Lendrum Love

I got the Lendrum. And I am in love. What a nice wheel! So versatile, so easy to use. It has made many a yarns in its first week at my house and I'm sure there will be many, many more. It was the perfect choice for me. I barely have time to check Ravelry anymore... all I want to do is spin.

A Lendrum? Seriously?

I am getting a Lendrum. Seriously. I have been looking at the wheel for MONTHS compulsively and I took the plunge. It was somewhat... spontaneous? That sounds better than impulsive, but impulsive probably describes it more accurately. It's a DT complete from Paradise Fibers. It was a total fluke (I got my AKL from them a few months ago) and I was checking their site and in one place it said out of stock and in another it was allowing me to add it to my cart. Hmmm. Curious. I gave them a call and they said that I called at the perfect time and they were getting some in this week. I got my shipping confirmation yesterday. Yippee! I am so thoroughly excited. Now I have been reading the posts in The Cult of Lendrum Ravelry group. So much useful information and even more that leads me to believe I will love this wheel. And if I don't there are many people who would be happy to take it off my hands. :)

Last weekend I had a little time to attempt some dyeing. I had some Corriedale from Copperpot, some Merino and Mohair from H.A.Y. and some Kool-Aid. I used the microwave method from Knitty and had some pretty good luck. The Corriedale is on the left (along with one section of undyed), the final 2one on the right are the reddish Merino (black cherry). I guess I didn't get a picture of the pink lemonade/lemonade mix on the mohair, which may be my favorite. I'm happy with the results. Can't wait to card up some batts and go nuts!





I also made a Doughnut for Jill and made her pretend to eat the doughnut. She thought it was great. Or maybe she's just used to my quirks at this point. It was a really fun knit and I will definitely consider making another one.



I also spun up this yarn for another Wham Bam Thank You Lamb. I love the yarn and so far the neckwarmer is turning out really well.







The fiber was from Studioloo and was amazing to spin. I can't wait to get some more of it!

I think that sums it up, at least from the weekend. I am anxiously, stalkerishly checkig UPS and my wheel should be delivered on Friday. I cannot wait.

Bagel Day

Ok, at work Wednesday is Bagel Day. We all take turns getting bagels... a way to get through Hump Day and onto the downhill to the weekend. I can't really even think of Wednesday without thinking of Bagel Day. But, then again, I love bagels, so it works for me. And the thought of just a few days until the weekend makes me happy too.

I made Wham Bam Thank You Lamb from some fiber from Homestead Wool. I LOVE how it turned out. There are some little spots of bright blue tinsel stuff that pokes out randomly (love that!) and my favorite spot is a small strand of pearls:







We have finally got our patio poured. From this:




To... well, that was a tease! I guess I haven't taken pictures of the patio since it got finished. I'll have to get some photos to compare to. We are loving it and spending LOTS of time outside.

Macy the new cat is doing very well. She fits right in and is getting into the routine of our pet-filled household.

July, July!

Lots of busy-ness lately!

Spun this roving

into this yarn

and made this Snail Hat


I love how it turned out. I got the idea from Cosy's group on Ravelry. It is one cute hat. I made it for Katelyn for her birthday (I think) so it's a little small for my head, but should fit a 3 year old just fine.

I also started the Toasty Twist Socks and LOVE them so far. They are turning out amazing. It might be hard to give them up as a gift. :) These Grafton Fibers needles are HEAVENLY and they are making the knitting so fast and enjoyable with their super pointy tips.


Finished these sort-of Blueberry Waffle Socks. They are supposed to be two rows stockinette and two rows 2x2 ribbing. I did one row of each alternating. These are the socks that might be for my mom, but most likely will be for my sister. They are BRIGHT. But, the pattern is nice and easy and they should fit either of them just fine. And I cannot complain that I actually have some Christmas gifts done. In July. This is good.


Macy the new cat is doing great. As expected, Paisley, our only female and perpetually crabby cat, does not so much love her. But, she'll get over it. And she is just so darn cute!


We are waiting on getting our patio poured. It's been delayed a few days, but we are getting it done for a good price (aka FREE labor) so it's really hard to complain. Even though I still complain in my head a little. We have worked SO hard shoveling dirt and gravel that I'm just so ready for it to be done. They are saying tomorrow now. I will keep my fingers crossed.

A (nother) cat?

Ok. We got another cat. If there is anything I like more than fiber it is animals. She is adorable. And she has had frostbite and lost the tips of her ears. She was available at Petsmart through our local Camp Companion (a spay/neuter release organization that also offers cats for adoption). Honestly. All we needed was a filter for the fish tank. But, things are just meant to be sometimes. She has an amazing personality and is hanging out in the yarn room (ok, spare bedroom filled with yarn) for awhile until she gets used to her new home. Her name with Camp Companion was Gayla, but her new name at our house is Macy. Here she is:






I was not having much luck with the pictures, she was either kneading whatever she could or purring and rubbing on the camera. And I kept getting blurry shots. Grrr. Hopefully I'll be able to get more pictures of her cute face soon.

I'm still working on the socks that were going to be for my mom, but I think they may be for my sister now. The colors are quite rowdy and I'm just not sure I can see my mom wearing them. I just started some tweedy gray socks that may be better. I have not setup my loom with any other projects though I did get a weaving book (Weaving Made Easy) that is really helpful and has good projects in it.

FOs and 4th of July

The 4th of July was FUN and productive. The fireworks were good and we spent the evening with neighbors, including Terry who sang Debbie Gibson's "Shake Your Love" all night. It is two days later and it is still running through my head. Sweet. Finished the Sundance Make Up Bag and a little garter stitch iPod cozy. They are so CUTE and I definitely recommend shopping with Jenna. Her batts were amazing! Here is what I ended up with:



Cute huh? That rose bush is my arch rival and stabs me all the time, however, I must admit, it does have some really pretty roses in variegated salmon shades. I am hoping to warp my Ashford Knitters Loom tonight and start another weaving project. I cannot believe how fast and easy the first scarf was AND how far it made the yarn go. It is a different fiber beast, but I know I'll have lots of fun with it in the future. I better start making some dinner here.

Uniquely Yours Spin-a-long

I finished up my Uniquely Yours Spin-a-long yarn and I'm liking it more and more... the theme was beach glass and I think Jenna did a lovely job with the batts. I'm thinking I might make up this cute little bag with the yarn, maybe use it for notions?

I finished my very first weaving on my Ashford Knitter's Loom. I decided on the 20" AKL and I am really happy I did. I think the 12" would have been just a little small. It's a scarf made out of some yarn I had no other use for. I haven't done any weaving since college (my lone fine arts credit) and wanted to be sure I didn't destroy and handspun or something on my first try.

I also have been working on the She-Knits Mystery Bag KAL. I made the mistake of not going with Sharon's kit (why? I love the colors of all of her bags!) and do not like the way the colors I chose are working together. I decided to frog it and try again later with some different colors. It's too bad... I really like the way others' bags are turning out.