constant struggle with leftovers

We all have them.

The extra skein you bought just in case the sweater ate yarn. The 40 grams left from the socks you just finished because you have tiny feet and never use the whole ball. The piles and piles of little bits you save just in case you decide to go all Alice Starmore and make an epic fair isle sweater using 50 different colors in perfect harmony. Your favorite yarn comes in 200 yard balls but that hat only took 120, even with cables.

Leftovers. Rarely appealing in any sense of the word. Except Chinese takeout, but whatever.

I'm primarily a sock knitter so the bulk of my oddballs are fingering weight. I've always enjoyed using them in stripy socks as I saw fit and when the Beekeeper's Quilt came out I squeed a little bit.

I started making hexipuffs for that quilt in 2011. I finally stitched some together for this chair cushiony thing in 2014. I am still making hexipuffs. I have huge apothecary jars full of them. I just made another 20 this week. I'm just about hexipuffed out. Plus, each hexipuff only uses about 3 grams, takes 45 minutes a piece and oh my god just thinking that is enough to make me stabby after awhile. And then you have to sew them together. No small feat.

"Make minis and do swaps!" they say. Um. Have you ever priced that shit? No thanks. Totally not practical or logical for me to do. If that is your cup o'tea then drink on, sista! And then I just get MORE leftovers calling themselves minis.

I make a lot of stripy socks still. They are not always the prettiest, but I feel this innate frugal bliss when I finish a pair. Here are some recent projects:


This pair used up some self striping and a weird variegated. I still didn't use up all the yarn!












This is what the yarn looked like before:

And here is another pair I finished the other day. I actually really really love them more than I should. These would be the equivalent of Chinese food- as mentioned above. But we must stop mentioning it because now I need an eggroll. I also need an eggroll after our friend drives by in his biofuel van. True story.

I would share the before photos but I was really lazy and didn't take a pic of the variegated before I used it and just swiped the dyer's photo for my Ravelry project page.

Dreams of using fresh, whole unmolested skeins for completely pure monoyarn socks are dancing in my head. But the guilt of those leftovers is gnawing on my brain.

To ease the burden, I busted these out and those other hexipuffs (always with the hexipuffs) and the basket is significantly lighter but OMG. I need a fresh start.

What do you guys do with your leftovers? Is it morally corrupt to throw them away? Ha- I need to wear the scarlet A for that a million times over. Should I suck it up as a side effect of my chronic knitting?

Eggrolls.

Knitting EDC

Oh hell, that's pretty dorky. I didn't go all prepper on you guys. EDC (every day carry) is a popular thing to do if you are a guy (usually) and want to show off your fancy flashlight and pocket knife. Or if you are a hipster and have an overpriced journal and cool pen.

I have all of these things except a little flashlight and I think I want one. But anyway...

THIS is my knitting EDC. And since I carry my knitting everywhere, I mean everywhere, I thought I would share what I always have on my person. Yeah, I just wrote those words.

The bag is from Knit Picks. It is the 'tool pouch' and I think it is the best notions bag ever. I like the size and that it is clear. So when my scissors are missing, I know. I mean, I have this spidey-sense when my scissors are missing anyway but visual confirmation is important.

The needle tube is the Clover Chibi darning needle set. It has picked up a few straggling orphan needles.

The scissors are the very bestest scissors ever. Mark gave them to me early in our marriage and I use them everyday. I think they were from Walmart, although I could be wrong!

A small nail file. Broken fingernails destroy yarn. And my favorite wooden sock needles sometimes need a bit of smoothing.

A small tin of stitch markers and progress keepers. I like the snagless rings the best!

Washi tape. I don't know. I use it, but not every day. It might get jettisoned.

Tape measure. God help you if you break my tape measure. It is second only to the scissors. Don't ever touch it or move it or look at it funny. I will cut you. But not with my stork scissors because they are for yarn only!

A little gold crochet hookie thing. Yeah, that may go out the airlock with the washi tape. I don't use it very much. Maybe I should have cleaned this out before taking a photo?

Sakura Micron pen. That snuck in as well. It is nice to write with but I think it was thrown in to keep a certain little person from sneaking off with it.

Mechanical pencil (bright green) hand-turned by Mark. I love it. It is starting to behave like a teenager though so yeah... tough times.

Hand turned fountain pen- once again, Mark's work. I love this pen. Currently, I have Pilot Iroshizuku ink in Shin-kai. I think I get street cred for that.

