SourCherries

The Best Laid Plans...

I have hardly spun a lick since the last time I posted (I should never say anything about overly ambitious goals in public). I've been felled by the worst of beasts- a summer cold- and have pretty much felt like complete crap for the past week. I don't know why, but a cold in the summer just seems so much more intrusive than having the sniffles in the winter. Anyway,the good news is I'm on the mend now and I was able to finish a small knitting project right before I got sick. My trippy handspun socks.

I am so, so happy with how these turned out and they are also super comfortable although I still haven't really worn them. I worked them toe up on size US 1 addi's (technically 1 1/2's), over 60 stitches  and used a short row heel. I used what I think is called an eastern (maybe a turkish?) cast on for the toes because even though I've tried toe-up toes other ways I really like how this one looks and feels the best. I have been told though it's not the least fiddly way of doing it which might be why I kind of hate knitting toe up socks.  And yes, I do have more pictures for you :)

And a picture of my pretty sock heel.

For the curious among you, the fiber was four ounces, spun up into approximately 350 yards of 2 ply at about 16-18 wpi and I used around 300 yards of it to make socks to fit my size 8 feet. I could have made them both probably at least an inch taller but decided to stop where I was because well, they were long enough.

Also, I had a couple of requests to make my Stacked Eyelet Cowl queue-able on Ravelry- so I have and now everyone can queue to their hearts content. 

If I Spin Fast Enough-

Will my stash get smaller? I'm hoping so, because I've been working on it. In the last two weeks this is what I've been up to. This is also why you don't see any knitting around these part anymore.

This is merino from Selah Shop called Ribbon Dance. There was 4.7 ounces and I got over 500 yards of 2 ply. This was an extremely enjoyable spin- fine merino, super soft, squishy and bouncy. I highly recommend Selah Shop fibers.

Next on the wheel was some merino silk blend from Funky Carolina in the colorway In The Dark. This was purchased and stashed before I even bought my wheel. I am so happy with how it turned out.

For this one I got 460 yards of 2 ply at 18-20 wpi. I love the pictures I took of this almost as much as the yarn, which is good because the yarn is going away to a very good home.

Another Funky C braid was next. This one in corriedale and spun slightly thicker than my last spins resulting in 250 yards of yarn at about 12-14 wpi. I've spun corriedale before and was a little underwhelmed, but this turned out very light and fluffy and I'm actually quite happy with it.

And still there is more...

I'm finally breaking into my Pigeon Roof Studios stash and starting to spin some up. Yummy. This is Lazy Daisy in Merino. The finished yarn ended up being about 440 yards of 2 ply at 20 wpi and 3.9 ounces. Are you noticing a trend here?

Aren't you glad I don't post like this every weekend? My plan though, this summer is to spin a lot. I have to to get the stash whittled down to a reasonable amount for one thing. I've set a goal for July of getting 3 pounds of fiber spun up and I've actually gotten about 12 ounces into that goal so far. Unfortunately, the knitting will suffer if I spin this much, but I will have a lovely handspun stash :)

Cowl-a-licious!

Some of the few knit projects I've managed to finish so far this summer have been super easy and simple cowls because we all know that this year the cowl is the new scarf.

Super simple handspun cowls have been the favorite way I've carried out this trend. I didn't really follow a pattern, but the Gloria Cowl would be a good place to start. These two are nearly identical.

I used nearly every yard of 150 yards of this handspun and the finished cowl weighs two ounces. I got 4 spi  using size US 7 needles and it's perfect because it's super drapey and fluffy.

The second handspun cowl was made from about 150 yards of yarn as well on size 7 needles too.  They really are nearly identical.

I've really found that these small, simple cowls are very practical even in the short time that I've had them. I've been wearing them outside on the cooler nights and can't wait to test them out for reals come winter.

The next cowl is another one that I made up as I went along- this time not using handspun but sKnitches Big Tryst which is a sportweight merino/cashmere/nylon blend.

This was another super simple knit so I'll leave the 'recipe' here in my notes in case anyone wants to make one too. I used under one skein so if you wanted a wider or taller cowl it could definitely be done. I used size US 5 needles, but I'm kind of a tight knitter so plan accordingly. The stitch pattern is a multiple of 10  if you want to plan for a wider cowl.

Cast on 120 stitches. Join for knitting in the round. Place marker for beginning of round. Purl one round.* YO, Knit 2 tog* around. Purl one round. Knit ten rounds. Repeat until desired length is achieved.

Yeah, aren't you glad I don't write patterns :)

*Edited to correct the numbers- because I'm a dork.

Next weekend: More spinning.

Filler and Fluff

I have been so busy this past week and have not had much time to accomplish much. So in the object of not getting out of the habit of posting (I'm really enjoying it) I'm throwing up a meme that's been floating around.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was seventeen, already done with what passed for high school and helping my parents build a house in a teeny, tiny town of 700 called Potlatch, Idaho. It was actually 20 miles outside of that teeny tiny town, so very rural and isolated. I remember I  helped my dad completely rewire an old trailer that was on their 40 acres and also install sheet rock and tape it. Things that still come in handy! There were many, many days of getting up at dawn and working all day until sundown but I also remember it as being a really fun summer and a year that I spent a lot of time with my dad.

2) What are five things on my to-do list for today?
1. Wash scrubs- I just finished a long stretch at work and have quite a pile.
2. Spin as much as I possibly can :)
3. Go to the post office and mail a package to my friend Ineke
4. Figure out what's for dinner
5. Plant my plants that I got at the farmer's market on Saturday

3) Snacks I enjoy:
This is hard because I kind of rotate snacks around... but right now I'd have to say
1. Edamame
2. rice cakes, bonus if they're with honey
3. this time of year I'm loving watermelon

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Freak out!

5) Places I have lived:
1. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
2. Potlatch, Idaho
3. Indianapolis, Indiana
4. Chicago, Illinois
5. Everett, Washington
Although I never made it in any of the last three for more than six months so I don't know if I can really count them. I really am an Idaho girl at heart (at least I've tried to move away).

6) Jobs I have had:
1. Babysitter
2. Checker at Floyd's Excell Foods- I knew everyone by name in town and what brand of cigarettes they smoked.  One man even proposed marriage to me at the counter and he wasn't joking. Small towns...
3. Nanny- I had fun summers doing this, sitting at the pool and the beach all the time.
4. Certified Nursing Assistant
5. Nurse Tech at Sunshine Gardens- I did this for almost two years while I was going to nursing school.
6. LPN at an outpatient GI clinic- yay butts!
7. RN at a nursing home, LTAC, travel nursing, Cardiac Care and just this week I took another job working on call at our local hospital. Considering 6 and 7 have all been in the last 4 years my resume is a mess. It's a good thing nurses are in high demand.

Play along if you like, I enjoy reading these kinds of things.