Temporarily Out of the Loop, but Still Knitting

Had to miss knitting at Sue's last night, as Phoebe has bronchitis/pneumonia, and I needed to stay home and play nurse. Just as well, I suppose, though I always miss my friends when I can't attend. Pheebz is on all the right drugs, but is still very weak. I've missed two days of work in addition to my usual recreational pursuits, but I'm not too sorry. I caught up on a lot of housework and cooking, listened to some audiobooks, and played with yarn and fiber. (Of course!)

Recent projects include the socks-in-progress pictured above. These are from Nancy Bush's fab new book, Vintage Socks. I finally decided on "Ringwood" as a good way to evaluate my hand-plied, hand-dyed wool/camel hair yarn. Even if I do say so myself, WOW! This stuff is even better than I anticipated. In a three-ply, it's nice and springy, and I'm delighted with the heathery way the dye soaked in. I'm calling it "Olive Green." Interested in buying some? You'll find it here.

The latest comission is coming along nicely. This will be a simple, drop-shoulder, Henley-style garment. The fella I'm making it for is tall and thin, and I don't think a heavy-duty Aran style garment would suit him at all, hence the simpler stitch. "Ringwood" is a great pattern for socks and fine-gauge yarn, but it also works well in a sweater, with a heavier yarn. This is my first experience with Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, and I must say, I really like the stuff so far. I also love what this company is doing, offering such nice yarns at such good prices. Looks like this company is a winner. I wish I could work for them, but alas, it isn't geographically possible, even if they did think me a suitable candidate for employment.

Here is something else I've been picking at in the last couple of weeks. The same friend who comissioned the Ringwood sweater happened to pick up about 15 to 20 lbs of free wool for me. The stuff on the right is the raw fleece after washing. I hackled individual locks, pre-drafted, and spun directly from these locks, then plied the singles together, wound up the skein, and washed it all again. I'm rather amazed at how well it came out, considering all the vegetable matter and sheepy poo present in the fiber before processing. So far I have close to 300 yards spun up, and that is a mere dent in the mountain of fiber still left to be washed. Don't know what I'll make of it yet, but Keith is dropping lots of hints about what a treat a handspun white Aran sweater would be. I suppose it's worth considering, and it certainly would make a fab entry for the Big E at some point.

Oh, well, back to my spinning and "Great Expectations." I must say, I really enjoy being read to while I work!