Its all true, the boogie girl is real, and you've found her. She knits, sews, spins, does pottery and writes it all down in this blog.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Holy Fiber Batman!
A friend asked me the other day how much fiber I had dyed for this weeks update. I figured it out to be over 20 pounds not counting the yarn. That's a lot of fiber. At least for me it is. After counting that I didn't bother to count how much yarn I had dyed or how many blends I was able to finish.
I also have a little April Fools sale running. Hidden on the hand painted yarn and hand painted fiber pages somewhere is at least one item that is not the price it says. When you add the item to your cart you will get the trick of a lower price. Not quite the April Fool everyone else will be trying to play on you. The sale price will be gone at 9pm EST tonight or if all the items sell out.
Brand new Hand painted Superwash sock yarn in 420 yd 4 ounce skeins.
There is also new hand painted mohair. Some are just like the ones that I'm using for ridculously easy shawl. In fact I have the sister skein to that shawl listed.
Then of course there is the more than 20 lbs of wools
And lets not forget the new blends:
I made a bunch of batts with sparklies in them. If you need fabulous yarns with sparklies but you don't spin, go see Pippi Knee Socks. She's been doing some amazing yarns. My personal favorites are the hemp ones right now.
I hope you have a fiber filled Friday and that no one gets you with a huge April Fool tomorrow. Watch out for Butts that sneak up on you. I know I'm putting a bell on mine. Somehow.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Caboose
In our bathroom we have a large mirror on the wall. This thing is huge, it's about 3 feet high by 4 feet wide hanging over the vanity area. Perfect if there are 2 people getting ready in the morning or if you want to watch yourself take a shower. I don't know why the 5 year old thinks its interesting but there ya go.
Anyway, when you walk into the bathroom and look to the left you see yourself.
I was walking into the bathroom and in my periferal vision I swear that I see the 5 year old trying to sneak up on me. Oh, no, I can't let that happen. I have to scare her first.
I spun around and shouted "HA".
Hmm, no one was there.
Who was following me then?
My butt.
It seems that it has grown into it's own entity and I was trying to scare it.
Let me repeat that so you can fully understand the sadness of the situation.
I was trying to scare my widening butt.
For anyone else that's trying to be a fraction smaller.... NO, scaring your ass will not make it go away nor make it smaller in anyway. In fact I think my butt took pride in the scaring event and now looks larger than ever.
I think I need to apply for a zip code for my butt. One that is big enough to pretend to be another person needs to have it's own zip code.
While I'm working on that project, I've been working on that crochet shawl project. After 45 minutes I have a great start:
Ok, so it doesn't look like much but it's about 66 inches long and 8 inches deep so far. The fabric is really fluffy and lovely. It's also ridiculously easy. If you have any incination to start crocheting, this is a great project. If you hold it up you see this:
It looks weird and chaotic. It's similar to the look you would get when you use obscenely large knitting needles with the same yarn. Very interesting. If you wanted to knit one instead of crochet (I know there are hold outs out there)... I would use a 17-19 needle - 400-500 yds Thicker mohair yarn (something thicker than haze or hold 2 haze strands together) - all garter - cast on a bazillion stitches (your gauge will be about 1 st per inch so cast on what you think will get the length you want) and then reduce 1 st at each end of every row. I might do a knit one just to contrast and compare. I need to dye more yarn.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
I still Knit!
I didn't completely cross over to crochet.
Most of my sick time is still spent knitting. Did I thank you all for your wonderful thoughts? Thank you. Still not completely well but it's a great excuse to quit work a couple hours early each day to go lay in bed and knit.
And knit I did:
I didn't do both of them. Way back last year some time... No I couldn't be bothered to try and find it. I'm that lazy right now. Last year Miss Purlewe and I decided to trade yarns and knit each other a retro prep. She finished my sweater for the Knitting Olympics and I just finished hers. Of course the pink sweater that Purlewe knit is all nicely blocked with ends woven in.
I'm sending her the black one done in Noro with the ends out all over the place and still wonky in need of a block. I'm not a big fat jerk, really I'm not. My desire to send it this way is to make sure it fits before it's steeked. I left it all raggey so it would be easier to rip in case I had to. As we all know, once you cut your yarn, there's no turning back. Frogging is impossible or fruitless at that point.
