Swallowtail and Spinning

This morning was the first morning in a long time where I didn't feel like I had to get up in the middle of the night.  Let's face it, 4:30 a.m. is pretty early anyway.  Heck, it IS the middle of the night.  But, with the time change, I actually felt better - like I had received the required amount of sleep (which I think for me is 8.5 hours).  This is of course, not true, since I went to bed somewhere around 10:00 p.m. last night.  I'm sure tonight will be torture.  We have an unspoken agreement at our house.  Monday is the "I'm not doing anything so don't ask me" day of the week.  Paul will say, "Hey, do we need to go to the grocery store?"  I'll say, "Um, it's Monday......"  Paul - "Oh, okay, maybe tomorrow."  Yeah, maybe...  tomorrow will be a good time to ask me.  Not today, because today is Monday......

The weekend was pretty productive.  I was exclusive to Swallowtail most of the time.  I couldn't keep my hands off of the purple mohair halo of goodness.  I know you people are all jealous..  hee hee.

I must admit there was a couple of hours early in the weekend where I ripped out Swallowtail two times, screamed at the mohair, decided I needed to make something else, e-mailed Jessica and told her I was going to make something else, looked for something else, and decided I really didn't want anything else.  Then I tried a different approach.  I sat down with the mohair and we entered a negotiation phase.  The mohair agreed that I probably wouldn't have to rip again and could really accomplish Swallowtail if I would just shut. the. tv. off.  Actually, you wouldn't believe how easy it is to count and follow an intermediate pattern when you're not trying to watch CSI at the same time.  Novel idea, really.  It's happiness again..... all day....all the time....

 

Here's a close-up of the budding lace pattern (upside down too, of course).

 

I can't wait to see how it will turn out when blocked.

I also took about an hour of time this weekend to finally decide what to do with Stripes Go Round.  What do you think I decided?

 

Awh.... the freedom.

Moving along..... I also worked on a spinning project that has been ongoing for some time.

I had one of my Jacob fleeces carded into roving with a little bit of Blue-Faced Leicester thrown in for softness.  The color is a drab beige-brown that I plan to dye once it is all spun up.  That's the project.  How many hanks do you think it takes to spin up a full fleece?

 

More than 12, because that's how many I have done so far.  Numbers 13 and 14 are on the Lazy Kate ready to be plied.

Okay, that's enough I think.  After all, it is Monday, you know.  ;)

Comments

[Megan S.]

My brain is full now.

That swallowtail is going to be beautiful! I am proud of you for hanging in there with it! (And the shawl is going to be purple - my favorite!)

I completely support the frogging of the Stripes Go Round. It has put a smile on my face, and is making me want to go home and frog that darned hat. A hat, FPS! I'm hanging on to a hat? I need to be medicated. Clearly.

Whatcha gonna do now that you have all that yarn from your fleece, eh??? Inquiring minds want (well, really need) to know!

[Carmen]

I wouldn't dye it, I love it just as it is...Can I have some?

[Denise]

Love the shawl and that purple yarn. I really like your spinning in its natural color.

[Monica]

The shawl is going to be gorgeous in your handspun.

Sometimes it is just best to frog what we know will not make us happy. All those colors look so lovely together, hopefully you will find something else to do with the yarn. Or are you going to give the sweater another try?

I love the natural color of the the yarn you are spinning. I think it would look great with some worn jeans, it looks comfy to me

[Lisa]

Wow--that's a lot of yarn you're spinning. Dang--it reminds me of the walnut-dyed fleece I've barely made a dent in. Thanks. You yarn is beautiful. What will it be when it grows up?

The purple Swallowtail will be luverly.

What's that I hear? Frogs???

[Loopykd]

I'm with everyone else, don't dye the handspun. I love the swallowtail. I think you need to redefine what "doing nothing" means. Clearly you are off your plan.