Stupid Yarn - the revenge

So for the Ravellenic Games I decided to give the lime green yarn a second try.

I used a whole pot of Wilton's icing gel. About half a cup of vinegar, and enough water to cover the yarn. It cooked on low, being squished and flipped for about two hours. Maybe closer to three. I was playing Everquest.

It soaked almost all the dye up, and there are still green spots!!!

But not many. So I forgive it. And ugly yarn is now pretty peacock yarn!

I couldn't reproduce this color if my life depended on it /sigh

July reading list

1-44 Torn - Amanda Hocking (7/9) - free/Gail
2-45 Doctor Who Borrowed Time - Naomi Alderman (7/11) - free/library
3-46 Doctor Who The Silent Stars Go By - Dan Abnett (7/11) - free/library
4-47 The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum (7/15) - free/audiobook
5-48 Doctor Who The Way Through The Woods - Una McCormack (7/16) - free/library
6-49 Respect the Spindle - Abby Frequenmont (sp) (7/16) *reread* - free/mine
7-50 Doctor Who Touched By an Angel - Jonathan Morris (7/24) - free/library

my non fiction for the month (which i'd been ignoring!) is Respect the Spindle. It's a three time re-read for me. i pulled it out again during the TdF to read a bit more. I especially like the part about the history of spindles!

all my books were FREE!

and for my efforts i received a huge blue travel cup from the library. For the Adult Summer Reading program :D

Kae also completed hers and got an award certificate, tickets to a hammerheads game, a bookmark and pencil, and a light that goes on your finger so you can read in the dark. Does it make me horrible i hope she forgets it's in my purse so i can keep it for reading at night?!

What's In a Name

I've been asked why I go through so much trouble to find names for my spindles and things. I guess it's the pagan in me. Names have meaning, they have purpose. Names are important.

Names give life.

in last night's post i named (and linked) to all my spinning stuff. Arachne, Clotho, Nieth, Anake. And today I'm going to introduce you to:

Aella

The amazons were always pushed to the very edges of greece's known territory. So they were always considered barbarians. When the people would reach that area, and no amazons were found, they always said "well they must have moved on, or Heracles killed them all."

Aella means Whirlwind, she was known for fighting with a double axe, and lost her life to Heracles in the defense of Hippolyte's golden Girdle (one of his 12 Labors).

This is a ThreadsThruTime Medium Turkish, the shaft is 6 1/4 inches long, and she weighs 1.4oz. Spins like a little whirly dervish. Made out of Burmese Rosewood and Bloodwood.

I think it fits :D

Tour Ends Spinning Continues

So I ended the tour with what seems like very little spun

I did singles then a 2-ply of my Titania braid from Storied Yards. Got 120yds from that, then did my very first navajo ply with the remaining single! I got 22.5 yds from that! This will become a Fennic hat for Connor during the Ravellenic Games.

I also finished my Unseelie batt. If you go waaaaaay back to when I bought my wheel two years ago, it was one of my first batts. It's bfl/silk by Corgi Hill Farms. I love it. I got 300 plus yards of single from 2 oz. I think I might make myself a citron with it.

I am almost finished with my purple pencil roving. I need to finish it so I can start the grey. I'm going to make a Westknits Spectra shawl with both.

Then today in the mail I got a new toy, it's a Threads Thru Time Turkish spindle. She needs a name, something from mythology, fiber arts related and possibly Turkish.

Ashford Kiwi - Clotho
Ashford spindle - Anake
Rose Spindle - Neith (but she's being traded)
Spider spindle - Arachne


Perhaps her name will come to me in my dreams

Tour day 21 and 22

Let's see, Friday I finished spinning the Titania singles to ply, and set them aside to rest.

I skeined, soaked and smacked my Unseelie batt from Corgi Hill Farms on etsy. Talk about and outstanding wip, I started this batt 2 years ago! I got 137 yds from the first half, and 397 yds from the second lol.

Today we went to Ikea! The kiddos were so well behaved! Then Ross spent 3.5 hours helping kae clean her room to make space for the new storage shelf we got. I also hung up their new bug nightlight.

