Oh Babies!

Today was my kind of day! I finally made it down to Salem County to meet with my knitting friends. Jean invited me to come down early to see some babies - she didn't need to tell me twice. Look what I have....Please ingnore the human having the very obvious bad hair day, and focus on the cute little lamby!

And you know what, they come in more than 1 color!This one really wanted to come home with me! It is impossible not to fall in love with these sweet little things. We made the rounds to three different farms - 1st Carol's , then Wendy's and finally Liz's. Carol is also known as "Pusher #2" (right behind Jean), and Wendy and Liz I got to meet for the first time today. They are so kind to let me come and visit. Here are some pics of babies and mamas.

Oh, and almost as good as holding them, Carol let me do this....
She also let me borrow her boots since I was, um, unprepared for the sheep pen (found out sneakers are the worst thing to wear around poopies).

After all my lamby fun, we were off to the coffee house to sit and knit the afternoon away. There were alot of laughs, knitting and spinning. What a great day, if only I could bottle it!

On the knitting front, I finally finished Becky's socks. Here's a crappy picture.

They will be on their way to AZ, where it is probably already too hot to wear the damn things (it's Hell I tell ya).

I received my terrific package from my Loopy Swap partner yesterday. As soon as the weather is not crappy, I will take it outside and take crappy pictures of it to post (there is a crappy theme with my pictures - my apologies). My Valentines Swap partner decided not to bother, but the others involved in the swap were quick to mobilize - the generosity of all those people is so touching. It really takes the sting out of a disappointing experience.

I also finished my Tomato Salad socks as well, so will post a crappy pic of those as well, once weather permits. Happy knitting!

Lots of Things

Okay, first I'll start with an actual finished item. A little background.... I have a friend Amy, and baking is to her what knitting is to me. I am fortunate enough to be her guinea pig for new recipes (it's a terrible job, but someone has to do it). Amy will supply me with her creations cleverly disguised in order to throw the family off (i.e. labeling chocolate brownies as "beans and broccoli"). Oh, I did I mention chocolate is her specialty - no wonder we are friends =)

Anyway, this was her latest disguise....

And this is what was inside!

And this, is how I ate it (yes, that is whipped cream!)In case you're wondering, it is one of those wonderful little chocolate cakes with the gooey warm center. I ate it all by myself with no witnesses present, so it did not count. Amy is the best!

Amy's Mom has been going through some chemo, so I made her this hat to keep her noggin warm.I used the Raleigh Hills pattern from Ravelry, with Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran (soft and yummy). The way I see it, I need to make Amy about 10 more hats for all the "testing" she has sent my way.

I also sent off my two swaps, and since both partners have already opened their packages, I can safely show them now. First, The Loopy Ewe swap....

A closer pic of the socks (Vine Lace from Socks Socks Socks with Claudia Handpaint in Citrus)

Next, the Valentine's Day Swap.....

Both partners enjoyed their packages, and I am now awaiting mine. I am waiting on those, as well as the Vintage Sock kit I ordered over 3 weeks ago. Check out http://www.tsocktsarina.com/sockkits/vintage.html to see what I'm talking about.... then we can talk about why I should be committed. Actually, those socks are going to make the most awesome gift for someone who has a big birthday coming up this year.

Hoping I get at least one package today, as I have just found out that the fuel pump on my truck is dead and am stuck home. I was supposed to meet with my knitting friends down in Salem County today, but alas, the truck had other plans. Oh well, I'll just knit here =) Happy knitting everyone (all two of you!).

Feeling Blue....

Okay, so I'm not blue as in down in the dumps, but blue as in LOOK AT ALL OF THIS BLUE YARN!!!!!!

These are pics from the last two days washings. They are two ply and are blue denim and faded blue denim. Aren't they purty? I am almost done washing the skeins I have, and then it's on to plying the smelly cones. I have no idea how long that is going to take. Jean has decided they need to be 2 ply, so who knows. I did purchase a swift and winder online today, so I won't have to travel to Jean's to do that portion now. Can't wait to see what we end up with. Jean has suggested I select sweater patterns for the girls from these books:

I think that is what I will do. That will put a small dent in the yarn. Speaking of yarn, I went to the Superbowl Sale at my new favorite yarn store, Woolbearers, today. I went planning on buying woolwash and needles only, but you know how that goes.

Some sock yarn managed to jump into my basket as well. The women who run that shop are so nice, and the atmosphere in there is terrific. I bought some Dale of Norway Baby Ull for some fair isle socks I'm planning on making from the Socks! Socks! Socks! book, handpainted merino/tencel sock yarn (stash was lacking in this color, it was necessary), and a skein of Fortissima Socka in a color that called out to me. It sure is fun being a customer in a store, and not an employee. Of course, I am in need of finding some employment, and these purchases really shouldn't have happened, but I had a good time.

