I Promised !

Okay I know, I promised pic's yesterday. We all know what it's like when life gets in the way.
I still don't have pics of Icelandic but I swear, I have it. However I do have a picture of the Icarus Shawl that I am working on. I will put that on.
This shawl is just what I needed to be doning. Let me tell you a little about myself.
When I was in high school I started to flunk out. Greatfully my Social Studies teacher noticed my decline and told me that I needed to go from general studies to Advanced Regional studies. Why you might ask? Because I was bored. This has laid a path for me in all my life. I like things complicated. I thrive! Well, I guess it depends on what I am going through. However, when it comes to knitting, I thrive with more challenging patterns. This may be why the new sweater is still sitting in a bag on the front seat of my car.
The Icarus shawl was very intimidating for me in the beginning. I wasn't sure if I really understood the pattern, however, it's like a good book. I just don't want to set it down. The more progress I complete, the more I want to get it done. For those of you who don't know, the dark yarn going through is called a life line. This way if I have to pull it out, I only have to go as far as the life line. So far so good. ( I usually say something like that and then make a mistake and have to rip it out) What I LOVE about the pattern is how you start with 5 stiches and increase along the top of the shawl. When I began, I thought I was starting at the point and pulled the whole thing out only to go back and read the pattern, ( who has time to read notes) and had one of those aaaHaaa moments. Then all was well.
Last night was the annual Christmas get together at Mrs. Barbara Fanes. It was wonderful to see everyone. I had been sick for what seems like such a long time that I hadn't seen any of my local spinners since the Renssalear County Fair. My friend Lanawool-n-wheels.blogspot.com is looking wonderful. I just can't get over how wonderful she looks. However, looks are not everything. Talk about a multi tasker. Lana does this with what looks like ease and still finds time to spin some of the most beautiful yarn I've seen. If you read her blog you'll see that she knits too. ( I see a knitting group in my future)
My friend Mellisa http://www.therovingspinster.blogspot.com was sweet enough to pick me up and bring me to this event. As always is adding to her spindle collection. I beleive she now has about 25. She spins on them all. She is a really good drop spindler. I think she should take a picture of All of her spindles and post them on her blog.
Carla always amazes me with her ability to spin, what seems to me to be ANY THING! I thought that you needed a bowl for a support spindle. Oh no, not Carla. She can do it, and make it look easy.
Needless to say, I was finally in my element last night and I am so greatful that I have these spinsters in my life. Thanks Guys.

Rip, Rip, Sigh.........

I got to work on pulling out THE sweater this morning. It was quite the job. There was quite a bit of yarn there. All I could do is sit pull, sigh, take a deep breath, and try not to cry. I continued to console myself by saying " it's okay you'll find something better to do with this wool" blaaa blaa blaaa.
Then as if he heard my thoughts, Matthew asks did you see all the clothes that I threw out? ( mind you this man had clothes he hadn't worn since the 80's hanging out in his dresser, I had been on him for years to get rid of them) I even threw out my old sweaters.... Yes He Said He Threw Out His OLD WOOL SWEATERS.....
You have got to be kidding me. Are all of the sweater God's against me? Should I just give up. I mean really. Did he need to throw out his wool sweaters? Now I feel like I really need to make a sweater for him.
So of coarse I started a new one for him today. Before I knit the first stitch, I said a little prayer. I hope this will help. Who knows.
I promise to get pictures on as soon as I can get my camera to work correctly. Right now I am waiting for the batteries to charge. You know how it is when you really want something to work, you go to use it and like it has a mind of it's own, the batteries die. Now mind you, I know I just charged these batteries. I even charged back ups for this occasion. Here's what I think: my 16 year old with head set needed my batteries and decided swap. Hmmmm.
I will have the pictures posted tomorrow.

