Lessons Learned.

optional title.....Rookie Move

I completed the Cables 101 vest out of a 100% wool yarn.  My expereince with 100% wool yarn has been limited.  I remember 20 years ago knitting an aran sweater for a boyfriend from Bernats Aran Sweaters booklet.  If I recall it really didn't take much more blocking than getting it wet and laying it out on a towel.   Anyway, I started this vest while reading the posts on the Aranknit group at Yahoo groups.  A few of the members swatch AND block their yarn before using it.  I should have stopped what I was doing and blocked my swatch then, but didn't, hoping that they were excessive.  Anyway, after following the directions on the yarn label and attempting to block my vest....IT GREW!  So of course I blocked it again and it grew AGAIN (Logical I know!).  Then I decided to purposely felt it just a little bit to shrink it a bit.  It's slightly felted but no smaller.  So my poor vest is in an unusable state waiting for some creative thought to resurect it.   Felt it more and make a teddy bear?  Slippers?  Bedding for Sparky?  LOL,  I'm going to spend my next knitting sessions swatching and blocking the wool and wool blend yarn that I have.

Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Grow it! Show it! (Everybody sing now)

Optional Title - Hair of the Dog.....
I've decided to save the hair from brushing Sparky to spin yarn one day. I saved some from my Retriever but never tried spinning it. I wish I did now. With her you had to collect the bulk of it in the Spring when she shed. Not so with Sparky, He just has an amazing amount of hair and sheds like crazy ALL the time. It is a hassle but since I started this project, He's a lot cleaner and there's a little (ONLY A LITTLE) less hair around the house, yard, garage, floating in the air. (ugh it's never ending!)


This is one of those jumbo huggies diaper boxes you get from Costco. (for another blog entry...we use a combination of cloth and disposables) Anyway, at the most it has about 6 days of brushings in it! Who needs sheep! Right after I put it in, it fills the box then it settles down like this.
 

California Dreamin'

I looked outside my window and saw our Japanses Magnolia (Tulip Tree) is blooming. I think California wool sweater weather is pretty much over. Hmmm, can't complain as that is one of the things I like about living here....Sorry to all of you knitters stuck indoors on the East Coast knitting, but at least you have some of the season left to wear your creations. Mine will probably be reserved for the evenings, trips to the beach and the ocassional nippy day. Time to knit in cotton!