This week I only have a HO, half finished object. The heel is fully installed in my Goth Kitty Vanilla Socks and I even wove in all my ends.
It just so happened to work out that the heel fell in the middle of a stripe. Which I’m not mad at. It meant I could pull my remaining yarn out to a color that would be from a different part of the sequence. I only needed two stripes to get my heel complete.
Now I just need to get the next toe on the needles for my purse knitting! Happy Knitting!!
I snuck in a super quick spin after the holidays. I had some unknown fiber in my donated stash bucket. The only thing I know is that it’s from the Weavers Loft, the fiber is brown and I had 2.9 ounces. So I got it on the wheel!
This was quite literally the dirtest fiber I have ever spun. My fingers turned BLACK where the fiber was passing through my fingers. The prepped fiber must have not been washed a ton after shearing. Which is fine but a new experience for me!
I ended up spinning all the fiber on one bobbin and then caking it up into a center pull ball to ply back on itself. When I was done I had a 2-ply skein that measured 114 yards over 74 grams. So a worsted skein with a few thicker spots.
I had to wash and wash and wash this skein to get all the grime out. But I got there and the skein turned out really pretty. Now to plot my next spin! Happy Spinning!!
My hat needles told me they were chilly after getting my first Musselburgh off of them. So I couldn’t let them get cold so I got a second hat cast on right away!
I went digging in my stash and found another skein of Moonstone Dyeworks kicking around. This time it is her Stellina Sock base in Christmas on Mars colorway. It’s a nice muted Christmas color with a TON of sparkle to it. I don’t get the sparkle to show up on camera very well.
I am making an adult large again, this time without the extra increases. I’m curious to see how this one differs from my first one. If its too small, then it can go in the gift pile or kid pile. I just finished the increase and its just stockinette for many many inches.
Happy Knitting!!
I present to you….most of my handspun stash!
I was organizing my storage bins and realized that I am amassing quite the collection of handspun. And some of it really looks alike. So went on the interwebs and downloaded some free templates for hand spun yarn labels.
I managed to get each skein labeled with yardage, weight, fiber content and date. I feel like future Rachelle will really appreciate what today Rachelle did. Not to mention it made the organization lobe of my brain REALLY happy.
Happy Spinning!!
Vanilla socks are one of my happy places, I have quite literally zoomed through the entire foot and leg portion of my Goth Kitty Vanilla Socks. I just need to cut in the afterthought heel!
I have been making socks long enough that I am fairly comfortable cutting in afterthought heels. I used to use lifelines when I was new to this type of heel and now I just fly by the seat of my pants.
I did end up adding some increases in the leg to improve the fit. It’s audit season at my job and my stress is higher than normal. So my tension on this sock is tighter than normal, lol. So adding extra room in this sock felt like a good decision!
Happy Knitting!!!
Y’all, I made a beautiful thing! I am so happy with this hat that I can’t stop looking at it and petting it. My first Musselburgh is done, washed and photographed!
Pattern: Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague (rav link)
Yarn: Yak Sock in Hectate color by Moonstone Dyeworks
Needles: US 2s
I know I was working the instructions for the adult large but I do think I added like 10 extra increases to the stich count. That means I should have gone up a needle size. The fabric leans to the firmer side. But it’s a lovely super warm hat. And the subtle tonality of the browns and greys is gorgeous.
This hat isn’t necessarily long enough to cuff up but it fits just fine as a standard beanie. This is a keeper for my woolen drawer. Mother Nature here in Kansas is wildly swinging from negative temps to the high forties. So my need for a warm hat is variable, lol.
Happy Knitting!!
I recently finished my Goth Kitty Worsted hat so I decided to get the matching socks cooking on the needles. This is also Knit Picks Felici, just the sock yarn. It matches the worsted really well.
I cast on my normal sock recipe of 68 stitches on a toe up vanilla sock. I think I will do an afterthought heel on these to preserve the striping sequence. I binge watched Murder She Wrote and busted out a full striping sequence and a half!
Self striping sock yarn is so potato chippy for me. I just can’t put it down until I finish a color and then of course I need to do “just one more”. Which I guess is good for my knitting production, lol.
Happy Knitting!!
My vanilla stockinette projects seem be taking most of my attention here lately but I have made some barely there progress on my Around Every Corner shawl.
I am still in the first section that uses the main color. My main color is some oldl/deep stash of Cascade sock yarn in a green color. The pattern isn’t complicated but does require counting to make sure I create the correct number of increases. It just hasn’t “calling to me” from the WIP pile.
It may need to marinate for a bit? Happy Knitting!!
On the road again….just can’t wait to NOT be on the road again! But I guess the upside is that my Musselburgh is making some really good progress. I’m ready to start the decreases!
The catch is that I hope I don’t play yarn chicken. I have approximately 11 grams left which the pattern and internet tell me should be enough. But that floppy mess of yarn looks AWFULLY small, lol.
I am really loving this yak blend yarn. It has a nice soft feel to the fabric and because the fiber naturally starts with a darker color there is a lot of depth to the dyework. This is a skein of Yak Sock in the Hectate color from Moonstone Dyeworks. I would definitely buy this base again.
Happy Knitting!!
As PB and Jellybean are growing up we are spending more time playing games here lately. One of my favorites is Knitting The Card game. It’s still beyond PBs capability but Jellybean does okay. So I splurged on the expansion pack!
A few fun stickers and a pin may have also jumped in my cart. Ooops!
Happy Knitting!!
Michele plays with yarn, food, and music in Portland
Musings from a teacher, runner, knitter, baker and reader
Journeying thru the fiber world, learning new skills, being challenged and making connections.
A Blog exploring yarn, glass and leather crafts, and other things too.
Finding happiness one skein at a time
Adventures in life and knitting in a warm weather climate
my life without spoons in Canberra
Pictures in every post
Do one creative thing a day, and stay positive.
My adventures in the world of crafting
I chronicle my life as an aging homeschooling mother of seven--in nauseating detail.
aging - kicking and screaming
knitting : coffee : tea : life
Encouraging Thoughts About Knitting And Life
with Cia & Pip
Raising two children on 1/2 acre of land
Celebrating life, literature, and the persuit of fiber-y goodness.
Yarning about yarn
the illusion of progress
Farm-->Fleece-->Fiber
Crochet, knitting, spinning, felting, drawing, painting → ∞
A place for fellow yarn addicts.
A Texas city girl in a small New England town …
About my life in wool and yarn, and my explorations into the world of machine knitting.
A blog about running and knitting. Not at the same time.
Just a little crunchy.
A knitter's humorous adventures with one hubby and three cats.
yarn hoarder...accessories fanatic...lover of all things creative
A Norwegian knitting enthusiast with a monthly theme for projects
From Crocheting long chains to knitting sock monkeys and beyond
Chronicles of an Adventurous Beginner
Repeat as required to achieve results
Crafting in the West Country
handsewn bespoke and heirloom quality textiles
Making, Baking and Blogging for the first time...
Affordable accessories from the North of England
Fundraising via handcrafts since 2015
Knitting designs for the hand knitter and more...
Knitting & Crocheting
My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures 