Quiddity

Help! I Can't Stop

SPINNING!  I know, I'm shocked, too.  About a week ago, I received a wonderful swap package from Maggie.  She sells all kinds of fibery goodness in her online and Etsy shops, and she sent me beautiful sock yarn, some fabulous handspun perfect for knitting a hat, a big batt of green/blue, and a small batt that is purple/sparkly.   Even though I'm not usually one for the glitz, I knew I wanted to spin that first, it was so pretty.  In the meantime, I stopped by Spinning Guild on Sunday and while talking to friends, spotted a basket full of the most unusual spindles.  Now, as Hockeymom will tell you, I have LOTS of spindles, all of which have sat unused for quite some time.  While I know the basics of spindling, it never really "clicked" with me.  Nevertheless, after taking one of the curious little spindles for a test drive, I had to have it.  Later that afternoon, while sitting and knitting with other friends, I pulled out the spindle, the sparkly roving, and started.  And could not stop!   See.

Sorry the colors are a little weird - it's hard to photograph purple and I did the best I could with photoshop to come close to the correct color.  (One of these days, I'm going to get a light box for just that reason.)  The spindle is very light, and I'm able to produce a very thin, very even yarn.  The batt is four ounces, which should be plenty for a lacy something using the single.  

The spindle is actually called a "Trindle," and you can see more of them (and maybe get your very own) right here.  Be careful though, you might not be able tstop spinning, either!

There has, of course, also been knitting.  Girasole is yet to be blocked, but I managed to finish two other things this week.

•  Crusoe socks.  The pattern works really well with this yarn.  (The pattern is called Crusoe because the stitches are "stranded."  Yikes!)
• Knitting Notions Classic Merino Supersock.  This yarn is very nice to knit with - soft and not splitty, and the color is wonderful. 

The next finish is a super secret Christmas gift.  To that end, I show only part of it, with the color changed.

The one thing I can say about this project is that I used the softest yarn ever!  A blend of cashmere and silk, it was (if this is possible) almost too soft to knit.  Seriously.  Oh, and the pattern is Fishtail Lace.

I leave you now to go back to my spinning.  I'm having so much fun with this, it's a good thing I have plenty of fiber stash!

Follow-Up

The graffiti I wrote about in my last post made a big splash around town last week.  Three of the city blogs featured stories about it.  In the comments of one, I found a link to a blogger who, as I had done, stopped to photograph the words.  Only she had a much better eye than I did, and found two other entries around the building that told the rest of the story.  

If you are interested, here is a link so you can read it for yourself.  You might be surprised at the ending (or maybe not.)

I'll be back soon to show off my latest socks, and maybe even a blocked Girasole.

Best Graffiti Ever

I live in a very urban area, and pass a lot of graffiti on my way here and there.  Mostly it's of the squiggly letter variety, although closer to downtown Atlanta, there is an area of some very artistic stuff.  However, the city usually comes along very quickly to paint over most of it, so you have to be fast if you see something nice.  Today, on the way to Target, I spotted a new one and just had to stop.

Isn't that sweet?  Guess he wanted the whole area to know.  I hope his love is not unrequited.

I'm still a knitting fool, spending most of my time over the last week or so trying to finish Girasole.  Which I did, last night.  It needs a very good bath in a vinegar solution, as the dye was not very colorfast.  Then blocking and it will be ready for its photo shoot.  I did put it down long enough, though, to finish some special socks created just for the upcoming Sock Summit.

• Devon from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.  These socks are a match to those knit by Claudia, who will be my partner in adventure at the Summit.  Unbeknownst to each other at the time, we each bought the same colorway of yarn at Stitches South this Spring. Thus was born the (admittedly geeky) idea of making matching socks to show off to Cookie at the Summit.
• The yarn is Miss Babs "Yummy" sock yarn in the BFF colorway.  Very appropriate! The color is a lot richer in person - more red than purple, but neither my camera nor Photoshop could seem to reproduce the exact hue.  Believe me, it's beautiful.  Now, it had better be cool in the Convention Center, so we can wear our socks in comfort!

My other task this week has been spending time with my son, his fiance' and her mom, trying to nail down more of the details for their upcoming wedding. They've picked December 29th, which means we'll be having a very exciting time at year's end.   Tomorrow, though, we get to do the fun task of checking out the chosen venue's food.  Hey, this might not be too bad after all!

So now I'm off to start another new project, this time a (big yuletide holiday that begins with C) present.  {Sorry if I gave anyone a shock with that.}

On Sunday, I Knit An Elephant

Really.  See?

Awww.  I first saw this little thing on Wilderness Witch Knits' blog, and knew I had to make one to go with the little vest and hat for my cousin's new grandson.  The yarn is the same Rowan Milk Cotton DK and you can find the free pattern here.    Go ahead and knit one - you know you want to!

My only mistake was knitting this at Knitch, because it led to demands of "elephant booties, elephant booties" from my companions.  So that's what I'm going to try next.  We'll see how successful that will be.  I don't want to end up making the baby cry from fear.

Happy 4th!

It's that time again - time for hot dogs, apple pie, and FIREWORKS!  I love fireworks.  Tonight, we'll walk into town for the annual show.  It may not be the biggest display in the area, but at least we don't have to fight crowds or traffic to see them.  We had our cookout last night at our future in-laws' house.  Apparently, it's time to start talking about wedding plans for my son and their daughter.  The upshot was good food, good friends, and not much else accomplished.  Cory and Laura know they want to get married, but as to when, where, and how, well that remains to be determined.  The only thing we learned is that it will most likely happen this year, sometime during the week between Christmas and New Year's (YIKES!) and will probably involve a single venue for wedding and reception.  All I have to say at this juncture is that I'm glad I'm the mother of the groom.

So, for now, I'm going to stick to my knitting, as it were.  To that end, more finished projects.

• Ishbel - colorful enough to wear on the 4th, if it were too darn hot!  This is such a fabulous pattern.  Fast, easy, and very pretty.  This is the small version (about 48"x24") but one of these days I'm going to make a big one.
• The yarn is Schoppel Wolle "Zauberball" ("Magic Ball") purchased this spring at Stitches South.  I believe the color is "Tropical Fish."  I wanted to use it for something other than socks, and a search of Ravelry showed several examples of Ishbel.  I wasn't sure at first I would like the pattern in such bright colors, but now that it's done, I'm very pleased. I was pleased to learn that, on Wednesday, my cousin's daughter had her baby boy. His name is Ryker, and of course, he's very cute. That same day, I knit a little hat to match the cabled vest I completed a few weeks ago. 

 

• Summer Fun Sun Hat - a cute pattern with both plain and ruffled brim options.  Designed for worsted weight, I used Rowan Milk Cotton DK instead.  The only problem I ran into was the brim width.  It wasn't noted on the pattern, so I added a few repeats.  After binding off, it looked like there should have been even more, so I emailed the designer.  She emailed that the brim should have been 2" (mine is about 1-1/4") so I'll note that for future reference. 

I'm still knitting away on Girasole, and am making good progress on both that and a pair of socks to wear at the Sock Summit.   

And now it's time to get off the computer and back to those socks.  Have a wonderful 4th no matter where you live, and if you are going to see fireworks tonight, here's hoping the rain and mosquitoes stay away!