the Akamai Knitter

I can’t believe the weekend is over. It seemed to have passed in a blink of an eye. Seriously, one minute it’s Friday. The next minute? I’m sitting here and it’s Monday morning.

On Saturday, Veronica and I went to see The Dark Knight. I loved it! We also went for our traditional lunch of dim sum and Starbucks run. Good times.

Then on Sunday the unbelievable happened! I actually cleaned my house. Yes indeedy. I did some housework! Now my living room carpet is no longer littered with bits of fiber and cat hair. It’s quite a change.

Let’s rewind to Friday which was a plying day.  I managed to finish off two skeins while overdosing on BSG. I’m on Season 2 and I’ll eventually catch up to Season 4. Eventually.

The first skein was spun from some Merino from Moonlight Baker in her colorway Berry Pie Filling. I decided to call my finished yarn Amethyst Skies. This was a treat to spin! The finished yarn is super soft too.

Amethyst Skies - Roving from Moonlight Baker

The second skein is spun from the Queen Mermaid roving from Enchanted Knoll Farm. It’s another Merino wool. I think it just might be my favorite fiber. I just love how soft it is! This yarn turned into a heavier weight then I’d prefer, but I guess that’s all right. I decided to call the yarn Turquoise Splendor.

Turquoise Splendor - roving from Enchanted Knoll Farm

I’ve also been busy making more stitch markers to feed the shop. Here’s the latest set that I’m having a hard time parting with.

Polymer Clay Dragonfly w/ Swarovski Crystals

Finally,  I have “title” block. I cannot seem to think of titles for my silly blog posts. Isn’t that ridiculous?

Happy Monday everyone! I’m off to update the shop then I have a delightful visit with my dentist. I cannot contain my excitement. *blink*

Since the opening of my shop, I’ve been in a state of shock and gratitude. Shock due to the sales I’ve made. I never really believed that anything would sell. (Can you say low self-esteem?) Gratitude over the support my friends (you know who you are)  have given me while I was setting the whole thing up and to my first customers.

I’ve also been busy trying to keep the shop fed. Apparently it is a hungry shop. Only I find that I want to keep so much of what I make. Like these “sock” markers.

mermaid with brown potato pearls

But I don’t want this to be a shop blog. So I’ll try to my best to keep the shop stuff off the blog from here on in.

Onwards.

The spinning wheel has been whirring.

blueberry pie filling singles ready for plying

queen mermaid singles - two down, one to go

It’s been a half-hearted effort on my part to keep in touch with the Tour de Fleece group, but Jen has informed me that today is a Challenge Day.  The only thing that I might do as challenge is to try and spin the third bobbin of the Queen Mermaid, then ply both that and the Blueberry Pie Filling singles together all in one day. It’s a rather large task so that’s pretty challenging don’t you think?

So the plan is to crank up the A/C to a tight 78F, watch more Rome and the season finale of the Deadliest Catch, and spin my legs off. Maybe that will block out the infernal noise and the awful smell that is the repaving of the parking lot right outside my house. Hrm.

Happy Wednesday everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you liked my catchy title. :-P

Have you ever wondered what Opal was going to do with all that yarn she’s been spinning? Wonder no more! Announcing the opening of Opalescence!

Now I really ought to get some sleep since I was apparently talking in third person. :-)

I’m writing with only 3 hours of sleep so please bear with me. I really shouldn’t have had that Chai last night, but it was so good! Let’s see.

Wednesday was plying day so I  Navajo plied the singles spun from Lori’s gorgeous fiber. I’m calling it Midnight Sky.

Alpaca/Merino Blend

I decided to turn the fiber for my swap partner into a 2 ply. This one is going to be called Chocolate Espresso. I really hope she likes it.

Superwash Merino/Alpaca Blend

With the Beijing Summer Olympics drawing near, Ravelympic fever is running rampant. So a few of us on Plurk decided we should do the Handspun Heptathalon. It was only natural that we set up a team for us Plurkers, thus Team Splurk was born!

Since the Heptathalon isn’t just for spinners, we’ve had some knitters join us as well. All they need to do is find some handspun to knit with!

