Wicked Nice Yarn

 This has been done for weeks.  Weeks and weeks really.  Field trips and field trips and classes and trips and oh my goodness.  I need a nap.

 It's Fiber Optic's Something Wicked Gradient I got at Rhinebeck.  I got it for this Tulip Dreams pattern.  The yarn is about 500 yds of lace weight.  Oh yes Lace Weight hand spun!  I'm feeling all fancy and crazy.  I mean it's a heavyish lace weight but I wouldn't call it a light fingering. 

I split the roving down the middle to get the color to match up.  I didn't want to Navajo ply as I was afraid that would give me too thick of a yarn. I've never split down the middle and I was a bit anxious about the colors coming together right.  They did! And it's really pretty cool. 
Now the pattern calls for 600yds of fingering.  So I'm hoping it'll work out on smaller needles.  And the Sake yarn is pretty much the same green so I'm also thinking of using the leftover of that to start then switching.  So hopefully it will all work out.  Or I'll cry...

Challenge!

 Some would say that teaching yourself to spin long draw with white cotton isn't the wisest thing to do. 

But I'm not the wisest person.  I'm quite insane as it turns out.  I've been wanting to do long draw and I thought the loftyness it produces would be good for cotton. I got a sample pack of natural colored cotton at Rhinebeck.  And here I go.  It'd going alright.  Not what anyone would call even.  But not absurdly bad either.  All things considered I'm quite pleased with it so far.  It does sometimes break for reasons I don't entirely understand.  Could be the cotton; Those are some really short staples you have there! Or it could be the long draw; I have no idea what I'm doing.....  I mean I have youtube and books and generally that's how I teach myself things.  So I kind of now what I'm doing.  Or at least as much as I ever do.
The fleece is still drying, which is also something a wise person wouldn't be happy about.  It keeps raining.  I was thinking of doing long draw for that as well.  It has such a lovely curl and they say that looser kinked wool should be spun loosely.  Then it'll have nice drape and be happy (Oh those Theys!).  So I was thinking of doing long draw on that too but thought maybe I should practice first....though cotton and long wool are completely different so maybe I'm just insane (see above) 

March

This post just keeps happening later and later into the month.  March had color.  Thank God!

I Could Wait No Longer!

Are there other things I should be doing today?  Yes.  Am I doing them as well?  Sort of.  Are they as interesting and exciting?  Not really. 

Again!

 I did it.  I made her the shirt again.  This time with the contrasting sleeves like I said was interesting me. 

 She recently tried on her summer clothes and apparently really is more of a size 7 in shirts.  Long torso or something.  So it's a little short on her.  Gosh, guess that means I'll have to make her another!  This is all so odd; I rarely make a pattern again.

I got the fabric at the Upcycle exchange.  The Ladybug was just enough for the body of the shirt, so I couldn't have made it longer.  The pink was possibly going to be someone's pants.  Thankfully they decided against that.  The pattern is the Flora Tunic from Sew Liberated.  Meant to say that last time; didn't. 

It's raining, and lightning and it has already hailed and we slept through a tornado.  Thus crummy inside pictures and a messy house.  Or does being stuck inside mean I'm supposed to have a clean house?  ha, yeah right!

I got the neck interfacing right this time.  It was really easy, no idea what my problem was last time.  And she has already gotten paint on it.  See the green on that lady bug.  yeah....

Bigger and Redder Than Before

 Another Giant Cowl! 

 It's big and cozy.  Actually it's 2 inches shorter than the pattern calls for.  The pattern being SHERLOCKED loop. 

I like it.  It's red.  I got this yarn over a year ago with a gift card given to me by the in-laws.  We were visiting them in VT just after Christmas.  I'd been in the The Knitting Studio in Montpelier a few times.  Seems to move every few years so it often feels like a different store.  The yarn is The Shearer's Yarn and was some of the last the store had.  The man who dyed the yarn and raised sheep, not sure if it's all the same sheep had recently passed away.  It was nicely dyed, the yarn still has some veggie matter in it. 

It's all in the attitude

 Or I shall make it be.  Plant, cook, sew my way into warmer weather.  Or at least try! 
Yesterday when it was gray and They were talking about snow and The Bug was hacking up a lunge I made blueberry hand pies.  With blueberries we picked last summer. 

They are tasty!  Sweet and tart blueberries.  I can taste that weather!

It Is Spring

 Or at least that is what the calendar says.  The weather people are saying we'll get snow tonight.  Less than an inch and be gone by mid day tomorrow.  But it's the thought that counts. 

 Mr. Gnome and I built a cold frame.  Perhaps one bit of the garden will get warm.  I'd wanted to make this at the end of last summer but it didn't happen. And yes I could have had it up weeks ago but it's only just now done.  We got the window at Refab.  I stripped and resealed it.  Mr. Gnome made the box and we attached hinges and handles. 

 There aren't many sunny spots in the yard so the plan is to have it on the garden then remove it once it really does get warm.  Which in theory will happen.  Probably.  Then we can put it back for the fall.  That is the plan.  The window has been cleaned since this picture. 

 The window was one of those old ones with the chains using that for having it more open than I'll probably need but maybe.  And just old chains are cool.  Spring will happen one way or another!

Knits at Sunset

Just the three right now.
Temperature scarf, caught up and up to date temperature scarf.  And Look green and yellow!  The joy! 
Take two on the Sake sock.  One would think that knitting something a second time would mean one would make fewer mistakes.  Oh no, it just makes you cocky so you can make even more mistakes.  Someone did ask if it was a hat recently....not sure who it would be a hat for....a wee baby doll?
SHERLOCKED Loop is almost done.  I may even finish it tonight.