SourCherries

Unraveling

What do you do when you realize after you knit over 200 yards that you totally f*cked up the pattern... mostly because you never really looked at it to begin with. I'm making the Wool Peddlers shawl from Folk Shawls out of artyarns ultramerino 4 because I loved Kirsten's version so much (I even got the same yarn and everything). The pattern is so simple though, that I really just wasn't paying any attention at all and I totally didn't do it right. So I'm ripping out all the lace and I was pretty much almost done.

My shame... must remember to pay attention. This yarn though... I must say I really, really love it. I think I like the base yarn more than any other base sock yarn I've tried lately. Not that I knit socks or anything so my opinion on sock yarns isn't really worth much.

I got good mail yesterday too. Cheryl at Yarn Bee has opened an Etsy shop. She makes all kinds of paper goods. I've been wanting some of her block printed cards since I saw them at Christmas time. Well, now I have me some.

And I'm happy, happy, happy.  Although I'd be even happier if the last 1000 or so pictures I'd taken I'd had the white balance on my camera set correctly. I knew something was up, I just couldn't tell what. It figures that it would take me over a thousand dreary photos to go look at my white balance. It wouldn't be so bad if I had some kind of photo editing software that allowed me to edit the white balance after I took the picture, but I don't, so it really is something I need to do correctly the first time around. Oh well, live and learn I suppose.

Yay!

Yay! I am just having too much fun this week.  A new wheel, my Ravelry invite came... it's too much. If only  I didn't have to work so much the next few weeks (that's the one bummer with new jobs).
    Thanks for all the congrats on my new hobby. For some reason typepad isn't e-mailing me my comments like usual so it's making it really hard for me to reply to them. Annoying.
     The wheel is a Lendrum Folding Wheel with a double treadle that I got at Paradise Fibers because they're like 30 miles away from me so it got here fast, fast, fast. Unlike usual, when I make larger purchases, I didn't do much research. I just picked. It was in my price range, it did what I wanted, it was recommended to me by the people who were going to teach me to spin, it's simple to use. It also met my other criteria of being small and portable and not fussy looking. I couldn't be happier. I've had time to spin a little more and it is getting slightly better, but I still feel like I'm fighting the fiber. However, I've gone from being bulky to lace weight to just maybe worsted to fingering weight so it's much more even. Now if I could just get off ravelry and spin more.

Something Revealed

I didn't so much do something as get something, and the something I got, got here today.

As you can see I've decided to start learning how to spin... I've been thinking about it for a long time, but the wheel was really a spur of the moment purchase. I ordered it, and it got here like two days later, and I had my first spinning lesson 15 minutes after I ripped out of the box. Ginny of the knitted bike generously donated bike fiber for me to practice with and Ardel and Patty helped me set it up and get started. I have a feeling that this is going to be quite a learning process. My first attempts are lumpy, bumpy and incredibly over and underspun, but it's incredibly thrilling. I've got to get back to spinning.

Something

I did something. I think it will be surprising to some. Some will definitely not be surprised. I'll be able to show you at the end of the week I think. It's definitely a good surprise though.

Hot

It's hot out today. Burningly, boilingly hot. Too hot for me to even think about touching wool, but I was out in the 98 degree heat hanging  a scarf off of a tree branch taking pictures.

I decided it was way too hot so I took into my 88 degree house and took pictures on the washing machine instead.

Patttern: Noro Scarf a la Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Colours 201 throughout with 251 and 224
Needles: Size 7 Swallows (almost the only straights I will use)
Started sometime last week I think and finished on the tenth of July.
Verdict: Very addictive.
See more pictures here.

I'm off- to take this to the shop because it's a sample and because the shop has air conditioning.

Yarn/Stash

I spent the afternoon experimenting with photographing my stash in a makeshift lightbox. It was fun, but I can't believe how much yarn I've managed to amass. And looking at my yarn just made me want more.

Details on these yarns and pictures of tons more can be found here.
I still can't believe how much yarn I have left to take pictures of and that in one year my stash went from one tiny basket to this pile. Oh well.

Wedding

Mo and Melody got married...

And a good time was had by all...