Spinning again

Ever since I picked up my spindle this past Sunday I've been hard-pressed to actually put it down. I've been spinning and plying and setting twists and blocking and winding nearly non-stop. This usually happens when I've been away from it for a while, as I'm fascinated by the entire process of handspinning.So, while this means that I've been slightly neglecting my knitting, it also means that I'm that much closer to a new pair of handspun socks. Some you might remember my last (and first and so far, only) pair (Ravelled):...which I made with some of my first bits of handspun. My spinning has since improved, so I'm looking forward to seeing what I come up with this time.

Some of you may be happy to hear that I fully intend to have a stab at the Mittens With Pints On (Ravelled) this afternoon, so we'll see where that goes. Some of you might be even happier to hear that I've just acquired the yarns needed to produce the Socks With Pints On, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Things Will Get Done, all in due time.

Handknit/spun SpillyStuffs on sale

No, there is still no new sock pattern (yet.) Just a little bit longer and there will be.

But what there are right now, are things on sale. Things on sale for 50% of my original asking price. Things like an entire pair of ready-to-wear Spilly-knit Latvian mittens, a Bertha bag and an odd skein of Spilly-spun laceweight merino. And if you're into things like my patterns, including the uber-local Willistead mittens, they're available there, too. Perhaps these are things that you might like to acquire? We shall see.

Let me show you something!

I apologize if it seems my blog is turning into a great big commercial for the things I make, but here we go again. I've added some of my handspun to my Etsy shop as well as (get this,)

SOCKS.

That's right. Socks. A for-reals fully-knit pair of socks. An instant holiday gift, for you or for someone you care about, and you won't even have to put needles to yarn to get it.

But it gets fancier, right? These are more than mere socks -- they're spindle socks. That means that I spun every ounce of yarn that went into these socks myself, on my drop spindle. I never did count how many hours that took me (and I don't want to think about it too much, really,) but I'd say that the end result is definitely worth it.

But maybe you don't want a finished pair of socks. Maybe you are in love with the colours in my spindle socks but would prefer to make a pair of your own. Should this be the case, I have something to show you:

Spindle-spun sock yarn, the very same yarn that I spun and used to make my spindle socks. 100g of it, ready to go right over here.

There's other handspun up there as well, spun from Fleece Artist slivers. Here, have an Etsy widget:

And look what the fishies are up to now:

Finishing School.

Today I managed to finish the first of my non-fingerless Regina Mitts:

I'm pleased with the way they're turning out so far. I can't help but wonder if I couldn't have managed to squeeze another half-rep of the berry pattern at the top of the mitt. Maybe I'll give it a shot when I whip up mitten no. 2, because (you know,) I won't be tired of bobbles and just wanting to get the thing over with already. On that note, I think I'll play it by ear and see how I feel when I get there.

Another fibrey thing of note is my ball of Frankenyarn:

This is 50 grams of my various handspun yarns that have been meticulously chopped into smaller bits and then joined together to make (eventually) One Crazy Sock. There is also 50 grams more of this stuff here to make Another Crazy Sock, but it has not yet been Frankenyarn-ified. If I had to splice together another 24 balls of yarn last night I think I'd have gone a bit funny.

Now all the Frankenyarn needs is a sock pattern to show off its charms. This should be a fun decision. We'll see.

What rut?

So much for that rut I was talking about -- these days the inspiration is overwhelming. Suddenly I find myself with not one but two new sock patterns in the works, mittens nipping at my heels and the urge to knit something large and full of holes becoming an almost all-consuming need.

On top of all this, last night found me gathering the rest of my handspun and busily turning other singles into usable yarns. I spent most of today spinning, plying and setting the twist of the last yarns to ensure that I have more than 100g of the stuff ready to go.

It seems another spindle sock is on the way!

Ants in pants...

it's springing outside! all the windows are open! i'm feeling antsy!

this isn't surprising, really, i get like this every year. when everything feels this fresh and new i get this gigantic burst of creative energy--the trick lies in channelling it properly while still under its spell. this is not always easy to do.

today this energy is urging me to knit socks--lots and lots of socks. new socks! intricate socks! look, there are lots of sock patterns! no, i'm not helping you decide which one! maybe you will have to buy new yarn, haha! knit socks!! (stupid energy.)

so before i let this sunny energy wheel me down paths (socks!!) unknown i figured i'd better tie up some loose ends that have been lurking (and nagging) of late.

the main one which needs tying up is (wait for it,) a sock:

this is the second of my spindle socks (so called because they're made completely from my own handspun.) i had turned the heel without a pattern and ended up guessing the numbers wrong, so i knew i was going to have to rip back. at the time this was hardly appealing (it was pre-Christmas and the heat was on) and so it got tossed INTO the stash to await repair. yesterday i re-turned the heel (properly this time) and today i finished the gusset. before i know it, it'll be time for the toe decreases, and then...new spindle socks!

the other end may or may not be tied up, since i'm happy to stuff this one back in the box (literally) and forget about it for a while:

it's the first of the Checks and Charms mittens, and i fear if i don't finish it soon i won't have a fancy pair of mittens for next winter, either. this happens every time i knit mittens--i get burnt out after the rush of knitting in the waste yarn for the thumb hole and it all goes downhill. i know i'm really close to the end and i should just finish the thing and at least have half a pair of mittens, but...what i'm saying is that i need your help. feel free to plead on the mitten's behalf.

this final one isn't so much an end but more of an incipient treat:

this is more of my handspun, evidence of what can happen to a nice Fleece Artist merino sliver (colourway: Pinata) when left in my company. i'm bad; i still haven't bothered measuring the WPI, but it's fairly consistent in weight (somewhere between laceweight and fingering.) i decided a week or two ago that a nice thin scarf in a basic lace pattern would be the perfect reward knitting. the scarf only made it to about four inches in length before it was ripped (it was too wide and the lace wasn't doing it for me.) so now i'm on the lookout for another basic lace pattern to inflict upon this yarn...or maybe on the other handspun (from another FA sliver, yet to be documented,) or maybe...

there goes that energy again...i'd better get back to work.