In Which I Watch Some Hockey and Spin

High school hockey season is in full swing here in Minnesota.  If you like hockey, high school hockey here is fantastic!  I have two nephews who play varsity hockey for Minnetonka High School, so I am a proud and avid fan.

Hence my frustration tonight when Qwest couldn't figure out how to fix my internet, which has been down for two days.  They can't get a tech out to fix it until Saturday.  In the meantime, the big Minnetonka v. Eden Prairie confrontation was on simulcast over the internet tonight.  What a dilemma!  So here I am, crying over the loss suffered by my poor Tonka Skippers at Caribou Coffee, where I parked myself to use their wifi.  Final score 4-2, but the last goal was a freebie at an empty net in the waning seconds of the game.  It was a fabulous game, just not the outcome I wanted.  :-(

I am working on a basic sock for the next-youngest nephew in that family.  I am happy that those teenage boys like and appreciate hand-knitted socks; the only downside is that they are big boys with big feet--size 13 for all of them except the youngest, and I'm sure he'll get there.  I want to finish this pair for John's birthday on Sunday, but I have the feeling I'm not going to make it.

I've also been spinning for my October Frost sweater.  I have one full bobbin done.   My plan is to keep two bobbins in play--once one is full, let it rest overnight, then take the singles off on the ballwinder.  I'll ply all the fiber at the end to balance out any unevenness.

I've set a goal to card two batts (at least) every night until all the fiber is carded. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of touching the switch on my carder and zapping it with static electricity, so now the switch doesn't work.  This means I have to start and stop my carder by unplugging it, which is awkward, to say the least.  I'm trying to pick out as much VM from this fiber prep as possible in the carding process, and that makes it even harder to do.  It's always something...

I Make Some Progress on My Goals...

Okay, so not much really.  I've spun and swatched three variations of the Shetland fiber for the October Frost cardigan I want to make. 

I settled on the right swatch as the yarn I want for this sweater.  To get this yarn, I need to recard all the fiber, separating the two colors and putting them through my carder in layers.  It's a good thing--there is a lot of VM (vegetable matter) in this roving, and the carding is giving me a chance to pick out a lot of it.  It also makes this dreamy to spin.  However, I'm only getting about 1.5 oz. on the carder for each batt, so it will take awhile to card 2+ lbs of this fiber.  I've made the mistake of not spinning enough for a project in the past, and I can never quite capture the gauge again, so I am going to make sure I have it all done before beginning to knit. 

Hopefully I can get the carding done this weekend, and begin to spin. 

In the meantime, GO PACKERS!!

In Which I Make Lists--Lots of Lists

I like to set goals.  I like to make lists.  I like to take on challenges.  Even when those goals, lists and challenges are way beyond what any human being could accomplish in a lifetime.  Why this is, I do not know.  Perhaps I subscribe to the theory that if your list never ends, you can never die.  Or maybe I just like stress, even self-imposed.  Whatever it is, I have signed on for challenges this year once again.  They are as follows:

1)  Knit a sweater a month for 2011.

• Rogue with Knitpicks WOTA in chocolate brown 
• Lastrada Hanne Falkenberg kit--started, but need to frog to make a smaller size 
• Central Park Hoodie--finished sweater, but I need to frog it and make a smaller size 
• Baby Surprise for a friend whose baby is due in January--this might have to become #1
• Falling Stars sweater kit from Knit Picks 
• Kraka--also a finished sweater, but need to frog and reknit in a smaller size. This one is for my daughter, she has also lost weight. 
• a traditional gansey of some kind, with yarn I purchased in Estonia 
• Old Port Pullover, possibly from some alpaca blend yarn I have in sweater quantity 
• Red Palm pattern bohus, from handspun yarn 
• Oatmeal Cardigan with Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mills grey--sweater in process
• October Frost out of handspun--Spinning in process
• Cassidy

2) Finish 26 Pair Plunge of Socks by June 1, 2011
This is one of those challenges I signed up for last year, but I have been knitting along on a lot of things, not just socks.  I actually have no idea how many pairs I have made so far--the challenge started June 1, 2010.  I think it should be just under 10 pairs so far.  I could still finish this challenge, but I have been concentrating on sweaters now.  (see above.)  I think I have ADHD for knitting projects and goals. 

3)  Read 52 books in 2011
This challenge should be easy for me.  I read a lot.  All the time.  Still, I have yet to finish a book in 2011, though one is almost done (The Brethren, by John Grisham).

4) I have a Spin Possible list for 2011. 

• finish 7 more batts Polwarth/cashmere/silk for Rosalind shawl 
• spin Shetland roving for October Frost sweater
• finish spinning Shetland roving for Red Palm Bohus-type sweater 
• finish some merino laceweight in Garden Party colorway--about 4 oz 
• finish chain-plying Louet Northern Lights roving for sock yarn--FINISHED 1/9/11
• finish some superwash merino laceweight--about 4 oz 
• finish merino/tencel blend in laceweight on my Bosworth spindle 
• finish about 1/2 oz purple roving on Dragonfly spindle--FINISHED 1/9/11 
• card/spin Corriedale/Romney cross fleece with Tussah silk for Oatmeal Cardigan

So I have my work cut out for me in 2011.  Think I can do it??

In Which I Articulate My Challenges for the New Year

Shetland Wool roving
Originally uploaded by rjsams1010

I just got this gorgeous roving from Gail von Bargen's farm. It is Shetland roving, very soft. I am playing with it to decide how I want to spin it for the October Frost sweater from Lisa Lloyd's book "A Fine Fleece."
I have a list of projects to finish for 2011.  I have placed myself on a "yarn diet."  No new puchases of yarn until I use up some of my stash.  When I made a list, I discovered that I have enough yarn  or fiber in sweater quantities to make a sweater a month for the whole year!  So I joined the Sweater a Month challenge on Ravelry, and that is my goal.  I'll try to keep posting here to track my progress. 

My first sweater of 2011 is the Oatmeal Cardigan, from Spin-Off magazine.  It is a simple design, just a small travelling stitch pattern at the cuffs and yoke of this one-color sweater.  I purchased some Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill medium yarn in a natural grey color at the MN Knitter's Guild silent auction, and it is perfect for this sweater.  I have both sleeves done and I am halfway up the body, which at this point is just stockinette.  Boring, but easy to do while watching the Packers play football!! 

New Blog Post for a New Year

It's about time I posted to the blog again.  I have not fallen off the face of the earth, nor have I given up and hibernated the winter away.  But I have been focused on other things in my life, and not enough on my fiber business.

I hope to change that for 2011.  This year I am planning to share a booth with a couple of other artisans at Shepherd's Harvest Fiber Festival.  I will be selling my fiber batts and a new item, project bags.  I have some prototypes done, but still perfecting the pattern.  Pics to follow.

Made my son a sweater for Christmas.  He loves the TV show "Firefly" so I made him the Wash sweater.  I think it turned out great.  Pic is in another post, I think.  The connection to Flickr is weird since Flickr changed the way they do picture sharing.  I don't like it.

More to follow.  I will try to be better about posting to the blog.

DSC00068

DSC00068
Originally uploaded by rjsams1010

Ben in his new Wash sweater.   All done!