Marginalia Socks

I've been working on my third pair of socks from The Handmade Sock Society Season 6, and I'm almost finished with the first one!  These are the Marginalia socks, and I'm knitting them in Dream in Color Smooshy With Cashmere in Rabbit Ears.  These are an all over lace pattern, but its very simple and repetitive. I don't knit very many pairs of socks in cashmere blend yarn because it's more delicate and less abrasion resistant than regular Merino and nylon sock yarn.  On the other hand, they are amazing to sleep in, and since I don't sleep walk they don't wear out as quickly.

In other news, Mr Noodle has realized that Caleb isn't going back to school anytime soon, so he's starting to assert himself.  Caleb has the warmest room in the house, and years ago Mr Noodle decided it was actually his room.  He became our kitten the summer before Caleb went away to college, so as far as Mr Noodle is concerned, Caleb doesn't really live here anyway.  Every time Caleb comes home, Mr Noodle is happy to see him and gives up "his" room so Caleb can use it, but for the last five years, that's just been a week or two at each end of the summer and about a month in December.  Then Caleb goes back, and Mr Noodle moves back into his room.  This is the first summer Caleb has taken the whole summer off and been home in years (the Master's Degree program he's doing doesn't have summer classes).  Mr Noodle wasn't expecting this.  So when Caleb came home he just adjusted as usual, but Caleb has been home for two months now and Mr Noodle has decided he wants his room back.  He's taken to screaming loudly at Caleb (loudly enough that Caleb's gaming friends can hear him through the headset Caleb is wearing), and last night he started stealing Caleb's things.  Anything that is small enough for Mr Noodle to pick up seems to be fair game.  Caleb has another month before he heads back to College Station.  It looks like things will be interesting around here!

A Finished Sweater and A Birthday!

I have finally finished my Sammensat T.  I started this back in December and it really should have been done much more quickly.  The knitting itself is very easy, and once you're through the short row neck shaping and the yoke, it's just straight knitting.  This is a perfect project for complex, hand dyed yarn (I'm seriously considering some hand spun for a second one of these), and it's also good for times when life gets more complex and all you can do is stockinette (which is why it took me so long to get it finished).  This is definitely something that I will do again, whether in hand spun or commercial yarn.  

The pattern photos show this as a short sleeved top, but the pattern includes directions for a long sleeved top as well.  Obviously, I chose the long sleeves, hoping for a post-holiday pullover to wear in January and February before it got very warm.  Naturally, this year we hit 80 degrees in February and I still wasn't finished with it.  Fortunately, I'll wear pink year round.

One of the things that I liked about the pattern was the minimal edgings.  You start with a Chinese Waitress Cast On (above), and at the end of each section, you do a Chinese Waitress Bind Off (below).  I didn't even know that Chinese Waitress Bind Off was a thing, but I really like how it looks (and I adore the cast on).  I was a little concerned about my edges rolling, but I went down a couple of needle sizes for the last inch or so of knitting, and after steam blocking, everything is lying nicely.  Different yarns, different fiber content, and different levels of twist could mean more issues with rolling at the edge.  If I had had rolling issues, I had planned to work an i-cord bind off.  It would have meant a more substantial edge, but it would have given a similar look.  I used Malabrigo Arroyo in Rosalinda for this project.

In other big news, Obi had his first birthday late last week!  He's now a dog!  I don't know for sure how big he is now, but when he saw the vet at 11 months (ear infection, yeah early spring!), he was 80 pounds.  When he went in January for a booster shot, he weighed 76 pounds, so while we've slowed down quite a bit (thank heavens!), he's still growing.  At this point he probably has the majority of his full size, he'll just do some filling out over the next year.  He stands taller than Logan did (Logan was 80-85 pounds) and conveniently (for Obi), he can easily rest his chin on our kitchen table.  He's doing pretty well learning all the weird human things we've been teaching him, and Mr. Noodle has decided that he's old enough to be disciplined.  When he was younger, Mr. Noodle would just walk away when he got fed up with Obi's puppy shenanigans.  Now Mr. Noodle employs the paw of justice, and to really get the pup to pay attention, he bites.  We're not sure if the kitty has actually made contact with his teeth, but seeing those teeth coming at him, Obi backs up quickly and shows Mr. Noodle some respect. 

