In Progress: Exploration Station

This picture of my Exploration Station is a bit dated (at least two weeks old), but I'm happy to say it's done. IT'S DONE!

Well, mostly. I still need to weave in the ends, but since I was knitting it while visiting friends, drinking wine, and biting my nails during Sharknado 3 this past weekend, I couldn't concentrate on anything so tedious as sewing in wee bits of yarn.

I'm not saying I'd buy more yarn and dive right back in, but I'd definitely make a second one just to experiment with more color combinations. The possibilities are endless and the pattern is straightforward enough that it's a fairly quick and easy knit. Except for that brioche section. Oy.

I'll be blocking it up within the next week, then taking photos on a new backdrop I bought. Don't get too excited; it's plain white. But it's larger than what I've been working with and will lend itself well to showing off the colors in my projects.

In the meantime, I'm:

Knitting: Vanilla Latte Socks + Anne's Sweater
Reading: Lady of Hay

Finished: Rose City Rollers Socks

And they're done! My first pair of finished socks. Turns out all I needed was a bad week full of frustrating experiences to make me focus on anything other than the axe wound that is my life. Oh, and it helps that the leg on these socks barely exists, so it's essentially just turning a heel and making some toes.

Indeed, Rose City Rollers is the perfect sock pattern for newbies. It's straight-up stockinette stitch, so you don't have to worry about purling if that's not your thing. Also, the pattern goes into enough detail that you begin understanding basic sock construction, and two toe options are provided so you can alter the sock to either fit your foot or visual preference.

I flubbed up a bit on the toe, but I'm pleased nonetheless. I even managed to almost perfectly match the stripes. As a result, I've officially been bitten by the sock-knitting bug, as I've already cast on another pair in some Knit Picks Felici that I scored from their latest limited stash release (which is nearly sold out, so get it while the gettin's good).

In the meantime, I'm:

Reading: Lady of Hay
Knitting: Vanilla Latte Socks
Spinning: More Hobbledehoy fiber on my new AaronMakesStuff spindle (review coming soon!)

Catch Me in the Bakery Bears Patron Newsletter!

Anyone who's spent a significant amount of time on by blog knows I've written a few posts that include mention of the Bakery Bears Podcast. If you haven't watched an episode by now, then you absolutely must pull out your latest project, hike your butt over to their YouTube channel, and binge watch until there's nothing left on your needles.

Which is basically what I do every Sunday morning after a new video is posted.

It only takes a few minutes to see why anyone who's anyone in the knitting world adores them: they're fun, they're talented, and the quality is professional. Plus, they throw in some fun segments that touch on other interests we knitters seem to have in common, like the love of books and travel.

And it's all free. But that doesn't mean they can't keep doing it all without our contributions. That's why they've set up a Patreon for fans to contribute toward exclusive segments, tutorials, giveaways, and more, that will help them keep producing the podcasts we crave (and if you've been a long-time fan of theirs, you'll know that "crave" is an understatement).

Okay, so why am I telling you this? Well, because they've launched a newsletter for their Patrons. A newsletter in which I will be reviewing a certain little something I recently acquired for my birthday.

I was extremely humbled and honored to be asked by Kay and Dan to write an article, and I'm so excited that the yarn has finally arrived so I can get started. I'm honestly surprised anyone reads this little synaptic misfire of a blog sometimes, and I still don't think my skills are up to par with my fellow crafters in the sphere. So I almost fell out of my chair when I realized this would be an option.

Of course, I'm not the only person to have written (or who will write) a piece for their newsletter, and they've mentioned who will be making an appearance in their most recent episode. BUT - the only way to read the articles is to become a patron. You can contribute as much as you want, receiving different rewards for each donation level, so you won't go broke. And you get to relax for two hours with your yarn every time new content comes out. It's not a shabby deal :)

So make sure to subscribe to their channel and, if you like them, become a patron for as little as $2/mo. You'll thank me later!

New on the Needles: Rose City Rollers

Some of you may be asking, "So Jenn, remember when you bought all that yarn at Rehoboth Beach to knit up an Exploration Station? How's that going?"

I'm glad you asked. It was going well - until I returned home from running errands this weekend to discover my beloved cat Charlie had PUKED ALL OVER IT.

I held back the tears. I didn't shake with anger (much). I didn't murder him. Instead, I wound up soaking the shawl - still on its needles - and hanging it out to dry.

The good news is, it's still workable and you can't even tell a cat puked on it. Thank God. I had just finished knitting Section 4, so I only have one section left; the last thing I wanted was to lose so many hours of work.

But at the time, I wasn't sure what would become of my shawl and needed to knit something else as a distraction. Hence the casting on of some Rose City Rollers, the first pair of socks I may ever finish because there's not a whole lot of leg knitting involved. And I actually turned a heel correctly this time. Miracle of miracles, this may actually happen for me.

I finished the gusset of my first sock last night and have started knitting the foot, which is going quickly. I'm hoping to have a HO to show off next week. Stay tuned :)

Not Participating in Tour de Fleece. Sorta.

After seeing everyone's beautiful Tour de Fleece photos on Instagram, I may have been re-bitten by the spinning bug.

Knowing I had some fiber samples sitting around since Christmas, as well as a small 2oz braid of fiber I'm saving for a special occasion (ie: when my spinning doesn't suck), I dug out my pink drop spindle and went at it again. I wouldn't say it's going badly; I wouldn't say it's going well, either...

I'm still not participating in Tour de Fleece because my skills are BEYOND not up to par, nor do I have the dedicated time needed due to some exciting custom orders that have come my way, but I'm hoping my renewed spinning vigor will get me to a passable skill level.

The good news is, I spun all that green fiber without once breaking the fiber. That's a huge accomplishment, in and of itself. Progress is sure, but slow.

In other news, I'm:

Reading: The Cases That Haunt Us
Knitting: ZigZag Scarf 2
Spinning: Hobbledehoy Rainbow Tidbits, hand-dyed merino wool on my Hogg Wild Fibers top whorl spindle