Next post will be my Valentine's Swap package. Gonna photo it tomorrow before I send it off to Michigan, woo hoo! Also finalizing my Loopy Swap package, but will not post it until I know it's been received (my partner now knows me on Ravelry, which can link to this, which would ruin the surprise - so... NO PIC FOR YOU!)

The YARN (Part 3)

I made it down to Jean's today and boy do we have ALOT of work to do. I brought my smelly cones as well as the 26 skeins I washed yesterday. First, here is the yarn that Jean washed and plyed.Looks innocent enough, doesn't it? We did decide today that this yarn is going to work best as 3 plys, and for the yarn that is on the cone, it makes most sense to ply before washing. I was a little afraid at first, mainly because this yarn really does have a strong mildew odor. Turns out, it wasn't bad at all. Here is Jean test-plying on her wheel.I ended up working on some plying, while Jean took my clean skeins and wound them on her ball winder.
This is quite an operation. Unfortunately, Carol had the flu, so I only had one "pusher" to hang out with today. This is the new drug she is trying to deal.....

I'm not buyin'! Actually, she had me sit at the loom (very intimidating), and showed me how it works. I saw her final results and they are beautiful! Fortunately, I live in a very small house, so a loom is out of the question, not to mention the fact that I am total afraid of it. Just thinking about threading the thing gives me a panic attack!

I had a really nice day hanging out with Jean. We went out to lunch and I got to learn even more about her life - this woman has done everything! I'm looking forward to getting together with her again soon (probably the end of next week), but I have to get some work done first!

I will leave you with pictures of Jean's basement. Most of the drawers you see have yarn, with the exception of one full of ribbons she has won in various knitting/spinning competitions. All of the shelves are full of yarn. She is amazing! (Check out her closet, that is ALL fiber for spinning - I want to live in her closet).

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

Change of Plans (The YARN Part 2)

Well, I didn't make it to Jean's today as planned. Maddie woke up and said "I can't go to school today". She has had a cold and has said this every day this week, so of course, Mama wasn't playin' that. Hubby felt her head and thought she was warm... sure enough, she did have a mild fever (damn!). Took her to the doctor and everything is fine, so she WILL go to school tomorrow. I know how I feel after a few days with a cold, so I think being home today will definitely help.

Headed to Jean's tomorrow (provided everyone stays healthy). While I was bummed that I didn't make it there, do not think I was not productive. I started the washing process for the 1 ply I have that was already in skeins. Here are some pics:

These are two separate batches of yarn, one is Red Heather, and one is Burgundy Heather. I washed all of them today. Two runs with Tide, and a final rinse with good ol' Suave.Below is after washing and conditioning, but before the spin only cycle.

Next, is after the spin cycle, kinda cool!Next, on the line to dry, a total of 26 skeins. Not a bad afternoon's work, wouldn't you say?I have much more single ply in skeins waiting in the basement, but figured I should only do so much at a time in case it doesn't completely dry outside (there is only so much room in this little house). Looking forward to tomorrow, though I am sure the process is going to drive my nose crazy from the mildew smell. We are just going to be winding all the cones from my previous pics, so that we can wash it, then ply them together. Already getting ideas of what I want to make with some of this, though there is so much, it is a bit overwhelming.

Jean and Carol (another crack dealer - she has sheep, MANY sheep, need I say more), have plyed the samples I gave her, and in Jean's words, it is "quite lovely". She is from England and I love to listen to her talk. No matter what she could be saying, it all sounds so polite and refined - even the time she told me "Don't be daft!" Love it! I feel very lucky to have had our paths cross.

I will hopefully be posting next with pics from Jean's (fingers crossed), though I am hating my camera more and more each time I post. Now I ask you, who is stupid enough to buy a camera that DOES NOT HAVE A ZOOM??? Me and the hubby, that's who - how dumb can you be? Oh well, at least I have an excuse for my crappy pics - who would I blame if I actually had a decent camera =)

The YARN, Part One

Tomorrow I am off to my wonderful fiber friend Jean's house. I had given her some samples of the YARN I received from my Sis and BIL, and she has proclaimed that it is in fact usable. Of course, there is some work involved, but those of us suffering from this fiber/yarn/knitting addiction do not look at it this way. Observe below -

Here, is some of the yarn, but wait, there's more!

Not so fast, one more!

Okay, the little fur ball to the left is Mikey, not yarn, but you get the idea. After seeing all this, I must confess that this is only maybe 1/2 or less of my entire Virginia haul - yes, that's right, maybe half (probably less). Jean has found a way to get the stink out, and the first step is winding all this stinky stuff into skeins, then a good washing in Tide (two times), with a final conditioner rinse. I am headed to her house to start skein winding tomorrow since she is fully equipped, and I am not. More on my crack dealer, um, I mean Jean, in my next post. I will take some pics of the whole process tomorrow, but since I am not the best, I can't make any promises.

