So today I was poking around on Knit Picks, checking out their super amazing new accessories. I mean, those blocking pads? So awesome. Immediately added to cart. I also threw in some blocking pins, yarn to make more TARDIS iPod cozies, and a few other goodies. Then I remembered that my mom was looking for an indoor/decorative scarf so I sent her an email to see what kind of scarf she wanted and what color. She seemed to like the Lace Ribbon scarf and so I linked her to some of the fingering weight yarns on KP. I said, hey, I’m throwing together an order, so just let me know what you prefer and I’ll add it. Then she says:

Thanks. Before you put in your order…..I will pay for the materials….including your order (since I cannot buy you chocolate bunnys for Easter..etc…) I will give you a credit card number to use. Don’t go over $100 for all. Let me know.

Mom

The knitting daughter’s dream come true. She is seriously so awesome. Mom <3! As my plurk buds have pointed out, “Yarn will get you much further than chocolate bunnys”! So true. Happy dance!

You know, it’s Spring Break this week at UT-Austin. I should get out and do something, especially when it’s in the 80ºs outside and sunny as all get-out. But I just learned how to spin and I want to practice while I have the chance to. So I went over to Hill Country Weavers and set up shop in Knit Buzz. There are six wheels in there free to use, so I spent six hours today with a Louët Julia (which I am in love with).

I spent the first two hours spinning up the roving I get during Spinning 101, and then decided to branch out and trying something new. I went over to the shop and picked up 4 ounces of a merino/silk blend. It was tricky at first to get it started because it was so smooth! I had to use some scrap roving to get it started, and then I joined the merino/silk blend to the wool roving.

Pomegranate

The colorway of the roving was labeled “Pomegranate” so that’s what I’ll stick with. I tried to get a thin yarn out of it, so I really focused on a fine and tight twist. I may have put in too much twist, but that’s something I’ll get better at with time I think. It gives anywhere from 15 to 20 wraps per inch, which puts it somewhere around sport weight or fingering weight. I skeined it, washed it, and hung it outside to dry. I’ll take some skein pictures once it’s dried up. The color above is a bit off; hopefully some pictures of it dry will be more color accurate.

Now I’m on a hunt for a good deal on a wheel. I’m looking mostly for a Louët, because I’ve worked on three different Louët wheels (Julia, Victoria, and an S10) and I loved them all. Particularly the Julia, but there is no way I’ll ever have $750 to drop on a wheel. I don’t even have $300 to drop on a wheel. If I sell off my video game stuff (which I’ve been contemplating anyway) I might be able to afford a wheel. We’ll see what happens.

This weekend I took the Spinning 101 class at Hill Country Weavers. I now know how to spin. Check it out!

yarn spun on a drop spindle

my second attempt with a drop spindle

After the first class I borrowed a drop spindle and worked at home. I really wanted to spend time working on my drafting, and after about three hours I finally got a good hang of it. Turns out I wasn’t preparing my roving well enough before I started spinning it up.

first attempt with a drop spindle

If you can tell from this picture of my first spinning attempt, this yarn isn’t drafted as well and has big chunks in it.

first attempt on a wheel

This is what I got after spending two hours with a spinning wheel. LOVED IT. I really want one now. This is bad.

close up of wheel-spun yarn

I think you can see in this shot that the thickness of the yarn is a bit more consistent. There are still chunks in there, but it’s not nearly as bad as before.

color carding

After lunch on Day 2 we played around with color carding. The teacher had me spin up her examples, and I did a few of my own. Very very fun.

variegated yarn

I spent the last hour or so spinning up my own concoction … it’s a striping/variegated yarn with dark red, pink, blue, purple, and mint green. I’m trying to figure out something to knit up with it.

I now love spinning and really want my own wheel. I’ve been eying a few on eBay; I really want a Louët. I used the Louët Victoria in class today, though that is way out of my price range. I like the modern look of the Louët wheels a whole lot. We’ll see what happens. For now I’ll just go over to HCW and use the wheels that they have set up at Knit Buzz.

… and it’s not friends, it’s things.

The entire swap package!

Hand-made stitch markers!

Hand-spun and hand-dyed yarn

Vegan nomnoms!

A hand-made TARDIS wallet!

Check out the fabric on the inside!

Talk about a PERFECT swap package! Thank you so much, KnittingHooker! You rock my world!

I’ve decided to dabble in dyeing (not dying). I had one of those giant skeins of Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool and decided to screw around with it. Here’s what I got:

yellow hand dyed wool

The above is approximately 110 yards dyed with two packets of lemonade Kool-Aid in the microwave. I decided I don’t like the microwave method very much. More on that in a moment.

creamy/tan hand dyed wool

This is another 100 yards or so of the wool dyed in a pot with some tea. The color could have been better, but I didn’t pre-soak the yarn. I know better now.

red hand dyed wool

This one turned out absolute fantastic! I pre-soaked the wool, about 220 yards worth, in lukewarm water and some Eucalan no rinse delicate wash. Then I stuck it in a pot of almost-boiled water with 10 packets of black cherry Kool-Aid and let it chill overnight. The color turned out really vibrant and I can’t wait to do something with this!

I definitely like the stove-top method. I’m about to re-dye that yellow yarn with some turmeric and vinegar. I’m excited to see how this turns out!

Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

Monday Chick Lives for the Weekend

Butterfly Stitch

I really had a yellow kick this year, and there are still many yellow things floating around the house. I like it that way. Prepare yourselves for a Pink Thursday!

Morjärv Lovikka

Mission Falls 1824 Cotton

Himalaya Yarn Tibet Wool/Silk

I got the first yarn in a trade with a Ravelry user in Sweden! I love it. I’ve used one skein to make an Urchin. It’s lovely. The Mission Falls is waiting for it’s calling. One skein of the Tibet Wool has been traded away, one is being used to make a Brea Bag, and one is in reserves for said bag.

Tomorrow is Yellow Wednesday! See you then.

Bristol Yarn Gallery Lyndon Hill

I didn’t sign up for Color Week in time (sad!) but it sounds like fun so I’m going for it anyway! Because I’ve been working so hard to organize my stash I decided to dedicate my pictures to my stash. Stay tuned for Purple Tuesday!