Quaranteaching and quarancrafting

This week is the last week of my school year, and I have some test reviews to do, two tests to give and grade, report card comments, a day on campus to deal with resource returns, and a final distance staff meeting. However, the test is on Tuesday, so my schedule is starting to look quite a bit lighter. Distance learning has been an interesting challenge; I missed my students a lot, I missed my coworkers, and I missed my routines, but I’ve been working on creating new markers and things to look forward to in my weeks. This summer I have quite a bit of professional development I want to work through, as well as tackling the filing of a bunch of resources that I have been putting off. The ACCS conference is going to be online, so I plan to ‘attend’ that and get some more ideas and inspiration for next year.

In addition to work, I’ve also been working on several fiber projects! I finished a pair of socks for my sister-on-law that were originally meant to be a Christmas present, but ended up being a Mother’s Day gift. I adapted the heel on the Jaywalker sock; I quite like how it turned out and would consider doing that again, but this time I’ll take notes!

I started my long anticipated Ink cardigan last spring and promptly lost steam on the collar, so I dug it out and I’m about halfway to the dividing for the arms and body point. I LOVE how this is knitting up, and plan to have it done for this fall/winter, as I need another layering piece for work. I love the cable, I love the yarn, and I’m super excited about having the finish garment. Plus, as a sweater in fingering weight it will be quite wearable.

The other garment I’m currently working on is a summer top, Vanora. I decided that rather than knit it in two pieces, I would seam the shoulders and join in the round after the underarms. Now that I’ve done that, the next exciting bit is going to be when I get to the hem…in several inches. So, until then, it’s half a row of lace and half a row of stockinette. I’m using the Lion Brand Coboo yarn that I made my tank out of last year; it’s a sport weigh cotton/bamboo blend which drapes nicely, and is cool enough for a Texas summer. I’m looking forward to having this done and being able to enjoy it! This is a picture of the back lace pattern.

Since I had only one pair of movie socks hibernating (not like I’ve had the chance to go see a movie in the last few months!), and since I’ve been watching my way through Star Trek’s the Next Generation, I decided the time had come to cast on my Trekkie yarn in an easy, vanilla sock pattern. I think I’m going to do an afterthought heel with forethought gusset; I’ve got a little more time before I need to make the final decision. I’m getting the itch to do a more patterned sock soon, but I figured with a cable and a lace project, a vanilla sock would round out my WIPs nicely.

Since I last posted I have finished the delightful yarn from my birthday fiber from last year, and I’m dreaming about what to knit with it. I plied this on my wheel; I have improved as a spinner dramatically, and I’m quite pleased with how this turned out.

Not only did I finish that project, but I tested out the Andean plying technique on a little oddment of fiber with pleasing results.

Now I’m working on spinning up an indigo dyed batt from my good friend Rebekah, and I’m still trying to decide it if I want to try chain plying it on the wheel, or make it a two ply. It’s coming out super fine so I’m inclined to chain ply it, but I have some time to keep deciding what I want to do with it. Stash Dash is coming up, and I’m hoping to reach 5k again!

Lastly, I decided to treat myself to a life-long dream, but ordering a Schacht Cricket rigid heddle loom. I got the 15” size as it seemed like the most versatile starting point, and it arrived on Friday. It was super easy to assemble, and I had it warped in no time. I learned quite a bit from that first project; I ran out of yarn so the one end is rather purple, but it was well worth it for the learning process.

I’m currently working on a set of four cowls out of early, very lump handspun, which is turning out to be all I hoped. I continue to learn; I got my warp centered properly this time, but still need to work on my warping calculations a bit. After this set of cowls is off the loom, I’m going to put in my finer heddle and work with some laceweight that has been sitting in my stash for over a decade. I also have ambitions for dishtowel weaving this summer, so stay tuned!

Parting shot: If my knitting is on the floor being photographed, that *obviously* means I want Neko to come sniff/lie on it, right?

Yarn makes most things better...making it, using it, or buying it!

