Thursday Is for What the Hell Is This?

More lessons from the men's runway.

Remember knitters, always, always check your gauge before starting your project.

And leave yourself enough time to finish your projects by the deadline.

Still Spinning

I'm still in the spin-zone. I spun up some samples from my retreat.

We have Ashland Bay Cashmere/ Silk spun with a forward draw allowing the twist into the web slightly.

This is a Romedale cross plied with a dyed Targhee.

This is the same Romdedale X this time plied with a dyed "potluck" roving.

None of these have been washed and set yet. Because I'm really busy trying to get to the bottom of this.

This is a Corriedale fleece that I dyed and started spinning in 2009! It has been my main spinning project since then. I spun a few bobbins on my Lendrum just before I got my miniSpinner then switched to the MS for the rest of the spinning and these few skeins I plied. I just transferred the singles back onto Lendrum bobbins this week because they fit perfectly on the large quill for my MS turning the quill into the best bobbin-winder EVER. I have just a few ounces left to spin and then I will be plying for days on end--if not weeks.

Thursday Is for What the Hell Is This?

I think we can all agree that there is something particularly giggle-inducing about a male model in outlandish clothes. I believe it is because men, for the most part, have such limited and therefore dull wardrobes. Shirt, pants, sweater, jacket. That's pretty much it. So if we expand that repertoire what happens?

Funny stuff. Really, really funny stuff.

Hat tip once again to Janet E. for alerting me to this...whatever this is.

Hello, Old Friend

I got out of town last week to Port Townsend for a Hansen miniSpinner retreat with Judith MacKenzie. If you've been reading my blog for a while--or ever heard me talk about spinning--you know that Judith is my spinning mentor/guru/goddess. I've taken probably dozens of classes with her over the years. I enjoy being in her presence immensely and I always learn something new. I have not been devoting any time to spinning. I would be surprised if I clocked more than 20 hours of spinning last year. Getting out of town and spending a few days with gorgeous fiber in my hands with my miniSpinner has completely rekindled my love of spinning. And that's just what I was hoping for.

I came home and set up my miniSpinner and immediately got back to my spinning. I had successfully turned the Polworth/Silk shown above into a squishy 3-ply by bedtime last night.

Thursday Is for What the Hell Is This?

Someone must have ordered a coat of arms. Get it? Get it?

It's a Heimlich maneuver and a bad subway ride all rolled into one. 

These coats sure are handsy. See what I did there?

Thank you! I'll be here all week.

A profound thanks to Janet E. for sharing this with me.

Copycat Movie-Watching Cowl

Pattern: Improvised, see notes

Yarn: Too many to list!

Needle: US8 Addi Turbo

Notes: I was headed to the movies last Saturday and I needed something I could knit in the dark. I had been saving a bag of scraps and partial skeins of heavier worsted-weight yarn so I copied Erin's cowl. I cast on 80 stitches provisionally and started knitting. I just kept striping--usually four-round stripes but sometimes more or less--until I ran out of my main color yarn. Then I took out the cast on and grafted the ends together. The stripes do have a jog. I couldn't be bothered to pay attention to making jogless stripes at the movies.

It's very, very, very warm and cozy but much wider than I needed. A very fun, fast project though.

Thursday Is for What the Hell Is This?

Hat tip to Marnie for alerting me to this. Click here if you'd like to see the entire collection that this little beauty came from. You will not regret it. I promise.

Knitscene Preview

Knitscene has become my favorite knitting magazine. I like what they're offering for Spring 2013. What do you think?

Elis

Pattern: Elis by Reiko Kuwamura
Yarn: Handspun Luxury blend (basically all my nice fibers from class samples carded together and spun almost two years ago)
Needle: US8 Addi Turbo
Notes: I wasn't sure I'd have enough yarn to knit the pattern as written so I did the first set of crosses, knit until I thought I had enough yarn to do a second set and the garter edging. I ended up with just a tiny bit of yarn left so I'm calling that a victory.

Thursday Is for What the Hell Is This?

The weed whackers of 2006 are making a comeback. No knits are safe.