Monday, March 27, 2006
I blame Bron
This Bron
She's evil flaunting all those beautiful crochet projects.
I finally caved and ordered this:
Because I loved this:
and this:
Which Bron had made and it turned out gorgeous.
But then I also loved these:
And I really like this cowgirl like hat for one of the girls:
The day before the book arrived I was going crazy waiting. I had the crochet bug and needed a fix so I found the pattern online for This Shawl. But still I was not satisfied. I didn't have the yarn for it. I dyed some sexy mohair but then had a major fight with the ball winder from hell. I do not have luck with ball winders at all. Now I'm just angry with the yarn that wouldn't wind so I set it aside.
Luckily the Happy Hooker arrived the next day and last night I started on Short and Sweet. There are a few small mistakes in the written pattern. Unless I'm blind, there are a bunch of ch2's missing. They're easy to pick up just be wary of it or read the chart instead.
Of course I'm not getting gauge. I'm using Cotton Fleece and the required hook but I'm about oh, waaaay off. I'm making the medium which is marked at a 32" bust. With my way off gauge I'm getting the large size so far. I'd rather have something in between the 2. We'll see if I rip this out. It's a pretty easy pattern. Great if you're just starting crochet or, if you're like me, picking it up after a long knit only hiatus.
Now that still didn't seem to be enough, I have this book sitting in my Amazon cart. I need it. Thank you Bron.
I hope I've passed the bug on to th rest of you. It's like having a song in your head. Once you sing it out loud everyone else gets it in their head and you feel better about your own madness. You need to crochet too. la la la dee da - crochet - da dee la la la
Monday, March 20, 2006
Life has a way...
Life has a way of saying whoa lady! Slow the hell down.
Of course I couldn't say that before life did, could I.
Just when I'm about to whine about not having time to knit....
I get to take a couple of sick days.
WOOHOO - Knitting time!
This time my permission to take a sick day or two is pleurisy.
Ok, I'm going to try and work later, shhhh.... don't tell on me ok?
I'm just going to pack some boxes. Maybe run the kiln.
But I'm not going to take the Percocets that hospital gave me.
I can't knit when I'm on those. Talk about loopy.
No spinning but maybe I'll have more than 2 new rows of knitting to show off in a couple of days. Stay healthy folks.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The things I know...
1. Vinegar in the eye hurts. It hurts so much I can barely think. Here I was with dye all over my sexy yellow kitchen gloves and all I could think of was "GET THEM OFF RUB THE EYE!" and I'm spewing teal dye all over the dye space. Which brings me to...
2. When you really really want those yellow gloves off and are yanking at the fingers, they get quite sticky and don't want to come off. They will snap back onto your hand, spewing dye all over your dye space. By the time you do get them off you'll probably forget why you wanted them off in the first place. Unless of course the vinegar has seared through the nerves holding your eye in place, thus letting your eyeball fall out onto the floor. *hint* Don't step on the eyeball.
3. If you're really distraught over the whole vinegar in the eye incident, you need to shut off the dye pots before you quit. Because if you leave them on until the eldest child says, "Mom, why do I smell burnt vinegar and hair?" you've already burnt 2 lbs of alpaca. Burning alpaca doesn't smell quite as bad as burning wool but it does leave it the most unattractive shade of brown and felted into rope.
I wonder if it would work as rope... No, I won't try it because I'm sure that would lead to another post where I'd have to tell you about "the things I've learned".
And one more important lesson.
Spin what you love.
I wanted to spin some lace weight silk. I had just finished a bunch of dying and so I took the one that was dry. It was a wretched color and I had no plans to sell anything quite so hideous. But why should I have to spin it if I'm not going to make one of you spin it. Hideous makes it a horrible chore to spin. I have enough chores. Spinning doesn't need to be one of them.
I grabbed the smaller mate to the day glo green one I have in the shop and if I find time tonight I'm going to spin some lovely lace yarn for a scarf. Hopefully I'll get 200-300 plied yards. Then maybe I can make Susan's gorgeous Mountain Stream scarf.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
All about color
I updated the shop. This updating every 2 weeks is interesting. I can do a lot of dye stuff in 2 weeks.
