NOOOOOOO!!!!

Last night I was spinning, and I was on a roll. I thought I was finally getting the hang of it. Then it happened.

Actually, I can't remember exactly how it happened. All of sudden I was looking at the bottom of my drop spindle and saying to myself "this is a bottom whorl, isn't it?"

My hook was gone.

Dude, where's my hook?

I couldn't find it anywhere. I checked my clothes, the chair, the floor, but it was long gone.

NOOOOOOOO!!!!

I contemplated e-mailing Jim Hokett for advice on how to fix it. I finally took it home to Dad this evening, triggering an impromptu trip to Home Depot. Dad had made a couple of simple of drop spindles for Mom years ago, and they still had the little cup hooks leftover. But they were too big.

So I found myself in Home Depot, with a spindle wrapped in uneven vomit autumn colored, handspun yarn, looking at cup hooks and looking longingly at my spindle. I was remembering about how shiny and new it looked at Kid n' Ewe.

We debated hook sizes. I kept insisting it was smaller than the hooks available. Finally we came home with two different sizes.

It occurred to me when we were on the way home that I had a picture on Flickr of the spindle. We checked, and I think it proved I was right.

Fortunately, smaller size worked, even if it was bigger than the original hook. With some Teflon tape (Dad's idea) I was back in business.

After Dad fixed the spindle, I spent some time with Mom talking about spinning technique. I asked her to demonstrate with my spindle. When she tried, she said the wool I was using was difficult to draft. She suggested that I use some different fiber, something prepared. (Not rolags like I had been.)

So I have a mission for the yarn crawl this Saturday. I need to find some roving or a batt that will be good for a beginner.

In other news, picked up a few things at my parents' house for my "bangin'" 80s outfit for work tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.




Mom felted her Coco Bag, but she's having trouble putting in the gromits. (Those are knitting needles poking through the holes.) She's wondering what tool to use. Let me know if you have any advice.

Also, check out Jules' socks at Sandra Singh's website. (I'm famous!)

FO: Jules's Gentleman Socks

This socks were a long time coming.

Last summer, I went on the yarn crawl with the Meetup group. Sandra Singh allowed us to come into her home to shop for yarn. (She has an online business.) We were all excited because Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock was on sale.

Jules and I had been talking for a couple of months at that point. I decided to get some yarn for socks for Jules. If we made it to Christmas, I would knit him some socks. He would be sockworthy by then.

I went back and forth on which color to get. I normally choose stuff too bright for the average guy. I almost went home with Blackwatch, but then I casually looked at something in a sandier color. I saw the colorway was Seaside, and I knew that was the yarn I had to get. Jules loves the ocean. I bought three skeins just to be sure I had enough. (I only needed two skeins, since I shortened the leg.)

Fast forward to October. We had been "official" for a while, and we were making plans for him to come and visit. I went back and forth on which socks to make. If you can't tell, a name can really sell me sometimes. I considered Boyfriend Socks, but the pattern wasn't right for this type of variegated yarn. I finally settled on Gentleman Socks, because he called his scarf "gentlemanly." Also, the crossed stitches seemed good for the yarn, and the ribbing was forgiving. After all, I couldn't measure his foot for myself.

And trying to get foot measurements was a hassle. He told me his shoe size, I consulted books, consulted the pattern, called him again, asked for measurements, asked other knitters, called and asked to re-measure....you get the picture. I finally settled on a men's medium.

Gauge was another issue. I kept going smaller and smaller, until I got 8.5 stitches per inches on US size 000. Ravelry doesn't even go that low. (In case you're tuning in late, I have very loose gauge. The pattern calls for US size 1.)

I think if there was less of a time crunch with the holidays, I would have enjoyed it more. But I was running out of time. The crossed stitches meant I had 80 stitches on tiny needles. I'd sit down at knitting group to work on it, and when I'd leave I'd look down and think "that's all I got done?"

It was my fault for choosing a pattern with such a small gauge. It wasn't really a difficult pattern, just tedious. Like I said, it wouldn't have been a big deal if there hadn't been a time cruch. I'd knit them again.

The sole was interesting too. There was the weird slip stitch pattern to help the socks fit around the arch better. I was skeptical, but it worked. (I have pretty flat feet, so I don't need design features like that.)

I spent three weeks on these socks. (Imagine if I'd hadn't shortened the leg. The pattern says to make it eight inches long.) It was good to knit socks with a larger gauge after I was done.





You're probably wondering if he liked them...



...I think so.

My boyfriend is sockworthy.