A cheap bird notebook and green post-its. I use the notebook for design ideas and the post-its for everything else. I love post-its. So much so that I recite Michelle's glue monologue from Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion way more frequently than I should. Ordinarily when you make glue, first you need to thermo set your resin.... I could go on, and I usually do!

That's it! And I will let you borrow anything if you need it but I will watch you like a hawk if you borrow the scissors or tape measure. I think I've mentioned that before.

What is in your notions bag?

I just re-watched this. Lisa Kudrow is brilliant.

Wildes Meer

Drive by posting here.

I finished this little beauty the other day. The pattern is Wildes Meer by Voolenvine (have you watched Kristin's Yarngasm podcast? What am I thinking? Of course, you have...)

I used Wollmeise Lacegarn in Madame Souris which is fairly deep stash from 2013. It was nice but adding beads was a pain. The yarn has a billion small plies and the crochet hook practically shredded them so I used the flosser technique so save my sanity- sorta...

So the pattern was great. Not only well written and a beautiful finished object, but the actual pattern had amazing graphics and the layout was fantastic. I am looking forward to more of Kristin's work in the future. And I will most likely make another Wildes Meer soon!

I have another shawl blocking as I type, so maybe (HAHAHAHA) I'll post it when it is dry and ready for it's close up!

Intentional Knitting

I'm just going to breeze past the space between posts. Sound good to you? Plus, nobody wants to read a bunch of excuses and drama and I honestly don't want to type it all out. Win-win!

Tosh Merino Light in Tart from Loveknitting

Look at this yarn!

I've been wanting this exact skein for YEARS. Madelinetosh Merino Light in Tart- isn't she lovely?

I finally caved when my favorite new online shop started carrying it. I ordered two skeins but one sold out from under me so all I have is this single precious bit. One is enough. Well, not really because I could fill a tub with this and still not have enough- but one is a great start. I will be making an Ishbel (the 7th!), my favorite shawlette pattern ever designed by the lovely Ysolda Teague.

I'm also going to breeze past my love affair with Ysolda. Love her.

So what's the deal with this one skein? Why is it so awesome? I have tons of other red yarn. I even have two different colorways of this yarn base that sit patiently in a drawer (Spectrum and Plaid Blanket, in case you really needed to know!)

Well, the whole purpose of this post is to talk about knitting with intention. For years I have made hat after hat, sock after sock, sweaters that kinda fit but not really, mittens with a slightly off color scheme. Basically, just knitting for the sake of knitting. To keep my hands and mind busy while life does it's thing around me.

Yeah, it is therapeutic. Eventually the hats get passed out among friends. Socks wear out. Sweaters get donated. Another set of mitts gets shoved into the drawer near the front door. Something just doesn't sit right with me though. I will scroll through my pages on Ravelry and have absolutely no memory of making certain projects. This is HOURS of my life that pass without me noticing.  And the money spent of the yarn- yeah, that's another thing to breeze past!

Sure, endless hours dinking around on your phone or playing video games is fruitless (not picking on anyone- I do these things too!) I would much rather have a finished product to show for my hobby. So yeah, I do this thing. It is useful, exercises my brain, is fun, and is cheaper than drugs (and golf!) What's my problem?

I think I am finally to the point where knitting isn't an overwhelming obsession. In fact, it makes me feel guilty and sad. I neglect other things while I sit and knit something that isn't really necessary. Nobody is going to go cold waiting for me to finish up that scarf right away. I have no desire to knit for charity. Maybe that sounds mean, but honestly think about it- they would rather have the money instead.

And sad- yeah, I get sad. It reminds me of my LYS closing. Not having those few hours a week to myself. Friends lost in the drama of it all.  My grandma dying. My mom and Mark getting really sick, overwhelming anxiety and depression- it all got tied up in yarn. Knitting used to be my comfort and now it reminds me of loss and heartache. And then the weeks that followed I binged on yarn left and right because retail therapy reared it's ugly head and the only thing I enjoy shelling out money for is yarn.

Yarn, yarn, yarn.

Oh look, I suppose I did want to mention drama.

This week I have been focusing more on what I am making and not just keeping my hands busy. I went a few days without knitting (GASP!!) I chose a yarn to play with because the color made me smile. I ignored the old skein that has been neglected since 2008- again. I have no obligations. I have no deadlines. I DON'T HAVE TO KNIT. I have no pressure, imaginary or real, making me do it- so I'm not gonna!

