by Kat | Jul 1, 2016 | General
Le Tour starts tomorrow, and that means spinners everywhere will be joining in to spin in le Tour de Fleece. That’s right teams of spinners will be spinning as the biking teams ride! It is really so much fun, and excellent preparation for Spinzilla!
I will be spinning with the Wool n’ Spinning Group, and as you can see – much of my fiber that I hope to get done is Sheepspot wool. I don’t think I have goals that are unreasonable, and they should be achievable if I am spinning on Tour Days!
Things I would like to get spun:
- Sheepspot Columbia Rolags
- Vintage Crosspatch Creations Batts
- Spunky Eclectic Merino Yak Top
- Spunky Eclectic Gotland Top
- Sheepspot Montadale Top
- Sheepspot Coopworth Roving
I think this will keep me busy during the month!
Up next is a little wheel tune-up complete with drive band replacement and oiling all the moving parts!
In my frenzy to empty bobbins for le Tour, I plied up the lace-weight Targhee and I am so happy with how all 618 yds, 100 grams turned out!
Friday Links:
So, tell me Gentle Reader – will you be watching any of le Tour while you spin? Oh, and Happy FriYAY which ushers in a weekend filled with YAY’s! See you back here on Monday.
Save
by Kat | Jun 28, 2016 | General
I know that this is usually a day for a 10 on Tuesday post, but while Carole is away, the proverbial mice will play, or knit, or spin, or stitch, or… you get the point.
So, Hello Crafters (Be you Knitters, Spinners, Stitchers, Crocheters, and regular 10 on Tuesday readers/participants)!
I wanted to do a bit of a check in with all of you as the first month draws to a close.
Why am I doing this if there are no rules? Well, here is the curious thing – apparently even no goals or rules can cause someone to feel like they are not accomplishing their goals.
I heard from one participant last week about her concern about finishing projects currently in process because she was casting on new projects.
Well…I just want to tell you all that I am jealous of those of you starting new projects. Those of you who are ignoring the WIPs and hear that seductive skein of yarn calling to you. There is something to be said for answering the siren call of a new project.
Yes, I am that person who wants to cast on all the things! Because it has been said that only finishing WIPs and no new projects makes Jill a dull girl.
So, I thought I’d share what I am doing to keep my momentum going on getting those blasted WIPs into the completed column.
I knew that having nothing new to work on would never last this summer, so I got myself some new yarn (thank you Jill Draper Makes Stuff) and I cast on the Through the Loops MKAL. This gives me something new to work on – and it comes in small bites with a clue each week! The clues are now getting longer, so it will take me more than a week to finish a clue, but I am going to focus on finishing this shawl by the end of July.
This is giving me something new to work on each week, and it has been giving me time to work on finishing things from that dratted WIP basket.
And, as an extra fun thing to do – I have a pair of socks in the works as well. This gives me a “portable project” to take with me, and one that I do not need to read a pattern for. Hello, Picot Socks – I do so love you!
Just so you can see my Summer List and how I am doing, I will share it 10 on Tuesday Style:
Ten items. Two down and eight to go…That’s a lotsa knitting, but we still have plenty of summer left to get our project on!!
So, where does that leave you dear, Knit Alonger? Please let me know – I am here to help! (or encourage, or talk you out of casting on a new project, or talk down from that ledge…)
*SSS = Second Sock Syndrome: a disease that infects some knitters, whereby they can knit one sock but it never gets a mate. This disease is not incurable, as I hope to prove this summer!
by Kat | Jun 27, 2016 | General, In This Moment
It was a warm summer weekend here in the ‘Burgh. Our usual Friday snacks were done Al Fresco, including a Bee’s Knees Cocktail, and it was so nice to have a spot on the cool porch to sit. There were beautiful breezes though, which made sitting under the pergola after we had eaten a real treat.
The Fireflies even put on a light show. It was really a lovely evening.
Saturday was Mt. Lebanon Farmer Market and a visit to our favorite farmer. He still has strawberries and we got some raspberries as well. I turned both fruits into jams – another batch of Judy’s Oven Roasted Strawberry Jam and Nigella Lawson’s “Hand’s Free Raspberry Jam.” I have not tried the raspberry jam as yet, but I will give it points in simplicity. I am not sure how it will set up but, worst case scenario – it will be perfect in plain Greek yogurt. I will let you know when I have tried it.**
Saturday also saw us spending another good chunk of the day in the gardens. There were some things that still needed planting (3 Weigela bushes and 4 Salvia plants, to be exact) all of which required the expansion of a garden bed.
I also began working on the clue number four for the mystery shawl – however, I think my brain was done in by the heat from earlier in the day – I kept making the same mistake over and over. If you like me are having some issues with the Knit 5 Together’s – I think Lorilee Beltman has something that might help you – it certainly helped me!
Some easier knitting was in order in the form of Carole’s Picot Edge Socks! A pair completed and I immediately cast on another pair. This is really my favorite knit.
Sunday we decided to make the early trek to Mount Washington to cross an item off my Summer Bucket List – a sunrise was beautiful and the skies were clear. It made getting up at the crack of dawn so worthwhile!
I love standing above the Monongahela River with a view of how it winds into Pittsburgh. The confluence is visible also from our vantage point, the merging of the Mon with the Allegheny to create the Ohio River. Magnificent views that I never get tired of!
The remainder of the day was filled with a flurry of activity and poof! It was over before I was ready for it to be over. The only saving grace is knowing that next weekend will be a nice long one.
Hope your Monday is over before you realize it and it is filled with a little of this and that.
**The worst case scenario is really excellent on yogurt. Oh man, so excellent!
by Kat | Jun 24, 2016 | General
The spinning this week continues. I have been working patiently though this gorgeous Targhee from Sheepspot Fiber Club.
This is a serious spin – as in counting treadles and lacing my flyer to get a nice lace-weight yarn – these things are not things I have done before for any project! I have half spun up and have half to go. This is such beautiful fiber – I have never spun Targhee and so this was a real treat! It has so much spring and the fiber drafts beautifully – practically by itself! Truly, this is drafting so easily, I am able to pull just a few fibers out at a time getting a nice fine single. I am using the 15:1 whorl on my Schacht Matchless, so I am putting a good bit of twist into the single. I love how my ply back sample looks and this is what I will be aiming for when I ply this up. This will bloom drastically in the wash so my goal is a light fingering weight, heavy lace weight and I think I will achieve it! Stay Tuned!
Friday Link Ups:
For the book lovers out there when a book appears in your vision, not once but three times in a week it is a message from the Book Gods! I heeded their call and have queued it up on my Kindle to read. I also finished Still Life and loved it! My bingo card is getting close to my first bingo! Summer reading FTW!
That’s all I have this week, have the Happiest of FriYAY’s! I will see you back here on Monday – and Tuesday there will be a special update on the Summer Knit Along that you won’t want to miss!
Save
Save
by Kat | Jun 16, 2016 | General, Words
Reveling in the lush greenness that is everywhere I look,
Weeding the garden and marveling at how it is growing,
Sipping iced coffee in the early morning while listening to the birds sing their summer operas,
Savoring the delicate flavors of freshly pickled vegetables,
And, knitting under the pergola,
These are the tastes of my summer.
