Knitting

Spinning Sunday

April 13, 2014April 12, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

YUCK

I decided to try space dyeing on the new roving I got from UpTownDesign and since I didn’t really know how to go about it, I hopped over to YouTube and check out a couple of how tos by ChemKnits. Here’s an in progress look at my first try at it.

It turned out to be the ugliest yarn ever so I overdyed it with some sky blue Jacquard acid fast dye I had on hand. Much, much better.

Rinsed, dry and ready to spin:

Still has some ugly spots, but socks can be mostly hidden 🙂

Live out of your imagination, not your history. Stephen Covey

Knitting

Spinning Sunday #2 3/30/14

March 30, 2014March 29, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

WOOLY STASH DIVE

I’m in the process of turning this raw, but washed, Rambouillet fleece into socks. This doesn’t happen overnight, unfortunately. It’s not hard to do, but it is time consuming and labor intensive to turn this –

Washed Unspun

Into this:

Carded Fleece

Into this:

Dyed and Ready to Spin

Perhaps I was a little ~~impatient~~ overmotivated this week, washing and dyeing more fleece, which can’t be rushed. I know this because I just completely felted a good amount of just dyed purple fleece. Sigh. I suppose wool can be recycled……

Dang.

I’ve heard that patience is a virtue.

Knitting

Still Not 100%, Spinning

February 6, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

Still enough under the weather to forego treadmill time today, so I decided to show off a couple spinning projects.

ON THE BOBBIN

Corriedale Cross Roving from Eweniquely Ewe Fiber Creations, dyed with Jacquard Acid Fast Dye, Lilac

More Corriedale Cross from Eweniquely Ewe, dyed with Jacquard Acid Fast Dye, pink

Great fiber, great customer service! Two thumbs up! I still have some undyed roving, I’m thinking green this time. After all the gray weather, I need some Spring!!!

Never grow a wishbone where your backbone ought to be. Clementine Paddleford (is this a great name or what??)

Knitting

Spinning and Plying

January 24, 2014 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE WHEEL

I’ve been spinning a little bit every day, but not as much as I’d like. My problem is the classic “Too many projects, so little time”, but here’s a look at what’s on the wheel currently –

My first real attempt at the whole shebang – dying, carding, spinning and finally, plying.

Suffolk, dyed with a mix of blue and red. Not as purple as I’d hoped but still good, I think.

I’m going to keep practicing.

A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something. Wilson Mizner

Knitting

Random Tuesday

December 17, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

RANDOMLY

We got a new mailbox! The house siding is finished, yay; but with the new siding, the old mailbox looked very old and sad, so it retired to the great recycle bin in the sky and was replaced by this:

New kid in town. Isn’t it pretty??

OUT FOR A SPIN

Here’s a look at my newest spinning project:

The roving came from Greenwood Fiberworks. For more info, see this post.

THE GRANDS

In no particular order:

The Sprout loves Josie Pug’s kennel. Look at her new teeth!

The Papoose loves G-grandma and G-grandma loves her back, although you can’t tell it in this pic. Mema looks like she wants to escape! BTW, Mema is Mr. Iknead’s mommy.

Babydiva visits her minions!

Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Satchel Paige

Knitting

Lost and Found

October 23, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

FOUND!

Remember the set of Knitpicks cables I lost a few weeks ago? They’re found now – right where I left them, in a interchangeable pocket thing I had whipped up on the sewing machine and was “test driving”. Oh, of course, they were found a day AFTER the new cables I had given up and ordered arrived, but that’s about par for the course, I think. Glad to have them back, no matter what!

SPIN CYCLE

Since my last post, this:

has transformed into this:

I’m thinking shawlette, maybe Hitchhiker, but haven’t made a final decision. Suggestions welcome.

In every man’s heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty. Christopher Darlington Morley

Knitting

I Brake for Fiber

October 4, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

MY PHIRST PHIBER PHESTIVAL

Yeah, yeah. I know that that’s lame, but I couldn’t resist. As I tell Mr. Iknead all the time, “Just humor me, OK?” The first ever Diamond State Fiber Festival starts today and runs through Saturday and I’m soooo excited. I’m taking a beginning spinning class and hopefully I won’t have to unlearn many bad habits from being self and YouTube taught. This will be Violet’s first road trip, hopefully the first of many. I’ll have to remember to take lots of pictures, though what usually happens is that I get so involved in whatever it is I want to photograph that I completely forget to take pics. I’ll do better this time, I’ll keep the camera around my neck as a reminder.

