Yes, knitting

Big things, like baby blankets, seem to go on and on. It's still knice knitting, though.

I started a new scarf yesterday, just to mix things up:


It's Fiber Trends' Streaming Leaves Scarf in Sundara Yarn Sport Merino.

Anyway, July will be here in a minute and I'm crazy-tired-busy. What else is new? I'll be back soon with something real to write about.

Distraction

For me, not you. What a long week at work -- I wondered if it would ever end, but then it did, and I was home, and there were strawberries in a little dish.

The ripple blanket has grown to almost 18 inches! It's a nice, mindful knit, and the rows seem to build, one on the other, without extraordinary effort. I have no energy for extraordinary at the moment, but I do have some slow and steady-like energy. That's just right for this pretty blankie, so I've been picking it up on and off throughout the week.

Ravelry is growing, too. I've been adding a few projects here and there, and getting to know my way around the site a little better. I can't wait for it to open to everyone, because then you'll see what all the hoopla has been about. If you are already a member, stop by -- my ID is notplainjane.

I might not be planning on entering my stash into Ravelry, but that doesn't mean I'm not adding to it. Clara wrote a wonderful preview of ShibuiKnits Yarn in this week's Knitters Review Newsletter. I found myself ordering two colors of sock yarn from Knit-Purl at 5:45 in the morning! Seaweed and Honey are on their way to me, and should be at the PO early in the week. I toyed with the idea of going to Clara's house and "liberating" all of hers, but with gas prices what they are, it didn't make sense. Her stash of all that Wasabi-colored yarn is safe. For now, that is.

Ripples

I've started knitting this soft little blanket for my coworker, whose baby boy is due at the beginning of August. It satisfies all my current urges: comfort knitting, soft yarn, yet a little different. I am having a blast.

The pattern is "Blue Lagoon" from Jan Eaton's 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns. I wanted a stitch that would ripple without yarn-overs; this one uses M1's instead, and purls for texture. I've chosen my own yarn and colors, though. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton in Spruce, Mint, Pale Green, and Ecru. I think this is a somewhat new yarn -- it's very soft, loosely plied, and knits easily considering it's cotton. I chose it because the colors are so nice, and exactly what I was looking for. It's machine washable, too. I'm using 5mm/US 8 needles, and the blanket will be about 25 inches wide. The knitting goes pretty quickly, too -- I just started this morning.

One of these days I'll crochet a ripple -- I love some of the patterns in the book, and I haven't crocheted in a long time.

My other current obsession is Ravelry. Somebody, help me. I received my invitation to join yesterday, and I think that something has happened to Time since then, because it keeps disappearing. Between the blanket and this amazing website, I think I've entered some sort of hole in the Universe.

So far I've entered a few projects, and poked around everybody else's stuff. I could spend a week just doing that, but then there's the Library, the Stash, the ... oh forget it. There are still relatively few participants (and they're adding folks from the queue at a pretty fast rate, considering the time it must take to keep up with it) so it's easy to spot people you "know" and check out their work. I'm going to try to go slowly, though. I really don't have the time it takes to jump in with both feet, but I sure have had fun getting my feet wet!

I didn't spin today, which I'd planned to do; but I've had a wonderful, quiet day full of knitting and playing and resting up for the coming crazy week. It's been just about perfect. How about you?

Peachy

I've been spinning this gorgeous fiber for a few days now, and I finally decided that it's the colors of a peach. Or else a very old bit of exquisite Chinese embroidery. Whichever, it's dyed Baby Camel/Tussah Silk from Spirit Trail Fiberworks. I have eight ounces, and I think I've used about two and a half to almost fill this bobbin. That means I have something close to a gazillion yards so far, and a bazillion or two left to go. I'm going to stop and ply it when I have about two gazillion, which will be enough for a rectangular shawl, don't you think?

At first I was spinning a perfectly even and very fine yarn (don't ask me the wpi), but after just a bit, and a little test-plying, I decided to let there be some long-ish slubs. I like it better now, slightly uneven but still generally uniform. I can do this on Mister Reeves, see. It's a walk in the park for this wheel.

This afternoon's spinning was accompanied by the audio of Philip Pullman's Golden Compass. This is a wonderful book to spin to! I've read all three of the His Dark Materials books, but it's been a few years. I have 10 hours and 40 minutes of enchanted spinning (and driving) to look forward to!

You'd think that I haven't been knitting much, considering, well, the lack of knitting content in this space lately. I have been knitting a bit, but I'm working on a couple of projects that I'm "not at liberty" to discuss. I'm also still getting over the aches and pains of what I'm calling my "Lost May," and it's been uncomfortable to knit for more than a few minutes at a time. That horror seems to be over, and I'm picking up the needles more often without wincing. One thing I learned last month: when I feel really really sick, I am. The doctor will confirm it, so there's no use pretending it's not happening. Enough said.

Some of my six readers (about the same number as Clara!) might have noticed a "new" post from me on Google Reader or Bloglines earlier today. Well, that was my very first post from 2005! I was trying to remember when I started blogging, and after I figured that out I thought I'd add a label, now that Blogger has that nifty feature. Next thing I knew, Rho had left a lovely comment! Oh well, enjoy!

What a beautiful afternoon it turned out to be -- just right for spinning by the window, running a few errands, and listening to a great book. I hope your Wednesday has been just as nice as mine!