One Down, One To Go

I have finished my first sock in the colorway Don't Procrastinate, Delegate To Your Future Self!  I decided to knit these socks from opposite ends of the colorway, so I'll have fraternal socks, not identical.  I didn't make it into the dark purple shades on the first sock (I should have added more rounds to the leg, apparently), but after some looking, thinking, considering, rethinking, and just generally overthinking about if and how and where I should start the second sock, I just cast on at the end of the dark purple and went for it.  

They're socks.  No one is going to die if I don't match everything perfectly.  Sometimes I have to remind myself not to overthink things.  As you can see, Mr. Noodle has inspected things and he had no complaints.

When he's not inspecting knitting, he's getting Obi in trouble.  He's also getting Obi stuck under the bed, which is something he used to do (and Max did too) to Logan.  First he gets the dog to chase him, then he runs under the bed and the silly dog falls for it, and goes under after him.  Unfortunately for the dog, there's not very much space under there, so while Mr. Noodle just runs under and out the other side, the doggy hasn't even gotten all the way under before The Noodle is out the door, down the hall, and on to other cat activities.  Then Obi realizes there's just no point and lays under the bed because he knows he'll never get the cat.  Why our dogs have never figured this out before they go under the bed, I don't know.  (As soon as I took the above photo, I took the yarn out of his mouth.  I know better than to let him actually eat it.)

I've also been doing some sewing and while I don't have anything finished yet, I'm working on a pair of Eastwood Pajamas for Caleb and an Oak Leaf for Mr. Noodle.  I will definitely get photos when I'm finished!

 

More Socks

Yes, the socks are still a thing around here.  These are the Feather Vane Socks, the second pattern in The Handmade Sock Society.  I'm knitting them in Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in Rosalinda.  As you can see in the photo, the socks are only patterned on the front.  The back of the leg (and foot) are stockinette.  It's a nice mix of patterning that I have to pay attention to and auto pilot knitting.

Little Obi dog continues to grow.  He's three months old now and he's learned a lot.  There's still a lot more to learn, but we're all getting there together.  The heat this week is crazy and that's affected how much time he can spend outside.  (I know, it's Texas, it's summer, but this kind of heat doesn't happen in June, it's more common in August.)  I made him some doggy popsicles last night to go into one of his toys.  We also keep at least one of his Kong toys in the freezer to help him cool down.  Of course he's also teething right now so I'm sure the cold feels good on his teeth and gums.

Mr. Noodle still refuses to lay down the law.  He's too sweet for his own good.  We've been teaching Obi to sit when he sees the kitty, but it's a work in progress.  He gets excited when he sees The Noodle and Sit is the last thing on his mind!

More Puppy Pictures!

Little Obi has been settling in nicely here.  We've gotten a strong start to the potty training (knock on wood).  He's learned how the backdoor works - you have to stand on the right side of it, not in front of the window part of it in the middle.  We've gotten a start with Sit, Wait*, and Settle; and we're working on crate training. He's gone on some very tiny walks and seen some of the neighborhood as well.  

Of course we're also working on being nice to our kitty!  Noodle and Obi continue to work on their relationship.  Noodle is coming closer and closer, allowing himself to be touched by Obi, and they've sniffed noses many times - with Noodle reaching forward with his nose to meet Obi halfway.  Unfortunately, Obi tends to find this all just a bit overwhelming and then gets pushy or crazy, so Noodle leaves.  I realized last night that this might be Noodle's way of training Obi - if he isn't calm, he doesn't get the kitty time!  Noodle hasn't used the Paw of Justice yet, and he hasn't hissed or growled.  I think he realizes that Obi is friendly, just over enthusiastic.

*We're using Wait as a loose, informal Stay.  I use it when we come inside from a potty session so I can lock the door and take off my shoes, we use it when we put down his food bowl, and when we're loading the dishwasher.  It basically means to give us a little space and a minute while we do human stuff.  I don't care if he stands, sits, or lies down as long as he gives us a bit of space and doesn't wander off.  Since we're not teaching a proper Stay yet, I don't want to use that word because we'll just have to retrain for it.

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Fiber Blog With...

...Puppy breath!!!

Yes, it's finally time for Pink Lemon Twist to have a new puppy!  This is Shinobi, who is being called Obi.  He's a nine week old Silver Labrador Retriever.  We've never had a Lab here, only Goldens, but years ago my brother in law had a wonderful Black Lab so it wasn't a hard choice to make.