I’ll have 11 days of rest between the Tour de Fleece and the Ravelympics. The spinning never ends and I like it that way.

I really hope that was coherent.

Happy Friday everyone! Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!  :-)

KnittyOtter is holding a contest on her blog. It involves a questionairre. I normally don’t do these sort of things, but since I’ve got nothing I thought I’d give it a try.

1.) How long have you been knitting?

I learned how to knit when I was 7 and living in Korea. My neighbor taught me and I proceeded to knit many “blankets” for my teddy bears. Then when I was 12, I knit a few sweaters that not only did not fit anyone, but also fell apart without much urging. Yes, I was a knitting child genius.

I picked up knitting again in my late 20’s after a brief stint with the crochet hook. I dabbled and started but didn’t finish many projects up until 2006, which is when I had a knitting explosion. At least that’s what I like to call it. I think I knit 9 shawls and a 5 pairs of socks that year.

2.) How long have you been knitting socks?

My first pair of socks used the pattern Joan’s Wool Ease Pattern and I knit them way back when they first came out so that was in 1995. At least, that’s how I figure it.

3.) What do you do with a problem like Maria?

Who the heck is Maria?

4.) What is your all time favorite sock yarn?

Oh my gosh. Let me think. Gee. Could it be Shibui Sock? Ya think?

5.) Toe Up or Cuff Down?

I used to be all about the Cuff Down sock, but since I tried Wendy’s Toe Up heel I’ve been thinking twice about my commitment to Cuff Down.  So I’m kind of on the fence about this one.

6.) What’s your favorite color (this week or for all time)? Do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can’t stand?

Apparently my favorite color this week is blue, but I still have much love for the greens. My bedroom is done in sage green and I have yet to tire of it.

I can’t stand orange. This might have something to do with the fugly carpeting in my home.

7.) Do you have a pet(s)?

I have three cats: Pressie, Quincy, and Scheyer. They seem to be avoiding me at present though. I think they have an aversion to air conditioning. Weirdos.

8.) Babies: Oven Roasted or Barbecued?

Barbecued. Definitely.

9.) Besides socks what is your favorite type of thing to knit?

Now this is a hard one. :-P

Lace.

10.) What’s your favorite scent?

I love lavender, but I also have a soft spot for sage. Oh yes.. I still use Anais Anais perfume. It’s so retro-chic. Kind of like my carpet. :-P

11.) What music are you really loving right now? Like a song or a band?

Gosh, this is seriously a hard one. Right now I’m loving Jack Johnson, Cold Play, the Foo Fighters, Nickelback, and Velvet Revolver. Oh yes.. I’m also all happy over Duran Duran again. I am nothing if not eclectic.

12.) How many pairs of socks have you hand knit?

I think I’ve knit at least 33 pairs of socks. That’s rough figuring.  And now I’m asking myself “Wtf am I going to do with that many socks?!?!”

13.) What’s your favorite treat? Salty or Sweet?

Salty. I adore Salt & Vinegar chips. In fact, I’m severely addicted to them.

14.) What was the most interesting thing you smelled yesterday. Not good or bad necessarily, just the thing that stuck out most so that you actually took notice of it.

Squid luau. It smelled yummy.

15.) Needles – DPN’s: Wooden, metal or plastic?

Circulars please. Metal. Knitpicks. ‘Nuff said.

16.) What is your favorite sock pattern that you’ve knit? What do you recommend?

Sheesh. Do I have to choose? There are so many! I guess I’d have to go by how many times I’ve knit a pattern, so that would be the Pomatomus.

17.) The last Question: If you were stuck on a deserted island who would you want with you, what knitting would you want with you and would you ever want to leave?

Oy. I’ve thought of this before, but I’m the most indecisive person I know. I -never- choose the same thing twice.

Today I’d like Jason Statham with me and a cone of Zephyr along with my shawl patterns. Plus some Shibui Sock and both my spinning wheels. Let’s not forget the butt load of spinning fiber. And let it be an island like England, not like Hawaii. Otherwise I’d have no excuse to share body warmth with Jason.

Yeah, I don’t think I’d want to leave. :)

Well.. maybe I would for this guy.

Quincy

Happy Thursday everyone! Friday is inches away. :)