Wednesday, September 22, 2010

OMIGOSH FIBER!

(Hello, new folks. If you're looking for the list of instructors from Knit Camp, it can be found here. Welcome!)

Yesterday I realized that I hadn't done any spinning in three months. Considering it is usually my substitute for tranquilizers (I've got this fun constant pain/anxiety thing going on), well, it's a wonder I haven't killed anyone. Or at least wound up in jail for assault. Anyway. I got started on the batt.

Usually I get the single wound on the bobbin a little more evenly, but yesterday I was going "Buh huh huh, I'm spinning, oooh, lookie, color progression." Since it's been three months, my hands are sore. And my calluses had disappeared, so there's a raw spot on my index finger where I run the single over it on the way to the bobbin. But I don't care. It was lovely, and I'm gonna do it again today.


Also, I finished one sock.

I tried fiddling with the heel to fit my foot better. Didn't work. Still, the sock doesn't fit any worse than 'regular' heels, so it's definitely wearable. I'll knit a pair, and then try something else. I've got Cat Bordhi's first book of mind-bending new sock methods (that woman makes my brain hurt, in a good way, whenever I read her stuff). So, now that I know what my gauge is for this specific yarn, I'm gonna keep buying it in different colors and knitting socks 'til I find one that fits right. I need portable, mindless knitting these days, and I've decided socks are it.


Originally I wanted to use the batt I'm spinning for socks. It's a rainbow, and I wanted to do one sock red-orange-yellow and one sock green-blue-purple. Having now divided the batt, it's more like red-orange-yellow-green-blue and green-blue-purple-black (who puts BLACK in a rainbow? seriously?) but I'm not sure I'll have the yardage. I need at least 150 yards per foot, to do ankle socks. As I spin I keep wavering between will I, won't I. I suspect the real truth won't be known until I wash the yarn and find out how bad the shrinkage is. If not socks, maybe a scarf for the Goob. She likes rainbows.


Remember how Sekhmet meows for the front door to be opened? We've discovered that if we leave the living room curtains open, she gets her sunbeam and shuts up about the door.

Now she just meows to get me out of bed. Fucker.

10 comments:

irisphnx said...

Maybe you could make rainbow socks and use a solid with it a la Lucy Neatby style. I love what she does with colors!

My cat Groucho will lightly paw me if I stay in bed too long. He'll let up if you pet him but it's hard to pretend to be asleep while petting the cat. His pawing is like having a toddler poke at you repeatedly, except with the random bit of claw thrown in.

Anonymous said...

If I'm not up at what the pups consider to be an appropriate time, they start crying to get me up. Granted, they don't know I was silly (stupid) enough to knit until 4:30 and it's only 7:30, but it is darned annoying! Almost like having little kids in the house!

Emily said...

I love the sock! And the spinning!

For the raw previously-callused spot, I recommend one of two things: that soft (rayon, I think) tape you can buy in the drugstore, or a product called New-Skin, also at the drugstore. Both allow you to feel while protecting the hurt spot. I need my calluses to play (violin), and if something goes wrong with them, this is how I get to keep playing without injury.

Louiz said...

Lovely socks, and yarn

Alwen said...

Looook, it's a sock!

KristieB. said...

I am so relieved it isn't just my two cats who do this early a.m. poke & prod. Mine also march up and down my body if I ignore them too long. The snag is that Annabelle is 13 lbs. Darwin is 14lbs. And they instinctively know when they have reached maximum pressure on a tender spot.

Barbara said...

Can't wait to see the finished yarn. Glad you're back to spinning. Soon it'll feel like home there.

Amy Lane said...

Wow-- the spinning is AWESOME! And I love making socks... I think you might jump on it!

Donna Lee said...

I spun for wwsip day and it was the first time in a long while. Too hot to handle the fiber all summer. My hands protested all the next day so I laid off. Arthritis sometimes wins the battle. But I'll win the war since the weekend is supposed to be cool and I have some stuff i want to spin.

roxie said...

Love the sunny yellow on the wheel. Spin on! Crazy rainbow socks would be fun. Maybe you could knit them for the Goober.

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. You are staff. What will she do on cloudy days?

My alarm cat launches her 12 lb self from the top of the headboard to land on my belly.