I've been driving around all week - in both senses. I've been driving my car, and it's been going pretty well! And I've also been driving my spinning wheel around and around. I've got a full 4 oz. of merino ready to ply, and I'm crossing my fingers that it will be enough for a pair of socks or mitts! The whole weight of fiber thing confuzzles me, although I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
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| Newly plied and snuggled into an Ugg. |
Continued the next morning: I plied it! My pre-plying left me a little uneven lengthwise and I had to scoot some single-strands from bobbin to bobbin, but it came out wonderfully. By wonderfully, I mean I love it. I don't mean that it's perfect or particularly even, or even completely plied in all the fuzziest places. But that's how I like it!
The colorway is called Mud Season - it's 100% Merino, from Spunky Eclectic's fiber of the month club. My mum (or Santa by way of my mum?) got me a membership a couple of years ago, and I could never keep up with just my one tiny (lace-sized, I now know) drop spindle. So I have all these beautiful little 4 oz. bags of hand-dyed fiber, and I keep picking them up and squeezing them. What to spin next?!
In knitting news, my super-secret project which is SO belated for my mom's birthday is going well. I'm not going to tell details now, but it should be done soon and then I will post pictures!
My Discovery Sock from Cat Bordhi's Personal Footprints for Insouciant Sock Knitters is aliiiive! I read comments on ravelry and heard in podcasts that many people had trouble getting the toe-to-heel relationship right, and the socks just didn't come out well. And there is a scary part, where you knit up the foot of the sock and close it right up with no ankle opening, and cannot try it on. But I opened up the ankle and started knitting up - and voila! A well-fitted, perfectly functional sock. I'm going to make a few rows of the Chainmail pattern on the cuff, because it's beautiful. And then onward to the next sock! When I got the book and realized the construction of the sock (key words: no gusset, no picking up stitches, no heel turning) I had a feeling that we were sole mates. Sole mates: see what I did there?
In non-crafting news, Christopher has decided that he is going to train Louie to be better about being picked up. I told him that if he is going to clean up her anger-poops that she leaves on the floor after these events, he can go right ahead. But in all seriousness, it's going pretty well. He has a firm grip, and she seems pretty calm when she's actually in his arms (to which I can relate). It's the picking up and putting down that freak her out. But she's been relaxing faster afterward, and I would love to be able to maneuver her when needed - taking her to the vet is not a pretty thing. And the vet is my dad, so I feel bad when he has to wrestle a wee, delicate, ferociously kicking beasty.
If you're wondering about my awesome (obnoxious?) photos this time, I found the iPhone App Hipstamatic, and can't stop taking weirdly filtered photos. There are other lense and film options, but I like this spooky vintage look, and I'm going to use it for now. How do you feel about it?
The laundry calls.
