This is what I learned today...

Today I learned how to do this...
I learned how to use a quill spindle. I also learned how to do long draw so that I could use the quill spindle properly. Seriously, I feel like some kind of spinning super hero right now. I've read about long draw but the idea of drafting fibre with only one hand seemed crazy to me. Every time I tried I would end up with a horrible mat of fibre that was useless so I gave up. Friday I got the quil spindle so I had to learn. It's totally possible to use the quill spindle without using long draw but what would be the point? Aside from it making a nifty sound it's not really efficient to use a worsted method of spinning with a quill spindle.
The instructions that came with the spindle were not great so I looked up a video on youtube and watch about 20 seconds of footage and then gave the spindle a whirl (hehe) I surpirsed myself by being able to almost immediately do long draw, there were some snags at the start (pun intended) but after a total of 20 minutes of effort I consider myself introduced to the mysteries of long draw. I am not saying I am consistent or that the yarn is saleworthy, but I can do it and damn it looks cool when I do! I am going to be demonstrating spinning at the Courthouse sometime this summer and I think I will do the quill spindle, since it's not nearly as common.
Seriously...I feel like a spinning genius...

Hooray!

Hooray! I had my first Etsy Store sale. I sold 2 skeins to a weaving couple in California! I swear it was the most exciting $30 I have ever made! I couldn't sleep that night I was so excited about shipping it! I hope they love it!
I got some amazing blue faced leicester handdyed roving from Twist of Fate Yarns. I love the colour so I bought 200gms of it and am spinning it with my jumbo flyer on the ashford tradional. It's not a particularly thick single but I have no intention of plying it so I don't want the twist to tight, I also wanted to spin the whole 200gms into one nice long skein. The plan for this yarn is to spin into a single ply of considerable length so that there is enough yarn for a decent size project at a reasonable price.

I actually got up early this morning so I could watch Red Dwarf and finish spinning this yarn...I'm such a nerd...

The Albatross has landed

I finally finished the Kilosweater...the damn thing has been hanging over my head for nearly 4 months. I started this sweater at the beginning of February and have had half of one sleeve to knit for nearly 3 months. It's handspun merino silk. I finished the back, both front pieces, one sleeve and had just cast on the second sleeve when I couldn't wait any longer and decided to sew it together to see how it fit. It didn't. It's much too large. This was incredibly frustrating because I "got gauge" I triple checked afer realizing it was way too big for me and yup...the gauge matches the pattern. So rather than rip out 6 million miles of yarn I decided to finish it up and give it to a friend of mine.
And then I procrastinated.
After that I procrastinated.
Recently I was procrastinating over it...
Today at about 8:30PM I was about to start spinning a lovely bobbin of romney and I said "F%$#! it!" I picked up the last ball of yarn and finished the last sleeve, wove in a bajillion ends and sewed the damn thing together.
Now I have this:This thing weights 1.15 Kilograms. I think it weighs about 15-20 pounds when it's wet (no joke), I pray that Angee does not fall into the water when wearing this sweater, the guilt would kill me...
Thank god it's over...

I have been doing a LOT of spinning and dyeing lately. I am trying to stock up my etsy shop I also found some time to do some spinning for myself. I got some Blue Face Leicester roving from Twist of Fate and it's the most incredible colourway, I came up with the name "Japanese Plum" for it.
These are picures of the singles, I have navajo plyed it to preserve the colour gradations. I think I am going to knit a plain sweater with it to show off the colourss

Also, I just noticed that Herman the Spider is gone...R.I.P. Herman.

Swatches Lie Like a Mofo

So I had got to the point where I was almost finished my lovely Kilosweater. The one I have been knitting forever. I modified it to have 1/2 sleeves, partially as a survival technique, because if I had to knit on it much longer I would probably stab myself in the eye with a knitting needle, and partially because I don't like long sleeves very much... I had one sleeve finished but needed some more fibre to finish it (and bring it up to the fabled kilogram weight). I started sewing it together and once I got one side done I tried it on...it's absolutely HUNORMOUS!!! I swatched, got gauge, followed the pattern for a L/1x-now I am by know means a small person, particularly in the chestly area. I'm 5"10 and a big lady. This thing is WAY to big for me.
OK, let's come up with a hypothetical situation involving me wearing this. Say I get knocked up and have need of a lovely comfortable merino/silk sweater made of $100 worth of hand spun yarn (that's $100 for the fibre, not the yarn) and I suddenly remember the monstrosity I built that I threw in the back of the closet in a fit of rage. I dig it out and try it on in my whale-like 9th month...I then throw it back into the closet, because unless I am the insane octuplet lady the damn thing is NEVER going to fit.
Ironically enough, I have a friend who constantly and jokingly asks me "So when is my sweater going to be finished." and I always saucily answer "Never." I phoned her last night and told her that I knit her a lovely green sweater...since she has seen me knitting at all stages of the sweater she thought that was pretty funny, and she is pretty happy to be getting a beautiful hand knit, hand spun, merino silk sweater in her size.
I was pretty upset, until I sat back and thought about it today and realize that I spun and knit a 4x sweater in 18 days. That's pretty freakin' awesome. Especially since it is not as if I had been doing this sweater and nothing else, at the same time as knitting this I have been working full time.
The bad thing about this is that I constantly joke to my husband that I will never knit him a sweater because he is too big-he's a large fella with a 52" chest. I think my exact words were "I would knit you a sweater, but I don't love you enough." Now I have knit a sweater that is to big or him and I no longer have any excuses. I have to listen to "Oh sure you knit soandso a sweater but not me?"
SO now I am onto my second sweater, a lovely teal creation with an entrelac yoke and hem (look it up on ravelry it's call the Valhalla Sweater.) I was about to swatch, and I stopped and looked at the Kilosweater that was draped obscenely over the arm of the couch (I think it was taunting my in all it's ginormity)... I said "F*!k it!" Cast on , and started knitting the sweater sans swatchin'.

