Spinning two colors together

I found some pretty periwinkle roving and some bright yellow roving in my stash. Mona's beautiful hand dyed purple and yellow roving gave me the idea of spinning them together to see how it would turn out. I've never spun two completely different colors together before so I wanted to see
what would happen. Here's what I ended up with.

Here's the singles, ready to ply together into a 2 ply yarn

Here I'm plying the singles together. I'm getting nice variety between mixed tweedy colors and solids.

Here's the finished yarn. (My flash didn't work on this shot so the colors don't show up as well). The top hank is only about 30 yards of navajo plyed yarn. (3 ply) The bottom is about 250 yards of 2 ply, approx 20 WPI, so it will work good for socks

Here's a close up that shows the variety I got in the yarn. I'm very happy with it. :)
I wouldn't hesitate to spin two colors together again......or even 3 colors! Ooooh....I'll have to try that next! :)

Red Heart Heart and Sole Sock Yarn

I just finished these socks the other night. They are made with Red Heart 'Heart and Sole' Sock Yarn. I like the yarn itself all right, but was very unhappy because when I started the yarn from the center pull it came out in several pieces. Several pieces were about 6 inches long, and then there was a piece that was about 18 inches long, and another piece that was about 3 yards long. These pieces were just stuffed down into the center of the skein like they were an afterthought to make the weight of the skein right. Fortunately I have small feet and never use a full skein of yarn, but I wasn't happy with the way all of those pieces came out of the center of my skein of yarn. Then it took me another several yards of yarn to find the match to the pattern so that I could begin my socks. No one wants to have knots in the middle of their socks, and I'm not sure that when I get my stash of Red Heart sock yarn used up I'll ever buy it again. It all left me with a bad feeling toward the company.


UPDATE!!!!!!!
I contacted Red Heart about the yarn and they replaced it for me. So I'm feeling better. :)
THANKS RED HEART!!!

Charity knitting.

Here's a preemie cap and bootie set I knit over the weekend.
They are so cute. I have a friend who had 2 preemie babies, and so I had her help me with sizing. She said I could make them even smaller, as one of her babies was 2 lb 5 oz, and was
15 1/2 inches long, and this set would have been too big for her!

My sweet friend Susan sent me some chemo caps for Pam.
Look at all these great caps!! Pam will have a nice warm head now! I can't wait to drop off all the caps I have for her. :) She's going to be so surprised. I think I have something like 13 for her now, plus I've already given her a couple. So that makes at least 15 caps that she will have. She shouldn't have to worry about laundering them every day just so she will have one to wear. I mean, when you're doing chemo, who is going to feel like doing laundry all the time?
THANKS SUSAN!!!

Caps, Cards, and Ice.

I completed a couple more caps for Pam. This is my own pattern, and I've very pleased with the way these caps turned out. I made up a PDF of the pattern if anyone wants it.

I received some chemo caps in the mail yesterday for my friend, Pam.
Thank you Ariel, Mona, and MJ! Pam's going to love them. I know with this frigid weather her head gets very cold. Your loving gifts will help to keep her nice and warm. :)
THANKS AGAIN......and God bless you, sweet friends!!

Last night was stamp class, and here's the cards we made. The pink and white floral card is glittery, but it doesn't show up. The Valentine card is copper embossed. The Christmas card is all glitter. The masculine card is pretty plain and basically the only one that actually looks like it really does in the picture. We had a small class last night, but it was fun.

These pictures don't even begin to show what it looks like outside. We had about a foot or 2 of snow, and then we had a day that caused some thawing, and that night it rained. The pastures are all a glare of ice. I thought my eyes weren't focusing right when I first saw it, and Terry said the same thing. But it's the sheen of ice reflecting the poles and hills. It's like a huge white lake. Just beautiful!!

Chemo caps.....

My dear friend has cancer and has lost her hair due to the chemo. It's so, so cold here, and her head really gets cold so I've made her some hats. This is just a couple of the one's I've made her. I have some good friends (at Knottyfriends@yahoogroups.com) making caps for her too. The pattern for this hat can be found at: http://www.piecefulstitches.com/files/DiagonalRibAdultHat.pdf
It's probably my favorite hat pattern at this point in time.
I have another hat on the needles now, and am doing a pattern of my own on it. If I like the way it turns out, I'll put up a picture with the instructions. :)

Diane Scott and I have decided to start a charity group on the web.
"Threads of Love" is a simple ministry with just one purpose: to use our
talents and materials to provide much needed items to those less-fortunate
than ourselves - afghans, lapghans, quilts, slippers, chemo caps, hats,
gloves, mittens, socks, shawls, scarves, leg warmers, tissue holders,
jewelry, pins, decorations....anything to help to make their lives more
comfortble and to brighten their day by letting them know they are loved.

We will be a low-volume, non-participation mandatory group where you set
your own pace, decide what you want to make and where you want to donate
your projects. You can take your projects to locations of your own
choice......your local rest home/nursing home, shelter for the homeless,
cancer center, orphanage or etc; or you can send them to Wilma or Diane
for dispersal. It's your choice.

We will furnish links for free patterns, will help in doing
searches for special projects and will try to help with any knitting,
crocheting or sewing questions you might have.

Diane and I both have had a burden for this kind of ministry on our
hearts for quite some time, and are just now getting into an
organizational mode. We're just getting this group up and started and
would welcome any suggestions you might have. If you are interested,
please reply to this email and let us know or send a blank email

to: threadsoflove-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17

More socks...... and a bag!

The pattern for these socks can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cauchycomplete/2022502004/
They are called "Socks of Kindness".
Instead of following the 'recipe' as written, I did my socks toe-up.
I really like this pattern.


I've also been sewing. This is a very very soft suede leather purse that I finished a week ago. I like soft bags, as they are kinder to my painful hands. I made the pattern out of freezer paper and then cut it out of the leather and sewed it up. My sewing machine really didn't like sewing this leather and I broke 2 or 3 needles in the process! I really love this little purse as it holds everything I need but is small enough that I don't overload it and end up carrying something that weighs a ton. It is fully lined and has pockets on the inside as well as on the outside. It has a magnetic closure, and I put the angel pin on the closure tab as an added accent. The color of the leather on the 2nd picture is the most accurate to what the purse actually looks like.

I have another bag cut out now and need to cut out the lining and fusible pellon before I can get it sewed up....I will try to get at it soon. The unfinished bag is not leather so it should be kinder to my sewing machine, however it looks a lot like leather. I will post pictures of it also when it is completed.

Spinnin'nKnittin'

I've been playing. The weather has been icky, so I've had time to knit and spin. Above is a pair of socks that I finished yesterday. I have another pair on the needles and knit almost to the gusset, and then will do the heel and cuff and will have pictures up of that pair soon. These are toe-up socks.

This is some multi-color fingering yarn that I spun up this week. There is approx. 375 yards of yarn @ 3 1/2 oz. I haven't taken the WPI, but am guessing it to be around 20 or so. Will make nice warm socks!

This is some worsted yarn that I spun up this week. Approx 175 yards @ 3 1/2 oz.

I have some lime green on one wheel now, and some bright yellow ready to put on the other wheel.

Next week is stamping week, so I won't get much spinning/knitting done then.