Hallelujah! I have been connected to the world wide web once more! And who is to blame? Squirrels. Squirrels nibbling the cables outside. Squirrels.
Anyway, moving swiftly on. Remember, way back when, all those weeks ago, when I learned how to spin on my Ashford Traveller? I spun and I spun, and then I plied, and was amazed at how much yarn you can end up with compared to what I could get from my drop spindle. Just shy of 200 grams in two large and one small hank. Here's the breakdown of weight and yardage:
95 grams, 86 yards
87 grams, 97 yards
14 grams, 12 yards
There's a mix of colors, fibers, and techniques in there, between the supplies from the class and the gatherings of fluff that I had in my stash. A little bit of very colorful silk, various long-staple wools, some natural and some not-so-naturally orange, purple, and...you get the idea. I added them to my single ply at random, taking whatever roving I had on hand and switching it up at intervals to mix it up. We did a simple two-ply, so the randomness twisted together just as randomly again.
Here are my fabulous photo shoot shots:
I kind of love it. But then, it's hard not to love your own handspun, isn't it? I found a pattern for a chunky little monster/toy in one of the knitting magazines I bought on my UK trip, so some of this might work for that. Although, I also kind of feel like it's so pretty, I want to wear it, which makes me lean towards Syrinx Shells from my blogging friend Alicia at Woolen Diversions.
So this is kind of a finished object that will then become a WIP, and then an FO again. Hurrah for learning new crafts! And again hallelujah for thwarting the mischievous gnawings of squirrels.
You think you've had a productive week. You think you've accomplished a small something worth feeling good about. And then you watch a player in her grand slam debut upset the #12 seed and you hear that she was born in 1999. And suddenly you feel just a little bit lazy and unambitious.
That's what happens when you watch sports as you get older, I suppose. But I'll leave the tennis prodigy-ing to CiCi Bellis and watch her as I make progress on my knitting and spinning. And I have made progress. I finally blocked my Mittacles, so now I just have the pesky task of weaving all of the ends in:
My Vlad Helsing is moving along as well. I've gone through the chart nearly three of the prescribed four times:
Aside from the momentary confusion with the placement of the repeat on two of the rows, I've really enjoyed this. My only worry is that it won't use up enough of my yarn to get to the color change in the skein that starts a little late.
So, do young upstart athletes, movie stars, or other random celebrities ever make you feel lazy? Or are you confident in your awesomeness? For more WIP Wednesdays, go to Tami's Amis.
Tomorrow morning I'll be going to the last of three sessions in my Intro to Wheel Spinning class. It's been a lot of fun, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how quickly I picked it up. It certainly was a great help that this wasn't my first experience spinning, just a new tool. Though the mechanics are a bit different, the principles of drafting and twist are the same. So here are some pictures of what I've been spinning up on Sundays and with a little practice every day in between.
The first week, after figuring out exactly what the parts of my wheel were and all that, we started out with some silk hankies and Corriedale.
I am now in love with silk hankies. It feels like cheating, spinning with them because they work up so easily. The Corriedale was nice as well, and the gray against the bright colors was fun.
Once I got home, I just grabbed some of the random fluffs of fiber that I had gathered over the years. Roving samples and things like that, anything that wasn't a complete and labeled braid that could be a project in and of itself later. And with those, I added to my bobbin's collection:
And then, last Sunday we ventured out into batts. Sparkles!
This was a lot of fun to work with, and I tried spinning woolen, which was interesting. I might do more of that for a particular project, but I think for the most part I'll be sticking with worsted. I brought some of my fiber scraps and continues to just mix and match.
I filled up an entire bobbin very early into the class, and now my second is also basically full.
The crazier the colors the better, I think. So now I have two bobbins ready for tomorrow's session of plying. And then I have to decide what to knit with my newly handspun yarn. At the moment I'm thinking perhaps a Danger monster? I'm open to suggestions!
