Rows Red

It seems as if my knitting and spinning have gone nowhere this month, but at least I can pinpoint why. The beginning of the month I was trying to get Tilt done, fast and furious, only to have to stop with more than ¾ of it completed due to tendonitis and running out of time. Since Rhinebeck, I have finished my Red Scarf project, but it needs to be blocked. I have to stuff my Smiley Cone baby gift and embroider the face. All of these nearly finished projects mean I have no sense of satisfaction upon completion, and only a vague sense of having done much floating around in the wake of Rhinebeck. Thank god for Ravelry, looking over my project page is an incentive to keep at it (and not start anything new) until I can thin my WIP tagged section down.

Not that I’m not thinking of what I might like to do next, mind you. A new book in my personal library has me itching to write up a book review. I haven’t done one of those in months! Closing in on the end of the Panda Fan Shawl and tucking away mom’s shawl for later has me considering a commercial yarn lace project of my own. And, as I said yesterday, all that freshly washed Romney has visions of projects-to-be dancing in my head. Freshly carded batts are a balm to the soul, let me tell you. So bouncy, fluffy, and full of effortless spinning time. My fingers are fairly squirming to get started.

BFL in "Saturn" from Seekay Craft.

Until I get paid and can buy another ball of the Noro Silk Garden Sock (colorway #84, ON SALE PLEASE), I’m currently focusing on two projects. The first is my bobbin of Saturn BFL, which you may remember I purchased from Carolyn at the Garden State Sheep Breeders Festival in September. I started spinning it a few weeks ago and it’s taking me FOR-EVAH. There are two reasons for that, chiefly being that I’m spinning it as fine as thread (because it wants to!) and also because I haven’t been spinning in the house much, mostly just at knit nights. I hope to change that on Sunday in between getting some house chores done. It’s still gorgeous, still an utter joy to spin, and I still think Carolyn’s a genius. If you haven’t bought some of her fiber, I really think you should. I say that not as a friend, but as a completely satisfied customer. And to think… I have more of this stuff in “Ruby” from WOOL ’09. Joy!

A knotty skein that I'd hoped to sell (but obviously wouldn't) turned into my gain.

My second focus is on finishing up my Fascine socks, which are sample socks in my Miss Priss 100% wool sock yarn. Words cannot express how much I love the color of this yarn, it makes me happy every time I look at it. The sock is being knit from the toe up, and this is my first time successfully completing a (soon-to-be) pair of socks with this technique. I tried to make my first pair of socks toe up, but that pair was frogged and I was a cuff down gal from then on. I think I like this toe up business now. The pattern is great for this style of hand dyeing, and I’m going to knit another pair so I can tweak it and write up the pattern. I will say, this base yarn has surprised me… for something with not a bit of nylon or superwash treatment at all, it has survived FIVE froggings for the first sock (don’t ask) with a slight halo, but relatively unscathed. That’s a lot of abuse to heap on a plain wool yarn with medium twist.

Tags: Bittersweet, Knitting, Spinning