Homespun

It's been a long week, Pocketeers.  But I got to cap it off with the Homespun Yarn Party at Savage Mill.  I caught up with some dear friends and had a lot of fun.  And I even got to treat myself on a small budget :)  I'll let the pics do the talking...

The Sanguine Gryphon:

Snallygaster Fibers:



To be honest, I bought the "Downy Oshun, Hon" almost as much for the name as for the colors.  I almost bought a skein of "Bromo Seltzer Tower" too but managed to control myself.  What doesn't appear here is the skein of "Poppies in the Field" that I got for my mom from Space Cadet Creations.  But I'm sure she'll be posting pictures of what she makes with it pretty soon, because I happen to know she's excited to work with it :)

Also, I actually have some of my own handspun to show.  Finally.  Remember a couple weeks ago when I posted a pic of me spinning?  Here's what I was working on:

Merino in "Primrose."  I don't know who actually produces this, because it's one of a few blended rovings that a lot of vendors sell at MDSW.  If anybody knows where this ultimately comes from, please let me know.

Science Fantasy

Whoa almost forgot yarn pr0n Friday! And I have just the thing.

In my magic loop class, a skein of hand-dyed sock yarn was included in the class fee. We all got to choose our own color from the selection that our lovely teacher brought. One colorway leapt out at me.


I surveyed, I saw, I snatched. It was like everything I ever wanted in a yarn color at that moment.



When I looked at the name, it was like it was meant to be. SCIENCE FICTION.



I know I'm more of a fantasy fan than a scifi fan, but I'm fairly equal-opportunity. Of anyone in that room, that yarn wanted to go home with me most of all. It told me so.

Go Ravens!

So, my Ravens may have embarrassed themselves last night in Pittsburgh while I was at rehearsal, but there is still cause to rejoice. In the yarn world, that is.

Blue Moon has finally released their Raven Series! I've been waiting for this on the edge of my proverbial seat. I mean, it's me. I've long adored black and ravens and Poe and gothic themes. So the idea of a collection of yarn or patterns (cos I wasn't sure which it would be, or if it would be both) centered on ravens thrilled me, filled me with fantastic visions (to paraphrase the poet). Fortunately, it's all I had hoped for and more :) I want one of every color. They are SO beautiful, and I'm sure even moreso in person.

Now to scrounge enough money to pay for them all...

*falls over*

Stitches is evil. In a good way.

I am exhausted, broke, and overwhelmed, but happy. Stitches East has done this to me.

It's not my fault.

Well, maybe a little.

See, all year I've been looking forward to Stitches. All. Year. And it was finally here! Mom and I signed up for a Thursday class so we could be up there for the Market Preview for students. And I signed up for a class all day on Saturday with (oh my GAWD) Maggie Jackson. *swoon* I want to be just like her when I grow up...

So Thursday was a blast. I had to take a half day off from work, but it was worth it. Pattern Writing 101 became three hours of why Carrie may never write a sweater pattern ever. But it was informative and helpful, and Edie Eckman is a wonderful teacher and a really nice person. Dinner made me feel better, though, because the SoTS got together, along with a couple of honorary members, and had a fabulous dinner at which the bartender did not charge us for our beer. Free stuff is always a good thing. Especially when you are about to break the bank. Heh heh. Heh. Oh boy.

Blue Moon Fiber Arts was my first stop. I probably should've just gone home after that. The mad crowds there were, well, mad. As in insane. But I managed to find what I wanted, and a bit more... heh heh... For the record, the element with the atomic number 6 is carbon. It also happens to be a beautiful yarn color. (I should mention that pictures will be forthcoming.)

Beyond that, everything is a blur. I know I got to The Mannings' booth. Because that's where I found the Zitron roving that I've been dying for, and the stars and stripes self-patterning sock yarn. And I know I spent more on one ball of yarn than any single ball of yarn should cost, except for that particular ball of yarn, which is more expensive normally but was discounted for the show. That very special ball of yarn happens to be quiviut. Musk ox down. Oh so fluffy, oh so soft. And oh so mine.

And I know that I met Doris Chan. *cue fangirl* SQUEEEE!!! She's my new hero. I love her books. In fact, I bought Everyday Crochet without even looking through it. And she is the sweetest person EVER. She was excited to hear that I had made the pineapple skirt and love it, and even more excited to hear that I want to make one out of hemp, because she's made a skirt out of hemp, and she promised to wear said hemp skirt on Saturday so I could see it. The pattern's not available yet, but it will be soon I think.

