January 2008

Blue Period

Thursday, January 31, 2008

I like blue but isn't this too much?

The cardigan I'm working on is blue. (Well, teal, so in the blue family.)

My next project will be blue.

I've never tried Malabrigo before so when I finally get it, it's blue! In fact, the whole haul I got was blue...

I did mention I like blue. :)

Now onto today's rant portion of the blog. The site I ordered the yarn from doesn't label their yarns very clearly. They had some misleading information re: yardages and the recommended needle sizes for the Malabrigo they have, and what I thought was Malabrigo Chunky ended up actually being Worsted. I had Hannah (Ravelry) in mind for the Chunky so now what do I do?? Maybe I'll just swatch, recalculate and do Hannah anyway.

Briefly in Finnish. Vinkki niille, jotka tilaavat Ketunpää-Tuotteesta Malabrigoa: jos ehdotettu puikkokoko on 5-6, kyseessä on Malabrigo Merino Worsted; jos taas 7-9, lanka on todennäköisesti Malabrigo Chunky. Myös kerien metrimäärät heittävät häränpyllyä ainakin jos vertaa Malabrigon omiin sivuihin.

No pics of the spinning yet (sorry!) but I can tell that I had at least one instant when it sort of clicked and I stopped forcing the yarn. I'm still having inconsistency issues re: the thickness of the yarn and I have trouble controlling the twist. Sometimes it feels like I'm doing pretty good and the very next minute it all goes to heck. :) Oh well, getting there slowly.

Coming soon (provided I can get my ass into gear): socks, socks and more socks Project Spectrum!

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New Obsession

Friday, January 25, 2008

This is so not going to end well.

There's been a learn-to-spin craze going 'round... and I caught the bug. It's been weird -- it seems like every innocent looking knitting blog I read lately is either by someone who's a terrible handspun enabler (I blame Ilu for her wicked ways and Elemm for his gorgeous fiber porn photography) or someone who, like me, has heard the call of the dark side (Muoriska, I feel for you). And then it all made perfect sense: January 2008 is NaSpiMoMo, National Spin More Month. It's a conspiracy! No wonder I couldn't resist.

So I fell hard. Got the spindle. Got the fiber. Don't have the faintest idea what to do with them. :D These have been more than helpful:

• Beginning Spinners Ravelry group
• The Joy of Handspinning -- lots of great videos
• ISpindle.com videos, especially park and draft
• Something to drool about
• Etsy is bad for you(r credit card)

By the way, in the photo: Louet bottom whorl spindle and natural and black (not dyed! from black sheep!) fleece, 100g each, all from Villa Laurila. More pics when I figure out what the heck I'm supposed to do now...

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Lady Luck

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

I never win. I can't say that anymore now can I? Miss Fortune favored me again, this time in a contest hosted by June of PlanetJune.

Last week, she asked people to come up with a name for her new range of water animal amigurumi. The winning suggestion: AquaAmi. The prize: a free pattern from her pattern store. Go visit her, they're all adorable! :)

I had a really hard time picking just once pattern (you know, I may just have to buy them all someday) 'cause they're all so damn cute. In the end, I chose these dudes (I hope June doesn't mind that I pinch this photo)...

Fuzzy Lambs! :) (Ravelry link) Because wool, and thereby yarn, comes from sheep. I may be soon getting a real hands-on experience about how exactly wool transforms to yarn but more on that later. :) Here's a hint...

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Fiber Quiz

Thursday, January 10, 2008

I love quizzes. You know, the fun ones that reveal something about your personality but not really. (Or do they?) Like, which programming language (C++, seriously?) or caffeinated beverage (iced tea, spot on!) or Discworld character (Granny Weatherwax) or superhero (Spider-Man) you are. OK, here's a sure-fire fave for all knitters: Which fiber are you? :)

And apparently, I'm angora. Here's what it says:

Angora – Soft and warm
"Angora has a warmth that rivals cashmere and softness that rivals qiviut. Best of all, it comes from cute little bunnies that look for all the world like furry footstools with ears." – The Knitter's Book of Yarn

Angoras are eager to please and are highly sensitive. Flexibility and adaptability are your strengths and sometimes your weakness, as well. You are essentially a warm and feeling person, and little escapes your impressionable mind. You are generous with others and strive for harmony in your relationships.

Aww! Also, yay bunnies. Never mind that I've never knit with angora. :)

Which fiber are you?

P.S. Oh yeah, I tweaked the RSS feed a bit: you can now read the full post, pics and all, within your feed aggregator.

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