Saturday, November 24, 2007

oh blog

I know we've been friends for a whole year plus change, and you've been wondering where I've been lately. Not that I've been purposely cheating on you or anything, but with the upcoming holiday crafting and the introduction of miss lendrum I've been spending a lot of time away from blogland. But you're not too upset with me right? I think if anything miss lendrum will add a lot of fodder for future posts. Don't be jealous.

lendrum DT

Here she is, the lovely miss lendrum. I've been saving up the store credit that I earn from WEBS for knitting store samples for a spinning wheel, and a couple of weeks ago after I finished the felted louet pillow kit, I hit the jackpot and came home with a Lendrum double treadle. It seems so perfect to earn a spinning wheel by knitting.

lendrum flyer

I looked at a lot of options and the Lendrum seemed like the best bet for me. It's portable, but not too small, it has a wide range of ratios and accessories, and I like the more modern look as it fits in with our mid-century-thrift apartment aesthetic. So far she spins like a dream and we are having a great time getting acquainted while I learn how to spin. She seems pretty patient and not too finicky, but I can tell that she is not a total pushover and will want to do things her own way.

practice yarn

Here is our "getting to know you" yarn. It's definitely an improvement from the super twisty crazy stuff I tried to pass off as yarn on my first spinning wheel attempt. I think my hands and feet finally figured out how to work together - like riding a bike.

handspun BFL pinks-browns.jpg

I still have a lot to learn, but I'm starting to spin stuff that could pass as yarn. Now to work on consistency and to figure out what to make with all this new handspun.

handspun fruit flavor BFL

handspun fruit flavor detail

But I'm getting better! Here is 4 ounces of Hello Yarn Fruit Flavor Blueface Leicester. I got about 190 yards of sport weight (some areas are thicker and thinner). I love the colors plied together and the ways you can spin the same roving and get different results depending on how you prep the fiber.

Oh and we had a delicious and wonderful Thanksgiving. Luckily Elliott, who is an excellent chef and writer, blogged about our meal. It sounds like he is making recipes available so go visit. We certainly had some yummy treats.

And yes, I'm still knitting. I finished the magnificent mittens and they had their first outing today in the cold. I'm pretty smitten with them, they kept my hands super toasty warm with their alpaca lining.

magnificent mittens

mag mittens modeled.jpg

specs:
pattern: Magificent Mittens by Anna Zilboorg - chapter 5, pattern 1
yarn: Jamieson and Smith 2 ply shetland jumper yarn, some handdyed and lined with Misti Alpaca Lace
needles: 2's and 3's
details: i-cord edging has a knot on one mitten and a loop on the other so you can keep them connected when not in use. The mittens are lined with alpaca which makes them super cozy and warm - well worth the extra effort.

Hooray for mittens!

mag mittens detail.jpg

mitten detail.jpg

Friday, November 16, 2007

trying to keep up

louet felted pillow

There is a lot of juggling going on over here between life, work, knitting and the upcoming holidays. I need to catch you all up on the excitement next week, and I'll leave you with just a taste of progress for the moment. That's a Louet Felted Pillow Kit, knit up for WEBS. This was in and out so fast I barely managed to get a shot of it! Have a wonderful weekend.