banner

Monday, January 09, 2006

2.8%

We're 2.8% of the way to our goal! That sounds bad, but we're ahead of the game by .4%. If we averaged about 5.5 socks a day, we'd make our goal (with a little over). At this point, we're averaging 6.3 socks a day! DON"T STOP! I'll report every Monday our rate, since I think most of us get more knitting done on weekends, but of course the ticker will remain across the top. Remember to let others know, so that each sock gets counted (no sock left behind!!!) and don't forget to let me know, via comments here, in the sidebar, or in e-mail!

KNIT ON!!!

~~~~~

Now, you'd think I was knitting socks furiously all weekend, but nope. Not a one (I did turn a heel). See, Saturday was St Distaff's Day and like any self respecting spinner, I partied hard in celebration.


I started with this,

which became this

four-ply Dorset, which I think is my first four-ply (I have no memory of doing other four-ply, but with my mind, that's relatively unconvincing evidence).

While that hung in the bathroom "setting" I pulled out the drum carder.

That's when some funky miracles began.

Now, I'm not so good pretty bad embarrassingly inept with the drum carder. Things just never happen the way they do on all the videos I've seen. No one will mistake me for Deb Menz anytime soon.

So I was not surprised when I carded two fibers together and got something completely unexpected. I was surprised that the completely unexpected thing was rather nice. Because my math may be shakey, but it turns out that
Blue Faced Leicester/Border Leicester
plus
Firestar

equals a soft, cloudy batt that looks like this


And for some reason when you spin that soft, cloudy batt, and subtract some of the neps from over carding, and the clumps from under teasing



You get singles that look like this


And when you ply those singles, you get something that a bit more teal than hunter than this photo would lead one to believe, but still... prrreeeeetttyyyyy....

See?

It's like a mermaid's yarn....

25 Comments:

Blogger dragon knitter said...

oh aimee! remember me over here, bootie knitter, waiting for an answer? don't mind me, it's late, and i'm grumpy. i am going to knit the jaywalker socks (yeah, i joined the unwashed? masses). and i've been passing on the word like mad, lol


oooooooo pretty mermaidness!

12:13 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Very pretty yarn! I'll have some socks to report on at the end of the week; after my upcoming marathon knitting sessions I'm sure I'll have something to show.

5:34 AM  
Blogger Teri said...

I'm so bummed that I missed St. Distaff's Day. Your mermaid yarn is lovely. I finished a pair of socks on Saturday.

7:41 AM  
Blogger CatonsvilleCats said...

VERY nice! Make more and knit something gorgeous!

8:22 AM  
Blogger Marfa's Mewsings said...

What a great name for a yarn: "mermaid yarn" is is an excellent & cool descriptive term.
Love the colors too.
XOXO

8:30 AM  
Blogger vi said...

hey amie, I am working on something similar, only peacock colors!
yup yup I am going to forceably over come my adversion to green for a peacock colored skein of yarn

vi

8:43 AM  
Blogger dragon knitter said...

ok, ok, i didn't know i was supposed to read old posts! now, my question is, did you count the 3 booties i'd mentioned earlier?

10:10 AM  
Blogger dragon knitter said...

ok, darling, now you're in for it. i just announced your sock project over at the yahoo board i knit for charity (AC4C) and they do TONS of booties! you're in for it now, lol!

10:15 AM  
Blogger Beth said...

I can't believe we've done 57 socks in 9 days - woo hoo!!!! Taking bets on when we'll hit # 2000?

10:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well either you were taken over by aliens or your carding ability is much better than you believe :o) It looks great!! I love your idea of the year of socks. I finished two over the weekend so please add mine to the total.

Beth

10:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Tacos for your birthday, and now mermaid yarn for saint Distaff's day - you know how to celebrate.
Am in the gusset on Bigfoot's sock - I'm thinking by the end of the week. (Please!)
sallyjo

12:27 PM  
Blogger erica said...

Amie, your yarn is beautiful!
I've been a very bad blog reader along with being a bad neglectful blogger. I feel I have excuses though.

And I'm definitely joining your 2thousandsocks KAL! I will finish my socks, they were supposed to be Christmas gifts. Somehow I've also decided that the family will all get socks next Christmas, so that should add about four socks to the list. If they get finished. :)

Now I must catch up on reading all of the posts I've missed on your blog.

12:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very nice mermaid yarn! You are very talented!
I take so many things forgranted not knowing the process as you have shown. Whew!
I will respect my knits from now on...
"Hail, Hail to spinners!"

Nancita

1:36 PM  
Blogger Carol said...

Amie, I can add two socks to your total! Cast them on in the car on January 1, and finished them on Sunday last. Onwards to our goal!

2:47 PM  
Blogger aija said...

Quite beautiful!

I have another 2 socks to add to your total-- jaywalkers, natch!

5:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi!!
I can help with the sock-year. I finished my standing in the shadows of love 6soxKAL first sock. Will let you know soon about the gull wings from socks socks socks (2 at once) and the fuzzy feet and the man socks. Kinda obsessive, so shouldn't be too long!!

I also have thyroid issues, but no where near yours!! hang in there! Hope

10:48 AM  
Blogger Alison said...

Lovely color! Isn't it amazing what a surprise the finished spun product can be?

10:53 AM  
Blogger Rachel said...

Oh dear, I can see now that I really need to report to you the second a sock falls off the needles or I'm going to lose track.... Thinking outloud: [I believe I reported the Trekking pair, so that would mean I still need to report the Mountain Bearfoot pair for my sister, that's two socks, plus I finished one of the socks from the latest Interweave, that makes 3. Really? That seems like a lot. I've already finished 5 socks this year? Yikes!] Um, so, yeah. Add 3 more socks to your tally.

1:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I finished one jaywalker sock in simple stripes from knit picks. Need to cast on the second before a different yarn starts calling my name.

5:37 PM  
Blogger Soonerbeknitting said...

Okay, I hope this is the right place to put this - I just finished a pair of plain old, knit cuff down socks - but they are in beautiful KPPM. So, two more for the count, and I have 4 more socks on needles right now.

6:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh wow Amie beautiful yarns! Love the yarn you blended- very very gorgeous.

9:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Finished the second Bigfoot sock. I'm free! They were in Trekking XXL, and I needed to go into the second skein, which leaves me enough to do a pair for someone normal sized.
sallyjo

11:34 AM  
Blogger Carolyn said...

Ooh - how wonderful!! And one of your favorite colors in the bargain. Your spinning is surely outstanding!

3:50 PM  
Blogger Ellen said...

Pretty yarn! I took a Deb Menz class from herself, and the biggest tip for blending is: drum card the colors separately first. Then you can either layer them on top of one another and Z-strip them. Or, split them into smaller batts and card them together for a more blended look (like what you have). The "layered" look gives stripes of distinct colors throughout, also pretty.

4:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No sock left behind

6:14 PM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home

      
Marriage is love.