Sunday, April 19, 2009

Creatively Frustrated

I have 4 projects going on right now and I feel creatively stuck. It's not that I'm unhappy with the projects and I'm not bored but I don't feel inspired.

Fearful Symmetry
Damn you TsockTsarina! What a delightful and frustrating sock. I love the pattern but it is a touch more intense than I really feel like knitting right now. I was so frustrated trying to get the toe right, and now that I'm done, perhaps I'm spent.

The Clap
Yeah, I know, I'm a sheep and am doing The Clapotis. I adore it. I adore the Wollemeise that I'm working in. But I'm three-quarters done with it and I'm no longer thrilled by the drop stitches. 

Fishes Mittens
Cute! Adorable! But I'm sort of over the excitement of the pattern. Not to mention that I just screwed up an entire pattern repeat and I'm debating if I want to rip it all out or not. Boo.

Mamajama's Pound of Fiber
I have like three feet of the Ashland Bay roving left to spin into single before I can ply. I am so over this fiber right now. A pound is an incredible amount of fiber to spin. 

I need to get my hands messy. I need to finger paint. I need to do something wacky. I need to do something inspiring. I love my projects but they're tedious right now and not fulfilling me. Knock down the walls blocking in (or out depending on your prespective) my creative mojo.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

The day that changed everything

March 5, 2009. The Mamajama and Poppy surprised me with a trip to PA to buy... drum roll... a spinning wheel! And my life has not been the same. When the Ladybug came out of the box and I put my feets on her treadles, I knew I was in love. I'll take pictures of "Scarlett" in the next few days so you can see her in all her glory
Spinning is soothing, rhythmic and fascinating. You take this random bit of fluff and you tame it into YARN. You make freaking YARN. That is beyond awesome. I've gone a little nutso, enabled with much joy by the Mamajama. Seriously, there was a package of fiber arriving every day for a while. Things have calmed down a bit, but I'm still spinning like a madwoman.

Check this out: My first EVER handspun on my spinning wheel! Its a bit of mohair I had left over from some spindle spinning. Fluffly and beautiful!



This is a bit of Ashland Bay wool I got with my wheel. It reminds me of Easter. A "generous" 6 ounces that I spun up in HOURS!

And some more Ashland Bay stuff I got a Rhinebeck. The fluffier bit was wheel spun, the bottom skein was spindle spun. Both very enjoyable, but very different!