And check out Woolen Diversions for more spinning inspiration, she's done some great stuff!
As I mentioned on Saturday, I finally made the leap from staring at my spinning wheel to actually spinning yarn on it. I am now on Day Four of being a wheel spinner, following my instructor's guidance like a good little student and spinning just a little bit each day to build the muscle memory. Here are the results:
Though I'm not completely comfortable yet, I am really enjoying how much faster it all seems to be on the wheel versus the spindle. It helps to have had the spindle experience, though, because I already get the concepts of drafting and twist, I just have to add my feet into the process. I think I'm going to need to replace the drive band very soon as well because mine is a little stretchy, so I need to figure out how to do that. Preferably one that is pre-done as opposed to one that I have to measure, cut, and fuse. That scares me.
I don't know if I was feeling empowered by my new skill or had just reached the limit of letting a WIP hibernate, but I also picked my Mini Fox Stole My Heart again and finally gave him his second leg:
Then I also knit his two little ears:
The next step will be to sew his head together, attach the ears and stitch on the nose detail. And, of course, attach the head to the body. I did use a meeting on Monday to weave in all of the ends I've created on the body so far, so I'm a step ahead there. Which is just as well, since as you can see, I've created a whole new slew of ends with the head and ears.
Speaking of animal extremities, my Mittacles have all of their tentacles, with just a few rows left until it's time to rib:
So even though nothing is quite done, I feel like I've been productive this week, craft-wise. How about you? For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis.
You know how when you first get a new crafty thing you have all of these ideas about what you're going to do with it? And you think that you'll start first thing tomorrow, you can barely contain your excitement. Then tomorrow comes and you figure you should really finish what you're working on now. Then the next day maybe you have to go to work, then the next you just don't have time for anything, until all of the days pile up and before you know it it's been a month. Or ten.
I really hope it's not just me that has this problem.
I'm trying not to think about how many months I let pass between a Ravelry friend so generously gifting me her spinning wheel to be my first. Instead, I'm focusing on the fact that I didn't let it become a full year. And telling myself that I've been busy with other crafty things, like learning to sew and knitting my Twist of Death, another project that I completed less than a year after buying the yarn.
Tomorrow I'm going to the first of three sessions in an introduction to wheel spinning class at Hill Country Weavers. I probably could have ambled along on my own and figured it out, but this way I'll have some help and a jumpstart to get really spinning by the end of the month. Huzzah!
That means that soon I shall hopefully transfer some of my fiber stash into handspun stash in Ravelry:
How could I possibly resist this fiber dyed after red velvet cake for Yarnorama's anniversary?
My plan for this braid has always been to spin it into singles and then ply it with a bright pink thread.
Malabrigo makes such gorgeously soft yarn, I can only imagine what their roving will produce.
This was sent to me by someone in New Zealand. It travelled such a long way, it deserves to fulfill it's destiny.
Speaking of travels, Woolen Diversions is back from her honeymoon and has lots of gorgeous pictures to share for the next few weeks of her Inspiration Saturday posts, so don't forget to check those out.
Conversations Between Workers. Start by writing a few short paragraphs from the point of view of one of the tools you use for your craft...Then, write a dialogue between yourself and this item. I do not have delusions of grandeur. I know that I am but a humble spinning wheel. I have been described as functional, practical, a good wheel to learn on. But since making the arduous journey across Texas to Austin last October, I have not functioned, I have not practiced, and she has not learned.
Instead I sit in the living room, waiting and watching as she knits with commercially-spun yarn. I know she yearns to turn roving into handspun. I see her turn her glance my way, I feel her best intentions (we wheels are very wise in that way). I know the time is drawing near when plans turn to actions and research becomes lessons. If only I could talk to her...
J: I'm sorry, Ashford. One day I'll learn to spin.
A: I know.
J: Did...did you just talk? A: Well, not talking. I'm tapping into the psychic link that connects all crafters and their tools. The 'Bob' line.
