On my way to work, on my way home, my music and TV substitute to fall asleep, and definitely, definitely, while knitting. I listen to... Pocasts!!! Yup, and not just any podcasts, knitting podcasts. I am terribly addicted but it's just soooo good.
I dare you, Double dare you, to listen. They are now linked and listed on the right. You know you want too...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Simple Woman Daybook Sept. 9, 2010
FOR TODAY
Outside my window...
Dark clouded night and the last glows of the days end.
I am thinking...
I need to knit knit knit! Perfect cool cloudy night for it.
I am thankful for...
Having my family so close even though we are so far apart.
From the kitchen...
Mommy making some yummy Frijoles Puercos (mexican style pork beans. Smells so good!! Thinking of grabbing a plateful with some Tortillas de Harina (flour tortillas).
I am wearing...
My work clothes still. If I change out Ill be to lazy to shower. Then Ill have to do it in the morning and then Ill run super late for work. Its a domino effect.
I am creating...
The Featherweight Cardigan. Super Excited to wear it!! Once its done.
I am going...
To shower and get cozy in my knitting corner.
I am reading...
I want to start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or and Anne Boleyn book. I also want to re-read the Sookie Stackhouse books 1-5 or the Twilight Saga. MAN!!!
I am hoping...
That tomorrow is a light traffic day. (Good Luck!!)
I am hearing...
Will be hearing a good knitting podcast.
Around the house...
Yummy smells form the kitchen. Kitties lying in my knitting corner.
One of my favorite things...
Feeling the cool breeze and seeing the cloudy day of a first day of Autumn. Just wonderful.
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Organize my soon to come Holiday self wish list.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
Simple Woman's Day Book
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Deliciouse Spinning
I have a new found love and it is spinning. I have only just bought my second spindle but I am so smitten. I started with some alpaca leftovers and a basic spindle sent to me in a knit swap by fellow Ravelrer (is that the correct word?). It was hard at first and I have up after a few tries. I picked it up again a few times over but I just couldn't get the hang of it.
In a later knit swap I was gifted a 2oz batt of some beautiful Twilighty Merino/Silk blend fiber in black and red. This was about 5 months after my first tries at spinning. I decided to give it a whorl (pun intended:)). Once I twirled my first few spins onto the leader and started on to the actual fiber it just felt like buttah through my hands!! Oh was so rich and just plain yummy. It was like sinking my teeth into a moist chocolaty chocolate brownie. Oh my!:). And after spinning my first mini skein of thick and thin yarn in a black with wisps of reds here and there I was just in love.
I could have bought boatloads of fiber online. Fortunately I am not an online shopper. I have probably purchased a handful of things here and there through the Internet. And fiber and yarn is something you just have to feel and smoosh to buy. I looked and looked online to find something to really catch my eye and convince me to order.
Luckily for me an LYS store that recently moved has decided to sell spinning supplies including fiber, spindles and even spinning wheels! I had never been since it was not really on my way to anywhere but I made a special trip. Very pretty fiber and has things I haven't found at my usual LYS. They offered special wool wash, dyes, special knitters lotion, and other pretties. But the first thing my eyes caught was the pretty bright pink fiber. I immediately chose the right 4oz bag and claimed it. I also picked up all I needed for a small knit swap: some Noro for a one skein hat pattern, a cute "rather be knitting" magnet, Utter knitters hand lotion, Hiya Hiya needles, and 4 travel packs of Eucklan wool wash. All done!!! (look for a whole blog on all swaps that have been had (:)
So I took my cloud of pinkness home and just started spinning away on my spindle. Not much could stop me (another reason why my knitting WIP's are a little unfinished) and before I knew it I was ready to ply my first batch of lace weight singles. I decided to Andean ply but honestly it was a big kinky mess once I got it off my finger (and regained all feeling to my middle finger). Once I started to ply the kinked singles kept pulling my hairs on my arms!! Kinda like when you get your eyebrows threaded. Ouch!!! Anyways, I figure I might was well keep going since all these singles are already the way they are. I finished plying and it is a nice more thin than thick fingering weight. My second attempt at Andean plying was even worse. Somehow it got tangled and now my half way through plied yarn is just sitting there waiting for me to have the energy to pick it back up. As of now I am content with my 2nd addition to my spinning collection. A Schact spindle top and bottom whorl and an actual notch!! (yup my first one didn't have one). I am spinning the rest of my fiber on it. I have to fix my mess of Andean plying that is just mocking me though... I'm planning to make a shawlette out of the finished yarn. Cant wait:)
So now I am into buying an actual spinning wheel. Jane at my new found LYS was sweet enough to let me use her Schact Ladybug. I had a blast and caught on pretty quick after a few tries. I feel its is a great wheel and I was right about me wanting a double treadle. It is to cute for words and reasonably priced for a spinning wheel. A Schact at that. However, as I am going to talk about in another blog, I plan to give up my daily lunch buying and actually pack a lunch to save up for the wheel. Kicking a bad habit and rewarding myself in the end. It can only be a win win situation right??
In a later knit swap I was gifted a 2oz batt of some beautiful Twilighty Merino/Silk blend fiber in black and red. This was about 5 months after my first tries at spinning. I decided to give it a whorl (pun intended:)). Once I twirled my first few spins onto the leader and started on to the actual fiber it just felt like buttah through my hands!! Oh was so rich and just plain yummy. It was like sinking my teeth into a moist chocolaty chocolate brownie. Oh my!:). And after spinning my first mini skein of thick and thin yarn in a black with wisps of reds here and there I was just in love.
