Back In The Saddle

Since I got my spinning mojo back during the Seattle to Portland Yarn Train Crawl, I've been spending more time with the wheel.  Last week, Cindy (my favorite LYS owner!), asked a few of us if we'd come down to Urban Fiber Arts to spin and be interviewed about it by Neighborhood Notes.

ToolMan and I headed downtown early, but Rachel (digging in her basket) and Sari (her hands are on the right side there) were already settled in and well on their way to filling the first bobbins.

It wasn't long before Melissa from Neighborhood Notes showed up with her list of questions.  I think we probably overwhelmed her.  We talked about process versus product spinning, methods of fiber prep, the zen relaxation of spinning, designing yarns and garments, the teaching of nearly lost crafts, the history of spinning and spinning wheels, traditional garments, the industrialization of garment making, the resurgence of craft in a post-modern society, and cupcakes.

That's right cupcakes!  While we'd been talking, ToolMan had entertained himself by walking the neighborhood, people watching, and window shopping.  About the time we were winding down, he took orders for Cupcake Jones and returned with four What's Up Doc? and one Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Guess who wanted Cookie Dough?  That would be Rachel, of course!  ToolMan made her pose in front of the new display of his shawl pins in exchange for the cupcake.  Notice the one she's wearing on her shawl?  It's one ToolMan made just for her; it's a sea turtle made of walnut burl.

I've been slogging along on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan.  It'll be great when it's done, but at a gauge of 32 stitches and 36 rows to 4 inches, it is slooooooooow going.

Three weeks I've been working on this thing and it still looks like a lump.  A bigger lump, but still a lump.  I'm somewhat worried about having enough yarn to finish.  I know, helluva time to think of that, isn't it?  The pattern called for the sleeves to be knit up from the cuff and joined to the body then knit up to the neckline.  Because I barely have the yarn yardage the pattern calls for, I decided to knit the top six rows of the sleeves (starting with a provisional cast on), joining them and knitting up to the neck.  Then I'll do the neckline and button bands before picking up the sleeve stitches and knitting them down.  I hope I have enough for long sleeves but if I only make it to 3/4 sleeves, I can live with that. 

Excuse me, but now I have to get back to slogging up the yoke on this thing.