If you want to see the yarns that Gus has put out, go HERE. I know, it's awful of me that I didn't post them here before. But what's worse is that there are 4 more skeins that I'm keeping and I don't have photos of them at all.
The update includes:
Tons more Fiber including SILK:
I was able to get another Granny smith set of roving blended up as well as a couple others.
The new "Almost Solid Series" of rovings:
Hand painted yarns in sock and bulky weights
Handspun yarns:
Learn to spin Kits:
And I've just generally done a big part of an overhaul on the site.
Start at the beginning.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Navajo Spindles
I started working on my Navajo more when I was spending all that time on the floor with Kayla. I keep going back to it now. It's in the regular rotation between wheel, drop spindle and top whorl. Yes, I'm fully aware that I may have too many projects going on at once.
Husbeast looks at this thing appreciatively (being of giant status himself). Either that, or he's thinking of grabbing it out of my hands to thump me on the head. I'm not saying that wouldn't be a valid use for this thing, either.
There is my big Navajo spindle that I got from a friend sitting next to the Shuksan spindle of mine. It's kind of like the size difference between the Husbeast and me. Well, almost.
It's an interesting tool. Navajo spindling is different and seems more relaxed than regular drop spindling. There is something about sitting cross legged on the floor playing with this giant wooden thing that I find to be a lot of fun. You an see video of one in use at I can spin.
My goal is to learn how to spin with all the different types of spindles available. I need a turkish spindle and I need to figure out what the deal is with Balkan spindles. Before that I still have to get better with the akha and do more with the supported and takli.
One of the new companies of spindles I'll be stocking carries a good range of spindles but I do still need to find a maker for turkish spindles. Kokovoko and Greensleaves spindles are here as well another shipment of Cascade Little Si's and Pilchuks. I just need to get them photographed and loaded onto the site.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Raise your hand
Raise your hand if you spent Friday Hooked on a feeling
Raise both hands if you were "hooked" all weekend.
Why yes, those would be 2 finished Alpaca mitts.
The alpaca yarn had it's first life as a scarf. Allbeit a very tiny 4 inches of scarf before I came to my senses. A scarf? When it comes right down to it, I don't need another scarf in the UFO pile. And we all know that's just what it would have gone...
RIPPIT
But it would be so nice as something around my face. How about a lacy neck warmer. A glorified "dickie" if you will. I wrote a pretty new pattern and cast on. 3 inches into it with 112 stitches per round and I realize that it's just not meant to be. Sure the pattern is pretty but it's not me. Nope not going to make it an farther.....
RIPPIT
I have to admit I must be some kind of idiot not to listen to my inner voice. As I'm spinning this yarn, I'm thinking mitts. I need fingerless mitts for when I'm sitting at this computer
Then I talk myself out of it:
Maybe alpaca is too warm.
No, I have cold hands.
Well, Alpaca is really warm.
Do you really think so? Maybe?
Maybe it will stretch too much.
Alpaca does have a tendency to stretch out.
But it couldn't be that bad.
Then again it would be really sad to have floppy mitts.
It's so soft wouldn't it be better by my face....
Has anyone ever WON an argument with themselves?
My self got the better of me and I started all those other projects before I told myself just to shut the hell up and make the mitts I wanted in the first place:
If you want the pattern - GO HERE There is also a much larger picture below the pattern.
This post has already been super long but I wanted to pimp something important to me. A friend of the Husbeast's has a brain tumor. A brain tumor he named "Dubya". I'm serious here, this is not a joke. The man living with Dubya just has a great sense of hummor. To read about the tumor you can read the Journal.
There is a fundraiser to help with the cost of removing Dubya, the tumor that is. The fundraiser is looking for hand made goods, art supplies, handspun yarn to raffle but soon they'll be selling tickets. Sounds like there's going to be a ton of fab stuff. I'll let you know when the tickets go on sale but for now if you've got something you'd like to donate, the info is here.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Granny Smith
What started as this:
And carded into this:
Is now this:
It will soon will be socks.
Mmmm Alpaca/wool/nylon socks.
Dry little yarn...dry.
I'll probably have some batts for the shop update. I'll try to make some in a less atomic glow, where did I put my SPF40 kind of color.
