2014 In Spinning (And Dyeing)

This one's coming in a little late and I apologize, but it's been sort of a long day.  I'm actually sitting in the living room of my aunt's house watching Mulan (which we just realized is about gender dysphoria and explicitly mentions cross-dressing and drag shows!) and we haven't gone to bed yet so it counts for today -- er, yesterday.

Anyway.  The last part of my review for the last year is in spinning and dyeing, which are usually pretty similar.  In fact there's only two exceptions where I dyed yarn (one for me; one for someone else).

Shall we get started?

Falling Ungulates

This was the dyeing part...

And here's the spinning!

This was all done in February for the Ravellenic Games.  I named it Falling Ungulates because of the events it was for -- Flying Camel Spin and Downhill Dyeing.  I knit it up as well, but the pattern wasn't working.  You may recall the hat from the knitting wrap-up.  That's this stuff.

Normalcy, TdF, And 3 Good Things

Happy Monday everyone!  How has your day been?  Mine has been less productive than yesterday, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I didn't actually get up until noon, but when I did I fixed my bed and took a shower and made a large quantity of food because I was very hungry.  While I was eating I sat down to catch up some on the 2014 Winter Olympics that are still on the DVR from February.  All I'm watching is the figure skating, and all I had left of it was the women's skating (plus the post-competition gala, which is essentially "Hey, have some fun!").  Once I finished breakfast I grabbed Róisín and my green-and-blue fiber bundle and returned to watching.  I spent most of the day spinning and watching Olympics, except for when I took a break to tackle my closet again.  Two more shelves and another drawer down (leaving only the two drawers of shirts plus all the hanging clothes on the other side), and I also figured out how to handle all the bags hanging on the back wall.  I've determined I cannot have more projects on the go than hooks to hang the project bags.  We'll see how that works.  The "one project per hook/needle set" rule seems to have helped greatly, so maybe this one will too.

I finished both my singles for today with time to spare, and spent a while knitting on Wibbley Wobbley Timey Wimey as well.  I have one more row to finish the TARDISes (TARDI?  What's the plural of TARDIS?) and then it's on to the boring stitch patterns (reverse stockinette and ribbing).  I was hoping to have two balls of the yarn leftover, but it looks like I may actually have to break into the third ball to finish the ribbing.  I'm okay with that.

Here's my Tour de Fleece collage for today:

Productivity!

Today has been an incredibly productive day on several fronts.

In addition to getting "school" pictures taken and wandering the mall, I got the following things done:

• Dusted my room and the gameroom (and offered to dust my brothers' room but it didn't need doing)
• Vacuumed the entire upstairs except my room because the floor isn't quite clean yet
• Washed, dried, and sorted three loads of laundry for the family, folded and put away my part
• Washed, dried, folded, and put away a load of my own clothes
• Cleaned the kitchen, including washing all the dishes
• Emptied all the trash cans I'm responsible for emptying

And I got my Tour de Fleece spinning done too.

Read on for bigger pictures and some stories.  Remember to click on images to get a closer look.

And We're Off!

Today starts the 2014 Tour de France and its little sister, the Tour de Fleece.  That means 21 days of spinning (both the bicycle- and spindle-shaped varieties) over 23 days of July.  We the fiber spinners are going to spin miles of yarn.  Miles of it, I tell you.  Many miles.

I'm not though.  I will be happy to get around 350 yards (~320 meters) of yarn out of this project.  That's not much, considering some people will be producing that much in a matter of days, but I'll excuse myself by saying I'm spinning lace and working on other projects as well!

I was deliriously excited to get started on this project, so there are about a million pictures and none of them are very interesting, and I'm putting them up anyway because they're all lovely pictures.  I'll try to make them more interesting as the Tour continues.  For now, would you like to see what I did today?

Only one picture is allowed in the daily threads, so I've learned to make a photo collage!  Here's Day 1 in one picture:

If that was enough for you, feel free to stop there.  If you'd like to see many more pictures and a bit of a ramble, read on!

Summer Fun Bingo, Part Two (Resolutions For July)

(Stay tuned to the end of the post for Tour de Fleece Day -1!)

I've still got five squares left of my first round of Summer Fun Bingo, but Mom suggested I start a new sheet for the rest of the summer so I have more things to do.  Since I have two months left and nothing really pressing to accomplish, I figure I might actually get a third sheet in.  But let's not be hasty.  My 24 squares for Summer Fun Bingo, Part Two also double as my Resolutions for July, since there's really no point in adding more things to my list.  Here's the sheet:

Click to zoom

And here's the breakdown.

