How About a Little Knitting

Pretty Knitty Jewelry started as a craft and knitting blog. As my last few posts have illustrated, it is often more than a craft blog, but knitting is how it all started. Sooo, how about a little knitting in this post?

I'm currently in a KAL (Knit-a-long) with knitting friends far and wide. Actually, I'm in two KALs...one that requires the use of self-striping yarns, with one entry allowed per month to be entered for prize drawings. This will be my next entry:

And the other KAL is an adventure, with 5 categories to choose from each quarter of 2024. It the knitter can complete a project in 3 of the 5 quarters before the quarter's end, the knitter is entered for prizes! As an overachiever, I have already complete 3 projects in the third quarter, as well as casting on a fourth and fifth!

Bulky afghan, housewarming gift.

Rainbow, balloon dog, worsted weight yarn. 

Test knit, fingering weight yarn. 

Wonderful Wallaby, DK-weight yarn.

Breezeway shawl, lace-weight
(and fingering) yarn.

I've also pulled out the spinning wheel again, and I'm working my way through some mystery fiber that was dropped off with the wheel when Jenny loaned it to me. I think it's going well, especially since my main goal is to simply play and get familiar with the process, again. It is very soothing.

There are plans for two more Wallaby sweaters for boys, some pretty things for the girls and a couple sweaters for Pretty...wish me luck with that list! Better than luck, I think a short post might be just the ticket for this knitter today. That'll leave me with more time to knit!

What are you making time to enjoy today? Whatever it is...

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Cheers!, to the last hurrahs of Summer!

To Everything, Turn Turn Turn

If you know, you know. There's a season for eveything. This is a universal truth that brings comfort to my soul. Spring is here with its longer days and tumultuous temperatures, making me question my wardrobe choices by noon each day. But spring also brings new life! 

I planted 6 daffodil bulbs last year, and they all came up! Only one is blooming, but I'm sure the rest won't be far behind. 

The duck was back in the courtyard at work, and her babies hatched this week! We herded them out, as per usual, to find more food and water as they grow. It was quite the kerfuffle, also as expected, but no video this year. 🤪

And I've learned a new skill! Some years ago, I learned to spin with drop spindles, and it was great fun, but it takes a long time to make yarn on a drop spindle! 

Last summer, a friend loaned me her spinning wheel, which was collecting dust in her houseful of rambunctious boys...and the prospect of learning to use it was daunting. But this week, inspired by the sun, I took it out and made some yarn! 

This is definitely practice yarn. The art batt it came from was full of different fibers, some of them very lumpy and bumpy... 

but that makes it perfect for practice. After all, if it's not supposed to be a fine, even, super-perfect yarn, then no pressure. Simply draft and treadle, treadle and draft, getting to know the wheel, and voilà! Yarn!

This batch still needs to be soaked and thwacked and measured, and I'm not sure what I'll do with it... but it was fun to make, and now i look forward to trying something new on that wheel.

Rain is coming, and temps are supposed to cool down for next week. I won't be sitting outside as much, but you can bet I'll keep ushering in springtime with my knitting and spinning! How will you celebrate this new season? Maybe with some rambunctious boys of your own? 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

A Terrible Thought

Did you ever have a terrible thought? You know, you're just going along, everything seems great, then Bam! A terrible thought enters your headspace, and you realize that it only takes a moment for things to change drastically. 

What if that driver loses control and swerves into my lane?

What if I didn't lock the back door before I came to bed?

What if my friends really are laughing at me, and not with me?

What if I don't have all the answers?

What if I'm just not good enough?

No? You don't have those thoughts? It's just me then? Hmph. I don't believe you. I think we all have a terrible thought once in awhile. Maybe yours are more along the lines of things you think you could get away with, or things you'd like to do (if only these things were not illegal). 

Terrible thoughts come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them unfortunately turn into terrible actions. If you are the victim of those actions, they seem to come out of nowhere, and can leave you battered and bruised in many ways. If you are the "actor," you still may bear self-inflicted wounds as a result. We have likely all done things, or said things, that we regret in response to a terrible thought. 

So, what do you do with that? What do you do when you have been hurt? What do you do when you have hurt someone (including yourself)? How do you recover from the terrible thought?