Can you believe how beautiful this spring is? Brilliant sunshine, loads of rain, cool days, and the normal riot of blooms in this part of the world. Maybe I'm really noticing it because of the circumstances around me, but I am so, so thankful for God's majesty shown through the wonder of creation.

I've been pretty swamped with teaching stuff the last week, and the beginning of this week is shaping up to be similar. The problem with online teaching is that you are available *all the time*--blessing and a curse! And your students are sort of available all the time...if they check their emails and messages. Since Texas schools won't reopen this school year, there are a few more weeks of this stretch experience left. The nice parts? Bathroom breaks whenever! More flexibility. Getting to talk to my cat all day. Eating lunch in peace and quiet. Yet, I can't wait for life to go back to 'normal.'

My hand is slowly improving, and I was able to indulge in a lot more handwork this week than I have for the last month. One thing that has been giving me a great deal of pleasure is spinning. I love the rhythm of spinning—the hands and feet working together, the sound of the wheel, and the magic of watching your bobbin fill up. I had started spinning another chunk of this Easter colored pencil roving when Beth was visiting, and after some thought decided to Navajo ply it. I gave it quite a bit of twist, and I think it might be the best yarn I’ve made yet. At the very least, I think it’s the one that will knit up most like a commercial yarn. I plied it on my wheel, which I haven’t tried for quite some time, and was very pleasantly surprised by how it went. Maybe I’m just a better spinner!

Once I got that project finished, I returned to the big purple spin. A lovely friend gave me two bags of wool for my birthday last year, and I'm going to divide each bag into fourths, spin them up, and then ply one of each together. I love how this fiber spins, and I love that I'm getting better at this! I can't wait to see what the finished yarn looks like, and how much I end up with. No special plans for this yet, but it's sure fun to work on.

While I ave restarted my brioche cowl, I’m not quite ready to dive back into that just yet—the pain of FROGing (though needed) hasn’t quite faded enough yet.

I’ve been working on some gift socks that I had high hopes of finishing for Christmas (but didn't--Mother's Dayish?), and a new summer top, Vanora. I’m using Lion Brand Coboo—the same yarn I made my tank out of last year, but I’m going bold with the bright magenta colorway. This is essentially two rectangles seamed together, but I’m going to do mine in the round from the underarms down, and I’m planning on putting in just a little waist shaping while I’m at it. It’s a simple pattern, but I think I’ll really enjoy wearing it once it’s done. Plus, having more warm weather knits means I can enjoy my handiwork year round!

The other thing I worked on this week, was finishing up this brilliant little purse. I used some leftover Nomadic Yarn’s in the Ginny Weasley colorway, and was quite pleased with how it turned out. I love little bits of everyday wizardry like that—so clever! This is an excellent use of leftover sock yarn as it only took 9 grams, and it was fun to watch the magic take shape. I lined mine with some grosgrain ribbon I happened to have on hand, and have plans for at least one more.

Other than that, quarantine life continues on. I'm still walking almost every morning in the gardens near my house, making a weekly pilgrimage to Wal-Mart, and getting some good reading in. I'm enjoying delicious Silver Grizzly coffee in the afternoons, and the luxury of not having to worry about whether my pants and shirt match. Little things, always important, are even more so these days! Oh--I have added these delightful yarns to my stash. The red is a beautiful merino-silk blend from Expression Fiber Arts--a Christmas gift card cashed in finally. And the purple is the April Knitcrate yarn. I think I'm going to order some more so I can make a layering cardigan--I use them all the time!

Parting shot: My 'co-worker' is hard at work napping; he has had a bit of a struggle to get it all in with me being home, but he does his best.

Life keeps interfering with my creative efforts...

I continue to be pretty busy with Lyft, driving lessons, sourcing items for the apartment I'll be moving into in less than a month, regular life stuff, and recently getting ready to leave for the ACCS conference this week. Yes, I have travel knitting and backup travel knitting planned out! I hauled down my carry on to see if I could make it work for what will now be a just over a week long trip (two relative and a friend stop are planned post conference), and filled up my travel sized bottles with shampoo and conditioner. I'm sure everyone else is smarter than me, but I realized that having my two bottles be different shapes or colors helps me remember which is which. Because this is apparently difficult for me. Good thing Walmart gives plenty of variety!