I even bought a present for my spinning wheel. Merriweather now has a new orifice hook, and it's appropriately blue. Sheila and Michael Ernst do such beautiful work.

Let me tell you, going to work on Friday was tough. I definitely had a yarn-over. But I made it through because I had to go offsite with a couple of my officemates, and I have fun with them. And at Murph's place I finished my newest project, of which I will post pictures when I'm ready for the big reveal.

So Saturday I had to get up at the crack of DOOOOOM to get to class on time. I mean I got up earlier than I do for work. That ain't right. But I did it. And I got there on time, in my pineapple skirt and my new project, strangely bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (I do have a bushy tail, being a squirrel and all). In line at Starbucks I ran into -- guess who -- Doris Chan! And she was wearing her hemp skirt, and it is beautiful. And she did like my pineapple skirt in BRIGHT pink Microspun. *glee* It was a good way to start the morning.

My day with Maggie Jackson was amazing. She's so clever, it amazes me the way she thinks to put things together. Her designs are so offbeat, and while there are a lot of them that I wouldn't necessarily wear, I love the way she combines techniques and puts things together in different and unexpected ways. She's just so inspiring. And I'm an even bigger fan now that I've taken her class. In fact, I'm going to do a Halloween scarf a la Maggie Jackson, because it's FUN. If I have the time between now and Halloween, that is. *crosses fingers* And as soon as I become rich and have about $5000 to spare, I'm totally going on one of her Knitting Retreats in Spain. Definitely. I'd say it's a life goal.

Now, because I needed more stuff like I need a hole in my head, where did I go at lunch and after class? Oh, back to the market, with Mom, who had come along on Saturday just to shop. Yes, I got the hemp for my skirt. And some Habu stainless steel and wool. And maybe (just maybe) some roving from Kid Hollow Farm. Which this morning I couldn't resist playing with, and I might (just maybe) have sat down at my spinning wheel and stood back up with a full skein of two-ply bulky yarn. Might have. I couldn't help it! It's not my fault! The roving was calling to me! It was like the Amityville Horror in reverse.

And now it's all over. And I had to spend the day (except for the brief spinning break) doing alterations for the show. Gonna be a hellishly busy week. But nowhere near as fun. *sigh*

Is it next year yet?

Combination Thursday

I suck at this game. Haven't posted in over a week again. Lame... I'll just have to combine yesterday's WiP post and tomorrow's Yarn Pr0n.

Anywho, I've got new stuff going on. Got a new design in the works, which I've got pics of in progress, and I've got a gig doing costumes for Ragtime. A little intimidating. And by "a little" I mean "a lot." Granted, I won't be building the costumes myself, we're going to be renting them. But still. That's a big show to manage. *gulp*

Meanwhile, I've still got the Razor Cami on the needles.


But look!

Ten inches done!!!

And, as I said, I've got a new design in the works. It's a shawl. I'm hoping it's gonnna turn out the way I've planned.


And the yarn pr0n? It's the yarn I'm using for my new design! Mountain Colors Half-Crepe, in the Eureka colorway.





Yum, right?

By the way, is it Fall yet? I love Summer, but I'm very ready for Fall to be here. I'm getting psyched about Halloween. It's putting me in quite the Gothic mood. And this, from the new issue of Somerset Studio, made me gleefully Gothic. It's from the article "Model Behavior" by Michelle Ward (apologies for the crappy photos).

Who's that dapper gentleman on stage left?


Why, I do believe it's Ville Valo! *squee* Only, ya know, one of my ALL TIME favorite singers, from one of my ALL TIME favorite bands. Perhaps even #1 for me, though that's tough what with Blackmore's Night, David Bowie, The Beatles, and The Monkees around. Yes, I'm weird. But yeah, I've been flipping through The Victorian Trading Co. catalog repeatedly, looking at all their Halloween stuff, not to mention their usual merchandise. Gaaahhh! Is it Halloween time yet??? No, no... I can be patient... I can wait... Really...

The other thing that Fall brings is the Renaissance Festival. Oh yes. Can't wait to go! It's open, but this is me not braving the heat to go to the RenFest. I'll go, yes, but not yet. Also an opportunity for Gothic fun, by the way. Just a slightly different kind of Gothic. Whee!

I also need to order some superwash wool in navy blue and in gold. Football season is starting soon, there's a lot of gear I need to make for tailgates!

Gaaahhh, so much to do, so little time! EEEEP!!!

New Yarn, New Craft!

