Turn for the Better

Wow, the past two weeks just flew by! It was a flurry of back to school madness that isn't quite over yet as Reilly doesn't even go until Tuesday. Today we had our home visit with his teacher and that just about pushed me over the edge. I started cleaning last week and continued all week for a visit that lasted all of twenty minutes. Trust me the house really needed it, so it was the kick I needed. I want to send a big heartfelt thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. The words of encouragement, congratulations and appreciation put a huge smile on my face. I am quite sorry that I didn't respond to many of them, since life just got the best of my time. So, I'm sure you're all wondering who the lucky person is, and that is Rachel!!! Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it. Thankfully things have been looking up in my world. First, although we still don't know when my husband will be home, we have been given a time frame. Granted it spans about three weeks, but it's something. Also, redeployment events are starting to happen so the feeling is that it is finally happening. Second, we have been given orders back to Fort Benning, GA. Although it isn't the nicest place to be stationed, it isn't the worse by a long run either. More importantly he will be in a position that doesn't deploy. That's all I can ask for. Hurray! Fiber: "Ice Princess" merino Stats: 11 wpi, 290 yards This is the latest spinning to come off the wheel. I think it's very pretty, but not me at all, so it'll be up in the shop in a day or two. Then, I've been working feverishly on the Wheat-Ear Cable Raglan. I just joined the body and have still alot of knitting to do. I'm trying to hurry through it, since my yarn for the Tangled Yoke has arrived and I can't wait to start on that. Ok, gotta cut this short. Two children are screaming....

Three

Pattern: Worsted Weight Knee Highs, my own making Yarn: handspun "Flapper" Merino from The Yarn Wench I've been wanting a pair of knee highs for quite awhile now. I tried with my last pair of socks, but that didn't work out so I dragged this yarn out and gave it a try. I think they turned out wonderful, though I may have to reinforce the cuff with some elastic thread. They feel just a bit loose, but we'll see how they wear. I'm sure they'll keep my legs nice and warm once it gets cold and I have to walk the eldest to school. As the title may have suggested, today is officially my third anniversary blogging. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long! I originally had started this blog because I was bored out of my mind and needed something to do. Royd had just left for his last deployment and I didn't know anybody. The online companionship I found really helped through a difficult time. This deployment however has been entirely different. I'm sure many of my regular readers may have noticed my lack of enthusiasm. I sit down to the computer armed with pictures and stories to tell, but for whatever reason the words just don't come. The next two months may or may not be any better. He's now been gone for over a year and it's really starting to take it's toll. But on the brighter side of things, Reilly will be entering Kindergarten in two weeks and I will have more time to do other things. Maybe my mood will brighten with him out of the house every day. Long story short, I want to thank everyone that visits my little corner of the internet. I've made some fantastic online and real friends out of this. Thank you!!! So, what's a celebration without a giveaway? (Although this will be my first time celebrating, but whatever) How about some handspun yarn, spun especially for ya'll. Here's the skinny. Just guess how many yards are in this hank(oh, it's superwash merino btw) and the closest one wins! I'll leave the contest open until midnight Friday EST. Good luck!

Backlog

Gosh, I have no idea as where to start this post. I had stepped away from blogging for a couple weeks and now I've got a ton to share. Diving right in sounds good! Pattern: My So-Called Scarf Yarn: Manos del Uruguay, Wildflower This has been "technically" done for a few weeks now, I just hadn't gotten around to weaving those ends in until this morning. Honestly I forgot all about it until I cleaned out the knitting basket. That process deserves another whole post to itself. Pattern: made up as I went Yarn: handspun superwash merino I made this one for Marc and it fits great. I just wish he would leave it on so that I could get a picture. He hates hats. Pattern: Hot Head from Stitch N Bitch Yarn: handspun from the previous post (this color is more accurate) Yes, another Hot Head! Can you tell that I love this pattern??? This one's for me too. Yarn: Wollmeise, Krauterbeet Pattern: toe-ups with gussets and picot hem These were originally intended to be knee highs, but about three inches into the calf shaping I had to rip. The pooling just got plain ugly. So, I've got enough left for another pair in the future. I love this yarn! I'm waiting to see how they wear and wash up before I go ahead and do a big order. There's at least eight colorways I have to have and then a few more I wouldn't mind. Sock yarn problem? Nah. These are the handspun I finished in the last three weeks. You can get all the dirt on them at my Flickr Spinning Set. For whatever reason, the littlest one isn't napping very well lately. He's up, so my computer time is over. Happy knitting!

Tour de Fleece: Day ???

