Well, its been a while.... and for that, I'm sorry. I hate falling out of blogging (as I have so many times in the past.) This time though, its really been because I just haven't been doing a lot. My days, while busy, have been a little monotonous.

Typical Day:

Play with Munch during the morning.

Eat lunch with Munchkin (shown here enjoying a tortilla chip (a favorite food recently) at McAlister's Deli)

Nap.

Play the afternoon away.

There has been little time for much else--and what little time I do seem to have is spent lying fairly motionless on the couch trying to not be sick from morning sickness or trying to catch a small nap myself.

However....the morning sickness is beginning to taper off and is really only evident if I do something silly, like overeat (yum...mexican food) or eat something sweet on an empty stomach (darn you chocolate chip cookie temptress!). With that turn of events...I've been hankering for a little hot fiber action.

I knit a bit...but its plain black stockinette in the round. Boring and hardly worth taking pictures since we all know black yarn takes craptastic photos. Thankfully, I've also been spinning again.

Inspired by Abby's How to Make a Tweed Batt, I hauled the drum carder out of its hibernation in the guest room and tried it out myself.

The Prep:

Here we have the inputs. From Left to Right:

Two Shades of Blue BFL for the base color,
Yellow BFL,
Leftover Merino/Tencel Blend in the Aspen colorway from Spunky Eclectic (this stuff was a dream to spin...I can't believe I forgot about this little leftover),
Red BFL,
an 80/20 Merino/Silk blend, also from Spunky Eclectic--unknown colorwary,
Orange BFL,
and some Red and Blue Merino (leftovers from my first ever fiber purchase from hello yarn--ahh..memories.
And, finally, across the top some white Merino.

Also pictured is my sprite zero. I am never without one of those, people.

First trip through the carder:

Still lots of blocks of color. I'm not going for novelty or stripy yarn, so it goes through again...

Still a little stripetastic...another trip through:

Nice. I can still see some of the individual colors but this batt is nice and blended.

The Yarn:

Three Ply (chain plied, my personal favorite--look ma! no leftovers!)
18 WPI
About 84 Yards
1 oz on the button.

I'm pretty happy with the spinning but I wish there had been a little more tweediness to it; its a little more "heathered" than "tweedy" Its all my fault though--it was hard for me to add a lot of the other colors to the blue to get enough pops of color. I really liked the process though and I'm going to try again! The Munchkin is out of town with her Dad visiting the in laws, so I have a whole FOUR DAYS to myself. Woohoo!

Posted by fruitychick at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm done with my "must do" knitting and I'm now free to do whatever my knitting whimsy dictates. I have a few things fresh on the needles but I'll save that for once I get some proper pictres taken.

I've also been doing some spinning lately. I've been working on an idea I've been tossing around for a while...making gradient yarn. I love gradients of color--to white, to black, to another color...whatever. I think its a lovely way to explore a single color you love and since it is a simple colorway, it would leave lots of design options open for knitting. I did a lot of experimenting and finally, it hit me how to do it.

Heres the first attempt, spun up into a single about 14ish WPI:

I am totally in love. I want to get a little wider spectrum in there since there is still a lot of solid color/solid white on either side of the gradient but, my heart be still, I am enthralled. I've already carded up another set of batts and am spinning them up into some three ply sock yarn--I can't wait to get a pair knitted up to see how they look. I've got a ton more ideas like this one, which is the real reason I started up my little etsy shop--Fruity Fiber Co. There isnt much in there at the moment but once I finish spinning up the Red-White Gradient sock yarn, I'll be filling the store with more gradient batts like this one in Teal-White:

So for you spinners out there--how would you prefer to buy fiber? in 1 oz batts that you can just order as many as you need for your project or several batts together in a lot? 4 oz? 6 oz?

Posted by fruitychick at 12:55 PM | Permalink

Heck knows I am tired of seeing pictures of an in-progress Rogue.

Thankfully, it is so close to being done this is the last one you will see:

Hood is Done:

Attached I-cord edging is on its way to being done:

I am going to block it before I graft the hood so I can keep things as flat as possible on the blocking board but thats ITS--the LAST STEP. You have no idea how excited I am to be finished with this thing. I've been trying hard to be a monogomous knitter and its so hard to not run off and have a torrid affair with something in my stash.

Of course, I haven't been *completely* faithful to the knitting....

This is my Spunky Eclectic club yarn from a few months ago--a Merino Tencel Blend named Aspen. It is an absolute dream to spin--it just flows onto the wheel. My singles are coming in at around 36-38 WPI--the thinnest I've been able to consistently spin.

