handspun jade aveline

I finished another Aveline hat - Handspun Jade Aveline! Woohoo! I love this pattern, and it calls for about as much yarn as I get from 4 oz.

This hat used yarn I spun in October. I could see a real difference between it and the yarn I used for the previous handspun Aveline, which I spun in January. I've become more consistent!

The pre-blocked hat:


On the blocking balloon:




Finished!

drowning my soul in drab

So some celestial prankster decided my colors for Akitu (first campout of the year) would be silver and white. Now, let me state, it could have been worse. It could have been powder blue or preppy pink. But this is bad. People my size instinctively avoid white, and it doesn't do much for my skin tone either. I happen to have a white skirt because I needed one for an extremely informal handfasting ceremony. I've got one white hipscarf from my bellydance stash. (Don't ask.)

So I decided that I'd knit 2 pair of white gloves -- one for dawn ritual and one for Saturday revels (the two times the costuming comes in). I figured that would be a nice personal touch to a generic pagan outfit of a cami, broomstick skirt, and hip scarf.

First of all, realize that I had to go buy yarn for this. I don't have white yarn! I've got a 10-pack of white eyelash I bought during a psychotic interlude, and some fuzzy white yarn to knit a toy penguin, but that's it. I don't do white. I knit in color. I rarely buy solid yarn -- it's got to have shading and tones if not outright color changes. (AHA! This is why I never knit fair isle -- I don't have solid yarn! I wondered about that, because I love knitting two-handed. It makes me feel like a real knitter. I should look for a solid to go with one of my Ranco variegated skeins and do a fair isle project.)

I decided to add beads to the gloves so I'd have something to keep me from going insane with boredom. The first pair were a long, hard, dreary knit. For some insane reason, I decided to make them long, and I had to leave off the thumb beading in case I drum in them, and the pattern is a 5x1 rib, so it was an endless knit. The only thing that got me through was deciding to Kool-Aid dye these mofos after the campout. THAT will be righteous. These are for evening revels. Pattern is Glacial Gauntlets of the Wolf.


The second pair has gone from being an enjoyable knit to DROWNING MY SOUL IN DRAB. It's not the fault of the gloves -- the pattern (Lace Cable, Barbara Walker, A Treasury of Knitting Patterns) is rather delightful and the beads running up the seam are quite nice and I'd love to knit these gloves again in a nice variegated yarn that would make me happy instead of making me DREAD KNITTING.



UGH. No more white for me! And might I add that I'm not thrilled to be knitting to a deadline again either. And yet I do it to myself... sigh.

UPDATE: Decided to scrap the second pair. They were not making me happy. I'll knit that pattern in a pretty orange.

tom forrester spindles

http://www.the-wheel-thing.com/products/Spindles/forrester.html

http://www.geminifibres.com

http://www.geminifibres.com/product/spinning/spindle/pyography.htm

Forrester Dervish

http://www.thebellwether.biz/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_15_107&products_id=340

http://www.geminifibres.com/product/spinning/spindle/geometric.htm#Duelwhorl

beading setup

I went to Hobby Lobby today for some miscellaneous beading supplies. Everything still fits in the one big container, so that's good.

I stumbled into the ideal setup for adding beads to knitting. I've got a glass custard cup sitting in a round Glad plasticware container. The wee crochet hook and cable needle stand between the containers. It's large enough to wedge against the chair and provide a stable platform for beading. (My eyesight isn't good enough to spear beads sitting on the end table. Too far away.) I'm delighted, because it just fell together and it's perfect for my needs.

beads at earthfaire.com

http://earthfaire.com/

Oh bloody hell, I'm in trouble. They have a page for each bead color with a large photo! I want them all.

Metallic Gold Iris 6/0
Purple Lined Amethyst AB 6/0 peacock prism fingerless gloves
Berry Lined Lt Topaz AB 6/0 beautiful!
Metallic Olive 8/0 SPECTACULAR!!!
Garnet Lined Ruby 8/0 gorgeous
Transparent Topaz AB 8/0 not remotely topaz at all

beaded gauntlets

The pattern is Glacial Gauntlets of the Wolf. I modified it to a 5x1 rib from a 5x2, both for fit and because I just prefer x1 ribs. The beads are from http://millhillbeads.com -- size 6/0 jet. I love these gloves! I'm about to start a second pair (white with hematite beads for Akitu, and possibly a third (the peacock yarn might like to be this).

i got my beads!

I got my order from Mill Hill beads! I can start Glacial Gauntlets of the Wolf! And make new stitch markers when I'm in the mood! Which isn't now! But I have my beads! The first 3 are the ones I've been looking for!

Hematite: 16081 & 18081

Bronze: 16221 & 18221

Opal Smoky Topaz: 16609

Black rainbow: 16374

buttercup & berries

Finished my second yarn of the year -- Buttercup & Berries. Only 131 yards, but it is so soft and beautiful!

Roving from http://juliespins.etsy.com


The singles


Plying


Finished!