Kitchen sink post

I am in the middle of startitis, which means I will finish nothing soon, and have a good time in the execution.  People are reactionary:  the initiators are the exception.  Clearly, I am one of the herd, reacting to something in the ethersphere.  New spinning projects are layering the floor with roving.  I am knitting projects that represent more than a MILE of yarn stash (900yds + 1000 yds + 880 yds + 500 yards).  It is a very good thing that socks don't count, since I have countless socks in progress.    I spent an insomniac night last weekend, Friday, I think, re-re-realizing that if I don't get my exercise program regularized, I will look and act my age.  That is unthinkable.  Unacceptable.  Hooping is FUN but so far it doesn't meet aerobic or flexibility or muscle strength goals.  New beginnings, new WIPS, new yarn and fiber diet.  (Yes, really.)

There just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day.

The annual BYOB picnic for the wine guys and girls was the Sunday just past.  Six degrees of separation showed itself once again.  I met a man who sported a nametag that said "John".  No last name on the tag proved to be surprisingly unsettling.  We swapped lies about great wines, compared what was in our current glasses, and, finally, I admitted my need to know his last name.  He told me, and it was a familiar surname.

"Oh!  Are you related to *famous spinner/knitter in the Boston area whom I met last year at SOAR*"?  He is her father. (Since he has no real idea what "can I blog you?" means, I omit the identifiers.)

You may recognize Wool Peddlars' shawl around my shoulders. 

Clematis Candida languinosa is taking over the dogwood by the porch.  This year, it climbed up the back of the tree.  No vantage point exists for the photographer trying to show the extent of bloom (phenomenal).  I unvented a classic photography trick.  Make the subject look filmy and sensuously soft by photographing through the upstairs bathroom window screen. 

Rain/rain/rain/sun/rain/clouds/dusk/rain is responsible for shoddy photography.  I'm not complaining, just explaining.  (Rain = free water for the garden, and I am happy.)

These were Foxfire Fibers batts.  The fibers are some combinations of BFL, cashmere, angelina, and silk.  My plan for these skeins involves either a hat or mittens with corrugated ribbing, and a bit of colorwork.  Measurement of available yardage will be key to the planning.

Laceweight brown and blue:  one ply of alpaca purchased at SPA 2006 so I could learn to spin alpaca, one ply of Shadeyside Farm alpaca/silk, both two ounces.  They were spun during Mr. E's bone healing convalescence.  After hanging around the bobbin rack for three years of indecision, they were plyed together in the service of freeing up storage bobbins.  (Internal debate:  should I be a purist and ply each one on itself, or should I mix the two to obtain more useable yardage?)  The latter won, and turned out beautiful yarn that marks a moment in times past.  I turn out my share of craptastic yarn, and this isn't it.

Elegantly Simply Triangle Shawl, in Hunt Valley black cashmere, MDS&W 2006.  One significant omission from this picture?  A lifeline.  Heh.  Time to live on the knitting's keen edge. 

The alpaca baby shawl pattern (Rav link) appealed as a unique and beautiful baby blanket.  I'm using Tess Yarns superwash merino.  Her superwash is a guilty pleasure.  It is smooth, knits into a beautiful fabric, and will promise easy care.  Like all lace, it will look like snarls until blocking happens.  The knitter starts on dpns, then transfers the stitches to a circ, to knit a square in circular technique until it is about 34", 880 yards (more or less) or declared to be done. 

Comments

[JessaLu]

Beautiful handspun!

[Carole]

You've got a lot going on there, missy!

[Lynn]

Scattershot scatterbrain, but we love you for it.

[Caroline M]

So much yarn! Not all blue!

You could send the startitis over here because I'm still struggling to find the project that calls to me (other than socks of course)

[Anne]

WOW! I totally loved the wander through your current WIPs and spun yarns.

Although I refuse to allow myself to be distracted any further than I already am by your spinning.

[--Deb]

And were you humming the small world song for the rest of the day?

Beautiful spinning!

[Manise]

What's the medal you're wearing around your neck??

Small world indeed! I had a similar experience in the hand surgeon's office this week. A man and his son. The man was my father's English student in Greece. And he knew and knows everyone I knew there growing up.

Great WIPs and skeins you have there. I too am having lack of monogamy issues and not getting much done other than spinning up a Still River Mystery batt that has surprised me in how much I like it.

[Marcia]

Yes, thanks for the tour! I'm determined to finish my Port Clyde (Lisa Lloyd pattern, GMS organic yarn) sweater and Terry's birthday socks (LAST year's b'day!) before I allow myself to start anything new. I don't count spinning up old fiber! (Remind me to tell you how Karma bit me on the ass with the prize fleece from MASW.) Oh, that clematis is AMAZING! I've managed to kill at least three.

[gayle]

I have a kabillion WIPs, it seems. Can't stick to anything for more than a gnat's attention span.

Lovely spinning, lovely knitting. As usual. 8)

[Kathy]

All good stuff!

[margene]

Your spinning is as beautiful as your garden flowers.

[Kim]

Lots of wonderful stuff happening in your corner. I love the alpaca blanket pattern...so pretty!

[bev]

Love your "kitchen sink". The picnic and the pictures of it looked like fun. The flowers amazing, the knitting, spinning and yarn covetable (is that a word?)

[Marcy]

Lovely, lovely spinning stuff! That's wild about meeting father of famous spinner/knitter in the Boston area. Have you told her that you met him?

[claudia]

Interesting. There is a resemblance....

[Sylvia]

The handspun looks great. Nice amount of twist in the blue and green hanks.

[Martha]

Who would have guessed that plying the brown and blue would turn out that beautiful?

[Teyani]

your spinning looks great from here - and will bloom even more once you knit with it - nice to see those wheels are whurrring along ;-)
Isn't it eerie how we can cross one another's paths... 6 degrees of separation indeed.

[vanessa]

holy cw*p, your spinning is exquisite!

[Charlene]

Mmmmm, yarn porn. Good stuff!

[Juno]

I have clematis envy.

[Cathy]

I have that clematis on the list for the pergola - as soon as it gets painted after last year's tornado. Gorgeous reminder of why you suggested it.