Ok. I'm lazy. Sure I could go count, but that would be too hard. I'm also way too lazy to go take a bunch of pictures of what I've been up to, so today it's just the spinning. Wool: "Crabapple" BFL from Hello Yarn Stats: 172 yards, chunky weight Fiber: "Royale" Superwash Merino from Funky Carolina Stats: 310 yards, sportweight This will become a pair of socks no doubt. Fiber: "Feelin' Pretty" Finn wool from Flawful Fibers Stats: 190 yards, chunky to sport weight Wow, Finn is nice! As soon as I can justify another wool order, I'll be including alot of this to play with. I really wanted this to be a nice thick yarn, but it kept telling me to go thinner. I managed to force it into submission for the most part. Also, the color is way off. It's much softer in natural light. Funny, it looked great when I saved it, but who knows what happened. I promise to include some knitting next week, since there has been a little. See you then!

Handspun Happiness

It's all about the spinning right now. Yet as much as I'd like to all day long, other little people have other things that they'd like to do. Since the sun has finally decided to visit Germany this summer, the playground and parks beckon. I needed some nice mindless project that would be easy to tote around as I wander behind them. Socks are out right now since I'm having a bit of boredom with them. These came into the picture as the next best thing: All were knit from recent handspun and all followed the basic pattern, Hot Head from Stitch n Bitch. All had different gauges than the pattern suggested, but were an easy enough modification. They also look adoreable on the boys, but pictures were out of the question. It's simply too hot for them to leave on for more than a quick try-on. Now that the required blue hats are finished, I can make some fun ones. There'll also be matching or coordinating mittens in the future. I just am not in the mood for thumbs. Being the true sports like person I am (ha ha, not really), I've been busy doing my pedaling. Fiber: "Hibiscus" 4 0z. merino/tencel from the Susan's Spinning Bunny Stats: 658 yards You may have remember me mentioning that I was going after fingering weight with this one. Oops. Well, it's my first laceweight that hasn't sucked or fallen apart during plying so I'll take it. The colors are bright, so I'm not sure what to do with it. I'm thinking maybe a very simple lace scarf. Well, we'll see. Fiber: superwash merino and nylon with angelina Stats: 468 yards That's better! I'm glad that I decided to test the blend out before selling it. Not only did I have to up the nylon content, but I got to see how much sparkle the angelina adds. Although I wasn't going for alot of bling, I would add more in the future. Speaking of sock batts, they're up for sale! I only managed to get two different ones done, since I haven't had much time to play this week. Hopefully this weekend I'll get to. Here's what I've come up with so far. Oh, and just so that y'all know how bad the sickness is, these were in my mailbox this morning. Yum.

Le Tour de Fleece: Day Seven

In my wanderings across blogland, I noticed that some people that are spinning along in Le Tour de Fleece had set some pretty big goals and challenges. Me, not so much. Here are mine: 1. spin something boy appropriate 2. spin one new fiber to me 3. finally finish that merino/tencel that's been in the works for way too long 4. not buy any new rovings That's it! The best part is that I've already knocked off two of them. I've already broken Goal 4, but it was all things that were on sale and I would never dye myself... Okay, I'm just weak. Goal 1 Fiber: "Summit" Falkland wool from The Yarn Wench Stats: 242 yards, 3.3 oz., bulky weight Although there are streaks of purple, which I consider more feminine, it blends in very nicely and I think this will become a nice hat or scarf. Goal 2 Fiber: "Kimono" merino, alpaca, silk and angelina from Loop Stats: 256 yards, just short of 3 oz., mostly fingering/sport This is what the batts looked like prior to spinning. This particular blend was a challenge to spin. At times the fiber spun so nicely and flowed through my fingers, and then it would just clump up and not budge. It also drifted apart causing my pants to become quite red. I'll have to remember this next time I use such a blend because I've got a few others that are quite similar. This is what I'm working on now. I'm testing out a blend of my own that are going to be for socks. Right off I know that I need to add some more nylon because I screwed up my calculations. Really, this is basic math and shouldn't have been messed up. Oh well. I spent all day yesterday dyeing over two pounds of solid colored superwash for these blends. Once they're dry and I get to blending, I'll be sure to let you know. In other shop related news, I did a HUGE update this past weekend. Since I have limited space for storing stuff and need to make room, I'm running a special on shipping (see store announcement for details) and to sweeten the deal, I'll even throw in a special offer for my blog readers. Just mention "knittinmama" when you pay and I'll take off 10% one item (highest priced and offer expires 7/20). You can either request a revised invoice or if you don't want anyone to snatch it from under you, just pay and I'll refund you. Okay, self promotion over. I've got to go get the boys ready for some errands. Have a great weekend everyone!

