Seeing this post on a friend's blog Ask The Bellwether: Meme: Spinning Resolutions 2008.Got me to thinking about New Year resolutions and what I would like to accomplish this year in my spinning and knitting.

On the spinning front, I would like to get back to carrying a spindle and fiber with me and using it, as I haven't been doing that as much as I would like. I also want to try to spin down the mohair stash, I have 2 shearings worth of fleece to spin, with another one coming up in April. I have about 6 pounds of shetland (one fleece), 10 pounds of llama (one fleece), 15 pounds of mohair (two years worth from 5 angora goats) and assorted mystery wools.

On the knitting front, I would like to get all the sock yarn I have knitted up for everyone in the family, finish both lace projects I have on the needles and do some other lace knitting. I also would love to be able to design a true lace shawl pattern, something that is totally original and different.

I ended up moving my site to Yahoo...not really happy about that, but it is better than where my ISP wanted it moved to. So the link to the Stormy Morning Shawl has been changed as well. It is now here. I am hoping to get a domain name and have it hosted soon, so things will settle down. I hope everyone will just bare with me during the transition time.

I also posted the pattern for the Dragon Scale Gloves on my site. They are turning out really nice and I already have a request to make one of Billy's friends a pair.
I cast on and knitted the hands for Bob's mittens, but didn't have enough yarn to do the thumbs. I will be spinning up some mohair to do them in. I'll be using fiber from my buck, Hawkeye, as it is as soft as the yarn the mittens are knitted in is and will be a blend of white and gray.

Well...I didn't finish my Christmas knitting :( I got Sandy's shawl and wristwarmers done, Jenny's wristwarmers done, but didn't finish her shawl, still had the thumb to do on the FIRST glove for Billy and didn't even get started on Bob's stuff. :( They are all understanding about it and willing to wait for me to get everything knitted.

As for what I got for Christmas...an 8 gig MP3 player made by RCA, the sheep needle sizer from The Bellwether, the movie "Paint Your Wagon", and a fannypack. Plus chocolate in my stocking. :) Not much, but all things I wanted and can use.

The Secret of Chrysopolis got put on hold while I do Christmas knitting, but I did get some pictures of it. This one shows the progress I made before I had to put it on hold.




For Sandy, I designed and knitted a shawl out of bulky hand spun merino and knitted her a pair of lace wristwarmers. Jenny is getting a pair of the lace wristwarmers out of hand spun shetland and if I can get it done, a "Dracula's Bride" shawl.


Billy is getting a pair of Dragon Scale gloves (a pattern that I am designing). Bob will be getting a chullo hat made out of hand spun mohair from our goats.

Finally got the Chocolate Covered Cherried shawl washed and blocked! Here is a pic of it blocked and ready to use.I will be taking it with me on the trip this month.

I was planning on just taking yarn for 3 pairs of socks and make myself work on them, but Bob got me some new sock yarn. It is in fall colors and is screaming at me to cast it on and make a pair of socks. :) I think the problem is that most of my yarn has/is blues and grays, with touches of green, so I was tired of those colors, I'm hoping that after this pair I can go back to the other yarns and get them made up. I really need the socks.

I'll try to keep my blog up while I'm traveling around the country in the truck. Posting about my adventures and who I manage to get to visit.

I finished the MS3!!! Here is a pic of my daughter modeling it for me. She loves it, now to keep her from stealing it. :)

Now on to my next big project. I'm using up a bunch of acrylic yarn, making shawls to donate to a local charity that she works with. I will be doing different shapes, which will allow me to learn how to do them.

I'm still plugging away at Bob's socks. About 1/4 of the way through the heel flap on the first one. I also pulled out the Chocolate Covered Cherries shawl to work on. I want to get it finished so that I have that set of needles for the other shawls.

I have finished Clue 4 of the MS3 and have the first chart of Clue 5 done. So far I like the way the wing looks in the brown. I'll know more when I get farther along on it.