Mr. Noodle isn't sure about this whole idea, but yesterday he got his butt sniffed and somehow survived.  He doesn't seem to realize that height is is friend here and he can just jump up to avoid this silly little brother.  We're being very careful how we allow Obi to interact with Noodle - especially since when he's full grown he'll be 80-100 pounds.  Things that work just fine at 13 pounds aren't safe when you're big. Of course, Mr. Noodle could take a swing with those claws and explain how things will be too.  So far he hasn't laid down the law with little Obi.  Noodle is slowly starting to relax, so I think things will be okay soon around here

The knitting and spinning and crochet will slow way down around here.  There are important things like training - potty and everything else - that we'll be focusing on for a bit.  I did get the colorwork yoke section of my Sagittarii finished before we picked up Obi, and once I get some short rows done, it should just be knitting in circles for a while.  I should be able to work on this in the little bits of time while he naps.  There are also socks!

I'll pop in periodically with fur baby photos and any fiber things I happen to make progress on when I have a chance.  Have a great weekend! 

Shadow Box Socks

I have started a new pair of socks.  These are the Shadow Box Socks, the first design from the Handmade Sock Society 5.  I've never done any of the Handmade Sock Society collections before, but I when I saw this one I thought it sounded like fun.  You get one sock pattern a month for six months.  I'm knitting this first pair in Dream in Color Smooshy in Mermaid Shoes. (Really, I think if you actually had a pair of mermaid shoes, they should probably be in a shadow box anyway.  At least if they were shoes for actual mermaids, not just shoes with mermaids on them.)

As you can see, Mr. Noodle was also curious about these socks so he pounced on the sock knitting bag a couple of times, just to let the yarn know he was watching it.  I appreciate all he does around here to keep the yarn in line, as long as he doesn't eat it.

Brainless Socks

I like to have at least one project going that doesn't take very much brain power to knit.  Something where I can let my hands do the thinking.  Hermione's Everyday Socks fit the bill perfectly (and they work well with really busy, multicolored, handdyed yarns).  Apparently, this will be my fifth pair of these, so clearly I like them!

I'm knitting them in Hedgehog Fibres Sock in the Splash colorway.  This was an ESK exclusive from 2018, when the Yarnathon theme was ocean-y.  This yarn is a finer weight fingering so I'm working them on US 0's (2.0 mm) needles.  Since they're on smaller needles, I'm using 72 stitches instead of my usual 64.  The pattern is super easy to adjust since it only has a four stitch repeat.

In non knitting related news, today is Mr. Noodle's third birthday!  Honestly, we weren't sure if he was going to get this far.  We thought he'd accidentally do himself in.  Obviously, we're very happy that he's been unsuccessful with accidentally killing himself, but we keep a close watch on him.  Constantly.  He's a total love machine and is truly sweet, but the crazy streak runs deep.

Finished!

I have finished Caleb's sweater.  All the ends are woven in, and it has been steam blocked.  Also, as you can see, we've had final inspection as well.

The pattern is Justin's Flannel and I knit it in Malabrigo Rios in the Gris colorway.  I knit it on size 7 needles, which gave me a slightly tighter gauge than the pattern called for, but I like the fabric I was getting on the 7's better.  This meant that when I knit the 49 inch size, I ended up with a 46 inch sweater, which was a better fit as well.  I did do an extra set of rounds before dividing the sleeves from the body (there are directions for this in the pattern).  

I also didn't do ribbing at the lower edge.  I asked Caleb about it and he said he would rather the sweater fall straight down like a t-shirt, so I did a hem.  

The texture round in the stitch pattern works well as a turning round, so when I got the body to the correct length I ended on the texture round.  Then I switched to smaller needles and worked a few rounds in stockinette (about 1-1/2 inches?).  Then I bound off and stitched the hem to the front all the way around.

There was a lot of trying on as I knit, but I'm really happy with the way it fits him and I kept notes so if he ever wants another one, I can make it again.  It was a fun project to work on, even with the time constraint.  I will have to admit that there's a lot more knitting in a man's sweater than there is for my own.  I felt like the arms would never end!

Have a great weekend!

A Stunt Double

A year ago Caleb was about to begin a Micro Paleontology course, so I made him a Tiny Dinosaur.  This fall's classes don't really lend themselves as obviously to specific mascots so I made him a Stunt Noodle.  The Stunt Noodle is a versatile helper, ready to offer assistance with all subjects in a less chaotic way than the original, back home.  Also, there is no pet deposit with the Stunt Noodle.  

