Still Going...And Going...And Going....

You'd think I'd never have another chance to spin, knit or dye again. Oh, wait a sec...work starts again next week (with a single day in the office this Wednesday, too) and I'm going to be so up to my ears that I might just not get another chance to do any creating at all, if not ever then at least for a looooong time.

So. In the spirit of grabbing opportunity when it presents itself, I did a little housekeeping and finally got my be-you-tiful spindle collection out in the open where everyone can see them (and where I can grab one on a whim and spin -- maybe if I see them more I'll use them more).

Note the predominence of Bossies and, as a distant second, Goldings. I love both types of spindle dearly and am certain to add more of both in the future. I'm still a tad scared of my Goldings since the Swan Lake incident (let's just say the "drop" in "drop spindle" should not be taken literally...ask me how I know), but no doubt with them on display I'll be too tempted to let them rest on the shelf for long. I even got caught up in finish-itis (the lesser-known and certainly more welcome cousin of start-itis) and not only finished up a little silk fiber sample but plied it with the carbonized bamboo that L gave me the other day (which, in my spinning frenzy of these past few days, I had already spindled up on one of my Bossies). Will wonders never cease?

I also crock-pot dyed another skein of Knitpicks dye-your-own merino, which sits cooling in its dye bath as I write. No photos yet because it all looks like a muddy mess in there. I'm looking forward to pulling it out tomorrow and seeing how it all turns out.

Lest you think I succumbed to sloth in only completing the above projects today, I also knitted a teensy bit on my Bubbly curtain and a teensy bit more than that on my bog jacket, the former while IV was visiting and the latter as DH was driving us all over to Barnes & Noble, where I spent a gift card (that I received from my master's program, no less -- who knew they gave gifts??) on the fantabulous Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques. I'm so tired of pattern books; I want knitting books that help me design my own things, and this one fits the bill nicely. Wanna know which cast-on works best with which bind-off? This book tells you. Wanna know the difference in stretch between a large and a small picot edging? You're covered.

I. So. Love. This. Book.

I even worked in a few more spins on my love-it-love-it-love-it Country Craftsman, also while IV was visiting. And I took down the dried Sunset Fire skein, twisted it up nicely, petted it for awhile and showed it off to DH (who is very good about acting impressed and interested even though he'd rather be smithing) before putting it away (if "on the dining room table" can be considered "away").

The did-nots: Well, I didn't skein up the plied big bale wool that I spun on the CC. There's always tomorrow for that. I didn't take down the dyed heathered fiber -- that's still hanging, dry, in the guest bathroom. Again, there's always tomorrow. I didn't dye the other grey heathered fiber, though I did buy more Kool-Aid and I'm thinking that grey will be done in shades of green (kiwi-watermelon), yellow (lemonade) and maybe light orange (mango).

Not bad. DH and I even managed to take down the last of the Christmas decorations and put them all away, haul the tree outside, vacuum up the forest of dropped needles and generally put the living room back in some semblance of order.

If only I didn't have to go back to work I could really get some stuff done!