new homespun yarn

Finally finished spinning another skein of yarn... the before and after pictures:

It's hard to tell in the picture, but I spun the yarn with a metallic purple thread throughout, which gives it a bit of a shimmer, it's kind of cool! :) I'll eventually post it for sale, I think, in my etsy shop, once I've got a couple skeins spun up. Spinning yarn is soooo much fun, I totally get why people are hooked on it!

Pictures, finally!

Finally, the camera program in the new computer is set up, and I can post pictures!

The blanket I finished 2 days ago for my cousin is called Heart Blanket, a pattern by Bev Galeskas, and officially my first finished lace pattern (short of a couple basic lace scarves). Phew, glad to get this one done!

I made it somewhat to the pattern specs: the 'large' version of this blanket is 9 hearts across (the small is 7 hearts across) but I only made it 12 hearts up - which is the small version, heightwise (the large is 14 rows of hearts). But, I managed to use exactly 6 skeins of S.R. Kertzer Northern Worsted, literally, w/o even an inch to spare! Kinda glad when projects work out that way!

my first handspun

I used a drop spindle to make this:

It's my very first handspun. Overall, I think it turned out alright, although I did try to make it as thin as possible. I was aiming for something about fingering weight, although despite my best efforts, there are parts of it that are thicker (like dk weight-ish) and parts that got too thin (like lace weight-ish), but, oh well. I think that sort of thing just happens.

Now, in the end I wrapped the skein around my arm, so I'm estimating its length to be about 28 meters, although I was hoping for more. It's 50 grams all together. At the very least, I love the colourway.

omg! it's a purple bear!

Got this pattern from here, this guy's so cute!

I actually thought that I wouldn't get around to finishing one more knit project to complete my post-every-day-during-February stint, and this guy came up during a search via ravelry.

I was also bored with ideas. I had my mound of cotton that I've powered through most of, and was exhausted at the idea of making another dishcloth. DH said he wanted a bear.

I'm still waiting for a pattern book I ordered via ebay, which has yet to arrive - and my printer's out of ink, so the pattern for this bear was easy and short enough to write out by hand.

At the end of the day I realized I didn't have batting to stuff him with. So, guess what he's filled with? Socks! That's right, socks. I've saved up a bunch of (clean) socks where I've lost the second one to, knowing one day they'd serve some sort of crafty purpose, and today they have!

a salut to purple fuzzy yarn!

before:
after:
I even incorporated a few rows of black yarn to make a bit of a striping pattern, which turned out pretty good I think... these are wonderfully light and cozy... a bit punk rock, non?

I love those 1 lb bags of mill-ends yarn, such a great deal, and such funky yarn ~ too bad only Walmart carries it. Lewiscraft used to carry it too, but sadly they closed down... I miss Lewiscraft so much... anyway... good yarn! Woo hoo!