Bits & Bobs

Goodness, it's been a while! I was going to post pictures of all the knitted things I sent to MissMeshell (although there's still one more package on the way!) but then I realized that her pictures are of a much higher quality than mine, so just check out her post here of what I sent. I'd like to think I spoiled her, but receiving the package she sent me was better than Christmas, so I think we're fairly even!

Ahhhh... these pictures are terrible! I was sort of in a rush taking them -- these were birthday gifts for Tim's nieces and I finished just before the deadline. The ring and nestlace were sent to the oldest, who was turning 13, and the cat (Knitty's Kate) went to one of the younger ones.

A while back I made this drop-stitch scarf out of the yarn I bought from the Mystical Creations etsy shop, which appears to have been shut down since then. Something scandalous, probably, although my experience with them was fine. I also made a quick pair of fingerless mitts for a woman at work's birthday; she seemed really pleased with them and touched that I'd made them for her.

I am pretty sure that my lack of green thumb (or maybe the cats' constant munching) is to blame for my crown of thorns not flowering anymore, but maybe it was just time. Anyway, underneath the pot is the knit placemat I made a while back out of some amazingly soft cotton. I meant to make two, but I didn't really like the way it turned out, so now I have a big old ball of the cotton buried away in my stash.

Last but not least, my recent attempts at spinning. I am getting pretty okay at it, as long as I pay attention to what I'm doing and coax my antique wheel (inherited from my grandmother) along the whole way. I love the wheel and I love that it seems to know who's sitting at it and how they're feeling -- and act accordingly. Sometimes, it seems like it would be easier to just go out and buy a brand new wheel, one that hasn't had time to grow persnickety, but I also like that my wheel* has character, and I like to think that shows up in the yarn. The yarn from left to right is a bamboo/merino blend plied with thread, handpainted merino from FatCatKnits, handpainted blue-faced leicester from Northwest Wools, and soy silk plied with metallic embroidery thread from India. I have two skeins drying in my bathroom right now that I'll be taking pictures of soon.

*I'm still deciding on a name for her -- I suggested that Meshell name her wheel Elinor, but now I'm growing fond of that name myself. Hmmm....