SPINNING OUT

I ordered four Knitpicks Bare Wool of the Andes and I have to say, it’s been a pleasure to spin. As I get better and better at it (and I am, even I can tell), I’m spinning finer and finer yarn. Think sock or fingering yarn. From someone who a year ago never had any desire to spin, I’m now the proud owner of Violet, my Ashford Traveller wheel and spin some everyday. I find the whole process very calming and centering. I’m planning on coming back from the festival with loads and loads of roving and maybe some fleeces too. Here’s a look at the Knitpicks Bare Roving after spinning.

Now, should I dye it or let it alone? Decisions, decisions.

When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of Creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open, and love steps forth to heal everything in sight. Michael Bridge

Knitting

Shutdown, Spirals and Festival

October 1, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

YOU CAN DO THAT? REALLY?

Mr. Iknead and I woke up this morning still wondering about the predicted government shutdown, even though we pretty much knew from last night that nothing had changed or had been agreed upon. This hits pretty close to home for us – Mr. Iknead works for the State of Arkansas, which in turn is contracted by the Feds, so we’re sort of up in the air. I feel very, very fortunate that at this point in our lives we don’t have to worry about our finances and if Mr. Iknead is furloughed for a bit, it’s not a crisis situation. I know others who are not so fortunate. Thank you, Mr. Iknead, for the austerity program, even though I gripe about it sometimes.

GONE TO POT

Pottery class is going well. Teach told me yesterday that I definitely had gotten the hang of using the wheel and with practice, I’ll get better at it. Still have nothing post worthy, but I’m planning on going in to work on the wheel more this week and hopefully, I have something at least minimally postable.

Here’s the spiral bowl I glazed this weekend with shiny black. Can you tell that I totally didn’t check the background when I whipped out my phone to take a pic? This one cracks me up. It looks like it’s drinking out of the bowl –

LOOKING AHEAD

The first Diamond State Fiber Festival is this weekend. I’m really looking forward to it and I’ve already got some extra money budgeted for whatever strikes my fancy (up to a point, of course). Hoping to come home with enough fiber to keep me spinning for a little while, at least. Violet, yeah, that’s my wheel’s name, is making the trip and hopefully, I’m going to learn a lot in the beginning spinning class I’m taking. I’ll take lots of pictures.

The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. Zeno

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 9/25/13 and Happy Birthday

September 25, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

Happy First Birthday, Sprout!

I’M INTO POTS

Oh my gosh! What a difference seven days makes! First pottery throwing class was last week and I admit it – I wasn’t sure that that whole wheel thing was for me. I did promise myself that I’d give it four weeks and if I still wasn’t feeling it, I’d go back into the morning handbuilding class. Well, yesterday’s attempt at the wheel was totally different, something clicked inside my head (in a good way) and it was so cool! The clay stuck to the wheel, just like it was supposed to, centering the pot on the wheel was a million times easier and by the end of class, my hands were beginning to know what to do to cone the clay up and down on their own. Nothing post-worthy yet, but I may go to the Art Center today to practice more, besides, I have a pot that needs to be glazed and I’m thinking black.

GRINS AND GRANDS

I ran across this photo when I was looking for something else on Flickr. I don’t know how I missed it because I love it! My son, Jordan, and his niece, Susannah. Isn’t it sweet?

ON THE NEEDLES

Les Miserables from Cynthia Parker, Hand Held Knitting in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Using

I’ve also started on some Christmas knitting, which, for obvious reasons, must be kept under wraps until then.

TOPSPIN

My roving FINALLY arrived and this is what it has become –

Mixed undyed black and white roving from Fire and Fluff, this may further morph into socks, but I’ve still not decided for sure.

