LONGEST POST EVER!

I have a ridiculous amount of stuff to talk about, and I don't want to bore you, so it's going to be mostly pictures today.

I have been a busy little bee the past week. I am going to start with finished projects this week.

Finished Objects

1) I finished my first "Truly Different Vanilla Bean sock" 

These might be my favorite socks yet! I am using Wendy D. Johnson's Toe Up Socks with a Difference pattern for the sock, and Emily Locke's Vanilla Bean recipe for the stitch pattern. I am using Jo-ann Sensations Truly Pattern yarn in color 2280, and am using size US 0 (2 mm) needles (wooh, these are tiny!).

2) I finished my Zu Zu's Petals with my hand -dyed yarn.

I have crazy alien eyes...

I loved knitting this pattern, and I was very happy with my yarn, but I'm not sure how I feel about the finished product. I think that I may have pinned it out too tightly after I washed it, so it might be a little less stiff if I wash it again and don't block it as strongly. 
I used Carina Spencer's Zu Zu's Petals pattern with, size US 9 (5.5 mm) needles, and Malabrigo Merino Worsted yarn in Natural, which I dyed with Kool-Aid and food coloring.

5) I dyed some fiber with Easter egg color pellets!

I split it into three strips for easy spinning

This is the faux cashmere (100% nylon) fiber that I purchased from Yarn 2 Spin on Etsy. I have been collecting Easter egg dyeing kits since after the holiday (at 25-50 cents a box!) and I used 3 pellets of blue and 2 pellets of purple (which was really more of an indigo), which I mixed with a couple drops of red food coloring, and quite a few drops of blue food coloring. I added 3 tablespoons of vinegar to each cup, and filled it up the rest of the way with water. I soaked the fiber in water and a little vinegar, put it in a large baking dish, and poured the dye mixtures over it. I then baked it (lol) in a 200 degree oven for half an hour. It is beautiful! 


4) I finished spinning and plying my BFL roving.  

As mentioned in previous posts, I purchased this roving from Three Water's Farm on Etsy, spun  half of the undyed fiber on my drop spindle, dyed the other half with Kool-Aid, and spun the colored fiber on my spinning wheel (except for the first few dozen yards, which I did on my spindle). I then plyed the two colors together. I had quite a bit more of the colored singles, so I plyed them from a center pull ball (so that I could ply the two ends together). I ended up with a small skein of around 83 yards and a large skein of around 283 yards of a fingering/sport weight yarn. I loved it so much that, after washing and drying it,  I immediately had to cast on a project!

Works in Progress

1) I cast on a beautiful shawl today.

This is the Cassiope pattern by Alexandra Beck. I am knitting this with the hand-dyed, hand-spun BFL yarn that I mentioned earlier. I cannot express how awesome it feels to create something beautiful from start to finish. I sincerely recommend anyone that loves knitting to learn to dye and spin. It makes me feel like such a Renaissance woman!  I AM SO HAPPY!

2) I started knitting a cotton tank top

I am using a GIANT (400 grams) skein of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton that Brandon bought me from Jo-Ann's. I am using Jennifer Miller's Pixie Vest pattern and size US 7 (4.5 mm) needles. 

3) I have the toe of my second Vanilla Bean sock done, that I mentioned above

4) I started spinning the Faux Cashmere that I talked about above, but I haven't gotten very far yet.

Stash Enhancement

I got a few new yarn that I forgot to mention last time, and one gift from someone on Ravelry!

Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in natural

Lion Brand LB 1878 in Claret

3 skeins Queensland Sugar Rush in silver

I am a member of the Random Acts of Kindness group on Ravelry. Each month members post a wish list of yarns, patterns, notions, treats, etc and other member send them or buy them something, without asking anything in return. I usually buy patterns for other people, but I will occasionally also send yarn that I don't want. This month someone (I don't want to link her, in case she is sensitive about her privacy) sent me three skeins of this beautiful Knit Picks Gloss yarn in Scarlet. There is nothing like the kindness of strangers to brighten your day!

Other Stuff

I also baked some delicious chocolate chip and coconut cookies this week with Molly, but we ate all of them before I could take any pictures.

Brandon and I made some AMAZING ground turkey shepherd's pie this week, as well. AMAZING!

OMG AMAZING!!!

