WIP Wednesday, dyeing to be me

Oddly, I wasn't as off-track as I thought I was. I just didn't know so I felt *a bit* down about it. Did you notice?

Back to the good stuff: I dyed. As it's mom's birthday soon, I figured I'd use my awesome spinning skills (spin thin, ply, awesome, right?) for a special gift this year. So on Saturday we set up the kitchen and I prepared some food dye while mom played around with colouring pens. Together we dyed half of my stash of white Shetland top in two sittings. The first came out a bit... light

White with a hint of colour

So I put a lot more dye on the second try. It worked!

With all of that coloured goodness drying, it was time to get the brown Icelandic off the bobbins. So I finished it in one sitting that evening. If only you set your mind to it, apparently, you can get things done.

On Sunday, I spun the lightest top and it just screamed out its name. Now since it's still a gift I'm not showing you the bobbin up close, that'll just have to wait. You will have to take my word for it, if ever I've seen spun sugar on a bobbin, this is it, so that's what it will be.

Suikerspin, brown Icelandic and the remains of skein #2 of the Secret Project

In other news, I'm not fixing O.W.L.S.. Apparently, it doesn't want to be fixed or it would've been by now. Instead, I'm frogging back to where it went wrong. It's such a fast knit, I might even get some more use out of it this winter. We had a small (short?) flurry of snow today and I've been freezing my butt off this weekend. Spring isn't here yet...

Tonight I'm spinning some more, knitting a bit and sleeping early, as I'm off to the Handwerkbeurs (craft fair) in Zwolle on Friday! This means a 2 hr drive there and back, in Friday traffic. I better be rested...

WIP Wednesday, unfinished business

Oh dear, oh dear.

As it turns out, I get a lot less done now that I'm more or less back to full time work (surprise!). Choices to be made, which means many things do not get chosen. Think: kid-who-gets-picked-first, instead of last-to-be-picked-for-the-team.

The secret knitting project which was last started received a little pepper to put up the proverbial arse, so it's getting most attention these days. There may or may not be a group willing to test-knit. I better have something to test, won't I?

basket of unfinished goodness

So there are 4 WIP's that got started this year and none have been finished. Peaks Island is probably 75% done, and has been for a while. O.W.L.S. is waiting, but I'm dreading to cut it so I can fix it. The spun yarn for the birds'omasomething has been decorating a pillow for weeks. It sure looks pretty, but it can't stay. I might one day need that pillow for my head.
The first-picked WIP is at least at 50%, because that is how much yarn I have left. More or less. I tried to do the numbers, but maths and excel sheets are not my strong point after 18.00 (after 15.00, but don't tell my boss).

Somewhere, Manu is still waiting, Mythos is in hiding, I have only 1 Manolo sock and the Spot Check Socks have been frogged because I needed the needles for the Favoured Secret Project. I'll try again sometime, on my new short circulars. It might go a lot faster now that I've mastered the art of two-handed stranded knitting. Hurray for the internet! The other Secret Project won't make it to its recipient in time to do any good. Sorry.

I promise not to start anything new, and to finish something soon.

Deep Breaths.



PS: the underpaid nifty job-people sent a reply to this extent: "this job would be great for you, but we're not actually hiring due to re-organisations, so send us your cv next year please." Which seems awfully useful, trying to find a job soon. Big strike through this one then...

WIP Wednesday, does not contain enough sleep

Hi there,

yes you, lurking in the corner. Hi, you can come out, I won't bite. I'm too tired, it's too much effort. On the other hand, I'm bursting with creative frustration adrenaline!

Below, find O.W.L.S.

Looks alright, doesn't it? Almost finished, wouldn't you say?

Well it's not. I carefully calculated gauge, did the numbers as instructed, and when my row count didn't end up matching my calculations, I Just. Went. On. Anyway.

And now I'm stuck with an INCH of surplus boob-room. Believe you me, that's quite something to have spare if you're me. Also, let me tell you, I'm not ripping back, I'm not. I'll do some shaping when it's done. It's just fine otherwise. It fits an' all. (It just has extra room for a set of regular sized boobs)

White Shetland, 203 mtr, light fingering

Now this is much more pleasurable. It's what I've been doing when I wasn't working on a job or flinging myself at brick walls. It's soft.