I actually enjoy cleaning my house. I love having things tidy (oh, Marie Kondo, I love you almost as much as Ysolda!) I used to enjoy cooking. Carcassonne, Catan, Fluxx and Munchkin have taken over our house. I wrote a blog post! And maybe I will try this exercising thing that people keep talking about?

Back to that skein of Tart- why mention it? Because I actually have a project in mind to match an outfit I already have. It won't sit idly by waiting to be made into something I won't wear.

It is the embodiment of intention for me. And it feels good.

The Little Engineer That Could!

No school today so we brought out Ngaio's new toy to play with! 

Mark found a video about Goldie Blox- engineering toys for designed for girls. I know, I know! All the anti-girlie pink Lego movement should have taught us a lesson but these are different. And I'm leaving it at that because I don't really want to debate!

Anyway...

We've been interested in buying one for months and saw one at Target last week. On sale. How can you not try it?

It only took her about 30 minutes to build it several times and then she started using the pieces to build her own contraptions. 

We started with the dunk tank set. Any relatives out there wanting to get her a present (hint, hint!) don't worry about doubling up because the pieces can combine to make bigger and better projects.

Back to building!

 

a precious gift

The first egg! I hope of many, but I'm not thinking about that now. I'm enjoying this sweet bliss for what it is.
I love how the curious most-likely culprit photo-bombed the moment. It is very fitting to her personality.

I had been planning on making this 'first egg' post my next post for weeks now- and it took longer for our girls to grow up than I'd hoped. I see the folly of my ways now. Since Ngaio's 'being' I've tried not to rush to the next fun phase of life or development. I've tried to savor every second while I could.

And yes, chickens are not my children- but I feel that I missed out on so much because all I could focus on was this pinnacle. I wish I could say it was a let-down... but I danced a little bit! And gave Polka Dot a nice snuggle. And wiped away a tear.

Yes, chickens are not my children- but I love them so and I will enjoy their moments (from now on) with the same slow paced anticipation I practice with Ngaio. I think I'll plan a little celebration for us and the chickens after school!

Another one!

Another post and another Ishbel!

I believe this is my 5th Ishbel shawlette I've made. The pattern is like mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie. It just feels so right down deep in my soul.
I'm not the only one who feels this way. Over 12,000 of these suckers have been made (Ravelry numbers alone!) and I know I'm not the only one who has made more than one! The entire time I was knitting I was planning what color the next shawl would be. Seriously- it's my knitting crack!
I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Byrne. I got it at The Stitching Post here in town and I know for a fact she has more! And other colors as well. I decided on the large stockinette portion and the smaller lace. It worked out really well because I only had 14 grams of yarn left so I might not have gotten any more full repeats. I'm kinda chicken that way. I started with my Knitpicks nickel plated interchangables in 5's and then did the bind off with an Addi Turbo size 8. I really don't like the Addi needles anymore. They are very blunt. But it was handy. And it was expensive. So they all get used. I just bitch about them a ton.

Right after I took this photo I went inside and wound some handspun into a ball. This one, in fact!

It is Two if by Hand Rambouillet in 'Bumbershoot' that I spun as a single ply lace. It's not my best work. I'm striping it with a natural colored single ply that I got to sample for the shop. I'm using them in a stripy shawl and they are playing together nicely! The sample skein is turning out awesome and I'm thinking it will be a good addition to the Younger Yarn family someday. I'll let you know more about that later though!

I'm staying monogamous- sorta. I still have that sweater on the needles from last week- and it even has a few more inches added to it. But let's face it- it's freaking way too hot to have a sweater on your lap. I only ever knit the bastards during summer, it seems.

So that's about it! I'll end with some awesome things. And a not awesome one.

Not: Ngaio's fish died and she is taking it really hard.

Awesome:
Ngaio and Mark dug holes together for the fence. It was cute. She's not quite 'Winchester brothers' great at digging holes, but she really had fun with her neon green shovel tonight!

I found a pattern to make a hat for an old friend. She asked me if I could FOREVER ago and I put it off. I showed it to her today and she was really excited. It will feel good to knit for someone who really appreciates it!

Two teenage boys played tag with their dad at the park. And screamed and giggled. It was awesome. And I'm sure it made the dad's day/month/year to play with his not-so-little boys again. They just grow up too fast!

I made chocolate chip cookies and rhubarb bars today. YAY!

OH! And I made this hat but it doesn't fit my big ass head. Does it need to come live with you?

Leave a comment if you would like it!

No posting does not equal a bored life

nor does it mean an overly exciting life.

