Fiber Friday

Fiber Friday

In a week that just FLEW by, we find ourselves at the start of the weekend.

This week there was lots of spinning! Some spindle spinning.

And lots of wheel spinning.

And, this really was just a couple of evenings worth of spinning. I had forgotten how quickly spinning can go if you just sit down and do it! Haha!

I am happy to report that I am 1/3 of the way to spinning for my sweater. I hope to have the spinning completed next week. This is a doable goal as we have a weekend of much colder temps and, yes, more rain, so outdoor work will be curtailed.

I have been reading some really good posts on Rachel’s blog and if you want to learn more about fiber, she shares some great information! Plus, Fiber Friday is such a great thing!

Now for some rabbit hole links for your knitting (and spinning) edification:

I don’t know about you, but Roland makes the top of my list this week. For more than one reason…

Melanie Berg brings is Mirkfallon, which would be so lovely in such a wide range of yarns! This one is my favorite…

There was a flurry of new patterns released by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas, and I love this one especially! And there was even a linen skirt that is really so cute!

Lovely Lois Swales was back with Scottish spinning and plying!

Volume 10 of Wool People, especially this and this!

Beata has a fun scarfy thing with her fun sock yarn!

Åsa Tricosa and Wollmeise are the perfect pair!

Laura Aylor does color blocking so well!

I love when a designer gets gauge with semi-aggressive blocking!

Dust Devils that you can wear!

On the Brioche Knitting Bandwagon? This is just gorgeous!

Perhaps the best pattern notes I have ever read! Thanks Kym!

Finally, Arne & Carlos share some art journal magic! (The vintage Singer Sewing Machine is beautiful!)

That’s all I have for today! See you back here on Monday and have a FANTASTIC weekend!

Rainy Wednesday’s

Rainy Wednesday’s

We have had more than our fair share of rain recently. Although, I believe that this is the direct result of the lack of snow over the winter months. However, this makes for a soggy, wet backyard that has become the cultivator for mushrooms of all shapes and sizes! There is a plethora of dandelions thrown in for good measure as it has been too rainy to put down any weed and feed (and maybe there just needs to be a weed option, sans feed because with this rain, the grass is growing so rapidly it needs to be cut twice a week!)

All this wet weather does not make it conducive to be out working in the garden, but it is a bonus for knitting, spinning, and reading! (Along with laundry, vacuuming, and housework!)

In the finished object category – I finally finished my TTL Mystery socks. I only had about 3 inches of each foot left to knit – so it is really sad that I put the finishing off so long, but the last clues had me concerned as I was not I was not sure how great the leaf motif would feel on my toes. So I changed them up a bit, I continued knitting the top of the foot in the seed stitch pattern to the toe decreases and then changed to plain stockinette to finish the sock off. I think they turned out nicely this way and they will get a little soak later today.

I am plugging along on my Morenstowe socks and will have some uninterrupted passenger time when we head to Maryland on Friday so I am hoping to get them finished over the weekend.

I am working my way through the Sheepspot Cormo on my drop spindle – and I have 2 turtles done. I am enjoying how portable this really is and how fun! I still have a good bit of fiber to go yet, but should end up with about 300 yds of dk weight singles from my spinning.

I am almost done with Mink River and waiting in the wings is Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo.

That’s it for me this dreary Wednesday, I am linking up with Ginny on the Yarn Along today, but I will leave you with the masterful words of Longfellow from his poem, The Rainy Day:

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

 

Right Now

Right Now

We had a bit of a wonky weekend – Steve had a work function Friday and Saturday, so there was no usual Happy Hour. It made for weekend that did not feel like a weekend at all, but I did get some reading and knitting done.

Drinking: Iced Coffee – warmer weather makes me very glad because I really love iced coffee to start my day.

Watching: Game of Thrones (along with the rest of the world, I am sure!) and Call the Midwives. Two shows that are the exact opposite of each other, and I love them both!

