Erica’s Blog

Ya’ll have been right patient, so here ya go, pictures of the (unspun) fiber love from Zib the Extraordinary, Zib the Generous, Zib the Insane in All the Right Ways:

Bottom-whorl drop spindle.  Now, this is the opposite of Zib’s spindle which is, I guess, a top-whorl spindle, but I’m sure I can find some videos online about how to spin with it.

 Let’s see if I can remember what this stuff is…the white stuff is silk tops (as opposed to silk hankies)…um, or IS it hankies?…no, I’m pretty sure it’s not hankies….don’t remember what the brown stuff is (Help!  Zib!).  It’s very soft, though, so it might be mohair.  I don’t think it’s camel.  Wait!  I remember now — it’s alpaca!  Yupp.  That’s why it’s so soft.

These little guys  are silkworm cocoons.  Zib has better pictures (of course).

 Oh, dear.  I foolishly recycled the paper that came with this.  Hang on a moment….(dashes to laundry room)…uh, yupp.  Hang on….(looks at pippikneesocks’ web site)…OK, I’m 90% sure this is wool top.  Aren’t the colors gorgeous?  Should I spin it, design something for it, and call it Zib?  or Catania?  or Commie Bar?  (Oh, wait; that would need to be red.)  If it were yellow, I could call it Limoncello…

 OK, the spindle is there for size reference.  There’s no way I could do the color justice.  Here in my lame picture, it looks grey.  Nope, it’s a wonerful deep charcoalpurpleishwonderfulishwithvaryingshadeofitself color.  I’m pretty sure it’s either mohair or a wool/mohair blend.  Soooo soft, as in you want to floof it and roll around on it.

Now, to get up the guts to actually DO something with it!    Kiddo, come give this signora some lessons; she forgot already!

Remember this?

and THIS?

Weeellllll……

Tadum!

OK, I seem to have issues with necks.  The more I look at this, the more I think the neck opening is too small.  This is what you get when you start with a pattern, then go off on a tangent.  I may have to undo the bind-off and tink back a couple of rows.

Right now, I’m on the sleeves.  Oh, and remember the color question about the Sugar & Cream v. the Peaches & Creme?  Guess what? They’re NOT the same.  It doesn’t show much in the picture but, trust me, they’re different.  The Sugar & Cream is on the bottom section & top section, the Peaches & Creme sort of in the middlish area.  Of course, there’s also the white worked in there, too, so it kind of breaks it up.  The sleeves are going to be Peaches & Creme and the white.

This one is for Hubby’s coworker’s son-to-be, due on Halloween.  Don’t worry, Hubby, I’m still going to use the AllHemp for something for him, but that’s only 300 yards, so it will have to be something really small.

Next up, babywise, after this is something for Suzanne’s son-to-be, due in late December….uh, unless I find out that Chen-Chen’s baby or Marianela’s baby is due before then, in which case, I’ll be making those baby gifts first.  Suzanne’s will need to be pretty funky (Snake Charmer, complete with snakes?).   We’re really hoping Marianela’s having a girl.  If you’re gonna have a “Surprise!” baby, said baby might as well be the opposite of what you already have, and she’s got two teen/pre-teen sons already.

OK, I’ve fixed the neck as fixed as it’s going to get.  The only reason that this is still considered a WIP is that at the time I took the picture, I hadn’t made the accompanying hat yet.  I have now, and they’re now drying after two quick baths (one in vinegar water to set the color, so I don’t have fadeage like I did on Miss Sedona’s kimono).

Anyhow, here’s the “Before and After”.  Whaddayathink?

BEFORE…. 

AFTER….

I still think it’s too wide, but I just couldn’t mess with it any more.  I’m thinking of adding a button to hold it together.  Thoughts on this?