Not so good

It was to be expected. After all the hysteria and hijinks of Christmas and my sunny "cruise mood" of the past two weeks, I should have known it wouldn't stay that way. I'm back in full grief mode with not sleeping, nightmares, helpless weeping at inopportune moments - all the bells and whistles. It's okay. No, seriously, I'm not gunning for pity or anything. It's just the way this works. Fretting about the process does not simplify or shorten it.

Have I gone back to smoking in those long nights of not sleeping and nightmares? Nope :o).

In other news: there is some exciting new job stuff going on - a new book, maybe, go cross something, please - and some writing with an actual deadline.

There has been spinning, sock knitting and fair isling.

I know, the minute I mention that it might be nice to tackle a few UFOs this month, I'm following my startitis wherever it may go. However, please observe the mittens on the left. I started them back in November from one of my first home-plied, home-dyed yarns. No pattern, no nothing, just 2x1 rib, stockinette and a picot edging.


I can explain the lone sock.

It looks as if not much happened since last time, but I frogged what I had done on the Endpaper Mitts and started over on 3 mm dpns. Hence the lone finished Trekking XXL sock - I've got one set of 3 mm bamboo dpns, and according to my laws of KFYS, buying tools is only okay if I NEED them. Wanting to start two projects just because I can't wait to try the Trekking yarn/fair isle knitting does not count as a legitimate need.

This blurry thing
is the first Pink Ribbons sock. I'm making them to ease myself back into cabling, and because I like them a lot. The Tofutsies sock yarn is lovely to work with. It's soft, but crisp and will be great for spring socks. But then I like cotton a lot, so if you don't, this is probably not the sock yarn for you.

I admit it, I'm proud of my yarns.

The grey is my first alpaka two-ply. The singles could be a little less twisted, because I ended up getting a few hard, overspun bits, but overall it's slinky and soft and shiny. I love working with alpaka, even though it took me a while to get used to the slippery feel of the fiber. Maybe it's because the fiber is so soft and fluffy. I spun it thicker than I would have liked, because I was afraid the fibers would separate with even the tiniest bit of take. They probably wouldn't have, but I couldn't get used to the feeling.

The green is the neverending Wollfabrik merino. I've spun these two skeins of two-ply, and there's still enough left for another attempt at sock yarn.

On the left is Strawberry. The first yarn with an actual design process, which is to say I thought about what I would need to do to make it look like this. It's natural moorit Shetland laceweight single plied with mill-spun silk/rayon two-ply cobweb weight in a light beige. I overdyed the plied yarn with Jacquard acid dye in scarlet, which resulted in a deep red yarn with tiny candy cane spots of bright red (the silk) and a pink-y beige (the rayon). I like it. This skein is already destined to leave the house, but I've got more of the yarns, so I'm going to try to repeat the exercise and knit a swatch with it.

It's heigh-ho time. With a few knitting breaks. I'm only human.