Livin' La Needle Loca

...as in running behind, that is. And it's only Monday! I have a project due today and I had to take time out to take the Daughter to the airport.  If I get a chance, I might get an update done later today. Oh, and I have no idea why my header image has disappeared. I have to figure that out, too. later...

...Spring! And the birds singing in the trees... ...and the flowers blooming. Up this weekend: Finish the pattern I'm designing and finish knitting the prototype. I need to work on the scarf I'm weaving. And spinning up the rest of the Faux-ro yarn would be nice. But my number one priority is catching up on some sleep. Or, maybe, just getting some quality sleep! Now if I could just convince the cats that I need sleep...

...as in, I post when I get a chance.  So far, I've missed Monday and WIP-it Wednesday. Who knows what will happen for Eye Candy Friday! In keeping with the randomness of the week, some random thoughts: Designing a knitting pattern is way hard! I have always appreciated people who design, but after this week, my appreciation knows no bounds. I don't know how they do it, pattern after pattern. Designers: I'm not worthy! Cats are tattletales. Tica has been a real brat lately--she walks up to Sombra, whacks her one, and then runs away. Sombra tells me all about it and complains...loudly. Plus, Sombra has been trying to tell me something for days. Sorry, I don' t speak Whine. I miss my Moka Java coffee from Trader Joe's. And I want it back, now ! I have not found anything else I like nearly as well. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from drinking coffee! (You really don't want to be around me if I haven't had coffee...trust me.)  I have a b...

...yeah, I didn't think that would fly. Had to try it, though! LOL! Monday got completely away from me. Between work and researching a personal project, time just slipped away. My personal project is designing a knit item for a friend of the family...the request came from the Daughter and I have to give it a decent try. See, it's a knitting design project and I'm not a [knit] designer. I'm an implementer. This project is way more than I am comfortable with, but I'm trying! If things go well, I'll post the results here. Over the weekend, I finished the Midnite Lava Flow yarn. I really love how this came out: Specs: Started: 3/6/10; Finished: 3/21/10; Merino-Wensleydale-Firestar batts from Lisa Souza; total weight approx. 4.8 oz. Spun and Navajo-plied on Lendrum DT wheel; 342 yards; WPI tbd I think it will look great as a scarf. At Spin-In, I started spinning Blue Lake Lily, a merino-bamboo top from Royale Hare: I am using the Faux-ro (Fake Noro) techni...

...the sun is out, weather is nice, and things are blooming all over. This is a Five Spot bud from another new plant that the Husband has added to the garden. I'm still trying to get a decent picture of an open flower, but they are so small that it is hard to get the right angle on the photo. Plus they are mostly white and I don't have a good track record with white flowers! I'm glad we're moving into spring—maybe the sunshine will motivate me to do something. I've been suffering from craft ennui the last few weeks, which accounts for the fact that I haven't knit anything in quite a while. And the scarf that I am weaving for a friend? Technically, it should have been a breeze to finish, but I can't seem to get motivated to work on it. The only thing that has seen any substantial action is my spinning wheel, and even that hasn't been a lot. T his winter has made me want to hibernate more than usual.(Hibernate = veg-out) Mostly, I just curled up with a...

...I'm still trying to figure out where it went! I'm having trouble adjusting to the time change and have not had the energy to work on WIPs. I have done a little spindle spinning. but that's aout it! As promised, here's a picture of the bouclé scarf that I am weaving: My friend picked the yarn and I am using it for both the warp and the weft. It is variegated...when I warped it, a light area fell in the center. Bouclé yarn is very forgiving, a plus for the edges! The biggest drawback will be the fact that the yarn unravels. This won't be a good thing for the fringe, but I have already warned my friend of the problem. That's all I have for now...geez, it's after 6PM already. Almost time to go home!

...well, I thought I knew what I was going to do this weekend, but things changed a little First off, I didn't finish straightening up the Daughter's room, although I did get a few things cleared out of there. I still need to move the stitchery stand and a couple of things on the floor. Al least, some progress was made and she can now sleep in there! I did not touch the craft room. I still need some serious floor space in there, but  it's just going to have to wait. I did manage to get the loom warped for my friend's scarf and I have started weaving it. It's turning out nicely, but I find I get a little tired of the bouclé yarn sticking together and have to stop. I had hoped to finish the Midnite Lava Flow yarn, but not quite. I finished spinning bobbin #2 and started plying it. I have about half of the first bobbin plied and still have to ply the second bobbin. I didn't realize how thin I was spinning it, so the plying will take a while. It's a good ...

...actually, let's just hear it for Friday, cuz it's been a lo-o-o-o-ng week! As predicted, it started raining again today. Here's what the sky looked like this morning before the rain clouds completely rolled in: I managed to get a few garden pictures, too. The garden is starting to come alive...freesias are popping up all over the place. Here are some pink buds: And one that has already bloomed: I discovered that the Husband had purchased a new plant for the garden. We both like succulents, so this Zwartkop will be a nice addition: I'm hoping that the forecast is accurate and we get some sun back tomorrow. Up this weekend: I need to pick up the Daughter's room and make it habitable. She'll be here for a short visit next week and it might be nice if she can use the bed. I don't think she'll appreciate the loom stand, needlework stand, and boxes that are currently in the way! I plan on finishing the Midnite Lava Flow yarn...I'm anxious to ...