I've spun up half of it and just barely started the second half. I can't decide if I'm going to chain ply to maintain the colors or two ply it to get a thinner yarn for a lacy scarf like Yarn Loopie's.

I'll be blocking Rogue tonight! Wish me luck!

Posted by fruitychick at 12:27 PM | Permalink

Why, oh why, can I not seem to spin a decently bulky yarn??

Here is my latest attempt--and the only one that I wouldn't classify as a "disaster." I guess its somewhat bulky but I'd say it averages out to about 10 WPI. I was really hoping for something in the 6ish range.

I still love it though--its ridiculously soft and squishy. I'm not sure how many yards I have yet (I still have a little more than two bobbins to ply other than what I have in the photo here). The total roving was about 8 oz (from the Fiber Den on etsy, btw).

so--what do you think:

cute quickie sweater for the munch?
hat/scarf for me?
some totally awesome 80's legwarmers?

I just can't decide--help me!!

Posted by fruitychick at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I think I need to institute a Spinning Day--and why not start with today?

I've been trying (unsuccessfully--I wont even show you the horror of my failures) to spin a decent bulky yarn. I just always end up with something around 30 WPI no matter what I do. So, I cranked up the tension and slapped a somewhat larger whorl on the old wheel and tried again.

and...its not so bad.

It isnt the bulky singles I was hoping for but I think its lovely and squishy. I'll ply it together as a simple 2-ply and I think I'll end up with what I was shooting for in the end. There are still a few thing spots in my single but, hey, thats handspun.

(Roving is from etsy...lets see if I can go dig around and find the seller)....

Here we go: The Fiber Den. Its nice stuff-nearly 8 oz of Merino for 21 bucks (at least when I bought it quite a while ago. Its been marinating in the stash for a long time.)

I think Munchkin approves of the Fridays are for spinning concept:

I've been trying to get some knitting done (instead of spending every free minute adding things to my Ravelry queue). I've got another sleeve for Rogue nearly finished:

I'm really loving the Rowan Yorkshire Aran Tweed, despite it being less than soft. Its perfect for the heavy coat like Rogue I was envisioning.

I also happened to be sitting at my computer when I got an email from The Loopy Ewe announcing a sneak up. I had a gift certificate burning a hole in my account and I scored two skeins:

(Apparently I need to get out my camera manual and find out how to adjust the settings--those yarns are on the same backround, yet it looks so different when you see them side by side....)

On the left is Sheepaints in Briar Rose and on the Right is Dream in Color Smooshy in Forest? I think? The Smooshy is destined to be a pair of the ever popular Embossed Leaves Socks from IK. I've tried the socks before but the yarn was just far too busy. Hopefully this yarn will let the pattern shine.

On the house front--we got a counter offer from the sellers and we are accepting it since it was very near what we offered and, frankly, we are up against a wall and need to move in asap so we aren't in much place to negotiate. Inspection is Monday at 1. Hopefully the inspector wont say "run, run away from this house before the roof falls on your head!!"

Posted by fruitychick at 02:30 PM | Permalink

I've been avoiding the Maldives spinning for a while. It takes for bleeding ever to feel like I've made any progress when I look at the bobbin and, on top of that, I was worried I wasn't spinning the laceweight quite right; I was afraid I hadn't put enough twist into it and was going to have trouble once it was (finally) time to ply.

I separated a little onto a separate bobbin and plied it and I was right--I had major breakage problems and it was a pain in the butt to ply...

I have mixed feelings about the results:

(cheerio for scale. I have a year and a half year old, what do you really expect?)

From my gauge, it looks like its about 35ish WPI and its incredibly soft. I'd totally buy this stuff if I saw it for sale.

I dont know if I can add much more twist to the single (I'm sure it *can* be done, I'm just not experienced enough to be able to do that right now) without breaking it and I don' want to have to deal with the constant breaking while plying a large amount of laceweight.

I have most of the roving left--what do you think? spin a worsted for a cool scarf from knitting new scarves? lightweight for socks? bulky for a cool hat? I just can't decide.

In other news, the house stuff is plugging along. We are going out this afternoon and I think I've found a house for us that will do nicely. The pictures look lovely online--I just hope the layout is good--theres nothing worse to me than a really weirdly laid out house...

Posted by fruitychick at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Am I the only person who is getting really tired of Vogue Knitting? Out of the last few issues, I dont think there has been a thing I've been interesting in knitting... It seems like the only things I've stopped flipping for have, sadly, been advertisements.

I think I'm done with Vogue. My subscription is up this issue and I'm not renewing. I'd rather buy a few independent patterns online.

Knitting has been slow around here--a few more rows on the Rogue and the Garter Rib socks are halfway through a heel.

