First Snow 2016-2017

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First Snow 2016-2017  This was 3 weekends ago.  Yeah I’m a little late getting this in :P.  We got about 3 1/3 inches over the weekend.  We have had snow now every weekend since, about 2 1/2 to 4 inches each weekend.  Tired of snow already, and tonight it is suppose to be -18 F ambient temp and with wind chills about -35.  Is it spring yet?

Hand Dyed Polypay

 

I have not finished the socks I was working on (tho I am at the heel on the second sock) but I have to get started on this other project because it is a Christmas present and time waits for no man (or woman :P).  I don’t think she reads my blogs but just in case I wont go into what it is but I dyed it to match the hat I made her last year.  I will start working on this project tomorrow.

I hope everyone is staying warm and that you are well and happy.  🙂

 

Veterans Day 2016

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Veteran's Day 

I would like to take a moment to thank all those veterans, past and present, who fought in the various wars and “police actions” from the start of this country’s formation through the present, for our freedom.   Thank you for your service, and Thank You to your families for allowing you to do that.  I’m proud to say my Dad is a Veteran. 🙂

VOTE!!

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I Voted

Yes I voted.

I encourage all citizens of the United States of America to vote today, if you have not already done early voting, to let your voice be heard, no matter what side of the fence you are on.  It is our civic duty as a citizen of this country and a privileged right to vote for the future of our country.  May our Our Father in Heaven bless our Country and may all the divisiveness that has been going on be healed. 😦

1/2 Done on 2nd Pair of Socks

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Bad Day Socks 1/2 done

Altho’ because of time constraints, it’s taking me a little more time to work on these than it should, I have finished the 1st sock of the pair.  I am getting ready to cast on the 2nd sock today. 🙂  I love the color of these they are fun to knit because of the random pops of color.  Even tho I went down a needle size and they are closer to the size I needed, I will either have to go down one more needle size or cast on 4 less stitches next time for a better fit.  It’s all about learning with new projects.  The recipient is very excited and tried on the sock and was so pleased, she can hardly wait for me to finish them :).

I’m also working on 2 lap blankets for two different people for Christmas, I have one close to finished and then I will begin the 2nd.  I have another project I will begin after the socks are done that will also be for Christmas that will be knit while I knit the lap blanket, that particular project I’ll talk about later on after I finish this pair of socks, I’m very excited to begin working on it.  I like having multiple projects that I can work on at the same time, different places I am during the day require different amounts of concentration, giving me the opportunity to have something to do no matter where I am, challenge or no :).

I do have one more project I will need to start sometime sooner than later, the hat for my daughter that I spun the alpaca for.  She needs to sit down with me and pick out a pattern she would like that will work with the yarn I spun up for her. :).  I do have some singles on my wheel that I have not worked on and I really need to finish and ply.  So many things to do and not nearly enough time :P.

Oh and how can we forget about those Dallas Cowboys!!!  They are doing really well so far this year, 5 wins and 1 loss and number 1 at the moment in the East :). WOOT WOOT!!

2nd Pair of Sock Begins :)

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2nd Pair of Socks started Ok, I am officially addicted to knitting socks.  Couldn’t wait to begin this 2nd pair.  The young one that wanted them is excited that I have started them.  This colorway is really nice, the pop of color makes it interesting to knit.  I am using the ChaiGoo 9″ circular, size 1 – 2.25mm.  They are nice to knit with and the points are a little more “pointy” than the Addi, and makes it (for me) a little nicer getting the thinner yarn off the needle (I’m not a thrower, I am a picker) but I do like both needles.  I am using the same sock pattern I got from The Fiber Pusher  but making a change in the needles size and doing a 2×2 rib for 2 inches instead of a 1×1 rib for 1 inch.   This is her personal pattern for teaching sock knitting so I can not share the pattern, but any vanilla pattern would work. This is a cuff down pattern, as I get a handle on knitting socks I may try a toe up :).  This yarn is beautiful, it’s hand dyed by The Lemonade Shop, colorway Bad Day.

 

Remembering 9/11

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9-11-2001

As we remember the 15th year since this heinous attack was perpetrated, may we take a moment to remember all those who died on this day 15 years ago and thank those who helped in the aftermath. I would like to salute those heroes on flight 93, and all those who, on that day, willingly and unselfishly sacrificed their lives to save the lives of others. I also salute those in our armed services who have given their lives and those who continue to fight, selflessly putting their own lives in jeopardy to protect us and others from terrorism. They are all heroes to me and I will never forget.