Yes, it has been busy. Yes, it's been boring at times too. It's not that there isn't stuff to write about or stuff that I don't want to write about... but the writing/sharing has been the last thing on my mind.

We have chickens now!
6 became 5. And now we have a bear issue to deal with. And a fence that is currently taking over my usual photo taking spot. As I went out to take photos today I caught a squirrel in the coop. Even with a camera in my hand I was ill-prepared. Ngaio fell down inside the house while running for her rain boots to come and see... and then the squirrel was too damn fast anyway. The chickens didn't seem to notice their visitor but were quite excited to see the camera.

I could flood this post with all the projects I've done in the past few months- but that ain't gonna happen. So here is what is on the needles right now (well, it is one of the projects. I'm not monogamous!) We can just take it from here and see what comes.

Speaking of monogamous knitting, I've actually become WAY more prudish. Everything seems to be slowing down for me. I prefer to focus. Hell, I NEED to focus. I like enjoying every little stitch. I've been really concentrating on making useful things that fit well or serve a purpose. Or, that's what I keep telling myself. Stripper tea cozy aside, I want to make things that are not a waste of my time. Did I lose you at stripper tea cozy? Yeah, that happened, but I don't want to post it. Go look on Ravelry if you really need to.

What's next? Well, I'd like to finish that tweedy pullover thing pictured above. I have a colorwork hat soaking and another on the needles that may get frogged due to color choice issues. I have another Ishbel shawl as my travelling knitting but I'm at the lace section now so that's gotta change! I have NO socks on the needles. What?? Yeah. None. My last pair was a sport weight exercise of improper fit and eye rolling. And I have a lot of socks anyway. Ng just got a new pair this month and will likely be the only one getting them in the near future. That could all be a lie. It would not surprise me in the least if I logged off and cast on 5 new pairs all for MEEE!!! Or- God, forbid- I cast on another pair of handspun for Mark. Actually, I can safely say that will not happen.

What's really next is me trying to clean out my knitting basket, making some tough decisions (1st world problems- ARGH! This green yarn is not the exact shade that matches the other green yarn in this hat that nobody needs or wants...)

Oh well. The garden is green. Rain is falling. Chickens will soon be egging unless a hungry bear needs them more than we do. We are all healthy and fairly happy most of the time. I really have no complaints. Other than I need an iced tea.

Life is good.

We can all do well to remember that.

The Girl Cave!

We've been pretty busy for the last month getting Ng's room renovated. I'm pleased to say we are FINISHED! Well, like 99% finished. There is still a small bit of molding to go behind her door- but you can't really see unless you really look... so SHHHH....

Here is a tour... I hope you like it! Our little monster does- and we kinda wish we could have a room like this ourselves!

So here is what you walk into. The bookcase will get repainted- later. Like, I don't even want to think about it and maybe next summer I will do it. No hurry!

We painted the inside of her closet blue and used scrapbooking paper in the flooring, so it's pretty colorful! Ng picks our her clothes for the week and puts them in the hanging sweater cubbies. This has made getting ready in the morning SO much easier!
Ng decided to use the smaller, more vividly painted dresser in her room (STOLEN from ME!) so her sheets are on her closet shelf. Kinda annoying, but we will deal with it!

Speaking of the dresser, here is a closer look. I repainted it a few years ago (dumpster dive score!) and originally planned it's use for my yarn stash. That didn't last long and it's been used for many other purposes since. Plus, my yarn won't fit in there!

As you can kind of see, her window casings were painted hot pink! And there is a Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy sticker on her window. We're into squished things...

And now, the BED!

Mark built this whole thingy by himself using mostly free materials! It is so sturdy (it doesn't squeak or move even when the adults are tucking in the princess!) and it's pretty comfy up there. The banisters keep her from jumping off on purpose or rolling off while sleeping. My brother really needed that feature as a child.

Underneath is a desk with art supplies (the desk and chair are from thrift stores!) an ikea table with her dollhouse, and then...

The other side is her dumpster find chair. That's where I sit when I read to her at night. And snuggle in the morning. The wall behind is lined with painted boards to add a bit of color. We keep a few books in a mini shopping cart behind the ladder and a little basket- books everywhere! And there are paper heart lights hung behind for a little mood lighting. The mood being "Go to sleep so we can go watch Netflix!"

Her other wall is just white at the moment with her easel to break it up a bit. I will add a clothesline type contraption to hang her artwork so it will be easy to change out and keep fresh and updated without putting holes in the walls.

