Red Letter Day on the farm

Just when you think everything is going smoothly, Murphy's bloody law kicks in. The bas was allready to go when bam, the business computer burps and now the shit of a thing will not open the requesite files. Says the files are WHIPED. Things are a bit tense here right now soo.

I am going to spin and knit and pray that our family tech can restore the system. I stuffed up by not backing up properly for 9 months. We can only remember the sales for the last 7 days.

BUGGER.

New competition

I have decided too have a competition after the 4,oooth visitor became too hard for me to work out. Righto.

What it is. How long did it take for me to spin ONE bobbin of fine yarn. A single not a ply.
Pictured Left.

There is one week until the end of the comp. The winner will receive a skein of the yarn. Pure fine merino. Two ply.


The hottie cover has a history. This was made from a jumper my Mum was making when she was told she had cancer. She never finished it. I found the jumper peices in her stash recently and after shaking my head over the colours and texture I saw a way to have something that mum knitted. Not as a jumper though. The front and back are the same so I frogged them back to a lenght that fitted over a hottie, did a 3needle cast off and sewed up the side. The ribbing became the neck and I now have a cuddle from mum again 15 years after her death. I am making the other one for my sister, I am certain that she will also feel mum's arms around her when she holds it too.
















This yarn is my first attempt to spin specifically for socks. It is from my flock of corredale sheep and the colour will NOT wash out or fade. The sheep grew it like this.
Offers will be considered.

Bugger!

What to do. I what knitting along on the 4th mystery shawl and had done 6 ROWS of the 3rd clue when disaster struck!!

Blogger is stuffing with my brain again! Ok the disaster was after knitting several rows I noticed a big hole where a hole should not have been. I had dropped a stitch. It had run. I tried to knit it up but I have admitted defeat. The red shawl is now being frogged. About 6 to 10 hours of knitting is buggered. I am pissed off with myself for letting this happen. It looked sooo nice. Well now I get to knit it again. ...yay?

Otherwise I have finished my sisters socks and have started on my sock kit. He He. I have done some creative recycling of some knitting my mum did over 15 years ago. It was a camoflage boucle jumper just in peices. I did the burn test on the yarn and I beleive that it is mainly wool. No idea what brand so here are the peices front, back and a sleeve, no pattern and not cast off at all.Hmmm..... Here is my hot water bottle with no cover. Hmmm...... the front/back covers the hottie when frolded in half ......Hmmmmmm.....If i frog down so the knitted peice is just longer than the hottie and I sew up the side and 3ndle cast off the stitches I will have a great Hottie Cover. Yay The ribbing is up at the top now and holds the bottle in. The water stays nice and hot for a long time and best of all..

My MUM made it.

I still miss her.

I will make another for my sister. It may make her cry...................too.

On the other hand. NO ONE posted that they were the 4,000th caller. I checked and I was 4001. Well I have decided that the comment made closest, either before or after, will get some hand spun yarn from me. I will email them soon.

Photos on my next post.

Knit Sock Kit Swap Questionaire

What are your favorite colors? Any, I find that I am wearing pink(shudder) a lot reds and blues are good.

Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks?I don't consider myself new I have a set sock pattern stuck in my fingers now. I have been knitting socks for nearly 2 years.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?I love it all.

What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn?WOOL and natural fibres except cotton

Where do you usually knit socks? Anywhere

How do you usually carry/store small projects? In my handmade bag

What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? Formulas.

What are your favorite sock knitting techniques?Sherman short row heel/toes

What new techniques would you like to try? differnt toes.

Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting?Double points all the way

What are some of your favorite yarns?Handspun or Filatua di crosa Zara/Zaria

What yarn do you totally covet? I don't know, those flash american ones ummm. Liza Souza, Sock that Rock, Lorna Laces etc.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? Not really oohh maybe some white lies designs.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?17cm double points umm 5 to 6.5inch ones mainly metal as I haven't tried wood/bamboo.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? Handspun.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Chocolate of course or pepermints

What’s your favorite animal? Cats/Sheep

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? House pets 2 cats Cucky and Mischief also good mousers and two dogs both guard. Brutus and Briony

If you were a color what color would you be?Rosy red glowing and warm

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s)..I don't have one

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature?Some of the Dawns I witness right here.

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. Later I have to find it.

Do you have a wishlist? In my head

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? I am spinning a silver grey sliver from my sheep into sock yarn. I am planning to spin some charcoal and some white merino also.

4,ooo ? Visitor prize

I have just notice that the 4,000th visitor is about to happen. If this is YOU please leave a comment as I have something for you.

I have deceided to be nice. Some handspun merino perhaps? or some combed top? wait and see.

Tour de Fleece

I have just joined the tour de fleece that is to be found here


http://wabisabi.typepad.com/le_tour_de_fleece/

My challenge is to spin enough to reknit that bloody jumper for the bloke. He is a 3xl. Should be easy....

not famous last words I hope.

I have also started on TWO versions of the MS4. One is 2ply in red and the other is 14ply in a milk coffe colour.

More later.

Finished Items

Here are two projects. The socks on top are my 3yo's. He repeatedly nicked them as I was knitting them. I now have the wash them. They are more slippers than socks but he does wear them in his gumboots.

The baby hat and booties were made from lion brand suede. I received a ball in a christmas swap. I recently gave them away.

Back to doing eggs.

Wool doesn't BURN, it just smoulders

This is what happens to a wool jumper when exposed to the very hot exhaust of a brushcutter. Even the owner, my bloke, was glad he was wearing this and not a synthetic. He is extremely pissed off with himself too, as in his words, " This is my best jumper, its the ONLY one that keeps me warm".

I will now have to spin and knit him another. Meanwhile, this one will be washed and I will do my best to darn the holes so he can wear it again. Since he burnt it we have had -2deg nights and 10deg days. BRRRRR

Does anyone have any ideas on how to darn the burns? Please let me know.


bye

Stash on Hoof

Here are some of my sheep. They are corridales.

Stash on the hoof.