*dust off blog*

Hey look! I'm alive! Ravelry kept me busy for a full year and a half, but it's about time I get back to blogging. If anyone's out there, hi! Welcome! Comment so I'll remember to blog more.

Two very special packages arrived today. I'll start with the less exciting one:

... which is actually pretty exciting. A large order from Spunky Eclectic (which took me about four hours to get due to everyone overloading the site when Amy updated). From left to right there are 4 oz braids of: Organic Merino in Lucas, Shetland in Brain Freeze, Orchard, and Mandy, and Panda in Burning Ember.

The reason that is the less exciting package? See what else came:



MY FIRST WHEEL!!!!! A double treadle Ashford Joy I ordered from Carol over at Sheep Shed Studios. I'm a little excited in case you can't tell.

Anyone who's seen all the fiber I've ordered this week has probably figured out that I think this wheel is going to make spinning faster. However, I was living under the happy delusion that after mastering the drop spindle the wheel would be a breeze.

I was a tad bit wrong. Like learning to spin on a drop spindle, knit for the first time, ect, it feels like you're an elephant trying to do ballet. Awkward. There's all this.... stuff... going on. The wheel turns. It turns two ways actually, and it's easy to mix up which way it's supposed to be going. The flyer... moves. Yarn falls off the hooks. The leader gets sucked through the orafice, sans fiber.

All this produces:


Lumpy bumpy "why-no-I've-never-spun-before-even-on-a-spindle" yarn.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. After all, it's a spinning wheel. A spinning wheel I wouldn't have been able to afford without what I affectionately call "The Bank of Mommy*" (*The Bank of Mommy not available in all areas. Subject to exceptions. Interest may include cleaning of bathrooms) However, I guess I had some unrealistic exceptions.

Tomorrow will be a new day, a day I can spend most of spinning on my new wheel (which needs a name, btw. Suggestions, anyone?).

Maybe I'll master drafting on the wheel before the other two packages of fiber I'm getting arrive.

*stares* So close, so close..... *runs off to take pictures of stash*

I'm so fickle. I wasn't in the mood for any of my zillion WIPs the other night, so I cast on for a Dream Swatch.


I'm using a partial skein of sock yarn someone so graciously sent me, and even labeled all of the sock yarn scraps, but the tag is upstairs. Its really beautiful though. After the first pattern repeat I changed to 4 yarnovers so the pattern looks more like the pictures. I already have plans for about five more of these, so it had better look good on me!

I'm almost done the Llama socks. Just one more toe and I'm done. *cannot wait* I really hate knitting under pressure. That's not to say I mind knitting these, because I don't, and I'm getting free yarn from a really nice person in exchange, I just kind of like to knit where the yarn sends me, you know? I flit from project to project and never end up casting on the project I think I'm going to next.

Here's a close up of some of my SWS grannies. I had to crack into another colorway, but at least I had another in shades of pink, so I think it'll blend well. I love the way it looks. It promises to be a well-worn scarf this winter.


I'm almost done my Monkeys, which I just added to the sidebar because I had forgotten that I hadn't finished them.

And I'll leave you with a very pretty cake of yarn. My own hand dyed sock yarn, in a colorway I call "Bloody Mary". A bunch of the family is getting together on Saturday, many of whom I haven't seen in a long time, so I want to have a sock cast on to knit while I visit, out of my own dyed yarn. Yes, I like to show off. :) I'll post pics of that sock as soon as its on its way.


Grr! I don't know why my flickr thingy isn't working!