This roving from Ravenheart Treasures was spun into the following yarn.

It's merino/silk and was lovely fiber to work with. This was a relatively small roving, which is the reason I was able to spin both singles and ply it all in one extended afternoon. I'd guess that it took about five hours to complete.

I wish I would have spun this into a three ply yarn. But I couldn't find my scale and didn't feel like I could ply very well off of my existing lazy kate and ended up choosing the slightly less fussy path of a two-ply.

I realize that my logic was pretty lame considering that I could have just as easily split my little piles of pre-attenuated roving into three sections instead of two. I guess I was just being lazy, but I think the two-ply yarn came out very pretty - much nicer that I had anticipated, so I'm going to have to get over my three ply dreams of the weekend! Next time!

Shopping list made while spinning:

• More bobbins


• Larger capacity Lazy Kate (or a home-made version of one)


• Woolee Winder (in which case, I'd cancel the item "more bobbins" and add them on to this order)


• scale (or find that one that I had, which I finally put away so well that now I can't find it. See cleaning up is not always a good thing!)

Leigh tagged me!

1. Total amount of music files on your computer?

2GB, 548 songs, 1.5 days (Funny thing is only two of the six songs that I listed below are loaded on my PC. I still haven't accepted my PC as a stereo system!)

2. The last CD you bought was:

Barenaked for the Holidays - Barenaked Ladies

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

These Apples by BNL (Barenaked Ladies)

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police. This might be my all time favorite song. I just love it. It's from that time when music was really important in my life and it was just the perfect song. I registered the domain name athousandrainydays.com and was going to use it for a blog or something, but never did. I also like Shawn Colvin's version of the song.

Dela by Johnny Clegg and Savuka. This is a really beautiful song. I love the lyrics.

Speak Like A Child by The Style Council. I used to listen to this song while running at cross country practice. It's ingrained in my brain. If you love The Style Council then you know how frustrating it was to be a fan in the eighties when they weren't the thing here in the US. What a surprise when last week, at the grocery store, they were playing "You're the Best Thing" as background music - and it was the Style Council version of the song. If you want to hear an example of what I think is a music rip-off - listen to "You're the Best Thing" by Style Council and then compare it to Lenny Kravitz' song "It Ain't Over Till It's Over". Let's just say that the Style Council song was published first and I guess he figured that since The Style Council was an obscure British band (relatively speaking), no one would notice that he borrowed a song from them!

Edge of Forever by Dream Academy. I guess I thought that this song was the story of my life for a long time. So it just made itself at home in my heart. I love Dream Academy - their music is always just right.

Troubador by Vusi Mahlasela. A song about how beauty, inspiration and passion can persist through the darkness of human cruelty. Basically a song about the heart of South Africa. I think it's a self-portrait of Vusi himself - he was thrown in jail because he spoke out against apartheid - and spent his time in solitary confinement writing songs and poetry on toilet paper!

ok, one more to grow on...

Life on Mars by David Bowie. One of my favorites from high school. Sad and beautiful but you can still sing along with it. And a special thank you to Wes Anderson for including it in his latest movie. I also love Teenage Wildlife.

** it was hard to narrow this list down - and I'm probably forgetting about many songs that I love. **

5. What's your most perfect movie soundtrack?

Rushmore
(Though the Laurel Canyon soundtrack isn't too bad either).

Tag: Annie, Sandy and Sandy

More than one of us had a similar plan for a cold Saturday afternoon. Spinning by the fireplace. This picture is post firebuilding and pre-spinning. I did get the whole roving spun and plied by the end of the day. I'm saving all of the details for tomorrow's post.

The picture is a close-up view of the cuff on the Maimu mittens. A little bit of random knitting texture for the day. One of my favorite features of the cuff is the "nupp" stitch. It's a relatively easy stitch and the result is like a little bead of yarn on the fabric surface. (And wouldn't you know? There is a PDF document online with several of the Estonian knitting techniques used in Nancy Bush's book.)

I updated my blog so that you can use different stylesheets to view the page. To change the page style scroll down a bit to the section called "Pick a Style" in the right side menu.

Wednesday's night episode of The Daily Show was very funny. Sometimes they hit every issue so perfectly that I have to laugh at all of things that make me worry at other times.

This quote from the show just cracked me up.

"For a fun second term drinking game, chug a beer whenever you hear the phrase, "contentious but futile protest vote by the Democrats". By the time Jeb Bush is elected, you'll be so wasted that you won't even notice the war in Syria."

You can watch the whole segment online via The Daily Show home page. It's from the segment called "The Rice Storm".

Getting started on my sockapalooza socks. The yarn is Over The Rainbow Twinkletoes in the color 'Emily'. I'm knitting the Conwy Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road.

note: Chapter One, in case you missed it, was when I started the socks and then the puppy spread the socks and the yarn completely around the house.

This is just a hint!

Lee Ann just received her new spinning wheel and is creating piles of beautiful yarn. Go check it out. I'm in love with the blue and green multicolor singles in the last picture.

I think I've finally found a satisfying project for the skein of Brooks Farm mohair yarn that I received as a wonderful present.

A simple scarf that shows off the beauty of the yarn and will be a lovely accessory.

I'm using a "fancy" ribbing pattern that really isn't fancy it all. Best of all, the stitch is reversible, so it's perfect for a scarf.

