Happy March.
I haven't been blogging, but I have had busy busy hands. I haven't been blog hopping much either. I miss my knitter friends blogs, not to mention my reading buddies blogs. The days get longer and I am inclined to be busier later each day. Hopefully that bodes well for blog reading.
First off, I finished my vest! I knit this in Virtual Yarn 2 ply Hebridean Yarn. I picked a motif from Fair Isle Knitting and then colored it and designed a vest. I do love my Vest, but there are lessons learned. The first being that a deep V does NOT compensate for bust shaping if one has a bust. My thought was that since I wasn't making waist shapping that would compensate. I knew that this vest was about 20 lbs away for me to wear in the beginning, so I was not alluded that I would be wearing it ...this year anyway.
It is softer and prettier than I thought it would be and I am glad I participated in the design a Fair Isle, even if I just did it to get involved. After my grapes flopped, I just went for a standard Norwegian Star from a book, and did my own design a Vest for fun but not for the competition.
Here she is:
I think the back is kind of adorable.
And then there is a matter of those cute basic mittens that needed to be bound off and needed thumbs. Here they are. Mittens are fun. Faster and easier than socks.
With this nice Spring weather, I just knew it was time to get out the handspun that Lindsey (darling spinner friend) spun for me. The result with Multnomah is wonderful. With handspun basic garter and feather and fan is transformed to glorious luciousness. I love how this is knitting up. (And I am not a fan of F & F or garter)
Spinning Spinning Spinning...
I love it.
There is blue two ply: (about 340 yards).
There is pink two ply: (over 300 yards).
There is more pink (over 800 yards).
I actually spun this to make a new reversible cable scarf for myself. My old one has seen better days. How excited to know what I am going to do with the yarn! Spinning with a purpose! I think it will cable well if I get a reasonably snug gauge.
I have bobbins full of singles to ply for more yarn.
Spinning is relaxing. I love it and I spin every day for minimum 20 minutes. But usually over an hour.
And just like that, my stash is enhanced.
And while all this is going on...I am going crazy for cables.
So I have revived my Golden Gate....oh sweet lady how I love thee! I got her out and knitted four rows today, like it was yesterday. Nothing to even get used to, just enjoy!!!!
And I finally braved it up enough to knit a classic sweater from Aran Knitting in the vintage orignal yarn. It is pink... imagine that? It is my sweater of my heart. (oh wait I said that about Golden Gate) It was a challenge to wrap my head around 1.5 US needles and fingering weight wool, but now I love her. I work hard, maybe I can wear this one in a few years.
So this is what I have been doing.. AND more!
Happy Spring!
Love and Love,
Toni
