Cabin Fever

That's what we have. It's been a nearly constant torrential downpour over the last two days, and looks like it will stay that way through the rest of the week. Starbuck is living up to his name, proving to be a real explorer-adventurer, except where thunder is concerned. He's not allowed out of the apartment anyway, but I am similarly reluctant to venture outside in this mess. He is dealing with it by periodically tearing around the living room. I find it infinitely preferable to stay at home and work on these:



Another fabulous lined mitten pattern from Hello Yarn, these are coming out fabulously. This picture is a few days old, I'm currently just past the thumb gusset on the first shell. Every time I do a colorwork project I am reminded that although the knitting goes more slowly with small needles and two colors of yarn, the emerging pattern keeps me going. I cannot express my glee as the first little row of acorns emerged on the palm! Deep down, I know that I really ought to get back to my shawl, but I'm not good enough yet with the beads for it to be as much fun as the squirrels.

With the new family member present, I'm trying to introduce the fibery activities slowly. Most of my knitting over the past two weeks has been done at the kitchen table or while he's napping to avoid temptation. Last week, I wound some yarn I spun over the holidays off the bobbins and gave it a good washing:



Two colors of polwarth from the Verb fiber club, one in "Equinox Flower" and the other undyed silver. I want to use the yarn to make the Beaumont tam at the bottom of this post, but the yarn plumped up a TON after washing and I'm doubting I'll have enough yardage. My natural spinning still produces more of a DK/sportweight yarn, so if I want to make fingering or lighter I really need to pay more attention.

With the bobbins all empty, my eyes turned to the rather ponderous fiber stash. I haven't been blogging all my fiber club as it comes in, but there are a few color combos I can hardly wait to get on the wheel. Then I remembered a paper grocery bag full of combed polwarth locks from the Verb holiday party in various lovely natural shades of white, brown, silver, and dark grayish-brown. Here they are pre-combing; I was a little too scatterbrained to actually take photos of the combed polwarth nests before spinning them.



So, yesterday I put on a movie and sat down to use the spinning wheel for the first time since we brought the kitten home. Turns out I didn't need to be nervous about how he would react to the wheel. This was my view for most of the afternoon:



Delightful.