Yarn, Wool, Needles and Hooks.

Firstly, if you are a yarnworker & unfamiliar with Ravelry, shame on you! It's only the greatest comprehensive database of yarns, patterns, and what people do with both of those things. It's also a fun networking tool.

Secondly, if you are on Ravelry, find me and let's be friends! I want to see what y'all are creating in your copious amounts of spare time.

As for me, I haven't been doing too much. I lost my mind a bit and have been unable to find the mental stamina to finish nearly anything. I mostly start something, rip it out, start something else, and then get rid of it too. I'm finding that untangling the knots in my yarn is better for mindless work than the frustration of constantly starting and re-starting. I've jumped around between yarn projects, have been attempting to teach myself the basics of the mandolin, took a yarn spinning class, and mainly, have been going to school-- and none of them as much as I should be. I daydream far too much. Back to creativity, though:

• The first project, Wavy Feathers Scarf, is made from 100% Alpaca yarn (Frog Tree brand). It was my first real knitted lace project, and I was worried during the process that it wouldn't come out like I'd hoped, but all is well. I gifted it to Britney-- it's definitely her color, and it was fun to make it with her in mind.

• I have a few pictures and a silly video to share, but none of what I have shows what this yarn I'm spinning looks like on the drop spindle. This is my first time spinning and I started from scratch. I hope to have it all spun, plied, and washed by the end of spring break. Here are the steps I've gone through.

1. Washing: This fleece came to us all dirt and smelly, straight from a farmer in Cornish. It had a bit of vegetation and dung, but it's all being worked out. First is an overnight wash in cold water, then a hot soak with soap, and then some warm rinses with conditioner, good smelling tea tree oil, and plain water. It took a few days but the end result was right. I'm glad it didn't fleece in the process-- I was afraid.
   
   
   
   
2. Teasing: This involves many hours of me mindlessly picking through the tufts of wool to loosen, separate, and get rid of any lasting crap. This also involved the busy hands of a few good friends. It's so mind numbing that I'm doing it in batches (and I really look forward to spinning with prepared roving in the future).
   
   
3. Carding: They look like dog brushes but I use them to card (comb) the wool and prepare it for actual spinning.
   
   

   From Spring Semester '09

4. . . . There are a couple more steps and I'm going to leave you in suspense until I have some photos.
   

• An oldie but goodie: a quick project at the end of '08. A doily! I love to crochet doilies.
  
  

Amen. That's that. I really wish I could finish something new....