I got a new toy. A giant ball winder. I can wind 8 oz of yarn into a ball. It makes the regular ball winder look like a toy. I have them both on the old table side by side.

We have been cleaning up my workroom, it looks nice and neat, the desk has a flat clean surface. The table has nothing on it but the ball winders.

My knitting chair is not buried and all the projects are put in the storage tub, except Kiri which should be finished by Saturday if I am going to wear it to the wedding. I have 8 days to finish a little over 1/2 ball of yarn. And after the cleaning I am too tired to do anything but sit and knit so I should get it finished find.


See my nice clean desk!

And the clean table, it needs to be refinished but it is clean.

And more pictures of my new ball winder.

The first ball I wound.

Before Mom and I went to Florida the mail came and brought the Spindolyn Bag that I traded a Bosworth mini for. We both thought we got the better part of the trade. I had purchased a Spindolyn and 3 spindles recently and was disappointed that Catherine is no longer making the bags, since I had the opportunity to try one and liked it very much. So when this came up on swap day I jumped on it. I also purchased 4 spindles and got a bag thrown in for good measure.
I have not had a chance to try any of them since I did not take them to Florida with me, but now that I am back I will get a chance to see what they can do.

What I did take was 3 almost sweaters, the sheep, the FLAK and a blue Sampler from last year that got shoved aside, ( I can't tell you why that is) with everything finished up to the armholes. So I finished the top. And the Sheep sweater. And I finished my flak!








Here are the sheep:









And the Blue sweater not blocked:
















And here is the FLAK and even a picture of me in it.

Now it is 5 inches square so the needles size is a US #3 I am ready whenever the first clue is posted.

Now I need to go pack. Mom and I are leaving Friday morning to go down and get the rest of the stuff that she wants out of the Florida house now that she has a signed contract so it is sold.

I have been a busy little bee in the last 2 days, in a ADD sort of way. While pondering what kind of summer top I wanted to do I remembered a Sampler top that I had started last year, dug it out and it was complete up to the arm holes. Why did I stop? 2 days and it would have been finished. Oh well. The front is over finished (read the pattern wrong and made the arm holes 12 inches no wonder it looked kinda big) When I held it up it was below the *girls* and that will never do. So frog at least 3 and probably 4 inches. Knit the sleeves and sew it up. Should be able to wear it Friday but do I want to wear it on the trip to Florida?? Probably not.



Then Renee (the owner of the mystery shawl 4 list) is going away so she posted the 2nd clue yesterday. So I sat up until 2 am, finishing clue 2 and listening to Mary, Mary by James Paterson. and Here it is. Next clue due the 23rd so I should get something done on CIT.

I have worked a little on the edging of My FLAK 2 buttonholes down and 4 more miles to go I need a good movie. Need a DVD of Medicine Man. Put it on the shopping list.




I got out the rovings. At least the shetland and I have white, cream, oatmeal, light gray, med. gray, silver, tan, med brown and a deep brown I also have a jet black (not shown in the pictures because it is up stairs) so for those who spin here is the roving: if you don't skip the rest of this entry.

C's Flak is done, done, done! Blocked, buttons sewn on, everything except wrapping for Fathers day and we are TaaaDaaa a week early!

Oh look he does have a head. And a very gray beard.
the vest is really charcoal even if that yellow shirt does make it look blue.
It's long enough and it doesn't pull across his belly! Damn I'm good!


Next up in the finished column is Christopher's birthday socks. And here they are being held by the birthday boy himself.

He is just sooooo involved (with the TV in the other room)

And the close up: They are Mountain Colors Bearfoot and done with my usual default toe-up pattern: Start with figure 8 cast on of 8-12 stitches depending on whether the socks are for me or someone else.
Increase until there are enough stitches for the intended victim, and 2X2 rib the top of the foot put in waste yarn for the heel, knit 3 more plain rows on the foot side then 2X2 rib until the top is as long as the foot. Bind off, pick out the waste yarn knit 3 rows plain and make a wedge to 10-12 stitches top and bottom Kitchner and wrap, find birthday card, and you're done!

My FLAK has its bottom ribbing and all the stitches picked up for the front band, mine is getting 2 rope cables twisted towards each other with 2 purls between where the buttonholes will be hidden. I will use this as the evening in front of the TV knitting because it doesn't take the concentration of the CIT. I expect that 2 nights should finish this up. Possible if I go to the 2 group meetings on Tuesday I will finish it then.

I need to make a swatch of the front border of the Cit to send to a friend who is going to make buttons for both the FLAK and CIT so I have an excuse to finish the knitting and not sew on the buttons for a while.

Finishing things always gives me a case of start-itis and as usual more yarn has jumped onto the needles. There is the Plymouth Sunsette that is going to be a Tee whether the Shapely Tee from WhiteLies or the Cable Tee for Ample knitters it has not told me. I just hope it doesn't want to be something else entirely because they make for nice mindless knitting and I need some of that for when I am teaching.

One of the other things I am swatching is the 2nd Mystery Stole here it is on US#2 needles and I am going to go up to a 3 because I can't block this to 5" to save my life.


Last but not least is the Mystery Shawl 4, (no, thank you, I do not want to talk about 2 and 3) I love pi shawls, and I finished clue 1 in about 2 hours so of course I keep thinking that I can do all the others just as fast (yeah right!) But I have missed knitting lace and with the mystery I now have to wait until next Friday to go on with them so I have the CIT fronts scheduled for the mornings this week.
I need to get those done before Pat finishes her sleeves. So I get the charts proofed.

Last Saturday I went to Hoosier Hills Fiber fair and got all the Shetland roving for the dye project I have on the back burner. And I ordered Icelandic fleece in white and Moorit to spin for the Northwest Sweater class with Joan Schrouder at Midwest masters in October. I will show you all the pretty rovings next time.