Just one more Fiber for the Road!......

Good thing this all squishes down so well....

Oh, yes, we are going on a trip again.

To take with me:

1. Diagonal Cross Rib Socks. I am just finishing the gusset on the first sock.
2. Handsome Triangle Shawl.

I want to get a lot done on these two projects, so that is all the knitting that I am taking with me. Sixteen hours of riding in the car should provide some good progress on these two items.

But the spinning...

1. The nightshade fiber for Bruce's next pair of socks.
2. Fiber for a birthday skein for one of my knitting sisters.
3. Just in case I am especially productive or there is an unexpected snowstorm or car trouble (or who knows what could happen, really?), some rovings to spin up for hats and mittens for my kiddos.

And don't go away, cause I have lots planned for when I get back. I haven't touched red or black or metallic yet, and so must do something for Project Spectrum in July. I plan to take a few weeks in July to experiment with different natural red dyes. That should be interesting.... annatto, brazilwood, and madder are at the ready. Maybe I'll nab some cochineal too. When I get back I'll start mordanting. And then the fun will begin! It will be interesting to see the variations in color and if I manage to achieve some true reds.

Also, crazy lady that I am, I have decided to join Tour de Fleece 2007. To honor the Lord's Day I'll be taking my rests on Sunday, but otherwise will be spinning with the crowd. I haven't decided....finish up the colored rovings for the children, or do up a pound of black GCNI lambswool for a sweater? What do you think?

And because I am wanting to meet and get to know you all, tell me.....what fibery sorts of things would you like to do in July? are you in any -alongs?

Oz Vest

Here it is..... There is so much green in the yarn that it should be worn in the Emerald City. Toward the bottom of the vest march the yellow brick purl stitches, and the vest makes cheerful garb for an adorable munchkin.

This is for a gift, but I just so "happen" to have a willing if sleepy model available for photos. Note the careful styling in the last picture.... :-)

I like the patterns in the Natural Knits for Babies and Moms book and plan to use more of them in the future. The yarns used are simple and so are appropriate for handspun yarn. My mods included finishing the armholes with a crochet edging, working in the round on circular needles, and distributing the purl stripes at my own discretion to accentuate the striping of the yarn. I am happy with how this turned out, even though the imperfections in my handspun do give the vest a rustic look.

WIPs

It is time to start packing for the next road trip.....

We won't be gone as long this time.

What to pack? WIPs, of course!


The first pic shows my WIPs ready to go into my knitting bag for the trip. The "Diagonal Cross-Rib Socks" from Interweave's Favorite Socks, Spunky Eclectic's Nightshade fiber to spin for another pair of socks for DH, and the newly cast on Dandy Lions yarn to make the "Oz Vest" from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. And the shawl, of course.

The second picture is a closer view of my shawl that I am knitting from the yarn I spun in my first post. It is "A Handsome Triangle" from Victorian Lace Today.

I am looking forward to this trip. We are taking only the babies, so we'll practically be alone! :-)
And of course, driving time for DH means quality knitting time for me.

Maybe I'll have a FO or two to show when I get back.

Charity Smiles

My Twinsies

These are my special sweet blessings.

Sweet Sixteen

My baby sister turns sixteen today, and I made socks for the occasion. These are Jaywalkers with a few modifications, mostly accidental, some purposeful. (Sigh. If you want to view perfect knitting, you will have to read some other blog) In the past I have made two socks on two circs, so that I can make sure that the socks match, and having made these with #2 dpns I have confirmed the value in that. But I still like the dpns better. Made in Knitpicks Bare Merino, koolaid dyed.

I was in college studying for an anatomy test on the skeletal system when I heard that I was going to have a new sibling. It was hard to study that night! After she was born, I carried her picture with me everywhere, my cute chubby-cheeked baby sister with red hair. Now she is almost as old as I was then, and taller (she credits this to completely abstaining from coffee) Happy happy Birthday, Merrianna!

I have cast on for another pair of socks already, working on spinning yarn for another for dh, both for his upcoming birthday. I am finishing the spinning on the Dandy Lions yarn, and have moved to the Barebones spindle for this. I have stopped fearing to put in too much twist, and it is turning out much more even now. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice on it!

We have been out of town, so my posting should be more regular now that I am back.