Spinning - gasp- and more socks

 

Just a few of the November socks.  There are more unfinished ones in the work basket waiting for me .    I'm also trying out ideas for labels for my socks.   I think I want a band type label for them so that the pairs are easier to keep together.   They seem to look neater, although I know a hang tag might work well too, and it's possible I could simply design one tag which would work for both  socks and wovens.   It's been interesting playing around with label design apps and programs.  They sure aren't as simple and easy as they were many years ago.

November has been an interesting month  and one that I don't mind not repeating.   I managed to muck up my rotator cup.   Thankfully due to some anti-inflamatorys and a lot of diligence with my physio, I was able to get back most of my shoulder movement in fairly quick time.  I'm pretty sure that was more painful than getting either of my hips done.  But they said moving it breaks the pain cycle, and sure enough pushing through, did exactly that.   I'll be a bit careful in the future though, not to over-do it because the problem that caused it in the first place, irritating two tendons is still there.  

 

Not feeling like kitchenering up the toes of the socks, I dragged out the Minstrel and started spinning up some mill ends which I've had for several years.   This is superwash merino/cashmere/silk/nylon.   I've no idea about the percentages.  It's nice enough to spin for fibre that was like $8 a lb.   Most of it needs carding.  I've been hand carding it until I have a huge pile of rolags.  Then I can have a lovely, leisurely spinning session.   I'm on the second bobbin.  Now I   need to figure out where I stashed the rest of my bobbins.  I don't like to ply very fine yarns from centre pull balls as I have too many issues with tangling.  A little bit thicker grist and up is great plying ends together for me,  but not the very fine stuff.   I'm hoping that I'll get enough  spun to dye up and crank a pair of socks

Christmas card painting is on the list for soon.  It was supposed to be earlier this month but not with everything that's happened so far.   Then I figured today, but that didn't happen so tomorrow for sure.   I got a bit of a walk in though, which felt so good.  Then there were ice pellets and now it's raining, and "they're" calling for possible snow.  :(    We've been having windchill in the morning too and it just feels too early for waking up to -10 blasts of weather.  I've definitely a bit spoiled from living this far south.  I mean the ground isn't totally frozen yet and still I'm complaining.

Colours of November

A sunny hike on our favourite trail

The river was so still it was like a mirror

An impromptu hike because the shop didn't open 'til noon

 

last day warm enough to hang laundry

Endings and Beginnings

 

The towels with the painted warp off the loom.  They were hemmed and hung to take a photo.  I like them a lot.  The black one shows off the colours really well, however it looks out of place with the rest of the towels.  The other ones are a bit less dramatic but they look really nice.  Even the green one which I wasn't sure about.  

Folded up they look nice too.  I think the purple is my favourite, but the teal is close.  They are all boxed up and ready to be put on sale this weekend.

I thought that I didn't have very much to put in the sale.  Because of the hip replacement, I haven't spent any real time on the floor loom.  What I hadn't realized was how much I've actually woven on the rigid heddle loom.  In this case, my big bin that I thought was too large, was actually full to the top!  That doesn't mean anything will sell though because buyers are fickle, money is tight for most people and lots of folks just come out for an interesting day out.  If things do sell though, it does help with buying yarn for next year.

Len's Mill Store sent out digital coupons and the yellow tag items were 80% off.  This is a pile of yarn which would have been $80 before tax.  With tax, I paid $17 and change.    Most of these are for the rigid heddle loom.  One is a ball of Hygge, a very thin fluffy yarn which has come to the notice of sock machine knitters as you can use it to line socks to make slippers.   The horrible yellow is sock yarn.  It's ugly and bright and was $1.88 after discount.  There is enough other yarn there for 3 shawls or maybe 4 or 5 scarves.   When I'm able to get yarn on deep discount, or at least on sale, it means I can sell my non- wool or silk scarves at attractive prices.  I like that because it means that handwoven items are available to those people who may not be able to afford them otherwise.  It's nice to let people have a choice.

I warped up the Inkle loom.  I used 4/8 cotton that I'd purchased years ago when I had this idea to make guitar straps for my family.  I'd already made 2 for myself - a banjo strap and a ukelele strap.  However there were still 3 kids plus 1 spouse who played, so I thought it was a good idea.   It took so long to make mine, that I ran out of time.  Plus, I'd thought that I'd be able to dye all the white to customize them and that really didn't happen either.

   I need to make a new Birka bag and my old strap is wearing where it attaches to the handles, so I put this project on for that purpose.   But, the tele was on and I was dressing the loom while I was watching some very compelling crime drama on Britbox.   I should never do things like this.  The stripes are different sizes and I missed a peg on 2 different threads so had to cut the strap off early because I could no longer pull the strap forward to weave.   It's about 12 inches too short! 

So sometime this week I need to find table space to paint my Xmas cards.  I still need to make a couple of pairs of csm socks.  I also want to put a new scarf on the rigid heddle loom to have something alternate to play with.  This all sounds doable except for the fact that hubby has a week off and who knows what will happen then.