Spinalcat's Crafty Adventures

Bobbin 1 , originally uploaded by Buxtrosion . Working on the Lorna's Laces top I got when Knitting Arts closed.  I'm planning on a 3-ply sock yarn.  Sorry about the flash.  It's ludicrously dark in the house, even with a 5-bulb lamp right above the spinning wheel.  I'm spinning in the bobbin lead configuration, so it's a little less easy to pop out the bobbin for photos.  I've been on a bit of a spinning kick lately.  I taught Rachel's son's girlfriend spindling at last month's spin-in, taught a spindling class last weekend, and taught Kool-Aid dyeing this afternoon. This top is the last of my fiber stash!  Someone bought the Chasing Rainbows merino-tencel I had been eying at work, so I looked up the colorways and there are over 40!  Plus so many fiber blends!  I also think I'm in the mood for undyed fiber.  I want to buy a couple pounds of wool for a sweater. I'm tempted to start doing some prep myself as well, but I don't want to tak...

Rancid @ The Warfield , originally uploaded by Buxtrosion . Not a big fan of the Warfield.  It's one of those converted theaters where the dance floor is much too short.  The staff seems pretty out-of-touch.  I'm used to dedicated punk/indie clubs.  I was wearing my red plaid bondage pants, and the guy checking tickets said, "I like that.  It reminds me of a kilt."  I don't think he gets out much.  :) I think I enjoyed the last time I saw Rancid (in Austin ) more than this time.  I have to accept the fact that I'm not going to hear many songs from my favorite Rancid albums, because their other stuff is so much more popular. I had a much greater appreciation for Lars's songs about growing up in Campbell this time, though.  :) There's much more on that topic in his side project .  I'm sure it's changed quite a bit since the 70's!

Catriona Back Finished! , originally uploaded by Buxtrosion . Woot! I've also finished the first sock in a pair I've been designing for a while.  I was stuck on getting the ankle detail & heel flap just right.  I had a lot of knitting time on my trip a couple of weeks ago & got it all worked out. Woot! I'm almost done with another seaming comission.  I've *just* got to weave in ends.  Lots of ends.

Laceweight Silk Hanky Handspun , originally uploaded by Buxtrosion . Here's the finished yarn from the silk hankies I was complaining about.  The detail above is cropped from this shot.  I ended up with about 500 yds. This is what the hankies look like.  I spun each stack onto separate bobbins and plied the two together.  The multicolor stack seemed slightly less annoying than the solid stack, but I still probably wouldn't buy hankies again.  I don't like the unavoidable neppiness, though the finished yarn appears a little smoother than I'd have predicted.

neckwarmer5 , originally uploaded by Buxtrosion . I whipped up a couple patterns for Curious Creek Serengeti , a hand dyed dk weight superwash merino. The official pattern is the Ríos Locos neck snuggler , shown above. I'm really happy with how it turned out. There's also a matching headband pattern available. The headband makes a really quick gift, and there's enough yardage to give one and keep one. If you make it to Yarndogs this weekend, also keep an eye out for Teri's crochet baby mitt pattern for Canopy , one of my new favorite yarns.

FO: Rose of England Shawl , originally uploaded by Buxtrosion .

Last weekend was pretty crappy, but it's all resolved itself now.  I woke up with a migraine on Saturday, and I had to call in sick & reschedule my beginning drop spindling class.  I'm going to the doctor next week to maybe try a different triptin (Amerge again?).  That evening while I was stressing about an audition/interview thing I had on Sunday, Bryan noticed the cat was acting weird.  We realized that she kept going to the litterbox without leaving anything behind.  We ended up taking her to the vet at 2 in the morning since I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I was worring about her.  The vet who was there was pretty sure she had a bladder infection, but we let them keep her overnight to get a sample and also do her annual bloodwork.   The next morning, the vet called us and said she did have a bladder infection and would need antibiotics for 6 weeks (liquid, thankfully) to make sure it hadn't spread to her kidneys.  Her bloodwork showed that she was ready t...

ROE Shawl Blocking , originally uploaded by Buxtrosion . Both times I've knitted this pattern , I've had second thoughts about my gauge starting around the next to last chart. I knew it worked out fine last time, and I knew I was using up slightly less yarn than Cookie with the same yarn and needles. It turned out great of course! Marianne Kinzel's Rose of England Teacloth from her 2nd Book of Modern Lace Knitting. 3 skeins Misti Alpaca Lace, US 6 needles, about 60" diameter. This'll be at Yarndogs for a while. You can say hi to it during the Shop Hop when I'll be in Texas for my husband's 10 year high school reunion. :)