Livin' La Needle Loca

...if this darn cough would go away, I'd be OK! Man, this stuff was way yucky! Fever, chills, headaches, congestion, and coughing...just loads of fun. I started to feel better Friday, but then the coughing kicked in. I been sleeping sitting up for the last few nights so I don't cough as much...it helps, but I still cough at night. I've developed a new appreciation for Jell-o and Fudgesicles—they both soothe the throat. Most of the time, I was camped on the couch. The two cats kept me company, so I saw a lot of these: They didn't seem to mind the coughing too much, although Sombra would yell at me from time to time. Once I started feeling better, I was able to knit again. I finally finished the Queen of Beads socks. Just in time, too, as the next club installment arrived today! Here they are: ...and another view: Specs: Finished : 3/28/2009 Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club, January 2009 installment Socks That Rock Lightweight in "My Blue Heaven" N...

...no Eye Candy Friday for me.

...have to thank The Husband for sharing his cold with me. (Thanks, dear...) I was out of commission most of yesterday—big time fever and chills. I even skipped the gym and Pilates, which I rarely do. I feel good enough today to come to work, but we'll see how long I last. I'm drinking a humongo Coldbuster from Jamba Juice (immunity booset, antioxident boost, and added vitamins) to let this cold know I mean business! Anyway, sorry there are no pictures today. Not much to show since Monday.

...it was a spinning weekend. I didn't even touch my quilt or sewing at all! First, I finished the first bobbin of Chocolate Covered Raspberries seawool from Creatively Dyed . This represents a little under 4 ounces; I still have another 4 ounces to go. Then I spun the second bobbin of Andromeda from The Yarn Wench : The second bobbin is a little darker than the first, so I may end up with a two-ply on this one just to even out the color. And then, because I've been wanting to spin this ever since I bought it at Stitches West, here is some naturally dyed gray alpaca in Pomegranate from Tactile, a Fiber Arts Studio : It was a dream to spin! Here's the close-up: Specs: Started and finished 3/22/09 Naturally dyed gray alpaca (2 oz) in Pomegranate from Tactile, a Fiber Arts Studio Spun and Navajo-plied on Lendrum DT wheel Yield : 113 yards; 16 WPI The color variations in this yarn are so subtle...it was a nice change from spinning fiber with long runs of color. I did get a l...

...for Eye Candy Friday. First, a freesia: ...apricots in the making... ...and some tiny white and blue flowers (name unknown). It was foggy and cool when I took the pictures this morning, but it's mostly cleared up now. Looks like it will be a nice day! Last night I finished the sock legs for the Queen of Bead socks and immediately started on the heel flaps. These socks are shaping up well. Gee, maybe I'll finish them before the month is out! The beads are growing on me... Up this weekend, work on the socks, spin more of the Andromeda Merino-silk, and maybe do some sewing. Now that it is officially Spring, I feel like finishing my "Flower Power" quilt that I started a few years ago. The top is done; it just needs to be sandwiched and quilted. I also have a new idea for a spindle bag that I want to try...just need more hours in the day!

...my Queen of Beads socks are coming right along. I have about 7 rows left and then I can start the heel. Yay! I haven't quite decided where to stop using the beads. I guess it will depend on how annoyed I am with moving beads when I finish the heel. I've been selling a few copies of my sock bag pattern after posting a picture of my Knitmare on Elm Street bag on one of the Ravelry forums. I'm happy that people are finding it useful! Since this is generating a little income, I decided to use it to treat myself to another Namaste bag. I've been dreaming of the eggplant Zuma bag every since I saw it online. Yarndogs had a teal Zuma bag at Stitches West that tempted me, but I decided on the Malibu bag instead. But the eggplant was calling my name! I've been wanting a smaller bag to use when I don't need a lot of tools and maybe to double as a purse. This bag meets those needs. Here's what it looks like inside: This bag holds a lot of things without looking st...

...that's pretty much what I did and it was great! I had a wonderful time at the spin-in on Saturday! (Thanks, Mary!) I made some new friends and got a lot more spun than I normally do at home...it's so good to be with people who understand your addiction craft. Sirena made the transition from home to the spin-in location just fine. (OK, one minor user error...) I converted her cover to a drawstring bag by inserting cord into the hem area and adding a cordstop. This protected her from the dirt in the back of the Husband's car. Even though I already had the Chocolate-Covered Raspberries seawool in progress, I decided to spin something new. I've had Andromeda in the queue since Ravelympics and it seemed like a good time to start it. Here's bobbin #1: I split the top width-wise into 8 pieces for longer color runs, and then separated it into two 2-ounce groups. I'll spin one bobbin of each 2-ounce group and ply it using the chain (Navajo) method. I finished t...

...the Daughter is home for a visit and the weather is supposed to be decent today. Sounds like a good one so far! Today's eye candy is brought to you by our cherry tree. It has a bunch of blossoms...maybe this year it will bear fruit! Remember those snow pea blossoms from last month? Well, now we have actual snow peas: They are so good! Nothing significant to show on the WIP front yet. The Queen of Beads socks are coming along. I'm working on the pattern section of the leg and have placed some of the beads. I like the way the beads look, but what a PITA it is to keep sliding the beads-in-waiting down the yarn! And this yarn seems to get twisted up on itself a lot more...maybe it's the beads. At least the socks look good so far! Up this weekend: I was invited to a spin-in...Sirena and I are going to spin with some new friends for a few hours. Up to now, my spinning has been a solitary activity, so it will be interesting to see how others spin. Sirena might go in a panic,...