So the kitchen and kae's room are clean and organized, next is the living room, I seriously want to throw out the plastic desk in the corner, and purge my craft stuff. I'll probably be putting fabric on etsy to destash.

I got some spindle spinning done in the car on the way home, but no pictures to prove it /sigh. I'm sure the crazies on I-95 were so impressed!

Then I plied my Titania singles, I got 120 yards of two ply and 22.5 yards on my very first Navajo ply! Which I thought would be hard, but really wasn't ::dance::

I'll post a finish line post with pictures tomorrow, I'm pretty proud of myself considering I didn't have my wheel until halfway through.

Tour day 20

I didn't get in much spinning time today, because I spent 4 and a half hours cleaning and organizing my kitchen.

You may be thinking, damn girl why the hell was it that dirty?!

Well let me tell you, most of the crap was my moms that she left here when she move out. I'm talking 8 gallons of paint! The whole pantry closet was so full of her stuff I couldn't use it.

no longer!

And because I'm able to use the pantry again, I was able to get all the junk up off my counter (I admit the snack food was out on the counter because we only had one itty bitty cabinet for 4 people's food!) now my stand mixer has a home, and my ice cream maker. And omg we haz a waffle iron!

In another epic note, Connor slept in his crib last night, with no problems, so I may get to put away the pack n play and have a home for my spinning wheel (happy dance!) I don't want Clotho to go back into storage.

I'm anxiously awaiting news on my TTT Turkish being ready, I loved my rose, but I think she's going to a great home!

I did start spinning my Titania roving from storied yarns, I split it down the middle to try fractal spinning. I haven't done a real two ply in a long time, I usually thread ply.

And I've almost fit 4.5oz of fiber on my 1oz spider spindle. It's getting complicated to wind the cop!

No sew pillows

So I found this idea on pinterest...I say that a lot, I spend a lot of time on pinterest.

This one happens to be for no sew pillows :

Mine did not work that way, I had to fold the like diamonds, and fold the corners down, so I'd have long enough tails to tie.

Yes I realize this is super lazy, but it was easy, and looks nice. Kae approves

Tour day 16

Yeah I'm behind on my updates. I got my wheel out of storage! I so happy, I really wish Clotho could have a home, instead she's going to have to go back into her box and live in the closet ::sadface::

I unwound, washed, thwacked, hung and skeined kae's first handspun "ice cream boy loves lollipop girl" which I guess is an adventure time reference, we don't watch that show. Then!

The last three days I've been spinning up the last two ounces of my Unseelie batt I got from Corgi hill farms on etsy, it's a bfl/silk/firestar batt in purples and blacks. It wanted to be thin, we'll see what happens when it's washed and thwacked, but going onto the bobbin it was 80 wpi.

I also spent time amusing the boy children at out bi-weekly gaming night with Arachne and the purple roving that never ends. My drop spindle brings all the boys to the yard ;)

So pictures, though I'm sure they won't be in any order

Tour Day 12

Yeah, I took more than one day of rest lol. It's hard to find spinning time with two kids who require a lot of attention. Also Saturday I got the chance to run off with my bestie and destash our kids for a few hours of adult girl time. I got absolutely nothing done, it was faboo!

But today I was productive! I managed to spin almost half my purple pencil roving. My arm is feeling rather blah, but I'm super happy with my progress, if Connor naps tomorrow I might be able to finish this up!

I also spent about an hour teaching kaeley to spindle spin. She's got an old Russian supported, but I think that might be too hard for her, so i pulled down my ashford boat (ie 2oz spindle) and she learned about pre-drafting, pinching the fiber and keeping the spindle going. She had a couple tangles, but didn't get upset, so I told her if she kept at it I would get her a spindle of her own for her birthday.

