Week 15 | Juggling Jobs

So, it's Monday again and I feel in a bit of a funk!  I can't work out why which is possibly more annoying than being in a funk itself.  The good news is that I have a lot going on this week so I'm putting my morning funk down to the typical Monday blues!

I'm continuing to work with the ladies again this week on the event space project. Last week, I concentrated on the internal elevations and visuals, and this week I am looking at the exterior of the building.  I really wish I could share some of the stuff that I have been doing, but as with most projects in their initial design stage, its all 'hush hush'.  It's fun stuff though, let me tell you !

This week is also the start of the 2nd annual Yarn Crawl LA!  I'm really excited because I've been asked to help out at Wildfiber in Santa Monica on Thursday morning.  There are some really great girls that work there, so I'm super pleased that they thought of me when they were looking for people.  I will also be heading down to Gather DTLA to help out on the Thursday night and also on Friday.  Skuli, the little sheep-like dog is being sheared for the occasion.  Evi, Skuli's Mum and the owner of Gather, is planning to make him a little sweater when she has enough of his hair to spin into yarn.

Recently I've become increasingly obsessed with painting.  And painting pretty much anything I can get my hands on.  Yesterday, I painted some pine cone tips that I'd collected a few weeks ago.  I remember as a kid spray painting cones gold for Christmas, and even though I do have a love of gold, I wanted to do something different with these.  So I painted one in a bright turquoise and white and the other in mint.  All of which are colours that I'm loving at the moment.  The acrylic paints were bought at Pearl art supplies.  

I'd really like to have a go at creating some proper artwork on canvas. I'm currently looking to do a part time course in acrylics too.  I have seen so much inspiration on the web of things I like, and abstract art is mainly catching my eye at the minute.  Here are a few of the pieces that have featured in my pinning of recent...

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Yarn spinning / Knitting project update

I decided it was time for me to sort out my yarn basket, as I realised I'd totally lost track with what projects I'm working on.  Turns out that I'm part way though eight projects!

Projects on the go!

- Grey and pink yarn basket  

- Striped coloured blanket 

- Granny square crochet blanket   

- Leg warmer

- Surprise present for Patrick

- Surprise present for Mum

- Damask shawl from a pattern on Ravelry that I'm working on at a knit-along at GatherDTLA

- My newest challenge: yarn spinning!

I bought some hot pink roving wool and a drop spindle from Wildfiber to have a go at spinning my own yarn.  Eager to start, I used a video on YouTube (recommended to me by one of the girls at the knitting store) to help get me started.  The lady in the video, as with most things, made it look easier than it actually is.  Without considering any further research and not realising that the roving needed to be drafted out first, I impatiently steamed ahead.  I began by spinning the yarn relatively thin, which worked for me to start, but the yarn gradually grew tighter and became more difficult to separate.  Small strands of wool started to fall off and other bits began to tangle.  The yarn then began to get thicker and harder to wind.  Eventually, I gave up and decided that it would be best to take it into the yarn store to get some expert help.  The advice I got was to make sure I drafted the wool before I attempted to spin it!  If only I'd read a bit further into it, or watched a few more demonstration videos. 

I'm no Sleeping Beauty, but as a first attempt I was pretty pleased with my work.  And despite it's flaws and changes in thickness, I'll still be able to make something eclectic out of it when I've finished spinning what's left of the roving.  It'll be really fun to wear something that I've spun and knit myself.  Next step: shearing my own sheep! :)           

  

'Little bo Bubba' helping me sort out my projects...

Hot pink yarn and drop spindle

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Week 7_Research and prep

This week is going to be busy again.  It's only a week until PC's birthday, so I still have some research and prep left to do for that.  I have been continuing on with my 'secret knitting', so I aim to get that finished this week (or as near as damn it).  I am also going to design a poster of sorts to put up on his Facebook page as a homage to being 30 (hehehe) !!!

It's pancake day this week, so we'll be doing some flipping on Tuesday night after our weekly trip to the farmer's market.  For savoury pancakes, I'm thinking: cheese, ham and tomato, and for the sweet ones: strawberry and blueberry, and not forgetting the traditional: syrup, lemon and sugar.  PC hasn't celebrated pancake day before, so this will be a fun treat and the start of a new tradition.

I have my weekly knitting groups scheduled for this week.  On Tuesdays and Fridays I meet with a group of ladies at Wildfiber in Santa Monica.  We all work on our own varying projects and natter away whilst munching on chips and guac.  On Wednesday, I meet with a different set of ladies at Gather DTLA for a knit-along.  This is where we all work on the same project.  We are currently working on a very detailed lace shawl.  Of all my knitting challenges to date this is proving to be the hardest and even though its a steep learning curve, my progress is proving to be pretty slow.  On Thursday, there is a 'yarn tasting evening' at Gather DTLA which is an event where you can check out the new yarns due to arrive in the store.  There is also wine and chocolate sampling from local merchants, so count me in!

I have also signed us up to see a furniture exhibition called "Alley-Oop" at Poketo on Saturday night.  I've been meaning to head down to the store, so this is a great excuse for us to check it out.

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Blanket

We hit the store Wildfiber in Santa Monica to pick up some thick needles for my yarn basket.  Whilst we were there I ended up impulse buying some wool so I could make a blanket.  I have been itching to have a go at making one for some time now and I'm encouraged even more by us being in the midst of our cold weather season.  For those reading in the UK, believe me when I tell you that LA does actually have it's chilly winter spells (I'm sat here wrapped up on the sofa in sweatpants and a hoodie).   

The first colour to catch my eye was a vibrant peacock blue.  I further selected two more bright colours to compliment it: pumpkin orange and kelly green.  I teamed these up with a soft beige yarn to create a mixture of bold and neutral stripes.  

The pattern: I was inspired by the Hudson Bay Blanket from Purl Bee, so I am doing a variation of this.  To start, I have cast on 160 stitches using 6mm needles.  I think it's going to take me some time to make, but with the season three of Downton Abbey starting here, it will be my Sunday evening ritual :)

7 Skeins

Beige ball ready to go

Slow process...

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