Two Left Needles

Hooboy, it's been so long I don't know where to begin. Let's keep it short and manageable, shall we?

We're alive and well!

Lily is thriving and a real trip to watch. She's got such personality!

Though most people don't see it because she's become very reserved with strangers. She's learning and growing so fast; loves to dance,

tells stories, crazy curious about everything, and just started walking across the room.

wearing papa's hat

It still amazes me that we all started this way, that we all had to learn to crawl, and walk, and eat.

Motherhood is really hard, harder than I expected (and I expected hard). I think the hardest part has to do with having another person around all the time, someone who needs constant interaction and care. Scott and I are both introverts, and cherish our quiet time. We need downtime to recharge from the day. Learning to be around and interact with someone (almost) 24/7 was exhausting. We're getting used to it, and she doesn't need the same constant interaction now, so it's getting better. But when she goes to sleep, man, do I need my knitting/spinning time!

I wouldn't trade it for anything, though.

sock shenanigans

There has been a good bit of spinning

Hello Yarn Shetland in browns and greens, spun 2-ply

Indigo Moon Merino/Alpaca/Silk, spun 2-ply

and knitting going on (and the usual stash enhancing),

November Socks; yarn is Zen String Serendipity Fingering in November

Monkey socks; yarn is Shibui Knits Socks in Orchid

even a bit of drum carding.

carded merino and silk

I finished my Skater's Undertop (and wore it to Spa!),

last pic I took

and Scott's Cobblestone (the week before it got too warm to wear), and I'm in the midst of the ZephyrStyle Tree Jacket in Tess' Designer Yarns Cultivated Silk & Wool.

After seeing Julia's finished sweater, I immediately cast on. The yarn is softalicious, but catches on any scruffy bits on my hands. Now that it's too warm to wear, I'm not as motivated to finish...

I'd like to have some gorgeous finished object photos like Cheryl, but I tell you, finding an afternoon with Scott and I both free and me freshly showered and baby okay on her own is not so frequent. Nevermind the fact that I am in serious need of a haircut. (Lily gets almost twice as many baths as I do showers. I'm beginning to envy her.)

We're heading to MDSW next week, can't wait! I'll be volunteering at the Fleece Show again (guess how many fleeces I'll walk away with?). Lily turns 1 the day we leave. She doesn't know it yet, but she'll finally get to eat some of that ice cream she keeps seeing us eat (I've been able to eat a lot of ice cream while nursing, it will be a hard habit to break).

Hmm, not so short or manageable, but good to be back.

7 days

7 months

Enjoy your weekend!

Remember this handspun?

Spunky Eclectic merino/silk in Thunderstorm. Last seen unwashed back in June. What a difference a wash and a whack makes.

One thing Ravelry is giving me an itching to do is knit up more of my handspun. I want to knit this:

into something yummy. I have 2 ideas:

• Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style
• the lacy Skater's Top that is designed to go over the Skater's Undertop I'm knitting now (though I don't want to wear them together)

Speaking of the Skater's Undertop, Ravelry also helped me find photos. Veronik Avery has some in her flickr set (Undertop and Lacy Top).

I have 520 yards in 3.7 oz. I made a reasonably-sized Flower Basket Shawl out of one skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk (440 yards in 3.5 oz), so I think the shawl would be fine yardage-wise. I'm not sure how the striping nature of handspun would work out, but it's a simple pattern.

The Skater's Top uses 2 skeins of Rowan Kid Silk Haze, which is 458 yards in 1.75 oz. I have more yardage, but I find it hard to believe that my little skein will be enough for a top, even a lacy one.

What do you think? Which would you start?

Sunfires

Shortly before Rhinebeck, I took Laurie's "challenge" to heart and thought hard about what Rhinebeck knitting I might bring. I don't knit socks enough to stalk indie-dyer websites. What did I have that was unique? And then it hit me: handdyed handspun self-striping chain-plied yarn in fiery colors. What could be more fitting?

Naturally, I was too preoccupied with Lily to knit a single stitch.