I got my socks done and they turned out nice. I'm working on a short summer pair for Bob now. They are out of Lang Jawoll Jacquard in a k1, p1 ribbing. The leg is only 2.75" long, so I will have enough for the foot of the socks, as Lang Jawoll's skiens are smaller than normal.

I got some nice presents for my b-day this year. Bob got me 15 ounces of a 50/50 tussah silk/honey rayon blend to spin. Then my MIL gave me $25 to spend on myself. So, I ordered two books on lace knitting, "Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls" and "Gossamer Webs: The History and Techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls." Both are more reference books than pattern books, they are designed to teach you how to design your own lace shawls. I am looking forward to sitting down with yarn and needles to work on some of the things they talk about.

I have the green shawl for the Spun Stitches KAL down to the border, but don't have enough yarn to do the border as charted, so it is on hold while I decide what to do for the border.

I got the yarn for the MS3 on Monday and wound it into a ball yesterday afternoon. I was swatching and decided to use size US 2 needles for it. I cast on and got Chart A, the first 50 rows, done. I like the way it is turning out. Had a funny experience, while casting on and working on it. We have been praying for rain, since it has been so dry this spring/early summer. When I pulled the yarn out to ball it, I heard a crack of thunder, then while balling it there was more thunder and started seeing lightening flashes, didn't think much of it as we have been having a lot of dry lightening :( Well...as I started knitting, the rains started! They didn't let up until I had finished the whole first chart, by then it was 8 pm and time to feed the goats and go to bed.

I am down to the heel flap on one sock and working down the leg of the other. They aren't taking long to knit. I just need to spend more time on them.

The shawl for the Spun Stitches KAl is on the third repeat of the lace pattern. I have one more repeat of the lace pattern to do after this one and then the border. I love the way it is turning out and will get pics soon.

I was offered some hand-dyed yarn, instead of waiting for the copper Zephyr, and took my friend up on it. She is supposed to be sending it and the beads to me this week, so I can begin the MS3.

I knitted a small bag for my youngest daughter to use to carry her ID card in, she made the strap for it. The strap is card woven in the same color, plus a lighter shade of it.

Well, I had to rethink the socks. The yarn is just to busy for any kind of pattern stitch, so they will be just plain stockinette. I will use that stitch pattern for another pair of socks, later.

I finally decided on the pattern for the Spun Stitches shawl. I choose the Barbara Shawl by Jeanie Townsend. It is working up quickly and looks nice with the yarn. I'm looking forward to having it, for early mornings when it is a bit nippy.

I am also working on the shawl out of the Chocolate Covered Cherries fiber, it is a thick/thin, bulky weight yarn, that I spun while learning how to spin on my Babe Pinkie wheel.

I am still waiting for the yarn and beads for the MS3. The first shipment of yarn got lost in transit :( and now the color I want is on back order. We are hoping that the first box shows up so I can get my yarn.

I FINALLY finished the colorwork socks! No, there are no pics of them, as I was so tired of looking at them, I just put them away for the summer. While I was putting away the extra yarn...I found some handspun Shetland yarn, well it jumped out of the storage bin into my lap and onto the needles. It is now becoming the Barbara Shawl by Jeanie Townsend, a free pattern that you can get here. I wasn't planning on using this yarn as I don't have much, but...it wants to be this shaw. I'm hoping that I have enough yarn to make the whole shawl, if not at least the main body of it and then can do a contrasting border.

I am still trying to decide what pattern to do for the Spun Stitches KAL, was thinking about this pattern, but still not to sure about it. I have the yarn spun, plied and washed. There is 600 yards of it, but don't know the wpi yet. I am making a wpi tool today out of some doweling that I have laying around the house.

Still waiting on the yarn and beads to get here for the MS3 KAL. My friend, Shelly, bought them for me. All I know is that the yarn is Jaggerspun Zephyr in Copper, don't know what color the beads will be. The first clue comes out on June 29, but the list doesn't close until July 6th. If you would like more information go here.