lulubeans

new fiber in my shop

i have been attempting to dye a little something here and there.  for the conditions to be just right, the stars must align properly,  the bigger girl must have her nose buried in a book, and the baby girl has to napping, all on her own.  when it all happens, it's great, and i am thrilled to be back at it, even if it's just a little here and there.  i have added a few new squish-i-licious merino braids to my etsy store, and i'm hoping to add more soon as time permits.

click on the mosiac to visit my shop

finished object: spare ribs shoaker

i knit another wool diaper cover for greta using this pattern. (rav link)
it was fun + easy to make, and i love the way it fits . 

this was my first time putting elastic into the waistband of anything, and i was a little intimidated by it.   i have no idea why- it was really no big deal!
sorry if this is baby photo overload.  it's kind of impossible for me to resist.

some specifics:

yarn:  elann peruvian sierra aran

needle:  US 7

plus: a little of elastic.  the pattern calls for buttonhole elastic, but i just sewed in a strip of some plain elastic and it seems to be working well. 

also, to lanolize, i use tubed lanolin, and a squirt of baby shampoo (to help the lanolin disperse, nice too because we were gifted lots of excellently smelly stuff, and its not as though much of its getting used up on greta's head).  i shake some lanolin and the shampoo together in a small ball jar w/hot water and then stir this mixture into the sink where the soakers are already sitting in warm water.  (i've already washed them in eucalan.) i stir and allow them to sit for a good two hours, at least.  i am new to wool covers and was a little mystifyed by the process of caring them when i first looked into it, but it's been really easy. 

soakers are a gratifying, quick knit, and great for stash busting or, as in this case, using up yarn from a project that didn't quite go as planned. 
without getting into too much detail about the cloth diapering (there is a wealth of info out there) i will just say that i am pleased with how our soakers are working.  yet one more reason to love the power of wool! 

oh, sweet summer

please don't go away anytime soon.
i am loving you, lots.

also:
there is a very nice post about spinning with a drop spindle on sew green.

and also, i dyed some wool for the first time since late last fall, pre-greta. have you ever not done something for a long time, even if it's something you really love doing, and then found that the longer you stayed away, the more you lacked confidence, and the more you felt like your return had to be grand and exceptional and well worth all the time away and so it started to feel more like a lot of pressure than anything else? that's kind of where i am.
honestly, i'm not overly in love with the way this came out, but i'm willing to call it a good start.