Friday, May 20, 2005

Class again. Very short this time, just a quick discussion of the reading, discussion of the class and he let us go if we'd finished the project. While I could have stuck around to work on paper of doom, ended up getting a ride home from a classmate, getting home exactly two hours before class should have ended. Go me!

Having no motivation to start on paper at home, I ran some errands, namely going to my LYS. Before the whole internet break started (well, back when I was eyeing all of that stuff I couldn't afford) I decided I *could* afford spending $15 on a drop spindle and roving to see if spinning was a new hobby I was interested in (even a better idea/concern right now when the cotton I'm knitting up is just tearing up my arms and I need something to keep my hands busy at times – I'm spending so much time reading or on the computer for class/work that I need something to do that isn't reading or on the computer - gah I haven't had tendonitis trouble in years). My LYS sells roving, which I remembered from earlier trips, so I went in to see if they had any suggestions. Ended up with a book on beginner drop spindle instructions, last summer's VK and two ounces of yarn. One is a fingering weight in a gorgeous grape color that I’m hoping to knit up Lucky in – but we're worried it might be too thin so I got an ounce to swatch with. I knit up a swatch in the clover lace pattern, and was one stitch off over 4 inches without blocking (though it was a bit loopier than the picture in the pattern book – so I want to take it in to get other opinions). And with a mistake at the very beginning. So I frogged and have cast on again to try again. Am thinking that I can make it work with is awesome as this yarn is only $.63 an ounce. And when you roughly need 550 grams, which is rounded up to 20 ounces, this only $13 for a cardigan. As opposed to the $44 plus shipping that it'd be with the required yarn. Granted calculations are rough, we didn't figure up the yardage per ounce which would be a better determination of how much I need. There is another yarn that is a little heavier (and about $.90 an ounce I think) that I could use, but it isn't in that awesome purple that I want, though there may be other colors to try that I didn't notice (I sorta zeroed in on the purple :">). :D


The other yarn I got an ounce of is a cotton/rayon blend that is about aran weight that I've loved since I first walked into the shop. Like the other, it's a cone yarn and I've always been a bit wary of cone yarns. This one is only $1.63 an ounce and softer than you'd believe, I just need to find a project for it so I don't buy without something in mind (something I'm trying to stop doing with yarn as the stash is over takingme). So I got an ounce to swatch, and I think I've found a project for it. Just need to finish the two jackets I'm working on first. And maybe a sock. Not to mention a few other projects, though if I finish the two jackets and the sock I will have finished a new yarn project and a stash yarn project and a bus travel project. Now that I've found my hidden patterns, I also have a vest to sew together. Not to mention a few other things to do project wise. So yeah, I may have found yarn for some projects I want to do but no buying for a while. :D