the Akamai Knitter

So Cookie and Chris clued me in on a great idea that Carole Knits has come up with. Basically you pledge to spend just ten minutes of your day spinning. Since I already spend much of my time spinning on my two wheels, I thought this was an excellent opportunity to commit more time to spindling. Only I haven’t exactly been faithful to my promise, so I’ve decided to proclaim my intentions to the world to see if it makes any difference.

Why can’t I manage a measly ten minutes a day?

It’s not like the project isn’t tempting to the senses. It’s 4 ounces of hand-painted silk roving from A Touch Of Twist that I got from MDSW.  But the silk is slippery and I’m never sure how much twist to put into it.

It’s not the spindle either. I adore the featherweight Bosworth I’m using. I love the striping on the Zebrawood and the way it dances when it’s whirling around and around.

Maybe it’s because this project will most likely take forever as the silk is spinning up into a very fine single.

No, it’s not because of any of those reasons. I fear it’s all because of the plurking. It’s a massive timesuck. It’s worse then Ravelry ever was. I swear I sit down for a quick five minutes and two hours go by.

That’s okay though! All I need to do is master my multi-tasking skills, because you’ll have to pry the keyboard away from my cold, dead hands to get me to stop.

I’m still convinced I can manage ten minutes of spindling a day.

As Cookie would say, shut up!

One of my goals for going to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival was to test drive as many wheels as possible. I was on a mission for a second spinning wheel.

I tried two Ashfords. I tried the Journey Wheel. I tried the Schacht Ladybug. I tried the Lendrum DT.

In the end I was torn between the last two, the Schacht Ladybug and the Lendrum DT. So I thought listing the pros and cons would be a good idea.

• My two cohorts in crime both own a Lendrum so I would have a good support network in place.
• The Ladybug is so cute!
• The Lendrum is extremely versatile and has a plying head.
• The Ladybug is so cute!
• The Lendrum is a folding wheel making it easy to store. (A definite plus for my small house.)
• The Ladybug is so cute!
• Someone was selling actually her barely used Lendrum locally.

And that’s what clinched it. I wouldn’t have to pay for shipping and I’d actually get a better price then I would if I bought the Lendrum new.

And on Thursday night, I came home with this.

And despite a really messed up right knee, I was up until 2am that night plurking and spinning.

I’m completely in love with this wheel and I think it will serve me well. Don’t get me wrong, I still have much love for my Majacraft Suzie. I’ll just be able to have more projects in the works with an additional wheel at hand.

Later today, I plan on heading over to Aloha Tower where the Aloha Knitters are meeting for WWKIP. That’s if I can manage to tear myself away from the spinning wheel. The only reason I managed to stop and write this post is because I needed to ice my knee. :-P

Here’s a picture of Quincy trying to squeeze himself into a basket. It was quite a sight. Big cat! Tiny basket.

I hope all you knitters managed to KIP a little today. Have a great rest of the weekend!

It’s been a special mail week for me. I received a surprise goody box from my very special friend, Karen of Yarn Is My Metier. I was so excited when I received it I emailed the wrong Karen to say thank you!

As you can see, I had reason to be so overcome with excitement.

Starting from the top, I received: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Morning Mist; Dream In Color in Happy Forest; The Knittery’s Merino Cashmere Sock in Geranium; Sunshine Yarn’s Merino Silk in Sunflower; and a stapleless stapler!

The stapleless stapler has to be the cutest thing ever.

And Merino Cashmere? Cashmere! For the feet! Oh the decadence. Oh the luxury! Plus, the color is just what tickles my groove thang at the moment.

I’m not sure what the occasion is for this generous gift, but thank you Karen! You made coming home especially sweet.

Another thing I wanted to share is a prize I won over at Rosa’s blog, Purly Qs. Some gorgeous silk roving in a delicious array of purples and blues. I want to eat it.

I’m rolling in fibery goodness and I don’t think I’ll need to acquire any more yarn or fiber in the foreseeable future. So I’m going to restrain from buying. I’m not saying it’s a diet. That just makes me obsess over what I can’t have. I’m just going to exercise restraint and concentrate on what I have.

Wish me luck, mmkay?

Now that I’m back home, I feel I need to take stock of all the projects I started with reckless abandon during my long vacation.

First up is a shrug I started with Pedicure Shimmer in Pond. It’s designed by Carla who owns the yarn shop Delightful Ewe back in Altoona, PA.

The sparklies are actually sterling silver thread shot through the yarn. You’d think that would make the yarn scratchy, but it’s actually pretty soft.

Then there’s the Origami Cardi that I couldn’t resist starting. I’m using Berroco Comfort DK and I’ve already got the back and the two fronts done.

I’m a little nervous about whether or not this one will fit me. Most of the sweaters I’ve done have been raglan sweaters and this cardigan has a really unusual construction. So I’m a little insecure as to how the pieces will come together.

Now I had to also have a pair of socks on the needles. So while I was in Pennsylvania, I picked up some new sock yarn and started a pair of plain 2×2 ribbing for the plane ride back home. I managed to get one sock down and I’ve made a good start on the second.

These aren’t pretty socks. In fact, they look more like man socks, but I really like the yarn. So much that I bought more of it in another color. It’s a nice sturdy yarn that I think will wear well.

It doesn’t seem like I have too much on my plate when you look at these three projects, but when you look at these:

That’s when I start to feel really overwhelmed. I also have a feeling there are some other projects lurking in the wings that are completely forgotten and undocumented.

Let’s not even talk about how many spinning projects I have going on. We won’t even go there. Not today.

I think I’ll just reminisce over the beautiful grounds of the Mount Assisi Monastery and let the memories of all the beautiful wisteria cover me in tranquility.

P.S. I would probably get more done if I weren’t plurking all the time. It’s all Wendy J’s fault. I dare you to try it. ;-)

I finally made it home on Tuesday night. The flight home took over 10 exhausting hours and I’m still recovering.

The cats have reacquainted themselves with me after being surprised by my return. It seems Pressie really missed me and managed to lose some weight and luster while I was gone. She seems to be bouncing back now that I’m home, but I’m keeping a close eye on her.

I did manage to get some knitting done during the long flight and I’ll be back with that and more next week. Until then I hope you’ll enjoy this picture I took of an iris outside of the Red Lobster back in Altoona.

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend!