Damn batteries
I figured it was time for another post, and I got my camera to take pictures of my socks-in-progress. But my batteries are dead…AGAIN!
I bought rechargeable batteries, and it seems like I can only use my camera once before they are dead. I really wasted my money on those damn batteries.
Still disciplined
Anyway, I’m still plugging away on my two projects (remember I’m only allowed to have two knit or crochet projects going at a time)…socks and EZ garter-stitch blanket. However, I came across a UFO the other day. It was a pair of “house socks.” One was already done, and the other one had the toe done. House socks are socks that I knit in worsted weight yarn to wear around the house for keeping my feet warm, as opposed to “shoe socks” that I knit in fingering weight to wear inside my shoes. I like knitting them since they are only about 36 stitches around and take no time at all, so I figured I’d hurry up and knock off the second sock to finish up another project. These socks are made toe-up with a heel flap. I’m trying to look at the finished sock to figure out how I did it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to duplicate them exactly. My short rows are actually pretty unnoticeable, so I’m not sure where they begin and end. And no, I didn’t write it down anywhere. That’s why I like doing my socks two-at-a-time, even with double pointed needles.
Spinning news
The two-at-a-time rule doesn’t apply to spinning, and I’ve got a couple skeins of yarn that I’m itching to make gloves with. I’m not sure if they’ll be full-fingered or fingerless. One skein is a lavendar shetland that I just know will be toasty warm. It’s a two-ply approximately fingering weight. And the other is some fiber (can’t remember, but it drafts like targhee) I got at Black Sheep this summer, and I spindle spun it as a singles to approximately fingering weight. I will use that to make gloves, too. I love gloves, because they use such a small bit of yarn. It’s easy enough to spin plenty of fiber for gloves on a spindle. And if you spin a singles, it takes no time at all. And I’m still plodding through that pink fiber that I’m spinning into a three-ply (I mentioned it a couple posts back).
Mmmm, Patons
I was in Michael’s the other day, and I don’t really need any yarn but Patons has some new colorways for their Classic Wool. I love Classic Wool, but their choice of colors had been pretty sad. They’ve got beautiful new colors this year! I bought three skeins. One heathery pink for a pair of house socks, and one each of dark peachy-orange and light peachy-orange to make striped house socks with. I might try helix stripes for these socks. Once I get my batteries charged, I’ll take pics of the yarn.
More spinning news
I really like my Golding Lazy Kate. The concept works well, but I feel like I can only use my Golding spindle with it. I need something to help me ply with my other spindles. I have a Ledbetter spindle, a Spindlewood spindle, and a Bosworth spindle that I l0ve. I want to use them more, but I dislike all other methods of plying from spindles other than my lazy kate. Click here if you aren’t familiar with how the kate works. I can either put my spindles directly in the kate, which has a ball bearing so the spindles turn freely, or I can put the plying rods in the kate, which allows me to slip the cop from the spindle onto the plying rods and ply that way. OK, so my other spindles have two strikes against them. Their shaft diameter is not the same, so they won’t go directly into the kate. And the shafts of my other spindles have a pointed end, whereas the Golding spindles have a flat end, so even if they were the same thickness, they probably wouldn’t rest in the kate properly.
OK, so I’m perusing the net trying to figure out how I can ply with my non-Golding spindles without doing something time-consuming like winding into a ball, etc. I come across some information about the Katie-a-Go-Go. They specifically mention using it with drop spindles. The trick is they slip the cop from the spindle to a straw which they’ve placed over the rods on the lazy kate. So, I get a straw and check to see if it’ll go over the rods on my Lendrum lazy kate. Nope. The rods are too thick. Then I check to see if the straw will go over the plying rods on my Golding lazy kate. Bingo! The thinner rods (for use with the 2″ spindles) are the perfect size for a straw to fit over. And since my other spindles have tapered ends, I checked to see if they’d fit into the straw, at least partway to anchor it so I could slip the cop down. Yup. I checked my Ledbetter, Spindlewood, and Bosworth, and they all fit snugly into the straw, at least a few millimeters. Bingo! I can ply with all of my favorite spindles.
Now if I can just get my batteries charged, I can take some pics and this can start looking more like a real knitting blog.
