Spinning silk caps and boucle

This past weekend was the Black Sheep Gathering, which made it a very enjoyable weekend indeed.

This is the yarn from the silk caps from Dyelots. It was a lot easier once I got the hang of only peeling off one cap at a time. Before that I was about to give up. I spun it thick-n-thin. With nubbies. It will definitely stay as a single.


And from the "Boucle without Tears" workshop:


I spun my own boucle! Merino singles plied with sewing thread. I don't remember if it was superwash or not. I need to start noting this!

And a vacation pic: A-Dome Studio B&B. Beautiful, and run by a tapestry weaver! Exceeded all of my expectations.


Acquired at the show: Drop spindle, of turkish style; painted roving of corredale? fiber; two bags of "Three Bags Full" roving, peach and yellow and pinks. I've enjoyed most of the other fibers I've bought from Three Bags Full. They have spun up nice and fluffy. Also 2 ounces of wool/rayon/flax blend from Ruthie, who has beautiful carded combos. I'd like to commission some custom greens from her.

My quest, unfulfilled, at the show was to find green roving of a good green color. It didn't happen. Some came close, but I realized I want a blended fiber of different shades of green. Most fiber at the show was hand-painted/space dyed. Oh well. It was a worthy quest.

Thursday knitting group

I crashed a new knitting group today, and had a blast. It took them a little while to start talking to me, but it was fun once they did. I even got invited to their potluck next week! Aw, shucks. I like seeing what other people choose to knit, what kinds of yarn they like, and their taste in colors and textures. I find it especially educational when people have knitted things out of yarn that I have in my stash. I can see how it drapes and looks knitted up.

There was a fabulous pair of Koigu socks there, with a contrast ruffle, heel, and toe. Yummy! And lots of summer garments, think lacey patterns and cotton.

For the Eugene knitters, it is at the Strand, thursdays at 3:30. Not next thursday though. But most of the other ones. Bonus: Books without Borders carries Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting, and Spin-Off. I didn't see the most recent Spin-Off on the shelf, but thank goodness I asked, it was sitting in a box waiting to be unpacked!

And a meme...

"Lemmings? Where?

Brought over from Marnie's blog... cause I care to copy the very best.

Rules: Please leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me — it can only be one word long. Then copy and paste this into your blog so that I may leave a word about you."

from Bird's Nest Knits. One word is quite a challenge!

Where have I been?

Not a big time of year for introspection. With summer sneaking in and the long days, I have energy to actually do things instead of just think about them.

My actual factual official graduation is this weekend. No ifs, ands, or buts, I'll be Dr. Martha, or, more commonly, Martha, PharmD.

So what have I been knitting? I'm still slogging away on Hempathina, and have a pair of socks by the bed that I'm not liking. I need to get inspired to start knee socks for a certain hiker. I have some of a swatch done, but I need to swatch the cables. And decide on a cable design. Et cetera.

Spinning: I'm plying the purple merino. I would like to get back to the cashmere/silk combo, but I have some silk caps that are tempting me. (Note to self: link to knitty article on spinning silk hankies)