Grey Shetland, 221mtr, light fingering

This was last week's skein, and it's also lovely and soft and squooshy (how do you spell that feeling of yummy softness when you squeeze a skein of yarn?)

All of the colours I want to use are spun now, so all that's left is to soak and let dry so the twist can set. I really hope to be trying it out next week. This is them, together.

I should sleep and be more, so I've just started reading Eckart Tolle's The Power of Now. Will keep you posted...

WIP Wednesday, and a diary clearing itself

I had a lovely clean diary for a little while, but mostly around Christmas. The Texan was here for such a short time, it just didn't seem right to fill that time up with driving around the country to meet up with people.
Anyway, there I was, getting used to the 'no practice, no teaching' regime when all of a sudden the year changed, fireworks went off, and my diary was full.

During the first 3 weeks of 2011, I was to be out of the house 4 out of 5 weeknights, while also trying very hard to get used to increasing working hours.

Big Meltdown.

That's what happened...

And then I spun, because that helps. Yep, that's definitely something I've learned over the past months. Spinning makes the short circuiting in my head stop. It has something to do with the repetitive movement, the soft buzzing of the wheel as I make it turn (now that orphaned wheel Bea is sitting on a towel) and the drafting I now seem to be able to do by touch. The last few yarns I've made are to be together in a project, so I'm trying to get them as similar as I possibly can so my rhythm is more or less *Tread Draft Tread Slip (repeat from *) and then ply *Tread Tread Tread and Feed Tread Tread Tread Slip (repeat from *). So far I've only fallen asleep at the wheel 5 times this week. No major accidents reported so far. I've been told I'm Not The Only One who does that.

Unfortunately, my diary started clearing itself. A number of the good and fun things seem to have canceled themselves, some for very sad reasons. All of the annoying things remained, like going to work every day. Such fun ;)

Luckily, I've managed to knit some and spin some. This week's goal is to finish the O.W.L.S. sleeves, and one is already part of the big Unit. The other, well, see below.

This picture is (was) on its side.

27 rounds to go before I can add this one too, and then on to the actual owls. This means I need to start collecting buttons. So far, I've decided on 2. These are very much on the psychedelic part of the colour spectrum, and now I'm undecided if I want to keep the others quiet or go all out.
Either way, when this is done, I'll return to some secret knitting, and then some more secret knitting, and some designing and Manu. I feel like I've neglected my sweet soft Manu for too long now. Soon...

Black Shetland, 199 mtr

I spun this over the weekend, when I should've been doing something else. The something else was started, so at least that's something. I've found that the black shetland was far coarser than the moorit I spun before, and the grey I am working with now. Odd, or maybe not.

Here they are together, sitting on a vague colour swatch sort of thingy.

They, and below and some white shetland that I haven't touched yet are going to be one of the designing thingies that I'm planning. No pressure.

Grey Shetland 2-ply light fingering

So I've been busy, sort of. Some things are crossed off the list. One day soon the rest of it will be as well. So far, I've even stuck with my one and only resolution for this year...

What have you been up to this week?

WIP wednesday, a week of finishing and starting all over again

This week, the golden oldies are still where they are...

My scarf got a little work done on the way back from the airport, but I slept most of the time, so I'm still not half-way done with the supposedly superfast scarf. The last secret Christmas knitting didn't gain a stitch, but that's ok. (I'm being nice to me!)

I did manage to finish the pink monstrosity I posted about last week and even made its blue sister in time for the plane they needed to catch, neatly stuffed into the Texan's hand luggage.

The dreaded kilt hose were done on the second day of Christmas, so technically, that was on time as well. I'm just a little proud of the way they turned out!

After the Airport Trip, I finished the last bits of the therapeutic spinning, and plied all together into 500 mtr of coloured goodness. It'll probably become a Peak Island Hood (announcement for future WIP)

Since I didn't want this winter to pass by on unfinished projects, I started another one in a bulky yarn. O.W.L.S. Oh yes. Just this evening I finished the 2x2 ribbing (2") on 128 stitches in the round. So far, I'm loving the speed of it, but not the fact that the picture I just took refuses to sync from web albums to Picasa proper so it's not blogged this week.

In spinning news: I'm already trying to work out how to combine natural colours of wool into a Fair Isle project I haven't started yet... Oh dear