Late Winter Ramblings

After my last post it feels good to not be writing about a single subject in particular.

After a hiatus for a few weeks, the winter rains decided to return.  During the big El Niño storm in January, my house got 4 inches of rain in the course of two days.  That's a lot of water for such a short amount of time.  A week since the last rains, the weather has been beautiful; the skies have been blue, and the weather unseasonably warm with temperatures ranging through the high 60s and low 70s.  And let me tell you, I have been loving it!  I've been able to sit outside in shorts and a tee-shirt and enjoy my projects, or a good book, or a morning run without freezing.  Yeah, yeah, I know we're in a drought.  I know we need "normal" weather patterns, and the bad frosts followed by the heatwave and dry winds did take a toll on the garden, but I'm not going to complain too much. 


I've picked back up on my previous projects, namely the Shipwreck Blanket and the Shore Thing tank.  I like to have a crochet project (yes, I am working on a crocheted outside for the blanket) and a knitting project to switch off, mostly to save my wrists and my mind (that's also why I like working lace). 

Anyway, the blanket is still slow-going with stitch experimentation,

Slowly but surely, so far so good!

but the tank top is looking lovely...

  I really like using the Berroco Modern Cotton; the gauge was spot-on with the needles I had in store, it has a lovely soft touch, and the drape is dreamy!  And no, I'm not being paid to say any of this.  It's just what my LYS had in store for the best price, in  my favorite color, and (best of all) the amount I needed in the same dye lot.  I'm still working on the back, but I've finished the decreases before getting to the armhole shaping.  With the amount I've completed so far, I'd say I'm about a quarter of the way to my very first hand-knit top! 


I still enjoy spinning, although I will need to work with the yarn I actually have before I go on making more.  I do have a wonderful motivator, though:  silk. 
Earlier this month I went back to Temecula to pay The Wool Lady a visit; it was good to be back--Ruth still had the yarn swift I had my eye on, and of course all her lovely yarns and roving.  I'd been looking for something with which to ply my newly spun laceweight wool, and what did catch my eye but lovely hand-dyed (by Ruth herself!) silk noil, its golden hues the perfect backdrop for the jewel tones of the variegated singles.


Can't.  Look.  Away.

Now, for those unfamiliar with such exotic fibers, "noil" can refer to bits and pieces left over from processing said fiber for textile production.  Therefore, silk noil is the leftovers from major silk production.  The fibers are significantly shorter and produces an interesting texture when spun, but is no less soft and lovely in a finished product. 
From my short time working with it (again, I just want to complete a project with yarn I have), I think using a low-whorl supported spindle is going to be the best bet to prevent breakage in the middle of spinning.  I tried my feather-light top-whorl, and even that was a little too much stress for the thin singles I'm looking to get.

Daaah Beagle!

Yeah, blatant SNL reference.  Not my favorite sketch, mind you, but oh so quotable!  Anywhoo... 

That's my buddy!

The beagle has been good--just his same, sweet and silly self!  I've been trying to take him on more walks, especially since during the winter he's more inclined to snooze in the sunshine than sniff around in the backyard. 


Or in my favorite chair, but that's another matter. 

  My guess is that since there are fewer animals traipsing about there are fewer interesting scents, but whatever the reason, it's starting to show; he's been getting a little pudgier, and I want to nip that in the bud if I can.  I thought at first it was age-related--after all, at seven years old he's considered a senior citizen--but considering how frisky he gets at the same time every evening--around 6-ish (not to mention the way he pulls like a freaking idiot on the leash), age doesn't seem to be an obvious factor.  I think we all slow down a little during the winter months, and silly beagles are no exception!


His primary favorite seat in the house.

New and Soon to Come...

I have a few new things I'd like to start here on the Knitting Safari:  first, I would like to do a special feature on another blogger, famous or otherwise, frequently someone in the fiber arts community but I'm open to learning about other realms as well!  If you know someone you would like to see a post about, or if you would like to see your blog featured here, let me know! 
That leads me to something just in--I've added a full-blown comments page, entitled "Ask Alex".  Here, you can put up questions about...well, anything you like!  As long as it's within the realm of appropriateness and reason, of course.  If you have a suggestion for another installment of "Fear Factor Crafter's Edition", if you want me to follow your blog, or if you just want to say hello and let me know you're reading and enjoying (or, *gulp* if you don't like anything here), go on ahead--I can't wait to see how it works out! 

As my blog slogan goes, "life is a safari..."; as we continue on into 2016, I genuinely feel like that's true.  You never know what's going to be around the corner, and I can't wait to see what lies in store!  Until next time, cheers and enjoy the ride!