And 2012 starts off slow

Looking around you'd hardly know it's winter in Vermont. I think we've had one measurable snowfall so far, unless you count today, which so far amounts to less than an inch. I tire of the snow pretty quickly, but this is just weird.

Not much going on, other than a lot of knitting and spinning. Finally, after months and months, I finished spinning and knitting the linings to my Northman Mittens, the outsides of which have been done since last February.

My first handspun for the lining (done in July) was much too bulky. It took me until a couple of weeks ago to spin more Romney and angora rabbit fur and maybe some alpaca, though I don't remember exactly, into a fine enough yarn. Success:

I never did get a good finished shot of the outside. In any case, they're pretty, and they're incredibly warm, but they're not real practical. I can drive with them on. But I can't turn on the ignition or even carry my keys into the house without dropping them. These are more for walking in the woods than going to work and back, I guess. Bonus: I had just enough handspun left over to knit one of my co-workers a pair of fingerless mitts, accessories I believe should be standard issue in our igloo of an office.

I also made my husband a dickey, and not just because everyone giggles when you say "dickey." It might not be as fashionable as Cousin Eddie's in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation --

-- but my husband requested it to keep the wind off his neck while working outside.

I got it from Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitting Around," which is a fun read and I'm glad I used the dickey (snort) pattern as an excuse to buy the book.

I made my baby niece Cori a cute little earflap hat with sock yarn (held double) that my daughter had dyed several years ago. I didn't get a picture of it on the baby, so picture it like it is below, only 10,000 times cuter.

I suddenly got the bug to do more spinning, so I reclaimed a bag of superfine merino I had dyed a long time ago that never sold on my long-neglected Etsy shop:

Then, halfway through spinning, my beautiful, expensive, beloved Majacraft Rose spinning wheel BROKE -- the crankshaft came right out of its socket! Thankfully, I was able to contact Tracy Eichheim of Woolly Designs on New Year's Eve, no less, and he gave me a full photo tutorial on how to fix it with cold-weld metal epoxy. If you are interested in a Majacraft Wheel and superior customer service, I highly recommend him.

Out of fear I waited a week t do the repair, knowing if I lined the treadles up wrong before gluing things together I'd end up with a ruined wheel. But in the end, it came out perfectly, and I came away with 380 yards of buttery soft 2-ply yarn.

I originally thought I wanted to knit gloves (for days when I actually needed the use of my hands and the new mittens wouldn't do), but the yarn's awfully soft and probably not durable enough, so I'm thinking some sort of shawlette/scarf in a garter stitch to highlight the color variations.

If I still want gloves, I can use a bit of this lovely stuff:

This (Milo-approved) fiber is nearly four pounds of roving I bought from a family I met at a Christmas party last month. They raise Romneys. It's beautiful and a lot stronger than the merino would be. I am practically giddy with ideas on what I'm going to spin and how I'm going to dye it. So many possibilities....

It's been pretty quiet, other than my debit card number getting hacked over the weekend -- with only a $9 transaction successfully made against my account. Fortunately, the $600 Dell computer order and the $1,100 charge to an online store were declined and my account is now secure. Sheesh. (Big shout-out to Amazon here, for emailing me to say someone had tried to open a second account using my existing card number. They rejected all the attempted transactions and advised me to freeze the card and call my bank. Good call.)

Among many other Christmas gifts I did get a new telephoto zoom lens for my Canon Rebel DSLR. I haven't used it for much yet but I'm going to get some good shots outside if we get a nice day. We could use maybe a picturesque snowfall. (I know, I know: be careful what you wish for.) If nothing else, it will make for a more exciting blog post!

 

 

Comments

[ccr in MA]

Nice knitting, and wow, nice spinning! Have fun with it!

[Kathy]

I would be nervous to do that wheel repair too -- good job! Knits are great looking!!

[donna lee]

Yea, not only no snow here but the temp was 64 over the weekend. In January! It's really odd.

I'm in the middle of making a pair of mittens like yours (pink and brown with a different pattern but same style). I didin't think about lining them but that would probably make them fit better. They're so long and my fingers are so short. I'm afraid linings would make them too bulky. I'll leave them alone, they're warm enough for here, especially lately!

[Valerie]

We've had a mild winter in Michigan too....so far. It ain't over until it's really over tho'.

4lbs. of romney for gloves?! A lot of gloves, or very big hands! There's nothing like nice romney...wears like iron. Happy spinning, dyeing, knitting!

[Sonya]

Dickey. *titter* Your mittens are lovely and look super warm. My most beautiful mittens are impractical too. Lovely Norwegian pattern that's about 2" longer than my hands. Feels like I'm wearing flippers. I'm looking forward to seeing what you make with all that Romney!

[gayle]

You're right - can't say 'dickey' without snickering... Though it's really just a cowl with a bib, when you get right down to it. I should knit Madman one, too.
Love all your knitting and spinning - you're keeping very busy this winter!
We've got snow on our side of the state. Want some?

[Caroline]

Your mittens are awesome. I love the pattern work. We had planned a skiing trip near Yosemite during Christmas but they didn't have any snow this year yet! Now we're trying for February. Maybe I'll get it together and knit a pair of mittens for the trip.

[lynne s of oz]

Apparently Seattle has had a very moderate winter until this weekend. (We got here last weekend and I actually saw sun on four days out of seven!)
It snowed today. My poor little Australian sensibilities were delighted, and our bank account will be challenged by me buying better winter coats. At least I have snow boots already. It is supposed to snow on and off until Wednesday, when we return to rain, rain and more rain.