I can spin!!

I will try to post this without a bad case of exclamation point usage. It will be hard.

While some of you very lucky folks were at Rhinebeck (I did not know these fleece and fiber events even existed until very recently), I finally ordered my first drop spindle (a Louet) a small portable niddy-noddy (such cool names for things), and 2 ready-to-spin, already dyed, mixed with some other cool stuff (silk and what-not) fiber from Carolina Homespun.

And, while I have a very long way to go (gee, there's a silly undersatement) I can spin!!!!!

It is so cool. to make. your own. YARN.

I have made maybe 20 yards in 3 sessions. I plied it back to itself for a (obviously) 2 ply yarn. I want to try Navajo plying but want all of this wool to be the same (as best as possible) type of yarn so that I can use it on one project. How on God's earth do people knit with the turn-back-on-themselves-singles???

I will take (and post) pictures soon. I promise. If it kills me.

In other knitting news....

I made a pair of Nora Gaughn's "Target Wave Mittens". They were intended for the Midget. He did take them with him for Trick-or-treating but didn't really like them as they are a bit too big. The Monkey, however, swooped in on them and claimed them in a heartbeat. The DH says they remind him of something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

I finished a pair of socks for the Midget. The great thing about 2 year olds is you can try a garment on them for size and they still won't remember that you are making something for them. These are going in the finished-for Christmas-basket for Santa to wrap.

I attempted ANOTHER pair of mittens with the left-over sock yarn. The first one is complete but there is a strange web-thingy going on where the thumb meets the hand. As it is sock yarn on a size 2 (instead of my ususal 1) it is not going to be very effective at keeping hands warm so I am cutting my losses at 1 mitten instead of a pair. I will try again with a worsted weight. I even used a pattern this last time. It was written for porcupine needles though and I use a long circ. So, I had some issues. Since I have to date made 5 mittens and only have 1 matching pair to show for my efforts, I would say that I have issues with mittens in general. I wonder why that is? I'm thinking that maybe measuring AND swatching AND using an already established pattern may be the way to go from here. Nah, I'll just re-read what EZ has to say on the subject and knit on.

Still on the needles and not going anywhere:

Rug for bathroom
Large pillow
Small pillow (formerly large swatch of really cool pattern in Patton's SWS)
Buzzie Scarf/Wrap
3 Designed only in my head scarf/hat sets
Socks for Dad
Socks for the Monkey
Fibonacci Sweater for the Midget (only needs another small sleeve)
Neckline-done-4-times-sweater that the Monkey wants (has 2 million tails to tuck still)
Ponchos that might still fit Leslie's girls if I ever pick them up and finish them
Harlot Snowdrop Shawl
Baby Bender Blanket (3/4 finished and since baby was born 10/10 must be first priority this weekend)
Log cabin quilt inspired thingy
Ball band dish cloth
Fair isle socks for me (if they fit)
Pink and orange bag to felt eventually
And.....how could I almost forget the outrageous Christmas stocking for the Midget (I'm on the foot and almost done!!)

And I will not even list the things that are only in my head/drawn in my notebook that will soon find their way to this in-progress list. To me they are already in-progress but thankfully they are not really.


And, now I can spin too! Wow!