Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Have Spindle, Will Travel.

Last night, The Sheep wore shoes after 7:00 in the pm. and headed out to Chicks With Sticks night at the invitation of the ever-gracious Noolie. As an added incentive to the shoe-wearing, there was a guest knitter on the program that I've been wanting to meet for a while now: Brenda! I caught sight of her while I was spending my cat's inheritance at SPA but was unable to successfully negotiate my way through the hordes in order to introduce myself. I was thrilled to learn that she would be in attendance!

For those of you keeping track of my social life these days, that's two trips outside of my home where I actually interacted with others in a somewhat acceptable manner in the space of four days.

However, it became clear to me yesterday morning that I would need a good traveling project. I have a couple of things going on right now, but both are at that stage where the knitting techniques required are akin to adjustin' yer thong: best done in private. Too much risk of the horrified stares and mutters of, "what the heck does she think she's doing there???"

I quickly cast on for a drop stitch scarf. That I can manage publicly. The downside of this strategy was that I got to sit and knit my humble scarf while those around me had their needles flying around complex projects that required math and spelling skills. I hadn't thought of that...

Fortunately, Brenda emailed me earlier in the day and asked if I might be willing to bring my new spindle for her to see. Thus, I was able to redeem myself a bit by showing off my mad spindling skills and have a brief moment of coolness before returning to my sad little scarf hanging from the gigantic, clown-like needles.

This being a vacation week for my Sheepie self, I have made some genuine progress with the spindle. I wound off a goodly length of ply #1 yesterday by whirling it on the ball winder.




OK..."goodly amount" is a relative term, I realize. But it is about half the fiber with which I was working.
When I'm finished with the second lot, I'll wind that into a nice center-pull ball then ply the two. I have no earthly idea just how much of it will be usable given that this is the first yarn I've spindle-spun in at least five years, but I imagine that some of it will pass muster. I hope...I've been babbling on about this spindle since it followed me home and I feel that I at least owe you all a picture of the yarn just for your kind attention to the whole thing.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on the school vacation time. Today represents the half-way mark and the downhill slide back to workdom. As is usual, I did not do nearly as much as I'd hoped and spent far more dollars than I'd planned. But, there are still a couple more days to be fiddled with so perhaps I'll surprise myself by actually finishing something on the To Be Knit list. There is still a glimmer of hope for a finished sweater, although that is going rather slowly now that I am a spinner again. Let's not even discuss the sock...
It's all that socializing. How's a Sheep supposta get anything done when she's all out on the town all the time? I really must slow down!
SA

11 comments:

sheep#100 said...

Wow, two trips in four days?!

I think I shall go creep back to my sofa and leg pillows now.

Anonymous said...

Fun! You need your own podcast now, SA! Your yarn looks great.

Mouse said...

I always bring a mindless knit with me to SNBs so that I don't have to tink all of my progress when I get home from a night of knitterly fun. It does make you look like the "new knitter" of the group but then again, that keeps the question happy muggles away!!

Anonymous said...

Did you not see my very, very complicated k1, p1 ribbed leg warmer I was working on??? I'd say I have you beat in the simple knit department :)

April said...

Sheepie, how come you never filed a report about the "Swingers Meet 'N Greet" that was goin' on at the Doubletree at the same time as SPA?

Oh right, your parents read this blog. Move along, Mommy and Daddy Sheepie, nothing to see here!

A more mixed crowd you'd be hard pressed to find.

Sheila said...

I want to know more about the swingers thing!
You're making me feel like a homebody now, Sheepie.
That looks like a lot of yardage for spindle spinning...good job.

Anonymous said...

It was great to finally meet you too, SA! And thanks for the spindle lesson. My yarn is still very lumpy and bumpy at this point and I need all the help I can get.

Lorraine said...

Gosh, you're making me want to dig out my spindle and start spinning again. And I was getting so good at socks. That ball of singles looks good to me!

Jeanne said...

She's socializing! Whoo-hoo! :-)

laurie in maine said...

We have a new LYS in the neighborhood - Fiberphilia and I got the courage up to ask if they carried drop spindles while in a Wonder If I Can Do THAT mood. No they don't (yet). But you really get yarn outta one of those things??!

LOL RE/ Public thong fixin'!

I dusted my Krochet Hook off and made Book Thongs as stocking stuffers for several girlies on my giving list. Suggested to them the only crack that otta have something stuck in it was their book. ;)
Put pretty hanging beeds or charms/words from "bead letters" at either end of a Krocheted chain and called it Done.

(#@*& new blogger word login - trying again!!)

Annie said...

V. impressed with your spindling - I never really got on with mine, too slow,too fiddly. I much prefer the wheel.
Glad to know I'm not the only one with a bag fetish - if you could email me (annie@upknitcreek.co.uk) I have a little idea I'd like to put to you................