has great spinning instructions in the same issue’s Knitty Spin.  I’ve spun it on my Spinsanity Spindle to 28 wpi and am planning to chain ply it to get 13 wpi (I hope).  If I did all my math correctly, I should have plenty of yardage for this pattern (I’m using 4.2 oz. of merino/tencel in a 50/50 blend).  Tomorrow I’m planning to get the first half on the wheel for plying (I’m still not really clear on chain plying on the spindle).   Once I’m sure I’m getting the right wpi and correct yardage, I’ll get to spinning the 2nd half.  I also just finished the second bobbin of singles from the Girl Insane roving (80/20 Merino/Tussah Silk roving in shades of light to bright pink with accents of purple and a darker black shade).  I split the roving by colors (light and dark) and spun them on separate bobbins.  I’m going to ply them together in a simple two ply and hope to see the colors blend together in a really pretty way.  We shall see.

That’s about all for now…back to the monkeys for a few more rounds before bed.  Next time…my 101 in 1oo1 or at least the first part of it.  I’ve decided I want to try this resolution thing with a little extra time.  I’m excited to do it and see how much of it I actually accomplish.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to come up with 101 things, though…

Spinning from the fold

…is a lot easier than it seems like it would be.  I just got four gorgeous bumps of Abby F.’s silk from Beth at The Spinning Loft to use for making Abby from this issue of Knitty, and even though I have other patterns that I need to finish before I’m supposed to start new things, I just couldn’t resist getting started.  The problem:  There aren’t very exacting spinning directions, just spin a heavy laceweight single from the fold.  From The Fold?!?!  ARGH!!!  So I got out the spinning books and read what I could, but while I got the concept, it just wasn’t clicking with my hands.  Next came the computer and Ravelry which led me to You Tube and Abby’s video on spinning from the fold.  That was helpful, but I wanted to find more information.  What really did the trick for me, clarified the concept was this video.  Again it was Beth helping me…LOL  First she and Shannon Too helped me pick out my wonderful wheel and now her video is helping me with spinning from the fold.

After reading and watching videos I decided to just bite the bullet and give it a try.  I figured I wouldn’t be “wasting” more than a few staple lengths worth if the effort didn’t pan out.  Guess what?!?!  It worked.  LOL  I know I shouldn’t be so amazed, but I am.  I’m also very proud of myself.  So I’m going to spin the first ounce of silk up on my very first spindle (still my favorite, although I love my square spindle as well) and hope that I get the yardage I need to try my hand at Abby.  I’m also anxious to try spinning from the fold on Penelope, but I think I’ll perfect it with the spindle first. 

On a health note, I’m finally starting to feel a little better.  I actually got dressed and went out to eat with TJ and my brother in law and his girlfriend the other morning.  I ended up with a major headache, but it still felt good to get out.  I’ve always been more than happy to stay and home and forego most outings, right Shannon?  LOL, but now that I’ve been told I have to stay home and rest, I hate it.  I’m so anxious to go out and do something.  If you’re reading this, Shannon, email or call me…I want to go out to lunch this week or something fun like that.  Yes, I actually want to leave the house…LOL  I’m seeing my doctor tomorrow and hoping to get the all clear from her.  I’m still having some pain in my kidney area but I think I’m getting better.  Hopefully no more hospitalizations.  Fingers crossed.  Okay, I’m off to rest and spin some more of Abby’s amazing silk.  Here’s hoping lunch works out this week…ugh…I’m so ready to see friends and do something fun!!!

Camel is THE new fiber….

Quick update:  I just finished spinning up the 4 oz. of camel/merino that I bought at the fiber festival (I really wish I purchased a LOT more of it) and I’m in love with both the fiber itself and the yarn it produced.  The fiber was so fine and so easy to spin and the resulting yarn is soft, fluffy and just plain yummy!!!  I ended up leaving it as singles to get the most yardage out of it.  I got just over 210 yards and plan to make a pair of fingerless mitts for myself.

On the personal front:  Things have been a little bit stressed here at Casa Dwire.  I’m still cutting down the Methadone a little at a time and that makes me feel good (warning: if you ever have back/pain issues, DON’T let your doctor talk you into methadone for pain unless it’s the very last resort…I mean after trying surgery and any/all other options) to be getting back to myself, but the withdrawl is still sucking ass in a big way.  I wanted to get so much more involved in life right after finishing the Zoloft (another one I strongly warn against) but the withdrawl from the Methadone makes that difficult to say the least.  I’m getting there, though.  I have an appointment with Dr. M on Thursday and TJ and I are going to talk to her about my options for making this process easier without making it drag on for months.  I know I can’t go cold turkey, but I want this over, ASAP.  I’m focusing on wanting another baby when it gets tough and I want to give up and I have to admit that since I’ve cut down the dose, my sex drive is up a bit.  I keep reading that it will continue to rise as the methadone gets out of system.  I’m certainly hoping so and I KNOW TJ is praying for it. LOL  See, I still have my sense of humor in this difficult time.  Both knitting and spinning are helping me through this time (spinning especially b/c it doesn’t require as much concentration).  I’m working on the two scarf projects for X-mas gifts and the cross stitch pattern that I’m finishing for Uncle Dave’s family (it was started by Dave’s wife Charlotte, who passed away from cancer last February.  What an absolute honor it was that they asked me to finish it).   I’m also doing more spindle spinning and trying out new fibers on the wheel whenever I can.  All in all, I’m surviving if not quite “living” yet.  I’ll get there, though, I know I will!!!