J: Ooooookay...so I'm having a conversation with my Ashford.
A: You can call me Ashley.
J: Ashley. Right. Hi?
A: Hi.
J: So, um, I'm sorry. I really do want to learn how to spin on you, but...
A: I know. Work. Knitting. Running. Blogging.
J: Yeah.
A: But wheels were meant to spin. It's not difficult, I promise. You just have to get started. I promise not to prick your finger and send you into a deep sleep.
J: Alright.
A: So...when do we start?
J: I'll find a class or something.
A: You could have taken one at Hill Country Weavers.
J: Yeah, but that was for three Sunday mornings. A: The marathon was Saturday mornings, and more of them. J: True. A: So...when do we start? J: I'll take you to Yarnorama for a First Saturday spin-in. A: Which one? June? J: Maybe July. June is Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta. A: Will you buy me some fiber? J: Maybe. We've already got a couple of braids for you, though. A: Just don't wait until October.
I won't. Don't worry! For more 'Conversations Between Workers' posts from day four of Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, search on the 5KCBWDAY4 tag.
So this week's post is a little late in the Saturday night, and that's because of two things:
I spent ten of the hours in today in the car.
I wasn't ambitious enough to draft a post earlier in the week to be able to schedule for release or just need to push 'Publish' when I arrived home.
There are a couple of things I could tell you about, like all of the new cowl patterns I favorited in search of just the right one to knit for an upcoming swap.
But for now, it's late. I'm full of soup, salad, and frozen yogurt. I had an awesome day, which was inspiring in oh so many ways, not the least of which was this one:
I brought home a wheel! I'll save the formal introductions for another time, but I'm so excited!
I'd love to read your first wheel stories in the comments, and any advice you have for transitioning from spindle to wheel. As always, there's more inspiration at Woolen Diversions.
It may be September, but it might as well be Christmas as far as my FOs are concerned. And not just because I'm as giddy as a good little girl who has dutifully stayed in bed all night and finally sees the sun peaking over the horizon on Christmas morning. Finished objects, everybody! This is exciting!
First, my dishcloths for Yarnorama's holiday party:
Notice that I added a little loop for hanging? That right there is the extent of my crochet skills at this point, but I'm applying them. I hope they are impressive enough to be 'stolen' once in the dishcloth swap. I really enjoyed working with the yarn and the pattern, both of which I'd like to use again, if not necessarily for the same project. A top in this cotton would be lovely, and I'm thinking that a cowl in this stitch would be really pretty. Maybe with handspun 'bricks'.
What do these five skeins of handspun merino have to do with Christmas? They were meant to be a Christmas present for my mother.
Last year.
I'm a slow spinner. I really need to get a wheel. And another day in the week might help as well. But anyway, in a little less than a year (I purchased the fiber during last year's Yarn Crawl), I spun four ounces of two-ply totaling about 530 yards. My mom was asking me what she should knit with it, but honestly, I have no thoughts on that front. I was just focused on getting it done. She's open to suggestions, so if you have any I'll be sure to pass them along.
I can never just 'stop in' to a yarn store. I have to browse the shelves, and I will inevitably find something I cannot leave behind. I have accepted this fate, and no longer attempt to thwart it.
So when I needed to 'stop in' to Gauge today to pick up a passport for this year's Yarn Crawl (next month, yay!), I had pretty much accepted that I was going to leave with more than my little booklet granting me passage to eleven local yarn stores in the hill country. But I admit, I never suspected that I would find these.
Look at them, so unassuming, pretending that they aren't a very exciting new development in my spinning world. I didn't even know Malabrigo made roving! Clearly I am not psychically in tune enough with the fiber world. But having spotted it, I couldn't turn away. Malabrigo yarn is so soft and squishy, I need to try see if my own Malabrigo handspun will have the same gorgeous texture.
