As you might have noticed, I’ve been struggling with blogging in the last several months. So I’m going to try a new feature – the Friday Five. I’ll include things I want to knit and spin, my current works in progress, what’s in my mug, and anything else I find of interest!
1. Dream Knitting: This week I’m dreaming about knitting Nightshift by Andrea Mowry. The pattern calls for Spincycle Yarns, but I’m going to dump all my bins of handspun on my craft room floor and put together my own set. I might even do an IG live video!
2. Finished Sweater. I’ve been working on a sweater for the Sweater Knitalong that I’m hosting and Brown Sheep is generously sponsoring. I knit Humulus by Isabel Kraemer out of Prairie Spun DK in Rain Cloud and Cone Flower. I finished it last week and I LOVE it. I cannot wait for it to get cold enough to wear and I expect I’ll be cozy all winter long. Also the KAL runs through November 30 so it’s not to late to join the fun! Come on over to the Ravelry group and check it out!
3. On the Wheel. I’m still working on spinning 8 oz of Falkland from Hello Yarn in the Like Berries on a Bush colorway. I’m spinning these fractally. That is, I spun one bump straight through in long color repeats. For the second braid, I’m dividing it into lots of skinny strips to make faster color repeats. I want to use the resulting yarn to knit a Canyonlands Shawl by Nim Teasdale. This is one of the few times I’ve spun with intention for the yarn and I’m enjoying it. I may make 2019 the year of knitting with my handspun!
4. Stash Enhancement. As you know if you follow the podcast, I’ve been traveling for running races around the country. I keep tripping over yarn stores. I mean, when we go on vacation I usually check to see if there is a local yarn store where we’re going. But when we go on these quick weekend trips, I usually skip it because we’re tired and eager to get home. In Chicago in September we literally walked by an (unexpected) yarn shop, Yarnify!, on the way to get pizza. In Des Moines this past weekend, I walked the race with a nice lady whose daughter knits and she sent me right to the Yarn Junction Co. It turns out the skein I purchased at each store was dyed by the same dyer out of Cedar Rapids, IA – Stitch Together Studios. And the skeins I got are similar – The Notorious RBG on the left and Rusty Bucket on the right. I’ve decided I should knit a big shawl, maybe with a third darker grey or black? What do you think?
5. The Most Important Thing. This week I did the most important thing I’ll do all year: I voted. If you live in the U.S. and are eligible to vote, please please please register and and get out and vote. If you’re not sure, you can click here to find out if you’re registered and where your polling place is. I’m not ashamed to say I have some very strong opinions this election season, but the most important thing is that you make your voice heard. Your life may not depend on it, but unfortunately there are lots of people whose lives do.
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