June Books and Events

On the Book front I put down my non-fiction book about the escape from Alcatraz - I didn't like the over-all structure of the book.  I found it hard to figure out who all the players were...  Anyway...

I picked up Yarn: Remembering The Way Home by Kyoko Mori.  I'm about 2 chapters in and she's so compelling.  I hope she lands on her feet, especially since she's a knitter :)

I have been to the Midwest Folk and Fiber.  It is a 3 day Fiber festival and folk art thing.  They had a small display of work, quilting and weaving and things.  There was a market floor with about 2 dozen venders and some outdoor vendors selling foods.  There were bunnies on the market floor.  Sweet angora rabbits some sheered, others a-fluff.  I took no pictures.  It was not really worth the $10 entry fee.  Although I didn't take any, the classes were pretty good with great teachers.

I did take home a small grocery bag full of fiber.  One project for spinning and one for knitting.  I picked up some Gradients in Merino Silk from Fiber Optics in the Fire in the Sky colorway.  I also got some great turquoise yarn from Lost City Knits in the DK base.

On Saturday we start Tour De Fleece.  I am going to try to finish some of the long term projects on my bobbins and spindles.  :)  It includes the Blue Moon Fiber Arts mystery fiber in Briar Rose that I've been drop spindling for about a year and change.  I picked that up at the Sewing Show in Schaumburg in March 2012.  It's a nice prep and the colors are reds and greens.  I am going to have to sample to see what I can do when plying this up.  I worry about the muddying of colors.  I have 5 pounds of llama from Christimas 2011, I talked about that fiber in last post.  I also have green BFL from Miss Babs, in Envy Me and Dew, about 24 ounces of it total.

Now I've been putting off seaming a sweater long enough, I can't wait to show you my WIPS and FO's.  I do hope that the sweater makes it to the FO pile!

June Classes and Spinning.

A few things are going on while I twirl fluff to yarn.  And they are all very old things.  Currently working on some spindle spinning.  BMFA fiber in base unknown in a color called Briar rose.  Very pretty, about 1/2 way done with the singles.

I started working on the llama fiber from my aunt again.  I was not impressed with the prep on the fiber I was working, second cuts and lots of vegetable matter.  However, about 3/4 through what I was working on my lap, I got to some well prepped fiber.  It was drafting, very little matter, like the first stuff I tested.  Oh my.  I think there's just a bit of 'bad' stuff in the bag.  My attitude has improved.

The first sample ounce I got turned out like this.  So pretty.

I am also working some BFL from Miss Babs in Envy Me and another green colorway that I will be mixing up.  I've been switching between the colors whenever the fiber "breaks."  So bright and electric!

I have finished the Two if By Hand Polworth.  I made a gradient yarn, it moves from gold to purple and back to gold.  About 190 yards of a fingering weight.

Here is my finished work.

I signed up for SOAR this week.  It's in my backyard - St Charles IL, and I might not get to go again.  It's exciting to take a class from another member of my guild, and learn about the mechanics of my wheel.

Oh, I put my Ashford Traveler wheel in the back seat of RachelCables' car last weekend, I hope she's having fun with it.  I know that when I was starting on the wheel I feel pretty self conscious when the owners were watching.  So I hope the alone time helps her and she gets some pretty stuff to come out of it.  

On the classes front:

I'm teaching a navigating ravelry class and a two at a time on two circulars Sock class.  I love both of those classes.  They are both fast paced and fill the time completely.  I really like those kinds of classes.  You can find my classes at Fuzzy Wuzzy in Arlington Heights.

I recently took the Anne Hanson Class on Bittersweet Vines.  She did a great job working through any elements that you might have problems with and walked us over why different executions of the yarn-over might look bigger or smaller depending on the stitches surrounding it.  Very helpful, but I still am at a loss about what to do with that...

Here's some hexapuffs drying...

May FO's and WIP's

So, some knit alongs started this month and deadlines are approaching and rather that post, I knit.

So here's what I've been working on and finishing.

First I've been slogging along on a bee keeper's quilt and have made some great puffs.  Here's a couple in the Rick Goes to Crazy Town color from Knit and Fiber Creation's Walking Dead club.

I finished mom's fun-fur scarf.  She loves it.  And that's what matters, not my pride or my achey hands...

I finished 2 pairs of socks - one in more Walking Dead Yarn - this one in Lori's Ghost and it's very pretty, in a pattern I made up myself.  A cabled slip stitch pattern.

And the other a pair called All Dressed Socks in a color from Unwind Yarn Company, Feriade Valencia, and they are amazingly bright!

Then I went cowl crazy!  I made a cowl in 4 days.  Size 10 needles helps though. ... The Sallah Cowl from knitty.com  And it's amazing.  I may have blocked it a little aggressively, but I thought it was choking me... 

The doubling of the loop means I get a mustache!  Great fun.

I have started the Bittersweet Vines Cowl and Mitts set by Anne Hanson, who came to visit the Windy City Knitting Guild last weekend.  I chose Plymoth Mushishi to knit it out of.  It's a one ply aran weight, wool and silk blend.  And here's my cowl in progress with Anne.  She is so sweet.

I didn't go alone - with DizzieLizzie and RachelCables we worked our cowls.  I love Rachel's - look at that green!

Also on the needles - no photo  - is the Stoker Sweater from Amy Herzog.  I finally did the math and read the 3 sleeve articles from knitty.com to figure my fat-arm-skinny-sleeve problem out.  Conclusions being 1. Lose some weight so I don't have this problem and 2. knitting is all math.  

Conclusions looking at the above pictures, everyone's getting cowls for Christmas!