SourCherries

UFOs Continue

I've had lots to blog lately, but as usual I'm being really lazy at least with the blogging. The rest of my life has continued busily. I've continued with the UFOs, even resurrecting some really old ones. I've also been spending time with my spinning.  The Wool Peddler's Shawl is finally done... this is a very blatant copying of Kirsten's lovely version.

 

Pattern: Wool Peddler's Shawl from Folk Shawls
Needles: Size 6 Addi Lace
Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 4 3.1 skeins, Colour 120
Mods: Different yarn and needles, so really none.
I thought this was going to be a really tiny shawl, until I blocked. I think it probably grew 30% in size with blocking. Garter stitch is stretchy.

Spinning continues- I think I'm getting a little better as far as consistency goes, but mostly I'm just having a ton of fun. So, I'm trying not to think about it and just enjoy. I think more technical spinning might come for me later.

You can click the photos for more detail.

It's a Miracle

It's a miracle. I finally finished a pair of socks. Finished. Not just one sock- or everything except the kitchener stitching. The other miracle. Is that Jeff actually likes them. Yay!

They're not perfect. They definitely could have been a few centimeters longer in the foot. I'm not sure what happened there because I did try them on him as I was making them and I thought for sure I had gotten them long enough. I guess not.

I used Ann Budd's Working Socks from the Toe Up pattern from Interweave's Summer 2007 issue as a guideline and Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Mineral on size one needles. I did both socks at the same time on two circulars, which I now love. I never had a problem with double points, but I like getting both socks done at the same time. I'm happy, Jeff's feet will be happy this winter, and I have one less WIP on my needles.

Button Gluttony

I found a beautiful thing last night...

I've actually had them forever- I just didn't know I still had them. They'd been hidden in the depths of my basement for so long that I'd thought I'd lost them in my many moves. I was so excited to find these. They're all my grandmother's and some even of my great grandmother's buttons. Some I think I quite old. Others probably not so much.  A few of my faves:

I obviously had way too much fun... you can see the whole set here. And a parting shot just for fun.

Spin

August was supposed to be wip month, but I never quite got around to it, not because I started knitting anything new, but because I've been busy putting my wheel to use... and has it ever been fun. In the interest of full disclosure I really should put pictures of my first handspun up, but at the point that I was taking pictures I just wasn't as excited about it so you get to see number 3 and number 4.

This is approximately an ounce and a half of Coopworth/Columbia roving that I got from Paradise Fibers with my gift certificate I received when I ordered my wheel. Their store is actually only about 45 minutes away from me, but I've actually never been there yet. Their online/phone customer service is top notch though. Anyway, the fiber was nice for me to spin and get pretty even because it has a long staple, it isn't the softest though, but I really like look of it. I spun up about four ounces of this and have another four ounces yet to do. I was tired of looking at the grey though and I really wanted to try one of my pretty coloured rovings so I broke out some of my Funky Carolina stash. This is four ounces of merino in her Flurple colourway.

I am so happy with how this turned out... I was incredibly surprised at how soft it was. Just like merino yarn I would buy, only somehow I managed to make it. And I really still have no idea what I'm doing. I haven't read a book, or taken a class, or researched anything. I definitely will jump all over the chance to take a class if one is offered in my area, but until then I think I'm just going to keep on spinning.

As far as the wheel goes I couldn't be happier. I sit down and spin. No issues or hassles. And I think it will pretty much be able to do everything I want it to in the future when I figure out what the heck I'm doing. It's small and portable and has the clean simple look that I admire. I just find myself constantly wishing I had more time.  More time to spin, more time to knit.