Which Rainbow ~

Sweet friend, the JitteryKnitter, found some Lornas Laces Rainbow super wash merino roving for me to practice my spinning. Since I loved-loved-loved the Lornas Laces Rainbow yarn she was using on the lovely shawl that ended up as my Christmas gift. When she found the Rainbow roving, she also gave me the rest of the Rainbow yarn and laughed that perhaps I could spin it to look just like the yarn....


Well, in spinning class this week, our wonderful teacher helped me figure out what I was doing wrong, as I couldn't ply my singles. She said that super wash is very slippery and I needed to give my singles more twist that I'd used with other roving....so I was back in business, but not quite back to my "getting better every time" spinning self...but not too bad, really....


As it really looks like yarn, doesn't it! Can you tell which one is my spinning...or is it memorex? :)

Sweet Jazz and Tea ~

After a 'way too busy' week of no knitting, I was finally able to spend some quality time with my Sweet Jazz shawl. This is the one that begins by casting on 300 stitches, so knitting one row seems to take awhile, and the purl back is painfully slow. However.... I am loving this yarn and the colors are stunning.

As I was sitting in my favorite yarn shop, knitting away, I heard the ladies at the front table knitting and talking about "Nightmare Jazz" and how could it be so hard...and I tip toed up to the front and asked, "Please tell me you're not talking about the Sweet Jazz shawl being a nightmare?" Alas, they said that once one starts "knitting the gaps" there is some very tricky and fiddley bits to work through...but, good news is that they are at the shop to help me if I stumble...

Expo Treasures ~

I found a few great treasures at the Sew Expo. From Roberta's store, Fibers Etc, I found this beautiful rayon metallic yarn to make my mum a clapotis scarf. There was a lovely sample there, and I think I can attempt the clapotis again!

The next treasure is merino & silk fiber from Carolina Homespun. I was so glad that they were at the Sew Expo - it was their first year, plus Morgaine taught a beginning drop spindle class (that I took!) to 4 different classes. I hope they come again next year! I fell in love with these pastel shades mixed in the creamy white... I can't wait to see how this spins!

I also found some merino & silk fiber from Vogue wholesale.

this is the same fiber that I've seen from Webs. I can't wait to spin this!

Meliae done ~

Also accomplished during Sewing Expo weekend, Ta Da! As soon as I arrived home, I took out the blocking boards and set to work.

Yes, I finished the knitting on the Meliae, out of the gorgeous Baroness colorway by Hazel Knits. Oh-so-lovely yarn, and I loved knitting every stitch!


A little scary was nearing the end of the shawl I was running very low on yarn, and ended up with a teeny tiny ball - perhaps one yard in length...enough to make me panic about perhaps needing an intervention with Annelie at my favorite yarn store! I'm glad that I can go into the store with good news of a finished project, instead of a problem!!

Knitting Squared ~

At the Sew Expo this weekend, I took a class with one of my favorite Sew Expo teachers from Fiber Ect yarn store in Tacoma. In years past we learned this and this...

Roberta taught us Knitting Squared, diagonal knitting, and it was a lot of fun. I've tried this before and have no trouble with the first square, but adding the second square never made sense to me....

so it was great to have a teacher and time to practice! Hurrah!!!

Tea with The Baroness ~

The Baroness is proving to be a lovely companion. She is interesting and lovely, and is able to be a part of discussions and stories.

I can take her everywhere and my friends love her. So I've even taken her out for some tea and a bit of knitting.... lovely lady, that Baroness!

My camera still can't agree on her colors, other than they are stunning no matter what available light is used. The lace pattern on the side is so beautiful, and my 15 year old thinks it looks very complex! Perhaps she is thinking that her mum is getting to be quite a good knitter....(or, perhaps not....)

Meliae wings ~

I'm enjoying the knitting on Meliae, as I can socialize and even listen to podcasts while knitting this. While knitting the Brandywine, I wasn't able to listen to anything (except my own counting!) so it is good to catch up on my favorite podcasts!

My camera can't get a true color shot of this lovely yarn - the Baroness colorway is a stunning set of purples. I'm so excited to be finally knitting with Hazel Knits!