Catching Up to Date

In my last blog post I was talking about all the crazy things I had going on last year that overwhelmed me.  I left off at the end of August just as I was being buried alive in projects...

I have always loved September.  For me it represents so many new beginnings;  the first day of school, my birthday, it is even Jewish New Year though I've not particular celebrated it that way.  September 2015 was all about just getting through the next step, one little bit of progress over the mountain path, carefully as to not cause an avalanche.

Here's what I worked on month-by month:

September

Searched through lots of pattern books for ideas for my design

Hand knitted socks for my sister

Used Jamberry nail wraps to quit biting my nails

Started knitting socks for my daughter

Started spinning this SAPGAP yarn order

October

Working out pattern details

Finished my daughter's socks

Wrote, tested and published this hat pattern

Started socks for my son

Hand spun and mailed out all this yarn

November

Sewed box bags for a fiber festival

Sewed a special order bag and an new cube-sized bag

Hand spun and hand dyed this yarn

Hand knit this adorable dragon

Started a fund-raiser for my ferret's surgry

Finished writing the pattern, and got it test knit

Sent off my Geek-Swap package

December

Make custom-order slippers

Dyed wool

Sewed more bags

Sewed a different style bag

Designed new fiber graphics

Hand-combed LOTS of wool

Learned a new style of art-yarn

Dyed this wool

Went on vacation to visit my family!

January

Designed something I haven't revealed yet

Hand knit a skirt for my daughter

Made a custom order of two hats

Finished this SAPGAP art-yarn order

Finally finished my son's socks

Got my ferret her life-saving surgery

Started an MKAL for my latest pattern

Whew!  All that was tiring!  That gets us all caught up!  My husband is still on swing shift so I am still 99% a single parent.  However I am going to be careful as to not overload myself to *that* point again.  I am enjoying my freedom of sitting and enjoying an evening of MY choice instead of trying to keep up with that frantic pace.  I still have a lot to get done, but at a much more reasonable pace. :D  I have lots of exciting things to share with you!

Wilma

Ok, I'm back everybody!  Sorry for the cliffhanger.  Well, maybe I'm not sorry exactly but I'm glad you're back.  :P

I left off talking about Tour de Fleece!  I had set myself up with several ideas going in:

• stash busting
• trying new things
• washing, picking out vegetable matter, and flick-combing to prepare a bunch of my raw wool for spinning
• Play with dyeing!  
• two SAPGAP trades, one again with the same person I did before, this time with a Merino/Cormo cross and if I finished that I would start up on some alpaca/silk roving from the next SAPGAP trade.

I started off on the wrong foot.  I intended to start with the Merino/Cormo fleece but the carder machine I was using broke down.  So I had to try to get back out to my local yarn store to rent the big machine.  That didn't happen until about a week into TdF.

Let me take a moment to tell you about this fleece.  It's amazing.  Its the softest that I have spun to date and oh-so-squooshy!  If that wasn't a word before, it is now.  This is the seconds (it's not even the best stuff off this sheep!) from a sheep named Wilma.  There is something special spinning from fiber from a named sheep.  I can feel the love that went into the care for the animal.  I hope Wilma is happy with how I've been spinning her fiber because I feel that she is now my animal friend.

The first skein I just went for it.  I tried spinning long-draw as finely as I could make this fleece work with me - and it took forever.  Spinning and plying all day for 3-4 days (I forget exactly now but it was the aforementioned "forever").  I knew I would never finish before my August 1 due date.  I shared  pictures (the ones below actually) with the person who owns the fleece and she liked it but felt it was too thin.  So I set it aside to add to my share and moved on.

624 yards, 100 grams; 23 wraps per inch

Next I tried spinning short-draw and making it a bit thicker and fluffier.  It worked perfectly.  I hit right in the 17 wraps per inch range which is fingering weight.  This style of drafting also allowed the yarn to be even sqooshier.  It'll make lovely baby clothes, as she said that's what she wants to do with the yarn.

Unfortunately after I finished this skein I got side tracked by life.  My kiddos and home needed tending to.  Always going on about the "I need clean clothes," and "I'm hungry," and some such.  Then my 14  year old wanted a birthday party.  Ugh.  I just want to spin!  lol

So then I got back to it and got two more 100g skeins done and two singles for another skein as Tour de Fleece came to a close.  The next day I plied the two together and washed & set all the yarn to date.  At this moment I have to finish spinning this last single, ply the fourth skein, wash, set, dry this last skein and then I can mail them home. :)  I'm cutting it close and its making me nervous.  I know she'll be okay if it's a day or two late but I like things to be on time.

Here's a purdy picture I took of her yarn modeling my yarn bands I've put up for sale.

So I probably should tell you about these yarn bands.  I made these up for my first SAPGAP order and since then I've updated them.  Two days I found out that my rent is going up so I had the brilliant idea of selling custom yarn bands & tags.  So, I fixed them up a bit more, made a second page for small skein tags and put them in my online shop.  They'll make your yarn and roving look more professional and at a measly $5 they'll pay for themselves in no time.  Take a look! 

Tour de Fleece results:

• stash busting  Got some stash spun!
• trying new things  Tried new things!  Spinning from the lock and new fiber.
• washing, picking out vegetable matter, and flick-combing to prepare a bunch of my raw wool for spinning  Eh, not nearly as much done as I wanted.
• Play with dyeing!  Nope, nothing got dyed. :(
• two SAPGAP trades, one again with the same person I did before, this time with a Merino/Cormo cross and if I finished that I would start up on some alpaca/silk roving from the next SAPGAP trade.  Didn't get the first one done but I'm okay with the progress I made.

