Love

Finished the Gorgeous Butt(e) socks and I'm wearin' 'em right now. They are so pretty the picture can't show how much I like them. So trust me. I like them! (I'd say I LOVE them but I can't bring myself to love things. It's people I love. Okay, maybe the planet, but people mostly. And really good cheese.)

It has come to my (somewhat foggy) attention that I have SIX official followers. May I make a little announcement to all six? I adore you. And you. And you. And you. And you. And you. It may be the afterglow of a family party. Or the ice cream. Or that delightful glass of red wine... but really, I think it's you. You took a moment to push a few buttons and declare yourselves. Squee! (That's the--albeit short--musical accompaniment of the happy dance.)

And to those who are unoffical followers, I love you too. Just differently. Unofficially.

No, really. It was only one glass. Well, it was a big glass...

Ahem. Since I hurt my hands, I have had to step back a bit from, oh everything, but yesterday I couldn't help myself, I had to finish up some zipper pouches. I completed five. My hands ached from the ironing so I have taken myself off ironing duty for at least two days. That means no sewing, too. That means this pile of unironed laundry is actually a symbol of me taking care of myself. So there! (Hmm, think I could blow off cooking duty too?)So today I took all five pouches to my knitting group, sold three, and came home. Then I took pictures. Dur. That means I have... only... two to show you. Again I say, dur. But here they are. This one is the same front and back: And this one has a little variety. Front... ...and back.

I have two more pouches planned with these fairy tale panels--they're all pinned and everything but... no sewing for TWO DAYS! At least.

Socks, Socks, Socks!

Baby Peeps are done. I am making no comment as to whether they were knitted in the place where they were photographed. Gasp of Spring is finished, at long last. I decided to do the second toe plain instead of lacey. The lace will cause bumps inside a shoe and leave weak spots for potential holes. (At least, that's what I'm telling people.) "Wishing for Spring" was the second Iron Knitter pattern. It was supposed to be done in a week. These were done in two months. I wonder if there will be an Aluminum Knitter competition?
And Gorgeous Butt(e) is one down. I could make a very cheeky jest about now, but that would be beneath me, don't you think?

How I Wind Yarn

Okay, there are some fancy tools out there for winding your yarn from a skein into a ball. (And even fancier ones for reversing the process. No, it's real.) The most popular set-up is a swift and a ball winder. A swift looks like a half-open umbrella on a carousel and a ball winder looks like those old-fashioned manual pencil sharpeners. To buy this stuff new costs about $100 and don't even think about buying a used swift as they break if you breathe funny. Do you know how much yarn you can buy with $100? Admittedly, not that much if it's cashmere, but still...

Now, I wouldn't spit on a swift and ball winder should someone gift me a set but I would way rather spend my money on yarn so I use a manual ball winder. Super manual.

Manual (adj) of or relating to the hands

Here's my manual ball winding technique.

1. Drape your yarn around an open drawer. Yep, those are my scrap bins. Ignore them.


2. Butterfly-wrap a few times back and forth between two fingers.


3. Slip it off those fingers.


4. Fold one "wing" of the butterfly over the other.


5. Wrap a few wraps around the middle. This is the core of your ball.


6. Wind, sloppily. Stick a finger in there and let it get wrapped over. One of the biggest mistakes newbies make is winding the yarn too tight and stretching it. Just be a little sloppy. It's okay. You have permission. Like you need it.


7. Begin your project!

This is a pattern called Rocky Butte. It's by Miss Violet and the yarn is TVYarn, the colorway is The French Lieutenant's Woman. Combining rocky buttes and France makes me think of the Grand Canyon of France, Les Gorges du Verdun. Beautiful! So I think I'll name these socks Gorgeous Butt(e). Pronounce it in a way that makes you smile.