On the crafting front, I've picked up the second half of the car seat poncho, and got it just under where I figured I was going to need to do some math. See, I totally changed the gauge and pattern, so I needed to work out some percentages for the neck shaping. The hood is likely also going to require a bit of math, but I'm hoping it's not too hard to figure out. Wouldn't it have been easier if I had just knit the thing as written? Yes, but then I couldn't have used this yarn, and I like this patter better than the super chunky cables. Plus, isn't it more fun to have to do lots of gauge math?

Between Lyft jobs and reading The Odyssey (pre-school reading for Omnibus), I've been making steady headway on the foot of my second McGonagall sock. I love the colors, the texture of the yarn, and the simplicity of the pattern. This is back up knitting #1 for the trip.

Wait, #1 I say? Yes, I'm considering adding a second backup project. The main project I'm planning to take is my Hasukai cowl, the laceweight project with looong rows. Well, not quite as long now that the ruffle is finished, but still too fine for every knitting possibility. I might take one of those hat cakes I keep buying from Michael's now that I think about it... And I'll try and find some interesting places to take pictures of the cowl as I travel.

The very detailed rendition of Thorin's map continues to make progress. I did the red runes this weekend as I needed a break from the black, and found it strangely therapeutic to stitch their shapes and read the message to my self. When you teach The Hobbit several times, you get to the point where you can almost read the runes...

And, I started spinning again, because I want to get this project finished with the singles if not plied before I move next month. I love the rhythm of spinning, the feel of the wool twisting in my hands, and the pleasure of seeing a pretty even single wind onto my bobbin. It's the little things in life...

As further motivation, a good friend sent me these delicious rovings for my birthday which I'm now itching to spin. I can't wait to see how they spin up!

I've been doing a bit of cookie baking lately, and had the chance to try some more Keto recipes for Sunday dinner, but I have some big plans for when I'm in my own place. A jelly roll of some kind will have to be attempted I think... I can't wait!

Sometimes, spit happens

Let's just say...there has been a lot of 'spit' lately. As in fighting off a depressive bout, not hearing back from people who said they would contact you sooner, my mom's surgery, emotional exhaustion, random back pain, and to top things off I apparently picked up bronchitis. Ain't nobody got time for that! So, lots of stuff. However, in the midst of all that I've been working on several items. Let's recap, shall we?

I managed to brilliantly match the stripes on the Vinovias, BUT

despite ripping out the stress-knit toe (hospital visiting will do that to you) to redo it, there STILL was a bit of the next color on the second toe. Oh well, I am soooo done with this project. They will still keep Tiffany's feet warm, and I'm ready to move on to the next sock.

I also plied up the first third of the pinky-purple stuff from Rebekah, and WOW. Just WOW. Not only am I getting much better as a spinner, but boy is this stuff lovely! Now I just need to get the other thirds spun...

This weekend, because I figured I could use the finishing endorphins, I picked up probably my oldest surviving WIP, a hanging dishtowel that I abandoned all but done before heading to Africa. Well, a few minutes work added the green top, and now I just need to figure out either a) where I put the buttons I have, or b) find something suitable to buy.

This helped kickstart my making a second one this weekend, only this one is for a trade with a friend. Apparently, having bronchitis plays HAVOC with my ability to count, so I had to rip this out...more times than I'd care to admit. However, it was worth it as I'm digging both the color combination, but also the fact that I KNOW it's just as it should be.

I've been making good progress on my Fancy Mee shawl as well. I'm really wondering how big this will end up, and if I need to add to it. At the moment, I'm just enjoying the ride...

I did some cooking before/as I got sick this weekend. I made bagels for Saturday breakfast,

as well as this adorable apple pie for my Dad's birthday dinner. Pretty pleased if I do say so myself!

