It's amazing! I actually finished something last night... my Lutea Lace Shoulder Shell is fini, except for weaving a few ends and blocking. That will have to wait until tomorrow, and taking photos for you will probably have to wait even longer, as my camera battery, in my only-two-months-old camera, decided not to take a charge any longer on Sunday. This led to two trips to the store where I bought it (a box store charitably remaining nameless) and a few tries elsewhere. I ordered a battery onilne tonight, after gagging on the price and thinking about the fact that I could practically buy enough yarn for a whole sweater, or at least another sleeveless one, and will have to wait several days for it to arrive.
Lutea was a lovely, delightful and amusing knit, all the way until yesterday when I struggled muddle-minded in the sultry, soggy evening heat to finish that one, last shoulder and properly bind it off... though I don't hold it against the pattern, but rather the heat and thunderstorm pattern it brought here. I am very happy with Rowan Calmer and want to make something else from it in the future... it is soft, squishy, vibrant and stretchy, the best alternative to a wool in a non-wool yarn I have found, pretty much. Although I will enjoy the beautiful Spring Garden colorway I selected for my next garment, from Tahki Cotton Classic Color, and will have fun making the Diamond Patch Sweater from Just One More Row, I am not expecting quite the same joy in its qualities, which seem more like a standard cotton yarn, though with a high sheen and less likely to split than most.
Although I haven't had the chance to get any further on my CSM sock, I thought I would post a progress photo, taken before the camera battery died:
My need for more practice and skill development shows in the short row heel, where I ended up with a hole that will need fixing as I was increasing back out... the lovely color is inspiring, though, and I hope to get this pair finished over the weekend and another started.
First, though, I have to finish up the Tour De Fleece, plying more of the Coopworth (11.2 oz of roving is a LOT of spinning; I probably have a third left to spin, one full bobbin waiting to be plied, and another plied and 'resting' on the bobbin until I can wind it to the niddy noddy for another good night's sleep before washing and thrashing.
Then I hope to enter a nicely finished skein in the 'novice skein' division of the Nevada County Fair, as well as a pair of fingerless gloves, based on the pattern in Alterknits from my spindlespun mohair singles in the 'novice projects division'... I am not much for deadlines, but am pressing onwards as this is the one and only year I can enter the fair as a novice spinner. Wish me luck!
