Tag Archive 'spinning'

Jun 23 2008

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Log Cabin Blanket

Filed under crafty,knitting,wandering

stoor blanket

I finished the Log Cabin blanket that I started back in early May for the wedding of our friends. Finished size was roughly 48″x42″. The perfect size to throw over your lap and snuggle up with a cup of teas and good book. True to the best of gifts, it is a bit difficult to see this one leave my home. Made of odd bits of yarn left over from projects over the past couple years, making it was a fun trip down memory lane and they type of item that would give warmth of heart and body on as cold day. Several yarns were those that I dyed myself, including a small bit of my very first skein of hand painted yarn. There was even some that I spun from sheep which were raised on the farm where the happy couple lives. Definitely a project that I will do again once I have a good stash of leftovers that needs using up. I have a few new projects lined up to work on that will start me on that quest. It feels good to have made a “big” knitting project. It wasn’t the most complicated of patterns, but it did take time. I often shy away from the longer projects because so often I will go into a flare and not work on it for a time. (Not too different than me and my blog in that respect.) If I chose a smaller, quicker piece then I have a better chance of finishing in a reasonable time frame. I didn’t rush through this one, and only at the end when I was in a time crunch did I push myself to work on it when I didn’t really want to be working on it. True to my form, I finished it the day of the wedding with 3 hours to spare. Just enough time to get my daughter and myself cleaned up and ready to go. She was the flower girl, which in the world of a 7 year old girl is a much honored role. She was up first thing in the morning asking how long until the wedding. When I told her she had 7 hours to wait (an eternity in her eyes) she groaned and asked how many minutes that was. 420 met with several more groans.

We are in our final week before we leave for our trip to the Pacific Northwest of the US. My brother is getting married and it will be the first time back for my whole family except for me. I went last year to gather with several of my sewing mama friends, where I taught a little workshop on wet felting and then I went to a course on using hypnotic techniques as an element in the childbirth classes I teach. This year I went to get started on a holistic course of treatment for my fibromyalgia. Very different reasons. So much has changed. I know from my own experience that it will be odd being back in a place that used to be home and have it seem so foreign. It’s remarkable how much we have settled into life here.

There are always a million details that pop up at the last minute. With this being a month long trip I am expecting twice that. We are moving house (again) shortly after we get back so all that needs to be squared away this week in addition to all the normal packing business. Fortunately it is still pretty calm today with a week left to go, and maybe it will stay that way if we are lucky. Cross fingers and hope for the best!

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Nov 10 2006

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One for my head and some handspun

Filed under felt and fiber,knitting

Took a bit of a break knitting baby hats, and hats for others (I made a really cool one for Axel that I still need to get a photo of.) and made one for myself.

Yarn from a hand dyed swap at Mothers of Purl. Gorgeous Autumn colors that coordinate perfectly with a big snuggly scarf I made last year. Pattern is Coronet from Knitty. My second time attempting cables and I think I can safely say I am no longer completely intimidated by them. Not completely. Just partially. Learned invisible/provisional cast on, which is also something I have been skeered of. Casting on was straight forward enough, but I need to get the hang of unravelling the graft. Luckily my blips in this area are nicely concealed by the cable and the colorway. And its in the back.

Autumn Coronet Hat

Next up is my first attempt at plying. Using my very rudimentary drop spindle (which I hope to use enough to justify getting a wheel. A gal can dream, right?) and some bats that I had aquired a couple years ago. Not entirely sure of the fiber content but it is dreamy soft. I suspect Merino and there are definately some silk slubs. Still the novice spinner, it is definately a novelty yarn. Width varies from worsted/aran to bulky. Overall I would consider it bulky. There is still plenty wool left over to make more, which I may do depending on how this one knits up. I am thinking it would make a gorgeous hat and scarf. Maybe something from Garn Studio. I love their stuff.

aquarium bulky handspun

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