calm cowl

When the Tall Short Person was in Washington with me, I dragged her to a yarn/fiber store and a fabric store.  I always make her pick out fabrics for me because she just likes different things.  It changes my bags and quilts.

At the yarn store, she found a cowl that she liked.  It is the Calm Cowl.   A free pattern.  She found some Rowan Lima yarn she liked the colour of.  A fast crochet.  The cowl is already in the mail even though I had to wait for my box to get here.  

I think the yellow roving is definitely going with the grey I am currently spinning to make myself a sweater.  I just hope I will have enough grey because I have more then enough yellow!  I just need more hours in the day.  Spinning and quilting are both time consuming.

I made a kouign amann this evening.  The house smells so good!

a birthday gift from me to me

I have been wanting a yellow/mustard/turmeric sweater.  Cardigan.  I have looked at yarns online and have decided that I am really going to see yarn in person.  Or roving.  I could make my own yarn just like I have been doing.  A lady at work was in my office yesterday was telling me how pretty my yarn was.  I said it is not yarn but roving and I was making the yarn.  I have been spinning at lunch while listening to audiobooks.  Her comment was "You told me you make your own yarn.  You make your own yarn!  Oooo.  Wow!"  So a roving in the right color would be okay.

But as I was looking at yarn colors I came across Cascade's Straw.  Not quite right but interesting.  Then on pinterest I came across lilalu's Climb Every Mountain sweater.  Yes, it is knitted.  Yes, straw is not quite right.  Yes, it is not a cardigan.  But I decided liked it.  

So what did I do, I ordered myself a birthday present of the amount of the Cascade 220 in Straw with a third extra to make the sweater in the shape above.  I came across a crocheted sweater on instagram that looked like it could give me a path forward.  I ordered the Japanese mook (not a misspelling) that the pattern was in.  

And then I started.  Count.  Measure.  Rip out.  Repeat.

I may be getting there.  It joined me for two days on a first turn hill as I watched very fast motorbikes go around.  One day I misplaced the crochet hook so I spun yarn.  I got some looks while spinning on the hill.  More then when I crochet.  It has grown.  

The sweater will not be ready for my next gallivanting.  At least not to wear.  Unless I decide to sit and crochet all weekend.  I would rather spin and sew.  I miss both my spinning wheel and sewing machine after a week away.  But it may be a very nice compactish project to take with me.  If it is done while I am traveling, I can wear it home. 

Traveling.  Alone.  What a treat.  And possiblities of the correct colored roving.

what I have been doing at lunch

The Maker's Market is done for now.  I had a few good conversations.  No sales.  But it was a start.  If I do not start, how will I go on.  I have to do some work online but it probably not take place for a week or so due to plans to watch motorbikes next weekend.  Motorbikes do seem to be an obsession around here.

Many years ago I had found a white cardign sweater at a thrift store that I liked very much.  I wore it out.  Since then, I have not replaced it.  Yes, most of the time black is really the colour I wish to wear but I have to admit that on occasion white or cream would be nice.  I wanted soft.  Something with texture, not lacy but not a solid fabric either.  Like the one I found at the thrift store so many years ago in Bellingham.  

At the Maker's fair, and at lunch at work, I have been working with white cashmere roving on my drop spindle.  The spinning was definitely some of the conversation I had.  Spinning at work is a bit of calm in the chaos.  People are finding out if they have jobs the end of this week, beginning of next.  

Once I had a few balls of yarn made but not enough yet for a sweater, I looked for a pattern.  I found a pattern in an old Interweave crochet magazine I had, Summer 2008, that I am willing to give it a try.  I have the first couple inches done currently.  I have more yarn that needs to be made.  

I cannot leave well enough alone but it is close to what I wish just not what I wish.  I will put buttons on this, and I probably change both the sleeve length and neckline a bit.  Make the neckline a bit higher.  It is not as bad as the knitted sweater I am changing to crochet.  I will not talk about how many times I ripped that out just today!  Koda Bear called and while we talked to him, I kept working on that bit.  Koda Bear and my Beloved kept hearing me complain about eyelet!

I should be basting one of my picture quilts to quilt next week.  I did not make the back easy but then I rarely do that unless I need a quilt quickly.  I am excited about all of this that is happening.

what has been on my hook recently

While we were at my parents, I bought yarn.  Mostly because I did not have anything made with me.  I had fiber.  I had a spindle.  But I did not have made yarn.  I also realized that I had not mittens or mitts with me.  I lost a mitt on our travels to and from Alaska.  That was so frustrating because of course they were my favorite pair.

When I bought yarn, of course I was tempted by much too much.  I made a hat, a headband, and two pairs of mitts.  The mitts above and a pair that did not get photographed in purple for the Tall Short Person.  I just added them to her stocking.   With the hat.  

My finished pair are above.  They are lovely.  I found a thickish yarn that was very soft.  Yes, they are not a normal color for me but I really liked the yarn.

This two tone pair was my work project since we came back.  The cuff is brown and the body is brown and yell.  Yes, I know it does not show up well.  These went to my Beloved.  I have another pair of this color combination on my hook at work again.  I have enough yarn to make another pair and they would be perfect for a co-worker.  

It has been nice to work on small projects.  I do get a little time in on my spinning wheel so I can make yarn for sweaters but not much.  I will be working on another sweater soon.  Something not quite so huge.  My boyfriend style sweater is lovely for cold evenings snuggled with a book but I feel like I need something a bit smaller to wear out.  Especially if I am going to put it over a sheath dress.  It is so big that people would think I was running around naked!

keeping my ears warm

When we were in Washington over Christmas, it was cold and rainy.  I had my silk scarfs with me, which I have been wearing to keep my ears warm and hair out of food.  But they were really not warm enough for my parents house and I had allergies going.  Which means that I was headed for an ear infection which I really did not wish. 

My parents have always kept the house on the chilly side of warm during winter.  It is just easier to put another sweater on.  But I needed more then my scarfs and I did not really wish to wear a hat, so I found out where the closest local yarn store was, got driven there, and bought yarn.  Yes, I bought yarn for a headband but mitts were also made.  And a hat.  And more mitts.  And. . .  There will be more pictures.

I was really pleased with how it turned out.  I have been wearing it around our cold and gloominess in Texas as well.  When the sun came out, I did go back to silk.  And the best thing was that I did not get an ear infection even with allergy sniffles!  This is exciting.  I do plan to make another.  I will actually have to figure out what I did the first time, which took much pulling out!

I am just going to laugh at myself now!