Oh yeah! On the upper level is room for her doll beds. It's all very snuggly and sleepy up there...

*complete with a sleep mask... Skippyjon Jones came with his own mask, as you can see. And yes, all the dolls are nekkid. I don't know what's up with that kid and the nekkid dolls. The black, white and teal thing on the wall is a clothesline for her doll clothes. Not that the dolls wear any... but should the need arise... They also have a trunk full of clothes. Once again, just sitting there. Mark also built the doll bunkbeds- it was his trial run. Or something like that. Ng decorated them with a Sharpie. I've made sure there are no more hidden Sharpies in this room. But we did find some hidden candy as we were moving stuff over. I love the look on Ng's face when we uncover that kind of thing...


So that's it! Pretty awesome- if I say so myself!

Much Ado About Something...

So a certain little girl had her birthday party this weekend. Yay, 6!!

Happy Birthday, my sweet!

My friend Kimberly took the most amazing photos of our little gathering at the park. I think everybody had a good time.

We've been working on Ng's room for a few weeks now and it finally looks like a bedroom. Just a few more boards to screw into place and we can start moving stuff in.

We ripped all the paper off the walls, taped and textured, sanded and painted the window sill (hot pink!), pulled up the carpet, added kraft paper flooring (AWESOME!) and now Mark is finishing up the built in bunk bed. Or loft. Or hellacool hangout area with a bunk on top... whatever you want to call it!

So trim is next... I think. And hot pink railings. Of course...

We found the chair by a dumpster and let it air out for about a week. It fits under there perfectly and is so comfy. Everybody needs a reading chair, right? Don't worry, it will be placed better once we get things all sorted. And don't worry- there were no rusty needles in the cushions or gross mystery stains. The chair is in remarkable shape. No pet hair or cigarette smoke. It was destiny! I'll just throw something hot pink on it and all will be well.

Mark also found a fully functioning Dyson by a dumpster a few days later. It works perfectly- but I can't say it smells great. Lots of dog hair. But a DYSON! For free! And it works? I don't think anything hot pink will fix the odor, unless baking soda comes in cool colors now.

Ah, fiber... I've been getting into colorwork kits (notice how I don't say I'm actually knitting colorwork yet...) so I made a few for the shop. I have some new colorways coming out soon and some preordered kits drying right now. Anywho, this is the first grouping. I got all crazy and spun them up in like 2 days.

The yellow ended up being a little thinner, so it might not make the cut. It's a floofy Finn sport weight even though the WPI (14) is on the fingering side of things. This combo is called PS... A Walk in the Woods and was a colorway created with my friend Shayla of Alina Shea Creations. She has a few skeins left of the matching yarn so go pick some up! I've been going back and forth with the pattern I want to use. Maybe Chevron Love Mittens?

I've also washed and whacked these two skeins. I spun them first, of course, but I only just washed them yesterday...

They are both mixed Corriedale from Southern Cross Fibre. Nply, to keep the colors from getting muddy. I think socks?? I always think socks though!

Remember that handspun I was talking about last time? Well, I'm actually knitting it up into a baby sweater/top/weird-Scandinavian-thing. It is adorbs. Yep, I just said that. And yep, I'm really knitting it. In fact, I'm almost finished with it. I just keep leaving it in the car so I haven't been able to sit with it longer than 10 minutes or so. My evening Supernatural-watching is with the wheel lately but that will change after tonight... it is the last episode available on Netflix and I don't want to start a new braid until- oh crap. I have another 2 oz of BFL- ok. Scratch all of that.

To sum up- I'll finish some stuff sometime.

Until next time, my friends!
Sparkles and rainbows and hugs!!! xoxoxo

Ah, autumn...

It's all kinds of pumpkin-y around here. My favorite time of year.

The latte is pumpkin something-or-other. The muffin is cinnamon. The socks are Retro Rib using Knit Picks Stroll in Hearth Multi (discontinued, but lovely still!)

I'm planning on some ambitious spinning and knitting for the next few months. I'm glad the weather is starting to cooperate. I LOVE being cold. I love layers. I love flannel (which I have very little of right now. I need to fix that.) I love jeans and wooly socks. I love mitts and scarves and brisk breezes. 

This time of year we take a little trip up the mountain and check out the aspen trees. This year, the fire got most of our favorite groves- and I'm avoiding the effects of the fire so I can't even bear to go see what is left. Mark shows me photos, thinking he is reassuring me- but my heart just drops. It hurts to think about it even. 