Summer Fun Bingo, Or, Resolutions For June

Sometime before the end of last semester, Ian asked me if I'd like to go to France with him in July.  He has family there and occasionally flies out to see them (and practice his French) for a few weeks.  I said yes, of course, even though I don't speak a word of French and I'd had half-formed summer plans already.  Pretty much nothing takes precedence over Europe.

I'm still not sure if we're going -- planning this has turned into an adventure for him -- but I operate under the assumption that I'll be out of the country for three weeks in July because if I don't I probably won't be able to go.  That means I can't go job-hunting (no one will give me three weeks off when I started working like two weeks ago), and I can't take a summer class (the last week or so overlaps when we're potentially leaving).  Essentially, it means I have to cram my entire summer into June, and hope I won't be here in July.  Enter the Summer Fun Bingo, Year Two.

Click to zoom

This is something we did last year.  I honestly don't remember if I did all 24 things or not, but I at least gave it a shot.  Last year there were categories, and really hard things as well as really easy things.  This year I just threw together a list of 24 things I want to get done, and think I can possibly accomplish in June.

So for this month I have either 1 resolution or 24, depending on how you look at it.  If you think of it as one, my resolution is Complete Summer Fun Bingo Card.  If you think of it as twenty-four, here's the rundown:

Ravellenic Games Day Seven

Wow.  It's the end of the first week already.  How did that happen?

The crazy Texas weather decided to actually allow me to go to my Astronomy class tonight.  It would have been better if I'd remembered to wear my winter boots, because Converse have absolutely no insulation whatsoever.  I was physically in pain from the waist down when we went back inside, from not having enough layers.  I'll try to remember next time.

I'm thinking my medal count is off at this point, because surely we've finished more projects.  I'll check tomorrow, but I'll put up the old count tonight anyway:

Cable Cross-Country (1)
Cross Cowling (1)
Mitten Moguls (1)
Single Skein Speed Skate (2)
Stash Skeleton (1)
WIPs Dancing (2)

I'm actually extremely pleased with my progress for today.  I hit two major milestones today, which makes me think maybe I can actually get this stuff done with time to spare.

Ravellenic Games Day Six

Why did no one inform me it was Stupid Drivers Only Day?  That would have been nice to know before I went out on the road today!  Driving Tip Of The Day:  When you signal to turn left, move into the left-turn-only lane, don't just block up the straight lane!

In other news, I've discovered that people with weird or unusual hobbies and passions are more likely to listen to each other talk about their passions even if they don't share them.  Case in point: My English teacher has a great love for pens and pencils.  He spends a great deal of money on really nice vintage pens that have a rich history, fancy quick-dry ink from Liverpool (because he's left-handed), and "the most perfect pencil in the world" according to somebody.  And we spent half of English class today talking about the pens he uses to grade our papers (a Parker 51)and how using a favorite pen or pencil actually makes the writing process more pleasing.  Some students were laughing, but I was really interested.  It's always wonderful to listen to people talk about subjects they really care about.

My knitting circle was tonight, as I think I mentioned yesterday.  My best friend ended up having to do something for his world history class, so I knew he wouldn't be coming.  But no one else came either!  I did not expect to be the only one there tonight, but I was able to make significant progress on my socks (more on that in a minute).

The medal count seems to be stalled.  Are we just not finishing quick projects anymore?  Just a a reminder, we have 8 medals total, from the following categories:

Cable Cross-Country (1)
Cross Cowling (1)
Mitten Moguls (1)
Single Skein Speed Skate (2)
Stash Skeleton (1)
WIPs Dancing (2)

My spinning sort of... crashed.

Ravellenic Games Day Five

Today has been the weirdest day.

I woke up when my alarm went off at eight, checked my computer to be sure classes were definitely still canceled, and pulled the covers back over my head.  I love my Octuple Rainbow because if I pull it over my head and tuck the rest of the blankets around my neck, it's still warm and reasonably dark but the holes in the granny squares allow me to breathe.  My mother came in at nine-something to let me know that while our street is totally clear, a friend a few miles away had reported that her driveway is completely iced over.  Weirdest weather ever.