Linking with Tami Amis and Frontier Dreams.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Teresa

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 9/4/13, Yarn Along and Spinning

September 4, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Today’s entry is the CEY Ruffled Tank, which lacks only the ruffles to be finished. Actually, I’m pretty proud of myself today. I sat down this morning and did the part of completing a project that I HATE – the mattress stitch. This is a real accomplishment for me as I can think of at least a couple of projects that are entirely finished – except for putting them together. I dislike it so much that I’ll put something that I put a lot of time and effort into on the back burner, never to be seen or worked on again. Maybe I should go unearth something and finish it while I’m still congratulating myself, on that cloud of optimism that comes with finishing a dreaded task. Nah. Tomorrow. Maybe.

CEY Ruffled Tank

in Knit One Crochet Too Kettle Dyed, in Seaside

SPIN OUT

I’m getting better at it, I can see it. My long anticipated roving arrived yesterday and after a period of oohs and aahs, I decided on the natural gray and white BFL to start and this is what resulted:

Is this beautiful or what?

Before spinning, mixed BFL

Nutmeg Merino

Copper – Colonial

This lovely fiber came from Fire and Fluff and you can bet I’ll be paying them another virtual visit soon.

BY THE BOOK

Here’s what I’m reading at the moment –

Orphan Train

Linking with Tami’s WIP Wednesday blog, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny’s Yarn Along. Pay them a visit, they’re always a treat!

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Zig Ziglar

Knitting

Hitting Today and How Much Is Too Much?

September 2, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

I’ve been entirely too “hit and miss, mostly miss” about blogging since Mr. Iknead and I returned from our vacation. I’ve intended to get back in the routine, but have found some sort of excuse every day to put it off another few minutes, which turns into hours, which turn into days….

ON THE NEEDLES

I think this is one reason I’ve been so lazy about posting – too many projects with most of them stalled for one reason or another. The Ruffled Tank is ready to block before starting the ruffles, I intend to get that accomplished today and I started the Botanical Cowl on Friday, using the last vacation souvenir yarn from the Destin Yarn Shop. Then there’s the Blue Day socks I want to cast on for the Blue Day KAL on Ravelry, which started last week. I love the idea of a KAL, but the committment? Not so much. I should go get dressed so I can get some pics of the abovementioned before it gets too hot. Doing it in my pjs doesn’t bother me a bit, but Mr. Iknead tends to freak a little when I go outdoors in my jammies for anything other than picking up the newspaper from the front door. My neighbors across the back probably aren’t nuts about it either, come to think of it.

Then there’s the attempt at destashing, asking myself to answer truthfully, “Are you really going to use this yarn/yarn remnant someday?” Sigh. Where do I draw the line? Sigh.

Botanical Cowl

I’m falling in love with Mini Mochi, I think!

Ruffle Tank before washing, blocking and ruffles.

ON THE BOBBIN

And then there’s the spinning. I’ve spun nearly all the fleece from last week, I’ve been holding a little back, sort of like for a rainy day, which I plan to card and spin sometime this week, if not today. I ordered some beautiful roving last week and am a little bummed that it hasn’t arrived yet and with today being a holiday, it for sure won’t arrive until tomorrow at the soonest. This is where the rainy day thing kicks in.

Simplicity is the key to brilliance. Bruce Lee

Knitting

Spin Cycle and Begonias

August 27, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ADVENTURES IN WOOL

With the acquisition of my spinning wheel (I’ve named her Violet) last week, I inherited a bag – make that a sealed bag – of wool, unwashed, unpicked and really, really greasy with what must be lanolin. First time experience with raw wool. It smelled very sheepy – not a bad smell, just……sheepy. So, I did what anyone would do. I went on YouTube to see what you do with raw wool to make it spinnable and eventually, knittable. I washed it good with the recommended Dawn dish detergent; remember: Dawn takes grease out of your way, which it does and then rinsed it and ran it through the spin cycle a couple of times. Lucky for you, I documented its transformation.

Just out of the sealed bag, unwashed

After first wash, rinse and spin

After another rinse and spin, then out into the sun to dry

I’ll start carding it tonight, to hopefully begin its change from a fleece into sock yarn. I’m completely convinced that you can learn anything by checking out YouTube. Amazing.

Mr. Iknead is still firm on his NO SHEEP policy. Won’t even talk about it.

GREEN GROWING THINGS

A couple of my begonias are blooming and a couple more that I’d pretty much given up on have decided to perk up and promise more blooms. My mom loved begonias and I suppose that’s rubbed off a little. I love these colors –