I'm leaving you for the weekend in the capable hands of Knight Rider. This has me Hooked on a feeling.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
It's all over
I've finally gone around the bend with this whole stash thing.
I have to neaten up the piles and make space, so the stash needed to be moved. I have no NEW stash unless you consider the yarn I'm spinning. Still, the current stash was getting hard to walk around.
I just needed more room and unless I moved the stash outside, I had no idea where I was going to put it. I thought a bit and I remembered joking about a place once. I swear I'm going to have the most well insulated house ever.
Do you call someone batshit crazy when they start packing the rafters with bags of wool?
Yes, I'm stashing it in the ceiling of my studio area. This is the only part of the house with drop ceilings and now I'm wishing the whole house had it. Due to wires and such I've had to open up a couple of holes. I'm leaving them open too, for fear that I'd forget which block had yarn.
Princess M walked in while I was in mid stash at one of the hidey holes and had a great surprised look. So I grabbed the camera, positioned myself and showed her the other 2 holes.
She thinks I'm nuts-o.
She just doesn't understand the fine art of stashing.
Yet.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Don't wind it
Just don't wind it.
If you wind it you'll have to knit it.
Hide it.
Yes, that's it, hide it somewhere.
Under that bag, hide it there.
I can still see it.
What if I just start to slowly wind it by hand.
It will take a while so I'll get other stuff done.
My this stuff is soft and is nice to wind.
Wow, this going fast.
I should stop now.
Maybe in a bit.
Oops it's all wound.
Ooops I've cast on and I'm knitting.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Backyard Fieldtrip
I saw this on Sandy's Blog. What a great way
Click to really see the picture out of my back door.
In that picture you can see the 2 gardens to the far left and one to the far right that need planting and a fireplace with a bunch of pavers. Maybe this is the year that I get those pavers in the ground.
You can see this in the big picture above, it's just behind the swingset.
This is Kayla's tree. If you click the picture you can see the Kayla and the tree when they were both about one year old.
Standing under the tree and looking down.
There is a 4th garden that is just over the hill. It's mostly bulbs, flowers, herbs and dye plants. After this crazy winter I'll probably need to replant many of them due to frostbite.
This is the pond at the side of the flowery garden. It's suppose to have less ice, no leaves and several resident frogs. Maybe this year I'll get around to fixing the landscaping and adding some pond flowers.
So that's the yard with Miss Min showing you around. Actually she was thinking other things and I had to wait to snap the picture a couple of times or you'd see a lot of doggy "bizness". This dog has uncanny timing.
There are more backyards to tour at Knitting Interupted
Friday, March 03, 2006
The New Washer
My Mom has had the same washer since I was a kid. This thing is almost 20 years old. that would be all fine if the thing worked well. It didn't spin anymore. Really if I had been spinning around and around like mad for 20 years, I'd quit too. The poor thing was tired. It had gone through umpteen belts and was just ready for retirement.
Finally my Dad did laundry one day (once in 10 years isn't bad) and decided that Mom absolutely had to have a new washer. Hallelujah, right? I shouldn't care since I don't live there and I don't do laundry there. Actually I don't do laundry anywhere because I'm laundry challenged.
So if I have no use for doing laundry then why does it matter?
Have you seen that many of the new washers have a special setting for delicates or wool?
Do you know that unless you use that setting there will be a hot water rinse in there somewhere even if you set the temperature to cold?
Do you know what that does to socks that aren't superwash?
Did you know that my parents own the majority of the socks that I've knit?
And that my Dad owns many pair knit from my handspun.
Can you say Felted socks? My handspun yarns felts really well.
Dad now has 2 pair of socks while Mom has acquired several new felted pairs of slippers socks.
Dad works outside doing construction.
I'm trying to put all other projects are on hold until Dad gets a couple new pairs of socks for cold little hard working toes.
Can you guess? - Those are superwash
And thanks to a sweet gifting of wool (among other things) from the magnificent Spaaz I have some superwash that I can spin into socks since Dad likes socks made from handspun best. Really, how can you not make someone socks when they go on and on about how much they like your handspun socks better than anything else they put on their feet.
Hopefully a certain Alpaca yarn won't force me to knit it. I do need mitts and it is screaming to be knit....
Click to see the plies.