Friday is a happy day. Last week I went yarn shopping. And this week I get to show you my favorite of the fruits of that shopping trip!


Blue Heron Yarns, colorway "Chesapeake"






I love it. It's rayon with sparkliness in it. Yum! It's got the most luscious drape.

Also, an update. On Wednesday, my friend Joyce came over and we learned a new craft. Chainmaille! I've been wanting to learn for a while. So we were talking about it at work and finally decided we'd both learn. Ordered a couple of beginner kits from www.theringlord.com and when they came in we got together to learn together. Here we go!



Ring-a-ling-things:


Joyce at work:


I didn't get any good shots of my finished product, and it was just a strip anyway, but here's a pic Joyce took of hers:


I don't really need another hobby, but hey. I wanted to learn, and I think it's a valuable craft to have in my repertoire. I've got grand plans. We'll see how well it works out...

Presents!

My man is wonderful. See, we've been having a bit of a rough spot, as people do, and he felt maybe we need to get back to the romance and the sweet little things that we used to do for each other but let slip recently. So I come home from work to this:



He had taken his afternoon after work and run around accumulating things for me to enjoy on my evening that I'd claimed all for myself, and sneakily dropped it off at my house before I got home. My man is wonderful.

And so this week's yarn pr0n is going to be from the gift basket. It's Lion Brand Homespun in Gothic. Who knew humble Lion Brand Homespun could be so beautiful? Maybe that's the sentimentality in me talking.



I confess, I like Homespun. A lot. It's just so damn cozy. And the two skeins of it that my wonderful man gave me today are going to become something warm for football season. Which is only two months and... 15 days? away. Go Ravens!

And, just an update: I spun a skein of yarn on Ford today! Spun, plied, and cabled! The cabling was a pain, because I got it snarled right at the beginning, so that made the whole process difficult. But it turned out almost completely balanced. Yay! I'm withholding pics until Handspun Monday.

Also, I'm starting to feel pretty down on myself as an aspiring designer. I haven't designed much of anything in a while. I certainly haven't been particularly productive in crochet or knitting. Mostly in spinning. There are projects that I need to finish on a deadline right now, and then I've got a to-do list as long as my arm. The problem is, only two or three of the projects on said to-do list are originals. I was going to write up a pattern for Gryphon, but I didn't because I wasn't pleased with the prototype. Now I might have another one I can do for her, but I don't know if it'll work and I need to actually get to doing one up, and frankly I'm terrified that it's going to turn out to be not so brilliant after all. Argh.

That's it, I need to stop ranting and go to bed. Just gotta focus on my presents and let it all go. Because my man is wonderful.

Where'd the Week Go?

Come back, week! On second thought, don't.

So, I missed WiP Wednesday. It's kinda okay, because I didn't have any new WiPs to show, at least not until I got home from knitting guild. And then I only had a foundation chain and a few stitches of the first row. Not terribly impressive. I guess I could've posted pics of Ford with his new coat of primer, but I think I'll make you all wait for the finished product.

Anyway, it's now Friday, and I'm going to make up for Wednesday by joining in the fibery goodness of Yarn Pr0n Fridays! And so without further ado, I bring you the yarn that my wonderful friend Irene bought me in Germany:



It's wool and acrylic, and it's really soft, and I LOVE the color. Let's take a closer look, shall we? C'mon Goteborg, work it!



Yum. And one more yarn for this week, a silk that I got at MDS&W. It's soooo wonderful. I'm a big fan. It didn't get its own photoshoot, though, just a few snapshots. Here's the best one (sad, I know):



It's so... silky! And shiny! And there's ever-so-subtle color variations. And I have no clue what to use it for.

So I'm really glad it's Friday. It means the work week is over, and it means that tomorrow is Saturday. W0000t! This Saturday will be especially fun, because Pam and I are getting together to paint Zaphod and Ford. So excited! Spiffy paintjobs on our spiffy wheels! I can't wait to show off Ford when I'm done :) And Pam, I'll have everything we need, including Vanilla Coke and the Hitchhiker's Guide dvd running in the background :)

WiPing myself into shape...

Okay, I don't have a witty parody like Cristi's. Though I have been humming that all day and giggling.



I just have the one and only thing on my hook at the moment. WiPs and now hooks? Ouch...



It's a present, so shhh don't tell anybody that it's not finished.