So... I'll leave you with a pretty pic, taken 2 years ago. 

And some yarn I made then too. I pulled it out last night and it is next in line to become something awesome. 

It is Spunky Eclectic BFL- an old club colorway called Rolling Hills. I managed 310 yards of 2 ply. It was spindle spun and one of the first yarns I ever made. There is something so comforting in that- and it will help, I think.

Thank you, Shayla for destashing it all those years ago!

Any thoughts on what it should be?

catching up

I love this time of year.
Minus the pollen.

But the weather? The leaves? The HOURS each day I have to myself? The productiveness? Yeah, it's all pretty great.

I've been working on a few little things before attacking the larger stuff (more on that later...) and here is a little peek.

We have this old screen door with a rip in it. It was a dumpster score (a recurring theme here!) and perfectly ok. But this tiny little rip drove me crazy and I didn't really want to re-screen the whole thing, so I pulled out some embroidery thread and did a little patch up. And then I got a little crazy...

I think it is pretty cute!

It was canning central here last week. We did tomatoes, pear butter, plain ol' pears, plum and elderberry jelly (MORE elderberries!) and probably more, but I can't remember. Preserving this food has given me peace of mind- more so than just freezing it. I think it is another zombie apocalypse fear surfacing. Freezing is fine and dandy, but what happens when the power is gone, people? Well, now we can all sit and eat some jelly. Take that, Mayans!

Spinning and knitting? Yeah. I did some of that too. I'll just throw in a couple pics- because there is too much to show and most of you guys see it all on Ravelry anyway, right?

These mitts are made from n-plyed BFL from Southern Cross Fibre. I heart them very much!

And for when it is colder I have some mittens! Once again, handspun but the fiber is from Pigeonroof Studios and is SW merino. I had to rip out the tops twice to get the shape I wanted. How very uncharacteristic of me. Usually I just throw a fit and frog them.

I'm so glad I didn't! Bring on the snow!

 This is a two ply I made from LongdrawJames' luxury fibers. It is Royal Alpaca and Polwarth. It's very cheery and I think it will make a good scarf or something for a certain little girl who is friends with another little girl who has too many scarves... and never wears them. Her dad might read this, so I'll leave it all cryptic. Plus, I'm all flighty and I'll probably forget to knit it anyway.

This, my friends, is my first try at Cheviot. It is the colorway Moonstone from Northbound Knitting. Not my favorite fiber to spin, but the yarn is a nice neutral that I can mix with something crazy in a colorwork project.

I haven't been dyeing much. I got all jazzed and then all blah. I'm still a little blah. And we've started fixing the bedroom walls and floors (ALL of them!) so that is the priority now.

Yeah... so that's all I'm reporting at this time. Have a great weekend!

today...

It was a big day today!

We talked about homeschooling for so long but decided to give kindergarten a try this year. She was totally and completely excited- but Mark and I stuck around the playground about 2 minutes too long and she came running back with tears. I'm hoping tomorrow will go smoother!

See the shiner? Yeah- Ng ran into her doorknob last night. Poor girl inherited my grace...

This house has been awesome lately. Our lives have been shaping into the form I've always wanted. A couple of weekends ago we stopped on the side of the road and picked some elderberries which became the tastiest and most fragrant jelly of all time! Ng is an expert elderberry 'stripper'- she de-stemmed like a dervish, if dervishes do that sort of thing.

We got to try a few eggs from our much loved community chickens. I love those little beasts. I feel at peace when we go peek at them. I can't wait to have our own flock, however tiny it may be. The eggs were so rich and almost buttery or creamy or just damn good. I can't describe it, but if you have tried free range eggs you know what I mean.

The flowers totally photobombed the eggs. I've been covering my house with cut blooms this week. I've never been one to want flowers (to Mark's relief!) but a few splashes of color have really been inspiring and welcome lately! I can't get enough neon orange. Unless it is traffic cones. That's a different story!

Anyway- the days are more free and the dyeing will start up tomorrow! I've got lots of colorways and themes dreamed up (NEON ORANGE?) so I have a ton of work to do. And I will whistle whilst doing it!

or just listen to Pandora.

cause you know I can't whistle.

or maybe you don't know.

but now you do!

it's getting there...

A bunch of stuff has happened since last time.

Our area suffered a HUGE fire. Almost 45,000 acres. It was pretty scary. Lots of homes lost- lots of perspective gained though. More on that later.

Health issues- but surgery this week should leave Mark right as rain. Some perspective was gained there as well...