There was also a gray-purple colorway there when I first saw this, but my oohs and aahs brought the attention of another crafter (who I actually know from work), and she bought them. But that's okay, because I still took these two:
They're called Nube; the gray on the left is Plomo, and the red is Cereza. I'm not sure, but part of me wants to either spin or knit at least some of them together. They're both just so very...gothic. Basic, almost elemental colors, but hand dyed with such rich, deep shades that they are anything but simple. This is why every time I say the word 'Malabrigo', the M has at least two syllables.
This is all bringing me closer and closer to the conclusion that I need a wheel. At the very least, I need to give one a serious demo. Because I'm accumulating a stash of fiber that cannot support my lack of speed with a spindle. I love my spindle, but I would love to be able to spin and ply one big skein, and at a greater rate of return on craft time invested.
Hmm, you know what this means, don't you? I'm going to have to stop in at Yarnorama...
Holiday Mondays are the gift that keeps on giving, because after the long weekend, you get a short work week. I'm so glad it's Wednesday already, and I'm ready for another weekend, so I can keep working on my WIPs and hopefully turn some of them into FOs for you.
I continued to make progress on my crafting while watching tennis and college football over the weekend. I've added another few inches to the sleeve of my cardigan. Part of me is ready to get these pieces done and move onto the next phase, but part of me is also just a little scared of the blocking and sewing and picking up stitches for the ruffle and adding beads and generally making something more like a finished garment than I've ever made before. But mostly I'm ready to get it done.
If I'm really lucky, this weekend as I'm blocking my cardigan I'll also be washing and drying the fifth and final cop in my spinning. Then I can continue to daydream about getting myself a spinning wheel, having put in the slow yards on a spindle and proven that, yes, this spinning thing is a craft that I'm sticking with.
From that relatively new way of wiling away the hours to an old favorite, I'm really enjoying Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom'. Part of the joy of my three-day weekend was having the extra night that I could stay up in bed and keep turning the pages. I'm now at 414, and I have no idea where the Berglunds are going to end up in the next hundred or so pages. I'm going to guess that it's not happily ever after. Because this is not a fairy tale story, there aren't really any heroes. But each character has moments where I can sympathize with them. And then they do something stupid and I shake my head into the book as if they could heed my warnings. All in all, a dollar well-spent at Half Price Books.
Another 'project' I have is a swap that I'm moderating over on Ravelry. It's called Alphabet Soup, and the idea is that everyone has to theme their packages around a certain letter. Like, say I was assigned the letter G, I could send Goldfish crackers, green yarn, a Garden Pond shawl...you get the idea. I've just spent most of tonight matching people up, assigning them letters, and letting them know the results so that they can start spoiling. So that's also a work in progress, I think.
Whew, with all of that, no wonder I'm ready for the weekend again! For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis.
There are two themes to this week for me. First, it's back to school, as I noted in my movie review on Monday. But perhaps more excitingly, it's time for the final grand slam of the tennis season. A stone's throw from my alma mater in Flushing Meadows, the US Open is two weeks of day and night tennis that you want to enjoy as much of as possible, because it's got to last you until the Australian Open next year. So instead of the usual mix of HGTV, Food Network and Bravo, it's a steady stream of tennis that's been playing in the background of my crafting for the past few days. And soon I'll add some college football to that as well. Ah, fall, how I missed you.
The foreground of my crafting hasn't really changed much since last week. I'm still plying the fourth of five cops, using my frozen yogurt bowl trick. I'd still like to properly document this, but here's a very fuzzy picture of what it looks like.
It takes a lot of skill to ply and snap an iPhone photo, let me tell you. You'll have to excuse the cute skull pajamas and fuzzy slippers, I like to craft in comfort.
I've also added a few more inches to the second sleeve of my cardigan. Once that's done, it will be time to block and sew. And then comes the beaded ruffle. Hopefully this will get done before they install that roof on Arthur Ashe stadium...