I've now watched all but the last five minutes of The Square, which is a fascinating documentary released on Netflix about the ongoing Egyptian protests against the government. (Did you know those were still going on this past summer?  Apparently America lost interest, because I didn't know that.)  I'll try to finish the last five minutes tomorrow, which is frustrating because it's probably two minutes of movie and three of credits.  If that.

And because of the evil school-chomping weather that did not exist, I went to hang out/study with my best friend and Astronomy classmate, talked about grocery shopping and the horrors of kids who won't clean up after themselves with his mother, and listened to more of my frightening audiobook on the way (more on this later).

Medal count stands just as it was yesterday, so I'll simply remind you:

Ravellenic Games Day Four

Really, it's only Day Four?  Wow.  Time is crawling.  I thought it was later than that.

School does not seem to be cramping my speed much, but maybe that's more of a reflection on how much time I actually spend doing homework.  I think the most time-consuming part of school is actually the driving, but that's probably because it feels like wasted time.  (Except I listen to audiobooks, and that makes it not a waste of time.)

Anyway.  You all are here to see the medal count, aren't you?  Then let's get to it!  New medal categories and additions in current categories will be listed in blue to make them easier to recognize.  Oh, and I'm going to start alphabetizing them.  This random order thing is starting to kill me.

Cable Cross-Country (1)
Cross Cowling (1)
Mitten Moguls (1)
Single Skein Speed Skate (2)
Stash Skeleton (1)
WIPs Dancing (2)

Both our new medals today were earned by a wonderfully soft-looking bulky cowl knit by one of my teammates in an astonishing 2.75 hours!  (Seriously, she knit a thing you can actually wear.  In under three hours.  She deserves those prizes.)

On to my progress for the day:

Ravellenic Games Day Three

No one is slowing down yet!

I'm only hearing sporadically from my teammates, so I assume they're all knitting like the wind.  (Can the wind knit?)

The medal count stands now at:

WIPs Dancing (2)
Mitten Moguls (1)
Cable Cross-Country (1)
Single Skein Speed Skate (1)
Stash Skeleton (1)

Which is only one more medal than we previously had, but that medal is mine!  A WIPs Dancing medal earned for me by this lovely little fella...

Ravellenic Games Day Two

This year's Ravellenics are off to a good start.  Two of my teammates have already finished their first projects.  I'd like to keep track of how many medals my team earns as a whole, just for the fun of it. So far, we have medals in...

WIPs Dancing (1)
Mitten Moguls (1)
Cable Cross-Country (1)
Single Skein Speed Skate (1)
Stash Skeleton (1)

That's five events my team has medaled in, and it's only the second day!  I'm so proud.

My own projects are coming along nicely as well.  Ready to see some major improvement?

Ravellenic Games Day One

Greetings from... virtualSochi, Russia!  I'm not actually in Sochi, but my brain kind of is.  At 10am this morning I joined knitters, crocheters, spinners, and weavers around the globe in beginning the challenge of working an entire project between the 7th and the 23rd, the run of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

I was not expecting to start at 10 since I have Speech class beginning at that time.  Because my professor ran out of copies on an important handout, though, class didn't start until a few minutes after ten, and I used those minutes to cast on for my first project.  Lucky coincidence!

I'm going to try to do daily updates on my progress, so you can keep up with the fun.  Ready?  Here we go.

Spinning In Public

I take my spindle pretty much everywhere.  Anywhere I'll be standing or sitting in a position convenient for spinning, either Jara or Akitla has an invitation to accompany me.  I'm especially partial to places where there will be a balcony and enough time to get a good make or two over the edge, such as one of the college campuses I attend for classes regularly.

It's always fun to see the reactions I get.  A lot of people just stare out of the corners of their eyes.  Some people ask me what on earth I'm doing (at college, sometimes with stronger language!), while others ask more intelligent, informed questions.  Here are some of my favorite stories:

Bunny Fluff: Snowfall

Before I took up spinning, I was doing a bunch of research, and talking about it a lot with my best friend (since I process information by relating it).  I really don't remember how angora came up, but it did.  And for some reason, out of all the fiber I told him about, "rabbit wool" became his favorite (and yes, I know that terminology is incorrect; I've since corrected him to calling it "bunny fluff").  I knew I would have to make him something out of angora because of this, so when he later joked that I should make him a hat, there was my plan.

