How's Been By You?.............

That was one of my father's sayings.  Anyway, how's been by you?  We're still in purgatory here.  Not Spring; not truly Winter; can't do much of anything; get bored or tired of the same ol' same ol'.  No money to break free of the monotony (like maybe a couple of days at a nice hotel - even in the next town over; maybe a fancy restaurant for dinner; a local diner for breakfast; take a ride to a recently heard-of fiber shop.  I don't care.)

Anywho.  I have been spinning and knitting.  Somedays, forcing myself to do so.  I have had no interest in the computer.  Hence, no blogging til now. I have 2 emails I really have to get out to a couple of friends.  They are way overdo. The emails.  Not the friends.  But I don't even feel like doing that.

Anywho.  On the denim blue sweater, I got to the armholes. And seriously debated about putting a FairIsle pattern on the yoke. Yes? No? Yes? No?.....this went on for a day or two.  The answer is "yes".  So that is on hold right now because I need to ply the white singles, skein, wash and "cake" the yarn.  All is spun...but there is a glitch.

As I wash spinning the last bobbin, the wheel was making this horrendous noise. Driving me crazy! ("that's not a drive; that's a short putt!") I checked the uprights, the wheel supports, the drive band, the brake band; the maidens. I know there is an issue with the maidens, but all seemed ok.  So I continued spinning.  I'll figure it out when I'm through.

I'm through. Taking the bobbin off, I notice there's a piece of circular wood at the front of the flyer.  What the Hell???? ...... Oh. It's the top of the bobbin.  It broke off the bobbin. And is stuck to the flyer. Lovely.

Ok. It came off. But I now have a hunkin' large bobbin of single with no top to hold it in place. And no way to ply off of it without everything turning into one big knotted, tangled mess.  I need a drink.  I need a cigarette. Seriously.

So, BH and I put our heads together and figure that if I cut some circles of heavy cardboard, enough to fill the space of the shaft on the Lazy Kate, with the separated wood bobbin top, maybe I'll be able to ply.

The thought also occured to me (and quickly was nixed) that I could just wind the single onto another bobbin. However. I always overfill my bobbins (probably why the top popped off, but that's another blog....), and I just can't bring myself to rewind what could be 600 yards by hand on another bobbin.

I know there's a simpler solution to all this. But my brain has turned to oatmeal. So....I have yet to attack the aforementioned solution.  I have busied myself with plying the errant blue singles that were found hiding some time ago.  That has taken all of the weekend and these couple of days.

In the meantime, a beret was started with the leftover black, beaded, Shetland.  And here's another problem.  There is about 5" knitted, when it occured to me last night that....I think I always added more cast-on stitches, giving 2 more pattern repeats.  Because the called-for stitches were never quite enough for a normal (large) head.  This I did not do.  Tried the hat on. It stretches enough to fit my head, but I don't like it snug. It is snug.

Does it get frogged....or do I pretend that...yes; yes; it does fit just fine?  I don't know.  My brain is oatmeal.

Anywho. I need to run to the store for milk.  There's a humungous storm coming in later this afternoon. Minimum of 8" of snow with high winds. We were supposed to get a like storm on Sunday. 5 to 8" of snow, they said.  Warned us about it all last week. We got.......2" throughout the day. No big dump.  Ahhh, but better safe to be sorry.  And we really do need the milk.  For the oatmeal.