The yarn stayed in my bag until 2 nights ago. And started to become socks:

The pattern is Welt Fantastic from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. I'm not sure if the pattern interferes with seeing the color gradations from light to dark and back again. Here's the other side:

What do you think? Patterned? Plain?

I'm still super-motivated to knit the Skater's Undertop. The yarn is Debbie Bliss wool/cotton that I bought at Webs two years ago. Only slightly marinated (I have things much older in the stash). It feels very cotton-y, but at 50% wool, it's the most wool I've been knitting with lately, so it feels like r-e-l-i-e-f to my hands.

I'm to the armpits on the body:

and have started sleeve one:

I love the simple cable detail, and how it carries up over the shoulder to the neck. I also appreciate the in-the-round construction. I like the shape/fit and know this is something that will become part of my wardrobe, even with the wool content (I just won't wear it at home). And the mostly-stockinette knitting is perfect for my current state-of-mind. Ah yes, and the anticipation of the first sweater post-pregnancy. All these keep me going at a good clip.

I know I won't be comfortable with a belly-baring top or 3/4 sleeves so I'm adding length to the body and the sleeves. I've been trying it on as I go, too. I really want this to fit well.

I must be desperate for contact with wool because I picked up Trellis this weekend and doubled my progress:

Sorry for the crappy photo.

I'm getting used to the 7-into-5 stitches, which require knitting the same 7 stitches together 3 times. Addi Lace needles come in handy for these manoevers. But I'm not digging the short rows (I took out a repeat because of my limited yardage. Who buys only 1 ounce of laceweight? Who??). It's hard to get into a rhythm before the row ends and then I have to figure out how to start the next one. Somehow I can't memorize the first few stitches of each row, but I'm golden after that. I feel like this is a project I'm finishing to finish, because I want to use the yarn. Which is fine. It will be beautiful. I just wish I could enjoy the process more.

I've made some progress on Scott's Cobblestone. This is an older picture:

I'm almost to the armpits now. The cotton/silk is hard on my hands so I work on it in spurts. Wanting to get this done for Scott keeps me going. Also, occasionally, guilt.

I started Honeymoon Cami in April 2006, lost steam, then got pregnant and wasn't sure I'd be able to wear it afterwards, so it sat. After I got a question on it on Ravelry, I pulled it out to check gauge. I realized I didn't have that much more to go, and that it seemed like it not only would still fit, but would also be flattering. And the colors are great. But perhaps most importantly, I'd be able to quickly reduce my WIP count to squeeze in another project. So I finished it. More non-wool: SWTC Bamboo. Everything is sewn up, just needs a quick block.

That Cute Flirty Skirt is knit, washed and blocked. Before:

After:

Look how much darker it got!

Just kidding. I almost wore this at Rhinebeck. In the hotel room, with Scott's help, I cable-plied some yarn to make the waist-tie. I even remembered to bring a slip. The only problem was... shoes. Picture the above with slip-on cloggy mocs and handknit ankle socks. Dor-kay.

I finished it to have something handknit to wear to Rhinebeck, and to show Anne. But after I realized I couldn't wear it, I forgot to even mention it to her.  :(

And Cheeky never got a "started" or "in progress" post before all the pieces were knitted up:

My first time working with Mission Falls 1824 cotton and I find it quite nice. For cotton. This is the 12 month size so I hope Lily will be able to wear it for more than a month or two. Motivation: something cute for her to wear. Lack of motivation (for sewing it up): knowing it's too big for her anyway.

Thanks for your kind words about Gram. They were virtual hugs, understanding pats, sympathetic looks and squeezed hands that shored my spirits. I'm glad that so many of you mentioned you could feel my affection for Gram through my previous posts. Somehow that makes me feel better. And you're right, when I have this to enjoy:

there are more smiles in my day.

I feel so behind -- Rhinebeck (where I had a wonderful time and wished I could have spent more time with people but was so glad just to be there), Rhinebeck goodies (3 fleeces!), knitting (That Cute Flirty Skirt is done! and I was so crazy about the cabled Layered Skater's Undertop from Veronik Avery's Knitting Classic Style that I immediately bought the book -- we're reading it above -- raided the stash, swatched, and cast on), spinning (many squishy skeins to share), and even a little fleece washing (um, did I mention the 3 Rhinebeck fleeces?) and drumcarding! Maybe this long weekend is a good time to catch up?