Turns out it's way cheaper to buy angora fiber than it is to buy angora yarn, so... yeah.  100% pure angora fiber is an interesting spinning task.  The fibers are short and hate to stay together, so they take a ton of twist to stabilize.  It also likes to spin thin.  So yeah, you could say it's a challenge.

I have four ounces of it, two 2oz ...bundles, I guess. Plastic bags full of fiber.  I manipulated one into a braid when I pulled it out, and I've left the other alone for now because of angora's tendency to shed.  I really have no idea how much the hat is going to take, so I'm going to do the two braids as two skeins.  That means I only have to have an ounce at a time on my spindle.  And means I can take a break from spinning to do half the plying, and then spin the other skein.  I'm easily bored.

Anyway, so this is my birthday gift to him.  Not just the hat, but the process.  Of course I have to do the spinning (this is so not a beginner's fiber), but I'll probably let him help me ply it if he's interested.  We're definitely dyeing it together, however he wants that done.  And since he's a quick study, he can also help knit it.  Meaning he'll be involved in every step of this process from fluff to finished, with the exception of spinning singles.  This is fun for both of us.

Right now I'm just shy of finishing the first ounce.  I have a small length of top left out of the ounce, and then I'll wind off this single onto a pen (probably) and start on the other half.

One of the college campuses at which I take classes is a giant two-story building that vaguely resembles a strip mall.  So while I was there yesterday, between classes with little to do for an hour, I spun.  Over the second-story railing.  Aw, yeah.

I picked a section of railing where people don't normally walk underneath, and it was fortunate that I did.  Once during the spinning process I lifted the spindle for a flick, and when I released it the slight bounce snapped my single.  Oops.

Interestingly, things seem to fall slower when watched from above.  Akitla struck the ground with a clunk audible from the second story, and lay forlornly in a tiled corner, waiting for me (I wish I had a picture of this, but I was too busy freaking out to stop to take one).  I admit I cursed as I snatched up my things and dashed down the adjacent stairs to retrieve her.  Except for a slight dent at the bottom of the shaft, she's perfectly all right.

I think from now on, I'll keep my balcony spinning to the plying part of the process.  There's less likelihood of tumbling spindles with that stage.  Anyway when plying over a balcony, a good solid spin will carry it all the way to the ground, which tends to make people stop and gape -- a sight that basically makes my day.

Storied Color: Coolest Thing

It's the end of week two, and time to check in!

I think I mentioned before that this is my third yarn, and it's already my favorite.  It's the fastest I've ever spun (I spun as much in the last two weeks as I did in my first month), it'll be the most I've ever spun (my current record is 1/2 ounce), and it's goshdarn the most complex I've ever spun (colors need to be kept in order!).

Recall my progress at the end of last week?  Jara's shaft wound with a skinny cop of reddish-purple singles, only beginning to show the rounded shape of a pregnant spindle?

Storied Color

Every month the Spindlers group on Ravelry hosts a spinning challenge based on a theme.  The goal is to start and complete a skein of yarn (at least 1oz/28g) between the first and last day of the month.  All entries must, of course, be spun on a spindle, and the "winner" gets to pick the theme for the next month.

Since Jara was free at the end of August, I decided to give the challenge this month a shot.  The theme this month is Storied Color.

This project is an adventure story, the story of my fiber crafting.  I pick something new to try, and then I just give it a shot even if it's considered hard or scary or whatever.  I don't let anything scare me.

So I started with 1.2oz of delicious merino from my Nerd Girl Yarns 8oz sampler pack, that looked like this:

A Little Spinning Story

I'd like to tell you a little story, if you have the time to read it.

Since I was a kid I've been fascinated by the idea of turning fluff into string.  I remember Mom showing us a little envelope containing wool (I think for a literature discussion) and how while she wasn't looking I tried to twirl a little piece of it into string with my fingers (it didn't work).

When I found out that people actually do this, I got really excited and fixated on the idea of spinning.  I did a bunch of research on the internet, looked up spindles (people spin with weighted sticks?  I thought they used wheels!), calculated how much it would cost me to start.  I figured around fifty dollars for what I wanted.  But I didn't really have that kind of money to blow.

I saw a thread on Ravelry about someone getting used to their first drop spindle by plying commercial yarn, and something else somewhere about spindles made of LEGO.  There's a lot of LEGO in my house.  I built this at the end of April: