Mixing Wheel

I bought these different bits of fleece in Seattle and then tried blending them as I spun them up. Then I plied them together to get a good mix. I think it cam out well. Still learning of course...

Pink Forvever

This was my last project for KnitPicks that I completed at the start of May. (The hoodie on the left) It's an original design, which means it was a work in progress from the start. A really different experience. A bit harder because of having to decide to give feedback or not on what I thought was happening with the instructions. I don't think it had ever been knit before.

KP asked me not to post this project until they published it and it was in my email this morning. I took pictures of it of course before it left my house.

Hoodie Stitch Detail

This is the wildflower stitch used. A little hard on the hands...

I asked a some oneline knitting friends if I was doing it correctly and had my answer quite promptly to continue knitting!

Seattle 2007 SnP

Me and Ben

Instead of knitting, I had the best time at our meetup hanging with my friend Ben. I managed to give his mom some free to knit or talk time and I got to play and entertain a most wonderful baby...blowing bubbles and all.

Spinning in the Rain

Can it really be Friday night? I feel like my post about the cake was just yesterday. Life is going so fast these days. The strange thing is that all I feel like I've been doing lately is spinning. Probably because that's all I've been doing.

It's really cutting into my knitting time, yhis spinning, but it requires less thought. I don't think this is a good sign!! What, I can't even concentrate on a lace chart? Simple socks or (UGHHH) Stockinette stitch? Something's gotta give. Okay, I'll just say that for now, it's a phase. A strange Summertime phase like this strange Summertime weather.

It's been raining off and on for days, and cool as well. In the two years that I've been in Portland, by the end of June, the rain is completely gone. Hot, dry and more heat and dryness. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I hate the heat. It's just peculiar, that's all.

My life is about to change big time on Monday with a new job, and somehow I feel like I'm wasting my free time. Even though I've had nothing BUT free time for months now, it matters not. Neurotic? Yes.

" An inch of time can buy an inch of gold. But an inch of gold canot buy an inch of time"

----Chinese Proberb

Crazy Heart Cake

It was my best friend Riis' birthday today and I made him socks, dinner and this crazy heart shaped cake. I just got wild with the icing and swirled it all around and used colored sugar and all in all it was so sweet it made our teeth hurt. I felt like it was a cake for the 7 yr old in us both. I think it was...

Riis' Socks

Re-Balancing the Wheel

Finally, some even looking twist to my yarn!

And, here is the trick. When Wendy was in town last month, she left me with some Mexican coins to place on my wheel to try and correct the dead spot that was so obvious. Last night I finally taped some on and tried it out. Yahoo! Totally changed everything. Now I'm going to go out and get the right glue and adhere those suckers on for good.

My eccentric little wheel is getting more so every day, but I'm feeling the love...

My first Tweed

So, the twist hasn't been set yet but I just wanted to post it 'cause I'm loving it so much. It's teaching me how to take a blended fleece and make sure all the colors have their rightful place in the texture of the whole. I'm ending up with some extra blobs of white silk that I'm holding aside.

Parrot Colors

I'm not so wild about this merino silk yarn I just spun, but perhaps it will find a new owner or correct project.

Autumn in July!

Well, at least the colors are. And yes folks, Spun on the wheel (that I think I have to give a name to)

Day of Super Knit Action

Barb, DeVia, Mary, Duffy and Gary

Oh, here's Barb and the back of Kathy's head

At the top, we have the Portland contigent of the GLBT knitlist. Then, on to the PDX Knit Bloggers Meet up at Knit Purl. It was quite the scene! Fantasy day for me. And, lo and beholde, I somehow won the grand prize of the door prizes of a Shibui Knits knitting bag. Quite the cat's meou and already filled and in use.

All of this was on Sunday the 8th and the knitting and spinning momentum continues. I am so charged up about meeting yet more really serious knitters in Portland. And, then there's the added bonus that all of us have blogs, so it's this continuity thing. We see each other's projects evolving and get to know each other more. Cool. Hot. Anything but tepid.

Me talking about the sock and looking funny doing it...