Monday, June 8, 2009

New Challenges Ahead

Did you see the new button to the right for the Tour de Fleece?? I am joining up for the first time this year and my challenge is to spin enough yarn for a sweater or to make significant progress towards one. Of course, I am talking about spinning it on my wheel, and lucky for me I will be going up to the Estes Park Sheep and Wool Festival this Sunday to scope out and purchase something squooshy. The way this works is that you set yourself a big challenge to spin every day of the Tour de France bike race which this year runs from July 4 to July 26. There is a Ravelry group that issues prizes and it is a forum to post progress reports and photos as you go. Sounds like a lot of fun and I am up for the challenge.. Now I have a shopping goal: 2 pounds of fiber should be sufficient to make enough yarn to do this. Any ideas for colors or fiber type??? Suggestions always welcome.

I haz Iris!

This is the first blooming iris.....gift from Becky of Iron Needles and it looks like there will be several more on the stem. It is a very yummy shade of butterscotch with burgundy accents. I thought it might be the same as she showed in her blog this morning, but hers look like a much brighter gold. In addition, there are bloom stalks on 3 other iris that she sent me. Stay tuned.

I have cast on for my variation of the Berry Season Socks from 2-at-a-time Socks in my first 3 ply wheel spun sock yarn from dragonfibers. It is actually knitting up more bulky than I thought it would, so next time I will do 2 ply. Changes made so far is a plain k1p1 cuff, and I will make them regular length, instead of shorty as in the original pattern. I love the sheen that this yarn has and they are very soft, if bulky. Using size 1.5 needles.

This is a much better representation of the true colors and it shows off the texture of the pattern.

4 comments:

Iron Needles said...

That might be Hot Dogs 'n Mustard. Looks like a little broken color there on the fall. What fun! Glad you are enjoying them.

Iron Needles said...

Thanks for the good thoughts, Liz, and the offer to keep an eye out at Estes. I have no idea what I would have you look for, and it's not like I don't have enough stashed already! I would have dearly loved to have seen you, though.

lunaticraft said...

Ooooh, that sounds fun! Makes me wish I was a spinner so I could participate!

Oh, and those socks look wonderfully squishable. Great colors too.

terri said...

You have inspired me to join Tour De Fleece. I have signed up for the Rookie and the Hopelessly Overcommited groups.

It is too soon to know what I will spin.