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!

Back to the Blog!

Just touching base, not much has changed.  Still haven't finished the blends I was working on with the carder.  I have almost finished carding the dyed fleece, but that's about it.

I went fiber camping with some friends two weekends ago, and we did a lot of spinning.  It was great to have my friend Heather there to encourage me to tackle some fiber I have really needed to get finished.  I have now washed a whole bunch of skeins that were sitting around, and they are ready to be used.

Almost finished my daughter's summer sweater, too.  :-)  Hopefully there will still be some nice days for her to wear it.  I have about one more inch of the bottom to do and then the bind-off, then the two sleeves to finish off, which will again be about an inch each.  I have so many projects waiting, I really need to push on and get this done.  The pattern is the Scoop Tee from Interweave Knits, Fall 2009, I think.

Next weekend is WI Sheep and Wool Festival.  I am sooo excited about that trip!!  Not taking any classes, just going to camp, spin, shop, observe and have a great time.  I hope to get some good pictures to post here, too.

In which we are settled, and life moves on...

Well, we are moved!  Yes, even (almost) unpacked!  We love the new place, it is SOOO much better than the old.  Can't believe it took this long to do the deed.  We had help from wonderful friends, so it was much less painful than it could have been.  Thank you to all who helped!!  I think we had everything at the new place by 4pm.

Immediately after moving, I had weight loss surgery and was off work for 3 weeks.  That has been another distracting adventure.  Things are settling down now, I can eat a regular (albeit quite small) diet, and I am feeling really good.  Since first meeting with my surgeon in April, I have lost 50 lbs!  I've got a long way to go, but already I am feeling much better and needing smaller clothes.

While I was off, I took my inventory of fiber batts to Knitter's Palette and sold quite a lot of my inventory.  My first retail outlet, yay!  Since then I have had a long dye session and now am busy at the carder putting together some new blends.  I'll post pics as soon as I have some done.

I've booked a campsite for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival near Madison, WI the weekend of September 10-12, and I'm looking forward to that.  I need to find another wonderful silvery grey fleece.   I love overdyeing grey, and I am almost out of my raw washed fleece from Sue Ross.  Hope I can find one as good.