So, that pretty much gets you caught up on what I've been doing for the last two weeks or so, and hopefully I can kick this plague and get my life back sooner rather than later! Parting shot: Sister dates at the Grizz with your new Chickenboots bag which is AMAZING helps a lot of things.

In which I thought I had accomplished more...

One of the many good reasons to set yourself a goal of blogging at least once a week, is to have the chance to recollect what you have accomplished in that time period. I had an odd job that took an afternoon last week, but I must have been reading and running errands more, because I don't have a huge amount to show for my time. One thing I finally finished was plying the last of the three RoundHouse Alpaca Farm rovings, the chocolate brown with stellina. I have to say, it's my best yarn yet!

I just wish there was a bit more of it... Now I need to make the final decision on how to ply the pink stuff that has been sitting quite long enough.

During the course of various social events and low-attention actives I got the heel turned and am ready to start the toe decreases on my sister-in-law's sock. I enlisted a mutual friend to get a sneaky idea of if she liked matched or fraternal socks, and it seems I need to figure out how to deal with the hand the sock company dealt me. Oh well, I know I can do it, it's just a bit tedious.

I've also been working away on my hat out of handspun, and then I hit a snag yesterday. I don't think I have enough white to finish it. So... Options.

Start using the brown again and pretend that was my plan all along. Not a huge fan. Plan 2-rip the whole thing back, knit the bottom only using the brown, and then do the top using only the white. Also not a huge fan. Plan 3 and so far the most favored-rip back to where I changed to just white, keep alternating with the brown for a lot longer, have just the very top in white only. I just hate ripping back! I've got another gamble going on this scarf too; I ordered a faux-fur pompom this afternoon in the hopes that it will be close enough to work. If not, I'm sure I can find something else to crown with it!

Ah, as I write memory is coming back to me... One of the reasons I didn't seem to have a lot of show was because I spent a big chunk of one day last week hand mending my oldest and most beloved pair of jeans. My jeans tend to wear out on the inner thigh, so there is now a huge patchwork of mends holding that pair together. I hadn't received my sewing machine yet, plus, it's really hard to work around all the fabric bunching up. So, I did it the slow way, and found I really should have used a thimble. The jeans are back in service now, and I only have two other mending projects to work on. Still waiting for that darning mushroom...

The other thing I spent a lot of time on last week will have to wait a few days to be posted, as they are surprises for some special folks. And, I did spend quite a bit of time reading too, as well as working on studio documents for when I start teaching piano.

As a certain special day is coming up, I decided to treat myself to a few things. One I want to write about a little later, but my yarn gift to myself was Nomadic Yarns McGonagall colorway which I have been wanting for some time. I've had my eye on that colorway for awhile; not only am I a Gryffindor, but I was also a house mistress for three years, and McGonagall was the second best teacher at Hogwarts (some things about those books are ruined for you when you work at a boarding school). The best was, or course, Lupin. So, I will have two of her skeins of HP colors for my sock knitting delight!

One other thing I did last week, was try out a Southern Living peanut butter brownie recipe. It was *amazing,* and I particularly appreciated how it wasn't too sweet, though it is rich. It made a lot, so we've been steadily working out way through them. There are worse things to have a weeks supply of...

Well, that's me! Enjoy Valentine's Day, remember you are greatly loved, and do something you love just for you this week.

Baby, I've missed you...

Over the last few years, I have been steadily falling in love with spinning. I started with a drop spindle, almost two years ago I bought an antique wheel (my baby!) from a friend. One of the challenges of not being able to take it overseas with me has been that every time I start getting comfortable with my wheel I had to go back to Africa. Spinning a whole roving using the ‘ply on the fly’ method was great practice though, and as I’ve been spinning this year I’ve noticed some real progress on creating a consistent single.

First, I started with 59 grams of beautiful light fawn/cream alpaca from Round House Alpaca Farm. I was able to fit it all on my bobbin easily, and once I got going and found a rhythm was pretty happy with the singles.

