Things I should have written about awhile ago...

So, in February, I purchased a spinning wheel. It's a Majacraft Pioneer. I thought about the Majacraft Rose but I decided that the Pioneer was going to do the same job that the Rose would.

Anyway, I promised photographs...

Isn't it pretty? It's not huge, which is nice since there isn't a ton of room in my house (right now). It takes up less room than some of Little Man's toys (like his swing and bouncer).

With the above pictured wheel, I made yarn...

It's not perfect. The skein on the right has about 160 yards of approximately worsted weight yarn (2-ply). The one on the left is a bit....fluffier? It's only got around 112 yards, still of a worsted weight yarn. I have one bobbin that's half-filled but I'm out of roving so I'm going to ply it and it'll probably only wind up being around 50 yards. So, between the three skeins, I should be able to make something, right? It might wind up being a skinny scarf or a hat but it'll be grand because it'll be mine. 

Anyway, I'm also working on a swap package for One Skein Projects group on Ravelry. I've almost finished my package...just a couple more items to pick up and add to the collection. I also need to photograph it before I send it off :) I think she's going to be happy.....I hope she's going to be happy.

As for Little Man, he's continuing to improve...he's still not quite eating the way he was but he's still congested and coughing. I'm not really surprised. I'm still getting up at night to feed him, as well. I'm going to be doing that for awhile yet. That's okay, though.

Tomorrow, I'm taking two classes from Sally Melville. That should be interesting.

Anyway, that's about all I have for right now......I should have more to talk about after tomorrow. We shall see :)

MKG, socks, and other things...

I suppose it's fitting that this is my 100th post on this blog and I'll be briefly discussing last night's meeting of the Madison Knitters' Guild. Why is this important? Because August 2010 was the 100th "birthday" of the knitting goddess, Elizabeth Zimmermann, and our speaker last night was EZ's daughter, Meg Swansen :)

Seriously, how have I lived my knitting life without knitting anything by either Meg or EZ?! I think I always had this vision that the patterns were old-fashioned and not really something I'd like. And then I saw them "live" last night and, really, I think I need to have everything either of them have ever designed. I've been wanting to make a surprise jacket (or a baby one)...but there are some other ones that I never would have looked twice at that I'm now thinking I need to make.

Besides that, Meg Swansen is an amazing speaker. She's down to earth, witty, and basically reminds me a bit of myself...tends to get off track, anecdotal, etc. She was just fun to listen to. I'm also looking forward to the new book that will be coming out. It's title (working title?) is Knit One, Knit All and it's set to contain 40 unpublished EZ patterns (well, "unpublished" as in "not published previously in a book"). I'm thinking that next year I may try to get into her Knitting Camp, as well.

While at the aforementioned meeting, I finished the first of my basic socks from Vogue Knitting...okay, the only thing I didn't do was the kitchener stitch because I didn't want to try to concentrate on that while at the meeting. So, I did that at home. I'm hoping to have the socks done by the Knit In...that's about a month away (literally, 32 days away). We shall see.

I'm also working on my Ahava Shawl, my Icarus Shawl, Little Man's blanket and hat. Somewhere I have a bag on needles, too....somewhere. And I still haven't located my Multidirectional Scarf that I was making for my "niece." My husband threw it in a box a couple months ago when we were cleaning the living room and I don't know where the box went. I think it's in my office...but I'm not entirely sure about that and I've been too lazy to go look. It's not a big deal.

Other than that, I've been spending my days with Little Man, cleaning supplies, and my new spinning wheel. Yes, I bought a spinning wheel last week :) I still haven't taken pictures...I want to take a nice picture of it and I will...I just haven't yet.

I think that I need to wander off...Little Man is waking up from a short nap and I should play with him :)

Goings ons...

I'm not bad at taking pictures...I'm bad at uploading them to my computer.

I started work on a KAL (knit-along, for those of you not "down" with the knitspeak) for February. It's a shawl (Ahava Shawl, to be exact). The pattern seems easy enough and I haven't had too many difficulties (yet). Someday I'll take a photograph.

I'm also working on my sock...I'm still on the first one of the pair but I'm past the heel and gusset, and am just knitting my way down the foot. I'm kind of hoping to have them done by the Knit-In on March 19th but I don't think that's going to happen. As long as I have something finished by then...I'm thinking the aforementioned shawl will be done.

Speaking of Knit-In, I'm trying to decide what classes I want to take (if any) and if I want to go see our speakers: Jess, Casey, Mary-Heather & Sarah from Raverly. I may not take a class. I don't know yet. I should figure that out...

Anyway, I'm thinking of strangling one of my fish. We have a plecostomus that one of my friends has named "Mick" (as in Mick Jagger). He's friggin' HUGE! Last time we got a good measurement of him, he was 18" long. That's as long as I was at birth! Anyway, he's the bottom-feeder-suck-on-the-glass fish. Saying he's "feisty" doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm waiting for him to leap out of the tank lately. I know he's coming up for air but, damn, he's shifted the top on the tank several times...and splashed the wall...and thrown a fish or two out of the tank (he knocked the clown loach out...but he may have been dead to begin with). He's a bit...violent. Actually, I only mention it because he made me jump up a mile from the couch during one of his little air trips.

In other random news, Little Man is growing like a damn weed. He's in #2 diapers, is over 14 lbs., wearing 3-6 month clothing, and, at last check, is 24" long. Seriously? My kid is TWO FEET tall?! Really? Yeah. He's getting big. And I have to box up all the newborn and 0-3 month clothing because it doesn't fit...it's kind of sad. Oh, and as of today, he's 13 weeks old. I guess that makes him "officially" three months old...but not until tomorrow, I guess. Whatever.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Susan's Fiber Shop to look at spinning wheels...I'll let you know if I get one :)