Platformnine Designs

Hooray, I’ve finally gotten some time to make an update! Spring is finally here after a long, long winter. NJ got hit with 3 or 4 really big snowstorms and we broke our record from 1996 (when I was just a wee girl!). I learned to snowboard this winter, which was awesome and I love it! And I’ve finally gotten back to working on my fiber projects.

Spinning
I’ve been working away on my wheel. I have so many different projects going at once. I’ve been working on the SW Merino braid that I talked about in my last post, and it’s still looking very nice. I’m carding up the other half of it into batts. I’ve also been working on the rest of the pound of corriedale that came with my wheel when I got it a year ago, I’m thinking of making it a 3-ply yarn. Plying-wise, I n-plied the merino/silk/firestar single that I talked about in December. I still have the other 2oz batt to spin up. I also finally got some oil for my wheel since it’s getting to the point where it desperately needs to be oiled.

Weightloss
I’ve been going through a mental plateau from the end of January through most of March, but I’m finally back on track. Now I’m at 65lbs lost and I’m feeling great!

Love
My last boyfriend turned out to be a liar and a bit crazy. On the ski trip we took he showed his true colors, and he dumped me shortly after (right before Christmas). But I’ve been seeing one of my friends-turned-lovers for about a month now and I’m quite in love with him. He’s hands down the best boyfriend I’ve ever have. He’s doting, sweet, and a complete gentleman.

Knitting
I’ve got several projects on the needles, as usual. I’m working on a scarf for my boyfriend, two scarves for myself (GASP, I’m actually making scarves!), still working away on the vest from the summer that is hibernating in my basket, and I’ve started a few re-useable grocery bags. :)

My birthday is next Wednesday, March 31, 2010. I’ll be turning 21. This is my last big milestone and I’m very excited about it. I’m going to spend the night in NYC next Wednesday, and then on Friday I’m hosting an Alice in Wonderland themed cocktail party with my friends.

All is well in the knit-happy life of Mary!

Fair warning: This post will be LONG.

Spinning
Ok, I mentioned in my last post that I would be experimenting with a spin project. I received this gorgeous painted roving from a friend. The roving is from Sunshine Yarns and was in the colorway Lockhart, which was beautiful! But not my style, SO I decided that I would card the roving on my drum carder to attempt to make a more heathered color.

The roving started like this:

Then I broke it into color sections, separating mostly blues/dark colors and mostly yellow/light colors. I carded the blue section first into a batt (the blue & white batt) and then I carded the yellow section (the yellow/blue batt) and then I blended those two batts together and put it through the carder about three or four times so that it was really smooth and fluffy! I ended up with a really nice color, lighter than what I was expecting, but I really like it!

I’m spinning it with a little less tension so that I can have less twist in my singles. This is giving me a “fluffier” yarn that does have a technical name that I don’t feel like looking up right now :) The test plies look really lovely though! Here’s how it’s spinning up so far:

Books: Intentional Spinner & Color in Spinning
I just got them! I found them both on sale on Amazon, so I splurged and got myself early Christmas presents hehehe! I haven’t gone through Intentional spinner in depth yet, but thumbing through it earlier I already found a few nifty tips that can improve my spinning! I love Color in Spinning, the color theory charts are awesome and the samples of the colorways in the book are really helpful!

Other spin projects and Knitting
I also just wound this into a cake for storage until I ply it. It’s my Rootbeer batt from Corgi Hill Farm! I finished 2oz before I left for Alaska, and I still have about 2oz to spin. It’s Merino/Silk/Firestar :D

I also carded up this gorgeous BFL/Kid Mohair/Mill Ends/Silk/Bamboo batt that spurred me to create my first spinner’s notecard! The card has a batt sample, plied fingering weight sample, and a tiny little knit sample. I also put my carding notes and fiber percentages/colors notes on my little note card. It’s really shiny and soft and silky, I’m so excited to spin it!

My friend Scott was having a bad day the other day, so I knit him The ‘Stache. He was thrilled and it looked really good on him! I also finished my mom’s Christmas present, a Butterfly Beret. It seemed to take forever to knit! But it turned out lovely. I steam blocked it, which may be my new favorite blocking method. I had a heart attack and a half when I was weaving in the ends because my weave in at the crown snapped and ripped back four or five rows! I cinched up really snugly the second time around. The only projects I have left to knit before Christmas are my two brothers’ hats, my Stepdad’s hat, a cowl for my mommom and a cowl for my aunt. Five projects left!

