Mail call

Yesterday was an exciting mail day around here -- just look at what turned up:That's Zen Yarn Garden's Superwash Merino in Turmeric (courtesy of Adriana as part of our thrice-annual sock yarn swap,) Noro Retro in Steel Grey (which is destined to turn into Saroyan) and my beautiful new Avi Wasserman spindle (with a gorgeous Mulberry whorl that shines like golden fish scales when light strikes it.)

As you can see, my current favourite colours are much in evidence. I can't help but think that something around here is inspiring these cravings...

On the way to socks.

Check it on out -- handspun socks, just waiting to happen......eventually. That pile of yarn is all my bits of handspun that I've been working on this past week. As usual, I think I've overdone it (that's a shocker,) and I suspect that that's enough fingering-weight handspun to produce a couple of pairs. I just like having enough colour variation that I can go wherever my mood takes me.

And just because we haven't seen it in a while (and because I'm feeling charitable,) here's a better shot of that corner of my stu g.o.:It's coming together...slowly. My poor shelving unit remains woefully underused, housing only the merest bits of the stash and projects that have floated to the surface. There's more, believe me.

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.

Briefly on a Sunday

Sundays are for socks (Ravelled,) spinning and for starting second sweaters.I'll bet you can guess which colour family I'm in love with these days.

What's next

This week has been a crazy one, to say the least. Firstly, I finished off the last two pairs of L'Amour et la Morte socks (Ravelled) for the Antique Beat Boutique (more on that later,) and then I received these in the mail:Beautiful yarn from White Oak Studios in Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Italian Job. The colours are super-saturated and the yardage is generous, so of course I'm in love and dreaming of mittens. With any luck, today that dreaming will turn into doing as I've got a brand new mitten pattern fresh out of the stu-gee-oh and I'm keen to cast on.

Of course I'm doing lots of dreaming these days, mainly of activities of this nature:Soon, soon...and hopefully with one of these.

And just to warn you, there are other new things on the way.

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!

Sympathy for the spindle.

yet another project that i'm neglecting:

my simplemarketfarms.com Briar Rose featherweight spindle is half full of a merino/silk blend that was gifted to me by Adriana. how i can let such a pretty thing lay by the wayside like this i'll never know. i must pick up my spindles again soon.

and yet, strangely, i find myself with a good chunk taken out of my first Queen of Cups sock. it's funny how these things sneak up on us.

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.