On sleep. Hahaha.

Here's a teaser of things to come:

The 3 rovings in front are white 100's merino and dbpg silk in blues. Would you believe it's the same blue silk as this carder 'speriment???

Darker roving in back is charcoal merino/silk, dbpg silk in reds, white alpaca fleece washed by moi, and white cashmere! Sooooooft.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

It's been a while and there's been a lot going on. But the reason I'm back today is one of the reasons I've been away.

Gram died. October 31. She was getting worse over the summer, bounced back for a short time, caught pneumonia one day and gone the next. It's been a heart-wrenching 3 year journey with the Alzheimer's, and I'm glad she is now at peace.

Lily met her twice, at 3.5 weeks and then a couple of weeks before Gram passed away. At the last meeting they really hit it off. Lily wanted to jump on Gram and play. They held hands and made faces at each other. The memory still makes me smile.

I was afraid I would totally freak out when I saw her at the wake, but I didn't. I thought I would totally fall apart at the funeral but I didn't. When I cried after the funeral, Lily tried to cheer me up by smiling and reaching for my face. Inside I still feel screaming and writhing agony that comes and goes. I've been mourning her for a couple of years as she's been slowly fading away. I'm glad I knew her before the Alzheimer's.

She has enriched my life, been the grandmother I couldn't have, and I've been able to do for her as I couldn't for my own grandparents. She will be very much missed, and her memory will live on through us.

Thanksgiving 2006

Oh my, it's been almost a month, how did that happen? No, wait, you don't need me to tell you. It must be because of She Who Thinks Bedtime Is 5 am. Or, as I like to call her between 1 and 5 am, Miss Fussypants. Sadly, the sleep thing is still an issue. It's not always 5 am, but it ain't good. We're working on it. Meanwhile, she's learning to sit on her own, which I hear will be a nice little break for me for minutes at a time!

gorilla stance

She's getting bigger, still 90+ percentile for weight and height. Which continues to confuse me, seeing as Scott and I are not exactly 90+ percentile people ourselves. When I'm at the doctor's office, and I see other little babies that are probably close to Lily's age, or older, I think in my head, "my baby could take your baby." Hehe. Not that I encourage that sort of thing. But it cracks me up. 

You know what else is perplexing? I'm decidedly Asian looking. Right? Dark straight hair, brown eyes, etc. Lily is decidedly not Asian looking. At least, not to me. (Unless you look at her upside down. But that could be said for a lot of people.) I mean, she's got fair, curly hair, with hints of honey. Curly hair, people! She's got long lashes that also curl, not short, stubby and straight ones like mine (lucky girl). She's got funky-colored eyes, which are still deciding whether they're blue, green or hazel. Her skin tone is lighter. I thought dark hair and dark eyes were dominant, so I always assumed my babies would have them. It is still strange to me to see her curly hair and fair skin. (And man, I so do not know what to do with curly hair.) I'm sure I'll get used to it.

She was 15 lb 11 oz at 4 months. And 26" long. She's wearing 6 month clothes, and she no longer fits into "6-12 month" socks anymore. Hahaha. So not the shrimp I expected.

I probably won't have the time I'd like to write up posts about the odds and ends I'm working on, so let's try a fly-by update.

I frogged and restarted That Cute Flirty Skirt (aka Anne's Sangria; and holy cow, if you follow the first link and scroll way down, my hair is So Long!). It was too tight, and I was embarassed when I realized that my gauge swatch was way off. I begin to wonder if I even measured it, or if I was on crack when I did. A few weeks ago it looked like this:

and now it's closer to this:

I'm on the last stitch pattern and then I'm home free! I made a few simple mods which I can talk about later.