Boredom Busting

For the last three weeks, it has rained pretty much every day. This means alot of inside playing and lots of downtime for me. I'm running out of interesting activities that are appealing and have begun to resort to new Leapfrog cartridges and marathon movie sessions. I picked up where I had left off in pre-move activities when the extension was announced and have been cleaning like a madwoman. (not that you'd really be able to tell, since the boys tend to follow me around and undo everything) When I can't clean anymore, I turn to the fiber. This week, more so than ever. I've gotten ALOT done. Pattern: Whisper Lace Socks from Have You Any Wool Yarn: J. Knits Superwash Me in New Jersey Love these socks! They're the first pair I've knit for myself in awhile, since it's been all about the holiday gift pile. I can't recommend the pattern enough, they're so delicate and feminine. Just what every girl needs! I had been merrily knitting away on the Wollmeise socks until the heel didn't quite work out as planned. Rather than redoing it, I casted on for a pair of Monkey. Don't worry, I've begun the heel again, and if it ever stops raining they'll become my playground project. The Tour de Fleece starts this weekend and I've been busy warming up. Wool: Superwash merino dyed with spruce green and vermillion Stats: 322 yards, sport weight Wool: "Tulip" BFL from The Spunky Eclectic (June club offering) Stats: 278 yards, dk weight Wool: black corriedale with purple and teal colonial from the following batts Stats: 176 yards, dk/worsted weight These batts were lots of fun to make. They're three layers total. One black, then wide strips of the purple and teal and then another black. Then I pulled them into roving so that the three colors would mingle nicely. Then I made another two to put into the shop. Afterwards I went digging and found some roving from another Etsy seller that almost matched these colors. Heh. I guess I'll get a matching set of mittens and hat cuz it's just screaming to me mittens. When the yarn screams at you, you just gotta listen!

Droolworthy

Hello out there! I am still alive, the universe hasn't exploded and I'm doing quite well. Thank you for all of the very nice comments that were left for me earlier this week. I've been avoiding my inbox since it seems to be breeding. Heck, I'm still working on last week's emails! I suppose if I would just sit down and do it, instead of playing with fiber... Nah. I don't know about you, but I highly enjoy reading the Yarn Pron/Fiber Fridays that some bloggers do. Unofficially I've been doing them occasionally, just not always on Friday and thought it might be a nice installment on this blog. Of course, due to my sporadic posting, you'll get to see the goodies whenever I get around to posting them. This week I got a few packages that really helped with my mood. These would be my latest sock stash enhancements from the Loopy Ewe. Yes, I did swear to Kathleen a few weeks ago that I would not be buying any until I finished quite a few more socks. Oops! Oh, and yes those are some fingers in the bottom of the picture. A certain little baby is quite fascinated with the yarn, grabbing and running whenever the opportunity presents itself. These two came from Funky Carolina. I just realized this week that I had spun some of hers awhile back and never showed it here. It's now in a new home and I hope she is enjoying it. Ok, enough of that. Onto what I've been doing already! Yup, I started another sock with the Krauterbeet Wollmeise. OMG. I love this yarn. The yarn itself is firmly twisted, kinda like Lorna's Laces, but is still oh so soft when knitted up. Can I just tell you now that I'll be ordering much more of this? Eight colorways will be mine, at least. Fiber: 3.5 oz Falkland "Welder Brook Hollow" from PippiKneeSocks Stats: Bulky weight, 158 yards These are one of her solar dyed wools that she described in her article for the Summer Knitty. I saw it and thought "boy". I'm trying to make a conscious effort to buy more boy-friendly wools since I have to tendancy to just buy for myself. So far, I've made a good contribution to the stash, and just need to spin them. Look! I finally made some batts! The colors a little funny in both pictures. The top is a bit more blue and the bottom doesn't show the chocolate brown all that well. These will be up in the shop sometime this weekend as soon as I can get some decent pictures and final weights. Of course, if you can't wait for that, you can always email me. Phew, is that enough for y'all to drool over?

