Le Tour de Fleece

Katherine is doing another Le Tour de Fleece and this year the challenge is to spin from your stash.  This is perfect for me since I haven't been spinning at all and have a lovely stash to pick from!  It's going to be a good break from the sadness of Ziggy the Noro Sock (I digress, more Ziggy later). My goal is to spin every day from today through July 27.  I'm not picky, drop spindle or wheel.  Today I've been spinning some fiber I got from Sarah back in March - the happy, soft Ember. It's superwash Corriedale and it practically spins itself!  




Ziggy, as I mentioned earlier, is half finished.  The problem is I don't know if I want to make the other one.  I am a very loose knitter, I knit this sock so loose I was afraid the stitches were going to looks big and gappy when I was done.  They don't.  I can barely get my foot into the sock.  It will be really hard for me to knit another sock the same way knowing it will barely fit, so maybe Le Tour de Fleece is perfect timing! A break from knitting right now might be just what  I need.




I'll try and post spinning pictures tomorrow.  Who knows? There may even be a finished yarn!

Random bits of knitting and life

My dear friend Sarah is having a yarn sale over in her shop you might want to check out! I love a sale and thought I'd pass it along. Sarah's color combinations are gorgeous - there are some new rovings and handspun up, too.

In local news, Hillsborough now has a Weaver Street and those of us who have been waiting (and thought the day might never come) are thrilled. It reminds me of the old days, when Wellspring was Wellspring and not Whole Foods and in a smaller building. There are only three checkouts, so I can see some crazy things happening on weekends, but it is lovely. Bulk spices and foods, prepared foods, baked goods, my favorite brands, local meats, and a fabulous chocolate selection! We are moving up in the world, Hillsborough now has it's own chocolatier (Matthew's Chocolates), yarn store, and LocoPops.

I started ziggy last week. Toe-up socks and I have never gotten along. I have a high instep and toe-up socks tend to be way too tight for me, but I haven't been able to figure out how to do a reverse heel flap to resolve the issue. Despite these reservations I decided to knit the stripy Noro socks. The heel didn't work AT ALL for me. After three attempts, I knit in a scrap piece of yarn and said, you shall become an afterthought heel when I am calmer. Last night I put it in, having eight needles poking out from various places and three balls of yarn was probably not my best idea, but it worked! I can't put it on my foot yet, but according to the measurements it should fit. Afterthought heels are notoriously shallow, so I worked six rounds even to start in hopes it would give me the depth I needed. I've noticed in the pictures on Ravelry the heel is not shown on most of them. What does this mean?

Ziggy, before the heel



and after.



I've been seeing this new game on various blogs and decided to do one for myself. Bowen wants to do one too but doesn't have a favorite celebrity crush or so he says (with a huge grin).



1. La Rochelle at night, 2. Pasta Flower, 3. Birches, 4. End of the day, 5. Viggo Waking, 6. Guinness @ Fado in Seattle, 7. our Irish cows (considering the picturesque), 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. Shepherdess ~ Morocco, 10. The Calvo Family - Holidays, 11. there's nothing better than summer, 12. JJ's Boulangerie Strawberry Tarts

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

I'll post my new favorite listening tomorrow. I hear my children doing the requested cleaning up, but it sounds a little less tidy than I'd like... sometimes you know things aren't good when it's too quiet and at other times too loud is just as bad!