One of the joys of crafting can be the beauty of the tools. Beautifully turned knitting needles, resin drop spindles full of glitter, and polymer stitch markers cute enough to make even the more torturous lace pattern bring a smile to your face. There are some very high highs when it comes to the aesthetic as well as practical value of the things we craft with.
Flying a little closer to the ground, you have the kinds of tools that we put together ourselves out of necessity. After all, when you are making your own sweater, and then making your own yarn for making your own sweater, the idea that you would make your own tools doesn't seem all that strange. Unlike that handknit sweater, though, the tools we make don't always look worthy of bringing into work and showing off to a group.
I've already shown you my plying machine made from paper towel and toilet paper rolls and a trouser hanger. And while that seemed to work fine, I think I came up with something even better in the second half of last week. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of it for today, but I'm very tempted to write up a tutorial for Examiner, so maybe you'll see it soon. Until then, I'll try to describe it.
First of all, it involves frozen yogurt. Well, not the actual yogurt. The paper cups it comes in, and the domed plastic lids you can put on those cups if you are taking your yogurt to go. You just cut two notches across from each other in the cup, place your center-pull ball in it, pull each end through a notch, and snap the lid into place. Ta-dah! You have a mechanism that allows for both ends to unravel from the ball without getting tangled up in each other, while at the same time allowing you to remove the top and extract the yarn when you reach the end/middle.
Keeping this ingenious device in place with my feet, I was able to ply up another cop in just a few days, bringing my grand total to three of five.
Right after plying, the DIY toolset continues with my PVC noddy-noddy:
It's not pretty, but it does the job. And let's face it, the yarn is all the pretty I need.
What are your favorite tricks for homemade tools? Where do you get your ideas?
Ah, the innocence of last week! What was that I said? Oh, right:
I'm hoping I can get this plied and finished over the weekend.
I was just a child then. Bygone, carefree days of optimism.
Now apparently I'm a melodramatic teenager complaining about how hard life is. Because I'm remembering the fun that ensues when you start unwinding your cop and ply it. It's not as simple as it sounds, mostly because the singles really, really want to twist up onto each other before I'm ready for them.
To avoid tangles and tears, there are a number of strategies I've read about on various Ravelry threads. I'm thinking that I'll be trying a different one on each of the five cops I have, but all two-plies. So far, I have one finished hank of yarn by taking the center and outer end of the cop and wrapping that around a toilet paper roll. Unfortunately, that made for a labor-intensive plying process that involved my mother helping with her own present by untwisting it as it came off of the roll. I think I needed more tension as I was wrapping. But even though it took longer than expected, it still looks lovely:
I haven't done all of the measurements, just washed, dried, and twisted into a little baby skein. It's still amazing to me when I'm holding a finished hank like this. I made that!
I've started on the second cop with a new strategy, this time using a paper towel roll. I wrapped the center and outer end of the cop around the roll, keeping them on opposite ends. The roll is now on one of those trouser hangers, so it can rotate relatively easily as I need it. Here's a really bad photo of the set-up:
When you're a crafter, you have to be a bit of a MacGyver. So far, this solution is working better for me. I also have another cop that I have rewound into a center-pull ball on my ball winder to then be wound onto a two-ply tennis ball.
Wish me luck as I just keep spinning, and for more WIP Wednesday posts, visit Tami's Amis.
Yet again, I've made a random movie reference in my post title. This one should be read like a lost boy about to try various ways to turn a grown-up Peter into a flying Pan again, a la 'Hook'. Onto the post! Last night, I finally spun the last bit of fiber fluff into a single ply. And I continue to marvel at the art deco gorgeousness that is a neatly-wrapped cop:
I'm so close to finishing this yarn, I can taste it. Except not really, because I don't think my mom wants me licking her handspun. Blood, sweat, and tears go into handmade items, but not saliva. I will reserve my licking for frozen yogurt.
