the reveal

Okay, so back in October, a month ago in fact, I went to Rhinebeck. I posted about Rhinebeck. I put up some pictures. But, the most exciting purchase that I made had to stay off the Internet until today.

Today is my little sister's 21st birthday. She has been knitting for longer than I have, and took up spinning quickly and intuitively. She spent many hours spinning on my Ashford Traveller when she visited, and she drop spindles on the train in Chicago (so if you see a small Asian with cute hair and a drop spindle, feel free to say hello).

Anyway, today, the wheel is being gifted to her (well, a picture of it is, and she'll be here for Thanksgiving when she can claim it in person). That means that I can show off its replacement, which came home with me from Rhinebeck.

She's a Lendrum, Double Treadle, scotch tension, plus I have the lace and bulky flyers to go with her, although I haven't tried them yet. I had to watch Chelsea talk about her wheel (which happens to be the same make/model as my wheel), and convince myself to wait until now to talk about mine. My last three yarns have been spun on the Lendrum, and we're learning to get along. The action is much smoother, and I love that the design means that I can see the yarn as it builds up on the bobbin so easily.

Of course, I will miss my Traveller, which has taught me so well the basics of spinning. But, I know that it will have a good home, and be a good gift for the sister.

lazy dyeday

The dyebath is percolating, and Tim is off to purchase some vinegar so that I can do some steam dyeing with the rovings. The colors come out nicely, but they do need the acid wash to set. The yarns are cycling through the pan on the stove. I'm even wearing gloves to prevent my looking like a dye artist at work on Monday.

My Clapotis yarn is being ornery. I wound it into a center pull ball, and somehow it ravelled itself around itself so that when I pulled, two extra strands of yarn came along with the one I needed. Ended up rebaling the whole thing. Better work this time. Grr. I am five repeats into the body of the pattern, and have found many instances to pull it out and work a few rows (before meetings at work, while signing home insurance paperwork, etc).

We close on a new house in a week. I've been working at the new job for 3 months. It's no wonder that I'm not writing here as much as I'd like.

Getting things done

I've joined a local group of creative type journallers in a challenge to do some creating every day in November, as a kind of answer to the National Novel Writing Month phenomenon. Apparently, this has helped to motivate me even more than reading other knitblogs. I've actually finished projects that are months old, and have done some work toward the craft fair; namely, I have re-entered the mouse knitting season:



That little stack is the beginning of a larger menagerie that will be stuffed with catnip and on sale. If only they reproduced like their real-life counterparts.

I've also completed the arm warmers based on the Mikado fingerless glove pattern, except mine are fuzzy Suri Merino:



and I've embarked upon my fourth (they're addictive! they're good for xmas gifts!) Clapotis:



That one's hand-dyed superwash yarn, just like this stuff.

Progress! Woo!

craft fair strategizing

by this time next week, i hope to have completed:
-1 set handspun armwarmers with reasonable pattern that can be given away with handspun
-10 felted mice, ready for stuffing
-organization of the inventory spreadsheet

Bazaar Bizarre Boston - Sunday December 11, 1-9pm!

Come see Paula and I be excited for the reasonable hours! We shouldn't have to get up at 5:45am for this one!