Daughter of Wool-Lindsey

Hey, guess what? My mom's name means of wool. How fitting is that? She always told us it meant something like "old piece of cloth" or "dishrag" or something like that... Oooh, speaking of dishrags, I just got a box of cotton in the mail to knit up some of the addicting Ballband Discloths from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I thought I would share these photos of my mom as a girl. I can't find the cable that hooks the digital camera to the laptop (again) but I will post some progress shots as soon as I locate it.

The caption to this one, penned by my uncle, reads, "1955-- DeLaine with lamb pee on dress."

Apparently, she was fond of sheep, too. This one was taken in 1964. Enjoy!

Knitting and Spinning to Report - Dawn

Knitting and Spinning to Report

So this is a scarf and mittens knitted from my second bit of fiber spun on my very own spinning wheel. I'm so proud of them. I just couldn't resist the color when I saw it at SAFF and there begun my obsessive spinning. I think soon I will cease to be known my name and just become the fiber chic.

Next on the spinning and knitting list is more fiber bought at SAFF. 80z of Colonial Merino fiber which I plan on knitting my "first" Clapotis . Lindsey, how do you like the Knitty Knoddy? I'm sending one your way so you can measure your spun fiber. I just have to figure out how to package it and it will be in the mail on its way to you.

Yes I say "first" clapotis because as I started this one I found the pattern to be so much fun that I just must make another one. The process of dropping the stitches changes the look of the fabric so dramatically. From a solid piece to a lacy looking wrap in one magic step. I have finished the first Clapotis and will post the picture once I get some batteries for my camera.

So I spun all the fiber that I bought at SAFF and had to find a place in Los Angeles to find somemore. The only place I could find was in Van Nuys. So I jumped in the Jeep and headed north through unbelieveable weekend traffic. Stick and Stone did not disappoint and I bought more merino, a sandalwood color and I have plans for it that will shock I think. I won't tell you all now but it might not be thought as shocking for me but...more later. Here it is as roving...














and here it is on the spool...














and here it is spun into a wonderful hank of yarn. I think it probably is at a sport weight and much more even than the orange fiber.

And not only have I been spinning, but also knitting. Jeff was away this week so all I did was knit and spin my time away. My dad's scarf is nearly done. Mom and Dad sent me some additional yarn so the scarf will be a 60" in no time at all. I have one skein left. Other knitting is the Brea Bag from Borrocco out of some stash Donegal Tweed which was part of the gift certificate from my students in Humboldt.

Our Logo - Dawn

So after fussing with Adobe Illustrator and then giving up I finally asked Jeff to do the logo and voila its done! Isn't Jeff great! Now I have to figure out how to add to the top of the blog so it blends. Anyhow, what do you think?

a few knitbits - Lindsey

once upon a time when i was supposed to be studying or writing a paper or ironing my clinical uniform... i thought it would be nice to knit up some of my stash scraps. i made this little baby hat for my layette. it's a nothing sort of thing but it makes me happy to be using up some of the two ziploc bags full of stash scraps i have... i don't want the beloved husband to count them as part of the Stash Proper and mistakenly think that i don't need more yarn. i plan to post a stash inventory as soon as this semester is finished!


in other knitting news... a real finished project! with the ends woven in and everything! this is for my little buddy rowan's (i know, great name) first birthday. i'm only a month and twelve days late. of the knitted stuffed animals i have made, this is hands-down the cutest one. i used knit picks andean treasure in "fog." the pattern is from last minute knitted gifts... it took me over a year to get this project crossed off the to-knit list. i think it was supposed to be an eight hour project, or some other such nonsense.

on the non-knitting front, there's been plenty of excitement around these parts lately. dana came home on monday with a new truck-- a 1977 Ford that he bought for $300. he was very proud to show me that it would crank up. he's got big plans for it... replacing the bed with a handbuilt wooden one and restoring the paint job to it's original sea foam green glory. i think we'll have fun with it once we are able to trust it to carry us for a reasonable distance. our plan is to paint the recently acquired lawn chairs in the same color so that we can really travel in style.

the not so good news is that gus was attacked by something. i say something, because we haven't a clue what it was... the vet suggested that it could have been a bobcat. the wounds are very small punctures and scratches. he has six drains stitched into his wounds. it's really weird looking. his muzzle, ear, front and back legs on one side of his body are all wounded. he's on antibiotics, pain meds, and the royal treatment.

without further ado... here's The Green Limousine for the Readhead II

a knitter and her rocker - Lindsey

True to the granny knitter stereotype... I thought I'd post a picture of me knitting a sock in my new spinning wheel rocking chair. I found it at a junk store in Elloree and probably paid too much for it-- but I had to have it. The guy I bought it off of said that he bought it at a yard sale while driving in the mountains of Virginia. I don't know if it was homemade or commercially built. I was looking to see if there was anything similair out there on the web and found this one on eBay. Mine isn't in quite as good shape... It's missing one of the spokes on the wheel and also the bobbin that would rest in the flyer (which is mounted on top of the wheel on the chair.) Maybe I'll look around for some replacement pieces, but in the mean time, it will be a good fireside knitting spot.

Weekend Knitaway - Lindsey and Dawn

I thought I should post some of the (limited) SAFF weekend coverage. We certainly are slack bloggers... We didn't even get a picture of our reunion! Oh well... you look like a very blissed out knitter. I took the liberty of writing some captions.

Who cares that the Asheville Regional Airport lost my luggage? I am now forced to shop like crazy and knit an entire new wardrobe with my SAFF haul.



Observe the knitter in her natural habitat (anywhere that she can sit still long enough to break out the needles... or... spinning wheel)

Here are some of my weekend highlights...
...sore feet from yarn shopping from 10am to 4pm
...knitting a sock in a the same colorway as the trees around me
... knitting around a campfire
...yummmmm Laughing Seed
...eating french fries surrounded by yarn
...explaining to campers at Jones Gap State Park that we are not a knitting/spinning installment at the park
...petting an angora bunny
...drinking Humboldt County brew in Asheville, North Carolina
... talking about yarn for three hours straight in a *two-way* conversation
...having my socks darned by someone else!
... trying to wash the smell of campfire out of my handknits

What a wonderful weekend. Thanks for making the journey.