Caleb has no idea that I made the Stunt Noodle and I've hidden it, packed with his stuff.  When we move him into his apartment I will set it out on his desk and surprise him with it.  I can't tell you how many times I just started giggling as I was crocheting him and I think Caleb will get a kick out him.

The pattern is Toby the Siamese Cat, but I've obviously adjusted colors to match Mr. Noodle, the original.  The main body color is Squoosh Fiberarts Beefcake Sock in Mocha.  The dark points (face, ears, tail, and paws) are Cascade Heritage Sock in 5609 Bark.  I also used a tiny bit of Madelinetosh Twist Light in Kitten for his inner ears, whiskers, and tummy.  I used regular, round eyes instead of cat eyes because when he (the Original Noodle) does the Crazy Eyes, right before the does the Crazy Things, his eyes are round.  Caleb knows the expression well.

Hopefully, the Stunt Noodle will add a welcome taste of home to Caleb's first apartment, as he starts his first semester at College Station!

A Finished Blanket!

I finished Caleb's Aggie Stripes blanket!  This was a fun project, perfect for brainless TV watching, and he was happy about it when I gave it to him.  I followed the directions for the Attic 24 Granny Stripe blanket, but I used my own stripe pattern- seven stripes of gray, one of maroon.  Just a note, this pattern is written using UK terms.  Switching to US terms isn't a big deal, but I thought I'd mention it.  By the time you've worked a few stripes you'll have memorized the pattern and the terms won't matter.

I used Cascade 220 Superwash in 1946 Silver Gray for the main color and 879 Very Berry for the Maroon.  I actually tried to match the maroon from the Texas A&M website as closely as I could, and I'm happy with it.  The colors in the photos for today's post are the closest I've gotten as far as accuracy goes.  For the edging, I followed the pattern directions for a round of granny pattern, but then I worked one round of single crochet to finish it off.  I didn't want anything too fussy for a border, but I wanted to finish it off nicely.  The finished blanket is 48 inches x 55 inches, which is a nice size to sit under on a sofa or a desk chair.  Caleb has already given it a spin while online gaming the other night.

Of course, the second I finished taking the first two photos and measured the finished blanket, the Quality Control Cat went to work.  He burrowed right under there and fell asleep until dinner time.  It was good to know that the blanket was working properly before I gave it to Caleb!

Quilting

As you know from my rambling on this blog, I've been doing some more sewing lately.  That has also meant going through some unfinished projects, and I recently pulled this quilt top out to finish it.  

I began this log cabin quilt in the late 1990's when I was working at a quilt shop.  I finished sewing the blocks together in this house, so sometime after 2009.  I think it's more than time for borders, don't you? Also, just as a side note, for some reason one of the blues is photographing a lot lighter and brighter than it is in real life.  It's not quite as dark as the other blue, but it's not the electric blue it's trying to be in these photos either.

I have plenty of fabric for the borders, I just had to figure out what I wanted to do, but first I needed some measurements.  I had help holding the quilt down for that.  I'm hoping to get the borders added today, then I'll need to figure out a backing (to flannel or not to flannel, that is the question) and I really hope to get this mailed off to the longarm quilter before Caleb goes back to school later this month.  (It's not for Caleb, it's a Fall/Winter quilt for Mickael and I, and also Noodle obviously.  I'm just using Caleb's schedule as a time goal.) That way I'll have it back and ready to bind before the weather turns cold.  (Ha ha!  I'm laughing too!)  

Have a great weekend!

Quality Control

I've started the fourth and final color of my Elsom wrap, Herb.  I'm very happy with all of the colors I've used in this project and will definitely be using the Cascade Heritage Sock again when I'm looking for solid fingering weight yarn options.

Sometimes, as I'm knitting a project I start to wonder about it.  Is this sweater going to be cozy?  Will these socks keep my feet toasty?  Is this wrap going to be the perfect extra layer of warmth?  That's where the Chez Pink Lemon Testing Professional comes in.  This highly skilled team member is always ready to step in and test knitting projects at any stage of the process.  As you can see, the Elsom wrap got a surprise inspection earlier this week, but fortunately, it passed its tests with flying colors.  You can tell that by the way the Testing Professional has passed out under his work.  This wrap is going to do its job well!

Have a great weekend and be sure to test your knitting frequently!

Spinning and Cats

I did finally get a photo of my first four bobbins for this combo spin.  I have two more bobbins of singles left to spin and I'm working on the first of those now.  

