Working on Something New

Tomorrow I'm teaching my first professional class at Stash, using my Sand Dollar Hat pattern. It'd been a while since I knit it, and not only did I need a refresher but also my old one is starting to lo a little, well, used.

So last night I procured some Abstract Fibers Super Sock in Snapdragon, which I am double stranding into the wildest hat I've ever knit (or even seen).







It's coming along nicely, I'm more than half way up the side, but the lighting in here isn't good for a picture.

I'll make sure to take pictures tomorrow at the class of all the hats being knit.

I'm also working on a seminar about dying fiber in your own kitchen. It started with an open topic for presentations in one of my classes, and is slowly morphing into something really fun. For one thing, I had a whole family of colorful mason jars in my kitchen,




and some lovely results.





All this color in my home and knitting has been a real boon during this grey February. And on that note, I'll leave you with this lovely painting by the Dread Pirate Roberts himself (via the iPad app Paint for Cats).

Tour de Fleece, day 17

I went to a lovely Tour de Fleece inspired spinning party this afternoon and had quite a bit of fun. Except for the spinning myself into a headache part, but that got better with Advil. I did some batt designing with a friend's drum carder, and this is what I came up with.



It's mostly a teal-ish blue (the kind that's impossible to accurately photograph) with bits of red wool and some orange firestar. I'm trying to come up with an appropriate Dr. Who name (probably 10th Doctor). Any suggestions will be taken into consideration.

Black Sheep Plunder

Dyed Silk Mawata





Organic cotton and Lycra (about 1.5 oz)



Carbonized Bamboo (2 oz)



Knitting themed fabric (1/3 yd)



Crab shell fiber (1 oz)



Also, finished May socks!

I Totally Forgot

I won the first door prize at the Spin-In and got to choose my gift-y.




It's a lovely felt vine/lanyard/scarf-ish thing.

Whirlwind

Oh spit, I just realized that I forgot to take painting pictures, and the batteries in my camera are dead. Oh well, you'll just have to be entertained with the pictures I did manage.

First off, Damson is done!!!


I finished it Thursday and wore it Friday and Saturday. I got many compliments on it both days, especially Saturday at the Newport Spin-In. I'm still working on getting an action shot, which will now be more difficult with the dead batteries.

In order to prepare myself for Saturday's spinathon, I cleared off the bobbin I was working on. I've been working on the roving I got last June in Elgin after the wedding. I used the opportunity to try out Navajo plying. I do love a three ply yarn.



This is about half of the 100 grams of roving. This cleared up my wheel for a new spinning project. I got out a top that I bought at the store in town, dyed by Dicentra Designs. It's 4.1 ounces of Blue Faces Leicester (less-ter) in the colorway "Twig."

I rode out with Kelli and got started spinning up "Twig." I had every intention of not purchasing more fiber, since I have plenty and I haven't really been spinning. That's why I brought the Dicentra roving. It's pretty and exciting with the color changes, so I would be less tempted than if I had just brought the green from above.

My resolve lasted for several hours. Then I found the Danger Zone. It was a bin of little one ounce baggies of luxury fibers for $3 each.

Sigh.

I walked away with two ounces of a silk and camel down blend. I took the Dicentra off the wheel, put on a fresh bobbin, and got to work (cause it doesn't count if it goes home as yarn, right?). I spun up the first ounce on Saturday, started the second, finished the second on Sunday, plied it back on itself for a two ply, wound it off, and counted. I ended up with 188 yards of the prettiest yarn I've made yet.

Here's one ounce of the fiber:


The first ounce spun up:


And the finished yarn:



It really does look just like spun gold, and yes, my arm hurts from patting myself on the back. Two ounces in two days, plus I've got the spinning bug again, so my fiber stash should start to shrink.

My resolve returned right up until the last half hour of the spin-in. That's when I found the mawata.


What is mawata? Another name for it is silk hankies. Individual silk cocoons are stretched out onto a square frame, and then individual layers can be separated and spun into silk yarn. I bought one ounce, which gives me a surprising amount because silk is such a light fiber. I'm looking forward to playing with this.


And finally, my SpillyJane Camilla mitts keep marching on. I'm having fun doing the colorwork, and feel more confident about doing the Whale Watch Hat (ravelry link) from New England Knits.


Just one more thing to add. Mom sent this to me, and I'm in love. Too bad I'm in such a small place (and can't bolt things to the wall).