It's Takes A Special Kind of Asshole...

...to steal toddler laundry. I'm still hopeful it was accidental and will be returned. Probably not, though, and I'm quite pissed about it. That's fucked up. Really, who does that?! Moving on, before I get too ranty... Life otherwise is going well. I've gotten some lovely fiber I ordered from Etsy- you can see it here. I haven't had time to take a picture yet, sorry! Spinning has been going well, I spun up the wee sample that Enchanted Knoll Farm sent along. It was some merino- definitely a different experience than what I've been spinning! fun, though. What the hell am I going to do with a few yards of yarn, though? another cell phone cozy, I guess, or a trim on something. We'll see. I've been resisting the temptation to cast on a new knitting or crochet project. I'd really like to, but I'm not. I have a ton of stuff on the needles- stuff that's been on the needles for too long! I'm trying to get that finished up before I start new things. I know I said this before, too, but I'm going to start blogging once a week about stuff on the needles, for some accountability! I'll try to keep my sidebar updated, too, for you non-raveling folks who care. (Do you care? Should I just take that part out?) Getting ready for a long overdue Favorite Color Swap, too! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to open it up for sign-ups. Which leads me to a question! I'll make it a poll, because those are fun, but you can leave an opinion in the comments, too. I've been toying with the idea of asking for a $1 optional donation from swap participants. Now, I know this is a bit odd, but I work really hard on my swap! Last time there were over 140 people, and I take into consideration everyone's hobbies and locations to match them, as well as allergies, three different price ranges, and their shipping preferences. I take the time to make little color-coded cards, hand match them, and put all the information into a database. The money would go to extra packages (if they are needed- I've always had plenty of angels) and prizes. Everyone who donates get an extra entry for prize drawings per dollar. What do you think? If you think it's okay, what could I say that makes it seem like I'm not begging for moneys? Thanks in advance, yo!

Valentine's Goodies

The Hubbster has always gotten me awesome gifts. I know the people at the LYS swoon over him, simply because he buys be knitting goodies. Good ones, too! He's very educated, and even can buy me yarn for a specific project. He'll even look through my ravelry queue! This Valentine's Day was no exception, and he wonderfully picked up on my new obsession of spinning. Look at this: This, my friends, is eight ounces of some super lush alpaca fiber. The color is jet black, and all natural. Ooooh, it is so frickin' soft. I want to wrap myself in it and roll around and drool. Awesome. I can hardly wait to spin it up! He also got me the new One Skein Wonders book, which is awesome. Lots of stuff in there that I want to make! It's a signed copy, too. How awesome is that?! My Hubbster rocks my face off. Isn't he great? More goodies are here, too, and I have a finished object to show off! Tomorrow...

Spinning Yarn

Quite some time ago, I got a big ol' box of roving (unspun wool) from Destash! for $10. there was a ton of roving- orange, red, purple, natural, and a beautiful bluey-purpley-green bunch. Included was a very basic drop spindle, and I decided to try spinning. Well, it sucked. I could not get it. Frustrated, I shoved the whole box into my closet and left it there to marinate for a good long while. I really didn't give it another thought. Fast-forward to last week: I've been becoming increasingly jealous of the gorgeous handspun yarns I've seen all over bloglandia. The box in my closet started to call to me, "Hey, you know I'm here! All the tools you need to make some beautiful handspun of your own! C'mon..." I resisted a lot. I went in and punched the box a few times, and told it to shut up before I tossed it out. The box called my bluff, though, knowing I would never be able to bring myself to toss out perfectly good wool. The most that would ever happen is the box would be relocated to a new home, and be happily emptied of it's pretty contents. I finally gave in. I solicited some help from the ever-so wonderful Eva, and on her recommendation, picked up a book. I flipped through it, intrigued, and found some great tips for beginning to spin. Armed with new found knowledge and an idea of what I wanted, I excitedly voyaged to the Local Yarn Store. Upon arriving, I headed straight for the little nook dedicated to spinning, and started to look at the spindles. (I did hear the siren call of the already spun woolens and silks and alpacas, but I resisted. I was on A Mission.) I checked the balance of a few that caught my eye, admired the beauty of the Navajo spindles. A very helpful and friendly employee helped me make a decision, and talked to me a lot about the process. I finally decided on a beautiful low-whorl, perfect for drop or supported spinning, and able to handle lots of fibers and spin a good range of yarn weights. The spindle was handmade by a woodworker in Magdalena, New Mexico, and really is a work of art: Armed with my new spindle, book, and the aforementioned box of roving, I sat down on the couch. I sighed. I read through the instructions on starting a few more times, and cautiously started. I sucked still! What the fuck?! I went out and smoked a cigarette, and could hear that stupid box laughing at me. Determined not to let the box make a fool of me, I went back in. I took a deep breath. I read the instructions some more. I started to spin. The beginning was iffy at best, but I was doing it. I was spinning! Progress was made, mistakes in technique slowly corrected, speed increased. After only a few nights, I could fill my spindle in less than an hour of spinning time. I still have a huge bag of this red roving to work through, but so far I have a nice 60 gram ball of yarn. That I made. That I made. The process is a lot of fun, but still very soothing and relaxing. There will definitely be more in my future. I've already been browsing Etsy for hand-dyed roving in beautiful colors, and daydreaming about a collection of beautiful spindles and someday having the room for a spinning wheel. All in all, I'm definitely feeling the spinning love. See you tomorrow!