Social Filter Smackdown

Let’s start off with a small discussion on social filters.

So, I was sitting somewhere that it is socially acceptable to have a spinning wheel in public…and spinning on my Schacht Matchless. Spinning away. Loving every second.

And then…this woman comes in to the general vicinity of myself. She watches me for a few minutes. And then promptly states “I just hate double treadle machines”. To which I politely told her that that was fine, and mine was a single treadle.

(My wheel looks like this…..)

She stood there for a few more seconds and then said “Well but you’re using two feet”. I calmly explained to her that I was choosing to do that, but I could also treadle with one foot. I have a SINGLE treadle. ONE. ONE PIECE OF WOOD THERE. (I didn’t get shouty. Be impressed.) So she stood there some more, walked around me and finally said “Well, I have a CLASSIC single treadle, single foot machine.”

Good. For. You.

Did I ASK you if you liked my wheel? NO. Did I ASK you if you WANTED my wheel? NOOO. Do I CARE if you hate my wheel?? NO I DO NOT!!! Are you rude in walking up to someone and telling them you hate something they clearly at least like enough to borrow or own? YES!!! For the love of all things wooly, social filters, people! Social filters!!! Let me tell you, there was a LONG list of very rude things I thought about telling her that I “hated” but due to my upbringing and SOCIAL FREAKING FILTER, I maintained my good manners and didn’t tell her my thoughts.

She had a friend with her…and personally if one of my friends had have said something like that out loud to another human, I would have physically hit them. Or another option, the one I currently utilize, is to not be friends with rude people. I mean, turning to your friend out of earshot and expressing your loathing of jeggings is one thing…but walking up to a stranger and telling them about their fashion faux pas is not in your job description unless you are Stacy and Clinton. For seriously, people. SOCIAL FILTERS. Use them and encourage others to do so as well.

Social. Filters.

Moving on. And not beating anyone with sticks.

Knitting News

I fell down a rabbit hole today. I just discovered VeryBusyMonkey. Oh. Em. GEE. Have you SEEN her patterns?!!!? MUST HAVE ALL THE PATTERNS. Usually, I’m a free pattern knitter. I’m broke, in grad school, and value my free patterns. Yeah, I buy books and magazines, but I’m getting more than just a pattern or four with that. It is RARE for me to buy a pattern. Not because I don’t value the designers work, but mostly because I prefer to buy a whole book or magazine for some reason. I don’t know. It’s just me. I’m odd. Also, it’s rare that I like ALL of someone’s something (yarn, fiber, patterns, whatever). The only other designer I’m hardcore in love with is Wooly Wormhead. So now I’ve found another favorite, which is awesome.  I bought her Shawl Pattern #4 collection. I want every single one. The good news is that I’m getting one of these for Christmas. I’m gifting the patterns to a friend for a swap. I knit her socks, she knits me a shawl. SO EXCITED. I don’t know which shawl I shall get, but it will be AWESOMETASTIC.

I’ve also been working on mittens for KP’s mom. One done and size-tested on everyone’s hand I could find, since I do not know the exact size of KP’s mom’s hand…but I assume it to be larger than my tiny ones. If I was a good blogger I would have pictures. But I slacked. So sorry.

I did manage to get some spinning done though!!!

Spinning Stuff

DONE!!!! My first TIBH spin is all done!!!! Not sure on yardage yet, it’s resting on the bobbin right now. I’m also not sure what it’s going to be…. The colorway is Olivander’s Wand Shop. Mostly greens which isn’t something I wear a lot of…so I’m not sure what it will become just yet. But it was super-fun to spin. Love me some TIBH.

Single ply…

2 ply with some chain at the end because….I fail at spinning evenly.

More pictures once it’s skeined and set!

Craft-tastic Crap

Well as you know both DF and I are major University of Tennessee fans…and thanks to pinterest I have been stalking some super-cute UT wreaths. Then at the flea market I found wooden wreaths for $3. So why not make one???

I got some ribbon and wooden letters, painted them up, wove in the ribbon, and…..

Super cute, yes?!?!

Well, that’s it for now. I’m going to go do some meal planning, school work, and remember to use my social filter!!! ❤

The Destruction of a Delivery Man

Hello!!!! Yes, yes, I know. I’m a smidge late on posting. My apologies. Pet sitting overtook my life. Let’s dive right in.

Knitting News

Working at a yarn store…creates yarn-buying accidents. I’ve bought…oh….9 skeins this week?

