Fiber Fest Spoils

DFW Fiber Fest 2008 was the first weekend in April. I went last year and browsed the vendors and thereafter planned to take a class or two this year, but with the move going on I wasn’t certain I’d have the time. Turns out I was right about that, but we did have time to swing by as we were in town to finish packing on Saturday. I snagged some divine handdyed silk laceweight from Madeline Tosh, fondled some kid mohair yarn from Brooks Farm for a long time before talking myself out of it, and picked up 4 oz. of llama fiber that will become a hat for my husband.

But the best part? Walking around, my husband noticed all the little travel wheels that some of the vendors were spinning on and said, ‘we need to get you one like that, that you can take with you.’ And if just planting that bug in his ear wasn’t enough, he was serious about doing it right away. (Stay back, ladies, he’s mine!)

I didn’t expect to get another wheel for years. I was thinking maybe, if I was very good, Santa might bring me a Woolee Winder for the Symphony this Christmas. Of course I had thought about it, and hinted about it, but I just thought it would be a while. And I probably should have told him that it should wait, but, people, I am weak.

At first I was thinking I’d get a Little Gem – you can’t really beat that for portability. But the more I got to thinking about it, it seemed silly to spend so much for a wheel that I’d mainly use when I traveled. (And plying -- apparently they have huge capacity bobbins.) For the money, though, why not get something that I’d be happy to use every day, that was also portable? Why not examine my current situation and see if I can fill in any other gaps besides portability?

When I researched wheels the first time, it was really important to me to get a Saxony style wheel. In fact, the Lendrum Saxony was my first choice, and the Symphony was my second. Both met all of my criteria, I just thought the Lendrum was a little prettier. I still love the way the Saxony looks, but now that I know what I’m doing behind a wheel, I’m better able to appreciate the beauty of all styles of wheels. It’s more about the ingenuity and engineering of the design than the turning of the wood that gets me going these days.

The Symphony can be configured with the flyer either on the right or the left. At the time, I had never spun on a wheel and so didn’t know which way I would like better. I opted for the ‘normal’ setup with the flyer on the left, thinking that I would learn to spin to fit my wheel. Turns out, I spin with my right hand in front and I can only spin with my left hand in front about as well as I can write with my left hand or knit English. I can do it, but it’s not pretty. So I spend a lot of time twisted around in odd positions while spinning on the Symphony. I don’t even realize I’m doing it. If I had gotten the wheel set up the other way, I could pull the yarn across my body as I draft. As is, I pull it straight out and sort of behind me.

A castle-style wheel, besides being inherently more portable than a Saxony, also solves the problem of handedness. The flyer is in the middle; you can spin however you want. I flirted with the Lendrum DT and the Rose, but in the end I decided on the Schacht Matchless. I ordered it last Tuesday and it showed up today!

Ain't she a beaut?! I am like a little kid with a new bike.

Adrift on a sea of yellow lace

I'm tempted to declare the Lily of the Valley shawl a black hole of knitting, but it's just too yellow. Aside from a few dischloth breaks I've been solely devoted to this process:

There are now quite a few lilies in my valley.

And yet, it's still a far cry from a triangle.

That's a 32 inch needle you see. The shawl is huge. If I put it on my shoulders in its unblocked state, the point reaches to mid-calf. When I block this, it's going to be as big as a house.

I think I've found the culprit of what started as a crick in my neck, creeped down my back, and then spread over my shoulder. It might be time to take a break, but part of me still thinks I can finish this week.

Next time I think I'll choose a lace project on a slightly smaller scale. Preferably one that has more than one motif and fewer nupps.

Sometimes I surprise myself.

I used to think I would never knit a dishcloth. I just didn't see the point.

And I guess I haven't been proven wrong yet, because I didn't knit these.

I crocheted them. And it was fun! And they make me want to clean! Except I don't know if I can bear to use the granny square one; it's too pretty.

I also whipped up some Swiffer cloths. I've already used them, too.

Brightly colored things motivate me. As do quickie projects.

Spinning Spunky

When I first signed up for a few fiber clubs, it seemed like it took forever to get my packages in the mail, and now it seems like I can hardly keep up. Just look what I have waiting in the wings:

I am on track with my Spunky Eclectic subscription, though.

Here's January, "Snow Squall" Icelandic wool, which became about 80 yards of 2-ply heavy worsted.

My husband wants a hat from it, but a long-stapled, tightly-spun, rough wool probably isn't ideal for a garment. Maybe if I line it with something softer.

February was South African Fine in "Think Spring." It became 1134 yards of 2-ply laceweight. It could have used a little more ply twist, but overall I'm happy with it for being my first laceweight.

I think I'm going to do a Rippled Baby Blanket in this, partially because there's an error in the pattern that I need to work out.

Then after spinning so fine, I went the other direction with March's "Mud Season" merino. Worsted singles, using my new extra-slow whorl for the Symphony.

It's so puffy, four ounces stretched to almost 400 yards. I could really make something with this. Maybe this vest? I'd use the handspun for the neckline and maybe ribbing on the bottom edge instead of the scallops, with a solid color for the body, I think.

Moved!

I have lots of fibery things to talk about this week, finished knits, fiber fest purchases, finished yarns, but right now I just have to revel in the fact that we have furniture in our house.

Look what I get to sleep in tonight!

So much better than an air mattress!

Of course, there's this part of moving, that isn't so much fun.

Excuse me, now, I have to go sit on my sofa.