My main distraction:

yummy. Superfine laceweight yarn. Roving is the Maldives colorway from the Hello Yarn Fiber Club. It is absolutely delicious--super soft and is spinning up beautifully.

This is, by far, the thinnest yarn I've spun and I'm surprised at how evenly its turning out. I'm thinking I'll do a simple 2-ply to let the color chunks meld a little so the ultimate lace project doesnt have a pooling/striping problem.

Posted by fruitychick at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've been chugging along on the garter rib socks whenever I get a few minutes to spare and they are coming along nicely...I think another inch or so then I'll start the regular ribbing at the cuff.

You can kind of see the change in stripe sequence where I changed needle size. I usually go up a size an inch or so into the leg of the sock. It is my personal pet peeve when ribs/patterns aren't evenly stretched down the sock so I change needle sizes to make myself happy...

I've also been doing a little spinning....still working on that Celebration from Spunky Eclectic. I get a double helping of each month's yarn because I like to have enough to complete a (somewhat) substantial project with the yarn I make. Of course, I haven't actually knit with my handspun....but I'm about to change that.

I've been swatching...and I'm in love.

This is a little design I've had in my head while I've been spinning up this yarn. Its super simple but I think it highlights the handspun's long color changes quite nicely (and also disguises the few thick and thin spots in the yarn).

I still haven't decided on the final design. Either a v-neck pullover or a zipped cardigan. Either way, it will have deep corrugated ribbing at the bottom and at the cuffs. The other yarn is Rowan Yorkshire Aran Tweed, which I like ok. I have a skein of Debbie Bliss tweed I might also swatch up if the mood strikes.

Theres also a little project I've been working up...dyeing some of my own yarns. I get a lot of inspiration from munchkin's kiddo books. They are full of such amazing color combinations--here is my first skein:

The colors come from the Dr. Seuss books and the base yarn is a really soft Merino-Tencel Blend (from Paradise Fibers). I can't wait to start knitting it up!

I also caved and signed up for the Sumptuous Sock Yarn Club by Zen Yarn Garden. I just couldnt resist the potential of silk and cashmere sock yarn. yum!

Posted by fruitychick at 05:30 PM | Permalink

I think I might need to join some type of support group or something. I've become totally addicted to Ravelry...

I spent the morning taking photos of the (sadly) small amount of stash I have here with me in le crappy apartment. Its amazing--even with this small amount here, I've realized just how much I had forgotten. Like this:

I love this KPPPM. Its so colorful. I ordered it from an online yarnshop and, by mistake, got two different dyelots but, you know, I think I like them just the way they are: matching but not exact.

I also fell back in love with this tilli tomas sweater kit:

The yarn is for the Simple Knitted Bodice. I bought it quite a while ago and it got buried in the depths of the stash where it was quickly forgotten. I even have a second tilli tomas sweater kit as well..

I think I am really going to enjoy doing some stash digging when I'm reunited with it in (hopefully) a few weeks once we get moved...

until then...all I have is some pictures of the old tubs-o-yarn.

On the left is the sock yarn and on the right is the rest of the yarn stash (both as of Februarish). My fiber stash isnt pictured but its about an additional 4ish tubs. I can't wait to go digging in there and find all the great yarns I know I already have!

Posted by fruitychick at 10:02 AM | Permalink

I love getting mail--especially when its fiber related! I got two packages this week: my Hello Yarn Fiber club and my Spunky Eclectic Fiber/Sock Yarn Club.

Spunky Eclectic:

I really love being a member of both the sock club and the Fiber club. I find it absolutely amazing how differently the same colorway looks in a sock yarn and a fiber. This fiber, by the way, is named Aspen after the colors of the region. Its and incredibly soft merino/tencel blend. Lovely!

Hello Yarn:

I couldn't capture all the lovely colors in a single shot, so heres two shots of the fiber. Its a Merino wool and its incredibly soft with rich colors. I can't wait to spin it! I'm almost a little sorry I started new spinning last night!

Speaking of--I'm playing catch up with most of these clubs since I'm only now getting a bit of regular spinning time. Right now, I'm working on the July shipment of the Spunky Club--named Celebration. When I first opened the box, I was, honestly, a little unimpressed. The colors just didnt seem to go and the large amounts of black and white in the roving just didnt appeal to me. But then I saw lots of other people's spun up and just fell in love. A real lesson in how an ugly roving can be a pretty yarn and a pretty roving can make an ugly yarn.

This is a little overspun but I'm ok with it. I'm either going to chain-ply it to keep the colors in tact or just run it through the wheel backwards and keep it as a laceweight yarn with very long color repeats. I wanted to mainted long color repeats either way, so I didnt split the roving at all down the middle. Its my first time doing it successfully and I'm really enjoying seeing the gradual color changes.

