Livin' La Needle Loca

...and I managed one more handspun before the end. I spun Sappho [ Ravelry ], a merino wool from The Yarn Wench: and the close-up: Specs: Started and finished 7/26/2026 Merino (4.1 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 66.7 yds. chain-ply, 8 WPI  Tour recap: Total number of handspun produced: 9 Works in progress: 1 Total ounces spun: 37.2 Total yardage: 599.95 

...and I'm trying to finish as many yarns as I can before the Tour ends Sunday. TdF 2026, 7/24 I spun Sabrina [ Ravelry ] and plied it with a mohair-metallic yarn from the stash. This yearn was given to me by a friedn and had not label. I think it might be Dune by Trendsetter Yarns. and the close-up: Specs: Started and finished 7/24/2026 Falkland (4.3 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 43.75 yds., 6 WPI Single plied with a Mohair-metallic yarn from the stash - no label, but it might be Dune from Trendsetter Yarns. TdF 2026, 7/25 I spun Jolie [ Ravelry ] and plied it with Cubetto by Gedifra. and the close-up: Specs: Started and finished 7/25/2026 BFL (4.0 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 62.5 yds., 6 WPI Single plied with Gedifra Cubetto from the stash I've had the Cubetta yarn in my stash since around 2000, before I picked up knitting again. I bought it at Heart of Cross Stitch because I liked the colors. Seeing yarn at a cross stitch...

 ...and we're coming towards the end of the Tour. First, some eye candy. The Husband is buying flowers to put in the courtyard now that construction is done. He's also adding flowers to the backyard to brighten things up.  Lisianthus: Petchoa: Ivy-leaved pelagonium: and our canna lilies are blooming again: TdF 2026, 7/22 Chain-plied Olivia [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 7/21/2026 Finished 7/22/2026 Falkland (4.2 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 79.2 yds. chain-ply, 9 WPI  TdF 2026, 7/23 I decided to do an art yarn. This is Martha [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Falkland (4.1 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 83.3 yds., 9 WPI Single plied with Bernat Matrix in Browser Blue and Piedmont Yarn’s Skyline

...finally getting back in the groove. I spun the singles for Olivia [ Ravelry ], another braid from The Yarn Wench. I'll try to ply this one today.

 ...decided not to take a rest day this week. TdF 2026, 7/19 Chain-plied Tippy [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 7/14/2026 Finished 7/19/2026 Falkland (4.0 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 66.7 yds., 9 WPI The day before, I received the additional drawer organizers that I orders. I started putting them in place and re-organzing my supplies. I tested my new coffee maker. (It works!) TdF 2026, 7/20 I spun Aurora [ Ravelry ] as an art yarn. I plied it with a yarn from the stash. and the close-up: Specs: Started and finished 7/20/2026 Falkland  (4.2 oz.) from the Yarn Wench 64.5 yds. chain-ply with Lala Berlin Shiny by Lana Grossa in color 8 In the studio, I washed the silverware for the coffee bar. I also put away more stuff in the new organizers. I rearranged some of the Expedit cubes so I could put away the puzzle mats. I also brought in the DMC floss chest. I'm still trying to put everything away so I can finally take photos ...

 ...it seems that posting is the last thing on the list that somehow doesn't make it to "done." TdF 2026, 7/16 Continued to spin the singles for Tippy. I was getting close to the end of putting things away in the IKEA cabinets when the coffee bar and mini-fridge arrived 2 days early. I had to stop and move things to make way for the huge boxes.  TdF 2026, 7/17 Still spinning the singles for Tippy. Sorry, no photo. We assembled the coffee bar and moved it into place. We need to rotate the worktable 90 degrees because the coffee bar sticks out further than I anticipated. I need more shelf liner and some more in-drawer organizers for this new piece. I ordered the organizers on-line and will get the shelf liner locally. The Husband continues to be a star in re-homing the furniture that we no longer need. One person came and took a 2-drawer filing cabinet, the remaining 4 storage cubes, and two nylon web baskets. Yay! TdF 2026, 7/18 Fini...

 ...the studio has drawn my attention away from many things, including posting. Yesterday, The Husband and I took a trip to IKEA to buy some replacement drawer units for my old cube storage. I bought two Alex units, which give me a file drawer for the remaining files that I have to keep and several drawers to store the remaining supplies that I can't find space for. I put them together yesterday and today I will get them in place. The last piece of furniture (for now) that I need has been ordered and will arrive tomorrow. It is a coffee bar cabinet that will house a refrigerator, glasses, cups, and utensils. On top will be my electric teapot and a one-cup coffee maker. The refrigerator will arrive next week. In the meantime, I am arranging my books on the bookshelves on the Murphy bed, using bookends to keep the books in place and museum putty to hold photo frames and small items TdF 2026, Day 8, 7/11 Continued chain-plying Gypsy Rose Lee [ R...

 ...yeah, I'm behind in posting. I was hoping by this point that be able to get back into the studio after the Murphy bed installation, but there was a glitch. Apparently, the piano hinges either didn't get packed with the shipment or (more likely) they didn't make the final truck. In theory, the final truck was supposed to unpack the pallet when they delivered it here. Instead, they unpacked the pallet, loaded it onto the truck, and then delivered it.  It was a tedious process to check off the large number of pieces that made up the bed. The Husband and I decided not to open the sealed boxes that came with the shipment so we didn't lose any of the hardware. We had 72 hours to report any damage or missing pieces, so we felt safe in doing so since the installers were coming the following day. The installers did as much as they could without the hinges. I contacted the company and they, in turn, contacted the installer to give them the part...

