I thought it'd never end

Knitting an edging on something round has got to be the most soulless, mind-numbing, feel like it's never, ever, ever going to end task in all the world.  Worse than sitting in a traffic jam going home on Friday night until people start walking from car to car visiting with each other (I've been there.  I know.).  Worse than trying to watch a program that's been shown 42 times a year since 1973 on PBS during a pledge drive weekend because the tv won't turn off and you're tied to a chair with your eyes taped open (OK.  I've never had that happen but there's no saying it couldn't.).

The point is that when you're knitting something in the round which ends up with 576 stitches that have to be knitted off individually, two rows to a stitch, even if those 2 rows are less than 12 stitches each, you're sure that you will never finish.  It will never end and all the other knitting you did simply counts for nothing because you'll be 82 and still knitting off those stitches.  And unless you're 81 when you start the edging and you're birthday is just around the bend, it feels like the ultimate unattainable.

But if you ever reach that pipe dream of having a finished project, I'm here to tell you that you don't wait to work in all the ends.  You don't wait until you've washed it and you certainly don't wait until you block it.  The first thing you do is this:

You lay it out on something it will stick to so it will hold its shape until you've taken the photo.  Pinning out 160 tips of edging can wait.  For now, now is the time for savoring.

What I love about being a spinner

I got a package today.  I really needed this package today.  I'm so glad the postal worker stuffed this package into my mail slot today instead of giving me one of those little green slips that would have meant standing in line tomorrow morning on my way to work to pick up the package and then not be able to play with it because I was at work.  I like our postal worker.  She's really good about things like that.

Want to know what was in my package?  This was in my package:


And this was in my package:

If you thought that looks just like the fiber I spun for my Margaret Stove shawl, good eye.  It is.  Just in case I don't have enough to finish the shawl (you can never quite tell with lace weight yarn).

But my story is about this:

Frabjous Fibers Moulin Rouge-colored Blue-faced Leicester.  Can you see the shy little pink peeking out of the bottom and the flirty orange and the strong red holding it all together?  I think I'm going to like this fiber.  I've got here in front of me and this is what I love about being a spinner.

This fiber can be 4 ounces of whatever I want it to be.  It could be 4 ounces of fingering weight yarn - enough for a fab pair of socks.  Can you just imagine what wild things you could do with this sock yarn?  My feet get excited just thinking about it.

Or it could be 4 ounces of lace weight yarn for a really sassy stole or shawl.  (By the way, if you're writing the word "sassy" in a public place, be sure all the letters stay together.  It's not sassy for nothing.)

Or it could be 4 ounces of a focus yarn that could be used to spice up another yarn.  The spice of life, like.

The point here is, this fiber is like the world having it's oyster (and eating it, too).  Anything is possible.  I think I'm going to have to live with it a few days and listen closely to what it wants to be.  I have a feeling that if I don't pay attention to it, it could kick my sassy.  And nobody wants that.

Things have been quiet here on the blog but that's about the only place there's been any quiet around here.  I won't bore you with the non-fiber portion of life except to say it's trying to take over.  I'm trying to put up a good fight but I'm not entirely sure I'll win.

I have been able to make a little progress on some projects and have even finished a few.  Well, one.

This is the silk, merino, cashmere lace weight I spun on my Ashford drop spindle.  I didn't have too much of it so I ended up making this little neckwarmer which I loved so much that I hated to give it away.  It was like air.  Love it.

I did manage to make a little progress on my Tour de Fleece project (although I'm pretty sure the Tour de France is probably over by now - I haven't even had a chance to check).  I'm processing a Polypay fleece.  I finally got about half of it washed and this morning was able to start carding it up:

All those beautiful little rolags!  I've started the spinning but haven't gotten very far.  I'm spinning it long draw and have a feeling it's going to be lovely and light and wonderful.