I also started a sweater for Scott. Second one I've started for him, hopefully first one that is completed (and worn/wearable):

That is the beginnings of Cobblestone in Rowan Summer Tweed. Color more accurate here, against the black of That Cute Flirty Skirt:

Between the Classic Silk of That Cute Flirty Skirt, and the Summer Tweed (both cotton/silk blends), my hands have been getting a workout (and I've been totally craving the wool). Which would be fine, but my right wrist has been giving me problems the last month or so. My doctor suspects tendonitis. I can't even sign my name or write without pain. Typing is easier, but no good at the supermarket. Hopefully it heals soon.

Let's see, what else? I started Trellis using Judy's Ball and Skein silk/merino laceweight. #4 Addi lace needles (I like) and one less repeat because I only bought the one skein. I don't like the 5 into 7 stitch, or 7 into 5, whatever. I don't like it, so progress is slow. But, of course, the colors are gorgeous.

Embossed Leaves Socks are done! That will be it's own post. Overall, I like. Not crazy about the toe.

I got my Ravelry invite! I admit that I was one of those people that has been checking the "antsy" page every couple of days and adding my status into an excel spreadsheet so I could project when I might get my invite. (Does that surprise you?) Because of their server move, it came 1.5 weeks early! Not that I have time to do anything with it. Not that that's going to stop me.

There has been some spinning and plying and washing of things spun and plied (and what a difference washing makes). "Tomorrow"!

PS  Thanks for the lovely comments about Lily and the socks! I'm sorry that I can't respond to comments these days. :(  Also, I'm trying to make peace with the fact that I just can't post as often as I used to. When I started the blog, I was between jobs and posted every day. I was doing fibery things every day. When I started working, that went down; and when I was pregnant, more so. Now, with Lily, I'm lucky if I can keep up the every-three-weeks thing. At heart I'm a more-frequently-than-twice-a-month poster. More like twice-or-three-times-a-week poster. It's hard to accept, but I'm working on it. Thanks for your support.

PPS  I gave her Tylenol before her 4 month shots and that seemed to help, as she only cried for maybe 10-20 seconds, and my blood did not curdle. Thanks for the suggestion!

PPPS  I've been working on the BASD website. Check out the meeting dates! First meeting is October 3, second is October 17. We're looking at a couple of cool workshops, so think about joining us!

Amethyst Stripe Jaywalkers
Started: 4/24/07
Finished: 4/27/07
Pattern: Grumperina's Jaywalker Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Amethyst Stripe
Needles: 2.5mm Addis
Notes: These were finished 4 days before Lily was born, photographed a month later, and then left to languish. I wanted to write a short something with the photos and it's been more than I could handle, organizing these simple thoughts. (My notes say I knit these in 4 days. I find that hard to believe. Then again, it was 4 days before Lily was born, and she was a week late...)

The first time I attempted Jaywalkers, it didn't end well. Funky pooling and the wrong needles. I've wanted to knit a pair since then, and these Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Amethyst Stripe were just the ticket.

I mentioned before that I didn't realize the Amethyst Stripe would, uh, stripe. We'll conveniently blame that one on the pregnancy. (Nevermind that I bought the first skein a year ago.) Speaking of which, the skeins were bought a year apart, different dyelots, but they match quite well:

I screwed up the double decreases and didn't realize until I had knit several inches:

I left it. It's fine. I'm lazy.

I'm pleased with the striping. The fit is tighter at the heel, requiring a few seconds longer to pull on; but snug and comfortable when worn.

Happy socks ready for fall!

I don't think my brain can put together too many words today, but I'll give it a try.

Had fun at Fiber Revival! Glad I went! Good to see fiber friends! Nice weather, though windy. Scott went and watched Lily, yay! Lily enjoyed wind; sun, not so much. Got some alpaca fleece, reddish-brown, soft. Cheryl enabled. Will blend with merino and silk. Yum. Looking forward to Rhinebeck and more fiber fun!

Phew.

