the Akamai Knitter

With all the frenzied spinning that I’ve been getting done, I thought I’d treat myself to some new roving to play with. I think I went a little overboard.

First up is more roving from the Yarn Wench in Mahogany Peacock. Oh how I love the Yarn Wench.

Next up are some sparklies from Copperpot Woolies in Suger Plum Fairies*. You can’t see it but there are lovely sparkly angelina fibers in it. You would think the glitter would be harsh, but they’re very soft.

Continuing on with my sparkly fixation, we have some batts from Enchanted Knolls in the gorgeous color Lady of the Lake. I heard such good things about this vendor on Ravelry, I just had to check her shop out. Once I was there it was all over. Oh Ravely, how I hate thee.

Finally, I was able to grab some elusive alpaca roving from Pigeonroof Studios in the color Poison.

I haven’t spun alpaca yet and I’m really excited! I want to throw it on the wheel right this second. Except for one problem. I’ve been spinning like a dervish and I have managed to get all this done.

I still have all this to do.

Maybe what I need to do is to take a break from it. Yeah. That’s what I need. Just a tiny mini-break from the thrums. Stop laughing!

*My pictures just don’t do these pretty fibers justice. If you click on the links you can see them in all their glory on Etsy.

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It took me awhile, but I was finally able to get some photos of me in my finished sweater, Something Tweedy (Ravelry Link).

Pattern: Something Red by Wendy Benard

Yarn: Tatamy Tweed (Ravelry Link) in Walnut

Needles: US 4 / 3.5mm

Started: November 26, 2007

Finished: February 22, 2007

I had to tweak the numbers a little bit to get the right fit. Luckily I have a sweater guru to help me out, otherwise I don’t think this project would have been the success it is. Also, the pattern is very loosely written making it very easy to modify.

I loved working with this yarn. Unlike most cotton yarns, this one in particular seems to have more give in it which made it much easier on the hands. It’s the nicest cotton blend I’ve ever had the pleasure to use.

It’s also more of a light worsted. The resulting fabric is nice and light, which is perfect for Hawaii’s climate.

My favorite part of the sweater is the button. I found it at Kaimuki Dry Goods and it was just one of those times where you find exactly what you need without any effort involved. Their button selection isn’t quite extensive either so I was even more impressed with me my find.

All in all, I’m very pleased with the way this sweater turned out. It fits beautifully and it just feels good. Hopefully it looks good too!

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With my fingers in so many pies, there hasn’t been any eye popping progress with any of my knitting projects. So instead of concentrating my efforts by how much I get done, I’ve been luxuriating on how much pleasure I get from each of them.

The Springtime Shawl (Ravelry Link) continues to grow, while giving my brain a gentle tickle. The lace pattern isn’t exactly complex, but it still requires a certain amount of concentration.

The Ocean Feathers Stole provides me with the most tactile pleasure as the Sea Silk is the most decadent yarn I have ever used to date. Instead of giving in to my inclination and knitting it all up in one go, I’ve decided to only allow myself a certain amount of time each day to work on it. In this way, I can prolong the experience and savor each and every precious yard of this glorious yarn. Despite my careful plans, the stole seems to be growing at an alarming rate and I find myself nearing the end of the first ball of yarn.

Another yarn that I love is the Fearless Fiber sock yarn and I’ve been carefully hoarding it for just the right pattern. Now that I’ve found it, I would very much like to extend my time with it. But I suddenly find myself past the heel of the second sock.

I have a feeling these will be finished sooner then I’d like. My only consolation for the upcoming post-project blues is the lovely handspun I have lined up to knit.

Inch by inch, I’m getting things done but I’m taking my sweet time doing it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. :-)

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Even though I’ve picked up my knitting again, I really have nothing to show you. I’m almost halfway through the Ocean Feathers Stole, I finished one of the Monkey Envy socks, and I got a few more inches done on the Springtime Triangle Shawl. So progress shots would be boring and dull, even though I’m making some headway.

Instead, I thought I’d show you what’s been on my wheel. Here’s another 4ozs of more Merino roving from Yarn Wench that I spun up into another 3ply. This colorway is called Napa.

I think this one turned out much better then my first attempt at 3ply. Though I haven’t counted the exact yardage, I know there’s more for me to squeeze out a pair of socks. I think the singles were much more consistent too.

The colors aren’t something I’d normally pick out for me, but I seem to pick things out of my preferred repertoire when I spin. I think it’ll be interesting to see how I like to knit with these colors.

I’m really eager to get this yarn on the needles and I hope to do so once I finish with the current pair of socks on the needles. I’ll probably just do a simple rib pattern to properly show off the color pattern.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a shot of the Ko’olau Range that I took on the way home from Kailua a few weeks ago. The haze you see isn’t mist from the clouds, it’s vog, which is nasty stuff that gets blown this way when we have south winds. It’s mostly made up of volcanic ash and it’s hell on my allergies. It’s hard to complain though, when the temperatures are in the 80’s!

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