Thursday, February 28, 2008

Of yarn and... other things.

I made a rather significant purchase recently. I'll give you a hint -- it was integral in turning this:

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...into this:

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Here are a few more hints:

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Meet my new wheel! (Woohoo!)

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It's a double treadle Original Lendrum Spinning Wheel, and I think it's lovely (and it spins nice, too!).

I have been doing a lot of research lately and wanted a versatile, reliable wheel that didn't cost a huge amount. I had narrowed it down to this wheel or the Ashford Traditional, but decided on the Lendrum.

Here's my first attempt with it (Bug and Moana helped me out quite a bit with the fiber prep):

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You can see that I had some issues maintaining an even thickness in my singles - I need to work on my drafting : )

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My Husband's Hat

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while.

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My husband used his Berroco Jasper in the lovely "Copper Silk" colorway to make himself a really cool hat! He prefers to purl, not knit, (so the hat was done in all-purl stockinette) and he likes to wrap the yarn clockwise which produces a biasing rib-like effect in combination with the singles yarn. I've dubbed his hat "Purl-Crazy."

I really love this yarn (even though I didn't get to use it!), especially in this particular colorway. I may have to make something out of it eventually myself (although I'd need to get more, since he used most of the two skeins we had) : )

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Love the reverse stockinette inside, too...

Of course, Bug isn't content to let me photograph knitwear in peace, so he had to get in on the action:

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Thrummed Mittens

I started some Thrummed Mittens from the Winter 2006 issue of Interweave Knits.

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The yarn (which I won) is pretty wild (it totally reminds of rooster feathers!), so I think it's a good match for mittens : ) And, to maximize the craziness, I am using cotton candy pink thrums:

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I've finished the first mitten, except for the thumb.


Doh, Tagged Again!

I've been tagged by Susan and Tammy. Here are the rules (notice I'm not a stickler for 3 or 4):

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


So here are 7 (more) things about me:

1. I love cheese! (although I admit I had some trouble with the Morbier I tried once)

2. I've had a piece of graphite from the tip of a pencil embedded in the palm of my right hand since elementary school.

3. I really enjoy the music of MIA, Northern State, and Primus, to name a few. My musical tastes are pretty eclectic, though I tend to be turned off by "ballads" / slow cheesy love songs that take themselves too seriously.

4. I tend to say goofy things around people I'm not very familiar with (shyness...gah!).

5. My favorite genre of books is science fiction / fantasy (well.... it's at least tied with "knitting books").

6. I have trouble finding comfortable shoes, so I mainly wear one pair over and over and over... it's very attractive : )

7. I like yarn. (Hey, I'm running out of ideas - this is hard!)


If you would like to participate, consider yourself tagged!

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your spinning looks awesome, but those cats just gave me the biggest belly laugh I've had in days :)

soknitpicky said...

All fiber, all the time for you, huh? You, your hubby, your cats, and now your wheel! That handspun looks *lovely* to me.

Anonymous said...

I say strange things to strangers too!! There's just too much goodness in this post, but I love your husband's hat, and your spinning! I'm so excited for you & your new wheel (and those diva cats, stealing the show like that).

Linda said...

Oh that wheel is gorgeous, not to mention your handspun, cat and knitting! Bug is one cool cat posing like that.
I have 2 things in common with you. I have a pencil lead in my knee from school (I seem to remember there is another blogger with that too), and I too am a goof when speaking to strangers, and I laugh at things I shouldn't do too!

Jane said...

Love the handspun. I am getting the urge to spin. And I must say, you should sign your kitties up for Kitty Modeling. They always seem very cooperative!

Thea said...

OK, congrats on the wheel - I bet you'll make tons of gorgeous stuff. I think the cats are a little nervous about all the new modeling duties it might mean, but they'll get over it. The thrummed mitties are gorgeous and the hat is also beautiful. A post full of awesome colors & textures!

ccr in MA said...

First of all, are those the world's most patient cat models? Amazing!

Second, in response to your #2, "I've had a piece of graphite from the tip of a pencil embedded in the palm of my right hand since elementary school." Hey! I've had the same thing, except it's my left knee. Small world, eh?

Lauren said...

So cool that you have a new toy to play with! The cats do a lovely job of modeling everything for you.

I'd never seen a thrummed mitten in progress before. I didn't realize there was roving inside!

Oiyi said...

Love the new purchase! It looks like a great wheel.

Your husband's hat looks great! Is he going to start his own stash or dip into yours?

Sarah said...

Congratulations on the wheel! I intended to buy the same one ... eventually (right now all expendable income is going toward buying a new house). I hope my first attempts at handspun will turn out as gorgeous as yours.

The Dollars said...

Your yarn turned out gorgeous! I love those colors. Congrats on the spinning. Although I personally have no desire to do it, I totally respect people that do. My husband compares it to saying a pie is "home made" even though you used frozen pie crust.

P.S. Your cat pictures crack me up!

Alison said...

Oh my goodness, you and your cats crack me up.

