If you didn't already know that I am a nerd...

Last February Scott gave me the very fast flyer for my Lendrum so I could spin lace weight. The first yarn I spun on it was a merino/tencel blend from Spunky Eclectic called 'Walking on the Sun.'



I started out with 4 oz hoping that it would be enough to knit the Woodland Shawl. The colors of the yarn made me think about what Mallorn trees would look like. For those who don't know what Mallorn trees are, read about them here. The yarn and the pattern were a perfect fit! I started it in March of '08 and knit until my brother's graduation in May of that same year. The pattern was very easy to memorize so it was the perfect project to take on the trip up to Oswego. Unfortunately I ran out of yarn just as we reached the University on the first day of a long weekend.



I ordered more fiber knowing that the color wouldn't match perfectly but I didn't mind. I spun up another 2 oz, and the final 2 oz languished in my bin for months. I really wanted to finish this shawl/stole in time to wear to the 21st Century Orchestra's Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring in October. The deadline was quickly approaching and I needed to spin and knit like a fiend. I was able to finish the knitting the week before the show and block it the night before. It was still damp when I unpinned the best but we did need our bed back to sleep on that night. I wore it pinned with Arwen's broach with pride.



It isn't as wide as I would want a stole to be, although I did wear it like one to the show. I think in the future I will wear this more like a scarf, doubled up and looped through itself. I wore it around Rhinebeck that way and it kept me pretty warm.



If you look closely you can see the difference in the spinning, the first half of the shawl has my very first attempts at lace weight yarn and the second lighter half is smoother and more even. I have been assured by many people that I'm nuts and no one can see the difference. I wouldn't want this piece to be any other way, I love that you can see a short history of my spinning.

Ravelry Details

New Mitts!

This fall I joined the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup with the thought that the class homework would provide the kick in the pants I need to finally start knitting my queue. I am very happy to say that it has worked and I'm slowly working through some projects that I have always wanted to knit.

First up was Winter Twilight Mitts knit for Potions Class; the assignment was knit something to keep someone warm.



When Scott and I went to Chicago last Thanksgiving we stopped at Loopy Yarns where I picked up some Koigu just for this pattern.



They were such a quick knit, I finished them in a week!



I love how they turned out and cannot wait for the weather to get a bit colder to wear them.

Details on Ravelry

Jackalope

I am using November as my wrap up month to blog about projects that slipped through the cracks. Last December I planned on knitting my dad a Jackalope for Christmas but unfortunately it was one of the projects that became sidelined when I was sidelined. So instead of a Christmas gift, I knitted it for Father's Day because nothing says Happy Father's Day like a knitted imaginary creature!




Pattern from Amigurumi Knits by Hansi Singh.

Ene's Scarf

Last September I was stalking Pigeon Roof Studio's etsy shop trying to score the most beautiful shade of blue silk lace I have ever seen but I was too slow and someone got to it before I could. I emailed Kristy hoping that she maybe had something similar coming up in the next update. Lucky for me the person who purchased the skein I wanted returned it because it wasn't the color she was hoping for. This beauty found a home with me.



I quickly started Ene's Scarf on very tiny needles, US size 3.




It isn't the largest scarf I have made, but it us just perfect to have peeking out from under a sweater.





It is so light and airy, the color is divine. While I love the sheen of silk, I don't think I will be looking to knit with pure silk anytime soon. I don't know what is it about 100% silk but it isn't my favorite to knit with or wear. Maybe I just need something fuzzy mixed in the blend. Live and learn.





I had to rip out the cast on a few times, and once I reached the body the pattern did become a bit repetitive but the result is just lovely. I started it back in September of '08 and finished it in July of '09, it took so long because of the accident not because I didn't enjoy this project.

Rhinebeck '09

We got a late start this year, completely my fault, arriving around 9:40am and then had to wait on quite a large line to get into the fairgrounds. While it was cold, I was really glad that the weather held out and stayed dry for the day. I wish I took more pictures, especially since I met so many great people this year but I just wasn't thinking. My shoulder was killing me about halfway through the day which distracted me, so if I seemed off or rude to anyone I apologize, I wasn't really myself.

We grabbed some lunch from the Polish food vendor and was able to catch a pretty cool frisbee demonstration with some interesting dogs.



Of course there were cute animals:









This came home with me


8oz Sea wool from Creatively Dyed, 4 oz Merino/bamboo from Fiber Optic, 1oz Angora Rabbit wool, Sheep Incognito picture for our new house, Socks that Rock Medium weight Rare Gem for socks for Scott, and Socks that Rock medium weight mill end for me.

I also met a bunch of lovely people I have only ever known on Flickr, however I forgot that I had a camera with me when I meet everyone!