What to do

I have decided that the only thing I can do with this Sweater is pull it out. It breaks my heart. I thought that maybe what I could do is put a stripe or two of some other colors in it, I would be able to stretch the remaining yarn for the sleeves. However when the Man saw it he inadvertently showed his dismay. “ Is that my sweater, your putting in stripes, hmm.... are you trying to make me look fat? “ Well, no I’m not trying to make you look fat. Which for him is not possible as he weighs all of 170 pounds on a 5' 10" frame. Make him look fat. Geese just when I thought that I had the whole issue taken care of. Well, I guess he’ll just get socks for Christmas.
What really gets me boiling is that I have to admit that he was right in the first place. He told me that I should spin the all of the wool first and then start knitting. All this from a man who has never, to my knowledge spun wool or knit in his life. I suppose that tells you that this is not the first time that I have made this mistake.
To be honest with you I really didn’t like the wool in the first place. That’s must be why I spun it so thick. Just to get it over. I sent the fleece off to a mini mill that really didn’t do that great of a job cleaning it. I have spent more time pulling V.M. out of it than spinning. Only to find that I have missed bits and pieces while knitting. I was doomed from the beginning with this wool. Truly a Hate, Hate relationship.
Well, those wheels never do stop turning up in my little brain. I think I will just start over by making him a heavy vest. It seems that necessity is the Mother of Invention.
I can’t wait to get started on that Icelandic Fleece though. I walk by it and take in a deep breath at how wonderful it looks. It still needs to be scoured and carded but even that doesn’t seem like such a tough task when I know that the out come will be beautiful. I already have a few ideas of what I want to do with it. A good friend of mine took pity on me as she knew that I would not be able to go to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival (Other wise known as Christmas for Lisa) and bought me some cocenil. Red, yes I think I will dye it Red. ( some of it anyway) I would also like to get some Logwood to dye some blue. I have enough onion skins for yellow. I was thinking of another sweater. This time I will make sure to spin and measure all of the wool first. None of this rushing to get it done.
Yesterday I went to the library to copy the pattern for the Infamous Icures Shawl. I will also have to spin some more lace weight for that. I have some now it is a two ply of merino and silk. Both are natural colored. The silk is very reflective and is just beautiful.
I promise to start putting pictures up just as soon as I get the chance.

The Sweater

The sweater! What sweater. Every time I think I have it down this knitting a sweater with my own handspun wool, I find that I have truley underestimated the amount of wool I need. I continue to use the same Pattern, a seamless raglan knit from the neck down. Now I know that the error is mine. However, I had 3 pounds of wool. 3 pounds. I spun it woolen. It is a bit chunky but I thought that would be okay. Who knows. Now I guess I will have to get some more roving to spin to make this a real sweater as I can't give up. Any other time I would just pull it out however this is the third attempt at a home spun sweater for my better half. How can I tell him " opps I did it again" . You see he is my sugar daddy of sorts. He's the one who enables my addiction to fiber. You would think the least I could do is give the man a home made sweater. It will get done by Christmas and it will be wonderful. It will weigh a ton but all in all it will be wonderful.

Icelandic Fleece

Okay so spinners are a fickle flock. Yes I used the word fickle. Here's why. When you walk through your home and have to navigate through bags and bundles of fiber quietly reminding yourself " no more untill this is gone " we suddenly forget when faced with more beautiful fleeces. Yes this is what has happened to me again and again untill my house is no longer a home but a refuge for lost fiber.
Honesly I couldn't help myself. Icelandic fleece. Not one but two. Two only after I found myself compulsively reminding myself that these two are all I can do for now and ..... I know where the fiber lady lives. I will have more. I will. I can feel it.
This fiber is lucious. Absolutly beautiful. I can't wait to spin it. It will be a new adventure. I have never had the oppertunity to spin it. Don't worry I will. 10 pounds worth. It's okay. I will make time. Yeah I'll get back to you on how to do that. Just as soon as I figure it out.

Definition of a Spinner

So Here I sit trying desperately to make this blog much better than the others I have started, but with much error and very little computer technique it try try again.
This has not been the most productive year however, I have learned more about spinning than I would like to admit. I have also had the opportunity to spend more time with spinners than in the past. Yes it is true that spinners really are wonderful people with a certain calmness about that that most others lack. Weather it be a spinning wheel, spindle or charka, these people really have something that most other people lack. Maybe it is the determination it took to learn, or maybe the amount of concentration one needs to preform a once elementary task. Who knows? What I do know is that this is the reason I began spinning. That and the fact that I loved the wheels and beautiful yarns and textiles.
To give you a little back round on me. I never intended on being a spinner. As a matter for fact, for most of my life I thought that even knitting was for old women with way to much time on there hands. Although my mother did teach me to knit when I was young it was more of a way to keep me out of her way as she knit beautiful sweaters for her daughters as well as some other fortunate people in her life. At this point the seed was planted. I remember kitting in high school ( at home of coarse behind closed doors and in the dark so no one would see ) a beautiful scarf on over sized needles with a coral colored yarn. I wore that scarf for years. I even took some pride in the fact that I knit it. Each year that scarf would be taken out and worn until I was in my mid tewntys. At this point parenthood hit and that scarf no longer seemed to fit in to the mommy wardrobe. Lost it was to many other things in a place that time forgot, as was my knitting.
Then something happened. My daughter grew to a beautiful 13 year old girl and no longer looked to Mommy with all needs and I found myself searching for something to take up that time. Hmm Yes it was knitting. I found that I loved the motion and the calming effect it had. At that point I don't think that I was really that impressed by what I was doing.
Then came the big addition to my life. Spinning. Oh yea, I am hooked and do not feel in the least bit upset about the addiction. Now if I could find more time to do both as, I now have a wonderful boy who is two and a half. Full of snails and puppy dog tails that one. I guess if nothing else it gives me some one to knit for.
So in closing I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I hope to have some pictures of my work, and possibly some demonstrations that I will be doing.