Woolly Boully is now up at the Loopy Ewe!

Sheri has my Woolly Boully yarn up at the Loopy Ewe. (There was a sneak-up last night.) Stop by if you have a minute. As of this blog post, five colorways have already sold out!


Now that the yarn is up on Sheri's site, I can show you my yarn in color.

An embarrassing realization: my camera is on its way out apparently. It's not taking good photos anymore. I didn't know that digital cameras had these abrupt endings until a friend of mine told me. She then pulled out her 7 megapixel camera and showed me the lovely photos she had taken. I went to price new cameras and was so embarrassed to know that 7 megapixels is the norm! I thought 3 was. I thought 7s were so expensive, but now they are priced like the old 3s. And, they now have rechargeable batteries! I guess I don't keep up with consumer goods very well.

Contest Update:

April's winner was Leslie of the Silver Fork Saga. Leslie will receive two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport in the watercolor colorway as well as The Sock Journal: Knit the Year in Socks. Congrats, Leslie!

We've also received lots and lots of squares from the following (blogless) ladies: Marylou B. sent in 20 squares; L.M. B. sent 40 (!) squares; Rosemarie V. made 20 squares; Geri T. made an afghan and a baby blanket; Jackie F. made a baby blanket; and Aunt G's sister Pat made a baby blanket. Mom J has also made quite a few items for the drive as well.

We got more squares from Jody, two from Gingersnaps with Tea, and two from Aileen. Gingersnaps with Tea made her squares for Aunt Betty (a beautiful basket weave square in pima cotton) and Uncle Doug (a wool blend that's big and burly like her Uncle Doug). Thanks so much, ladies!


The contest is almost over. If you want to join in the blanket drive, please have your items postmarked by June 15. At the end of June, I'll be drawing May's and June's winners and also the winners of all the other items we have to give away. There are books, needles, and, yes, yarn, including a ball of Trekking 126. Some of you donated prizes, and we are very grateful to you.

Spinning

I finished spinning and plying my Spunky Eclectic roving. It was a crazy spinning experience. Some of my singles were so overspun and some underspun.


I have to say that it looks better after being plied. I've been carrying this skein around the house as if it were a little baby. I know it's ugly, but it's mine.

I finished my Caterpillar socks. They are made in my favorite good ole stockinette pattern. I must have had a difficult month: the tension on the second sock is unbelievable tight.


I've never had this happen to me and my socks before. One sock is tight and the other loose. Good thing I made them for myself.

Going to Texas

I'll be in Texas until mid-June. I'm going to make my father a special Father's Day present with a new colorway that I made just for my father. It's called Fishing With My Father. (In the photograph below, it's the skein in the foreground. The colorway in the background is Strawberry Moon of June, which already sold out at the Loopy Ewe.)


I wanted to make a sock yarn that wasn't overtly girlie, but I also wanted to make it special. When I was a little girl, my family and I always, always went fishing. I practically grew up on lakes and at the Texas coast. My father has size 14 feet.

p.s. While I'm in Texas, I won't be updating my blog much, and there will be very little in way of photos. The internet connection there is slow, slow. I promise to get a new camera soon, however!

My landlady hears my ballwinder

My landlady hears my ballwinder. She says she can hear her ceiling vibrating. I don't understand it. I've oiled the thing; I turn ever-so-slowly. How can something so small make so much noise?

My fridge also died last week. Manly and I had to wait until someone came by to declare it dead before my landlady would order another. Being a tenant makes me feel so beaten down, as if my life isn't mine. I'm trying to look at the brighter side of everything these days, but it feels so difficult to sometimes.

Speaking of brighter sides, the photo above will reveal itself in color once Sheri at the Loopy Ewe gets the order. I got this idea from Susie of Perchance to Knit, who also dyes for the Loopy Ewe.

As a sock knitter and hoarder of sock yarn, I had to stare at this mountain for a while before boxing it. I also had to refrain from wanting to cuddle with each skein.

What is said about drinking and knitting can also be said about spinning. I spun the majority of this after a few glasses of wine:


Non-wine spinning:


(The roving is "Autumn Girls" from Spunky Eclectic, which was given to me by Coley.)

Mind you, I haven't been taught how to spin, so I'm sure that my spinning looks like a very drunk person spun it. I bought a book, read it, and looked at videos on-line. This is also how I taught myself to knit. A spinning friend of mine is coming over this week, and hopefully she can tell me what I'm doing wrong.

I want to thank you all for the warm comments that you left for me these past two weeks. It's really comforting to know that people are with you and thinking good thoughts for you. Thank you.

A Blue Square

Some of you have asked if I'm alright. I haven't posted in a while for several reasons. This is the time of the semester when it's impossible to stay sane or calm. I've also been having a great time fulfilling my first big dyeing order, which will be finished and shipped out by the middle of next week.

I'm okay, but I haven't quite been myself lately either. I'm withdrawn and distracted these days and a bit sad. I realize that I've reached out to you all in the knitting community to knit squares for cancer patients, but at the same time, I haven't been fair to all of you who have been so generous and giving. I've been keeping a secret because there's a part of me that believes that everything will be okay as long as I be secretive about it.

I've started knitting a square for my father, who was diagnosed with cancer last summer. He's starting chemotherapy tomorrow. This square is for you, daddy. I love you. I am here for you, and I'm always, always thinking of you. It's blue, because I know that's your favorite color.

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I got more squares from Jody and Joanna and Mims. Mims made her squares in honor of her cousin Katherine who is a survivor.


Thank you so much, girls. Your squares are so beautiful, and you all are really making this blanket drive happen.

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I started the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts that everyone is making. I know now why everyone is making this scarf. It's fun and foolproof. I think that any unusual color combination looks great in this pattern.


This scarf will be for my mother. A very late Mother's Day gift.

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Oh, I lugged something home from the post office today. Originally, I was supposed to get this to celebrate finishing my first big dyeing order, but I kind of had a hard time with that line of reasoning.


What you're seeing is the wheel of a Louet S17 spinning wheel that that ordered from Adrian of Hello Yarn. I decided to go with a Louet S17 because I think I really did want a wooden wheel, and I really like the look of Louet wheels. You can't beat Adrian's prices, either. The wheel came with half a pound of luscious roving. I can't wait to get this thing polished and put together.

p.s. I'm planning on doing April's prize drawing soon. I just need to collect the names of some lovely ladies who sent some squares to Mom J. Hopefully I get those soon.