A Good Saturday

Today I am going to be finishing up the second front piece for my Kilosweater. I spun another 200 grams so I can knit non-stop for a while without having to stop to make more yarn. I know I will have to spin another hundred, but would rather get some of this blasted knitting done!
I am working at the Yarn Store today and yesterday. Yesterday I spent the whole day watching movies, knitting and spinning. Today I will spend the whole day watching a movie, knitting, and teaching a friend how to knit. I am pretty excited. She is a lefty like me and hasn't been able to learn from her Mom who is a righty, so I am going to teach her continental. I had so much fun last night going through my stash, finding yarn for her. I wanted to find a colour that she would like that will be the right weight for knitting needles I am willing to give up so I can give them to her and convert over to the dark side of the Force! MUWAHAHAHA! I have most of a full ball of Red Tekapo and a skein and a half of wine coloured Mirasol Sulka, which is amazing peruvian yarn that is 60% Merino, 20% Alpaca and 20% Silk. It's almost a test to see which one she picks. the Tekapo is nice enough, and is a bright colour, but the Sulka makes me want to unravel it and roll in it. Maybe build a nest with it...
Tonight is the Semi-Finals for the Karaoke Bar Wars. I qualified in the first week, so I have been waiting 6 weeks for the Semi's, The top 3 contestants get a place in the Finals. First place in the finals is $1000 and 4 hours studio time at a loca recording studio. I want the recording time more than I want the money. But right now I am going to for small goals, my goal today is to qualify. I think I can do it, as long as I don't flub anything. I am really hoping my friend Adam qualifies too, he is a really good singer, and I think he deserves it. It would be really great if we both made it!
Today I am going to watch a movie called "My Name is Bruce" it's a Bruce Campbell movie and he is one of my favourite actors. He is most famous for his character Ash in the Evil Dead movies where he plays a saucy department store clerk that saves the world from zombies. In this movie he plays himself in a small town that has a zombie problem and everyone expects him to save the day because he is Ash, but he say "No! May name is Bruce! Those are just movies!!" Should be pretty horrible (in a totally awesome way).
Off to knit, I have a totally unrealistic goal of finishing my sweater this weekend...only 2 sleeves to go!

Work shmerk

I wish I didn't have to work and all I had to do everyday was pursue one of my many hobbies...I could wake up and go "Today I am going to spin, knit, draw, paint, drum, play guitar, sing, model railroad, read, play video games, watch movies, or any combination of the aforementioned...
I guess I can't complain too much since i am unethically writing a blog post at work...

First Blog

I have now decided to join the world of blogging (enter triumphant music here...)
I love to write and my therapist suggested I keep a journal, so...
I will continue to write notes on facecrack, I am going to try and keep that separate from this, I'd like to make this more of a journal and my crackbook notes more like sudden epiphanies.

Today was voting day. Normally I don't really care much about it. I go. I vote. I go home. Nothing momentous happens, the person I vote for never wins. I don't ever have a feeling of satisfaction. Probably due to my cynical voting strategy, where I vote against people, not for them. But today I voted for someone, and even though they won't win, I felt a sense of satisfaction and right-doing when I left the polls. I have never had that happen before. It felt good, almost as good as the pumpkin pie I had for lunch.

Today is a lazy day, I have done a lot of knitting today. I can't seem to get enough of spinning and now have taken up knitting to justify the spinning. I am pretty sure that is some kind of enabling strategy but since it's for fibre and not for crack I'll pretend it's healthy. I am not that great at knitting and I don't love doing it. I like the end result. It might grow on me. Spinning is something I adore doing, knitting is just a tool that enables me to spin more...

I got to see 2 of my stepkids this weekend, I taught the youngest how to spin and that was a lot of fun. My stepson is filled with teenage angst (justifiably so given his home situation) so it was good to see him but I miss the happier, funny kid he used to be.

Tonight is the Kamloops Arts Council AGM so I have to sit at a table in front of a bunch of people and look important, which sucks, but I get sushi! And that doesn't suck at all...