You may have noticed that my spinning has slowed down a bit lately.  That can be explained with a name - Mr. Noodle.  (Yes, his name is technically Newton, but when we pick him up he does this thing where he completely relaxes and turns into a kitty noodle, so he's usually called Noodle - so much that it feels weird blogging about Newton.)  

He has wool issues, as in he can't stay away from it.  I can keep my knitting in project bags, but keeping the entire spinning wheel safe is a different matter.  I've been keeping it in the sewing room behind a closed door, but that means I have to get it out of the room, go back and get the Noodle out of the room, close the door, and haul the wheel downstairs every time I want to spin.  This meant I was unable to spin in the little 10-15 minute windows I had been using before, when the spinning wheel sat downstairs.  I would only go get it when I had a decent sized block of time to actually spin.  Sometimes there were several days or even a week where I just didn't spin.   I brought the wheel back downstairs where I could actually use it and I tried wrapping the wheel in a sheet but Noodle took it as a personal challenge and found a way in.  

I realized that I basically needed a giant project bag for my spinning wheel.  Something to keep the cat and the wheel safe from each other.  I don't have time right at this minute to make one so I went to Amazon.  I searched and wandered and finally realized that a tent would work.  We have a tent.  I got out the tent and set it up.  The spinning wheel fits in the tent.  It looks ridiculous in the family room, but it works.

Apparently - and I had no idea of this beforehand - Noodle has always wanted a tent in his life.  He realized that I had put the spinning wheel in there immediately and started checking for weaknesses.  After a thorough inspection, he realized he couldn't get to it.  He gave me a dirty look and wandered off.

But then he came back.  He realized that the tent was fun all by itself.  It has zippers and straps and things that can be slapped and you can go underneath it and behind it and jump out at Logan when he doesn't expect it.  The tent is fun!

Then I decided to spin, so I unzipped the tent, got out the wheel and started spinning.  At that point Noodle got to play inside the tent and the joy and rapture he was feeling at this new wonderful part of his life was unequaled.  This was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him.  He'd always wanted a tent.  It completes him.  Also, when the spinning wheel is out of the tent, it's very lightweight.  For obvious reasons I didn't stake it down into the hardwood, so it's very easy to scoot around the floor.  (This is also a great way to bug Logan because he isn't expecting to be woken up by having a tent shoved into his nose.)  So as I'm spinning happily away, I'm watching the tent scoot across the floor as it's pushed by the world's most joyful cat.  It might not be the most peaceful spinning I've ever done, but everyone is happy, the wheel is safe, and the silly cat is safe.

At some point I'll make a smaller bag for it but for now, we'll just have a tent in the family room.  In the meantime, he's sleeping really well at night!

Last Thursday

Last Thursday morning I woke up, fully expecting to blog, and discovered that little Newton had eaten yarn.  I still have no idea where he found the yarn.  I know yarn is both tempting and terrible for cats.  I know Newton can't even sit next me while I knit without attacking the yarn.  I'm very careful to keep it put up and out of his reach, I thought.  He'd thrown some of it up, but having no idea where he found it or how much more he might still have in his system, we were off to the vet's office as soon as they opened.  He spent the day there getting X-rays all day while they followed a Barium dose through his digestive system.  By late afternoon the vet was confident that he didn't have anymore yarn in his system and he wouldn't have to have surgery.  Meanwhile, Newton had been so charming and cooperative that not only did he have the entire vet's office head over heels in love with him, the nurse that was working with him that day was able to do the X-rays without additional assistance.  (Maximus, on the other hand, once attacked several nurses and assistants there after getting his teeth cleaned.)  At the end of the day, we were very happy (but also emotionally exhausted) to bring him back home, knowing he was healthy.  Also, Newton isn't allowed full run of the house anymore overnight.  (Four weeks before the yarn eating incident, he decided to jump from the upstairs to the downstairs in the middle of the night.  He didn't break anything but he was definitely feeling it.  He got some kitty anti-inflammatory meds for that.  He's wearing us out.)

I am still knitting.  I replaced all of my project bags that had drawstrings with project bags with zippers, but I'm still knitting.  I've finished the first sock of my Hermione's Flamingos and have a good bit finished on my second sock.  Last time I blogged about this sock I mentioned that I was loving the way the colors were pooling and I think I should clarify - I love the way Blue Moon Fiber Arts' yarns pool.  They almost do a self striping thing and I enjoy it.  I don't like all pooling.  When I first started knitting socks I discovered very quickly that Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, despite being a very nice base and dyed using very nice colors, pools in ways I don't like.  To this day, I refuse to buy anything Lorna's Laces (or Mrs. Crosby, their other line) because of the pooling.  This is silly, they dye solids too that wouldn't pool at all, but that's how frustrated I was with that type of pooling.  So I guess I'm picky as to how the colors randomly line up in my knitting!

