Okay this third advent mini on my 2024 Advent Spinning #2 project is AWFUL. I hate spinning it.
This is some sort of long wool fiber mixed with a metric poop ton of stellina. It sheds everywhere and feels awful moving through my fingers. And it’s terrible to keep a consistent single size. 10 out of 10 would never do again.
I have most of it spun and I’m going to make a second cup of coffee and power through so I can pull the next skein and move the heck on!
Happy Spinning!!
Plodding along with my desk spinning. I am onto the second mini fiber bump of my 2024 spinning advent calendar.
I CANNOT explain how soft this fiber is. It’s like melted butter meets baby kitten. I am loving spinning this fiber. I am having to concentrate to not let this get too thin as it will break due to the softness. Therefore I am concentrating on thickness and adding twist to keep it together during plying.
I think some dedicated blocks at my desk will get me moving to get this fiber onto the wheel and out of stash. Happy Spinning!!
I decided not to wait until to spin the last half of the 2024 advent spinning calendar to ply the first half. I call it spinners prerogative.
I chain plied these singles to maintain the colors. I think overall I got a heavy worsted that is mostly uniform with some thick/thin spots. I was worried about the colors being too crazy but I think they came our mostly rainbow, in a good way.
My singles were just a tiny bit overspun and a bath washed that right out. The finished skein was 181 grams and 212 yards of yarn. I am going to tuck this into the spinning bag where my other half of the fiber for motivation to finish the rest!
Happy Spinning!!
I have opened every single day in my 2024 Knits and Pearls fiber advent calendar!
These last few days included some neon, speckles and definitely stellina. I am worried that day 22 is a little compacted and felted. I will have to see how it spins. The final braid came with an ornament and has a RAINBOW of colors. It does a really great job of incorporating a lot of the colors from the other 24 days.
I am stating my intention to finish this spin in February 2025. I need my wheel to be able to start spinning some of stash down. I pulled some of the fiber I purchased at SSK 2024 to start working on because I AM GOING AGAIN IN 2025 and I am very excited.
Happy Crafting!!
I completely flamed out on my 2024 advent spinning. But I did finally open up the rest of the days to see all the pretties!
There were a lot of purples and greens in this run. And one mini had a teeny Christmas light stitch marker. I don’t trust my memory so I put these back in the numbered bags for when I finally get around to spinning. I think finishing this spin will be one of my February craft goals?
Tomorrow I will wrap up this calendar and show the full braid that came for day 25! Happy Spinning!!
My Queen City Yarns Granny Stripe blanket is DONE!
Pattern: None really. I chained 245 stitches and followed a basic granny stripe recipe
Yarn: Queen City Yarns NoDa sock and some Amber Waves of Fiber Cashmere sock and some Knitting Fever Teenie Weenie Wool
Hook: G Hook (4MM)
This monster of a project consumed all of the 2,600 yards of yarn in the advent kit and another 200 yards from the skeins I picked to be able to eek out the full blanket. I strategically used the Amber Waves and Knitting Fever yarns to work the Christmas-y stripes in between each day. I doubt now that it’s finished you can tell which stripes are the alts!
The finished size is definitely a throw or lap blanket. I didn’t bother to measure but it fits me nicely in the recliner. The biggest joy? All that yarn is now out of my stash and into something I can enjoy. This won’t be my last crochet blanket but I do think I will go back to knitting and spinning for the next little bit.
Happy Crochet!
When I found my wee advent socks, I also found the mini sweaters I was making. I hated them…they were short sleeved and very tiny. So I ripped them out and figured out a long sleeve and larger version I liked.
They turned our great! I am still using Wee Sweater by Sarah Schira pattern, just with some mods. A wee sweater takes me a full evening of TV knitting. So I only have two of these complete but they are fun and get a little faster each time.
For these, I found some gold ribbon that I plan to “hang” the sweaters from for a sweater garland. This garland will be separate from the tiny sock one. One is good so two must be better!
Happy Knitting!!
I am catching up with the 2022 Cozy Knitter self striping 24 day advent skein!
This is roughly day 10 or so? I may not get a stripe every day but they are only 4/5 rows total so it’s easy to catch up. I am giving myself the grace to complete this as quickly or slowly as I need. After all, I have all of Christmas weekend to do whatever catch-up I need!
Happy Knitting!!
In the chaos of December I completely forgot to share my advent calendars. That’s right I splurged on more than one….no regrets.
First up was the Chromatic Yarns 2021 advent calendar. I felt quite creative when I pressed Jellybean’s remote school calendar into use for holding my daily packages!
Also from the UK is the Bird and Blend Tea advent calendar. This was a first for me. I ended up enjoying most days but for sure some the teas were not in my wheelhouse. I would do this one again because it made my stretch my boundaries.
Last up was the Queen City Yarn Home Alone inspired advent calendar. This was an advent my husband got for me in June as an anniversary present. The packing was on point and the mini skeins made a beautiful fade.
When I get my sh*t together and recover from Christmas I will share the actual yarn, lol.
Happy Knitting!!
I am really cruising on my Rainbow Garter wrap now! I am finished with the yellows and on to the oranges.
I laid my project out to see how I was doing as I am now knitting from the All My Stitches I gave up on. And something hit me like a lighting bolt….I might be able to graft the two pieces!!!
There are more stitches on the triangle shaped piece than on my wrap, so I think I need to keep knitting the wrap until I unravel the triangle shaped piece to a point where it has the same number as my main piece. This really means I could have less than a couple hours left on this project!
This proximity to doneness has really ramped up my mojo on this one! 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 