JessaLu Knits (and Spins!)

I didn’t come home with my wheel….but I managed to console myself…with fiber ;o) (There is a picture of her here - when I dropped her off at VT S&W)

I didn’t buy much, but what I bought, I’m very happy with. So happy, in fact, that I’ve already cast on with the laceweight :o)

You probably want pictures…right?

This is two-ply laceweight Lambswool (50% Coopworth) from Soujourner Sheep, which I am knitting into Ene’s Scarf (you can see lots of them here). The colors are a little more red than the purple you see there, I’m sorry I couldn’t get the colors right…

I bought 5oz of this Coopworth roving, also from Soujourner. It’s now sitting in the stash…waiting to speak to me. I finished the ‘Roses’ roving last night, it’s plied (took me most of the day yesterday to do so, and my right leg is really sore today - I used the Ashford) and drying in the laundry room, awaiting it’s 15 minutes of fame - which it will get once it’s dry ;o) I’m very, very happy with it. What made me exceptionally happy was, when RR walked past it while it was still on the Niddy Noddy, he stopped, pointed to it and said, “hon, that looks great!”

Overall the Twist was nice (the signage left a little to be desired, but I managed to find it - they need bigger signs, and a sign on the marketplace building would have made it alot easier to find it for those of us who forgot their directions at home…just sayin’). I didn’t visit any of the farms because of the rain, but the marketplace was inside and dry.

I haven’t mentioned this on the blog, but I have talked about it with friends - I’ve kind of lost the urge to enhance the stash to the extent that I was known for in the past. Part of it is a change in my ‘disposable’ income over the past months, and part of it is…I’m happy with what I have. I didn’t buy any yarn at Rhinebeck because #1 I have en yarn at this time to knit at minimum 3 sweaters, 4 shawls and 40+ pairs of socks and #2 I like making yarn better than buying it at this point ;o) I was happy to go to this festival because I hadn’t gone before, and I found some nice stuff (I also got to visit with Sheila and Jonathan - you can’t do that at Rhinebeck!) …but I mostly went to fetch the wheel…which I didn’t get to do :o(

To further show that stash enhancement isn’t my goal these days…I drove right past Webs. I didn’t stop.

I heard that collective gasp ;o) Just think how much more yarn will be available for the rest of you… *grin*

…as you can tell by the picture, my drive to the Twist was fan-f*cking-tastic.

Thankfully, it got better for the ride home - and the Twist itself was small, yet nice :o) Photos and more details tomorrow - in the meantime, I’m casting on for Ene’s Scarf (from Scarf Style) and trying to remember how to count to 375…

I did a bit more spinning - and here are the photos for your Eye Candy Friday:

Used to look like this…

…now looks like this…

…and this.

This is 4oz of Spunky Eclectic’s generic wool roving in Neopolitan. I Navajo plied it and ended up with 263 yards - which means I’m getting better! The last time I Navajo plied 4oz of fiber I ended up with 150 or so yards :o)

I had RR help me skein this on my new 2 yard niddy noddy that I got at Rhinebeck - here is how our conversation went at one point:

RR: My arms hurt.

Me: I’m almost done.

RR: I thought you bought something that does this automatically or something…

Me: Um…no, those are like $150+

RR: Well don’t you own 16 of those things? Isn’t that about the same, cost-wise?

Me: Smartass. I own one. I’m using it. It was $14.

RR: Well…hrm.

…guess what MacGuyver is going to try to rig up for me? ;o) I wonder if he’ll inadvertently set something on fire this time…

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Okay now for Socktoberfest questions/answers:

Lolly has asked…

Where have your handknit socks been?

Mine have been to Mass S&W, the Father’s Day car show, Disney World, the Lake George Car Show, VT S&W, Hot & Hazy II (in upstate NY), Rhinebeck ‘05 and ‘06, the dentist countless times, the doctor’s office - pretty much anywhere my car has been, they’ve been. If I leave the house without knitting I freak - and socks are always my on-the-go project.

What is the furthest they have traveled?

That would have to be Florida - I knit on my STR club socks while waiting in line at Disney World ;o) If RR and Dobby had let me, I would have been spindling, too ;o)

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For those in the area, this Saturday is the Franklin County Fibertwist. It’s supposed to be cold and raining on Saturday but I’ll be there - Dave might have my wheel ready for me ;o)