I'm hoping I can get this plied and finished over the weekend. I'm planning to do a simple two-ply technique, pulling from the outside and inside of the center-pull created by my spindle. The main reason I like this is because you know that you're going to have two even ends to ply together, you aren't going to end up with one that's six inches longer than the other.
It would be really nice to get this done, not just to have the yarn to finally give to my mom, but to allow me extra time to hopefully finish my cardigan by the end of this month. Because I'm finding myself really tempted to participate in the swap I'm moderating that will start spoiling in September. It's called Alphabet Soup, and the idea is that everyone will get the name of someone to spoil, and a letter to theme their package around. So they'll be making packages 'brought to you by the letter __'. It's already inspiring lots of ideas, these swaps can be the most fun because they're a puzzle in and of themselves.
But first, I have to put the final pieces together of this yarn.
I may have conquered that inexplicable ability to control my calorie intake, but there's still a resolution I seem to have trouble with: stash busting. Any time resolutions are being made, I seem to aim for reducing my collection of yarn and fiber.
There are, however, two forces at work against this endeavor. First, I never seem to have enough time to make progress on my projects. Not being a speedy knitter, I need more than the moments I can snatch after work to really turn around WIPs each week. And then, there's my inability to resist the temptation of buying new yarn and fiber. I can't help it, they are just too pretty to leave behind when I go to fiber festivals and yarn stores! I think it's just time to accept that I'm not going to live up to any of those resolutions.
So this week's inspiration are two purchases I made that are not so much stash busting as stash building.
Having completed Tour de Fleece, I'm still spinning my yarn from that effort, but there were some fiber artists offering special discounts in their online shops, so I took advantage of one from BohoKnitterChic and added this lovely to my fiber stash:
A golden yellow, the touches of brown and blue along with the sparkle make me think of 'Beauty and the Beast':
With a reminder of one of my all-time favorite movies, how could I possibly be expected to resist the superfine merino, bamboo, and silk noil?
I ordered that a week or so ago and it arrived on Monday, after I made another non-busting purchase at Gauge Knits here in Austin:
The buttons were on sale, and then I found this skein of Bamboo Sheen Sport from Dizzy Lettuce that just went too perfectly to deny it. I'm planning on making a cowl based on A Very Braidy Cowl, altered slightly to create three running cable braids, then using the gaps from the cables as buttonholes at the end. I'm really tempted to just cast this on and knit something quick before completing my cardigan. Maybe then I'll feel more like a stash buster.
But wait, there's more! More Dizzy Lettuce, in fact:
I should mention that the reason we stopped into Gauge was a trunk show with Sea of Beads and Dizzy Lettuce. She had a whole table of lovely things, plus a chair draped in still-drying hanks. I love 'splotchy' colorways like this one, and I'm intrigued to work with linen for the first time. It's mostly silk, so it's still very soft, and has a slight sheen in the sunlight. I'm thinking a shawl with this, but not sure which one yet.
Just like a decadent dessert, adding yarn and fiber to my stash may not be in line with my resolutions, but sometimes, you just have to. Cake can be run off, and cakes of yarn can be knit, eventually!
If exceptions make the rule, then I'm setting myself up for a fully-regimented 30 weeks of marathon training. Because I gave blood today, I figured I was unlikely to be able to complete the scheduled 3-mile run. So instead, I ran it yesterday morning, making my grand total mileage 4.5 miles. I haven't even tried counting how many miles I'll have posted in training before the marathon, I have a feeling that it might freak me out a little. All I need to know is that I have another 1.5 miles scheduled for tomorrow after using today as a rest day.
Even though the Tour de Fleece is technically over, I haven't taken any rest days from spinning. I'm still adding to the final cop with neatly placed wraps around the spindle:
I love the colorful geometry of it, like a purple Chrysler building.
