Knitting Beyond the Midnight Hour 'Ewes too Cute!'

I must be CRAZY!  It's well after midnight, and I'm thinking of knitting an Ewe that I saw earlier from a link cruising Ravelry. Check them out for yourself:  http://flutterbypatch.typepad.co.uk/flutterby_patch/2009/05/sheep.html

Wouldn't you want to stay up and knit yourself an Ewe or two???!  LOL   

Okay, let's see how long it takes to whip up one of these little critters!!!  Ready, Set, GO!

Treasures

There is an interesting thread on Ravelry about special finds.  After listing them there, I thought I would share them here for my other friends to read about and share!

For me, I love garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets. In addition to knitting, I also enjoy quilting, collecting antique quilts, and collecting (and using) antique sewing machines.

Garage Sale Finds: 
Denise Interchangeable Knitting needles and cables for $1.50 (New/ Mint condition) 
SnowBall Quilt circa 1930’s for $12.50 
Drunkards Path Quilt circa 1920’s for $2.00 
Singer Featherweight Sewing Cabinet (VERY RARE) for $20 which I have seen selling at a quilt show for $3000 
Vintage 1930’s fabrics 
1934 Black Singer Featherweight model 221 with case, book, and attachments/ mint - $150

Thrift Store Finds: 
1954 White Singer Featherweight model 221K (RARE) with original case/ mint - $25 Quilt Shows sell them for $1200 
Singer Featherweight Sewing Table for $15 
Bernina model 740 with Bells and Whistles/ case/ mint - $65

Flea Market 
Crazy Quilt top circa late 1800’s - $40 
Feathered Star Quilt Circa 1965/ mint condition - paid $90 Appraised for $650. 
Antique knitting and sewing notions -$1- $5 
Double Wedding Ring Quilt circa 1930’s - $15

What are you special finds and/or treasures?

Spinning the Midnight Oil

I didn't get a chance to spin today, too much going on. I did meet up briefly with one of my knitting groups and started to knit a cap from the yarn I spun yesterday. I woke up at 1am wide awake. So, I spun more yarn. This time, more evenly fed on the bobbin (spool) Not sure which is the correct term here. I then put it on the Niddy-Noddy. Truth to be told, I did not know how to use one of these, so I had to look on the internet for directions! ROTFLOL So now, I have two Skeins of hand spun yarn to make my hat!

My next project, will to try spinning, then 'plying.' I may have to go back and have a lesson on this. There are so many great videos online, including YouTube.

There is a mtg next Saturday for the GLASG that I hope to attend. My brain is like a sponge, the more knowledge, the better! Hope you enjoy the pics!!!

Welcome 'Ashland' My *New* Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel

Whoo hoo!  Welcome 'Ashland' my new Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel!  What a day it has been.  First, I went to the beach to meet up with friends to go scuba diving.  Well, my tanks were BOTH low on air and I had issues with my regulator.  So instead of diving today, I was beach support for my buddies.

It was a beautiful morning at the beach.  As I waited for my buddies during their dive, I sat and worked on another new found interest 'English Paper Piecing' in which I am making a Tumbling Blocks quilt.  It was so peaceful.  Then, I thought, how cool it would be to sit down on the beach spinning fiber!  Agh... if I ONLY had a wheel!

As it was, I have been searching the past couple of weeks for a wheel and doing a lot of research on spinning, especially this past week.  In that I knew nothing about spinning, I joined several lists and groups on Yahoo and Ravelry to begin my education.  Several of the spinners suggest I try several wheels and take a class before deciding on a wheel.  With that said, I made an appointment with Nancy of Nancyscustomhandweaving.com in Redondo Beach, CA for a spinning class.  Nancy was great!  She had me try several different wheels, both single and doube treadles; some were in my price range, some were not.  The one that I really liked, was the Ashford Joy.  I did my best spinning on that wheel.  Still, the wheel was a tad out of my price range.  In the meanwhile, I had been in contact with a gal from Craigslist.org who was selling her Ashford Traditional Wheel.  I was the second person to contact her, so sale 'was' pending.  Luck turned in that the person that was going to buy the wheel never sent her a check for it.  So after my spinning class today, I hustled over to Huntington Beach to see the wheel.  What a beauty!  I took her for a test drive after learning all of the valuable spinning techniques that Nancy had just taught me.... SOLD!  The wheel also came with a Lazy Kate, a niddy-noddy, carders, and several bags of fiber.  As soon as I got her home, I started practicing spinning.  Wow!  I completed my first bobbin of yarn... with no lumpy bumpy's!!!!  Granted the wool on the bobbin isn't as evenly spaced, but I'll get used to adjusting the hooks as I spin.  I now have yet another new found passion/ addiction!!!