Author Archives: atangledyarn84

FO Friday: Shiny Black 2-ply

Posted on by
3

My Shiny Black Alpaca 2-ply is done and dry. It came out GORGEOUS!

I did get a little aggressive on some part of the plying and even after a bath, some sections are over plied/very energized. I can probably send it back through my wheel in the opposite direction and take some of the crazy out.

It did stay a sport skein. I got 12 wraps per inch (mostly). This 133 gram skein came out to 160 yards. Will make a lovely project. I am thinking of gifting this to a coworker who is retiring that is into fiber. She doesn’t retire until March so I have time to ponder.

Happy Spinning!!

Reigniting The Rainbow

Posted on by
Reply

The knitting mojo is low right now as I’m kind of in between projects that aren’t my tiny socks and sweater. I finished my Bumbles Bounce socks and so I decided to pull out my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks.

A few work conference calls over the past few months only added up to two new color stripes. But with renewed vigor this week I made it to the cuff. I think two color stripes will give me a 1 inch cuff and I’ll be done. Then of course I need to start the second sock and put in the afterthought heel in sock number one.

Happy Knitting!!

Spinning Something New

Posted on by
1

I am still feeling the urge to spin and my Shiny Alpaca was off the wheel. So I pulled out a spinning kit I got in a mystery bag a few Christmas’s ago. It was 8.5 ounces of pink merino and a handful of intact wool locks in bright pink and bright blue.

I was so engrossed in the spin that I didn’t even grab any photos before the singles were done. I split the braid into 4 ounce chunks. I spun the first half with working the locks in intermittently. I HATED it from the start. But I persevered and worked them all in the first 4 ounces.

I then HAPPILY spun the second 4 ounces as plain merino. Those were lovely to spin. I plan to ply the two together. My first bobbin is very inconsistent and thick/thin. So I am predicting an “art” yarn from this skein. It will be beautiful in its own way, lol.

Happy Spinning!!

Lemons Into Lemonade

Posted on by
2

I’m not a super duper zero waste person, but I do like to find ways to reduce our footprint around our house. We recycle and use reusable goods where possible. But my kids drive me nuts with how much food we waste. And the leftovers that go bad in the fridge because I’m the only one that eats them and I can’t keep up. So I pooled my Grandma Christmas money with some savings and I got a countertop composter!

I did ZERO research. I just used a basic google search and found a machine I could afford with at least 4 stars on Amazon. And so far it works great! When we are home and cooking I can fill it once a day.

Depending on what goes in, the color is WILD. This was tomatoes, moldy cheesy pasta and coffee grounds. I just empty the bin into our backyard garden bin and start refilling this. It’s quiet and surprising smells good while its “cooking”. It does require filters and maintenance so I don’t know how long it will hold out. But it’s a nice new experiment for us and reducing our trash.

I Have A Baking Problem

Posted on by
1

One of my Christmas presents was a replacement insert for my bread maker. I have really been leaning on that to mix and proof my dough for baked goods. I decided to give it a thorough testing.

The cinnamon rolls were FIRE and didn’t last. My sticky rolls need the caramel sauce to have cooked a little more. They were still yummy, just the last thing to disappear. And the dinner rolls turns into burger buns.

Life is crazy but baking has been bringing me peace. I just need to find more places to take my goods so I don’t eat them all!

FO Friday: Bumbles Bounce Vanilla Socks

Posted on by
2

The heels are fully installed in my Bumbles Bounce Vanilla Socks. This means I have a newly minted finished pair of socks!

Pattern: My own toe up vanilla sock recipe over 68 stitches with an afterthought heel

Yarn: MustStash Yarn Must Match Sock in the Bumbles Bounce colorway

Needles: US 1s

I love MustStash as her skeins are dyed to a perfect match. So my socks are perfectly identical with no work on my part. The socks used up 57 grams of the skeins so roughly 262 yards. I have enough for possibly another set of shorties with contrasting everything. But I will probably use the leftovers in my scrap projects.

Now I think I need to get back to my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks before I get distracted by more pretty yarn!

Happy Knitting

Plying and Pale Ale

Posted on by
1

The hubby was in charge of bedtime last night so I had some free and clear time. The singles from my sparkly alpaca FLEW onto my wheel this week. The fiber was very excellently carded and it felt easy to spin.

I poured myself a strawberry blonde ale from a local brewery and started plying. The two bobbins are fairly well matched and I only had a few yards to chain ply at the end of one bobbin.

The skein is resting on its bobbin and waiting for a bath this weekend. Pre washing the yarn looks to be around 11 or 12 wraps per inch. So light DK to sport weight probably? It might change a little after its swim and whack.

Happy Spinning!!

Ice Cream Into Bread

Posted on by
1

I fell down the TikTok hole the other day and saw someone make “bread” from ice cream. I had to try, it just seemed dubious.

It’s just vanilla ice cream, flour, salt and baking powder. And it totally cooked into a bread-like shape. It did not raise very far but the sprinkles did stay on top.

Flavor wise, it was pretty much Meh. It was not as sweet as I would have liked. The texture is very dense. Jellybean LOVED it and ate two slices. I think if I were to try it again, I would add some sugar?

But it was a fun baking experiment. Happy Baking!!

Bumble Heels

Posted on by
1

I had a FULL week of training at work. Like 8-5 every day for a week. The only way I could survive was to bring some knitting. I chose my Bumbles Bounce Socks.

It was SUPER productive. I finished both sock tubes and even got the first heel knit in. The training was leadership related and lots of thinking and talking so it was very easy to knit. And I caught a couple muggles mesmerized as I was knitting, lol.

So I just need to wrap up this last heel and I will have a finished pair of socks! They won’t be super tall but they will undoubtedly be super festive!!

Happy Knitting

Shiny Alpaca Singles

Posted on by
2

I ignored my adult responsibilities and sat at my wheel for most of yesterday. I had finished my Finn yarn and I pulled more fiber from Fiber Flurry to spin. This time it is black alpaca with Firestar mixed in.

This roving is carded very nicely is lovely to spin. It’s smooth and comes out fairly consistently. I have 4.7 ounces of this fiber. I think I will plan to weigh it and spin onto two bobbins for a 2-ply. A single day got me an almost full first bobbin!

Happy Spinning!!