The Final Tally: 16 Skeins

I finished spinning the last of the sweater fiber. There are 16 skeins of various lengths in the final tally. I won't really know if it's the right amount until I knit a sample swatch and do some math. I'm going to set the twist first and then I'll start knitting.

I also spun up one of the crazy batts I made last night. This is the one where I picked the colors with my eyes closed. Hummmm...... I can't say much about it except that it was much easier to spin an uneven lumpy yarn with an uneven lumpy batt. That part was fun.

I went a little crazy tonight.

The new Spin-Off came in the mail today. Inspired by the article on wacky blended batts, I got out the drum carder and my nasty scraps and went crazy.

I carded a batt with the warm colors, then I made a batt with cool colors. I have a hard time mixing colors so I closed my eyes and picked random scraps for a third batt. Then I grabbed everything that was pink and carded four giant candy pink batts. There was pink cotswold, pink alpaca, and pink mixed breed wool that I blended. I'll have fun spinning these scrappy batts. First I have to finish my last skein for the sweater yarn I've been working on...

13 Skeins Spun

13 skeins spun. Just a few more to go.

Store-bought Yarn

No pattern. Just fat sticks and fat yarn and two hours later a hat has appeared. This was totally fun and now I know what my next spinning project will be. I'm going to learn to make thick yarn (again). I know there's a way to make fat singles that are slightly felted that work as a thick yarn. But that's for the future. Now I have to get busy spinning the rest of the yarn for my big sweater project.

By the way, if anyone is not familiar with the way of tweens, the expression on my daughter's face means she likes the hat.

Bad Bad Influences

I finally started using Ravelry. My name is FleeceLoveHappy---Happiness has too many letters. Traci was taken of course. Ravelry is just too darn huge. I'm sure the more I'm on it the smaller it will seem.

But this is not the bad influence I'm referring to. My general exposure to KNITTERS on the internet and in person are the bad bad influences. Before I listened to pod casts or read blogs it never occurred to me that a person could not finish something that they started knitting. It was just my nature to finish whatever I was working on before I began a new project. My grandmother knitted this way. It's all I knew.

With carding and spinning I HAVE TO start new things before I finish old things. This is because of my commitment to not hurting myself with repetitive movements. I had surgery on my wrist 2 1/2 years ago after damaging a tendon by using hand cards improperly and for too long. With my current project I usually card one day, spin the next, then take a day off and knit. I know that I'm suppose to card it all at once for consistency, but that's not how I roll these days.

I love listening to the Lime and Violet pod casts, but those girls just LAUGH about their unfinished projects! It's just a funny fact of life that they have multiple knitting project going. Ha-ha. But now I'm thinking...I could have several things going so that I can knit according to the situation. Can't do lace while watching TV...but I could cast on a simple hat. And I've been thinking about joining a charity knitting group...there would be lots of talking I'm sure, so nothing complex...maybe mittens...and I'll only work on them during that knitting group.

My monogamy days are over. I'm knitting an Oriel Lace Scarf...only when the kids are at school because it takes concentration and I don't want to be interrupted.

Here's a real sad confession form me: I bought yarn today. I haven't purchased yarn in years---duh, I'm a spinner first and foremost! I bought some chunky (can't spin thick any more) wool blended with Acrylic because my daughter wants a hat that matches her coat. I'm not about to dye and card and spin yarn for a hat that she needs tomorrow---it is freezing after all.

Pickin' in the PJs

I started picking right when I got up this morning. All the batts were done being carded by dark. It really felt like work. I'm trying be zen about it and I usually like carding, but I'd rather be spinning. I have some serious fear that I won't actually have enough skeins to make the g'day sweater. Oh, and while I'm complaining, this yarn is looking very home(ly) spun. Lumpy and and a bit dirty. Maybe I should switch patterns anyway to something that's suppose to look un-refined.

Seven Skeins Down and Two Berets

This week I spun a few skeins, making my total seven.

I also made two One Day Berets out of some handspun I had around. Each took two days to make.

Spinning

I've started the long process of spinning the wool for my "g'day" sweater. I'll be carding again today, too.

fleece, love, and HAPPINESS

It's all about the happiness today.  

meme

Because I voted by mail I have time to respond to Dyeabolical Yarns and Roving meme...

Key: Has done, wants to do, no comment

Afghan,I-cord,Garter stitch,Knitting with metal wire,Shawl( I, too,love knitting them, never wear them),Stockinette stitch,Socks: top-down,Socks: toe-up ,yarnKnitting with camel ,Mittens: Cuff-up,Mittens: Tip-down,Hat,Knitting with silk,Moebius band knitting (I don’t know what this is),Participating in a KAL,Sweater,Drop stitch patterns
,Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
(I keep looking for the perfect old sweater to start with),Slip stitch patterns,Knitting with banana fiber yarn,Domino knitting,Twisted stitch patterns
,Knitting with bamboo yarn
,Two end knitting,Charity knitting
,Knitting with soy yarn
,Cardigan,Toy/doll clothing,Knitting with circular needles
,Knitting with your own handspun yarn,Slippers(waiting for a good pattern because most are u-g-l-y),Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street),Continental knitting
,Designing knitted garments,Cable stitch patterns 
,Lace patterns
,Publishing a knitting book
,Scarf
,Teaching a child to knit 
,American/English knitting,Knitting to make money
,Button holes
,Knitting with alpaca,Fair Isle knitting
,Norwegian knitting
,Dyeing with plant colors,Knitting items for a wedding,Household items,Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
,Olympic knitting ,Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
,Knitting with DPNs ,Holiday related knitting (maybe if I ever see anything that’s actually cool),Bobbles ,Knitting for a living (maybe fiber arts for a living),Knitting with cotton
,Dying yarn,Knitting art
,Fulling/felting,Knitting with wool
,Textured knitting
,Kitchener ,Purses/bags,Knitting with beads
,Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
,Stuffed toys
,Baby items
,Knitting with cashmere,Darning
(I must do this before I die),Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
 (why would I ever do this---gag!),Writing a pattern
,Gloves(I must do this soon),Intarsia
Knitting with linen
,Knitting for preemies
,Knitting in public

I had to google the meaning of meme--I think I got it right.

Semi Self-Striping Sample Skein

My sister Jane decided to add me to her you tube channel Gritty Arts, and this is what we came up with.