Thanks to Natalie Dee.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
Fiber Frenzy!
Since I'm posting from work, I don't have pictures with me to post, so I'll do that later. However, I have to record my excitement RIGHT. NOW. I've been spinning a lot lately. Something to do with spring break, a few hours of free time each day, I don't know. Anyhow, I'm all hot about making yarn, but have also been increasingly frustrated with my inability to combine predyed fibers into the creations in my mind. So yesterday, I finally caved and ordered myself a Lanaset dye starter kit and 2lbs of merino top. I will be dyeing within a week!! I can't wait to start painting my own yarn. I have SO. MANY. ideas! I can't wait to make them.
Also, I have to give a huge gold star to The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Although socks are the final product of the book, the whole book is just the best resource, both for practical tips as well as inspiration and the courage to dive into real fiber arts. Although I bought the book back in January, I'd only flipped through it. Oh, how I wish I'd sat and read it right then. I'm now actually reading it, and it is just invaluable. I'm starting to "get" so much about spinning that I just hadn't figured out on my own by just diving in. Sure, practice makes perfect. But practice without some instruction, at least for me, leads to a mess at best, and disaster at worst.
The only bad part about all the reading and inspiration? Waiting for delivery of my fiber and dyes!
*Update*
Here are a bunch of yarns I've spun up recently...
"Amethyst" merino/silk blend. I spun this one much too tightly, and am now having to untwist it as I knit it. Mmmrrfff.
"Gimme candy" merino/tencel blend. I love this fiber! I got it from a vendor at the flock & fiber festival last fall.
"Autumn trails" merino. I'm not wild about this yarn. It's a bit too thick, and the colors don't thrill me.
"Nightshade" merino.
"Pink Sparkles" mystery fiber. Spun in singles (left) and plied (right). I like the singles, but I think the colors are a bit murky when plied. Live and learn, right?
Here's a shawl I'm working on from this pattern. I'm using my Nightshade and Amethyst and MaisyDay's Dainty Bess. (Recognize it? It was the feather & fan scarf, which I frogged since it wasn't long enough.) I will probably throw some of the pink sparkles into the shawl as well.
Also, I have to give a huge gold star to The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Although socks are the final product of the book, the whole book is just the best resource, both for practical tips as well as inspiration and the courage to dive into real fiber arts. Although I bought the book back in January, I'd only flipped through it. Oh, how I wish I'd sat and read it right then. I'm now actually reading it, and it is just invaluable. I'm starting to "get" so much about spinning that I just hadn't figured out on my own by just diving in. Sure, practice makes perfect. But practice without some instruction, at least for me, leads to a mess at best, and disaster at worst.
The only bad part about all the reading and inspiration? Waiting for delivery of my fiber and dyes!
*Update*
Here are a bunch of yarns I've spun up recently...
"Amethyst" merino/silk blend. I spun this one much too tightly, and am now having to untwist it as I knit it. Mmmrrfff.
"Gimme candy" merino/tencel blend. I love this fiber! I got it from a vendor at the flock & fiber festival last fall.
"Autumn trails" merino. I'm not wild about this yarn. It's a bit too thick, and the colors don't thrill me.
"Nightshade" merino.
"Pink Sparkles" mystery fiber. Spun in singles (left) and plied (right). I like the singles, but I think the colors are a bit murky when plied. Live and learn, right?
Here's a shawl I'm working on from this pattern. I'm using my Nightshade and Amethyst and MaisyDay's Dainty Bess. (Recognize it? It was the feather & fan scarf, which I frogged since it wasn't long enough.) I will probably throw some of the pink sparkles into the shawl as well.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Look!
Remember how I went to Kansas last October to knit? Well, Naughty Needles is almost here! I'm so excited for Nikol - I'm sure it'll be a hit! Plus, how cool is it that models *I* knitted are going to be in a book? So cool!
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Turns out, Austin IS awesome
It's been one helluva busy week, recovering/catching up from last weekend's trip to Austin for H's sister's wedding. But what a weekend it was!
First off, the wedding was wonderful. Everything went off without a hitch, everyone behaved nicely (for the most part), and most of all - M and P were radiantly happy. See?
H and I had a fine time misbehaving during the rehearsal at the incredibly Catholic church. This may have been what prompted the priest to give a very stern warning that no one would be allowed in to the ceremony if they were drunk. Mind you, we were not drunk, just disorderly. (H was making the baby Jesus cry.) And the priest was just so uptight - it didn't help matters. Anyway, we did make it through the rehearsal, and then on to a celebratory barbecue with lots of friends and family.
This is H and his sis, M - the lovely bride.
This is me with my FiL. He looks cute, I look like I need to visit the gym.
The day of the wedding found me frantically knitting to finish the gifty I was making for M for the honeymoon. I'll have to get a picture from M, as I forgot to take one in the frantic rush.
Anyway, 45 minutes before we had to be at the church, I hopped into the shower and somehow came out looking like this. I guess I cleaned up ok. That, by the way, is the famous dress that H found for me. He done good - I do love it.
And then we were on to the church. The wedding was lovely. It was simple and heartfelt and absolutely full of love. I sobbed (happy tears!) when Dad walked M down the aisle.
It was right about here that the huge tears started rolling down my face. M looked so lovely, P was just beaming at her, and the whole church was filled with an incredible amount of love from the masses of people that were there. That sounds a bit hokey, but it was truly one of the most amazing things about the weekend. M & P both have these itty bitty out-of-town families, but they have an incredibly rich family of friends in Austin and elsewhere. It was amazing to be around this group of people and see what a wonderful life M has cultivated for herself. I'm getting a little choked up just thinking about it now.