...here's a picture of the cuffs for the Queen of Beads socks from the Blue Moon sock club: The brown yarn is a remnant of "Little Bunny Foo Foo" STR yarn that I used for the tubular cast-on. It will be removed when I finish the ribbing for the cuffs. Can't wait to see whether the cast-on holds! If I didn't do it right, I'll have to start over again. I worked on the Argosy scarf at Knit Night on Monday. It's coming along nicely, just slowly. That's about it for WIPs. I haven't touched my sweater in a while, so I need to pull that out and work on it. Just not enough hours a day!

...boy did this day get away from me! I had a great weekend, though. I finished my Moebius scarf: Finished 3/8/09 From Cat Bordhi's class at Stitches West 2009 Manos Silk Blend yarn Needle: US 8 I finished the Daughter's second Calorimetry: Finished 3/8/09 Pattern on Knitty Charcoal, Lion Brand Jiffy yarn Needles: US 8 I started my Blue Moon Rockin' Sock club socks (no picture yet) I received the first installment of the Loopy Ewe Sock club (picture behind the spoiler): The yarn is beautiful and the pattern goes very well with it. The only problem is that it is a toe-up pattern, and we all know how well I do with those (say it with me: rip-it, rip-it, rip-it!!). I took a few pictures in the garden: Chilled out with the kitties...well, Sombra chilled out: Kayla just stared... I cleaned the Daughter's room so it's all ready for her to come home on Thursday (yay!) I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting, but I want to get this posted! More when I can thi...

...it's been a busy week and I'm still recovering from the fiber fumes of Stitches West! The best I can offer you picture-wise is this pansy in one of our planter boxes: I did manage to start the Daughter's new Calorimetry in a Lion Brand gray acrylic yarn...it is very soft so she should like it. I wish she could wear at least a wool-acrylic blend because there are so many beautiful yarns out there (and in my stash!). Oh, well... I also managed to knit a few rows on my Moebius scarf thingy. I really love the Manos yarn! The only other personal thing I've worked on it my Knit2 Bag Pattern. Some people have expressed an interest in the pattern and I've actually sold a couple of them. I'm just happy that some one else thinks they are useful... My goal with this pattern was to show how to put it together, not to go into the bag-making business. Although, I have been thinking of making bag kits—packaging the fabric and notions that you need to make it along with the ...

...just haven't made a lot pf progress on anything since Sunday. I really need to get serious here! This morning when I went to the gym, there was a double rainbow. Of course, my camera was at home so I missed it! However, there was still one rainbow when I got home: A very nice way to start the day! We did a Stitches West show-and-tell at work this afternoon. Two of us went to Stitches, so we showed off our purchases. She bought yarn and I bought mostly fiber. It was really nice to be able to share Stitches experiences with someone who understood! The Daughter has requested another Calorimetry so I need to make a trip to Jo Ann's for yarn. Most of my yarn stash is wool or other animal fiber, which she can't wear. Off to see if I can find a nice acrylic or cotton blend for her...

...just a couple of days late. Finished: 2/21 Jaywalker socks in Blue Moon STR club color: Incredible Shrinking Violet (knitting) [ Ravelry ] 2/16 Purple Tote bag ( Craft Bag Kwik Sew 3464 pattern) (sewing) 2/15 Dragonfly Wings Merino-sil k top by The Yarn Wench ; 536+ yards of 2-ply ; 15 WPI (spinning) [ Ravelry ] 2/01 Blue drawstring bag using a Happythings pattern (sewing) 2/01 Soap: Butter Mint, Gardener's, and Creative Dreams Worked on: Argosy scarf (knitting) [ Ravelry ] February Lady Sweater (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Started: 2/28 Moebius Cowl (knitting) [ Ravelry ] 2/22 Chocolate Covered Raspberries Seawool yarn (spinning) [ Ravelry ] Works In Progress, did not work on: Black leg warmers in Caron Simply Soft yarn (knitting) Morning Surf Scarf (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [ Ravelry ] UFOs: Angora Cottage 70% Merino and 30% Silk 4 oz.roving in purple [ Ravelry ] Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting) Central Air socks (knitting) Chasing Rainbows Heather--one M...

...it was all about "new." Spinning cotton on a charkha — new tool, new method, new fiber While it was a very challenging for me, it was a good class. I liked exploring the tool and trying out a new method and fiber. I had been toying with the idea of getting a charkha, but after this class, I realized that I have to work on my long draw technique (because I have none now...) first. Here are my pathetic results from this class: Moebius knitting class — new cast-on method and new possibilities I have been wanting to learn this technique ever since I bought Cat's book about Moebius Knitting several years ago. I could never get the hang of it by myself. The youTube video helped, but there's nothing like taking a class from Cat! It was great fun and my moebius cowl/scarf (don't know which it will turn out to be until I cast off—I just plunged on in and decided to love it no matter what!) is looking really good: (That's the Manos Silk Blend that I bought from th...