First, acknowledge it, and allow yourself time to feel the feels. Too many times we rush ourselves past painful feelings, sweeping them under the rug, only to trip on them later. Give yourself a minute...an hour...a day...or longer...to feel it and figure out next steps.

When you are hurt by someone else, even if they have not apologized for the offense, forgive. Holding grudges only hurts the holder. Now, I am not necessarily suggesting that you declare, "I forgive you!," with a smiley face to that person. In fact, depending on the injury, you may never talk to him or her again. Still, you have the power to forgive, let go, and move on, as a wiser person. If you do this well, you will not likely be hurt in this way again, because you will have learned how to judge this kind of character.

Lastly, if you are hurting yourself, stop. Whether your thoughts are leading you to negative self-talk, or thoughts of physically harming yourself (or someone else), just stop. As a thinker of terrible thoughts, especially about myself, I know that this advice seems trite and impossible. I know that you may not know how to stop, and in this case you must get help. I won't dwell here, for I have talked about this in other posts, but you must not hurt yourself verbally or otherwise. Email me at PrettyKnittyJewelry [at] yahoo [dot] com if you have nowhere to go for help. I will help you find the care you need to stop hurting yourself.

Why all this terrible thought talk? This is normally such a Pretty blog...

It is a yarn thing. Ever since I learned how to make yarn (side bar - I MAKE YARN!!!), I am called by the siren song of fiber waiting to be spun into beautiful yarn! My latest fiber acquisition is named "A Terrible Thought," but the yarn I have made is anything but terrible. 

A luscious two-ply in happy pinks, corals and orange, with a thread of dark brown and gray (the terrible thought) running through it. I have been spinning this for the last two blog posts, and I have often let my mind wander during the spin time...how many terrible thoughts have I let get away from me? Plenty. But spinning this yarn has led me to let go of some of those thoughts and share with you. Oh, and the yarn has turned out so pretty, even despite the terrible thought running through it!

Our lives can and should be beautiful, because we are God's masterpieces! He has created us to live out loud, to experience joy, and to share our lives with other masterpieces! If you are not treasuring yourself and others, you are missing out. So, join me in being kind to one another, and to yourself. It is what you were made to do!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Still Touring!

This morning, I was spinning, and spinning, and spinning outside. It is a lovely day, and I hope to be through my third ounce of fiber by day's end and on to the fourth! It's totally possible, I tell you.

The cats are not happy about this Tour de Fleece. There is little lap time when I am spinning. This morning, a cat tried to get on my lap while I was...ummm...in the bathroom! They are feeling very neglected, and cordially invite you (and me) to sit down and make a lap already!!!

And I will. There is knitting to be done, as I am working on a complicated, lace shawl as well...

This is the shawl that was started and ripped out three times, so far. Then, when I thought I was on a roll, I had to turn around and rip out 10 rows to fix a complex mistake with my yarn overs and decreases. This is probably the most difficult knit I've done, and it's just a rectangle!

As with all  things, and as my mother used to be fond of saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Sooo, I am still working on it. What else can I do? I'm using stash yarn, so I really want it to work out. I know that it will, but the end is nowhere in sight for this project. I am hardly past the beginning, even.

My life is like that, too. It just seems like there is no end in sight when troubles come my way. But I hold fast to the promise that if I keep my eyes on the prize, I will get there. Also, let's be honest...this is not a race I want to win by getting there first. The closer I get to the end, the more I realize that there is still so much I want to do! Watch the grandkids grow. See my daughter happily married. Encourage friends. Make yarn and knit!

What are you looking forward to? 

What is holding you back? 

Live this life with as much gusto as you can! Limit the negative people, and their influence in your life, as much as you can. Do your best to love who you are...that is the key to loving others for who they are, and freeing yourself from your own negativity, too! Above all, know that you are loved!

Thanks for stopping by, friends, and Knit in Good Health!

Tour de What?

This past week, I went on my first bike ride of the summer. I couldn't help but think, as I white-knuckled my wobbling handlebars for dear life, that many people enjoy riding a bicycle. Many people grew up running and playing and riding bikes. I grew up reading. Yes, I was THAT kid...with hand raised, "Excuse me. Mrs. Teacher! You forgot to give us homework, and it's almost time for the bell to ring...!" After all, if you don't run and play and ride bikes, you do need something to fill the time until The Cosby Show comes on. Did I mention that I was not popular in school? Nevermind. At this point, you've already figured that out.