Here are some pics:

Lily wearing the sweater Cheryl made for her

Seriously, I wasn't sure I'd make it. Lily has been sticking to her new 5 a.m. bedtime. Which would be fine (um, really?), except she doesn't want to go to bed at 5 a.m. She wants to go to bed at 8 p.m. Or 9 p.m. Or 10 p.m. Or, well, you get the picture. But she can't. sleep. (We suspect early teething.) She's become quite vocal about it too, whining and fussing. You'd need earplugs if you were in my head, I'm screaming, "SERENITY NOW!!! SERENITY NOW!!!" And trying to remember that, this too shall pass. And that she's not doing this to me. Oy. I'm thinking, This whining has got to go. But hey, I should get used to it, right? It ain't going anywhere for a while, eh? ("Serenity Now!!!") She was up til 7 a.m. Saturday morning. And if I hadn't missed every last fiber event this year, I would have been sorely tempted to stay home, sleep, and cry. But I knew that I would feel defeated and sunk down and cry anyway if I didn't go. I needed to go. I needed to be "among my peoples". Even if my braincells were only firing every other minute. Even if I wasn't sure I remembered how to carry on a conversation with adults. Even if I'd only be there for a few hours. And I'm so glad I went! It was a beautiful day, a lovely location, and it was so good to see fiber friends, hang out, talk the fiber. The wheel with its half dozen spinning/plying options, as well as two knitting projects, stayed in the car. Seriously, me spinning or knitting and carrying on a conversation? Ha! The alpaca fiber, seriously wonderful. Darker than I was planning, but I couldn't walk away without some. I felt so good on the drive home. Refreshed. You know those blurbs at the beginning of some shows, parodied by Sesame Street? "Brought to you by the letter 'E'"? Well, the day was brought to me by Scott. Couldn't have done it without him.

flying Lily

at the end of the day

even superheros need a nap

er, power nap

Three weeks seems to be my manageable post-interim. How sad.

With empty bobbins comes the need to fill them:

Miss Babs BFL in Rock Wall - for 3-ply

All of them:

Spunky Eclectic merino/silk in The New Black

Every last one:

Miss Babs superwash batt in Sunrise! (color SO not accurate)

Big projects require more brain cells (and time) than I have to spare, so socks in plain:

plain sock in Fleece Artist Merino Sock yarn in Jester

and fancy:

Embossed Leaves Socks in Koigu KPPPM in P323

With limited time for creative outlet, I've been at least trying to match sock yarns to patterns as well as I can. The Fleece Artist in Jester is too busy for patterning, so that was an easy decision. For Embossed Leaves, I thought the "leafy" Koigu colors would be a nice complement. But I'm not sure if the darker colors obscure the leaves; and perhaps it's too literal, too:

Ah well. Sock one was finished at the Yarn Harlot signing in Burlington, MA a couple of weeks ago, and sock 2 is almost done. I think I like 'em anyway.

I do have one bigger project on the needles. Needed something after finishing FBS. More soon.

It's been an eventful almost-3 weeks. (Of course, any almost-3 weeks with a baby is bound to be eventful.)

First, she had her 2 month appointment. My, has she grown! I mean, you can kinda tell in the photos, but... She was 12 lb 1 oz and 25" long! 90th+ percentile. She got some shots and boy, did she scream! It was kind of refreshing in a way. She's been such a quiet baby, not crying too much, so it was good to know that she could belt it out if she needed to. Scott was totally unnerved, poor guy. Me, I laughed and joked with the nurse. Because, well, it was an unavoidable situation, and there was nothing I could do, and if I didn't see the humor in the situation and stay objective, I'd probably be crying too.

The next couple of days Lily didn't feel so great, low grade fever, etc. Poor kid. Didn't sleep so well at night. And then there was the heat. She stayed up until 6 am several nights in a row, and drank often. Then we got a cool night and she slept through it, thank goodness. But it was all downhill from there.