Rosina said...

He, he... making yarn is addictive isn't it! I thought you might fall down the slippery spinning slope when I saw that lovely roving in your earlier post ;) I hope you really enjoy the Lendrum. Great minds think alike right?

misplacedpom said...

Your cats must have the patience of a saint! So cute :) Also I purl weirdly too which means I twist my stitches if I don't pay attention to the way the stitch is lying, maybe that's what happened to the hat??

craftoholic said...

Your kitties are amazing, do they ever play with your yarn when you're not looking?

Annie said...

Sometimes I really wish I had time to learn to spin. The roving to yarn is delicious! I am so impressed that your hubby knits!

Jill said...

Fabulous choice! And you're doing beautiful spinning to boot! I must say, I love my lendrum. It's such a great wheel. I have a Victoria Wheel too for traveling, but rarely use it at home.

Happy spinning!

The Kelly Green Rogue said...

wow that's a lot of info! The spinning looks great so far. I love the color of the hat. Thrummed mittens huh? I've heard of these, I'm gonna have to look into them. I like the colors you're using.

Anonymous said...

When I saw Bug wearing your husband's hat, I wanted to caption the first photo: "Badges. We don't need no stinkin' badges."

I'm still thinking for a caption for the second Bug-wearing-the-hat picture. Hmmmm...

I think I spend too much time looking at LOLCats.

Virtuous said...

You are alive!! YAH!!

Gurl...you cat pics just kill me!!! Those of the roving hair are hilarious!!

LUV the thrummed mitts in that yarn!!!

Take care!

Kirsten said...

Congratulations on the wheel! Have fun with it!

Tell your DH I said nice job on the hat!

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

With all due respect to Moana, I think that Bug might be my all-time favorite knit blog cat!

Anonymous said...

Oh you lucky devil you - you and your new spinning wheel! I'm going to be getting one too and it was a toss up between the Lendrum and the Kromski Sonata - but I think I'll go with the sonata just because I like that you can spin faster and not have to buy a fast flyer for it right off the bat.

But the yarn you made is BEAUTIFUL, good show!

Micky said...

Lovely job.
I won't allow myself to get into spinning. I have enough problems not buying every book, needle, and yarn in sight. I can only imagine how it would be with the fibre, and spindles and wheels.
Such lovely kitties. They have the perfect coloring for modeling, don't you think?
:)

Kasia said...

Your handspun looks great! I like that it's not iqually thick, it makes it very interesting. Hat and mittens look lovely. BUt my favourite picture of all was bug wearing blue "wig", he looks so amazing!

Ronni said...

Your handspun looks beautiful. Lovely fiber, lovely yarn and lovely cats. How on earth did you get them to pose so nicely. I loved yawning (snarling?) cat best in a way. The mittens look great. They look very warm. I think I may well have to make some thrummed mittens for next winter for my daughter.

anphoe said...

First, the cats with fiber pictures are so funny! You cats are so cute!!! Of course the yarn you that you spin is beautiful! I love it. And the hat is pretty too! I can't wait to see the finish mittens.

Beth said...

Would you please just get these pictures of Bug off to a publisher? I want a calendar of all funny pics of your little Bug with various projects, yarn, etc. Just when I think it can't get any cuter, BAM, it does.

And wow, a spinner. I am not worthy of crossing this blog's threshhold, but it won't stop me from visiting. =)

Anonymous said...

Oh wow- congratulations! I LOVE that wheel! Sooo living vicariously right now...

Anonymous said...

Your new wheel is beautiful and I am so impressed with your yarn! Bug looks so cute with the roving and it matches his eyes.
Your husband did a great job on his hat and you had better watch your stash.

Anonymous said...

Ooh congrats on the Lendrum! We're wheel twins, haha.

Anonymous said...

It's really unhealthy how much I love your cats!

LisaB said...

Love the wheel. I keep saying this, but I really want to try my hand at spinning. I think your handspun looks beautiful and I love the colors.

Ella said...

You *seriously* have the most patient cats ever.

Your spun yarn is beautiful - I love the colors - and congrats on your new wheel! I haven't budged up the courage to spin yet... maybe someday...

Knittymuggins said...

OMG! Congratulations on your new wheel!! Your yarn is gorgeous by the way. I mean, if you think you need to work on your drafting, well....um.... you should really take a look at mine ;) I'm working with a drop spindle right now and can we say extra-extra-extra-bulky? But I do love it and would love to buy a wheel sometime soon. Can't wait to see what else you spin up!

How cool is it that your husband knits? His hat turned out super fab :)

I feel you on the shyness thing too. I'm totally shy and feel like I'm always saying goofy things too (or nothing at all). So you've got company! Hope you're doing well. I know I haven't stopped by in a while :) Stuff's been crazy here.....

knittymuggins

Deenz said...

HAHAHA!!!! I love the fiber + fiber pictures! I think the yawning kitty one and the "long blue hair" one are my favorites, lol.

It was great meeting you tonight - see ya soon, hopefully!