Break on Brown

Spindle action

Finished yarn

Something dreamy but hairy :-D

Touring while 9 months pregnant...

This year, I joined the Tour de Fleece (an event that coincides with the Tour de France - google it if you want more info) with a goal of trying to spin for a sweater or at least get through one garbage bag of fiber that a friend gave me from her sheep (we will pretend that there isn't actually three total bags insulating my bedroom right now).  Anywho, I've been doing a little spinning each day trying to kick out two bobbins each day the Tour de France is going and resting when the TdF rests.  I've been using Angela's Ashford Traditional and I was moving along quite nicely, that is, until I snapped the driveband for the millionth time.  So now, I'm at a stand still and waiting for a drive band to come in.  I am so close to finishing up the bag!  There has to be maybe less than 8 ounces still in there but I've been plying what was spun and killing the brown fiber boredom by using my spindle and other fiber in the mean time.  So far, I have a little over 350 yards of 2 ply worsted to heavy worsted weight yarn.  Not quite sweater quantity but it's getting there!

Anyone out there spinning like a fool?  How's it going?

Still here! No baby yet!

 The last month or so has been crazy busy with school ending and then trying to get lots of stuff done before baby #3 gets here.  I picked up the 'My Favorite Things' scarf and knitted a couple of sections to it that you can see above and below.  I was nervous that I would forget how to do stranded knitting but a quick refresher on YouTube and I was back in business.  Now, I'm just trying to decided what to knit for the next section.

 

 Something I have finished that I'm excited about is baby's blanket.  I figured this color scheme was neutral enough and cozy enough to work.  It will also be a contender in the NYS Fair this year too!  I have a lot of things that need to be photographed but my usual photographer has been super busy (yea!) with weddings, portraits, and new babies!

 Last thing I wanted to show on the blog is my striped take on Martina Behm's, '22 Little Clouds'.  I am at the point where I should start the edging but it doesn't seem long enough for my liking so I've just kept going with the stripes, which are addicting!  Other things are in the works which I, hopefully, will post about in the next few weeks. 

Happy summer crafting all!

Busy as a bee

Done and I love it!

Done and ready for MotherHenKnits

On the third ball now!

Crocheting with hand spun

Needed something mindless...

Baby #3 gets a blanket!

WIPs a plenty

Testing shot #1

Testing shot #2

Charity Mitts

The Neverending Sweater

Some things are now finished... some things are almost there... and some things are not even close!

Never too early!

 Tour de Fleece will be here before you know it and I've already started plotting what to spin and which teams to join.  My friend used to have sheep and before she sold them, they were sheared and she gave me all the fiber to spin.  The hubs got this processed for me through Salt City Fiberworks.  There are two huge garbage size bags of the brown and one of the white.  My goal is to try and get through one bag of brown using my buddy Angela's Ashford Traditional during the tour.  I joined Team Climbers whose goal is to conquer mountains and big personal challenges.  

To break up the monotony of spinning fiber au naturel daily for about a month, I have these puppies as some back up in my stash to use on the my spindle for my local yarn store's team (yes, I'm nuts to be on two teams:-D).  The top one is a mini batt with a little sparkle in it and a braid both from Spun Right Round.

Anyone out there gonna join the tour?  Who's with me?

Last of the bulk

 

To finish up the month of all things bulky, here are some close-ups of three baby cocoons I made for Michael to be used as photo props for future baby photo shoots.  Why the close ups?  They don't look very glamorous unless a baby is inside so I thought showing off the stitches was more appealing otherwise they look like poorly crocheted adult hats.  I used Berocco Peruvia for the mauve and cream colored yarns and Plymouth Encore Mega for the blue.  One recommendation though, if you choose to use Plymouth Encore Mega, you definitely need more than one skein to finish the project.  I ran out and had to do a couple of rows with some of the Berocco I had left over.

 

One of the last bulk projects I finished was the Vermonter hat by Abi Gregorio.  I used Imperial Native Twist.  This yarn was so squishy and yummy.  I highly recommend this yarn to anyone and everyone!  Imperial first caught my interest on the Yarniacs podcast and I mentioned it to my friend who owns a wonderful yarn shop and she is now selling it there.  The pattern is free and you could finish it in a night!  Give it a try!

A little of this a little of that...

On the second ball if you can believe it!

Just needs a pom pom and it's done!

Ripped and ready to restart..

Making some photo props...

Lots o' bulk up in here!

Some more bulk...

Here's the evolution of the Bandana Cowl from the Purl Bee website!  This was a pretty quick knit that used up a skein and a half of Lion Brand Alpine Wool in the color ways of sky blue and vanilla on size 10 needles!    I did learn a little from this pattern in regards to short rows.  My first experience with short rows was the aviatrix hat and color affection and the patterns never called for picking up the wrapped stitch but this cowl did.  I now understand if you're just using garter stitch you can't really see the wrapped stitch but if you're going stockinette, you will notice it and have to pick it up.  It was like a little knitting light bulb went on in my head.  I haven't had an "aha" moment in a while with my knitting so I'm really proud of myself for noticing it.  The cowl is super squishy and cozy and I made it just in time for spring to have sprung in central New York!  But the unpredictable weather in CNY ensures that I'll be able to wear it one more time before spring is here to stay.

A little bulk...

 My friend, Angela and I decide to start another knit-a-long in our local group where you had a month to start/finish as many bulky projects you want.  This decision was made because I needed to work on something a little bulkier amid all the fingering or lace weight yarns I've been using in my current projects. 

 This light pea green color looks like it could be a cotton yarn but it's actually wool, angora, and nylon. One hank gives you about 73 yards to work with.  I love how the moss stitch looks with this yarn.

 The pattern I chose for the yarn is the Robin's Egg Blue hat which is a pretty popular hat pattern on Ravelry mostly because it's stylish and mostly because it's a free pattern.  The pattern was easy to follow and took me about a couple days to finish.

This hat barely took two hanks of this Reynolds Contessa yarn.  I love instant gratification projects!