Sunday Update With Lame-o Photos :(

It's a cop out not to have lots of great photographs to tell my stories, especially today, when I have several knitting and spinning updates. For me, making the photographs for this blog is the hardest part of the whole process. I have a simple P&S and get frustrated with the macro (lack of).

Most of the time I don't think my photos do my work justice. Coming up with unique and wonderful ways to show it is a challenge. I live in essentially a brownstone wreck. Long, narrow, dark and in a constant state of mess. The back yard is also work in progress (Yes, Marie we are going to move forward just as soon as we can!) and full of mosquitoes. Me and mosquitoes - not so good. I'm too sweet I suppose! Heh.

Well anyway, so just a few teaser shots today.

It's been busy around here as I finished up a pair of socks intended for the photographer. I know what you're thinking: why not enlist him to shoot the knitting and spinning? Well, sometimes I do, when he has the time!

Anyway the socks are wonderful. I used a yarn from my stash, and chose a pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, and the combination worked out great. I mentioned my intention to knit all the patterns from that book and I'm glad I set this as a goal. Loving the patterns in this book. They're almost finished blocking, so next week we can do some on the feet shots.

In addition to the socks I'm working on a stealth project, a gift for a friend. She's been waiting patiently in the wings for awhile now, and I finally found a yarn I love (I hope she does, too!) and a pattern that really works so I am happy with how it's coming along. You won't be able to see this one till it's been sent out, but it's a doozy.

I started a Spingtime Bandit shawl using yarn I picked up from my LYS a few weeks ago. At first it was all gung-ho, but then I started to have mixed feelings about the yarn choice. More specifically the color choice. I'll try to get my act together on this one next weekend because I want to get your opinions on several aspects of this project before I rush off and make changes. However, there's really no hurry. You see, this WAS the project I originally intended as the stealthy gift, but because of those second thoughts, I stopped into another LYS, found the yarn/pattern combination that's on the needles now and I am quite pleased.

That big cabled yoke cardigan I started nearly a year ago is at the seaming stage. Oh, I might have seamed it up...ummmm...three times now. Yea, three. Yea, I can be a huge dope. Yea I make dopey mistakes. All of which caused me to lose some steam on it. Can you blame me?

But seeing it spread out on the dining room table is giving me big time guilts and with Rhinebeck around the corner I might find the mojo to throttle on through and finish this sucker. I really want to because there are so many other big sweater projects I am itching to start and I refuse to do it till this one is done.

Those are the knitting projects in the foreground for now. I try to keep it to three or else I find myself feeling very scatter-brained. Some of the unfinished projects are now officially in the hibernating stage but one of these, the humongo garter stitch blanket has to come back into the forefront because I feel the need to give a healing gift.

There's yarnmaking too. Surprise surprise. I made a 3 ply yarn using this combed merino top and learned I need to be much more consistent with my singles if I want to avoid major tangles. Oy, what fun that was, but that's a story for another time.

I made some nice looking bulky singles, using Spunky Eclectic's Selfish from June club and from what I can see, it will be wonderful. I threw this fiber onto the wheel last night and just wanted to loosen up with a nice bulky yarn. Originally destined to be a two ply, I loved the look of the singles enough to keep them. The entire bump took me about 3 hours start to finish. What fun.

Next up I started some Jacob roving I've had marinating since late May. This one is my long draw lesson. I'm halfway through it and I'd say while it got easier as I progressed, I need lots more practice. I'm sure it will ply up just fine for a very rustic looking yarn and there's nothing wrong with that. Very rustic. And the natural coloring of the roving is a nice respite from all the wild colors of the club fibers.

I think I will put some energy into finding more rovings like this Jacob at Rhinebeck. I'd like to make a sweater using a natural colored fiber, spun woolen 3 ply. (FLEECE??) That's what's on my needles, my wheel and my mind right now. Have a great week everyone!