We used this Easy Shepherd's Pie recipe, but used turkey and chicken broth in place of the beef in the recipe. We also added garlic, cinnamon, and cumin to the stew, and sour cream to the mashed potatoes. 

Whew, I think that's the longest post I've ever written! It is rainy and cloudy outside, so I believe it is the perfect time to relax on the couch with my knitting and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (this is the 8th time I've read it....sheesh)

Wishing you a happy (and dry!) weekend!

-Nicole

Mini Hiatus

Sorry about being so lax with my posts lately. 

Life has been a little crazy with having Sophy in town, moving, doing Easter stuff, and working, and I haven't had a lot of time to work on crafty things! I did finish one sock, but other than that, nothing.

So, now that we are all settled in, I am going to wait another week to write a post. Then I will have had plenty of time to knit and spin and do fun things, and I will have more to talk about. And, who knows, maybe I'll make another video!

More coming soon!

Nicole

Spin me right round

I freaking love my spinning wheel!

I must say, I knew that I would like spinning, but I had no idea how fun and addictive it is! 

This last week has been rather crazy and busy- lots of work, some babysitting, PACKING, planning, and traveling, but I did manage to finish spinning an entire 4 oz of yarn!

 Yesterday I spent the day in Chicago with my dear friends Sophy and Minnow. We went to school together our freshman year of college, but then we all transferred schools and haven't been able to see each other since.  It had been almost two years since we had been together!

I got on the South Shore train early yesterday morning, and met up with Sophy for coffee. We took a walk by the lake, visited the Bean, checked out the awesome Picasso exhibit at the Art Institute, ate some yummy sushi, and made friends with some sea stars at the Shed Aquarium. Then we met Minnow for some delicious diner food and went to a little sports bar where one of Minnow's friends had won free drinks for an hour. SO MUCH FUN! I am absolutely EXHUASTED today and my legs are killing me, but it was such a great day, and I was so happy to spend time with old friends.

Sophy

Art Institute

JELLIES!

Finished Objects

1) I finished my cabled hat!

For this project I used Erin Ruth's Molly pattern with a mystery stash yarn and size US 3 and US 6 needles. I love this pattern! I will definitely be making another hat in the future. 

2) I finished spinning my first completed yarn!!!

I got 360 yards of a sport/DK weight 2 ply yarn out of 4 oz of Kool-Aid dyed Corriedale wool. 

Works in Progress:

1) I started and have been working on these lovely socks

These lovely socks are knit with Sensations Truly Pattern yarn in color 2280 on size US 0 needles (woah), using Wendy D. Johnson's Toe Up Socks with a Difference pattern and Emily Locke's Vanilla Bean stitch pattern. I knit on them for a long time of the train ride to Chicago yesterday.

2) I started knitting Carina Spencer's Zuzu's Petals  shawl/cowl with my Kool-Aid dyed Malabrigo Merino Worsted on size US 9 needles. 

3) I just now transferred the Kool-Aid dyed BFL that I was spinning on my drop spindle onto my wheel and started working on that a little bit. I must say, I absolutely LOVE spinning with Blue Faced Leicester wool. It is much softer and easier to work with than the Corriedale wool that I used for my first project.

Now back to deep cleaning my apartment before Sophy gets here tomorrow. The next time I post I will be in a new apartment!!

-Nicole

EXTRA EXTRA

MY SPINNING WHEEL ARRIVED!!!! wooohooooooooooooo!!!!

I am just soooo excited! I started spinning some corriedale that I dyed with Kool-Aid a while back, and I can't stop. It is so much fun!!

I am still figuring out some things, like getting the tension just right and moving the yarn guide so the yarn goes evenly on the bobbin, but I am learning. 

I have also been working on that cabled hat (the Molly hat pattern) and I love it!

I'm so happy with all my crafty goodness right now!!

Off to spin some more!

-Nicole

Crazy Week

I was planning on posting last week but, unfortunately, some sad and stressful events got in the way.

Brandon's grandpa, who had been struggling with his health for the last few years, passed away Monday morning. We were all very sad to say goodbye, but thankful that he was no longer suffering. With work, attending the wake and funeral, as well as looking at apartments, it was a very busy and stressful. 

There was also very little knitting time to fit in, but I did manage to get some stuff done.

On a more positive note, Brandon and I found an apartment that we will (hopefully) be moving into at the end of this month, and we sent in our applications today. It will be a two bedroom apartment on the opposite side of town. This will be awesome because 1) we will no longer have to drive half an hour to work and 2) we will have a lot more space than we do now- allowing me to move my yarn stash out of its closet-of-shame. 

