Stash Enhancement and Finishing

Last Wednesday night I got the opportunity to attend knit night again, after about five weeks of not getting to go. I hadn't intended buying anything that night, but my drink changed that idea. Why did my drink change my plan? The lid came off while I was setting it down and some of it spilled on this beautiful ball of blue. I ended up coming home with a ball of Zauberball. I don't normally by single ply yarn, I don't like it that much, but I really do like the color. I haven't decided yet what I will do with this yarn, but I'm sure it will sit in the stash a while before I get around to using it.

In other news, I have another completed project. I completed knitting this little sweater for our staff pharmacist's new little girl about three weeks ago, but it has taken me until this past weekend to get the sleeves sewn up and the button sewn on.


Speaking of the button, I really like how this button works with the sweater and it accents the flowers on the pockets of the little pair of jeans I bought to go with the sweater.


The clothes are size 6 - 9 month size and the sweater fits right along with the sizing of them. I really like how this little outfits turned out.

I have other completed projects to show, but have to wait until they get to their intended recipients before showing them off. I have requests for hats which I should get cracking on, but haven't found the inspiration for them just yet either.

I have been spinning still, about 15 minutes or so during the day or evening. I have almost one full bobbin which has taken me about ten days to spin. I always like it when the bobbins get full, it means I'm accomplishing something on the wheel.

Last night ES and I went to dinner with some friends. We haven't done that in a long time and it was fun. We spent about 30 minutes eating and about two hours sitting there at our table talking. There are so many different restaurants around here and we haven't even touched a fingertip to the iceberg in sampling them. It was fun to go eat somewhere where we haven't been before. It also gives us another option when C is with us. I think he will like it also.

Well off to get something done before work today. School started today, so the house is mine for an hour or two. Happy knitting and spinning.

Stitches Purchases

Guess what? One of my Christmas cactus has buds on it. I am so excited to see it blooming again. I checked the older cactus also and I think it has a bud. I'll have to wait a couple of days to see though. It makes me happy to see the Christmas cactus in bloom. Plus having moved it clear across the country, it's still blooming. The move didn't hurt the plant.


Yesterday I spent some time plying the fiber that has been sitting on the Scholar for the past 8 to 10 months. It is some superwash that I dyed last winter, the same fiber I used to ply with my silk challenge fiber last spring. I have 90 yards of a lace/fingering weight to do something with. I don't know what to use it for yet, but I'm sure something will come to me. Maybe a cowl.

I also have pictures of the fiber I bought when Sheryl and I went to Stitches East. I bought two 4 oz bumps of fiber and two skeins of sock weight yarn. The dark skein has 436 yards and I'm not sure how many yarns are in the other skein. The second from the left is fiber dyed by Lisa Souza. Lisa is the dyer that Alison talks about in Wrapped in Comfort and on her blog.

I have fiber on three of my four wheels. All from different dyers and all different colors. It is interesting to watch how each of the fibers are spinning up. I have been spending at least ten minutes daily doing some spinning which is helping me get some fiber spun and keeping my stress level manageable.

Happy knitting & spinning.

New Sock Yarn

I thought I would let you know, we are home and almost back into our routine. Look what greeted us in the sun-room when we got home on Sunday. The amaryllis has two full open blooms and one bud yet to open. ES says its about on time. The last time the amaryllis bloomed, we had our house fire. That was one year ago today! Hard to believe that much time has gone past already.



I have to show what I picked up from one of the two yarn stores I visited in the DC area. At the first shop, in Chantilly, I picked up some yarn for baby booties and buttons for my button-up socks. I didn't have the socks with me, but the buttons match really, really well. At the second shop, in Manassas, I picked up some of Berroco's new yarn, Custom Sock. I got two different colors: gray and a brown/gray variegated. The mix is 50% super fine nylon and 50% super fine acrylic. Custom Sock is very soft and I think I can get some socks for the men in the family without any complaints of itchiness. The two skeins on the right are Plymouth Yarn company's new "Happy Feet" in color #2. It is 90% superwash Merino wool and 10% nylon. There are 192 yards per skein, so I might have some left over after making a pair of socks. I'm kind of anxious to try the Happy Feet, but it will have to wait until after the silk challenge is completed.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Bon Voyage

I have to show you more pictures of the snow that has fallen in the past few days. This is the first time in a number of years that we have had a "white" Christmas and the snow is still staying around. We even had a bit more snow today and then the wind started to kick in. I learned how to use the snow blower today. If this keeps up I will be using it a lot.


We held a Bon Voyage party for ES tonight. Only five more days until he is on the road to Washington DC. We are praying that he will not have yucky roads on this trip. Last February, when he and I drove to Chicago, the weather kept saying it was bad, but we had pretty clear roads once we left the West Yellowstone area. I am hoping it will be the same this year.

I was antsy tonight while waiting for people to show up for ES's party, so I was able to get some spinning done. That always seems to calm me down. I only have two more little balls to spin and then onto the plying. I've only had this fiber in my stash since 1996. It will be nice to get one more fiber spun and used.

I have seven hats done. I am working on the eighth hat and have four more to go. The one I am working on now is pink with green stripes. I should have C try on these hats and see if they fit him. If they do, they will fit the kids in the class.

Last night I worked on my toe-up Railroad Rib sock. I got the heel turned and I am ready to knit up the cuff. I hope I remember how I did this sock when I get to the second sock! I did take some notes, but I'm not sure they are enough.

Meg brought us surprises to the Driggs retreat. She brought some wonderful yarn that we were able to chose from. The blue is Alpaca with a Twist. I had just seen a pattern not long ago that I liked that used this yarn. I had never seen it before and wondered what it was like. The green is Keltic by Berroco. There is enough that I am going to do some fingerless mitts and I think a beanie for one of the kids, as in children not nursery kids, for Christmas. I really love the colors in both skeins.


Here is my stash from Mountain Knits Yarn in Driggs. There seems to be a reoccurring color in all the new fiber. I wonder why? The green/blue combination on the top left and the green/pink right underneath are both Fleece Artist. I had never seen this yarn either, but hear of it in other blogs. It will be fun to use these two skeins. The green/pink/blue at the left bottom is some Lorna's Lace in the Somerset color-way. I bought some Lorna's Lace last year in Driggs and haven't used it yet. This one will probably sit in the stash for a while also before getting used. The green on the right top is some Noro in a cotton/silk combination. I have about 400 yards of this. The red/golds/browns on the bottom right is some Mountain Colors in the Gold Rush color. I r-e-a-l-l-y like this color. You all know I'm a "fall" person though. Right?

Well, that takes care of the Driggs weekend. This Saturday, as in tomorrow, is the Spinners in Pocatello. I get to have two fiber weekends in a row. Yeepee!

Happy knitting& spinning.