WIP Wednesday

It's Wednesday and it's all about Works in Progress :) I'm hoping to make this a weekly feature. These weekly posts will not only cover my crafty endeavors, they'll also cover my schooling, exercising/health and updates on my ongoing journey to become a more grounded and happy person. So, let's get the show on the road! I have a couple of knitting projects going on. They're both smaller projects for special people in my life :) First up is the "Summer Breeze" strappy top for Adeline. I'm knitting it in Nashua Ivy. It's dreamy, drapey alpaca and sparkle yarn. I modified the amount of stitches I cast on to fit Adeline's small frame. I previously knit one for Azalea. She loves it!!! I'm planning to finish off Adeline's top with some cutesy popscicle buttons I got from the ever fantastic and whimsically wonderful Nim of Rude and Reckless.

As you can see I don't have much done. However, it is quick knit and a great take-a-long project. Next up in the knitting category is cowl I'm knitting for the aforementioned Nim. This girl is amazing, she gives me the warm and fuzzies everytime I think about her. We've only met once but I consider her a dear friend! She is thoughtful, kind, funny, witty, intelligent, super crafty and has impeccable taste in desserts. So, to show her my appreciation I'm knitting her the "Honey Cowl" in some handspun pure silk yarn called "Seafoam" that I spun a few weeks ago. I'm knitting the shorter version as I only have about 240 yards. The yarn is a lovely slightly thick and thin single ply of incredible softness. As I was knitting it, I realized that the stitch pattern resembled the scales of a mermaid tail. Nim and I are both avid fantasy enthusiasts. So, "Mermaid Scales" it is :)

That's it for knitting! On to SPINNING! I also have two projects going on. I picked up my drop spindle after months of not using it. I started to feel the itch for my trusty ol' drop spindle. I love how portable drop spindles are and the fact that they are so simple to use. Both of the fibers I'm spinning are from Storied Yarns. Jess, the owner, cleverly creates her yarns and fibers after characters it books and movies. I am an avid book reader. Needless to say, this wasn't my first nor last purchase from Jess. Up first is "The Other Mother" a lovely Coraline inspired batt of BFL, Merino, sari silk, Firestar and other wools. It is incredibly lofty and soft with just the right amount of texture. It has been a joy to spin.

Next up is "Halloween Town" a squishable Nightmare Before Christmas inspired BFL roving. I LOVE the veritable kaleidoscopic of colors in this roving. The colors are saturated but I haven't encountered any felted bits that can sometimes happen with super saturated fibers. The picture definitely doesn't do the colors justice. Unfortunately, the battery for my camera was dead. I'll try to update with a better picture. I am really proud of the spinning for this yarn. I've mostly been spinning textured yarns as of late. However, the yarn I'm producing is crazily even and thin. I'm planning to navajo ply it to preserve the pretty color transitions.

I should mention that both of these fibers were custom made for me because I bought the "Large Surprise Package full of Yarn OR Fibery Goodness" listing in her store. I got a perfectly tailored box of goodies. Last up for my crafty WIPs is a little bit of embroidery I've been working on intermittently. It's nothing special, just a sampler on a small throw pillow cover. The pattern and pillow cover are both from Sublime Stitching.

My life is my most time intensive and serious WIP. I've dedicated myself to getting healthier physically and mentally. As of late my life has been like a roller coaster. As a result my depression, anxiety and agoraphobia flared up. I also found out that I'm prediabetic and have prehypertension. Yikes!!! That is some scary stuff. My first instinct was to just curl and basically withdraw into my shell. But, I managed to pull the pieces of myself together. I've implemented daily exercise, meditation, deep breathing, journaling, positive affirmations and healthy eating. I feel so much better!!! I am slowly but surely getting my life back in order. I am able to leave the house without having a total melt down. I feel like a human again. My endurance has increased immensely and I've lost over 20 pounds. I'm still a WIP but I'm one step closer to actualizing the woman I want to be :)

My oldest and I :) I've also stretched my septum and lip holes ;) Only bit. But, a little is better than nothing. My septum is up to 10 gauge and my lip holes are 14 gauge(they weren't really a stretch at all) I'm not sure how much larger I'll go. Stretching is addictive! I'd like to get my septum to at least a 6 gauge and my upper lip piercings to at least an 8 gauge.

I'm really close to graduating. That has brought on some serious contemplation about my future. What do I want to DO?! I THINK (lol) I've narrowed it down to either a museum curator or librarian for a large academic/research library. Well, I think this post substantive enough! I've got to get the kiddos off to bed :)

Spin, span, spun...

I'm feeling better since my last post. We'll see how long that lasts, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed! We are heading to see my mom for the weekend. That should provide some much needed happiness. Tomorrow we're also planning on taking the kids to a museum and then having a BBQ at my mom's. the rest of the weekend should involve swimming, bowling, spinning, BBQ'ing, fireworks and general merriment. I'll also be meeting my mom's new boyfriend. I think this is her first serious BF since her husband passed away a year and a half ago. I hope things go well. I am actually pretty nervous about meeting him....

I have been spinning a lot lately. I imagine it is because of the excitement of getting a wheel in the near future. I set up a deal on a used Ashford Joy single treadle with a traveling bag. I even got $100 knocked off in exchange for some nice fiber and yarn. I LOVE this wheel!!! I can't believe I am actually going to be getting this beautiful wheel!!! Her name is Helen and this is what she looks like.


Anyways here is some of the stuff I've spun this week...




I also taught Az to spin a bit and this is what he did... He was surprisingly gentle with the fiber



Danny also taught him to crochet....

(pretending it is a beard... lol)

Oh yea! I gave him a mohawk!




Some random pictures...





Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Spinning attempts as of late...

Man, I LOVE spinning. I've become a fiber addict. I was uncountable amounts of roving and batts! I've joined a fiber club swap on craftster. I'm planning on dyeing my roving next week. In return I get 4 oz of hand dyed/painted fiber from both of my partners. Yay! I also bought a 3 month package fiber club off etsy from lapoli. I also got a mixed box from phat fiber last month... See below

And this is what I've spun so far from that box....



Cut little mini skeins and balls ;)

And here are some of the bigger projects I've done

The one on the left(the green one) is a milk latter fiber. It was a BITCH to spin. But, it turned out so smooth and silky.

I still have a bunch more fiber to spin up. But, one can never have too much fiber... or craft supplies for that matter!

You spin me right round, baby right round like a record, baby. Right round round round.

I've started spinning. And I must say that IT is uber fun and addicting! I love it. I started out with some beautifully lush alpaca roving.


Drafted it



Spun it


Prepared it for dyeing and setting the twist. I wrapped the mini skeins around an 18 inch ruler so I could easily calculate the yardage. One full wrap around the ruler = 1 yard.


I forgot to take pictures of the dyeing process. But I used Kool-aid, a bit of vinegar (to help the color take faster), hot water, my crock pot and some patience. Here are the mini skeins hanging in the bathroom drying.


And here are the finished mini skeins.


It was a great process.It was relaxing and addictive. I would seriously recommend everyone try it. Its easy to get started, not very expensive, relaxing, and not to mention historical. I'm actually planning on making my own bottom whorl drop spindle from a CD soon.