After a couple of good nights it started up again, only this time, it was 8 am and nursing every 1.5-2 hours (I joked that she was getting ready for college, pulling all-nighters and drinking too much... but really, not so funny), sleeping no more than 30-60 minutes at a time and not falling asleep after nursing. The power of the boob was no more. She slept during the day, but that didn't help me at night. Nor was it enough for her, and she started getting baggy eyes. Babies should not have baggy eyes! Finally, after almost a week and no signs of improvement (and in fact, signs of it getting worse), I took her to the doctor to rule out any physical issues. She checked out perfectly healthy (and weighed 12 lb 12 oz!): her circadian rhythms are out of whack. So we stayed up a few hours more before crashing and by then she was so exhausted (as was I) that she (drumroll!) slept through the night! And she's been sleeping through the night since then (knock on wood).

But now, she's not napping during the day. And everything that used to work to get her to sleep before, not only does not work, it upsets her! Oy vey. I'm beginning to understand that, with babies, and probably children in general, you don't fix one problem without gaining a new one. That is, you trade in one set of trials for another, and it goes on, and on, and on... I don't quite have a working knowledge of this yet, as I believe that, once I do figure out how to get her to take more than one 60 minute nap between 8 am and 5 pm, I'll breathe a sigh of relief, pat myself on the back, and think I'll have some kind of respite. Newb.

Still, she's healthy, and pretty happy when she's not exhausted from the not napping (and when I'm not using the old going to sleep methods - so "last week"); I'm just shy of exhausted and mentally kaput; in short, welcome to motherhood!

(Oh yeah, did I mention I've been working from home part-time the last month? One word: challenging. Good bye, weekend, nice knowing ya.)

She's been getting good at batting the dangling toys on her bouncy seat:

and one day she started to grab them, too. Now she regularly holds "red bird" with one hand while knocking around "blue fish". She reached for her dolly, too:

It's amazing how they can suddenly do new things, isn't it?

Oh oh oh! And she laughed for the first time yesterday!

Supposedly this is a fiber blog, and there has been fiber activities going on. But I'm pooped. So I'll show you a glimpse of the finished cormo/alpaca and save the rest for "tomorrow": 

I finally finished spinning the neverending cormo/alpaca! That little bit in the photo ended up taking closer to 6-8 hours to spin, rather than the "couple of hours" I had guessed. Oy vey. I plied a sample and am looking forward to seeing the rest of it plied up:

I can't guess how many yards it will be total, but it will be many hundreds. I've already spent 2 1/2 hours plying the main batch, with at least as much to go. I'm trying not to let it get to me, but I tell you, I'm getting really good at counting to 7.

This little bit is 35 yards and weighs... very little (my regular scale does not do well on the low end):

I think it will be nice stuff! Naturally, it will (eventually) become something lacy.

With the spinning done, I got the itch to start something else. All that birthday fiber I showed you? I didn't touch it. I wanted to practice spinning worsted weight, so I pulled out this merino I traded with Natasha back in January:

1 lb Luxe Fibre merino in Earth and Sea

I split it into 8 sections and then tore those into strips and arranged them to get good color distribution:

The last several months I've been very into fibers combining blues and browns. Something very organic/earthy about it. Then again, lately I've had a few cravings to spin hot pink, too...

I spun a sample and quickly realized that it's been a LONG time since I've spun anything heavier than sport weight. This will take some practice.

I'm pretty sure I'm suffering from startitis because after plying the sample, I promptly stopped and dug around for something else. This is Montadale roving from Christopher Hall that I purchased at last November's The Gathering:

I'm not used to spinning roving. Mostly I spin dyed top using a short forward or backward draw. With the Montadale I tried a longer point of contact draw; it was nice to play with a different (and faster) spinning style. This would make good social spinning.

Of course, after a while I got bored and wanted to spin something else. I don't know if I'm having that too-many-choices indecision (so many things I want to spin!), or if I'm having that post-major-project lull after the cormo/alpaca (though it still needs to be plied). I imagine that's more common with knitting. Have you felt it with spinning?

More happy news

I won a skein of Vesper Sock Yarn in Tandem!

If you recognize it then you likely contributed to Claudia's MS Ride. Besides being a good cause, I won something last year, so I knew I would be contributing again. Woohoo!

