palomaeatsyarn

A Day of Awesome Spinning Mojo

2010-05-29T12:35:00.001-07:00

I can barely believe I spun this Merino Tencel roving from KnittyAndColor (colorway is Serpent's Tail). I struggled a bit at first, but then it started drafting with almost no help from my hands. And then plied perfectly into a 2 ply heavy fingering weight. Can not wait to finish this and knit it into a lovely shawl, but my next day of spinning was a dud. Broke more fiber than spun and made a lot of thick- thin slubby mess. Today has gone better, so I should soon be on my way. Did both spinning and plying on the Hansen miniSpinner, which I love.
The pics above show the original roving and the results of my day of awesome spinning mojo. I wonder if this yarn got nervous as it saw the white feet of the Yarn Eater approaching? Fortunately, Paloma had just finished a Fancy Feast breakfast and was satisfied by inserting her paws into my photos.

Lazy, But Making Yarn

2010-05-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

At first this picture seems kind of cute, but then makes me wonder why there are weights in my living room. I haven't lifted weights in years, not even to remove these to the garage or Goodwill.However, I have been busy with my minispinner, making some 2-ply out of Crown Mountain Farm's Corriedale Pencil roving. Have not tried to figure out how many yards were made or what weight this yarn is yet. Am still just excited that I was able to ply it this well.

From Here to There and Back Again

2010-05-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like in my neighborhood during the day.
This is what it looked like today at Mary Jane Falls.
This is what it looks like here at night.

And this is the yarn I am creating with my HansenCrafts miniSpinner!

The Yarn Eater Revealed

2010-04-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Paloma is named for the peaceful dove but in reality, is a naughty yarn eater. She was born in the late Spring of 2005 in Iowa. This humble barn kitten and runt of the litter conned me into to adopting her at a few weeks of age. Appearing to be small and sickly, she soon showed her true colors after arrival at my apartment. Regularly beating up her larger and fluffier brother (Paco, seen here with her in a rare moment of peace) became a regular hobby. Other hobbies include following the dog around (Paloma has always loved dogs), eating yarn and books (she prefers hardcover, but softcover will do), escaping from the house, knocking things of shelves, knocking paintings off walls, chewing on wires and whining at the bedroom door while I try to sleep. If let into the bedroom at night, she usually dozes off until ~ 4am. She then gets up and starts one of the previously mentioned activities. Her favorite talent is her ability to close doors, usually in order to lock herself and a sibling into a room while I am at work on vacation. This usually occurs in a room that does not contain a litterbox.

Mini Shawls: They're Not Just for Keeping You Warm

2010-04-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Woke up today to overcast skies so decided to do a desert hike at Calico Basin. By the time I got there, the sun was in full force and I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my arms. Fortunately, I had yet another Herbivore mini shawl with me (this one in Malabrigo sock yarn). So when I wasn't putting it on rocks for pictures, I put it over my arms for sunblock.
Daphne loved chasing lizards but soon got tired of the warm weather, so it was a short hike but pretty hike for us today. Spring is amazing here; there are spring flowers on the ground and mountains with snow in the distance.

Spring Hiking and Knitting

2010-04-13T23:03:00.001-07:00

Just got home from sock camp (will try to get some posts about that soon) and immediately took Daphne out for a evening hike at Lone Mountain. Lots of flowers blooming there now. I am glad to be back home with the pets!
Have been knitting like crazy lately, and not just on socks. I'm enjoying a couple of lightweight colorful projects in the spirit of springtime. I am finally making a Multnomah (pattern by Kate Flagg), using some beautiful handspun Sock Hop yarn from Crown Mountain Farms. This yarn is really making me want to do more spinning! I am also making yet another Herbivore (pattern by Stephen West), this time in Alchemy Bamboo. Both of these are relaxing knits, and the yarns are great color therapy.

Sock Camp Begins!

2010-04-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

Am now in Washington for sock camp; first class will be tomorrow morning with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I spent the day hanging out, knitting and practicing with my spindle. Tonight was registration, some social knitting (and drinking) and a bit of shopping. Did I get some Blue Moon sock yarn while the camp store was open? Of course.

Fresh Snow

2010-04-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for a trip to Washington for Sock Camp tomorrow, so decided to take Daphne back to Fletcher today. I had a feeling there might be some fresh snow, and was not disappointed. Conditions were perfect - sunny and cool with a couple of inches of bright powdery snow on the ground. There were no footprints (but a few animal tracks here and there) on the trail; we were the first hikers today! Daphne was thrilled and did not want to leave; she tried to join some kids sledding near the parking area.

Making Yarn?

2010-03-31T16:49:00.000-07:00

In my never ending quest for more yarn, I recently dug out the drop spindle that has been in my closet since I ordered it from Spunky Eclectic several months ago. I started with the Bluefaced Leicester roving that came with the spindle, eagerly anticipating the beautiful fingering weight yarn that would surely soon develop and later be turned into socks. Have since learned that it takes a bit of time to develop the skills to spin such yarn. From what I have read and heard, the thick/thin mess that I am getting is pretty normal for a new spinner. Still, it is fun to work on this and to see the roving change into yarn, even if it is novelty yarn.

Why I Love Sushi Restaurants

2010-03-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

After working up an appetite on my hike, I decided to stop at my favorite local sushi place, Krazy Sushi. Which leads to Why I Love Sushi Restaurants:
1 - There is one in every mini-mall here in Vegas, which means that there is one on every corner.
2- It is a quick and delicious way to get a relatively healthy meal. I say relatively b/c as the pics show, I did have tempura, but hey I did eat some vegetables. Fried vegetables coated in rice flour, but still vegetables. Which has got to be better than the pizza I would have ordered otherwise.
3- It looks good. Each sushi serving is a work of art, and you get to watch the preparation. And they serve it in cool modern looking dishes too.
4- If you drink champagne with sushi, it gets even better.

Daphne and some mini shawls go to Mount Charleston

2010-03-28T21:41:00.001-07:00

Decided to take some pics of my knitting out at Mount Charleston, so Daphne and I went for a hike at Fletcher canyon. It was a lovely day, plenty of snow for Daphne to play in, plenty of photo-ops for my Ishbel shawl (pattern by Ysolda Teague, knit in pink Koigu merino) and my Herbivore shawl (pattern by Stephen West, knit in lilac Koigu Mori silk merino). We arrived in the afternoon and drove away from the mountains during a great sunset.