I've also started work on that second sleeve of my cardigan. It's not much to look at yet, but here's a look at the beads I bought over the weekend:
Don't they go perfectly? It's giving me something to look forward to when I'm picking up all of those stitches for the ruffle.
So there are three of my works in progress: spinning, knitting, and running. For more WIPs, go to Tami's Amis.
The finish line is coming up fast for the Tour de Fleece, and I've come to accept that I will not be clutching skeins of finished yarn as I cross it. It is the destiny of this yarn to miss every deadline which can be set for it. And thankfully, that's okay. While the Tour ends Sunday, I'm still allowed to spin come Monday, and all of the days after that.
Something else I didn't expect when I started was having more than four cops, but in fact I began a fifth this afternoon while sitting in my first spin-in at The Knitting Nest. It's the third or fourth month that they've held this social spinners gathering, and despite intending to go all of those other months, this was the first time it worked out well for me to join in. I'm hoping to come by more for spinning and knitting on Thursdays perhaps, because it's always fun to be around other crafty people and see what they are working on. And sometimes it's nice to get confirmation that what you yourself are doing is coming along well. It does continue to grow my desire for a spinning wheel, however.
Anyway, because I needed to start a new and final cop, I decided to try out a technique to make it look a little prettier while on the spindle. When I first started spinning, wrapping neatly wasn't as important as just successfully creating the cop. But seeing some of the gorgeously geometric-looking cops in the forums made me want to get a little fancy.
And thankfully, it only looks fancy. Getting that look is really quite simple, though it does take a little more care than just a simple 'over 2, under 1'. There are a number of tutorials online, but the one that lit the bulb in my brain was the post from Simply Notable. Lots of pretty pictures with arrows. I find that sometimes well-written instruction with pictures is more helpful than a video, where you can't always pick out the details that make it click for you. Something for me to keep in mind during my day job of technical documentation, I guess.
Here are my results so far:
As always, Jeri Brock's spindle looks wonderful. But I love the way this neater wrapping shows off the shifting colors. It goes from a very dark purple into an almost pink fuschia, with everything in between, plus some near-white lilac.
So, there you have it. Hopefully the next time you see this yarn it will actually be yarn. Alicia hasn't posted an inspiring post yet today, but she did write about the magic of plying earlier this week. I'll be casting that spell soon, I hope.
This week I actually made some progress on my knitting in moments when I couldn't be spinning. I had a moment of triumph thinking, 'Woo-hoo, I'm going to finish this sleeve!' And that moment was immediately followed by a moment of, 'Woo-hoo, I still have to make another one...' Clearly, I have too many arms.
This thought leads me to yet another pop culture reference. If you didn't realize it by now, my mind tends to take everything in and filter it through the database of movies, TV shows, music, books, and anything else I've absorbed throughout the years. This time, the mere suggestion of extraneous appendages immediately brought this moment of 'Coupling' to mind:
If you haven't seen this show yet, I highly recommend checking it out on Hulu or Netflix. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to view any of the US attempt at capturing the glory of this show. In fact, forget I mentioned it. Let's all just pretend we live in a world where shows like 'Coupling' and 'Red Dwarf' were only ever made in the UK.
Anyway, when it comes to knitting a cardigan, I have too many arms, but when it comes to spinning, I usually feel like I don't have enough. Well, actually, with spinning I think I'm finally getting a hang of it, though I tend to stick to park and draft for the most part. Where I really find myself wishing I was a Hindu god is plying. For my first yarn, I did a 2-ply pulling from the center and outer ends of a center-pull ball. It was a little too much to keep track of, the twist of the plied yarn and the chaos of the ball bouncing around.
Not that I've started plying these singles yet. I still have a few handfuls of fiber yet, and a growing suspicion that this is going to take five cops rather than four. But I will spin on! Tomorrow is supposed to be a 'challenge' day, I'm not sure what I'm going to attempt, but I'll try to do something worthy of the cyclists' efforts.