Ok, ok, ok, before everyone yells at me…it’s only around $8 a skein, AND it’s DISCONTINUED!!! Ok?!?! I had to. I mean….discontinued yarn means….it’s over. Done. Finite. End. I HAD to buy it if I EVER wanted to knit a thick and thin black and pink scarf!!! And then…uh….a orange and white one too? BUT IT’S TENNESSEE ORANGE!!! I HAD TO!!!!!

This is the pink…I have a weakness.

No one tell DB. Seriously. Do not tell him. I’m so totally supposed to be on a budget in preparation for grad school…but…ICOULDNTHELPITANDITWASPRETTYANDISPENDALLMYPAYCHECKONYARNINSTEADOFFOOD!!!

Yeah so I can’t eat for a week or two…but my scarf is pretty.

My lighting is bad. But my scarf is pretty.

I need to work on Christmas stuff…ugh. Is it that time already?!?! How about you? Any Christmas projects yet??

Spinning Stuff

I have kind of fallen off the Tour de Fleece wagon. I am going to pull the “I had to pet/house sit” card. I lost at least 2 hours a day due to driving/destructive dogs. I did, however, start spinning silk for the first time ever!! It’s going well so far. I’m starting from silk caps, pulling them apart and stretching it to roving. It’s a little easier than the Merino/Silk blend I did last. It sticks together a little better….but if I spin too thin and it snaps…I can’t splice it back together. I have to tie it together…unless you have a better suggestion?? Again, totally new at the silk stuff…any thoughts would be super.

I’ve got a little more than this, but this is my start.

I’ve done two pulls out of the first cap…didn’t weigh it beforehand so I’m not sure how much weight-wise yet. Hopefully this week I’ll jump back on the wagon.

Wants and needs

My good friend just got one of these wheels…and I so totally want one!!

It’s a spinning wheel with a bike tire!!!

I either want my dad to make me one…or find out where I can buy one. I’ve googled my little fingers off…but I can’t find any makers!!! This only makes me want this wheel more. I have “It’s not easily accessible”-itis.

Workout World

This week was really up and down for working out. Thursday I did a nice 3 mile run then a 30 min swim…then Friday I couldn’t get out of bed I was so exhausted.

But today….awesome run! I ran an easy 3 miles at the park and met a new running pal. There was an older gentleman up ahead of me, about my pace when I started. It took me almost a full mile to pass him. We were very evenly matched. Also known as…I’m a slow runner. Ha.

So we chatted and ran another half mile together. He had just retired from teaching high school, so we had lots to discuss. Then I turned around and he continued on. Hopefully I’ll see him again sometime!

That’s my favorite part about running. All of the people you meet. Almost everyone is friendly and they all have stories to share. It makes the miles go a lot faster.

I’ve got 6 miles on the books for tomorrow. Hopefully this week will be an up week!

General Chatter

ALMOST UNPACKED!!! Yes!!!!! I think I cleared out about 6 more boxes today. I can see most of the floor in my office now!!! It’s exciting. Trust me. And no one tell my mother that all the stuff I’m storing at her house is probably going to stay there. Hehehe.

So we’ve mentioned the house sitting this week. What I didn’t mention thus-far is the insane dogs. Sweet…but nuts. They obliterated a package that the UPS man delivered…and possibly the delivery man himself. I’m really not sure. All I know is I got home from work, and there were shreds of packaging at the gate…and 4 innocent looking canines all wagging their tails.

I got to the porch…and there was the rest of the packaging, including a large plastic bag that the delivery man had clearly intended to protect the package from the elements with. He didn’t come prepared to protect it from a pack of wild animals. I managed to dig out the packing slip which managed to only sustain one or two bite marks. The package was a water testing kit…and I looked all over the floor of the porch, in the bushes, around the house, around the gate and couldn’t find the actual bottle for testing.

Then I looked up.

The testing bottle…in a box…was resting on top of the upright kayak. With one tiny bite mark.

Let’s recap…shreds of packaging at the gate. Majority of the packaging and packing slip on the porch. Contents (or all I could find) of package 5.5 feet in the air, precariously balanced on a kayak.

So…any physics or animal psychology experts want to take a stab at this one??

All I can deduce is that the UPS man left the package at the gate…realized the dogs were going to shred it…took it to the porch….then a monstrous battle occured between man and beast…and the UPS man did his very best to protect the package…put it out of the dogs reach…and ran for his life.

