Hi-Ho, Alpacas, Whoa!

So, on Saturday, I went to the Farm. I knew I had arrived at the farm when I saw the farm van...

...and the alpacas (and baby alpacas!)...

...and the steps to the farmhouse!

I love That'll Do Farm! I love the alpacas, and the green, and the bees, and the farmhouse! Saturday was a Fiber Fun Day at the farm, so I loaded up my Little Joe (spindle), and a fiber mix that came from the farm (including alpaca, merino, camel and bits of colored silk)...

...and in I went! While I was there, I saw knitters and a rug hooker, but I was a spinning fool...

...and by the time I left, I had a tall, skinny bunch of singles AND a short, fat bunch of singles. I do not discriminate based on cop* size!

I spun this yarn a little thicker than I normally would, and I've spent the last few days creating a two-ply that is about 12 wraps per inch (DK? Worsted?)...sooooo pretty! 

I have about 71 yards of this two-ply, close to 45g and about 12 wraps per inch (for my fellow spinners and knitters). Here's what it looks like in the skein:

I wonder what it will be? I'm open to suggestions, by the way!

I cannot wait until my next Fiber Fun Day! Until then, I wonder what else I will spin? 

*cop (from wordnik.com)

n. A cone-shaped or cylindrical roll of yarn or thread wound on a spindle.

Some Motherly Advice...

If you are bitten by a cat, even if it's your cat, and even if your cat has had all her shots, and she is a nice cat who had a bad moment with a strange dog in your house...if you are bitten by a cat, and the wound is deep, and you have asked your mother, and she has said, "I think you should go to the doctor, just to be safe..." Can you guess where I am going with this? Yes, I knew you would.

Snake and Dollface tried to rescue an energetic boxer puppy a couple of weeks ago, but it didn't work out. He was a very nice, and very energetic, and very muscular dog, and the cats did not know what to think. Well, they thought that this was the best place ever to stay for the dog's whole visit...

Dollface could only hold that pose for a few minutes, however, so eventually the cat had to get down. The dog was ready, the cat was scared, Dollface jumped in to protect her, and viola! Cat bite to the hand. Did she follow her mom's advice and go to the doc? Not at the time. It seemed to be healing. That was two weeks ago, and unfortunately the dog had to be returned.

Yesterday she called and asked if I would go with her to the doctor. She had made an appointment because the bite had swollen up again, and it was quite painful, way down deep-like. I knew what was coming, I've had infections. She knew what was coming, she had been trolling the internet. She wasn't ready when the doc cut into her numb hand, and she passed out, but she came back around quickly. I certainly was not ready for the wave of nausea that proceeded my nearly passing out after she came to and the doc finished draining the wound, you know, at the "all clear" signal. The two of us were a hot mess, and we were pretty flustered for the rest of the day, but ultimately, they say that we are both gonna make it. And now Dollface has a battle scar to tell her children about someday. For now, it looks like this...

...and one day, if she has kids, and if one of her kids gets bitten by a cat, even if it is a nice cat, etc., etc., etc.,...I hope they listen to their mother when she says they should go to the doctor. It will save them so much pain and passing out!

Yesterday was a long, worrisome day. Today I am going to play with fiber and friends at the farm. If he knew me, I am sure that Dollface's doctor would have written me a prescription for fiber fun following the day we had yesterday. I think I will spin some of this stuff...

...and perhaps there will also be knitting. I hope that you have a lovely Saturday, rain or shine, in your neck of the woods. Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health, friends!

And if you are ever bitten by a cat...well, by now I'm sure that you know the drill!

Celebrating!!!

For those of you playing at home, I ran yesterday. I woke up early, and I ran by myself, on the sidewalks around my home, and I DID NOT FALL DOWN! This. This is cause to celebrate! You know what else I want to celebrate?

This. This is my knitting!

It's my second Hitchhiker Scarf...

It's lacy and lovely...

It's knit of my own handspun rainbow yarn...

It's my newest favorite knit!

Isn't it pretty?!?

I've knit this pattern before, and I was not in love with the first scarf like I am in love with this one. This one is nearly perfect, and I cannot wait until I feel a slight chill in the air so I can wear it!!!

Three reasons I do not love my first hitchhiker (this much, anyway)...

1. I am not a fan of straight garter stitch. I added some lacy holes to this one, as per my friend KnittingSM!

2. The yarn I used for the first one was a fluffy, fingering weight. This yarn is more light fingering to lace-weight...much lighter and drapey-er. 
3. I do not like the straight edge as the pattern is written. I added "teeth" to my bind off on this one, to mimic the toothy edge created along the long edge. Notes on my project page. :)

Are you knitting something you absolutely love? 

I'd love to hear about it in the comments!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

It's the little things...

It's the little things in life that make life worthwhile, right? Right. Little things can bring great joy, like a baby sweater and hat for no particular reason, especially if there are owls on the sweater...

...and owls on the hat...

Yes, a little sweater and matching hat bring this knitter great joy, especially if they have been cabled with a trendy owl motif or two!

Little knitting always makes me happy. Just like anyone, I do enjoy the occasional bulky afghan or adult-sized sweater, but mostly I think I love the little knitting. That's the only explanation I have for knitting a second hitchhiker, with tiny lace stitches, currently on my needles:

This pool of lace-weight knitting just makes me happy to look at! As a bonus, the yarn is my own handspun, and a double bonus is that this project is past the half-way point, which is good...because I have been looking for my size 3 needles for a week, for a new project. Guess where my size three needles are? Bing!Bing!Bing! You got it...in my hitchhiker! lolz! I'm doing my level best to get that finished now, so I can cast on another pair of endpaper mitts...those were a fun little knit!

So that's it, in a nutshell, for me. I'm knitting little things, and I am enjoying it very much, thank you! What are you knitting this summer? Big things? Little things? Or maybe things that are "just right"? I'd love to hear about it in your comments! :)

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Falling Down

Sometimes "Falling Down" means losing your resolve, as in, "I know I said that I wouldn't be buying more yarn (fiber, fleece, livestock) until next month (year, decade, whatever)...but I went to a local fiber festival and fell down. Here's my new stash..." 

Hangs head, slightly ashamed, and shows you a picture or offers a skein, braid or bump for petting and cuddling, as proof that no one's resolve is strong enough to resist this stuff...

Yes, sometimes "Falling Down" means failing at an endeavor, as in, "I had planned to cast on for, like 6 sweaters this week...but I fell down, and all I've knit are these 6 hexipuffs..."

Don't judge...these 6 hexis bring my total to 116!

But sometimes "Falling Down" simply means falling down, as in, "I went running on Monday, and I fell down...I scraped up my elbow pretty badly, but I'm ok."

Yep. I did. And this is the "cleaned up" pic, it looked much worse when my whole arm was bloody. Again, I am ok, but I am starting to think I should just stick to the knitting...

So, as I've said before, I fall down like it's my job, and now you have proof. But even despite all the falling down, I did manage to cast on for a super-cute baby sweater with owls on it...

I am in love with the owls. I hope to also make a hat, and I hope I don't fall down on that...

Between my falls, I also hope to get some more knitting done. I hope that you are staying on your feet, and on track with your projects! Until my Saturday check-in, I'll try to stay on my feet, too. I am sure that my elbows will thank me. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!