Skip to main content

WIPs & SIPs: Spinzilla Week

Spinzilla started at 12:01 AM on October 5, and I have been spinning up a storm with every free moment I get. Since the start, I have filled a total of 5 bobbins: the three at the bottom are spun from  Louet Jacob fiber, the top right was spun from some of my blending board rolags, and the top right is a braid of fiber from the Cloudlover fiber club.
I know my original plan was to wait til Spinzilla was over to ply, but that cake of singles you see in the photo above didn't go so well (the other side is NOT a pretty picture!). I decided to ply all of the Jacob singles into a 3-ply so that my Victoria bobbins could be efficiently cleared, and then I really went for broke, spinning with more blending board rolags and nearly filled a sixth bobbin!
It's safe to say that Spinzilla is off to a great start for me. Of course, I haven't found much time to knit, but I did make some progress on my WIPs over the weekend. For instance, I realized that I hadn't ripped far enough back on my Leonarda shawl....and so, I frogged it AGAIN and managed to get back to the same place I was last Wednesday, more or less. I was hoping to have this off the needles and ready to wear by the end of last weekend, but clearly it wasn't meant to be. It basically looks exactly like the photo I posted last week. Sigh.

I also made some progress on my Broad Shoulders sweater, though I am still running behind my self-created sweater schedule (oh, the irony) and most of my fellow KAL-ers (ditto). For some reason, every time I tried to work on this project last week, I kept making silly mistakes that I had to later rip back. The pattern itself isn't difficult, I just have been a little stressed and overworked, which apparently means I am unable to handle anything other than stockinette stitch.
Speaking of stockinette stitch, I did manage to hit a pretty big milestone for my Knitscene yak cardi: the body is finished and I started the sleeves! I'm doing them two-at-a-time since I tend to get second sleeve syndrome; I love that I can use the same needles for the sleeves as I was using for the body - all I had to do was remove the interchangeable tips and secure the body stitches on the cable with the end caps from my needle set (I'm using my faves, Knitter's Pride Karbonz) - then I just found another cord to use for the sleeves!
If you got the latest issue of Knitscene, you may have seen one of the first photos I ever posted of my yak cardigan:
The editor, Amy, emailed me to ask if they could run my photo in the latest issue, and of course I said yes! Besides that, there is a ton of great patterns that I'm dying to knit, and my friend Heidi of Hands Occupied is featured on the very last page, too. It's worth checking out!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends,  so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with  this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks).  The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a
1 comment
Read more

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels?  I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n
3 comments
Read more

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my  taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b
Post a Comment
Read more