...busier than I like to be at work. While I wait for some files to upload, I'll give you a quick look at my latest WIP. This is bobbin #1 of Midnite Lava Flow: This is 90% Superfine merino, 5% Wensleydale, and 5% Firestar. The sparkly bits make it  fun to spin. I love the bursts of flame I get periodically. I haven't decided whether it should be a two or three-ply yet. And I have no idea what I'll make from it. It's just pretty and I wanted to spin it! Sorry this is short, but I gotta earn money for fiber! Back on Friday...

...I have a work project this week that is time-critical, so I'm going to be working aas fast as I can to get it done. I got a lot accomplished over the weekend. I did some household chores, including the vacuuming and mopping. I almost found the living room in the process, but not quite. I discovered that I need to get the craft room in order first so I have somewhere to move the stuff from the living room! Guess that will have to wait until next weekend! Most of the time I spent spinning a fiber that's been calling my name since I bought it at Stitches West: Here's what the Fiber looks like: This is Midnite Lava Flow...I'll show you the WIP picture on Wednesday. It's turning out beautifully! While I didn't really need to go shopping again, a friend gave me a gift certificate to Purlescence Yarns . You know I had to check it out, right? LOL!  Here's what I got with my certificate: This is Alpaca-Silk top from Abstract Fibers. The color...

...in other words: no rain this morning. Yay! It's overcast now, so the sunshine was nice while it lasted. With hints of spring here and there in the garden, guess what your Eye Candy is today? How about some blueberry flowers? or nectarine blossoms... or apricot buds... We really needed the rain, but I'm ready for nicer weather! Up this weekend: Find my living room! I need to do some serious cleaning...there are dribs and drabs of craft stuff all over the place and I need to put them away. Vacuuming would be good and I'd love to mop the floors. It's not supposed to rain, so I'm hopeful that I can get them done.  My craft room is currently in a state of chaos, so I'd love to put it back together. The last couple of weeks have been craft-centric and the house has suffered. If I get my chores done, I'll start a new weaving project. A friend has asked for a woven scarf and supplied the yarn. I just need to do a quick calculation and then warp the lo...

...finally! Finished: 2/7 Paint It Red (quilting)  2/14 Twinkletoes slippers (knitting) [ Ravelry ] 2/24 Ruby Silk Merino top from Lisa Souza [ Ravelry ] 290 yards; 14 WPI 2/28 True Blood Shawl (weaving) [ Ravelry ] Started: 2/14 Ruby Silk Merino yarn 2/15 True Blood Shawl Worked on: Angora Cottage 70% Merino and 30% Silk 4 oz.roving in purple [ Ravelry ] Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting) Works In Progress, did not work on: Flower Power quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting) Jungle Songs quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting) Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch) Rusty Dahlia socks (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [ Ravelry ] IDJ (It's Dead, Jim): Black leg warmers in Caron Simply Soft yarn (knitting) Corrugator scarf (knitting) [ Ravelry ] Sangria shawl (knitting) UFOs: Chasing Rainbows Heather--one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) (spinning) Dogosaurus Rex sweater (knitt...

...I sure didn't see it coming!  My take-along project for Stitches West was the Cascade Fixation Anklet [Ravelry]that is one of the unfinished objects that I kept from last month's IDJ purge.  Well, after knitting on them for a bit, I decided that I really didn't like them. Plus, because I was knitting them one at a time, I still had to do a second one. Not having fun with them...not liking them....Buh-Bye! IDJ (It's Dead, Jim)! I feel so much better now! LOL! One WIP that I enjoyed getting back to was this: I started this merino-silk for Tour de Fleece 2007. At the time, it was a stretch for me because I'd never spun anything with silk before. Fast-forward three years...I now have several merino-silk yarns under my belt, so this one is not as challenging. It's an enjoyable spin by spindle, and even better on the wheel. I love the color, which has a little more blue than the picture. I will be slowly adding my new fiber acquisitions to Ravelry, but ou...

...between Stitches West and Ravelympics, it's been a blur these last few days! It's hard to know where to start. Thursday evening : I went to the convention center and pictured up my badge. I checked out where my classes would be held and then just waited for the Market to open for the preview at 5pm. I had a set of vendors I wanted to see so I had my map all marked up. Then I ran into a friend from the gym and that plan went out the window! "L" has a different way of shopping that I do (she's of the "oh, look, pretty!" school of shopping, while I am very methodical), so we went at her pace...we were all over the place! Of course, that didn't stop me from buying stuff...LOL! I bought mostly fiber although I did buy a shawl's worth of yarn from Brooks Farm. I saw a few things I wanted to come back and check out, but after 2.5 hours, I was done in. Friday : I took an all day spinning class, "Getting the Most from a Handpainted Roving,"...