Yarn Swaps and Crazy Life

Again it’s been months since I’ve been able to post.  I’ve had computer problems – another new laptop after the old new one (strange words usage) died on me.

I’ve joined my first yarn swap and I can’t wait to get started on it.  So here’s my questionaire:

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?    ***I both knit and crochet, but I tend to knit more often.  I’ve been crocheting for about 20 years and knitting for about 3.***
2. Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do?  ***Spinning is my latest fiber related passion.  I got my first wheel for mother’s day and I spend as much time as I can playing with her.***
3. Are there any other crafts that you participate in?  ***I also dye both yarn and fiber***
4. What are your favorite yarns/fibers?  ***I’m a big fan of bamboo yarns and fine merinos.  For spinning I love baby camel as well as Merino/Tencel blends.  I’ll pretty much spin anything I can get…LOL***
5. What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fibers?  ***Not a fan of novelty yarns, nor do I particularly care for corridale or columbia fibers***
6. Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance?  ***I’ve always wanted to try Artyarns Regal silk and/or the beaded silk.  As for fibers, I’m always looking to try spinning fibers I haven’t tried yet.  Llama, cashmere, yak, suri alpaca are examples.  BFL is another fiber I’m anxious to try that I haven’t yet.***
7. What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?  ***I’ve been knitting a lot of shawls and fingerless gloves as of late.  I’m anxious to try knitting my first garment at this point, a simple sweater or cardigan, perhaps.***
8. What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to start this autumn?  ***Currently, I’m finishing up the Ravelympics:  The Storm Water Scarf in Sea Silk (what an amazing yarn, btw).  I also have the Tidal Wave Scarf on the needles in Silk Twist (another amazing yarn).  Both of these are Chrstimas gifts for family this year.  This fall I plan to try the Evangeline sweater from White Lie Designs – it’s the next thing on the my to buy pattern list.***
9. What is your favorite FO? (Please, post a picture if you would like.) ***My favorite F.O. is the Zig Zag Moebius scarf that I made for my MIL last Christmas.  I don’t currently have a picture, but will try to get one of it to post.***
10. What is your oldest UFO?  ***My oldest UFO would have to be the blue jean shawl that was supposed to be a Christmas gift last year but never got finished.  I’ve also got some fairly old scarf and hat patterns that I lost interest in.***
11. Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn? ***I’m anxious to get better at sock knitting, have several book on the subject.  I’d also like to learn more sophisticated lace techniques in knitting***
12. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?  ***I’m a very beginning sock knitter.  Foot measurments to follow as I’m not near the knitting bag at the moment, so no tape measure at the moment.  My shoe size is 8.5 – 9, though. ***
13. Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift?  ***I have neither.  I tend to wind hanks to skeins using my knees and a nostepine.***
14. Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks?  ***I use the case that came with my Knit Picks Harmony Options needles.***
15. Do you collect anything?  ***I collect native american pottery.  I got my first one from on a trip to Tucson, AZ a few years ago and have been obsessed with the bowls and their colors ever since.  I also collect Zuni fetishes, the bears are my favorites.***
16. What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready?  ***I’m pretty musically diverse.  I guess if I had to pick one genre it would be country.  I’m also a rabid listener of 80’s music – I guess that probably rivals the country music love.  I am MP3 ready, sort of.  My Ipod was recently stolen from my car, but I have plans to replace it as soon as I can, though.***
17. Do you like sweets? What are your favorites?  ***I’m not a huge fan of sweets, but I do allow myself to give in to the call of Godiva every once in awhile…:)***
18. What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children?  ***We are in the process of moving to an apartment right now while we look for our “dream house”.  I have a four year old son, 3 cats and we are getting the little one a puppy for Christmas this year.***
19. Are you allergic to anything?  ***No allergies other than some random hayfever.***
20. Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Please include links for your swap pal.  ***I do not, but have been meaning to set up a Loopy Ewe list.  Will post the link when it’s done in a subsequent post.***
21. Are you having a birthday during this swap?  ***No, my birthday just passed last week.***
22. What is your Ravelry ID?  ***shannwa***

There we go.  All the information you could want about me.  I’m happy, though, to share anything else that a swap partner might be interested in knowing.  I’m really excited about this swap and can’t wait to spoil the heck out of someone.  Yay, an excuse to buy fibery goodness.  LOL

I got my whee-eel, I got my whee-eel

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!