On a more topical note I've been cleaning and decluttering a lot. A LOT. Which started before all the fire stuff and the health stuff. I'm so inspired by simple living and minimalism. Since I've started getting rid of stuff and letting go my stress and anxiety has been greatly improved. Evacuation due to fire- I'm cool with that. House burnt down? (it didn't...) I'm cool with that too. Because I have everything I need. My family is so much stronger now that June has happened. "June" was just one major event. But a cleansing one. And I'm grateful for the lessons learned and that we are all safe and sound.

This simplicity started several years ago. Slowly weeding out the unnecessary... but still bringing in tons more than we needed. I replaced several toxic cleaning products. I got rid of as much plastic and synthetic stuff as I could. Learning about gardening and sustainability...  It will continue to be a process. I'm ok with that. I know firsthand that cold turkey doesn't work well for me in most cases. Lately I've been upping the game though. I have a great urge to finally get where I want to go. It is not so easy with Ng and Mark in the same house. We don't have identical philosophies. Mark seems more sentimental than me. One weekend with my parents RUINS Ng. Well, maybe not ruins, but her wardrobe and toy stash increases. So frustrating.

I think my lesson in this is to focus on myself though. I've started a cleaning schedule based on the FlyLady system and it is really working for me. I've noticed that Ng doesn't have to be asked to clean- or at least not begged to pick up her stuff! Mark has always chipped in a bit- so that wasn't much of an issue. My issues with him have quieted down- like the bathroom mirror, counter and the pee that guys get everywhere even when they say they don't... well, not so much of an issue since I'm cleaning it off everyday and it doesn't build up. So I'm finding a peace inside of me. I'm making peace inside of me! A lot less martyrdom- which runs in my family, I think... heh.

Honestly, I would just get rid of it all and wash my hands of this stuff, but that's not an option. So I'll keep moving along and maybe someday Mark will throw out more crap that doesn't matter and Ng will only keep what she really plays with and maybe my parents will stop trying to buy her love... maybe. Maybe we will all agree on a 'no-spend' month (or 12!) and cut out all the sugar... even ice cream, MARK.

Until then, it's been a great ride. Even if I'm the only one who knows we are on it.

moving on...

Tour de Fleece started yesterday! For those who don't know, basically you just spin fiber everyday during the Tour de France. I could honestly care less about the actual race. And the challenge of spinning everyday doesn't really matter either because I do it everyday anyway (therapy!!)

This is what I'm working on now... it is Polwarth/silk from Two if by Hand. drool...

Resting on the bobbins are two plies of Spunky Eclectic Romney (Beans) and Gotland (Robin Red Breast) to make a three ply sock yarn for Mark.

This whole yarn thing is ruining my minimalism. I can deal with the fiber and the handspun. I think it stays true to my goals, but the commercial yarn I own is out of control. Hmmm.... maybe Mark will clean out under the bed if I get rid of my yarn... one can dream. It would be a small price to pay. Lol. Maybe not.

I have some thinking to do.

Love to you all!

I finished the socks!! Hooray!

It was a pretty fun construction. I will be doing it again- totally. Except backwards- like cuffs at both ends.

So I made this long tube with the toe decreases along both ends (used magic cast on and then kitchener stitch at the other end.)

Then I blocked the heck out of the tube. I used my lace wires along the edges to get them nice and straight. Or mean and straight. But not crooked. (Ok, maybe a little. It's handspun. There is always crookedness!)

Then I marked the middle and where the heels go (two inches short of total foot length from cast on/bind off)

and I CUT.

I didn't cry. I thought I would freak out, but it was pretty easy. I took a lot of care to thread the waste yarn in correctly, so the stitches didn't come undone.

Then I used some leftover Trekking XXL for the cuffs and heels. Piece o' cake. I used a length of the handspun in the cast off to make it a little bigger so it wouldn't be so tight. It didn't really live up to expectations, but it is still a nice cuff.

And he likes them. And totally deserves them after the week he had. He's getting some bright green, blue and purple ones next. They will be my summer 'knitting-at-the-movies-in-the-dark' project. And yes, cuff to cuff...

The yarn? Well, I'm glad you asked. It was from FiberFancy on Etsy. The colorway was Garlic and Herbs. She has a similar braid called Mustard and Herbs on BFL right now. I'm sitting on my hands, but I will totally enable you to go buy it. It was really nice to work with.

Before:

After: supa thin single, n-plied for awesomeness.