Mind you…I’ve been wrestling power tools away from these dogs all week so…this is a totally plausible story in my mind.

Awesome Award

So I just found a new comedy band…Garfunkel and Oates. They are definitely rated R…and offensive to most…but if you enjoy adult humor, check them out.

I think this is possibly my favorite song ever…I wish I’d found it sooner. Could have been useful.

 

 

And on that note…have an awesome week everyone!!! (And don’t buy more yarn than I do. It’s not healthy.)

 

Sock-a-holic’s Anonymous

Hi, I’m KP, and I’m a sock-a-holic.

Hi KP…

Yeah. Not even kidding. I have problems. Most of them start with the word “sock” and end with the word “yarn”.

All my other problems start with “Boys” and end with “are dumb” but that’s a whole ‘nother story that we don’t want to talk about because this blog is a happy place and I DON’T WANT THAT $%*& IN MY HAPPY PLACE!!!!!! *remembers to breathe*

Ahem. Socks.

See, this? This is why I knit…so I don’t stab people (dumb boys) with….well…my dpn’s.

SO. Socks. Really now.

Last week I finished one pair…that I had started pre-Christmas knitting

I say they match as long as they are from the same ball of yarn, ok?

…my yarn from The Loopy Ewe arrived *SQUEE*

SQUISH!!!

….and I started and finish one sock out of my freaking favorite UPP colorway EVER.

Sock ONE!

ALSO…got to see UPP’s new roving fresh out of the dye-pot

Unplanned Peacock Merino Top...in Robin's Egg (I think)

Unplanned Peacock roving in I forget what colorway (BAD PR PERSON, BAD!!)

and did some spinning of a sample so we will have that to take to Pittsburgh next month.

UPP roving spun up.

But to my main point…

All I want to do…is knit socks. I’ve officially decided that all socks (excluding ones I wear running/working out…because come on now, that is dishonor to the yarn) should be hand knit. ALL socks. All of them. And all shoes should be designed to show off my hand-knit socks.

Now I’m not big in to patterns…I doubt you will ever catch me making any fancy shmancy lace socks. It’s just not me. I’ve birthed a 99lb calf before, ok? Lace and I just don’t go together. I’m sorry. No offense to all of you out there who love lace and love fancy socks. It’s just NOT me. Quite frankly I think it reminds me of really bad childhood memories of mom dressing me up for church and other occasions in lacy ruffled socks that itched and did not allow for playing tag…maybe I should see a Cogknitive Therapist for some help on that issue…but for now, knitting lace socks (or really lace anything) just isn’t going to happen.

I’m a plain vanilla sock type girl. I start with my ribbing…knit down the leg…turn my heel (heel flap) and rock out till the toe…so if you want to see fancy socks, don’t look at my blog. But if you want rocking socks in awesome colors…keep clicking. 🙂

I’m so sock-obsessed that I’ve memorized kitchener. Not even kidding. I can kitchener in my sleep…not that I recommend it…the last few stitches end up a bit wonky and sometimes things fall off the needles….

But really. I…knit socks. A lot. The same pattern. Over. And over. And over. And I’m NOT tired of it!!!!!! What is wrong with me?!?!

Personally, I blame the sock yarn makers.

I mean…what other weights of yarn can you pick up, right off the shelf, and know that you have ONE WHOLE PROJECT in your hands? You already know it’s the right amount of yarn…you know what needles will work…you know what patterns even! And don’t even get me started on the colors. I swear, no yarn is ever as pretty as sock yarn.

*holds up a skein of sock yarn*

See? IT WILL BE SOCKS! I know this. I know I have enough yarn. I know I won’t run out (unless I knit for a big-footed person…which I don’t know if I will ever attempt again) and I know it will not make me go batshit crazy.

Granted I could make a nice shawl with my sock yarn…I could make a baby sweater…but I lose things off my shoulders that aren’t tied on…and I don’t have babies (boys are dumb and evil) so that kind of rules that out.

I may try a shawl…there are some pretty shawl pins that I’m told will prevent the slippage…but…I’m also messy and somewhat accident prone. I have horrid visions of the edge of the shawl getting sucked in to something…perhaps the conveyor belt at the grocery store…and me getting pulled right in with it…flailing about with my apples tossed in the air and my hand-knit-sock-clad feet over my head and the handsome man (who I will now never have a chance with) behind me backing slowly away…(running)…so really I just don’t know if I’m up to shawls yet.

So for now…I shall stick to socks. They are safe.

Yeah.

Socks.