Lest it sound like one big mushy love-fest, I should hasten to add that we went out with M&P and their friends for a bit of Mardi Gras on 6th Street after the wedding - what a blast! Not only are all of these folks sweet and kind, they're also a riot to hang out with. So much fun was had!
In non-wedding events, H and I had a lovely time in Austin. On Friday, before the rehearsal, I had an appointment to get my nails done, which gave us the opportunity to wander through downtown on our way. We ate breakfast at Las Manitas and I got the migas fix I was after. It was so good, we broke our travel-rule of not visiting the same place twice in one trip and went back on Sunday! Further on down the road, we discovered the joy that is a Texas liquor store. It gave me great joy to find that you can buy everything from liquor to mixers to glasses all in one stop, here in this great city. (After many stops in other cities, it's nice to see someone making life easy on the traveling lushes of the world!)
By far, the non-wedding highlight of the day was at Bella where I got my nails done. While waiting for my manicure, I had the distinct pleasure of being visited by a small pooch named Didi, who sat on my lap and gave me wee sweet doggie kisses! Puppy lovin' and a fantastic manicure to boot - I'm ready to take up residence in Austin!
On Sunday we had a bit of time to wander before heading out, so we crossed the water (lake? river?) and headed south to S. Congress street, which may be my new mecca. There I found my new favoritest store in the world, Parts & Labour. A collective of local artists, this shop sells the raddest stuff I've ever seen collected in one place. I went into shopping frenzy, and grabbed up a necklace, little pocket wallet, Craft Mafia t-shirt, and a monster glass for H. It's a small miracle I made it out of there without maxing out my card (though all of the arts and crafts are incredibly reasonably priced). I'm eager to shop there again!
Our last meal in Austin was at Guero's Tacos. And a fine meal it was. After stuffing ourselves with tacoey goodness, H and I were barely able to roll ourselves to the airport for our flight home. (A flight of which we shall not speak.) Between the eating and the shopping, not to mention our adorable and expanding family in the region, I have to give Austin two thumbs up. I do believe we'll be visiting M & P quite a bit!
First off, the wedding was wonderful. Everything went off without a hitch, everyone behaved nicely (for the most part), and most of all - M and P were radiantly happy. See?
H and I had a fine time misbehaving during the rehearsal at the incredibly Catholic church. This may have been what prompted the priest to give a very stern warning that no one would be allowed in to the ceremony if they were drunk. Mind you, we were not drunk, just disorderly. (H was making the baby Jesus cry.) And the priest was just so uptight - it didn't help matters. Anyway, we did make it through the rehearsal, and then on to a celebratory barbecue with lots of friends and family.
This is H and his sis, M - the lovely bride.
This is me with my FiL. He looks cute, I look like I need to visit the gym.
The day of the wedding found me frantically knitting to finish the gifty I was making for M for the honeymoon. I'll have to get a picture from M, as I forgot to take one in the frantic rush.
Anyway, 45 minutes before we had to be at the church, I hopped into the shower and somehow came out looking like this. I guess I cleaned up ok. That, by the way, is the famous dress that H found for me. He done good - I do love it.And then we were on to the church. The wedding was lovely. It was simple and heartfelt and absolutely full of love. I sobbed (happy tears!) when Dad walked M down the aisle.
It was right about here that the huge tears started rolling down my face. M looked so lovely, P was just beaming at her, and the whole church was filled with an incredible amount of love from the masses of people that were there. That sounds a bit hokey, but it was truly one of the most amazing things about the weekend. M & P both have these itty bitty out-of-town families, but they have an incredibly rich family of friends in Austin and elsewhere. It was amazing to be around this group of people and see what a wonderful life M has cultivated for herself. I'm getting a little choked up just thinking about it now. Lest it sound like one big mushy love-fest, I should hasten to add that we went out with M&P and their friends for a bit of Mardi Gras on 6th Street after the wedding - what a blast! Not only are all of these folks sweet and kind, they're also a riot to hang out with. So much fun was had!
In non-wedding events, H and I had a lovely time in Austin. On Friday, before the rehearsal, I had an appointment to get my nails done, which gave us the opportunity to wander through downtown on our way. We ate breakfast at Las Manitas and I got the migas fix I was after. It was so good, we broke our travel-rule of not visiting the same place twice in one trip and went back on Sunday! Further on down the road, we discovered the joy that is a Texas liquor store. It gave me great joy to find that you can buy everything from liquor to mixers to glasses all in one stop, here in this great city. (After many stops in other cities, it's nice to see someone making life easy on the traveling lushes of the world!)
By far, the non-wedding highlight of the day was at Bella where I got my nails done. While waiting for my manicure, I had the distinct pleasure of being visited by a small pooch named Didi, who sat on my lap and gave me wee sweet doggie kisses! Puppy lovin' and a fantastic manicure to boot - I'm ready to take up residence in Austin!
On Sunday we had a bit of time to wander before heading out, so we crossed the water (lake? river?) and headed south to S. Congress street, which may be my new mecca. There I found my new favoritest store in the world, Parts & Labour. A collective of local artists, this shop sells the raddest stuff I've ever seen collected in one place. I went into shopping frenzy, and grabbed up a necklace, little pocket wallet, Craft Mafia t-shirt, and a monster glass for H. It's a small miracle I made it out of there without maxing out my card (though all of the arts and crafts are incredibly reasonably priced). I'm eager to shop there again!
Our last meal in Austin was at Guero's Tacos. And a fine meal it was. After stuffing ourselves with tacoey goodness, H and I were barely able to roll ourselves to the airport for our flight home. (A flight of which we shall not speak.) Between the eating and the shopping, not to mention our adorable and expanding family in the region, I have to give Austin two thumbs up. I do believe we'll be visiting M & P quite a bit!
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