I Dream of Sheep

The last of my recent yarn splurging arrived today – three delightful cakes of variegated goodness, courtesy of Yarntopia Treasures.

The top cake is hemp lace, in the colorway Flair.  I had originally purchased one just like this for a swap partner on Ravelry and ended up liking it so much that I had to order myself a skein.  The bottom left cake is a rayon lace in Secret, a blend of cream, light pink, and sage green.  The bottom right cake is also rayon lace and is Lily Pond, a pretty mix of blues and greens.  These should all make lovely scarves or shawls in the near future.

I am now entering into the start of my self-imposed yarn diet.  My stash containers are very close to over flowing.  I have more yarn than I know what to do with in a year.  Clearly I will survive if I hold off buying another skein for a little while.  Besides, I’ve set tangible goals for myself that I will only be able to reach if I actually set aside some money.  One of those goals is a spinning wheel, specifically a Lendrum Folding Wheel.  I’ve set a time span to reach this goal of about a year.  This will give me plenty of time to work with the drop spindles I already have and to get used to handling different types of fiber.  I also hope to have dyeing down by then.

I have been busy with more than just aquiring more yarn lately, so here’s some of the things I’ve finished recently:

Basic White Beanie

Pattern: none
Yarn: Nashua Handknits Natual Focus Ecologie Wool in Indigo
Needles: US8 / 5 mm
Finished Dimensions: 22″ circumference
Started: August 6th, 2009
Finished: August 6th, 2009

This was a very simple project that I started so that I would have something to keep me busy, but that I could put down at any time.  It has one inch of ribbing and then goes straight into stockinette.  The NFE Wool from Nashua has very regularly spaced and sized portions of thick and thin which added a little bit of visual interest, but overall, it’s still just a very plain hat.  While I was knitting it up, I noticed that the yarn smelled very severely of chemically burnt hair.  I don’t know if this is normal for this type of yarn, but it was very unpleasant.  I hoped that it would wash out, but the first wash was unsuccessful.  I may go back and try to soak it for longer with a different wool wash to see if that helps any.

Another Project Bag

Pattern: none
Yarn: Lily Sugar & Cream in Midnight Magic
Needles: US7 / 4.5mm
Finished Dimensions: 6″ x 8″
Started: August 16th, 2009
Finished: August 25th, 2009

I started with Judy’s magic cast on, ignored the directions for increases, and went forward from there.  This bag is big enough to fit either two balls of sock yarn or one ball and a WIP.  I don’t know what it is about knitted cotton project bags it is that I like so much, but I just do.  I am especially fond of this colorway of Sugar & Cream and will have to see if I can get some more.  My local Michaels never seems to have it in stock.

Pillow for Scout

Pattern: none
Yarn: Lionsbrand Homespun in Barley & Cream
Needles: US 10 / 6mm
Finished Dimensions: 13″ x 16″
Started: August 8th, 2009
Finished: August 26th, 2009

Scout is an approximately twenty year old cat that I inherited from my grandfather earlier this year.  His age has finally started to catch up to him and he can no longer jump onto things taller than himself.  This pretty much limits him to the floor, which isn’t very comfortable, so I decided to make him his own pillow.  It’s a very basic garter stitch rectangle that was folded into half and then sewn up along each edge.  The stuffing is a large square of batting that I got on clearance and folded up multiple times.  Both the yarn and the batting or machine washable, so it will be very easy to clean when it gets dirty.

I also have several WIPs on my needles right now: a bag made out of recycled plastic bag yarn, a pair of toe-up socks for the hubbo, that Juliet scarf that I keep shoving under other projects, another kitchen cotton project bag.  I also need to stop procrastinating when it comes to my Christmas knitting and get that out of the way.  I should be very busy for the next few months!