Contemplating: The Me Made May phenomena – I consider myself a serial maker. I have been a maker as long as I can remember but, do I need a month to point that out to the world around me (or at least my Instagram feed!) I don’t want to take any of the wind out of the sails about those participating, but I think that helping new makers along their way is the approach I would rather take. So, I am going to commit to fostering new makers in their journey and there is a group at my church who want to learn to knit so I am going to help them. Hopefully, by the end of May there will be a new flock of knitters in the Pittsburgh area!

Knitting: Socks, Pincha, and using some stash to knit along with Simone (OwlCat Designs) in her wedding shawl knit-along.

Cooking: All things asparagus – and it is so good! Grilled, roasted, in stir fry, and I am going to try this recipe for Asparagus Pizza!

Anticipating: Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! Steve and I are going for the day on Saturday (he is thrilled beyond believe, I assure you!!) I will try to foster his excitement during the week so that he enjoys himself (oh the food! and the sheep!) I might challenge him to a little photo contest, which I am sure he will win!

Planting: Our “safe to plant date” is Mother’s day, so I will be getting more plants in the garden very soon! I have been watching Mr. Knitspot expand his garden beds with great interest. Gardening and the expansion of the garden is one area that Steve and I are in complete agreement on!

That is all I have for this list filled Monday, but tell me – what “right now” thing are you loving?

Friday with Merchant & Mills

Friday with Merchant & Mills

Whatever plans I had for today went right out the window when the mail-woman brought this gem to my doorstep yesterday! A huge thanks my dear friend for loaning it to me! Fabric stash contemplation is commencing in three, two…

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But, before I go, I do have some amazing links to brighten your weekend!

If you count yourself a maker, then perhaps this will interest you!

You still have time for a Whistle Stop

Interested in some color work that is modern?

A metronome for knitters

Do you fear yarn pooling?

Perhaps a quick trip to Etton is in your plans

Are you multi-craftual, then Kollabora might be the spot for you!

It’s a beautiful day to honor Mr. Rogers, so put a sweater on!

Have a good one, gentle reader! See you back here on Monday.

Friday’s are for Fiber (and links!)

Friday’s are for Fiber (and links!)

It’s Friday and that means a plethora of things to everyone, but across the board there is a collective sigh of relief that the work week is over and the weekend has, again, arrived! (And, it is Earth Day)

Before the weekend begins, it is Fiber Friday at Casa del KatKnits – and we have lots of fiber for you today.

I was unbelievably fortunate to talk with a knitting genius this week and she gave me a good bit of fiber food for thought. Which has me thinking about the economy of yarn and knitting things you love and, more importantly, will love wearing! And, swatching. Lots and lots of swatching. She shared a new to me way of determining if you like the fabric of your knitted swatch…close your eyes and let your fingers decide. Fantastic advice, which I did with the swatch from last week. And, my fingers like the fabric better with the smaller needle. Knitting is such a tactile process, yet I never thought of doing this. Thanks, Ina for closing my eyes and sharing a new dimension.

Rolag production has been going very well, especially with the addition of a bit of “pre-combing” to remove the vegetation. Pre-combing before carding? Something new I learned in the last week. It not only removed the chaff it also made carding incredibly easy and as a result, the carding is going faster.

I know. I am pretty sure I do not experiment enough, especially with fiber prep and spinning. I need to give myself permission to step out of my comfort zone, which is not always an easy thing to do.

Soon the spinning can begin in earnest.

Speaking of spinning in earnest, I am going to attempt to spin the braid above entirely on a drop spindle. I am aiming for a dk weight single. I struggle with this on my wheel, because of the ease of spinning and too much twist. Hopefully this plan will help that a bit. Add to that the portability of the project with just a drop spindle and a bit of fiber and it seems like the perfect summer combination. So far, so good!

Now, for the enabling portion of this post!

Ever wanted to knit stained glass?

Thea’s been cooking up some fun with Jill

Summer cardigans are so much fun, especially when they remind me of an Eileen Fisher-esque design!

It’s just knitting squares!

Did you ever wish for a Big Sister?

That’s all I have for today, have an amazing weekend and I will see you back here on Monday.

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