Sex and WIPs and All That Stuff

Yeah...that's Stash Enhancement Xpedition and Works in Progress, all you perverts out there.

But this type of sex can be equally as fulfilling as, well, the other kind. Sometimes. Today I went to the fall Sheep and Wool Festival at Mt. Bruce Station, which is about 40 minutes away from where I live. Adorable little farm on probably one of the crappiest roads I've ever driven on, but the whole area was very nostalgic, reminding me of the rural southwestern Ohio area (surrounding where I went to college) that is so close to my heart and volunteering at various festivals through APhiO on fall days like today. Anyway, while there, I ran into my knitting friends Marj, Amanda, Dana and her adorable daughter Christina (who, at age 11, is a very talented knitter and spinner. Seriously, she's incredible).Anyway, the sex. I bought six balls of this yummy 60% llama/40% wool blend in a purplish color with hints of greens and oranges (at $7.50/ball and buy one get one 50% off!). Photos don't really do the color justice. Not quite sure what I will end up making from it at this point. I don't have a long sleeve shrug yet...maybe some fingerless gloves if I have some left over...the lady from this particular farm informed me that they have plenty of the stuff, gave me her card, and said that if I need more to just call and she can send it to me (at the festival sale price). Sweet. I also picked up a small ball of roving so that I can make some fleece lined mittens, and use the rest to see if the wheel at my parents' house (which has been sitting in the living room as a decoration for about as long as I remember) actually works. I'm pretty sure it does, it's actually never been used. It was literally bought as a decoration, along with its matching chair, and it just sits there and looks pretty. It's the Sleeping Beauty big kind...like this one here. I'm not sure if I'll really get into spinning, but if I've got access to the equipment (at least I do if I'm at my parents' house), I might as well try it, right?

As for the WIPs...lots of them right now. Seven? Plus a swatch for a sweater that I need more yarn for? My secret project will likely be finished tonight or Monday. As for the other three that I'm working on now:Clapotis is through the straight rows and ready for the decrease rows! It should be finished in time to give to someone as a gift next weekend :) So far I've only used four of those lovely hand dyed hanks I bought at Knit-A-Round Labor Day weekend, I'll probably need one more. For the record, if I ever do another one of these, it will be some type of silk/cotton/soy non-animal blend. While the alpaca is lovely, I have to pick the dropped columns apart. And that's a pain in the butt. Others who have used yarn that just falls right apart on the dropped columns claim the pattern is fun. Pulling alpaca fibers apart is neither fun nor exciting.

The circular shrug needs about seven more inches of mock ribbing before I can start the 2x2 ribbing for the other half of the collar. While this project is easy and mindless, it's also kind of boring.

Annnnnnnd my purse project (a sock)...not much progress since last time I posted it, probably because I've been so busy with other projects and haven't really done much waiting/riding on public transportation, etc. The one time over the past few weeks that I had to stand in line for a long period of time (a women's career fair), I did NOT have a knitting project with me! I was pretty mad. Oh well.