Fall Anklets

Fall Anklets
Started: 6/23/07
Finished: 7/4/07
Pattern: basic toe up, same as the Summer Anklets
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Sock in Origin (less than half a skein)
Needles: 2.5mm Addis
Notes: Me loves the Fleece Artist Merino Sock. Squishy soft, feels so good. Me loves quick anklets. Knit knit knit done!

Me slightly surprised by longer striping sequence in sock #2:

Me feet happy.

Beaucoup

I mentioned my burgening stash of beaucoup de sock yarn. More evidence:

Me loves the Fleece Artist Merino Sock! Origin, used in the anklets, is in the middle. Next pair, already started, uses Jester, second from left. Plain vanilla socks, good for mindless knitting.

How fast she grows!

For Bea:

My Lily Bear

My birthday nearly coincided with a sale Miss Babs was having on her fibers (she's closing out her handdyed fibers to focus on handdyed yarns), so I went a bit nuts. Here are some of the goodies:

80/20 Merino/Silk in Rose Garden

Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) in Rock Wall

80/20 Merino/Silk in Soft Falling Leaves

50/50 Merino/Silk in Deep Triad

Superwash Merino batt in Sunrise!

I keep thinking about gorgeous colors and spinning and get all excited! And then I look at the neverending white/brown cormo/alpaca on the wheel and sigh.

Must. Finish. Cormo/alpaca!

Thanks for the reassurances that things get easier sooner than 6 years from now. I needed to remember that last night. Over the last 2 weeks Baby Girl has gone from Easy Baby to "Fussy" Baby (which my sister reminds me is really Normal Baby). It's been a combination of gas / night light / overstimulation / overtiredness / heat. Boy, my troubleshooting skills really come into play here.

The night light we bought because the dark scared her, and she'd wake up and freak out. Turns out the night light meant poorer sleep (for all of us). She's been getting used to the dark and my reassurances, so it's become a non-issue.

The overstimulation was from too much fun. Now we know she can handle only so much playing before she is POOPED. (Lifting your head is hard work!)

The overtiredness was from being overstimulated! And when you're having fun, who thinks about sleep?? But then it hits you. And once overtired, man, it's tough to sleep. Now we keep an eagle eye out for signs of naptime.

Heat, well, not a lot we can do there. We're MELTing in this 90's heat. No A/C, either (casement windows). We always toughed it out before, but dealing with a baby in this weather is making us reconsider our options. Any suggestions on portable A/C's?

Gas, well, still working on that one. I've changed my burping technique and that helps. Also, a lot more belly massages and bicycling of legs going on. In fact, I spent a few hours doing that last night. And nursing. Between 11 pm and 3 am. Hence the need to remember that it does get easier!

Still, she's a relatively easy baby, and outside of those late night hours, I'd be quick to say it.

FBS

Much progress has been made on the Flower Basket Shawl:

Ha! Bet you didn't expect to see it so grown!

The pattern uses a heavier weight yarn and only requires 6 repeats of the main chart. Naturally, as I neared the end of 6 repeats, I got kinda excited! Until I noticed the shawl was quite, well, tiny. When I checked my first FBS, I counted 12 repeats. 6 of 12 repeats put me at 30% complete. Ouch!

I've been chugging away, and while the rows feel quite long now (almost 300 stitches on the needles), I can feel the end is near. One more repeat and then an edging. Woohoo!

Still loving the Sea Silk, but I'm worried the color will not suit my mom. I knit on anyway.

More Fleece Artist!

I needed mindless sock knitting, and I loved wearing my Summer Anklets, so I started another pair, this time in the Origin colorway:

Fleece Artist Merino Sock yarn in Origin

The color in the skein did not translate as expected when wound:

The contrasts between colors seems much sharper. And then the colors in the sock were unexpected as well. I definitely didn't expect striping, since Summer Anklet didn't much stripe:

However, the more I knit, the more I like it.

Sigh, I'm such a newb sock knitter, aren't I?

Spinning

The effort to empty bobbins has begun in earnest. The Spunky Eclectic merino/silk (Thunderstorm colorway) seemed the easiest to knock off. In a few days I spun the second 2 oz:

and then plied:

It needs a washing and whacking, but I am pleased with the results. 3.7 oz, 520 yards, enough for a small shawl. One bobbin freed!

