Knitter in Progress...

Hey Robin,
As much as I have been trying to avoid adding yet another fiber-centered obsession to my repertoire, I have found myself bitten by the spinning bug.

After my first attempt at learning-by-ditto-paper-instructions was a bust, I was given a few pointers by friends who spin a LOT and then you pointed me in the direction of Megan LaCore and I was re-intrigued by the prospect of creating my own knit-fodder.... I purchased some wool from a Falkland sheep (not directly, sheep can't use the internet... I think the screen gives them a headache) and started prepping/drafting the fiber per Megan's instructions.

Here's what I have so far with just a little fiber left to add to the spindle:

 

Sorry I had to use a flash, the light has not been awesome around here lately... the colors are much richer and for the record, this is a lot of yarn. I think it might be too much to have on the spindle all at once, but there's so little left to add that it seems silly to start a new batch! 

...though now I have to buy a new spindle because... shoot... it looks so nice sitting there on this one, how could I remove it? (Frankly I am scared to do it. I have no idea how to get it off there without it becoming a hot mess... any pointers? Anyone? ...Beuller?)

I'm just so proud of myself!

Later ;)

So. Much. Work.

Super Mario Sweater Vest.  I am overwhelmed by the work that went into that wonderfully geeky vest.

[via Wonderland]

Catching up (again)

Hey Robin!
With the passing of the holidays, I finally find myself able to get some pictures taken and organized. Whee! A lot got completed in the mad scramble to clear off some needles before the New Year, what a relief that is. The ability to start new projects that don't really have a deadline is somewhat foreign lately...

Here we go. First up, I finished pair #2 of Through the Garden Gate. I like them in variegated!

Pattern: My own: Through the Garden Gate

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Loch Ness colorway.

Next is a hat request from the Darling Hubster. I used the Point-Down Toque pattern which really just turns out to be a rough guideline. It worked fine for my purposes and Hub is really happy with it. He especially likes the tassle I think. The yarn was a gift from him (bless him), and I don't think he meant to give me yarn so I would make him a hat... but it's a great color and I definitely think it belongs as this hat.

Project: Scat (yes, I know what that means but it's a hat/scarf!)

Yarn: Patton's Classic Wool in... blue.

Next is one of the items I gifted which I didn't want to show before just in case. This was a gift for my Dad's best friend. She's really a special person and I wanted to make her something to keep her neck and hands warm when she rides her bike to work on a chilly morning. Here's a pic of her wearing the cowl, it looks so great on her!

Pattern: Melony Cowl

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Rich Chocolate colorway

Lastly, here's a design I've been working on and I would like to 'sneak peek' it to you all today in hopes of gauging some interest in a written pattern. I saw a commercially produced hood like this somewhere and started working on designing one in my head. Finally got some pretty chunky-weight yarn and gave it a go. Alterations will be necessary, but mostly the finished product will look like this:

I love the gentle cabling and the way it covers my head. I also like that there's no seaming! I know, seaming is NOT hard, but any chance to avoid it is a good thing in my book. I am looking for a good name for it as well, any ideas?

That's all I got today, Later!