Just Keep Knitting...

That's what I keep telling myself. I have a bunch of bags to do for the gallery. Awesome opportunity! The problem? I believe that I am trying to knit all fifteen at once. That will not work I do not have enough hands or needles. That's what I tend to do when I have a big project that needs doing, I try and do it all at once. Not such a good plan. So I am trying to focus a little better and - just keep knitting... I imagine Dori from Finding Nemo when I think or say that. Just keep swimming. Either way it works.

As I promised Tracey I am posting here more often. See the post entitled It's All Tracey's Fault. (sorry Tracey, but I have to blame someone) So here are some pics of what I've been up to and other cool stuff that has happened to me lately.
A bunch of bags in various stages of completion. In a month they will be all done and worthy of a spot in an art gallery. I hope.
This is all Tracey's fault too. She sent it all to me as a rescue effort. I needed more feltable yarn. Ask and you shall receive... She sent a bunch of yarn, some goodies for me and my kids all (mostly all) tucked into the cool black bag you see back there. There is too much stuff to fit it all in there, but she tried. She decided that I needed a knitting bag. I didn't have one, even though I make bags. Go figure.

You should go on over and read Tracey's blog today by the way. She's in her element helping people who need it. She does this brilliantly and today is the last day to get in on the helping with a shot at really amazing knitter-y prizes.

I actually ditched knitting bags a little bit yesterday. I plied yarn instead. That's 75% Lincoln wool/ 25% mohair in it's natural gray color. Go tit at the Estes Park Wool Market from the Red Barn Fiber Processing booth. Stop in there every year. I think by now I probably own a sheep there or something. Oh and as crazy as this sounds, that is my first ever attempt at plying handspun. Keep that in mind as you giggle at my handiwork.

Here's the yarn all plied up and with the twist set and all dry. As you can see I have more of that fiber to spin up. I think another eight ounces or so. Then I have no idea what it will become. I rarely spin with a project in mind for the finished product. I just spin to spin. Love.

Chloe was curious about that gray stuff that does not smell like a kitty, so she managed to stick her nose into the picture. That's just the way she is. The queen.

It's All Traceys Fault

It really is. Tracey is a rather awesome person I met on Ravelry. She is wonderful and also a bit persuasive. She has told me I must post on my blog in order for anyone to read it. I am now blogging Tracey! So I have some yarn to show you, some socks, and I think that's all.

A whole bunch of the most wonderful yarn came this week from Bellamoden.
From left to right: Nori 1/16 fingering, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea sport, Chocolate artists proof sport, Possession sport. Rebecca makes the most wonderful yarn and has also made me decide that sportweight yarn is good.

Numma Numma in Whiny Butt and,
Numma Numma Blackberry Jam. Both from The Loopy Ewe naturally. The Blackberry Jam will be something for my mom, I think.
This is the work of three Ravelry friends. We have a little Loopy book club going- it's named The Loopy Nerd Heard. We read The Historian for June and July and it was decided that being knitters we needed a kit to go with it. So Tracey made the pretty dragon project bags, Sandy who has no blog made two stitchmarkers, and Rebecca dyed some of her Bellamoden yarn in a super special Historian colorway. Didn't they put together a great kit?
The yarn made me want to knit with it immediately. So I knit up a pair of Philosophers House Socks. I made them longer because the pattern is for short socks, plus I have that following directions problem... My first sportweight socks and my first pair of socks from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways sock book. I like 'em. Sportweight socks knit up way fast too!
Wollmeise. 'Nuff said. Rittersporn, Rhabarber, am kalten Polar. Probably spelled them all wrong. Love this yarn. I have the problem of choosing the perfect thing to knit with it. So it may be all skeined up forever. Also, it may not all live at my house forever, I might want to share it.

Got a phone call yesterday from a gallery owner in Colorado. She wants me to be a featured artist in their Art To Wear show. Yay! I'm so flattered. I am also a bit panicked. I need to get ten to fifteen bags to the gallery by September 2nd. That's a lot of knitting and felting. Also because Sheri does not at the moment carry any yarn I can felt with at The Loopy Ewe I have a minor yarn emergency. Like I need feltable worsted or bulky yarn fast!

Well, the awesome girls of Ravelry strike again. Tracey, Sandy and Rebecca dug into their stashes to find yarn I could use and are sending it to me. Honestly, I could not ask for a better bunch of friends than the ones I have made on the F5 thread on Ravelry. They are the most encouraging and generous people. Knitters are amazingly kind and giving.

So, even though I have maybe a dozen projects on needles I will be stopping everything to knit bags, bags, and more bags. And then I'll knit some more bags. I started one last night. Gotta get the fingers moving and the needles flying.