My project Moleskin with TdF numbers

In closing today I'll flash this pretty picture at you.  This is everything I spun and plied during Tour de Fleece.  Again, the dates for those who forgot was July 4 - 26th.  

Busy Bee

I in no way meant to neglect this blog, and if you've been on any of my other social media site you can see that I've been busy!

Speaking of which, I've joined a few new ones.  Here's the list of where I'm at:

Blogger: http://rcozyknits.blogspot.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RCozyKnits
Google+: https://plus.google.com/108753918272315672879/posts/p/pub
Instagram: https://instagram.com/rcozyknits  NEW!
Ravelry:http://www.ravelry.com/people/Freckleface78
Ravelry Designer Page: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/rachel-sanchez
Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RCozyKnits
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RCozyKnits
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHGebKHn123t4cstnMGsh5Q  NEW! 


Whew.  Just looking at that makes me tired.  lol  Putting that list down was as much for me as it is for you.  I kept confusing myself where I posted stuff; which is one reason why I've not written for so long.  I gave an update on Facebook and not here by accident.  Hopefully as I go forward from here I'll figure out a system to keep it smooth.

So, advertising is a boring part of the business but necessary.  Moving on!

I put out my pattern and asked for test knitters.  I found a couple but I also found an error with my pattern.  While my husband requested a certain kind of closure it just didn't work with the felted fabric that he also requested.  So I thought it out, did a test run and he likes it.  So I fixed up his bag and fixed up the pattern.  I took new pictures and I'm ready to try again to ask for more test knitters.  The two are still interested but more is better.  I'm going to reach out to a test knitting group on Ravelry and see how that goes.  If anyone reading this blog wants to test knit a bag please email me!

Same great bag, better cinching closure.

Oh,  and Tour de Fleece!  I took lots of photos as I went along.   You all have seen the colorful yarns I spun but then I moved on to my SAPGAP order.  I have one more skien to spin up and then I'll be done.

The kids want dinner.  Why do they feel the need to eat everyday?  Sheesh!  :P  So I'll leave you with a teaser for now and tell you more tomorrow...

Tour de Fleece 2014, Day 9

Ok. I freely admit it. I'm addicted to spinning and I don't care who knows it!  I have no regrets!

The last time I wrote a blog wntry it was day 3.   It is now day 9. My lack of computer is holding me back, too, but Ishould  have it back in a few days.  That will be a relief!

Let's see, what exactly have I been doing?

I've washed a few pounds of fleece and started picking the vegetable matter out of it. 

Its the Ramboulett and Targhee fiber I bought recently. 

I also have been spinning a lot!  For a few days I spun a new technique for me. This wool had (suri?) locks (angelina?) and I only flicked it - no carding or eoving. It qas my first lock spinning. The tiny knots hurt my hands trying to oull it thin but it was so woth it!

Trying to decide what to pair it with took quite some time. Blue wool?  White suri?Chocolate  huacaya?   I finally decided on this lovely mystery batt if wool-alpaca-(rayon?) in black/white/purple.

The gorgeous 517 yard skein crying out to me to be a shawl!  I will oblige it!  What was left I plied back on itself (72 y). 

Next I spent an afternoon weighing out 50g piles of fiber for two SAPGAP trades.   The batts went into bags and the rovings went into small balls. 

Yesterday I spent all day spinning a fine yarn that I think will end up being a 2-ply lace weight.   This is a Merino-Coromo cross. 

 Tonight I will work more on its ply-mate. 

I cannot forget to tell you that I'm almost done writing the Luck Sack pattern!  I need to edit a bit more and get some pictures taken and it'll be ready for test knitting!  I expect to have it ready in the next day or two. :)

SAPGAP Shipped out

I finished my Spin A Pound Get a Pound spinning!  I am really excited about spinning all this yarn so evenly.  It was the first real effort I've made to try to get a spun yarn to a specific thickness.  All my personal yarns to date had been spun as thinly as possible and then I'd figure out where it was afterwards.  This yarn I spun specifically to a 2-ply fingering weight as that is was the wool's owner requested.  I did mini samples at the beginning to test how to do the spin, then adjusted my wheel ratio (how fast the wheel spins) and my drafting method I switched to long draw (one technique of pulling the fiber thin before the twist secures the fibers).

I was so excited about shipping this swap that I designed myself a yarn label with my logo and yarn details. :D 

Sharon, the person who owned the wool, is so excited to get her hands on her share of the yarn.  She shared with me that she plans to make a shawl to wear to church with it.  As she is getting the four skeins on the right I think she'll have plenty to play with!

As for me, my husband has requested his very first knitted item from me; a "luck sack."  This is a huge deal as I've been knitting for four years and he has previously refused to let me make him anything.  Not one thing!  So today I was able to wind one of my skeins into a cake and I can start a swatch and get designing something just for him. :)  The mini skeins are destined to be dyed and become the intarsia (picture) portion of my pattern.

For any spinners and fiber growers out there who wish to check out Spin A Pound Get a Pound, here is a link.  The group is very business like and there are a lot of rules in the group but they are all reasonable.  Every rule is in place to keep the growers and spinners safe from fraud or to keep the moderators from being overwhelmed with repeating themselves.  I am very happy with my first experience in the group.