Anyway, when I ride a bike these days, there is no thought in my head that even comes close to resembling "This is so much fun!" or "I should ride my bike to work this summer...it is great exercise!" My bike riding thoughts are more along the lines of "Don't tip over! Don't tip over!" and "Don't think about your sore butt." and "Pretend you are having fun. Everyone else is having fun!" Apparently all reading and no fun makes Pretty a dull girl. Still, riding a bike is good exercise, even if the anxiety makes me break out in hives. As a matter of fact, I bet I get twice the cardio workout from all the heart palpitations that accompany my fear of tipping over!

"So, then, why are you writing about the Tour de France, Pretty? We've heard that you break out in hives even looking at a bicycle."

Correct you are! However, there is another event that starts today, and it runs concurrently with the Tour de France. Bicycles are not involved, but wheels often are. And spindles, which is how I plan to participate. Sooo, without further adieu, bring on the Tour de Fleece!

Yep. It is a thing. Click the link if you don't believe me...I will wait. (Cue the waiting music...)

During the Tour de France, which runs from today through July 23, I will be spinning this lovely 4 ounces of fluff into yarn! 

I'm not sure I can get it all done in 23 days, but I am going to give it my best shot, to be sure. I will try to challenge myself to more spinning while the bicyclists climb their challenge hills, and I plan to rest on their rest days...maybe I will go for a bike ride rather than spinning on those days, in an ironic twist of events! (Yeah. You're probably right. I will just knit more...)

In preparation for the TdF, and my first participation as a spinner, I have split my fiber in half, and then in approximate fourths. I will spin half the fiber from pink to red, and the other half from red to pink before plying them together. My spindles are all ready to go, and I am chomping at the bit to start the spinning...so off I go to do just that! 

Tell me, are you one of the bicycle people? Do you love biking so much that you even head for a spin class when the weather is lousy? I promise not to judge, one way or the other, if you will extend to me the same courtesy!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and Spin) in Good Health!

Almost Heaven...Woolapalooza!

Woolapalooza was, as usual, GREAT! We stuffed seven, obsessed-with-yarn-and-fiber, adult women into a van,

and we drove into the country, where we descended like locusts on the Destination Yarn booth for our first stop! (Some of us even skipped the potty break to head right there!)

Yes, within moments of getting out of the van and sloshing across the muddy parking-lawn at the fairgrounds, we were finding other fiber friends and buying yarn...So. Much. Pretty! Destination Yarn is a local favorite, and Jeanne's fame is growing outside the state as well! After we'd all blown at least part of our wads of cash at her booth, we tried to make a plan...

...but that was a little like herding cats! Fun cats...high on catnip and yarn fumes!

In the end, we broke into groups of 2-3, and off we went until lunchtime. After filling our tummies on fair food (that I neglected to photograph this year), we all met back at the van to share lunches, fiber purchases and notes about our finds...

We sat in the sun, knitting and comparing until some of us just had to go back inside to see if we had missed anything. Alice and I headed back to the grandstand where we petted some fibers to spin, and she picked out one that looks like mint-chocolate-chip ice cream!

It was so lovely, and she also grabbed a Turtle-Made, turkish spindle (my favorite spindles!)...to make the yarn of dreams! We all took some time with our knitting and spinning, laughing out loud while Lauren listed things she has lost!

Before long, someone noticed the time, and we decided that we had better get back to reality before our chariot turned into a pumpkin! We said our goodbyes to the passengers of other vans, who had also made the trip from our neck of the woods, and packed up the van for the trip home. Back on my own front porch, I took stock...

Not bad. One yarn purchase from Destination Yarn (Ohio mini skeins and the Show-Exclusive colorway), and one fiber purchase. If you don't count sales tax and lunch, I even stayed in my budget quite prettily! Of course, there is still not much knitting or spinning in my house, as the family stayed with us through the week, but we did get lots of time with these super-cuties...