Up next? I don't know. Ngaio and Mark have taken over my wheel. I haven't gone this long without spinning since I got the wheel. Maybe I will just rest up for Tour de Fleece? Hah. I don't think I can last much longer. $50 says I start something tonight.

Knitting- yeah. I have a lot going on there. We will leave it at that.

Lace and socks. What else is there, really?

Sheesh...

You'd think I would give up on this whole blogging thing. Maybe you think I HAVE given up already... NOPE!

I just forget. I forget a lot of stuff. Even the really important stuff like birthdays. And names. And due dates (both human gestation and library books. It's all fair game!)

I could make some mega post featuring all the stuff I've been doing, but that's just nuts and it makes my brain hurt. So I'll just share a few things.

It's all topical today. Nothing deep or profound. No wisdom. No secrets.

But SILK! YAY!

So I spun this yarn, like, a year ago. It is some mulberry silk something or other with noil in it. It was HARD to spin. Silk is rough on your hands and catchy enough to remind you how rough your hands were in the first place- before its deceptive strength wears down grooves in your joints and makes you bleed.

But it was a fun spin... really.

I think I ended up with almost 900 yards of the stuff, which is pretty awesome. I knew I wouldn't make a MASSIVE shawl again or anything using over 800 yards or so- so I decided that only using one of the skeins wouldn't be a total waste. I just can't do the HUGE lace stuff any more. It gets boring and those last rows with 2000 gazillion stitches make me want to cry. Or give up knitting. And I didn't want to do either.

So about half got me this little shawl. The pattern is Ysolda Teague's Damson, which is a favorite of mine. I haven't totally decided who it needs to go home with yet... but Ngaio sure looks pretty in it! She begged to keep it until I reminded her that she asked for a pink one. Stupid me, now I have to make a pink shawl.

I have another Ysolda project on the needles now. It is Barley Sugar, a brioche stitch oversized cowl which I will be using Alina Shea Creations Fairy Dust lace yarn for. I promise photos- as soon as there is anything more to take a picture of. Right now it is a weird looking provisional cast-on and some funky rows. I'm also working on a pair of socks for Mark. They are a different construction than usual- I've been taking progress pics so I can walk you through them when I finish up completely. You know, don't count your chickens... they may not work out. But so far, so good!

I've also finished spinning some more lace weight- It is still drying a bit, but I got a quick pic! Ngaio has claimed this yarn too. Notice how little pink there is- the girl shows no discretion! Once again, I've spun a TON more than I will use at once. But that's ok. The two braids belonged together and they just naturally made thin yarn, so I went with it. 4oz each of BFL/silk blend from NaturallyKnitty and Shadawyn Fiber Arts.

Pretty, huh?

Yeah, so that's it for today.

Ok. I gotta go cook dinner or something. Ugh.

bags and strings...

Another fantastic mail day!


I know retail therapy is against everything I'm trying to build for my life. And I'm aware that buying things when I'm depressed, stressed or grumpy doesn't really help anything- HOWEVER, look at all this YUMMMMM!

My awesome friend Andi posted this messenger bag in her shop a while back and I sat on my hands like a good little girl and winced everytime someone else mentioned it. Then I caved. And I don't regret it one little bit. It is the PERFECT size for all the things I need to cart around. And the blue fabric has little TARDISes all over it! (tardises? tardi?) AND it's perfectly made and just badass.

I also bought a little project bag from my friend Allena over at Starknits with gnomes and mushrooms all over it. The inside has two pockets and it is beautifully sewn. Seriously, I'm so freaking happy with it! She has some little gnome stitch markers in her shop still that I'm drooling over- and have very little resistance for. She has one other gnome bag left in her shop- it is a 'scratch and dent' one, but I can only imagine it is just as awesome!

Next up is a sparkly green fingering weight yarn from BadAmy. I've been wanting her self striping yarn for ages now and I've never gotten to her updates in time, so I was thrilled to snag this skein! It's so pretty and you really can't go wrong with green- right? It matches the gnome bag so well, I might have to cast something on right away just so I can show this stuff off!

Last, and certainly not least, is a GORGEOUS skein of DK Merino from Alina Shea Creations. I've mentioned her yarn club before, you you may already know how much I love her and her wares... but I'll say it again. This stuff is so pretty it hurts. And sooooo soft. Pictured beside the yarn is a matching silk hankie. Which I never knew I needed until this moment. It is exquisite!

I will be back shortly to share some FO's and other nonsense later. Love you all...