My holiday knits are coming along nicely, I’m about halfway done. I’m hoping that I’ll be done in time to make ornaments to use as tags on presents, buuuut I’m not sure if that’s happening or not.

This week I’ve been working on getting back into the “spin” of things. My fiber addiction is slowly creeping back up on me and my wheel has been calling my name. And why shouldn’t it, I haven’t touched spinning since I left for my Alaska trip! I have a SW Merino that I received as a gift that I’m itching to spin. It’s blue, silver, and gold roving that I want to spin into a heathered yarn. I’ll post some pictures because the way I’m doing it is sort of an experiment. But before I spin that I need to get my groove back, so today I’m carding a few baby batts to test spin (and to test card so that maybe I can finally re-open my etsy shop!!!!). I’m also finally, for the first time ever, going to knit with one of my own handspun. I have a yummy worsted merino/silk that I’m knitting into a gorgeous cowl. I haven’t started it yet, but it’s in the works.

For Christmas my mom got me the Hiya-Hiya interchangeable needle set I asked for and I was allowed to have them early!!!! I ADORE these needles! They’re soooo much better than the KP Options that I have. For one, A 16” CABLE!!!!! They are about an inch shorter than the KP needles, but that doesn’t really bother me since I mostly hold the needles in my fingertips. I LOVE that they have the size printed on the needle, because with KP I was always pulling out my needle gauge to figure out what size I was holding. When they become available I plan on buying the individual needle tips in some of the larger sizes so I can have a nice set. I’ve also ordered extra 16” cables because I knit 3 or 4 projects at a time, and I love me some hats.

My family and best friends and my boyfriend are taking a holiday ski trip the week before Christmas to the poconos. Just a weekend trip, but it’s going to be a blast! I’m planning on exchanging gifts there, so I’ve been working my tail off trying to get those projects finished first!

Today also marks the 6 month anniversary of the beginning of my weight loss journey. To day I’ve lost nearly 40lbs (1.5lbs away!) and I’m truly amazed at my hard work and how easy it was to change my lifestyle and eating habits. I’ve discovered that I actually love working out, those happy endorphins do exist! I’ve been feeling great and I can’t wait for the next 6 months to be that much closer to my goal!

I don’t actually have time to blog about everything I should have written about in the last month. Fail, Mary, FAIL. So, instead for now, I’ll give you a tiny summary of what’s been going on at the Platformnine HQ.

• May’s Phat Fiber box came. It was awesome, as usual. I am now addicted to Milk fiber, thanks Roo! I will have a review post up soon… I swears >__________>
• GOT MY BUNNIES!!!!!!!! Love ‘em! They’re goofballs. Keva and Carine ♥ They will be getting their own intro post of disapproval soon.
• Got some spinning done, woo! Pictures, or it didn’t happen!
• ALMOST done with two gift packages. One’s for a Spring exchange, one’s for the swap I run, KFSKS.
• PAID OFF MY CREDIT CARD. HELL. YES. I am elated about this, because for about 6 months I lived in fear of creditors and debt. That shit is fucking SCARY.
• Got the shore house open. Been going down every weekend/every other weekend when I can! After my summer job starts (as a nanny) I can guarantee that I’ll be down every weekend for sanctuary.
• Ordered a crapload of fiber. Love it all. BeesyBee, Moonwood Farm, Sheep Shed, Gritty Knits.
• Made 6 sales in the shop in the past week!! YEY!! It was really really exciting because 2 of the sales were HUGE orders!! And one was a custom order!! My name is getting out there and people are enjoying my products :D
• Signed up for Tour de Fleece, Team Lantern Rouge 2009! I’d love to spin everyday (and, being the type of person I am, would probably have signed up to spin with the Hopelessly Overcommitted), but that’s a pipe dream if there ever was one LOL!
• Got a Blackberry Curve 8330. Love it more than anything. Addicted to it.
• Have a new man in my life. He’s a sweetheart. He has a classic car. He likes Disney. Does it get any better than that? XD

I think that’s the vast majority of things, in no particular order. Tune in later for some more updates and posts without bulleted lists!

