Spinning Alpaca

I wanted to post a lot more pictures tonight, but my camera cable is MIA. So you'll have to settle for a few photos from a week ago.


Last Friday I spent the night at my parents so I could spin the Alpaca fiber I bought at Kid 'n Ewe. It sort of exploded when I opened the bag.



It took me a little bit of time to get my rhythm. The alpaca doesn't have much grip. I'm used to doing lots of pre-drafting. I hardly did any with this roving. In fact, I quit tearing it in half like I usually do.



Here's the yarn part way through the bobbin. I'm spinning it pretty fine. It broke in a few places, but it's going pretty good.



And here's where I was by the time I left on Saturday. I made it about halfway through the fiber. (Mom and Dad have this little bitty postal scale keyring, so I can estimate the weight of what's left.) It's a good place to change bobbins, since I'm planning on plying it. (And then dying it with Kool Aid.) The problem right now is that Mom's other bobbins are full of her own spinning. We'll have to see who gets their single off the bobbin first.

How do you get to llama school?

November and December Gift List: I'm not dead yet!

Cross posted at Sally Comes Unraveled and Year Long Gift-A-Long.

Ok. Ok, ok, ok. OK.

Christmas is coming, and the Year Long Gift-A-Long has helped a lot. But between Christmas gifts and the Fiber Festival, I'm completely overwhelmed. So I'm throwing out the mold, and starting a new list from now until Christmas.

Things to Finish

1. Chevron Scarf
2. Even More Boogie Time
3. I have a partially finished Reversible Cable Scarf.

Things to Make

Forgive the all the code names - the recipients read this blog.

1. Code Name: Turning Japanese
2. Code Name: I'm a Mac
3. Code Name: Pink
4. Code Name: Wally World
5. Code Name: Hollywood
6. Handwarmers 1
7. Handwarmers 2
8. Hat
9. Scarf
10. Calorimetry for Grandma. Kiri just ain't happening this year.

Tuesday Tens: Ten Geektastic Patterns

Leia Wig knit by Dyana in Lion Brand Vanna's Choice.

It started with an e-mail from one of my geeky friends with the pattern for the Leia Wig shown above. Then he sent another link to a pattern for Knitted Light Sabers. Geeks love knitting, and there's no shortage of patterns for just about any geekdom. I've featured ten here, and included the geekdom for those who don't speak geek.



1. Leia Wig by Ansley Bleu

Example knit by Ansley in Misti Alpaca Chunky.

Geekdom: Star Wars



2. Binary Scarf by Christine Dumoulin

Example knit by Shona in Caron Simply Soft.

Geekdom: Computers. (Read more about binary here.)



3. DNA Scarf by June Oshiro

Example knit by Sarah.

Geekdom: Biology, specifically genetics. (Not quite a geekdom, but close enough.)



4. Nintendo Kleenex Box Holder (Ravelry link) by Carrie Ouradnik

Example knit by Janelle in Red Heart Super Saver.

Geekdom: Nintendo. Specifically, old-school Nintendo.



5. R2D2 Beanie by Carissa Browning

Example knit by Janelle in Caron Simply Soft and Red Heart Super Saver.

Geekdom: Star Wars (Specifically, R2-D2.)



6. EXTERMIKNIT by Penwiper

Example knit by Jo.

Geekdom: Doctor Who. This is a stuffed Dalek. (Linking to the iconic scarf seemed too easy.)



7. Cthulhu Dice Bag! by A. A. Leavitt-Reynolds

Example knit by Michelle in Cascade 220.

Geekdom: There's two here. Cthulhu is from the work of HP Lovecraft, and may be considered a geekdom all it's own. Also, a lot of dice are required for Role Playing Games, hence the dice bag.



8. Lord of the Rings Scarf (Ravelry link) by Tina Yeung.

Example knit by Tempe in Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport.

Geekdom: Lord of the Rings. This scarf features the text inscribed on the ring.





9. Jayne Cobb Hat by Dryope (She also has a crocheted version.)

Top example knit by Lisa in Caron Wintuk and TLC Essentials. Bottom example knit by Clare in Robin Double Knit and Sirdar Bonus DK.

Geekdom: Firefly



10. Geek Mittens by Gayla Oglesby.

Example knit by Gayla in Lion Brand Lion Wool.

Geekdom: Computers, specifically Linux. These mittens feature Tux, the Linux mascot.

"Don't look at me. I'm a failure. All I can do is crochet."

The Sarah Silverman ProgramThursdays 10:30p/9:30c

Silverman Reunion

Black God
Alternative Comedy

Abortion Song
Stoner Humor

Awesome crochet sighting near the end of the clip.

11/25/08 - Edited to add direct link, in case the player doesn't work.

Holiday Blog Fodder "contest"

Both Saturday and Sunday I came home and fell asleep before I could blog. I am woefully behind on my blogging already, and it's going to get worse as Christmas approaches.

I need your help. So, I'm holding a "contest." I use the word contest loosely because there aren't really any prizes, except for glory.

During the two and half weeks Jules is here, I'm not planning to blog. I may pop in with some uploaded pictures, but nothing serious. I would like to have some scheduled posts during that time, but it's hard enough to do my regular posts, much less work ahead.

So I'm asking my readers (both of you) to send me some "blog fodder." More than likely, there needs to be something I can link to, like another website, a YouTube clip or a photo on Flickr or a similar hosted site. (Although if you have something without a link, go ahead and send it in. You never know. The main thing is that I can't host other people's images on Flickr, but I do want pictures.) Include a little commentary about it, but you don't need to write a novel. Anything from 1-2 sentences to 1-2 paragraphs will probably work, depending on the content.

I'm looking mostly for content related to knitting, crocheting, spinning and related fiber arts. Some ideas include funny, interesting or helpful YouTube clips, telling us a little bit about your latest FO, reviewing a favorite yarn or book or sharing a yarny disaster. I may post non-fiber stuff if I think it's in "the spirit" of the blog. (Do you have an awesome piggy bank? Send a picture. Does your bunny have a poopy butt? Tell us about it, but maybe skip the butt shot, ok. I may accept some cool holiday stuff as well.)

Send me your content, and if I use it, I'll give you credit for the entry and link to your blog, your Etsy shop, your MySpace page or whatever. (Be sure to tell me exactly what you want me to link to.)

You can e-mail your stuff to sallyvillarreal AT gmail DOT com. I'll accept Blog Fodder until December 16. However, I have no idea how may people will respond, so I may run out of room before then.

Knitwear Overload

Wendy Bernard says she doesn't like wearing more than one knit item at a time. She may be on to something.

Now that it's finally cold, I've pulled out the Broken Scarf (aka "Fred") and my Knucks. (In the morning, I need handwarmers more than anything, really.) Then I found Soy Wool Spiral after work, and I ended up with this ensemble.

Perhaps it's time to knit things that match.