Well school is back in session and the kids are gone during the day, so you would think its quiet around here. Well I'm sure it is as I don't seem to be home to find out. Because of changes at my daughters schools I have to drive them all. It usually takes be about a hour and half in the morning and then anywhere between 1 to 2 hours in the afternoon. The good news is I do have lots of time in the car to knit. As a matter of fact I have a top down sweater going that just stays in the car for me to work on as I wait for someone to get out of school or while I am stopped at a stop light. Which seems to be all of them. So far in the two weeks that I have been driving I have used up two balls of yarn and am on the third. I will post pictures when the sweater is complete. We are all guessing it will be before September is over. As a matter of fact the girls have started a list of sweaters they want me to work on for them.
My car sweater is not the only thing I am working on. I did start the gansey KAL on Sept. 1. So far I am having so much fun with the pattern. Which by the way is Meg Swansen's guernsey pullover from the Wool gathering #76. I am not using a traditional yarn, as a matter of fact its Berocco Ultra Alpaca in a heathery purple. I'm not totally sure if I will have enough yarn so I plan to make it a bit shorter then the 28 inches that Meg did. I also decided not to put my initials as I really don't want to advertise that fact that I am MES. 
I have also been working on some hand spun hunters mittens for my hubby. I bought some alpaca roving while I was attending a spinning retreat this summer, that is dyed in camo. He just loves the colors and is impatiently waiting for me to get to the knitting. 
I have also been working on some hand spun hunters mittens for my hubby. I bought some alpaca roving while I was attending a spinning retreat this summer, that is dyed in camo. He just loves the colors and is impatiently waiting for me to get to the knitting. 
I haven't been spinning much as I have found a new to me thing. Weaving. I have a couple of friends that have been trying to get me to give spinning a go for about two years now. So I finally gave in. One friend loaned me a Schacht Rigid Heddle loom and the other friend came over last Friday and showed me out to warp it. Well my first try was a bust. I had chosen a alpaca that was not spun real well and it kept braking. So I cut it off the loom and started again. What I did was use Galway as the warp and some of my handspun as the weft. Well it was a learning project. I did learn that I really need to watch the tension when advancing the fabric. I also added floats that I think worked out well.
I have a project in mind for later. I'm not sure I am totally hook with weaving as I am with spinning and knitting but I thought it was fun.
I have been invited to attend a spinning and weaving retreat later this fall. We will be making a vest from swatches and other bits of handspun and fabric. So as I have been gathering goodies for the retreat. One of things on the list of supplies is a Weave -it. For those of you who don't know what that is its a mini loom. I went on ebay to see if I could buy one. Well I could buy an old one for about $30 or I could buy a new one from Hazel Rose for the same price and I got the choice of woods. Mine came yesterday and I have to say I love it. I think I like the mini loom over the rigid heddle. I was able to make a 4 inch square in about 20 minutes. So have added some of the other loom to my Christmas list.
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