Wednesday, January 7, 2009

First FO of the year!

There is ice everywhere outside. I hate ice (unless someone is skating on it. I love ice skating). Maybe it's because ice storms cause the power to go out more often then not. Or maybe it's because I can't step outside the house with the chances of breaking a bone going up significantly (seeing as how I'm very klutzy, this is already a pretty high risk without the evil mean ice). I do love snow tho. Snow is lovely and NEVER makes you fall down steps on your ass spraining your tailbone. I still haven't forgiven Ice for that yet.
Having a cold(I have that chest cold thing and the inability to breathe that's going around) and ice everywhere makes me miserable. the other day I decided to make some tea and finish up a Christmas present. I went and made tea for my mother and med (English breakfast for me and sweet ginger peach for her in case you were wondering) and as I was handing her the handle less mug that she just HAD to have for tea so she could curl her hands around it to warm them, I asked her if she wanted a cup sleeve for it. Of course, she did. So within minutes, I had the needles and yarn and started casting on. This is what I had a bit later

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Size 7's needles and Cascade 220 in super wash. Simple K2p2 rib. Oh and the gorgeous mug? She got it from the knitwitch (who is having a sale this month on some things including yummy roving). This is the one I got. I love it. I think that it might be jealous of the neat cozy though. Maybe it needs one of it own;) But that isn't the first of the year.
This is.

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That would be a pair of fetchings for my mom for Christmas.
Size 6 needles, Knitpicks Adrean Silk and the color is Sangria. Mods~ I added a fourth cable to the bottom and bound in the rib.
I bought two skeins, and had to use a bit of the second. So you could make a pair out of one, but I'd buy just in case.
Now, I just have some of a remote cozy to finish, half a purse and a sock. Someone remind me not to make a million things next christmas. Please.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

New year, new addiction

I have a new addiction. Spinning. For Christmas, my parents got me a Kromski Sonata and I'm in LOVE. If I'm not knitting (or umm finishing up Christmas gifts) I'm spinning. The first thing I spun up was 8 ounces of some potluck roving I got from Paradise fibers. The color is called Vine maple.
This is the singles (crappy photo but my first ever wheel handspun)
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Which I then plied
First ever yarn
And is currently being knitted into a scarf.
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(See the needles? Those are also a Christmas gift from my parents. They got me a Knitpicks options kit, which I've been wanting for quite some time)
I wanted the yarn to be the main focus, not the stitch pattern, so I'm doing a simple ribbing.
Then I went and grabbed a merino/silk (80/20) blend that I got from etsy and spun it up. It took some getting used to spinning with silk, even that little bit. But I think I did pretty good. I love the colors
Singles
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Then plied
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Then I went stash (umm fiber?) diving and came up with a Hanks in the hood batt, also from paradise. It's 3 ounces and it's SW merino. I'm thinking about a pair of fingerless gloves
(the color is called birthday)
Singles (I swear my thumb is not that huge. It's a perfectly normal sized thumb)
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And then I plied it up
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How purdy is that? (the photo with miss Marple is closer to the color.
Now I'm finishing plying this. It's 4 ounces of wool in sea foam (also from paradise, I love that site). I tried to go for a worsted weight, and I think I got it. Kinda.
Singles
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plied
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I'm already planning on what I'm going to spin up next. See? Addiction. Total and complete addiction. I'm in love with it.