One when I was 15, and my gram took Joy and I to DC, so we watched the wonderful display on the commons with the monuments all over. It was pituresque and amazing. Though I did miss the whole fam and the annual cookout.
Then last year, B and I headed to Boston over the week of the 4th. I thought it would be fantastic being in Boston for the celebration of our Independence. Since it was kinda born there and all. Anyway, it had it's ups and downs and again, I missed my small hometown and my family a bit.
Enter this year... I really didn't want to go. WILD horses could not have drug me there, seriously. I just wanted to stay home! And overall, I'm glad I did. I did miss some family visiting from Chicago. I did miss the small town fireworks (that are still awesome as hell!). But mostly, I'm not bothered by it. I needed the downtime and to rest and relax and to knit. And I DID!
I'm onto socks again after a break in June. I entered the Sock Knitters' Anon. mystery sock challenge. It's designed by Chrissy Gardiner (who I like a lot) and is stranded color work, which I LOVE! So clue one came out on the 1st, but I had so much going on I didn't cast on until the 2nd. Then I had a booboo and frogged and cast on again twice on the 3rd! Finally try #3 was a go. So clue #1 was finished easily enough. I'm using SOXX APPEAL for the tan color and Noro Kureyon for the "colored" bits. So far, am in love with this sock. The designer is using 4 contrast colors with the main color, but I opted to raid the stash (I'm very proud of that) and use a colorful striping yarn instead of multiple balls. So I DID NOT BUY NEW YARN!!!!
Then on the 2nd, Tour De Fleece - a spinning challenge - started and I forgot. But I remembered in time for day 2 and I started spinning up a storm. I purchased some fantastic Pencil Roving at Knitter's Connection a few weeks ago.
Here are the stages: Bag, to predrafted ball, to bobbin to skein
When I was done with that, I had some Lincoln in natural that I purchased in May at the Great Lakes Fiber Fest in Wooster and that was spun up on 2 bobbins, but not plied. So I plied it.
Then on Monday, I finished up spinning the Blue Fiber Optic onto 2 bobbins, it still needs to be plied. I broke into my Sock Summit stash and got out Wine and Roses by Miss Babs and made some predraft balls. I split the hank into 2 equal parts (2oz each) and set to work on the first 2 oz. I'm almost complete with that, didn't get the bobbin photo yet and then I finished up plying the lincoln into a smaller skein than the first (pic above).
I am really enjoying this spinning thing. It's quite a bit different and feels really "organic" for lack of a better word. I mean creating something from proverbially nothing is a great feeling. Kind of like taking wood or clay and making beautiful things. It's art. And I guess it's really cool to say, THIS thing, right here came from an animal somewhere in the world, it was cleaned and combed and possibly dyed and now it's this... yarn a functional item that will be made more functional once it is knit up into something.
It's all so astounding to me and makes me feel awesome. I MADE THIS. So in the end, I will have a project that I not only knit into "something" but actually MADE the yarn to do it. THAT makes me happy.
Oh and in the meantime, I cast on another sock project to tide me over between the weekly mystery clues. It is also Color stranded work and is also by Chrissy Gardiner. It's called The Dude Abides and I'm making it out of these yarns below. Didn't take a photo yet, but I currently have the toe and first repeat almost done. I'm using some Cherry Tree Hill Solid sock in Green and Prism Merino Mia in a variagated Blue/green colorway.
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