Tweaking

I'm still working on the closets, trying to find a place for everything that makes sense so that I will be able to find it later. All the roving is one place now, and doesn't look as intimidating as it did in its previous home. I think it won't take a lifetime to spin this.

Knitting: Just turned the heels on the latest pair of socks. I dropped a stitch near the end of the second heel, but impressed myself with tinking the short-row rows back to the error without messing up the wraps.

Spinning: In the homestretch of thin spinning the last of the mystery fiber.
Weaving: I actually did work in my cleaned-out studio this past week, on this and that. I do have to keep the door closed, though, or a certain feline naps on whatever is laying out.

Tuesday is my final physical therapy session - huzzah! Of course, I will need to continue the exercises on my own, still having trouble reaching up high, but otherwise I am pleased with the outcome. Not only am I pro-vaccine, I am pro-joint replacement.

Reorganizing

Despite my best intentions, the "studio" (a spare bedroom) had turned into a junk room. It was too easy to just toss things in there and close the door. There were weaving projects in there to work on, but I just couldn't stand to be in that mess. Time for a reorg!

One conclusion I had was the room is too small for everything that I was trying to cram in there. So I moved the two bookcases into the other spare room and loaded them up. One contains mostly spun and dyed yarn (neatly bagged in ziplocks), the other books, magazines, and weaving yarns (with felting materials on top).

Today I emptied everything else out of the studio except for the furniture, and my SO came over to help me set up a drafting table. With the resulting arrangement, I have two tables I can work on from both sides, and all three tables are different heights.

A cupboard that is not in either pic now holds all the unspun roving.

A side effect of all this work is I removed non-fiber items from the room (mostly old letters and family photographs I "inherited" from my dad), so now need to reorg the closets so I can put that stuff away. Two of the bedroom closets contain nine-cube units, one full of commercial yarn (I have a LOT of yarn), the other now holds an assortment of fiber tools and art supplies. I'm sure once I'm done, more than a few things will wind up at the Goodwill.

The studio looks so nice now I want to keep the door open. We'll see if that turns out to be a mistake, feline-wise. Hopefully, I'll be drawn in there to work on stalled weaving projects and UFOs. That's my hope.

A new habit

In a recent blog post, the Yarn Harlot described how she now starts her day with coffee and knitting. While I stick with coffee and the NYTimes, I have adopted knitting as a post-breakfast introduction to my day. An inch here and an inch there and a new pair of socks will come into being.

Knitting: Working on a short-row toe and heel pair of socks. See above.

And that is all I have done this week fiberwise. It's been a busy one, and this coming week looks even worse. I am ready to stop going to physical therapy - just do the exercises at home on my own - but the therapist is not done with me yet.

Graham slouchy hat in red Tunis

This pattern is a favorite of my daughter and granddaughter, and my daughter said she liked the red Tunis handspun, so I knit yet another 'Graham' slouchy hat. It looks more rustic than previous ones, and came out larger, so neither of them may want it.

Pattern: 'Graham' by Jennifer Adams
Yarn: Handspun red Tunis, 3-ply
Needles: US5 for ribbing, US7 for rest
Modifications: None

My handspun tends to relax a lot when knit and blocked, so I stuck with the smaller needles. As you can see, the hat expanded and is larger than one knit in Cascade 220 Superwash on the same size needles.

I've complained about the color of this yarn before, but it is beginning to grow on me. And you know what they say - if the hat fits, wear it.

Just what I (don't) need

Yesterday I went to a spin-in at my (sort of) local spinning shop, Little Shop of Spinning. Phia hosts these events the first Saturday of the month. The problem with meeting at the spinning shop is I almost always make a purchase of one kind or another. This time it was two braids of fiber, silk/merino blend with tencel. It's so soft! But more fiber is about the last thing I need.

Knitting: The 'Graham' hat in red Tunis is finished, awaiting blocking. I started a pair of socks today, just to make sure I have a portable knitting project; one toe is done.
Spinning: I decided to continue fine spinning the mystery fiber. It has a nice long staple that lends itself well to that purpose.

It's been a long time since I knit socks, despite having a lot of sock yarn. I had to crack open my go-to reference for toe-up socks, Wendy D. Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up. I favor the short-row methods for toes and heels, and use a contrasting yarn for both, plus the cuff. The break did me good - I'm excited about this project.