Weekend, Yarns and Sox, Oh My!
Well, this past weekend was a bit of a blur - at least on Saturday.
Saturday was Border Keep's Border Quest 6 - the Search for Champions (aka the Middle Marches Baronial Championships). We of course had to go, because Eidiard was not only running the Thrown Weapons list, but was stepping down as Baronial Thrown Weapons Champion. He was succeeded by His Grace, Duke Syr Talymar. Eidiard was also made a fully warranted Thrown Weapons Marshal the morning of the event, thus completing his personal goal of becoming a TW Marshal before stepping down as Champion.
For myself, I um, ended up becoming a "living" A&S entry. All because I simply wanted a nice, quiet corner to sit at my spinning wheel and spin. So I did a live demonstration of the spinning arts - including teaching a few people (read - 'spreading the addiction') how to spin using a drop spindle. I am comfortable with both hig and low whorl spindles and have no problems teaching either. *grin*
I was also able to deliver the bag of yarn I was asked to spin for my friend Cat (house_elf). She had brought me a bag of blue and white dyed batts at the Melee at Roswell event earlier this year wanting me to spin it up for her. Her reasons being that she liked my spinning and with my wheel I could probably go faster. Well, I split the job between my wheel and spindle and basically made short work of it. Because I knew what her hoped for final project for the yarn was going to be, I plied it with some medium combed top (white) that I had, because I was afraid that there simply wasn't going to be enough yarn to get what she wanted. So, by plying it with the white, I was able to stretch it out, as it were. It was a challenge for as a spinner, too, because I've been spinning a fingering to lace weight and she wanted this more of a worsted or double knit weight. After spinning finer and finer, it really is a challenge to spin a consistent thicker yarn.
So, pictures... I'm simply going to link them here, to save my friends list from having to load them... (and because I haven't quite figured out how to do the images under an LJ cut - read 'lazy') ;)
In process yarn and fiber
Quarter for scale
Completed Skeins
Close up of one skein
The other thing of note is that yesterday, on my birthday, I finished my first ever sock!!! Finally! *grin* It's a bit of a mutant, because it's actually a miniature sock, but when I was following the directions for the heel flap and gusset, I wound up forgetting to change the math and did the gusset part for a full sized sock. Still, I'm rather proud of it, all in all. Now to learn how to make a sock toe-up. For those interested, I used the Tzarina of Tzocks, Tzock 101 kit. Oh yeah, it was done on four double-pointed needles. Not too bad for someone you only learned to knit earlier this year and doesn't spend a whole lot of time knitting ('cause there's crochet projects, and spinning projects, and sewing projects, and ...) ;)
Piccies! (Or rather, links to the piccies.) ;)
In Profile
"Head on"
From the Underside
Saturday was Border Keep's Border Quest 6 - the Search for Champions (aka the Middle Marches Baronial Championships). We of course had to go, because Eidiard was not only running the Thrown Weapons list, but was stepping down as Baronial Thrown Weapons Champion. He was succeeded by His Grace, Duke Syr Talymar. Eidiard was also made a fully warranted Thrown Weapons Marshal the morning of the event, thus completing his personal goal of becoming a TW Marshal before stepping down as Champion.
For myself, I um, ended up becoming a "living" A&S entry. All because I simply wanted a nice, quiet corner to sit at my spinning wheel and spin. So I did a live demonstration of the spinning arts - including teaching a few people (read - 'spreading the addiction') how to spin using a drop spindle. I am comfortable with both hig and low whorl spindles and have no problems teaching either. *grin*
I was also able to deliver the bag of yarn I was asked to spin for my friend Cat (house_elf). She had brought me a bag of blue and white dyed batts at the Melee at Roswell event earlier this year wanting me to spin it up for her. Her reasons being that she liked my spinning and with my wheel I could probably go faster. Well, I split the job between my wheel and spindle and basically made short work of it. Because I knew what her hoped for final project for the yarn was going to be, I plied it with some medium combed top (white) that I had, because I was afraid that there simply wasn't going to be enough yarn to get what she wanted. So, by plying it with the white, I was able to stretch it out, as it were. It was a challenge for as a spinner, too, because I've been spinning a fingering to lace weight and she wanted this more of a worsted or double knit weight. After spinning finer and finer, it really is a challenge to spin a consistent thicker yarn.
So, pictures... I'm simply going to link them here, to save my friends list from having to load them... (and because I haven't quite figured out how to do the images under an LJ cut - read 'lazy') ;)
In process yarn and fiber
Quarter for scale
Completed Skeins
Close up of one skein
The other thing of note is that yesterday, on my birthday, I finished my first ever sock!!! Finally! *grin* It's a bit of a mutant, because it's actually a miniature sock, but when I was following the directions for the heel flap and gusset, I wound up forgetting to change the math and did the gusset part for a full sized sock. Still, I'm rather proud of it, all in all. Now to learn how to make a sock toe-up. For those interested, I used the Tzarina of Tzocks, Tzock 101 kit. Oh yeah, it was done on four double-pointed needles. Not too bad for someone you only learned to knit earlier this year and doesn't spend a whole lot of time knitting ('cause there's crochet projects, and spinning projects, and sewing projects, and ...) ;)
Piccies! (Or rather, links to the piccies.) ;)
In Profile
"Head on"
From the Underside