Purlewe Knits

I got presents this week. Some I paid for, some I didn’t.

This is the kniddy knoddy my dad made me for my birthday, with some of my alpaca on it. If you need a kniddy knoddy let me know – this one is awesome and dad will be selling them. The ends screw off – brilliant design! And it is big! See how big it is? Sweet for very large skeins.

I got my package from The Woolery this week. In it was my first pair of hand cards. I’m not sure why I bought hard cards, because I HATE hand carding, but I did and they are here. I got cotton ones from Strauch. Supposedly they are good for fine wools (merino), cotton, angora, and any fine fiber. I mostly spin with merino and I’m interested in doing finer things, so I thought they would be the perfect fit. I pulled them out tonight and grabbed some bamboo my mom got me. Does bamboo qualify as a fine fiber? I thought it would, surely, it is bamboo. Um, total disaster! I think I started out with too much fiber on the cards. I guess, not sure. I had a really hard time getting the fiber from one card to other after the whole carding bit.

The actual carding part went as well as it normally did – disaster. But then it got worse, when I tried to transfer the fiber from one card to the other, it ended up in a big ball of messy fiberness – completely annoying! So I gave up.

So what’s this … Kory fiber. He practically crawled in my lap, when he saw I had the big brushes (cards) out. So when I gave up on the carding, about 2 seconds into it, I brushed Kory. Shedding season is just getting started! And I’m stealing his fiber! Thanks’s buddy!

After two minor brushings this is what I’ve harvested. I’m pretty excited about my potential Kory hat. Of course I’ll probably have to card it, which might damn well be impossible with my carding skills. 

Remember the sweater start I pulled out, here’s what I’ve got knitted so far. I’ve got all the yarn I pulled out knitted back in plus a little more. So I’m back to where I was last week, in a sense.

The beer Hubby found at the hippie store yesterday.

The spinning I have been working on.

The sweater I had started, but just ripped out. I want to work in the round and figured it would be better to start over now, rather than later.

The calorimetry I made my mom.

I finished the calorimetry that I was going to make my mom for Christmas … finally! It is what, about 3 months late? I made it with some Odessa and Sunshine that I spun way back before Christmas. I’ll sew the super cool square button I got for it on tomorrow and post some pictures.

I started another sweater and I’ve been doing a little spinning – just a little.

Pictures, pictures, pictures tomorrow …

Spring is here! We’ve been able to open the house up and get some fresh air, finally! Our crocuses are poking their little buds out and our daffodils are growing taller by the day. Today was a little cooler so there is a bit of a chill in the air and the house, so I got Corgi toes, my simple pleasure of the day. Minnie, our Corgi, came in and plopped down right between my feet this evening and promptly fell asleep. I’ve got my toes tucked under her little belly and I doubt either of us has been happier today. She’s getting a nice little puppy nap and I’m getting nice toasty toes. Now if only I had some knitting within reach … I don’t want to disturb her.

Can you guess what Paula and I did Friday night?!?!

Kool-Aid dye is fun stuff! But just so you know color theory does not apply.

The blue and green is mine and the “tequila sunrise” is Paula’s

this one is Paula’s too. She did a nice job.

I also finished plying the red and yellow I’ve been working on. The camera battery was dieing, so I didn’t get a picture before I washed it. And WARNING the Bonkers fiber from the Yarn Barn of Kansas – not color fast. Again, not color fast! Argh! But some white vinegar in the wash seemed to fix that – thanks Mom! I was on the phone with her when I discovered the mess and she suggested vinegar.

I just double checked the camera and I did get a picture of my red/yellow mess on the bobbin. I must have been slipping in and out of consciousness when plying, because I noticed a few spots that are twisted, but not really what I would consider really plied together. Plying is SUPER boring for me, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise if I had passed out for a while. I need a plying machine – do they make those? I’m also not very happy with the weight of this yarn. When I plied it, it got all fluffy and soft. I wanted a hard durable sock yarn, not a soft fluffy rub-against-your-cheek yarn. For a first attempt at sock yarn I suppose that it isn’t bad. It is much less consistent that anything I’ve done lately and I’m a little puzzled as to what happened. My best guess is that I didn’t have enough twist in my singles. I’ve got 173 yards of it, what ever it is, and need to find something to do with it. Any suggestions? Any takers? Maybe it will become a pair of house socks, those can be lumpy and bumpy, and a little thick.
On to the next project … what should I spin now???