I forgot to ask for buttons! After checking my button jar and coming up empty I went to ebay, my favourite button finding venue and found some buttons I liked. I went on to order them and realised that the ebay store was for Minerva Crafts! I didn't realise they had an ebay presence. I decided to email my contact at Minerva Crafts and very kindly offered to put the buttons I wanted in the post. So, while I wait for my buttons to arrive I feel like I'm flitting from project to project.
I don't want to start anything big because the Crafting Library KAL is due to start in a couple of weeks, and when that starts I want to be able to concentrate on that, so I've been doing little things like making stitch markers.
These are lovely little light stitch markers that glint when you slide them along your needle. Then I couldn't resist using two beads that I've kept to one side for a long time. I decided I was never going to make them into earrings, so I may as well use them as stitch markers and actually get to enjoy looking at them.
I have also been spending more time getting to grips with my Tibetan spindle. I have been working my way through my Fibreholics package. If you are in the UK and haven't heard of Fibreholics I shall let you in on the secret. Fibreholics are a group of indie dyers in the UK who collectively put out a sample pack, every two months. It costs a very reasonable sum and you can order either 100g or 200g of either yarn or fibre. The samples are usually around 20g or so, to give a good representation of the quality of either fibre or yarn. I decided that as I know so little about fibre dyers in the UK getting a fibre pack would be really useful to me. I ordered the pack and got a good selection of different fibres from different dyers.
The samples are, from top to bottom, left to right;
Hilltop Cloud (this wasn't included in the Fibreholics Package, I got it with my last purchase)
Colourful Designs (which seems to be on hiatus)
Knitterscarlet
Mandacrafts
Porpoise Fur
Lime Green Jelly
With these samples I'm simply spinning them on my Tibetan to improve my technique, to try different fibres and different dyers. I'm enjoying spinning for fun rather than to produce a yarn that will be used. It makes me feel more free and less worried about making it perfect. I still haven't tried plying on my spindle yet, I'm scared to try. I will do it eventually, but at the moment I'm simply spinning singles and storing them on drinking straws!
I am doing some knitting. I decided to visit my queue and cast on Pogona by Stephen West. This pattern has been in my library and queue for some time. I even had the yarn from stash waiting to go. I pulled out my skein of Wollmeise Sockenwolle 80/20 Twin in the We're Different range. I bought this from a destash for a reasonable sum (ie cost plus p&p), so I'm not quite sure of the colour. I think it is Gruenfink. Essentially it is a gorgeous zingy apple green. This is the first Wollmeise I've used and I can see why people rave about it so much. The stitch definition is amazing and the colour is incredibly saturated (my favourite).
I had read, that because Wollmeise Sockenwolle is a larger skein than usual, the Pogona is a much bigger size when finished, as it is an easily adjustable pattern.
This semi-solid colourway is showing up a treat in this pattern and I'm enjoying knitting it, using my new stitch markers! I think this will be a lovely scarf type shawl that will brighten up my dark grey Winter coat when it is finished. I can't wait to see it done!
I'm quite enjoying being between big projects. Whipping up some smaller things makes me feel like there is no pressure and I am getting lots accomplished. To see other works in progress, click the button.