I hope to be back Thursday, but I'm just not going to make any promises at this point.

Spinning

This weekend I didn't get any sewing projects cut out, but I did get my Arcade Singles plied.  This was a Merino/Tencel top from Greenwood Fiberworks dyed in their Arcade colorway.  I spun it end to end with no splitting or predrafting and tried to spin back and forth across the width of the top, evenly to keep the colors as clear and un-muddied as possible.  You can see above how the bobbin looked when I began plying - I love the way the colors blended smoothly together!

The finished skein is 406 yards of chain plied, fingering weight yarn.  I don't have any definite plans for this yarn, but fingering weight yarn works really well in this climate and I have lots of patterns for the weight in my pattern library.  I'm sure I'll find somewhere to use it.

I started a new spinning project after finishing my Arcade yarn, and this one will be a sweater quantity.  I'm doing a combination spin for this project.  Above, you can see my fiber.  From left to right:

Dicentra Designs 60% Polwarth/40% Silk in Clearing

Unknown deep stash (possibly Ashland Bay) 80% Merino/20% Silk in Oriental Jade

Jakira Farms Mixed BFL 75% White/25% Black, no colorway name

Dicentra Designs 60% Polwarth/40% Silk in Lush

Dicentra Designs 60% Polwarth/40% Silk in Low Carbon World

Dicentra Designs 60% Polwarth/40% Silk in Aqua

I had about 4 ounces of each when I started.  I plan on making a three ply fingering weight finished yarn, so I divided each braid into sixths by weight.  Then each piece of top was stripped further and pulled into shorter lengths.

Here is the top for the first bobbin, it's been inspected by a wool professional.

Here is the first bobbin!

At some point, I will get my fabric cut, but right now, I'm having a lot of fun spinning!

A Finished Shawl and A New Sock

I haven't been blogging regularly, but I have been knitting!  I finished my 4 Ever In Blue Jeans shawl and I love it!  This has mosaic colorwork, but this mosiac was done in garter stitch, where the mosaic colorwork from Walk in the Woods shawl (the fuschia and pale gray one from earlier this year) was in stockinette.  I feel like garter stitch mosaic has a lot more texture than stockinette mosiac.  Honestly, I think it has more going on texturally than regular garter stitch!  I actually wondered what this pattern would look like in stockinette, just to compare the differences, but I haven't been curious enough to knit a swatch of it.

I knit this in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Natural and Flycatcher Blue.  The blue is definitely part of the same muted blue family that denim falls into, so I felt like it was perfect for this design!  I used almost a complete skein of each color, so it was nice to only have minimal leftovers.

Here's one more shot of the pattern, just because!  I followed the pattern exactly until the very end where I added a few more rows of blue before binding off.

I also started a new pair of socks and I'm more than halfway through the first sock.  The pattern is Anemone and I'm knitting it in Dream In Color Smooshy (the new Smooshy, with nylon) in Wineberry.  This is my first time knitting with the new Smooshy (previously, it was all merino) and I'm hoping the nylon improves the wear.  I knit Mickael a couple pairs of socks in the old Smooshy and while he is hard on his socks, those haven't aged very well.  I think the nylon should help quite a bit.  Also, yes, that's Newton photobombing the sock.  He just turned one year old on February 28.  He's so helpful!

Mosaic and Spinning

I've begun the mosaic portion of my wrap.  This kind of knitting seems to fly off the needles because it's so much fun to watch the pattern develop.  Also, you can see how much bigger Mr. Newton has gotten!  He's 10 months old now, and yes, he was about to bite my yarn when I took the picture.  We're still working on a few things around here.  

I've also started a new spinning project for the new year!  This is Malabrigo Nube (100% Merino) in Arco Iris.  When I've spun other colorways of Nube I've just divided it into thirds and spun the singles on three bobbins, then plied them to make a three ply yarn.  This particular colorway has more going on than Aquas, Zarzamora, and English Rose, so I decided to chain ply it to keep the colors from getting muddy.  I think I'll be happier with the finished yarn this way.  I'm spinning the singles to 50 wpi for a fingering weight finished yarn.

Have a great weekend!  Stay warm!