Magic Socks

I purchased a skein of Zauberball, a multicolored yarn that changes hue throughout the skein. Decided that I wanted to use it to do two socks at a time on one circular needle. This is my first full attempt at doing this although I have done some "practice" baby booties, but not to completion. I figured this yarn didn't need some fancy pattern to make it interesting so it was a good choice for a first attempt. We'll see how it goes!

I divided the skein into two equal balls for easier handling. You can see that they look different and therefore I will have mismatched, though cooridinated, socks.

Felted Slippers

Felted Slippers
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

My old, much-loved, felted slippers have worn out. The soles are completely shot. I am giving them to Nora who likes to hold the slippers in her front paws and kick them with her back legs. And, no, she is not responsible for the slippers' demise. That was all me.

Anyhow, started some new ones. The Christmas madness got in the way so it took me 10 days to finish them even though they really only take an evening or two to actually knit. But when you are laughing it up with the family, you usually aren't accomplishing any knitting.

So here they are, as pretty as can be. They need to dry which will take a couple of days since they are really wet, but it will be worth the wait.

This is what they looked like before they were felted. Clown shoes. As many of these as I have made, I still think it's funny to see the "before" picture.

Lorna's Laces

More Handspun
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I bought some roving by Lorna's Laces from WEBS. The color is bittersweet. I've been spinning it obsessively. This is the first skein. I'm really happy wit how it came out. It's more orange and red than the original roving which seemed to be more purple. I guess this is because are the fibers are opened up and drafted they appear lighter in color.

I have no idea what I'm going to make with this. It's gorgeous and I have 10 ounces. I'll have to see what inspires me.

This Spinning Thing

This Spinning Thing
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, it's true: spinning is addictive. I bought some blue-faced Leicester and silk roving at Rhinebeck and found it was a joy to spin. Since I'm still a rank amateur, the results were a bit irregular. I call it lumpy. Julie, my teacher, calls it "textured." I'm making a scarf from that yarn.

So off I went to the Etsy store of Gale's Art whose roving I had purchased and bought some more. This was without the silk, just BFL and dyed in cotton candy colors. It's also a dream to spin--easy to draft. The color combinations are fun too. I did half a bobbin, and I've started a second bobbin. (For those not in the know, unless you have a giant fly and bobbin, you can only ply two half-bobbins because two half bobbins will fill up a whole bobbin when plied. Giant bobbins are on my list for next year.) I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it. I keep saying fingerless gloves, but who knows. It's going to be even more colorful when it's plied. Perhaps a tad loud? Yarn can never be too loud for me!

Stay tuned.

Little Debbie Handspun

Little Debbie Handspun
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Here's some of the handspun yarn I have made from Little Debbie's fleece. The wheel in a Bayne's.

This is some of the first spinning I've done and the first on this new wheel. I have to do a bit more and then I'm going to ply it. Not sure what I'm going to do with it afterwards. Perhaps I will do some Kool-Aid dyeing. And maybe I'll make a hat because I'm not going to have a whole lot of this, mostly because I'm impatient.

I have also spun some of the roving that I dyed and I love it. I'm being disciplined about saving that until I have this plied. That yarn is really lovely and cries out to be a scarf. Stay tuned.

Toxic Socks

Toxic Socks
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Finally started these "Toxic Socks." I promised myself I wouldn't start them until I finished the Hibiscus for Hope socks. I did and here are the Toxic Socks. The urge to start the next project can be overpowering as every knitter knows, but I was strong!

So far the pattern is pretty easy. It's written to be done on one circular needle, but I'm doing them on 5 double-points so I have to do a little amending of the pattern. That's been fairly easy thus far. These socks are going to be a bit wide, but I think they'll be good for winter. They are longer than most of the socks that I knit with a length of about 10 inches above the heel. Not quite knee socks, but higher than most of my other socks.

The game plan is to finish these and start on some more socks with my hand-dyed yarn. I have shown great restraint in not getting any of that on some needles. Startitis, the curse of the avid knitter!

Hibiscus for Hope

Hibiscus for Hope
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, I finally finished these socks, started in April. Way too long, but I took up spinning, started a sweater (still unfinished) and did a lot of other things. I finally forced my self to finish them because I'm dying to start knitting the pattern Toxic Socks, black and white socks with skull and crossbones. How can I resist that? But I was disciplined enough to finish at least one project before casting on another. You knitters know how much restraint that took!

This pattern was given to me by Mezzodiva who gives you the pattern when you donate to her breast cancer walk. So these are good deed socks.

With fall coming, at least I have new socks to look forward to.