I've been much more modest with my spinning and quilting starts. Amazingly enough, I have just one of each type of project in process. I'm currently spinning up a batch of Fiber Optic Foot Notes Unspun Pencil Roving. The roving is a blend of Merino and Nylon and I think the colorway is "Black Coffee". It's a beautiful mix of browns and reminds me not only of swirling coffee with a little cream here and there, but also tree bark from an old and experienced tree.
I hope you don't mind if I briefly divert your attention from the fiber to the little red scale that was helping me weigh it out. It's an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale
that I was asked to take out for a spin* and see if I thought it would be a helpful tool for knitters and spinners.
Previously, I'd been using an Ikea scale, and I found it a little flaky, and this scale showed up at just the right time. It's a very simple scale -- it tares, has an auto shutoff and does measurements in both English and Metric units. The fact that it can handle up to 11 lbs means that you can actually use a substantial "weighing boat" to hold whatever you're weighing -- something I find handy when I'm dealing with a large volume of fiber. You can switch back and forth between English and Metric with a touch of a button (handy for those of us trying to remember how many grams in an ounce or vice versa) and it can provide 4 units -- lbs, kgs, oz and g -- nice for when you have large amounts of fiber or yarn to deal with! I found that it did a good job from a consistency in measurement of the same items and that it measured stably, even though it is a fairly light weight device. In short, for the money, it turns out to be a very nice little scale. A nice stocking stuffer for the knitter or spinner on your holiday shopping list!
I used it to help me make sure I had equal amounts of roving for each of the 2 plies I plan to spin for this yarn. I've got the first bobbin finished and I've just barely started the second. I'm hoping to try the finished product out in a pair of socks. Since the coloring is subtle, I think it would be a nice yarn for a pair with a simple pattern or texture once it's plied up.
My current quilting project is my Lincoln Park Patchwork quilt in red/orange and blue/green batiks. This project is destined to be a twin-sized quilt that I will gift to my lovely little girl when she gets her first "big girl" bed. It's an easy project from a construction stand point, but I've stalled on it because it's actually quite hard to sew whenever the kid is awake. Ms. Z is fascinated by my sewing machine. This is a good thing, because I hope to share my crafty mojo with her someday. It's also a bad thing because sewing machines are dangerous to curious little fingers and I don't want her to get hurt on it by accident or to try to start turning it on by herself. She's getting bigger, though, and that move from toddler bed to twin bed isn't going to be long in coming, so I'm hoping this winter to put in some quality time on this. I love the bright colors, and I know that they're going to be great therapy when the dead of winter hits.
*In the interests of full disclosure, I was provided the scale for free to review and also selected the color on my own.
I hope you don't mind if I briefly divert your attention from the fiber to the little red scale that was helping me weigh it out. It's an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale
that I was asked to take out for a spin* and see if I thought it would be a helpful tool for knitters and spinners. Previously, I'd been using an Ikea scale, and I found it a little flaky, and this scale showed up at just the right time. It's a very simple scale -- it tares, has an auto shutoff and does measurements in both English and Metric units. The fact that it can handle up to 11 lbs means that you can actually use a substantial "weighing boat" to hold whatever you're weighing -- something I find handy when I'm dealing with a large volume of fiber. You can switch back and forth between English and Metric with a touch of a button (handy for those of us trying to remember how many grams in an ounce or vice versa) and it can provide 4 units -- lbs, kgs, oz and g -- nice for when you have large amounts of fiber or yarn to deal with! I found that it did a good job from a consistency in measurement of the same items and that it measured stably, even though it is a fairly light weight device. In short, for the money, it turns out to be a very nice little scale. A nice stocking stuffer for the knitter or spinner on your holiday shopping list!
I used it to help me make sure I had equal amounts of roving for each of the 2 plies I plan to spin for this yarn. I've got the first bobbin finished and I've just barely started the second. I'm hoping to try the finished product out in a pair of socks. Since the coloring is subtle, I think it would be a nice yarn for a pair with a simple pattern or texture once it's plied up.My current quilting project is my Lincoln Park Patchwork quilt in red/orange and blue/green batiks. This project is destined to be a twin-sized quilt that I will gift to my lovely little girl when she gets her first "big girl" bed. It's an easy project from a construction stand point, but I've stalled on it because it's actually quite hard to sew whenever the kid is awake. Ms. Z is fascinated by my sewing machine. This is a good thing, because I hope to share my crafty mojo with her someday. It's also a bad thing because sewing machines are dangerous to curious little fingers and I don't want her to get hurt on it by accident or to try to start turning it on by herself. She's getting bigger, though, and that move from toddler bed to twin bed isn't going to be long in coming, so I'm hoping this winter to put in some quality time on this. I love the bright colors, and I know that they're going to be great therapy when the dead of winter hits.*In the interests of full disclosure, I was provided the scale for free to review and also selected the color on my own.