I then plied it up on my drop spindle which it barely fit on, but was rewarded with around 107 yards of nice soft yarn. Last summer I’m pretty sure I put too much twist into the green fiber I spun. I’m starting to feel the urge to knit a gradient effect hat as I have three colors of alpaca fiber to play with!

The next thing I started spinning was a pinky-purple roving from Maiden Yarn. It took a little bit to fall into the right rhythm for this fiber, but I got there! This isn't the best representation of how pretty the colors are, but hopefully once it's plied I'll get a better picture.

The roving was divided into thirds, so I’m going to take a break now that I’ve got the first third spun do another color of alpaca--rose gray! I have a little less of this one, only about 51 grams, but it should be plenty for a gradient hat or two! Now to start saving for another wheel…

Harry Potter, some knitting, and a new spinning project!

Lots and lots has been going on, but not a lot of picture have been taken, as it's hard to take pictures when your hands are as full as mine have been for the last few days! When I got back to the States I found some delightful swag awaiting me-my Harry Potter Chickenboots bag! This picture shows the cute owl lining of my magical artifacts notions bag. I LOVE it, and when you realize how much you need a bag with clear vinyl involved, please consider Chickenboots. Great quality, and OUTSTANDING customer service.

Speaking of Harry Potter, I also got my custom wand that I won from Euphoric Alley. I know the gifted carver behind this Etsy shop, and I LOVE my wand. From the packaging, to all the details in the crafting of the wand, it's a work of art that I will cherish!

Because it was July there was a visit to my LYS (one of their two sale months). I didn't buy a lot, but I'm particularly excited about the pom pom. I think it will go well with the red hat I'm working on.

There hasn't been a lot of time for knitting, but between wedding stuff I've managed to finish the pair of baby booties,

and while watching Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom today I got this far on a dishcloth for my sister that I finished this evening.

After an emergency run to Atlanta, TX yesterday to bring my sister some things she forgot, I got a spinning project started. How I love being back with my wheel! I'm still trying to decide whether to make this a two or three ply; I know I'm going to be plying it on my drop spindle as my wheel struggles to ply for some reason.

Parting shot: The delightful 1920's farmhouse we stayed the night in for my sister's bachelorette party. I loved the decor, and the great job they did restoring it.

If you need me, I'm probably still in the library...

So, what I was kind of thinking to myself would be a weeks worth of mornings job, is now looking like it will end up being 14 mornings worth of work to get to the stopping point I had set for myself. Today I fought the battle of Intermediate Biographies; much more fiddly than anticipated, and tomorrow I'm going to create and input for the first time (so I hope it goes faster!) the Senior Biography section. In between all the books I've managed to get some knitting and Great Courseing done! I finished Turning Points in Medieval History and am starting The High Middle Ages.

I enjoyed this course; I have studied quite a bit about the medieval period, so while many of the turning points were events and people I am familiar with, it was interesting to see what the 24 the professor picked as most critical were. While I was working through that course, I finished the first Mystic Spiral sock and started the second one. So now I have three single socks and am having to fight off the urge to cast on another. The other Tintern Abbey sock will make good mindless knitting for the beginning of term, and the second spiral sock should be done in a day or two.

I also made some good progress on my Apatosaurus scarf, but it was rather less than it should have been because I first knit this:

instead of this. Oddly enough, reading the directions gives better results. Free advice for the week!

I've also been spinning a bit while listening to an American history course for fun. This is possibly alpaca that I was given and dyed using the remnants of some dried up cake dye. It is spinning up very differently than the Targhee I was working with perviously; less 'bounce,' but beautiful yarn! I look forward to finding something special to use this on once it's all done...

See my awesome nails? I tried out the sponge trick for the first time and was quite pleased with the results. Note though, this uses up WAY more nail polish. Which makes sense when you think of it, but now you know.

Well, that's pretty much all there is to say about this week! This is my last week of 'real' holiday'; the week leading up to school will have some onerous meetings and such, so I'm trying to make the most of it. Just a few more days of freedom!