1st Pair of Socks Done

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1st Pair of socks done

Yarn for 2nd Pair of Socks

YEA!!!  My first pair of socks is done.  There were matchy matchy until I got to the toe of the 2nd sock, they were the same length but two of the darker stripes were a bit longer on the second sock so the toes didnt get the dark tip like the other one.  That is ok tho, I’m excited to have them finished :).

A family member put dibs on them  and she was so excited to get them even tho they are to big for her lol.  But they were just my practice pair because I had no one in mind when I made them, just wanted to see what size that needle size would make.  She gave me another skein of sock yarn to make her another pair lol (see picture on the right.)  Going down a needle size this next pair, and will change to a 2×2 rib cuff which I will make 2 inches long instead of one.  This new yarn is dyed by The Lemonade Shop and the color is Bad Day, it’s sparkly and so pretty, I’m really excited to see how the colorway works up :).

My son has purchased 4 alpaca, one grey, one black, one fawn and one mahogany.  They are so pretty, guess I can see a little bit of alpaca fiber in my life to spin this next spring.  I have a light black Polypay fleece I need to skirt and get sent off to the fiber mill (my car has been a bit “me, me, me” lately so the things I  usually do earlier in the year have had to be put off for car repairs, but when I get the brakes fixed I should be able to send it off next month), then the next month I have another alpaca fleece to send off to the fiber mill.  So much fiber, so little time :).

1st Pair of Socks – 2nd Sock Closer to Done!

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1st Pair of Socks almost done Ok, I am finally getting closer to having that elusive 2nd sock done :P.  I had to switch to double pointed needles for the heel flap and when I did I picked up a set of 2.25mm instead of 2.50mm and it absolutely made a difference, when I got the gusset finished it was quite a bit smaller making the sock shorter, so I had to go to the frog pond and “ripit”  sigh.  I have redone the heel flap in the correct needle size and will be picking up the sides of the heel flap and doing the gusset, then it’s all down hill from there with the foot and toe :).

I had Friday morning off from my reg duties and decided to so some errands.  I went to go to a store I visit several times a year only to find it had moved, hmmm.  I went next door and they told me where it was now located, and NICE, it was now closer to me.  I was headed out of that store to go to the new area and as I got in my car a lady who was parked in front of me got out and came over to me.  I thought, did she hit my car?  what?  She preceded to tell me that she just had to let me know what her 10 year old daughter had said.  As I was walking out of the store, her daughter said “Mom she looks just like Elsa!!! Does she know she looks just like Elsa?”  What a nice surprise!  I told her to tell her daughter that she had just made my day :).  I know, the picture on my blog is about 10 years old and since then I have quit coloring my hair (my hair started turning silver before I was 16) and I let it grow out (now to my waist and I keep it braided most of the time to keep it out of my way), so I guess my hair color and the fact that it was braided made me look like Elsa to her, what a great day that was :).  I have had people ask me if I am Scandinavian because of my hair color, and actually just found out via dna that I am 17% Scandinavian :), the other part is from England/Scotland/Wales and Ireland.  That accounts for my hair color (dark alburn) before all the silver 🙂  Sometimes one really good day can make up for a lot of otherwise harsh days. 🙂

Soon I plan on getting back to sewing some bags for my etsy shop.  Summer happened with little ones :P.

 

Tour de Fleece 2016 Update

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Spinning Rolags for Tour De FleeceHere is a picture of what I’ve accomplished so far on the first spool of singles.  Spinning this rolag is a little different than spinning from roving, it doesn’t move quite as fluidly as I thought it would, and this combination of fiber did NOT want to be spun thin.  After fighting with it and having the singles break on me a couple of times, I decided to spin it a little heavier and it has been behaving since.  The colors are beautiful and I will be spinning this for a shawl.

We have had some really bad storms here in the last couple of weeks, I’m tired of rain and humidity 😛  It is suppose to be in the 90’s this coming week, and I just have to remind myself that I will miss this heat in the winter when it’s 30, 40 and 50 below zero and tons of ice and snow :P.  Tho’ honestly I have been known to miss the piles of snow when it’s 90 outside as well, lol.

Yarn – Alpaca for the Tour de Fleece 2016

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Handspun Alpaca 2016

I did finish the Alpaca!!  222 yards at 14 wpi, which looks like a fingerling weight.  It was very fun to spin and will become a hat for my daughter :).  For the Tour de Fleece tho, I can only count half of this because I already had one spool spun, so just the 2nd spool and the plying went toward this year’s Tour de Fleece.

 

Rolags for Tour De Fleece 2016 It’s ok tho,  I’m ready to start my next hand spun which are 4 ozs of these lovely rolags by The Wooly Witch.  I’m excited to see what they spin up to be yarn wise :).