This skein converted me to the treadle counting method of plying. I had always plied "by sight", meaning I'd watch the twist as I treadled and let it wind onto the bobbin when it "looked right". For bulkier and less barberpole-y yarn, this was not so bad. But for hard to see, endless yards laceweight, not so fun. Plus, I think the counting treadles method gives an overall more consistent yarn. I'm sold. (I still kept an eye on how it looked and adjusted my treadle count several times over the bobbin, though.)

Next up, the spun itsy bitsy Foxhill Farm cormo/alpaca:

I will really like this yarn (or so I keep telling myself) but the spinning of it is making. me. nuts. Besides pulling out little neppies, the itsy bitsy-ness makes this 4 oz feel neverending. This second bobbin is taking me hours and hours and I still have this much left:

Which, granted, is not a lot, considering what I started with, but still, it probably represents another couple of hours of my life.

Scott said, Take a break, spin something else. But I'm persevering. If I don't finish it now, it may sit for many months more.

Anne was more than a little right (in the comments) when she said my mom took my sanity with her. The Friday after she left, I took Baby Girl to the Fabric Place Knit Club to meet my knit buds. One of the first questions asked: How old is she?

They got nothing but blank stares back. I honestly could not even begin to answer that question. How old is she? She's... What's today? What day is it? Hunh?

Fortunately, I was quickly asked when she was born, an answer I could rattle off without thought, and they made their own calculations. Clearly, my mind is gone, and one cannot have sanity without it...

It was really great to hang out with knitters and mothers. Being able to talk about nursing and motherhood was such a relief, I had no idea how much I was craving it. By the time I left I was exhausted (just going out of the house with baby wipes me out; trying to carry on a conversation while holding her and making sure she's okay? Poop-ed.). In an empty parking lot, trying to get her into the carseat and the carseat into the base, I wanted to cry. Knit Clubber Pauline drove by on her way out to see if I needed help. "Oh, I'm fine!" Automatic response. Followed by a joking (but sounding desperate in my ears), "It gets easier, right?" Pauline said something along the lines of, "Oh yeah, much easier now, she's 6 and we just use the booster seat now," while nodding toward the backseat. Me, joking (and sounding ever more desperate), "Just six more years, eh?"

On the spinning front

It would appear that I'm trying to make up for lost time with the spinning. After 2+ months of wanting to spin but not being able to, I've been slowly catching up. There's the Spunky Eclectic superwash merino plied up:

(yep, colorway Toronto)

Turns out that plying is easier to remember how to do than spinning. I think it's a simpler process. Either that, or the process of spinning brought back physical memories of plying and made it easier.

After plying, I decided to spin up some wool/nylon roving (bought from A Touch of Twist at Rhinebeck). For (what else) socks. I spun a small sample back in February at Spa, but wasn't in the mood for it back then. It's a roughly prepared roving with gradual color shifts that lends itself well to quick, textured spinning. Not worrying about "perfect singles" seemed the way to go.

The first oz or 2 went fairly quickly, but then I tired of it. I worried that the small irregularities would feel uncomfortable on the foot and spent too much time trying to minimize them. So much for not worrying.

Spinning for socks requires roughly 4 oz. About 3 1/4 oz in, I realized it would have been clever to start a second bobbin after the first 2 oz. I am now committed to spinning up the full 8 oz:

I wanted to try my hand at worsted weight merino next, but full bobbins prevented me:

From left to right:

Foxhill Farm dyed cormo/alpaca, spun fine - a bit of felting and a touch neppy made for Not so much fun... should I Abandon?

A Touch of Twist rambouillet - some sections of roving feel soft and lovely, but some feel coarse and No Fun to spin; I have 3 pounds of it, what to do?

Foxhill Farm cormo/alpaca, spun fine - ~2/3 done, but requires me to pick out small neppies and generally Pay Attention

Spunky Eclectic merino/silk in Thunderstorm (pretty!), spun fairly fine - needs Some Attention and Time

Time to clear out the bobbins, eh?