It's the simplest of patterns if you'd like to make one yourself. Cast on any number of stitches multiplied by four, plus one (I cast-on 41 stitches and I'm using size US4 needles).

pattern: K1, [K2tog tbl, m1 by lifting the yarn before the next loop, p2]. Repeat the pattern between the [ ] to the end of the row.

Repeat the same row on both sides. Pretty easy, huh?

If my directions for the m1 don't make sense, there is a great little video available which explains the stitch. On this knitting resource page, the video that explains it is for the M1F (make one front). It's this particular increase that opens up the knitting between the ridges and makes the ribbing a little bit lacy.

Update
I posted an alternate picture of the yarn. The other picture was taken with a flash and didn't look right. In the bright light of my bathroom this morning I was able to get a more accurate picture of the yarn color.

The puppy. She's delightful. Smart. Playful. Almost five months old. I believe that her paws are made out of flubber. She is very bouncy.

Update:
Ellie!

A look at the inside of the Maimu mitten. The second one will have to wait since I joined Sockapalooza.

The other day I experienced what could be described as "The Curious Incident of the Dog and the Sock Yarn". Which resulted in 500 yards of beautiful sock yarn strewn across two floors of my house. After two nights spent trying to work out the knots in the skein, I decided to buy new yarn for the project. I'm glad I did because I can't wait to work with these colors:

I had to consciously force myself not to buy yarn that had an orange, pink or red "theme" to it. I'm so glad I did because I love the colors in this yarn. The yarn is Twinkletoes sock yarn from Over the Rainbow Yarns. The color is "Emily". I'm definitely looking forward to knitting with this yarn.

I love the show Project Runway. It's one of the only shows that falls outside of my standard police, detective, investigation style of show that I generally watch.

Have you seen it?

I think the reason that I enjoy the show so much is that it reminds of my years in college. I was in a competitive BFA program - I think the numbers were something like 120 freshman start the program, and about 12 to 20 people graduate from that initial class. Twenty people a year would be alot. We were always given off the wall projects and had to figure out creative solutions.

Getting graded on creativity is tough. It's very subjective and the grades given in a class were often simply a matter of the teacher's taste. I had come out of a math and science program where you were either right or wrong. Each is hard in it's own way.

Anyway - I think Project Runway is an awful lot of fun. I loved Austin's dress that he made out of corn husks. Though it did look much better before it wilted. I think it's going to come down to Jay or Kara (and I'd put my money on Kara). I think they're just keeping Wendy around because it's always interesting to have a total b%$ch "in the house"!

And, just one more reason to love Tivo. I can forward through all of the repetitive flashback scenes and drama-building moments and focus on the process that the designers use - and the finished projects. Most excellent!

Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke

Listening to unabridged audio version from audible.com

The Plot Against America
by Philip Roth

Reading the book. Unfortunately this is taking second place next to Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell. I must catch up to the rest of the group!

From nakedid knits, via Bagatell.

Grooming Products
Shampoo--Suave in a fruit flavor or Logics (smells so good!)

Moisturizer--Eucerin with sunscreen, if I remember to wear it at all

Cologne--Amarige, though mine is matching blend from a shop on Nantucket. Used approximately once every three months.

Razor--SensorExcel

Toothpaste--Tom's of Maine Cinnamon

Electronics
Cell phone--The free Motorolla that came with the account

Computer--Compaq Presario 800

Camera--Olympus c-5050

Television--Zenith

Stereo--Inherited Jensen system

Home
Sheets--Target or Eddie Bauer Flannel. LL Bean Cotton.

Coffee-maker--Rancilio Miss Silvia

Car--1996 Volvo 960 Wagon (my favorite car ever!)

House--1925 Craftsman-style Bungalow. Stucco.

Beverages
Bottled water--rarely, but I'll take some freshly squeezed orange juice, please.

Coffee--My own blend roasted from Sweet Maria's green beans. But I wouldn't turn down a pound of freshly roasted Black Cat Blend from Intelligentsia!

Vodka--rubbing alcohol?

Beer--ick.

Wine--Riesling. German, Californian, Oregonian. Late Harvest is good.

Clothes
Jeans--no. khakis--yes.

T-shirt--I think I have four Cisco VPN promo t-shirts. Lots of Cisco Tees for some reason.

Briefcase or tote--Peirre Deux backpack, vintage Vera Bradley or Kate Spade Diaper Bag. In search of a replacement...LL Bean Boat and Tote, perhaps?

Sneakers--Brooks Adrenaline - my favorites.

Watch--Does anybody really know what time it is? I usually check my pager.

Favorite Places
my bedroom. the library. any pool of water; frozen or liquid. MVY (except for the ticks). CVNP.

Necessary Extravagance
books. dog training classes. premium dog food. vacations. did I mention books?

Sandy - thanks for the inspiration. This mitten was great fun to knit. I used the yarn specified in the pattern, Klippan Tuna. I had won this yarn in an ebay auction a couple of years ago, so I just made the best that I could out of the colors that I had on hand. I think it looks like a very regal colorway.

All things considered, this mitten didn't take too long to knit. Also, this picture shows the unblocked mitten. I haven't quite figure out the best way to block a mitten without using some kind of frame to insert inside and hold it's shape while it dries.

The matching mitten will soon follow. This is Maimu's Mitten from Nancy Bush's Estonian Knitting book.

Mine!
by Jean Donaldson

A short little book that addresses the issue of resource guarding behaviors in dogs.

Katy guards:

• counters


• me


• her tail


• her hind end