I attempted to cast on a sweater last night. I learned that 9:30 - 10:00 pm is not the right time for me to begin a new project. I needed to cast on 94 stitches. As usually, I cast on counting very carefully, then counted again to make sure I had the correct number of stitches. And then started the first row. Missed a repeat of the pattern somewhere in the middle and ended up with 5 too many stitches still on the needle. Took it out, cast on again. Was apparently a little lax with my counting, ended up 2 stitches short. Took it out again.... You see where this is going.
I stopped trying to cast on the sweater at about 12:30 am. The current status of the project is that the yarn has been wound up again (minus the bits at the end that were getting a little fuzzy from overuse.
*sigh*
Friday, May 22, 2009
I have exciting new yarns to share!
First of all, I have been working for a while on spinning up some kind of funky grey fiber that I have had in my stash for some time. It's a blend of wool, a little bit of sparkle, mohair, random other fibers, and there is supposed to be a glow-in-the-dark fiber blended in, though I haven't been able to confirm that it actually glows in the dark (either because it is old, and no longer glows, or because it is blended in so well that it is not noticeable). Anyway, I ended up making 3 coordinating yarns from it, which I call Ghost Stories:
In "Lady in White," the gray fiber is plied with a natural creamy white alpaca.
In "Haunted," the fiber is plied with itself.
And in "Shadows," the gray is plied with natural black alpaca.
Next up, is a yarn that I am particularly proud of; it's my first attempt at navajo plying (which is a method of plying that allows you to turn 1 thread of yarn into a 3 ply yarn).
I am calling it "Tutti Frutti". The fiber was really colorful, so there are some fairly drastic color changes, and the yarn ended up being really sproingy, so it should be an interesting Knit.
I found the navajo plying so enjoyable, that I immediately spun up another yarn and used the same process.
This is a baby camel and silk blend from Foxfire Fibers in their "Wisteria" colorway. Spinning it was a dream, and I wished that I had more than 2 oz of it, because I didn't want it to end. I specifically spun this to maintain the integrity of the color changes in the fiber, so the plying technique turned it into a gently self-striping yarn. I am not sure what I am going to make with it - maybe wrist warmers or some kind of scarflette, definitely something that will go next to the skin. Did I mention that it was dreamy?
First of all, I have been working for a while on spinning up some kind of funky grey fiber that I have had in my stash for some time. It's a blend of wool, a little bit of sparkle, mohair, random other fibers, and there is supposed to be a glow-in-the-dark fiber blended in, though I haven't been able to confirm that it actually glows in the dark (either because it is old, and no longer glows, or because it is blended in so well that it is not noticeable). Anyway, I ended up making 3 coordinating yarns from it, which I call Ghost Stories:
In "Lady in White," the gray fiber is plied with a natural creamy white alpaca.
In "Haunted," the fiber is plied with itself.
And in "Shadows," the gray is plied with natural black alpaca.
Next up, is a yarn that I am particularly proud of; it's my first attempt at navajo plying (which is a method of plying that allows you to turn 1 thread of yarn into a 3 ply yarn).
I am calling it "Tutti Frutti". The fiber was really colorful, so there are some fairly drastic color changes, and the yarn ended up being really sproingy, so it should be an interesting Knit.
I found the navajo plying so enjoyable, that I immediately spun up another yarn and used the same process.
This is a baby camel and silk blend from Foxfire Fibers in their "Wisteria" colorway. Spinning it was a dream, and I wished that I had more than 2 oz of it, because I didn't want it to end. I specifically spun this to maintain the integrity of the color changes in the fiber, so the plying technique turned it into a gently self-striping yarn. I am not sure what I am going to make with it - maybe wrist warmers or some kind of scarflette, definitely something that will go next to the skin. Did I mention that it was dreamy?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Goals 2009 check-in
I am pleased to say that I have made some progress on my craft goals for 2009. Not much progress, but still. Socks are still in limbo, as is the sweater project. However, I am now confirmed as a vendor at my very first craft fair. Yay! The fair isn't until September, but I am very excited about it.
Friday, May 15, 2009
A friend of mine is getting married, and she was looking at jewelry to buy for her bridesmaids, but was finding everything to be very expensive. She got it into her head that it would be a good idea to make some jewelry for them, so of course, she turned to me for help. She showed me a picture of the earrings she wanted to try and replicate.
I meant to mock up a single pair of earrings, but got a little carried away:
Fun, right?
I meant to mock up a single pair of earrings, but got a little carried away:
Fun, right?
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