 ...and the Murphy bed is being installed in the studio today! The Murphy bed is the last big piece of furniture to install in the studio. With this installation, I can remove the final boxes from the POD and we can send it on it's way! I'm so ready for the POD to be gone.  The Husband did a stellar job of getting rid of the big box of melt-and-pour soap supplies. He posted them on Nextdoor and a woman came by yesterday and took them all. Hooray!  The last things I need for the studio are the folding room divider that will double as my quilt wall, a coffee/tea station with a mini-fridge, and blinds for the slider. The room divider is in my Amazon wish list, as are a couple of options for the coffee station. On my to-do list is a call to the samr company that did the blinds for my kitchen. Getting closer and closer to done! TdF 2026, Day 4, 7/7 I finished spinning the singles for Gypsy Rose Lee [ Ravelry ]. I'm going to hold off the plying becau...

 ...spinning away! TdF 2026, Day 2 7/5 Started spinning the singles for Gypsy Rose Lee [ Ravelry ], a merino-silk from the Yarn Wench.   TdF 2026, Day 3 7/6 Continued spinning the singles for Gypsy [ Ravelry ]. Pulled some beads that I think would look like a good addition during chain-plying.

...and we're off! I started the Tour with an art yarn, like I have in many years. It was particularly important since I haven't spun in a while.  I decided to pull all Yarn Wench fiber with colors that sound like people names. This is Desiree [ Ravelry ] and the close up: Specs: Started and finished 7/4/2026 Falkland (4.0 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 37.5 yds., Super Bulky, 5.0 oz total Plied with Berroco Quest in Magenta

 ...and I really enjoyed spinning while watching ice skating. This is Midnight Amethyst [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 2/12/2026 Finished 2/19/2026 Merino-silk (4.0 oz.) from Wonderland Dyeworks Ravellenics 2026, Event: Freestyle Spinning I wouldn't exactly call its color "amethyst" as I thinks that it should be more purple than it is. However, with handspun, I usually keep the name that the dyer called the fiber. So, Midnight Amethyst it is.  

...yay! Spinning is the perfect thing to do while watching Olympic figure skating. I can easily shift my attention to the TV while my hands rely on muscle memory to continue spinning. This is Waterlily Handspun [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 2/10/2026 Finished 2/1/2026 4.0 Merino-tencel (4.0 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 185.4 yds. chain ply; 13 WPI I started another handspun, but I'm not sure whether I'll enter it into Ravellenics.

...and I'm working away on my Ravellenics projects. Unlike Tour de Fleece, I usually participate in Ravellenics without a team. Not many of my spinning buddies participate, and the existing teams really don't match with my interests or group affiliations. Anyway, now that I've finished my WIP Dancing entries, I'm working on my Freestyle Spinning entries. I spun Meriadoc Handspun [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up: Specs: Started 2/5/2026 Finished 2/9/2026 4.0 oz Polwarth-silk from Into The Whirled 162.5 yds. chain-ply; 11 WPI  I've started a second handspun, but it might be the last one for this event. I'd like to get back to the mermaid now that I've completely removed the Waterlilies silk stitches that looked muddy. WIPs Roll Call Worked On: Morgana (cross stitch) Finished removing Waterlilies Fir stitches and restarted the stitching. Waterlilies Handspun [ Ravelry ] Started 2/10  No Work This We...

...I finished it a few days ago. It just needed photos. This is Gladiolus Handspun [ Ravelry ]: and the close-up Specs: Started 1/7/2026 Finished 1/16/2026 Merino-bamboo-silk (4 oz.) from Greenwood Fiberworks 200.5 yds. chain-ply, 13 WPI   I probably won't start any more spinning projects until the Winter Ravellenic Games start. I plan on spinning for the entire time.

&...finally took some photos. It's been mostly spinning around here with some cross stitch thrown in. Here are the latest completed spins. Summer's End Handspun [ Ravelry ] is another Falkland from The Yarn Wench: and the close-up: Specs: Started 9/26/2025 Finished 10/21/2025 Falkland (4.0 oz.) from The Yarn Wench 101.1 yds. chain-ply, 8 WPI Morning Glory Handspun [ Ravelry ] is a new, limited color from Greenwood Fiberworks: and the close-up: Specs: Started 9/28/2025 Finished 10/22/2025 4.0 oz. Polwarth-Silk from Greenwood Fiberworks 217.7 yds. chain-ply, 13 WPI And finally, Galapagos Handspun [ Ravelry ] is a Stitches West 2018 purchase from Dragonfly Fibers: and the close-up: Specs: Started 10/8/2025 Finished 10/25/2025 4.0 oz from Dragonfly Fibers 175 yds. chain-ply, 12 WPI I was feeling like I was in a rut, craft-wise, so I started a weaving project on my Ashford Knitter's Loom. My Baby Wolf loom is in the POD co...

 ...the last spin and the recap. Tour de Fleece, 7/27 last day I finished spinning Vineyard Variation [ Ravelry ] that I started yesterday. and close-up: Specs: Started 7/26/2025 Finished 7/27/2025 Falkland (3.8 oz.) from The Yarn Wench  60.4 yds. chain-ply, 10 WPI  Tour de Fleece Recap Stats: Plied 2 sets of singles started before the Tour: 327.1 yds. Spun 12 yarns --Total ounces spun: 48.9 oz. --Total yardage: 1,643.05 yds. Yardage grand total: 1,970.15 yds. Row 1: Pumpkin Spice, Japan, Flahriduh, Sprite Row 2: Grapevine, Peacock Zen Row 3: Spill The Wine, TdF 2024, Sangria Sunset, Alice Row 4: Portsmouth, Jingle Bells, Indigo Ikat, Vineyard Variation