I have just recently found myself unemployed. I won't go into detail regarding the employment situation except to say that you can only allow yourself to be treated unfairly for so long. A part-time job at a yarn store should not be cause for hurt and feelings of being taken advantage of, which was exactly what was happening. I feel I made the best decision for me and my family, and hopefully another door will be opening for me soon. In the meantime, I have plenty to do with this HUGE acquired stash of mine, not to mention the sock stash I've managed to accumulate in a very short amount of time.

I leave you (probably all two of you who read this ;), with a picture of the King - don't ya just wish you were him?

Catching Up!

Okay, I am definitely not good at this, but I am going to try to do a better job in 2008, we'll see. Anyway, Christmas brought some yarny goodness my way, BIG yarny goodness.

What you are looking at is the back of my sister and brother-in-law's Ford F150 pick-up. There are 5 regular Rubbermaid type bins, and 2 super-sized bins towards the back. Any idea what might be in there? YARN!!! In all of them! 100% Wool Yarn from Chester Farms, also known as Cestari. Tons of 1 ply on cones and skeins, and sweaters worth of 2 ply in skeins. Now, you ask, how did I gain all this wonderful wooliness? Well, my sister and BIL bought a building in VA to start their second location for their chiropractor practice. While clearing out the basement of said building, my BIL came across yarn - not just a little as the pics show. Thank God they knew who to call and didn't trash or donate it (not that donating is bad, but, well, you know....). At first I thought BIL was pulling my leg, since he knows all about my yarn addiction, but after betting on cheese steaks, I knew he was serious.

The only problem I'm facing right now, besides what to knit (not really a problem there), is how to get the basement odor out of the yarn. I did handwash about 24 skeins of the 1 ply the night the yarn arrived (oh yes I did - after providing requisite cheesesteaks to sis and her hubby), and they came out okay.

I contacted my guild friend, and of course, she has a skein winder with a yard measure thingie, so I will be going back and forth to her place to skein up all the cones, then handwash everything over time (thinking springtime). At least this won't be quite as stinky as washing all those alpaca fleeces over the summer. Now that was stinky!

Speaking of alpaca fleeces, I will be picking up my processed roving for them on Wednesday and I can hardly wait! I haven't done any spinning since early Fall, mainly due to Christmas knitting and obsessing about socks. Speaking of which......



I finished a pair of socks for Maddie out of Adriafil's KnitCol. After all that Christmas knitting, I needed to make some quick socks, and these were them. I finished these in two evenings and loved every minute of it! Maddie put them on immediately and I think they are her favorite socks. Now I need to start a pair for Courtney, but I have three other wips I need to finish first, and they are:



Basic 2x2 Alpaca Sox rib socks for Becky. Becky is one of my sister's best friends, and she is terrific. My Mom-Mom had to have back surgery early this Fall, and my Aunt who lives with her had just had a stroke this summmer and can't drive anymore. Becky, who is a vice principal in a middle school, took time out of her busy schedule to drive my Aunt to see Mom-Mom in the hospital, as well as run errands. This really meant alot to us, as my sister who lives in AZ had just had her baby, so Mom-Mom and Aunt Marion were kinda hangin in the wind. Becky is the best!


The Seascape Shawl for Mom-Mom. I bought this yarn 2 years ago at the Knit and Crochet show in Valley Forge specifically for her. These are definitely her colors, and living in Sun City, AZ, she doesn't need anything substantial, so this will be perfect for those evening when it's a little chilly (yeah, like maybe twice a year, she lives in HELL for Pete's sake!) Gotta get crankin on this one, only on row 80!

No pic for the last one, it's for my Loopy Swap partner, and since I'm not sure if she figured out who I am, I don't want to spoil anything. I am at the heel flap on both socks (she only requested socks so that doesn't reveal anything), so I figure I'll be done this weekend, then just to buy a few final goodies!

Christmas brought me even more yarn than that truckload above. My husband got me two skeins of YarnLove Elizabeth Bennet in Tapestry, Maddie got me a skein of DIC Smooshy in Some Summer Sky, Courtney made me a pen and ink drawing from her art class (and even framed it!), and Jay (BIL with the truck of yarn) was my Secret Santa and got my two skeins of Opal (Hummel and Der Blaue Mond). My husband also enrolled me for the Hill Country Yarns sock club, my very first one! Just found out yesterday that I didn't get picked for The Loopy Ewe Sock club, so I am consoling myself with the 3 skeins of Wollmeise I scored at the last sneak up - it was amazing I got any!

Hope if anyone is reading this, you had a great Christmas! I will post next week with pics of my alpaca roving (picking it up Wednesday, maybe it will distract me into spinning again and tear me away from my sock obsession a little).