Yarn Monster vol. 1

In mid-December I found myself unexpectedly without anything brainless to knit during a work meeting. This posed a problem. I have to manage my focus level very carefully on long calls: if I pay 100% attention I will burn out in about 40 minutes, if I fall below 60% I'll lose track of what's going on. Offloading 25% of my mental energy onto easy yarncraft lets me stay engaged for as much as two hours. In desperation, I grabbed my trusty purple crochet hook and some scrap yarn and started making a hexagon. By the end of the meeting I had a ten round motif. I dug out some other leftovers and started making it sisters. They combined to form this:

Baby yarn monster, Portland 12/15/17.

and I lost my mind. I love everything about this little proto-blanket. I love using up my scraps. I love how quickly each motif stitches up. I love randomly selecting where to attach them and how colorful it is. I love its portability. 

I crocheted my way through San Diego, Chicago, and New London over the holidays. Since returning home I've dug out more scraps and continued to add to it. My plan is to make a ~4" x 6" blanket that I can use on my side of the bed. Sadly, our cat army would ruin any yarn-based blanket left exposed so it will have to be protected between quilts.  

Yarn monster in San Diego, 12/19/17

Yarn monster in Chicago, 12/24/17

Yarn monster in New London, 12/31/17

Finished Fatty Lumpkin horse

I finished my crocheted n-gon horse quite a while ago, but never posted a picture. This post is to remedy that. I'm very happy with how he turned out, I think he's really cute. He's pretty big. I used thicker yarn than the pattern called for and I suspect I'm not the tightest crocheter around. Consequently, he isn't really structurally sound on his own. I put paper towel tubes in his legs and neck and used string to keep his feet from splaying out. That all contributes to his majestic charm. He spends his days monitoring our goings on from the platform at the bottom of the stairs. 

Fatty Lumpkin crocheted horse

Fatty Lumpkin crocheted horse

Baby Alice's hat

My cousin recently had her first baby, a little girl named Alice. She is a cutie. I haven't met her in person yet but I have it on good authority. I knit her up a little hat using the Parrotfish pattern from Ravelry. 

 

Spinning! (new hobby)

I enrolled in a spinning class with a college friend who recently moved to the area. The local yarn store hosts a two-session class with a very nice guy named Aaron. He somehow keeps a calm, even tone while all of his pupils are simultaneously creating massive wool nests and tangling their wheels up in ridiculous ways. 

The shop rents wheels to students, I got an Ashford Traditional (below right) and Anna got an Ashford Kiwi. I tried them both. The Kiwi is easier to keep going the correct direction, but my foot synchronization was off and I kept speeding up while using it. I've established a nice, nearly comatose treadling pace on the Traditional. 

Two Ashford spinning wheels in the dart room.

Our homework between classes is to fill two bobbins with yarn. During the second class we'll learn to ply them together. My first bobbin has quite a few corkscrews, I had some trouble getting my braking tension set properly. I've dialed it in better and I'm pretty pleased with the second bobbin. 

I was wondering to myself how long it would be before I rate colorful roving. Then at second Thanksgiving Anna kindly gave me some pretty purple stuff from her stash. I tried co-spinning it with some of the class roving. That was pretty tough. The purple was harder to draft so I kept ending up with patches of only one color. There must be some technique to blending the rovings.  I'm not sure I love the candy-cane look of purple on white but it might be nice with a more subtle color difference. 

First bobbin of yarn. I think this is the Corriedale.

Fun purple and grey gift-roving.

My second bobbin, probably Falkland. Half full with some purple and white candy-cane.