Here is a short recap anyway...
I've been dyeing yarn like crazy, and am actually in the throws of setting up a little line of hand dyed yarns! This has been quite exciting, and I'm realizing more and more that I just won't be happy if I can't be creative in one way or another. You can count on lots more yarn photos in the future anyway! And here is a look at some of the most recent colours to come out of my dyepot...
...they are, from the top down, blot, marigold and pearl. I'm having such a great time playing around with colours and constantly being surprised by what appears once the yarn is dry (it is almost never what I expect!)
In case you are curious I am not speaking with my paper dolls sweater. I have decided officially to rip out the lumpy yoke, but can't bear the thought of it, so the sad little sweater is buried at the bottom of my yarn trunk. I'm sure I'll get around to fixing it, but likely not any time soon. And thanks to everyone for their encouraging words and messages...but jeez, what a bummer!
In the world of spinning all is well. I plied, set and began to knit my lovely Pigeonroof Studios roving, and it is just stunning! I Navajo plied my singles, which turned out quite well; the yarn is light and airy, yet warm and squishy! I decided to knit it into a hat, which it looking more like a light bulb than a hat at the moment, but I'm not terribly concerned...I think It'll be OK once I am able to put it on my head...
...unfortunately I haven't had the time to devote to much of my own knitting, as I've been working on two identical shawls for my mom to give as gifts. I'm knitting both in Tanis Laceweight superwash merino. The yarn is quite lovely, and you know how I feel about her colours, but I think that superwash merino just doesn't make a very appealing yarn for lace. Of course I only came to this realization after I was half way through the 2000 yards that I'm knitting! I have decided, however, that laceweight yarn should be more luxurious; I want silk and cashmere and all those other goodies, not superwash merino! Of course I have quite a lot in my stash that I still want to knit, but I think I'll be taking a break from lace weight for a little while anyway.
Sadly, I do not have a picture that will do either shawl justice. The gifting date passed before I could finish either; one was completely knit, but needed to be blocked and the other was just partly knit. I don't think I'll ever get to block the first because the receiver was so happy to get it she doesn't want to give it back! The pattern I chose to use is Bridgewater from the Made in Brooklyn book by Jared Flood, but I knit the shawl as a triangle instead of a square, and I'm glad I did because I'd be knitting until I died otherwise! Oh, and the colours are Sand (can't seem to get away from it!) and Olive.
I have managed to start one big project recently (though I certainly don't need to) and it is my first ever granny square blanket! I have no control when it comes to combining colours, so I finally settled on these eight shades of Cascade 200, some heathers and some solids.
I'm still quite smitten with this project, and have been doing my best at weaving in my ends as I go, but man, what a crappy job! It takes longer to bury the ends than it does to make a square.
