this is no surprise... this has happened to me every year that i have been knitting, so almost 3 years, because i've been knitting for ages, right? har har! this year, i was able to keep the flame going till june! last year, i was over knitting in february. ugh.
i've been trying to find my mojo for the past couple of weeks; trying to get excited about finishing some of my wip's that are glaring at me from their baskets and/or ziplock baggies; and trying to free up some of my needles so that i can work on something fresh and new! failing miserably in all 3 areas. normally, just starting some new w/ amazing, vibrant-colored fiber is that quickest way to get me excited again... but this time it's not working.
so to that i say SPIN!
weekly wrap-up/finished object(s) current projects
on the spinning wheel
first try, navajo-ply. not much to say here... navajo-plying was very relaxing for me. it took a few yards to get a good rhythm going, but all in all, i really enjoyed this technique and will absolutely do it again in the future. i have at least a few more braids of fiber where color management would be very important, so i'm glad i had a few guinea pig bobbins to test this out on with first! i'm not happy with the colors on this (still). looks muddy to me.
not bad... just not good either imo
but it looks nicer in a skein :)
the d.h. loves this fiber nonetheless, and is adamant that i make him socks out of this (instead of hide it at the bottom of my fiber bin)... i probably should. i don't want to be wasteful. the yardage came out to about 150-160 yds... so maybe i can make him those small footsie type socks with reinforced heels and toes. i am actually a little curious as to how this will knit up, because sometimes it does in fact look a bit better.
not all the news today is as depressing (thank goodness).
i finally used a yummy braid from my corgi hill farm bfl/tussah fiber and enjoyed every step of spinning that fiber immensely. hope you are ready for a
three bobbins of lovely greens.
let the plying begin... love those colors blending!
almost overfilled the bobbin :D
onto the homemade pvc niddy noddy, and getting ready for a bath
a bit overplyed... but this is sock yarn ;)
all finished.
a little sexy lighting here :D
this fiber was prepared nicely and spun nicely as well (bfl and silk = long staples)...
although (ugh... i hate "buts") i wasn't happy with the depth/saturation of color/dyeing. what i mean is... when i was drafting the fiber, i was hoping the color would be all the way through the thickness of the fiber, but the more i kept spinning, i noticed that only the top layers of fiber were dyed and the middle layers were the base color (creamy white). not a bad thing in and of itself, but i would've loved more lengths of the vibrant green.
i found myself spinning in an awkward fashion, where i was trying very hard to spin each color separately, pinching off colors i didn't want to use/grabbing what i wanted to use, rather then let all the different shades of green and white blend together and heather. my spinning guild is having their annual "dye day" this month, and it will be interesting to have a firsthand account of how the dyeing process works, including seeing the individual challenges that arise with the varying types of fibers and fiber preparation, the different dyeing methods and seeing the reactions between different colors. maybe there is a reason why the colors on some of the fiber i have used/seen don't saturate all the way through. i'll let you know.
here is my stash for dye day. gotta love knit picks!
odds & ends
what i love this week
in the garden... signs of life
after his workout... he should really think about hitting up a good salon for a pedicure! ;)
bell peppers are in full effect!
anaheim chilis getting ready to make their way to my kitchen!
and of course... to make this post complete... furry shots :D
oh, you know you love it! how can you resist!?
what a sweet face! doesn't she just look like a trouble maker?
i love those little rolls at the back of her neck and that little itty bitty nose! *squeak, squeak* :D
doing what they do best... holding the floor down!
being nosey, as usual!
youtube: i must share the navajo-ply video i used with you!
it's done very well over a cream-colored spinning cloth and you can see the spinners movements very clearly. the video is actually a decent length (almost 6 minutes), so you don't have to worry about the video being over before it starts! i tend to work alongside videos in an effort to try to mimic the movements while the video is still going, so proper length of video is important to me!
and on that note...
let's hope i get my knitting mojo back. it's been on haitus for 2 weeks now. pfft!
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