Ravelry

Are any of you on Ravelry yet? People seem to be talking about it everywhere and saying it's really neat. I'm not a very experienced knitter (though I've crocheted for years), but I thought, why not? So I put my name on the list a couple of days ago. It's unbelievable how fast people are signing up. Here's what they said when I checked my place in line this morning:


Found you!

* You signed up on October 9, 2007
* You are #41874 on the list.
* 14973 people are ahead of you in line.
* 757 people are behind you in line.
* 60% of the list has been invited so far

Now, it was only the day before yesterday when I signed up and it said there was no one behind me in line. Now two days later there are 757 people behind me in line...and it's not even 8:30 in the morning! I hope it's as cool as people are making it sound!

Speaking of cool, the weather has really cooled off here this week. A week or so ago, we were hot and had the air conditioner on. This morning the temperature was about 45 degrees. Brrrr.

I'd better get busy. I'm listing some handspun bamboo this morning. Here's a picture:

I painted the roving (or "top" I think it was actually called) a pale pink and pale yellow. I think I posted a picture some time ago. Up close, you can see the pink and yellow. At a distance, it looks kind of a peachy color. Hopefully, I'll get it in the shop sometime this morning.

Behind

I think I should get a T-shirt that says "I'm Behind." I'm not sure if I'm not well enough organized or if I'm just slow. Probably both. I wonder how someone can be so far behind on so many different things. I finally got the yard mowed again. The crab grass had just about taken over. There was a section of the yard that I didn't get done the previous time, and it was so tall the cats could hardly find their way to the barn. It was really dry when I mowed it the time before, and I was riding around the whole time in a cloud of dust and dirt. I guess I'm allergic to dust (it's a wonder I can stay in the house) because I've coughed off and on ever since. So when I mowed yesterday, I put on one of those white dust masks and wore that to go mow. I'm sure it was quite a sight. I usually wear my red cap with the big bill to keep the sun off and my sunglasses. Now add a white mask to that and it's probably frightening to small animals and passersby. But anyway, now the yard looks like a yard again instead of a hayfield. The cats are glad.

Now back to yarn. I've gotten part of the bamboo spun and plied. Here's a picture:

It's a little hard to see because of the flash and the natural shine of the bamboo. Also, here's a picture of my newest sock yarn that was in the shop..."Kaleidoscope":

I'm waiting for my order of base yarn to come in so I can do some more sock yarn.

Better get off for now and do a little catching up. :)

Next Project

I thought I'd show you what's up next for spinning. I did some bamboo back in the spring, and really liked working with it. I ordered two 4-ounce packages, so I still had another one that had just been sitting here. I decided to get it out and work on it next. I dyed it with pale pink and yellow. Here's a picture:

I did it the day before yesterday I think it was, but bamboo takes a surprisingly long time to dry. I may be able to start spinning it tomorrow if it's dry. I'm anxious to see what it looks like all spun up.

It's in the Shop!

I got the bamboo yarn listed in the shop today! It came out to 3.8 ounces and 104 yards. I named it "Pretty Posies."

You can click on either picture to check it out. I'm including it in our EtsyFast group's July Challenge of a garden/flowers theme. For more information, check out the group's website. I'm fast becoming a big fan of bamboo. As I've said before, I like the softness and shine, and I've read that it's supposed to have natural antibacterial properties. What they are, exactly, I don't know, but I like the sound of it. :)

Bamboo Yarn

The dyed bamboo roving is all spun up. Here's a peek at the yarn:


I still need to set the twist and wait for it to dry. I read somewhere that bamboo takes quite awhile to dry. It did seem to when I rinsed out the roving. Anyway, the bamboo was SO nice to spin! I pre-drafted it, which made it seem even softer. I did this one in a two-ply. It seems like I can get a more even yarn with a two-ply, though this was pretty easy to keep even on the singles. I have another 4-ounce package yet to spin...I may try to make it in a singles yarn. Hopefully I can get this one in the shop sometime this week.

A New Venture

I'm getting ready to try something new (for me) in spinning: bamboo yarn. I've seen some pictures on Etsy of some bamboo yarn and thought it was SO pretty. I ordered two 4-ounce packages of top the other day and finally got it dyed yesterday. Here it is in my "dye studio." (In other words, a corner of the basement.)

Then here it is after rinsing, hanging up to dry. I thought it might dry quicker than wool, but it hasn't seemed to so far. I rinsed it out yesterday afternoon, and it was still damp this morning.

I really like the way bamboo shines. You can't really tell from the picture how much shine there is, but I think it really looks cool.

This one has shades of lavender to almost pink, with some white. I'm anxious to get started spinning. I keep fluffing it (it was really scrunched up after I squeezed the water out) to help it dry faster, and also because it's fun. :)