After finishing Munch's Hallowig, I realized I only had one real project on the needles--time to cast on for something new!

This is my second try with this yarn. The first attempt was just a poor pattern choice: it had eyelets and a little laceyness to it and the yarn was completely overwhelming. I really love the garter rib (from sensational knitted socks). I think it breaks up the colors just enough to have a nice mottled sock.

I also cooked up a little something last night--an old standby: Pasta Pizza.

And a little something special for dessert: Strawberries with White Chocolate Sauce (try #2):

Yum! Recipes are in the description over at flickr!

Posted by fruitychick at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Spinning time was always rare around here while I was working. I have a smudge more time now but I dont have the room to keep my wheel out and ready to use at a moments notice. Hopefully our old house will sell today (someone is coming back for the third time in five days to see it!) and we'll be able to move into something big enough for me to have my old yarn room back again.

Munch did take a nice long nap yesterday and I was able to finish this:

This is 4.25 oz of Superwash BFL Dyeabolical Fiber in Turqoise.

I'm debating about what to do with it now. I was intending to ply it together for (hopefully) some sock yarn but I'm having second thoughts. I'm considering plying it with some laceweight (KSH maybe? I saw a lovely example of that here. These singles might look lovely plied with a deep chocolate brown strand of KSH.

I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. I can tell my spinning is getting better--more steady and even. I have yet to really knit any of my handspun up, though I have ideas for some of it.

I'm torn as to what to spin up next. I think I have the next shipment of one of my fiber clubs coming soon but, being totally impatient, I'll probably start prepping something I have on hand....

Posted by fruitychick at 09:06 AM | Permalink

Lets face it, I'm not a very good blogger. I put it off and then, once its been a while, I just kind of give up. The problem with being a non-blogger is that I really do love the blogging community. I keep up with a ton of other blogs and I really value the insight/reviews/ideas/etc I get from them.

So, I'm going to try to give it one more try. My goal is to do at least one post a week. It might be about my diet, knitting or spinning but it will be something.

Speaking of the diet. It was going really well there for quite a long time. I even made it to the big 40 lb mark. Then I just kind of stalled. I dont know what happened but I gained about two pounds and I've been stuck there for weeks--about 5 to be exact. I'm sick now (what I wouldn't give to be able to breathe out of my nostrils...) so I'm really slacking on the diet but I really need to get back on the horse. I was doing way to well there to just give up and return to my wicked ways. I'd love to see 50 gone...40 is good but there is just something nice and round about 50.

I've been knitting--not as much as I used to--but not for lack of wanting to. Its hard to find time when miss S demands my full attention.

Currently on the needles:

Starsky:

I just started this this morning while watching TV on the couch. Being sick may suck but at least I get a lot of knitting time in...

RPM Socks:

Made in Socks that Rock in Lemongrass (the mediumweight). I cannot even explain how much I love these socks. I have many skeins of this yarn but this is the first I've actually worked with and I must have started 5 different patterns and wasn't loving any of them but this simple spiral pattern just works. I'm really hoping to get this one finished and off the needles in the next couple of days though because the first shipment of the Rockin' Sock club should be arriving soon!

Evil Green Socks:

These socks are the bane of my existence. I do not like them. I love the pattern but the color is reminiscent of pureed green beans. I am too close to finishing to give up now though so they have been relegated to the lowest tier of the knitting heirarchy: bathroom knitting.

I also found out about the Spunky Fiber club this morning and joined up. I bought myself a Schact Matchless DT a couple of months ago--you know--because I have so much free time I need another hobby.

I must say I do love spinning though. I'm not terribly good at it yet but I'm learning. Heres what I've done so far:

This was my first attempt--its handpainted roving I bought ages ago from Hello Yarn. It spun up without a problem, even for an inept beginner like myself.

Heres some other handpainted roving I got from etsy.

I saw this great hat on the blog for the spunky fiber club that is perfect for some handspun--maybe I'll even have enough left over for a hat for the little one.

What else...lets see. The stash has grown to epic proportions. I'm serious. I need to cut back since it just doesnt fit on the shelf any more.

Thats not even counting the ugly yarn which is stuck in the closet. Oh--and the sock yarn:

Heres the Lorna's Laces and Fleece Artist (looks like some other stuff in there to the right as well)

In the second drawer, we have Koigu and Claudia's Handpaint. Maybe some Spirit Trail as well.

last drawer--Socks that Rock, Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, and a few other random things.

Thats it--I need to knit from my stash this year, a la Wendy

Posted by fruitychick at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)