I'll probably make her a bracelet with her little skein, so she can show it off :)

A few weeks ago my grandmother in law passed (I'm sure I mentioned it) and I'm holding all my PayPal income to donate to the library in her name, I'm also holding a sale on my ravelry patterns! Use the code READ to get 12% off all patterns for the rest of the year. Including my Hunger Games inspired "Fire on the Water" scarf that just went up for sale.

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The two purple pics are before and after, the fuller one is obviously today

And a gratuitous Connor picture

Tour day 6

Didn't think I'd get to spin today, what with the cleaning and cooking frenzy I've been on. Showing a before and after of my kitchen would be unwise, it was scary.

I made three trays of baby food for the C-man, a tray of puréed bananas (which seem to be his most favorite food) and two trays of butternut squash purée. The way I see it, I pay .49 a lb for bananas, typically 6 or 7 per bunch, and make enough purée for 10 breakfasts. The little jars are $1.00 each unless they're on sale (.50) and I get 1-2 meals. The squash were .98 each (not per lb) and I got two trays (20 servings) out of one. More if I mix with oatmeal or rice cereal.

As some of my friends know I meal plan, very strictly. It's one of the ways I save us money. (cloth diapering and home-made baby food are on that list too) pinterest has been great for this. I have a "this week in my kitchen" board now, if anyone is curious. (it actually encompasses two weeks of meals., payday to payday).

As for spinning, I didn't get much done, my arm is hurting because it's been so long since I've drop spindled. I'm left handed and just don't get the correct draft with my right hand. (also I had kae up in my way, she's fascinated, but easily distracted by angry birds)

So action and progress shot.

Ps, Connor speaks parseltongue.

June reading list

Yeah, I'm late. Blah

I only read one book last month...

Taken by Amanda Hocking

It's a ya fae-ish book. I blew through it once I actually read it. Its a trilogy, of which I'm currently reading the second.

Tour day 5

Today we introduced kaeley to the princess bride. There are so many lines I never caught before!

I spun for a while during the beginning. I'm really still loving this pencil roving and my new spindle. Which is good eh?

This is a much truer color picture of the roving. And I about doubled the cop.

Tour day 4

So far I'm doing pretty well with the spinning every day thing. I'll probably fall off the wagon here soon, it's so hot I just want to sit in front of the open freezer, like Sam in that episode of icarly (om nom frozen pizza)

This morning I tried to move the hot pink sparkly from yesterday onto a ghetto bobbin. It falled apart ::sadface:: I didn't actually know the fiber content, now I'm thinking it was bamboo, and I didn't put enough twist into it.

This discouraged me greatly. I didn't really feel like spinning, I mean, that was practice roving and I screwed it up pretty badly. But kae convinced me I should try out my purple pencil roving.

HOLY AWESOME SPINNING BATMAN!

It's looking amazing, I heart kauni pencil roving, they have a shop on etsy. And I think perhaps once people try it I'll be sol since it will all get buyed!

I have purple and grey, estimated to make 440 yds of lace/light fingering weight each. And it's a dream to spin.

I only played for about 20 minutes, but it's great. I might break for the 4th, happy "blow up America day"!

Tour day three

My new seven yaks top whorl spindle (finally) came in the mail!

So I tested her out with some of the practice fluff, it's going to take me a while to get the hang of top whirl spindling again, but this spindle is pretty and fun!

Her name is Arachne, since I renamed my wheel Clotho :)

Tour day Two

I did two more thin sheets of my silk hankies today, it's a total pain, but omg the pretty!

Hopefully my new spindle will arrive soon so I can start on my pencil roving singles.

Tour de Fleece - day 1

Yesterday kicked off the TdF. I remembered part way through watching an episode of Doctor Who with Ross and kae (Connor was napping!) so I busted out my rose spindle from Lisa-chan at gripping yarns, and my Dread Pirate Roberts silk hankies from Everimprovingme on etsy, and tried my hand at spinning silk.

It's a PITA...but really super pretty. I have about 2oz of hankies, so I'm trying to spread out spinning them for a while, since my spinning fiber is somewhat limited. My wheel is still being stored.

So here is a pic of yesterday's progress, later I'll post today's, and try and keep on track from there!