In other, very exciting news, Brandon and I purchased a SPINNING WHEEL! It will be going out in the mail tomorrow, so I will hopefully receive it by the end of the week. I am SO PSYCHED!! 

This week I also emailed an adviser at my school, and talked with her about meeting up so she can help me decide on a major and make my schedule for next semester. I have been stressing out over making this decision for a while now, and I have come accept the fact that I will be graduating a year or so later than my friends. It stinks, because I just want to graduate and be done with it, but, at this point,  I am only about halfway done with my necessary credits. ARRRGH.

I'm sorry that my knitting content has been a little lacking as of late, but life has not allowed for as much crafting as I would like.

Works in Progress:

1) I am still technically working on my Boyfriend Hat and striped afghan, but I have not touched either project in weeks.

2) Tonight I started working on a hat for a friend. I am using the Molly pattern by Erin Ruth, and knitting it on size 3 and 6 needles with a mystery yarn from my stash. I am not sure about what kind of yarn it is, but I know that it is wool (or at least partly wool). I just started it about an hour ago, so I do not have much progress to show, but I have a feeling that it was be a quick and fun project.

Finished Objects: 

1) I FINALLY FINISHED MY EFFING STRIPED SHAWL! AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!

I cannot express how happy I am to have this damn thing off my needles. Towards the end I was really starting to hate this yarn and doing the stripes, but I am in love with the finished shawl.

I used Sylvia Bo Bolivia's Sunlight Shawl for Sad People pattern with elann.com Peruvian Baby Silk in aubergine and parchment on size US 4, 3.5mm, needles. Although I did not love knitting with this yarn, the finished fabric is very soft, silky, warm, and very light weight. The yarn was a little splitty, not very stretchy, and very slippery and soft, so I kept dropping stitches, and they were a nightmare to pick up. The picot bind of edging looks awesome after being blocked, and I really think it was worth the effort. 

2) I also started and finished an adorable little elephant this week for my future niece or nephew.

This is Percy the Pachyderm (as the boyfriend christened him), and I loooove him. I used Susan B. Anderson's Elefante pattern with size US 2, 2.75 mm needles and Premier Yarns Serenity Garden yarn in the color Gem. I wanted to make a very dense fabric so that I could feel comfortable using safety eyes and not have to worry the baby chewing them off. I slightly modified the pattern, using Ravelry user freestarling's knitted ears pattern, and positioning the head facing up. 

I have never considered myself picky when it comes to yarn, but lately I have discovered that the two things that I just cannot stand are splitty yarn and yarn with no stretch or give, and this yarn has both qualities. And it also feels strangely greasy when handling it, which I am still not sure is because of the dye or the fiber. I will use up the rest of the skein for some Hamsterbeans, but I will definitely not buy this yarn again. 

Stash Enhancement:

I have made some purchases that I keep forgetting to post about.

1) I bought another grab bag from The Sassy Sheep on Etsy. I really really love her yarn.

Bamboo Sheep in Tropics

Panda Sock in Lipstick Mafia

 

 

I have yet to be disappointed with any of The Sassy Sheep yarn. They are gorgeous, and the mystery factor makes me love them even more.

2) I also bought two skeins of Skacel Merino Lace from Ravelry destashes recently. I bought them from two different people, thinking that the variegated skein would have the same shade of purple as the solid colored one so that I could knit a lace weight sweater from them, but they ended up being waaaay different. Oh well...they are still pretty.

3) About a month ago I purchased two skeins of Knit Picks Capretta in Celestial but I keep forgetting to post about it

I specifically bought this to make the Henslowe shawl by Beth Kling.

4) Finally, in preparation for my spinning wheel, I bought a pound and a half of wool from Paradise Fibers ....Because I have no restraint.

8 oz Merino and 16 oz Portuguese Wool

Just as a note, most of this yarn and fiber was bought using tax refund money. I made myself a budget so that I would not go too crazy, and I am not allowing myself to buy anything else for the months of March and April (we'll see how that goes).

That's all from me for this week. The next couple of weeks will be a little hectic, since my friend Sophy will be visiting and Brandon and I will be moving, but I will try to get some knitting and crocheting and SPINNING time in.

Time for bed!

-Nicole