I Give

Thursday The fridge dies. A call to the Housing Office gets me an estimated time frame of "someone will be out by the day's end". Uh, my fridge is registering 55F and getting warmer. Okay whatever. Thankfully someone is out by lunch and and a new one is in it's place by three. Between those times I had to throw out pretty much everything. It's gets better. As I'm inspecting my fridge in the morning, I find that on the underside of the door, black mold has sprouted. A quick Google search reveals that this explains my lightheadness, nausea and headaches. I spend the entire morning inspecting everything in my house. Merino Tencel singles on the wheel Friday Grocery shopping for the second time this week. Ouch! Then, apparently my upstair's neighbors apartment has become the party house. I get to listen to the bass pounding as I fall asleep. My So Called Scarf on the needles Saturday I finally talk to the hubby after a week and a half. Yay! At this point we discuss bank account charges and he swears he didn't make "those". I curse him quietly and promise to look into it. Whisper Lace Socks on the needles Sunday At exactly 4:20 the all weekend party breaks up as the now drunk and tired guests literally fall down the stairs. I never get back to bed. Then, I get a horrible email informing me that our Commanding Officer's 15 year old son has died unexpectedly. Yarn: Handspun from "Hunkered" courtesy Hello Yarn Pattern: Basic Mittens from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns Monday I go to the bank and find out that it's not my husband's bank card making these charges, but mine. At this point I feel every single fiber in my body go limp and I just want to cry. But I can't. I go home and call the companies and get some info. Then it's up to the Police Station to file a report and then back home after three hours to cancel the rest of my cards. So, either my computer got hacked or a business I purchased from did. I swear! It just keeps getting better and better with each day. I keep waking up in the morning wondering what's next. Come on, Powers-That-Be, give me your best! No, really you don't have to... I don't want to see what else can come up.

'Cuz I Have a Minute

I can't say that much is going on around these parts lately. Honestly, I'm only posting because I've had pictures ready for a few and I'm bored. This doesn't happen all that much and when it does I feel useless. Sure, there's lots that I could be doing... So, I've been cooped up in the house this week with sick little boys. Marc started it all on Monday, Connor last night and Reilly this afternoon. I'm just waiting for it to hit me. It's been threatening to take me down as I've been funny all week. It's almost like I haven't had any coffee in the morning and I get dizzy alot. On top of it I have no desire to eat and it's hot. Of course, there's a million things that need to get done this week. Oh well, next week's good too. So, before they all got sick, I headed out to Kathleens on Sunday for a little companionship. These babies were waiting for me: Super yummy Wollmeise in Indisch Rot and Krauterbeet I wanted to try it out before testing out the logistics of getting it delivered to my building, (I wouldn't put it past my neighbors to make a package disappear if I weren't home) so we did a combined order. They haven't told me what they want to be yet. Instead they're keeping my desktop pretty. Plus at only 13 euros for 150 grams, it's a steal! There's been quite a bit of knitting going on this week as well. Too bad I'm gonna have to rip it out. It's my own fault for not swatching and then knitting an entire sock. Yes, you may smack my hand. Fiber: "Flapper" merino from the Yarn Wench Stats: 7.8 oz, 528 yards, approx. 11 wpi The spinning is still going strong. Have another two bobbins that need plying and I started on some new stuff. Merino/tencel and a desired finished yarn of fingering weight make for some slow spinning. Well, it's medicine time and someone needs some quality time. Have a great week!

My New Toy

It's here! It's here!!! It's a Strauch 205 Drum Carder Oh, I splurged big time. I've been wanting one of these bad boys for quite some time, but just hadn't wanted to spend the money. After playing with some other batts I had bought, I knew I had to have one. I'm still waiting for the brush attachment, but that'll be here shortly. I set it up last night and played around a bit with some scrap wool. This morning I pulled out some colors and got to color blending. I'm still getting a feel for it and have learned that it's very easy to put too much fiber in at a time. There's lots to learn and lots of fun to be had. Oh, and have you seen these? Too cute!

The Little Things

It's almost halfway through June already and I'm in a funk. Yes, the month is flying by but for personal reasons it's dragging. The hubby was suppose to be coming home this month. Sigh. Only five more months now. Or twenty weeks. Or my personal favorite, twenty more shopping trips with children in tow. Oh yeah, I'm really looking forward to that. Being at home all day with the little ones can be quite draining on you emotionally. There aren't any "breaks" and sometimes it feels like all you do is say "NO!". I think that is why I feel the urgent need to be creative. It feeds my desire for individuality and gives me the escape that I so desperately need. After a long hard day, I want nothing more to surround myself with wooly goodness. I thought I'd share a few pictures of what has been making me smile around the house. Super soft socks that feel like butter in my fingers, thanks to some extra nice yarn. A finished skein of handspun. ("Broken Hearts" merino from CJ Kopec's Creations, 266 yards, DK-ish) A basket of predrafted roving awaiting tonights quiet time. (Courtesy the Yarn Wench. Yes, I think I love her.) A color wheel that makes choosing colors alot of fun. Yeah, it's has been alot of fun.