"Nothing Happened"

I kept diaries off and on when I was a kid. Sometimes I'd have trouble thinking of something to write about. Sometimes, the day was just boring. And sometimes I'd miss several days, and I would be stuck with blank pages with the dates printed at the top. On these days I would simply write "Nothing happened."

Over the last two weeks I broke my New Year's Resolution and didn't write a blog post. So if you're wondering about last week, don't worry. Nothing happened.

For the past two and a half weeks I've been house sitting for the third time since January. This time it was for Lyndsey's family. That's part of the reason I didn't blog. Since all my pain issues started, I've had trouble finding a comfortable place to use my laptop. With all the furniture in Lyndsey's house, I couldn't find a spot comfortable enough to use my computer for long periods of time. And blogging takes time.

I did take some pictures. Here are:



Mercy,




Kelly




and Lady.

I also took this picture one evening of the view from their deck. I wish it turned out a little better:





I included my latest knitting project, which I somehow managed not to blog despite all the progress I've made. Remember the sweater I was dreaming of that I eventually decided would be an Adult Surprise Jacket?





I present the Epic Adult Surprise Jacket. I'm already at the armpits.





You can see pictures of the evolution of the jacket here. Between the four stitches per inch gauge and the six inches of ease, I'm a little worried that it's going to be too bulky. I think it will be ok, since I am aiming for more of a coat than a jacket.

Later on I'll list more details, including the different yarns I'm using. I'm trying very hard to choose yarn that keeps the gauge consistent.

For now, I'll leave you with two things in honor of International Yarnbombing Day. First, a sighting from the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar on Saturday. I made asked Katie, Aaron and Aaron's brother Jacob to pose in front of the pipe with me.





The yarn is very soft. I wonder what they used. It didn't seem to be acrylic, but I didn't have a lot of time to examine it.

Finally, I have more coverage of A Knitted Wonderland. This time it's a short movie is by Sarah E. Gonzalez.

FO: One Day Beret

I was basically finished with this yesterday during my break at work, but I wove in the ends and finished things off this evening.


I won't really know how I feel about it until Lyndsey tries it on. She said she looked like a "demented swami" when she saw this picture. I know I increased too far, so there's more "slouch" them normal.

Lyndsey has a small head, so the brim is small. I can't even begin to put it on my fat head. I didn't switch to a smaller needle for the ribbing, so I'm hoping it's the right size.


This is the pattern for the One Day Beret. I used one skein of Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb in "Black Purl." (I used almost the whole skein.)

I also used an extra long US Size 4 Addi Turbo Circular Knitting Needle. (I think it was 40 inches long, but I'm not sure.) I used magic loop.


I'll follow up after I give it to Lyndsey. This is her belated birthday gift.

I spun some yarn

I finished a single a day or two ago. Wanna see?


I went to Kid n' Ewe last fall I bought drop spindles and wool for both me and my friend Lyndsey. About a week and a half ago, we got together with Mom for a spinning lesson.

We brought our wool, but the dying process seemed to have made it a tiny bit felted, so we started with this other wool Mom had lying around. (I forgot what type it is.)

Mom showed us how to card rolags, which are basically little wool "cigars" (or "egg rolls" or "taquitos" if you prefer.) Mom learned this was more than a decade ago, but it seems like a nowadays it's hard to find anyone spinning from rolags. (Except for a recent sighting here.) However, Mom thinks it's easier (and more fun) to spin that way, so I decided to give it a try.


We have carding down pretty well. (Lyndsey and I are sharing the hand carders.) Spinning is more difficult, although I think Lyndsey is doing better than I am. Then again, I think Lyndsey tends to be more of a perfectionist than I am. I keep barreling through with the lumps and bumps.


Mom actually showed me how to spin a little bit about a year ago. I hadn't picked it up since, but I thought it was time to really learn.



This is all stuff Mom has spun. Starting with the hat and going clockwise:

1) The Hat - I'm not sure if this was made from her very first yarn, but it was some of the early stuff. She said it turned out well, except it itches. (A lot of my anxiety about "will it itch" comes from this hat.)

2) The Pink Stuff - Dyed with Kool Aid.

3) Black Bart - Mom ordered this wool by mail from a sheep named "Black Bart" a while back.

4) The White Stuff - That's...uhhh...wool.

5) Camel - Mom got a small amount of camel, and blended it with some wool.

Obviously Mom knows more about this stuff than I do.