I’m so excited! I’m contributing a huge variety of samples to April’s box (themed “Green” - color/eco-friendly). Yesterday I designed and printed the project cards and recipe cards and packaged them. Today I dyed the roving that I’m giving and the roving I’m spinning for my handspun samples - that’s all drying now. I’m calling the colorway Little Mermaid because it reminds me of Ariel and her home under the sea XD. I also dyed a 2oz roving to sell in the shop in the same colorway incase someone really likes the sample and wants enough for a sustainable amount of yarn. Tonight and tomorrow I plan on finishing up my other samples. Hopefully I’ll have them in the mail by Wednesday at the latest. I have to make a trip to the post office anyway, since I have two gifts to send.

I also received some roving from a friend that she dyed. She was going to learn to spin with it, but ended up not learning. She offered to send it and I offered to spin it for her and send it back! That’s going to have to wait a few days though, so I can finish these samples and a bag I have to sew by 4/3 for the HSKS7.

I’m also organizing the first Kiwi Spinners Fiber Kit Swap! There’s a group for it on Rav, sign ups are going on now!

And somehow I still manage to get straight A’s!

I spent the better part of yesterday dyeing two skeins. One is for a swap, so I can’t show you :c The other I’m considering selling because my stash is getting pretty sizable (I need to go buy more storage today!) and I also have no clue what to use it for.

185 yd fingering weight Mill Ends; 20 oz; Strawberry Shortcake

I’ve also been working on a new design for beaded row counters to sell in my etsy shop! I’m really excited about them, everyone I’ve showed them to raves about how pretty they are. (Even my non-fiber obsessed friends - they would like bracelets out of them!) I have a few other items to put up for sale in my shop as well, but those I’ll keep under wraps until I put the finishing touches on them!

It’s true what they say about the fifth time’s the charm. Most people have said that their 5th skein is the best. That hold’s true for mine! Here’s what I’ve done for the last two weeks.

“Candy Cane Lane”; 185 yds worsted weight 100% Merino - My sister asked for a beret from this. I have no idea why, lol. I’m going to knit a swatch from it tonight and show her how it will look to make sure it’s what she wants.

“Navy Seal”; 76 yds Dk weight 100% Merino

“Midnight on the Balcony”; 190 yds Dk weight 100% Merino

I have no idea why, but in the first two pics I could not for the life of me find any change, so I resorted to two Mexican pesos I found in the drawer. As usual, click for full sized pictures!

When I first tried my kiwi after putting it together I was having a bit of trouble between getting the tension right and reminding myself to treadle slower. Today it sort of just clicked and I spun some nice fingering weight corriedale. 60.5 yards of it!! Now, I know that to experienced spinners that’s nothing, but I’m happy! It made the cutest little hank, too! It’s about an ounce of teal/turquoise corriedale plied with green thread (cause I’m a huge cheat, hehe!).

Originally it was going to be a baby hat for my cousin’s new baby, Keegan ♥, but then I remembered that acrylic is best for babies. Forgiving + washable = a mommy’s best friend! I’ll have to think of something else to make with it. Maybe I’ll use it for one of my headband swatches.

(The dark hank on the bottom is from my spindle spinning last week)

Speaking of spindle spinning, I taught my friend Erin how to spin on a drop spindle today! She was a complete natural - spinning even lace weight yarn! She was a total pro at drafting, too. Before I know it she’s going to be commandeering my wheel away from me, haha!

I found out my wheel is shipping from WA, which is kind of a bummer, but it should be here Monday. I just got the mail because no one brought it in today and there was like a million packages for me!! One was the super perfect yarn I bought for my spoilee, Vi, one was a book I bought, one was my Dead Like Me box set and movie, and the last (and best) one was my new drum carders!! All the way from England! And she included a whole bunch of fiber!!!! IN PRETTY COLORS!! I literally danced around my room holding their wonderful smooshyness to my face for five minutes (yes, I’m pathetic, I know). She even added a packet of white pomegranate tea! It’s a white tea though, and I usually prefer my tea with cream and sugar, so I’m not sure I’ll like it. I want to make a batt RIGHTNOW. Maybe I’ll make one while I’m watching Leverage tonight :D