...so there is no complaining from me! What a fun Saturday we had last week! We have had a great time with the kids and their kids for this visit. As usual, it ends too soon and leaves me counting down until my first flight to their new military home. 

It has been a busy three weeks for the Pretties, and I hope to share some more of the pretty with you in the coming weeks. I hope that your summer has started strong and healthy! What are you counting down to? Whatever it is, may it come to you at just the right time!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Yarn! Glorious Yarn!...

Soft, squishy and handspun!

Yes, I know that tune is a song about food...from the musical Oliver! (1968)...but every time I touch my latest handspun, all I can think is how glorious it turned out. I mean, it is YUMmy!

I've spun a few kinds of fibers, some I know, some I guess about. This is one that I have all the components for...

...and the batt was so very "artsy!" (It's from my friends at That'll Do Farm, and their fiber is so very lovely!)

Add to that a shiny, new spindle (that matches!)...

...and the freedom I gave myself to just spin and enjoy it! The singles were a little thick here and thin there...

I actually ended up making fat, fiber cigars (technical term is "rolag," but mine are probably not proper rolags...I just grabbed a bunch of fluff and rolled it up before spinning from the end of the cigar),

and I spun and spun, until that spindle was VERY FULL!!!

Then I took that ball off the spindle and let it sit around for a few days (life does have a way of creeping in, here and there, doesn't it?). Eventually, I made a 2-ply, from the inside and the outside of the ball, and I only had one "moment" with that process, so I'll call it a success! Look how full the floofy yarn is on that spindle!

Now, I'm not sure that "floofy" is any kind of proper term for yarn, but it's all I've got. Well, not really...after soaking and snapping and hanging to dry, this yarn is floofy, and airy, and lovely, and scrumptious!!!

And it's mine! 158 yards of DK-to-worsted weight yarn, ready to be knit into something that is next-to-the-skin soft and luscious. Any suggestions?

Whatever I knit with this stuff, I'm sure I'll love it as much as I love this yarn...my best spin so far!

And now I'm back to the blue clouds... 

Yarn! Glorious yarn!

Me-rino and fluffy!

Batts, fresh from the farm-

Spun into yarn, so puffy...

Yep. I've got the fever. 

And there are your earworms for this glorious (but rainy) hump-day!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (or SPIN!) in Good Health!

Spinning Thick and Thin

When you start to spin, the more seasoned yarn-makers will advise you to take your time, to park and draft, to spin a little every day and to relax. They will say things like, "Don't worry if it's not consistent," and, "You'll WANT to spin this kind of yarn in the future, and you won't be able to!," and, "Just relax. It'll come to you with practice." All of these things are true. 

I started spinning with a rough and heavy, cheap spindle from a "kit." The fiber included was rough and a bit "sheepy" for my taste, but what did I know? Maybe fiber was supposed to be like that. Still, I am an over-achiever, and I was determined to have perfect yarn, even if I had to park and draft at first (which I did...I think most spinners start that way). I don't need to tell you that my first attempts were not perfect...but they also weren't too bad. Yay!

Yeah, not perfect. That yarn became a cat toy, and I am totally ok with that. As a matter of fact, the cat with the toy LOVES it! So, there is hope even for the roughest and sheepiest of first yarns! 

Of course, with practice, my consistency improved, and most of my spinning was pretty thin...with 3 plies becoming a lace-weight yarn, like this one:

So, I know I can spin thin, and (like they all told me) I wish I could spin thicker, and a little Art-Yarn-ier, sometimes. Enter this beautiful Art Batt that I forgot I even had!

And it matches that new 3D printed spindle I just ordered, yay! 

Sooo, I've been working on this all week, while I rest from this one, which is decidedly thinner, but no less beautiful!

Thick and thin are now both in my wheelhouse - yippee!, and I am spinning just about every day, and OMGosh! Now that I've got the hang of spinning, and I have so many tools and fibers that I love, I want to spin all the time! (I have also learned how to properly wrap those Turkish spindles...oooh, pretty!)

Do you spin? Do you want to try? If you do, just remember to take your time, to park and draft, to spin a little every day and to relax. Don't worry if it's not consistent, you'll WANT to spin this kind of yarn in the future, and you won't be able to! Finally, just relax. It'll come to you with practice. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and Spin) in Good Health!