I could have bought boatloads of fiber online. Fortunately I am not an online shopper. I have probably purchased a handful of things here and there through the Internet. And fiber and yarn is something you just have to feel and smoosh to buy. I looked and looked online to find something to really catch my eye and convince me to order.
Luckily for me an LYS store that recently moved has decided to sell spinning supplies including fiber, spindles and even spinning wheels! I had never been since it was not really on my way to anywhere but I made a special trip. Very pretty fiber and has things I haven't found at my usual LYS. They offered special wool wash, dyes, special knitters lotion, and other pretties. But the first thing my eyes caught was the pretty bright pink fiber. I immediately chose the right 4oz bag and claimed it. I also picked up all I needed for a small knit swap: some Noro for a one skein hat pattern, a cute "rather be knitting" magnet, Utter knitters hand lotion, Hiya Hiya needles, and 4 travel packs of Eucklan wool wash. All done!!! (look for a whole blog on all swaps that have been had (:)
So I took my cloud of pinkness home and just started spinning away on my spindle. Not much could stop me (another reason why my knitting WIP's are a little unfinished) and before I knew it I was ready to ply my first batch of lace weight singles. I decided to Andean ply but honestly it was a big kinky mess once I got it off my finger (and regained all feeling to my middle finger). Once I started to ply the kinked singles kept pulling my hairs on my arms!! Kinda like when you get your eyebrows threaded. Ouch!!! Anyways, I figure I might was well keep going since all these singles are already the way they are. I finished plying and it is a nice more thin than thick fingering weight. My second attempt at Andean plying was even worse. Somehow it got tangled and now my half way through plied yarn is just sitting there waiting for me to have the energy to pick it back up. As of now I am content with my 2nd addition to my spinning collection. A Schact spindle top and bottom whorl and an actual notch!! (yup my first one didn't have one). I am spinning the rest of my fiber on it. I have to fix my mess of Andean plying that is just mocking me though... I'm planning to make a shawlette out of the finished yarn. Cant wait:)
So now I am into buying an actual spinning wheel. Jane at my new found LYS was sweet enough to let me use her Schact Ladybug. I had a blast and caught on pretty quick after a few tries. I feel its is a great wheel and I was right about me wanting a double treadle. It is to cute for words and reasonably priced for a spinning wheel. A Schact at that. However, as I am going to talk about in another blog, I plan to give up my daily lunch buying and actually pack a lunch to save up for the wheel. Kicking a bad habit and rewarding myself in the end. It can only be a win win situation right??
Summer Lovin'
OK so apparently I took a summer vacation. But I'm back!!! Much knitting and more knitting with some delicious fiber on the side. :drools:
I was definitely taking a forced break from knitting. I had several rounds of relatives visiting for about a month and a half. When some relatives left others came in. In between all this my Mom left on her vacation and left me alone to entertain!! While I had to work. I managed to take two weeks off but not much knitting accomplished. Well, as much I as I loved seeing my family which included my Grandmother and one of my favorite Uncles, I'm used to a quiet home which was not to well obtained when little ones are involved in the visits. Oh how I missed peace and quiet with a good project on the needles and a good podcast on the Itouch!!! OK so I'm done with the "woe is to me" and explaining why I had disappeared. That and I'm sure you guys weren't waiting on the edge of your seat LOL.
Ok So on to the blog
I have many new WIP's which does not help with the ones already on the needles. The only thing I managed to finish is a 2ply skein of beautiful bright pink Merino/Silk blend Louet fiber I spun on my drop spindle. Its sooo pretty but Ill talk about it on another blog soon to come. Yup that's all I've finished. However I have learned some things and casted on others and am wanting to start new and fun things. Like I have previously mentioned I have started and seems like I can now actually spin. But this autumn and winter to come I have decided I will do more baking and with that also do some cooking.
So basically this is just an intro to my return and my new found determination to keep this blog going. I want to consistently blog from here on out at least once a week and with this I want to decided if I want to start a podcast or not. I realize I want to say so much in one blog but I feel its sooo much reading you may get bored. But we'll see what happens from here to the end of the year and maybe into next spring. Its only and idea among many others I am having.
I will be posting a blog sometime this week about some actual stuff with actual pics :)
I was definitely taking a forced break from knitting. I had several rounds of relatives visiting for about a month and a half. When some relatives left others came in. In between all this my Mom left on her vacation and left me alone to entertain!! While I had to work. I managed to take two weeks off but not much knitting accomplished. Well, as much I as I loved seeing my family which included my Grandmother and one of my favorite Uncles, I'm used to a quiet home which was not to well obtained when little ones are involved in the visits. Oh how I missed peace and quiet with a good project on the needles and a good podcast on the Itouch!!! OK so I'm done with the "woe is to me" and explaining why I had disappeared. That and I'm sure you guys weren't waiting on the edge of your seat LOL.
Ok So on to the blog
I have many new WIP's which does not help with the ones already on the needles. The only thing I managed to finish is a 2ply skein of beautiful bright pink Merino/Silk blend Louet fiber I spun on my drop spindle. Its sooo pretty but Ill talk about it on another blog soon to come. Yup that's all I've finished. However I have learned some things and casted on others and am wanting to start new and fun things. Like I have previously mentioned I have started and seems like I can now actually spin. But this autumn and winter to come I have decided I will do more baking and with that also do some cooking.
So basically this is just an intro to my return and my new found determination to keep this blog going. I want to consistently blog from here on out at least once a week and with this I want to decided if I want to start a podcast or not. I realize I want to say so much in one blog but I feel its sooo much reading you may get bored. But we'll see what happens from here to the end of the year and maybe into next spring. Its only and idea among many others I am having.
I will be posting a blog sometime this week about some actual stuff with actual pics :)
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