It looks a lot better in person. The yarn is Rowan Summer Tweed. I wanted to make a simple spring scarf, cos the recipient lives up north and so spring is still rather brisk. I started out knitting it, but ripped it out and switched to crochet because, well, I like it better. Also, when you're already behind schedule, it helps to use the craft you can do faster.

One more, ok? A spinning WiP, also a future gift.


One ply of luscious baby camel. So soft. This got lots of comments in the courthouse I was working in for the week. I love spinning in public. Plying this has been kind of a bear, though. Aside from the fact that I can't ply worth crap, it got all tangled and I totally flipped out. My daddy is a hero, though, and he has mad skillz at untangling things. Mom helped too, but she doesn't have the fishing experience that Dad does ;) Maybe the finished product will be my Friday pr0n.

Now I've got so many more projects to start. A baby blanket, a vest for myself, something for an auction I'm donating to... eep. I guess this makes tomorrow "Impending Projects Thursday," or something more catchy.

Mixed Mail

So yesterday's mail was exciting. I got two packages that I'd ordered, and a big envelope from Interweave Crochet. To which I had submitted a pattern. Eeeeee!

But alas. They cannot accept my submission at this time. Oh well, I'll just have to hawk it elsewhere (yes, I looked it up, that's the correct spelling for that use of the word). The form letter was very nice. I'm only moderately disappointed.

The two packages that did come in, though, were awesome. I got the squirrel fabric I ordered from www.reprodepot.com which is ADORABLE and is going to be part of a skirt and probably a purse as well. Also, I got the five skeins of EcoYarns organic cotton that I ordered to do a baby blanket for my family friends' impending new arrival.

Which means I now need a pattern.

Enter Barnes & Noble.

I went ahead and bought 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns by Jan Eaton. I like her books. I like them even though there are not 200 distinct patterns, but rather 200 different colorways and only maybe 100ish different patterns. That's okay. Different colors can totally give a different look. Besides, I liked a lot of the ripple patterns. Just like I like a lot of the blocks in her 200 Crochet Blocks book.

Now I just have to decide. Eeep!

Piccies!!!

Okay, I promised pictures, and now you shall have them. It's late and I should be in bed, so all you get is the pics, though. No news. Even if I had some.

So, where to start? Shall I start with...

...my first finished skein of yarn from my new wheel? It's a heathered grey and purple wool I got from Mangham Manor Farm. Not particularly great quality, but it ends up pretty. Note the ball of roving still left to spin. Here's a closeup of the skein:

But since I really think I'm ADD, instead of finishing that massive ball of roving, I moved on already to...


My natural brown carded merino. This is wheel-spun and navajo plied also on the wheel. I'm a big fan of navajo plying now. It's like crochet on a larger scale!



My medieval-spindle spun merino. 2 ply. Not so great, but now I'm working on spinning very fine on that spindle and it seems to be working a lot better. Wait till I show you the results of that... I'm thinking socks.

So my pics are not as good as Pam's but I hope you've enjoyed them. A little bit of mid-week yarn pr0n. And I can't wait to make more...

Whoops!

Okay so I didn't post pictures. I still haven't downloaded them from my camera. But as it turns out I don't have to go to rehearsal tonight so I'll do that. Meanwhile, though, I figure I'll update about the weekend.

First off, Pam is evil. EEEEEVIL. She alerted me to the fact that Knit Happens had Alchemy yarns on sale. I now have three skeins of Synchronicity coming to me, waiting for a project. Maybe I should join that KAL that Pam joined. The stash-building one. *sigh*

And then the reason that I didn't go ahead and post my pics this weekend is that I went away for my birthday to an SCA event back "home." Even entered the A&S novice competition with some of my merino spun on my medieval replica spindle! Also, started seeing how fine I could spin on said spindle. Wow. I have thread :) I really miss that barony, because there's so much emphasis on A&S down there. Unlike up here, where there's one A&S meeting per month. As opposed to once a week at "home." Plus, all my SCA friends are there, and they're wonderful people, and I am so sad that I don't get to play with them anymore. That's the real reason, but the lack of A&S up here makes it more difficult to make new friends, which would ease the pain a little. Oh listen to me, going all emo...

Anyway, I did not buy any yarn all weekend *snif* but I did get a knitted hood, which I am going to reverse engineer. It's really more like a head sock. It's a tube that then increases at the bottom to cover the shoulders. Bad description, I know. But it's really fun and nifty and I want different colors to go with all my garb! Yeah, me = huge dork. And sock head.

So, in summary: Pam is evil, SCA is good, my beloved home barony is better, and I need to post pictures. Sounds about right.