the Akamai Knitter

I woke up at 6:30am and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I didn’t even get anything productive done. Don’t you hate that?

On Friday I was woefully unproductive, so here’s me trying to catch up.

Stats:

Deep Blue

100% Superwash Merino
250 yards
4.05 oz – approx. 12WPI

Enchanted Knoll Farm “Blue Octopus”

I was very fortunate to get my hands on this fiber. Enchanted Knoll sells out fast and boy did I love spinning this up. I love how slick superwash fibers are and I think superwash has an added softness to it.

But that might just be me.

The colors in this skein are my utter favorites. If I didn’t have piles and bins of yarn everywhere I’d probably be keeping this. But really, I see this becoming a hat and what use do I have for a hat?

Stats:

Violets In The Forest

100% Rambouillet
250 yards
4.2 oz – 12WPI

Hungry For Handspun – “Moss Agate”

I bought this fiber because it was simply beautiful and it stretched me out of my comfort zone. These are so NOT my colors just like the Zuni aren’t my colors. I had a blast spinning it up. Rambouillet is one of my favorite fibers. I’m still trying to get the hang of the low-twist single though.

Finally, I thought I’d mention that I’ve joined the Ravelympics. Due to other commitments, I decided to just knit up something small.

Since I still had some leftover yarn, I chose a hat to match the Fetchings I made my friend Lisa. She chose the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret pattern. (Ravelry link.)

I duly cast on at the appointed time. Then I ripped. Then I cast on.  Etc, etc, ad nauseum.  I finally got a rhythm going and got this far:

Until I realized that this was not going to be a slouchy beret. So I ripped it all out and I’m now using bigger needles and I’ve gotten a little bit past the ribbing.

This is why I chose a small project.

Kitty!

Happy Sunday, folks! I hope you all have tomorrow off. :)

So just for kicks, I thought I’d bombard you with more handspun.

Pa-pow!

The details:

Terra

100% Targhee

420 yards
18 WPI
4.1 oz

Fiber Credit – Hungry For Handspun

I got this fiber for my birthday a year or two ago. (Thanks, Jen!) I adore Targhee. Adore it! I tried to spin it spider web thin, but somehow that didn’t happen. Still, I got some pretty good yardage on it.  Enough so that a person could make a nice shawlette with it.

Pa-pow!

The details:

Woodland Faun

100% Superwash Blue Faced Leicester

185 yards
12 WPI
4.5 oz

Fiber credit – Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club

I loved loved loved spinning this up even though the colors really weren’t up my alley. I also don’t like to spin regular BFL.  But the superwash? I dig the superwash. It has a nice sheen to it and a softness the untreated BFL doesn’t seem to have.

Or maybe I’ve just been spinning the wrong BFL?

Pa-pow!

The details:

Sweet Respite

100% South African Fine
185 yards
12 WPI
4.5 oz

Fiber credit: Hungry For Handspun

I worked really hard to keep this a low twist single. I minded my treadling and I cranked up the tension. For the most part I think I did okay. Plus, South African Fine is another favorite of mine. It’s so soft! I also have crazy love for the colors. So soothing!

Another thing I have to bore you with is the same necklace I’ve shown you before. Only I tried to jazz it up a bit by adding pearls. I didn’t add a crap load of pearls, just a touch here and there.

I tried to get a shot of the necklace on my velveteen display stand, but my camera totally freaked out on me. I don’t know what happened, but it was not pretty. I’ll just save you the eyesore and skip those photos.

Sadly, I have no pretty scenic or feline shots for you. What I do have is a shot of me and my friends enjoying lunch at the Waioli Tea House this past Saturday.

Can you guess which of those lovely ladies is my mother?

Happy Thursday, everyone!Thanks for putting up with me and my zany ways!

There has been spinning.

This is the last installment of Hungry For Handspun’s 2009 Fiber Club.

It’s a blend of 60% Superwash Merino, 30% Bamboo, and 10% Nylon and it’s called “Chocolate Cabernet Tart”.

Just look at the yummy.

I’ve been spinning this laceweight thin.

I could probably spin it thinner then that, but when I do I get paranoid about it breaking.

The one thing about spinning laceweight is that it seems to take forever, so I tend to get bored because I’m the queen of craft ADD.  Luckily I can switch projects on the wheel by switching bobbins.

I plan on spinning this up to break the monotony.

That’s a 100% Merino braid called “Zuni” from Forest Fiber Works. Her fiber is so nice and soft and it really spins itself. Go. Check her out.

If you know me, you’re probably wondering why I chose those colors. All I can say to that, is that I fell in love with it and had to have it. Personally I think that we all need to jump out of our personal color comfort zones once in awhile and experiment with different things.

The cats have all gone into hiding, but I did manage to snag this picture the other day while I was out. It’s not the best picture, but a rainbow is still a rainbow!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Yesterday I got together with my friend Chiye and taught her how to knit. It went amazingly well. She was a really fast learner and before you know it she was reading stitches and zooming along.

Unfortunately I was a really bad blogger and I failed to get a photo of her doing it. :(

Although it might have been because she blinded me with the pretties. Lookie!

That beautifully soft skein is made out of sugar cane! Can you believe it? Sadly, I was too busy fondling the yarn to bother taking down who manufactured it.  Truly, I suck.

To make up for my failings, I’ve got some handspun to share.

First up is a skein that has been marinating forever. I dyed the fiber way back when I was in Pennsylvania. I think I finally finished chain plying the single two or three months ago too.

The stats:

Caribbean Blue

235 yards
18WPI
2.7oz/76.54oz

Corriedale/hand dyed by me

And another one!

The stats:

Elektra!

Corriedale and Silk Throwster’s Waste

145 yards
12 WPI
4.3 oz/121.9g

fiber from Laughing Rat Studios

I’m over spinning my singles so I discounted this skein. It’s hard for me to transition from spinning laceweight to fat singles. My feet want to go go go! With fat singles they need to mellow out and take it slow. I suppose I need to keep practicing and concentrate better.

Anyway, I see Chiye again on Saturday. Hopefully she’ll bring her knitting and hopefully I’ll remember to bring my camera.  So hopefully that will  mean photos of my star pupil and her beautiful knitting. Fingers crossed that my brain doesn’t fail me!

Also, thanks for all the well wishes. I’m feeling much better. I was able to get a lot of knitting done yesterday and my thumb did well. I also seem to be over the flu. In fact I’m so much better Lady Insomnia has returned to plague me.

Things are definitely back to normal.

Yay! :P

Look who else is awake!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Have a good one!

There’s been some spinning.

I still have to wash and thwack it. More on this once it’s done.

There’s also been some plying.

It took me days to ply this. In the end,  I was too fed up to wind it off. So you get a photo of it on the bobbin. More details to come.

I have other things cooking around here. Figuratively speaking. One of which is a sale over at my Artfire shop. Everything there is 15% off until the new year.  It’s a good time to grab some gifties or to treat yourself to something nice. :)

I’m also trying to figure out a sale for my Etsy shop Opalescent Jewels. Details to come forthwith.

Sammy is contemplating life, the universe, and everything.

Happy Friday everyone! Hopefully I’ll return with a more coherent post tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’m off to the dentist.

Eeps.