Jobo Designs

ok...  The title seems random...  But the color of this yarn reminds me of Caterpillars!  Greens, Greys, Black, and a hint of Rust here and there.  When we were little we used to see lots of fuzzy little many-legged creatures in the back yard while playing outside :)

This is only the first little skein in what will be a 4 skein series...  at approximately 160 yards of fingering weight, navajo 3-ply.  I am tempted to jump in and start knitting this guy up, but alas, I should probably keep on spinning before I do too much more scheming. 

The fiber here is some Hand Dyed Polwarth, in 4 ounce bags, from London-Wul over in Moncton.  I have 2 bags... so 8 ounces total.

I was drawn to the colors immediately but when I dug into the bag,  I found that there isn't really any kind of shade distribution in the roving.  Really, it's just random splashes of color - which I don't mind - but there are long sections that are only lime green, and others that are only black and really dark colors.  It would have been nice to have a more predictable variance maybe.  There were also a few felted bits from the dyeing process.  Overall I am pleased with the fiber, and the finished yarn is delectable... but I think I will ask to open up the bag and examine the roving next time I buy this product, just to get an idea of the dyeing pattern before I take it home.

I'll post some more pics when the rest of the pile has been converted from Fluff to yarn :)

After seeing my Fiddle Head Mittens, my father asked if I could make him a pair of colorwork mittens... but perhaps something less girly looking.

Dad so rarely asks me to do anything for him, especially knit anything, that I set out on the design process right away and placed an order for some Knit Picks Palette in more manly colors (Cream and Asphalt Black) 

I decided to try and come up with my own mish-mash of a pattern instead of knitting one directly from a book.  It seems that many of the Norwegian style mittens feature different motifs with different meanings - so I thought it would be fun to incorporate symbols with some meaning to dad.  In particular, he is a sport fisherman who spends as much time as possible in the springtime sitting in a boat hunting for that elusive granddaddy rainbow trout.  So obviously, this mitten needs a fish of some sort on it, and I will probably use a motif for the palm of the hand that looks like fish scales.  Also, Dad is a big fan of his dogs (2 adorable shih tzus - Molly and Sophie) so I hope to be able to add in a small dog motif for them too.

Here is the first cuff underway.  I have charted out the wrists, but am having a hard time putting on paper the thumb gusset...  My plan is to just wing it for the gusset and then continue on with my fishy idea for the back of the hands and the fish scales for the palms.  The other big unknown - He wants mittens with separate "pointer" fingers and the other three fingers together... like Newfoundland Mittens.  Apparently he finds that mittens shaped that way (while a little "live-long-and-prosper-ish" Mr. Spock!) more utilitarian and easier to maneuver around with.  So the end result will be kind of like a glove, but with one finger by itself, and the rest like a mitten.  I might have bitten off more than I can chew?

Here is a sneak peak of the Fish motif (modified from Fisherman's Friend Mittens by Jorid Linvik to be a single fish, and to look more like trout and less like Koi)  and some of the other motifs I plan on incorporating!  The little dog pattern is from Traditional Scandinavian Knitting by Sheila McGregor.

I had some vacation time stashed away... waiting for an excuse to take a break... so I decided to take 2 weeks of it!  I'm one of those people who often saves the vacation time, thinking that I will use it to do something exciting or travel somewhere.  The last few years, what with the wedding, Hubby being in University while working full time, and the long commutes to work, there just hasn't been much of an opportunity to get away for very long.  We used to travel down south to the Caribbean once a year, but bummer, not able to do that this year. 

So instead of lounging on a beach in the Dominican Republic or sipping Cuba Libres down in Havana... I'm having a "Stay-Cation"  Basically, I am going to play housewifey...  do a few things around the house, cook supper, pretend to be a tourist in my hometown, knit a little whole lot, and play with my spinning wheel and perhaps dye some fiber!

Someday when we are more mobile again, and not as financially or time constrained... I want to travel again.  On my list of places I MUST see at some point before I croak - Ireland and Scotland.  Being a fiddle player, and lover of all things Celtic, I have always wanted to see these countries and wander into some traditional pubs, sit in the corner and drink the music and atmosphere in.  Also high on my list - Australia and New Zealand.  My best friend was living in Australia for a while, so I thought for sure I would get to go and visit her there, but alas she is moving back to Canada this spring.  It will be really nice to have her be closer to home, but sad that I won't get to see her in Bundaberg.  New Zealand has always held much intrigue for me also, which grew exponentially when the Lord of the Rings Trilogy came around.  Seriously... the country is fantastically beautiful, and apparently covered with Sheep!  (wink, wink)  If you ask me, that's a total win win!

What about you, bloggers?  If you could take off and go on a travel adventure... where would you go?  and more importantly, what project would you pack to keep yourself out of trouble on the way there? 

For me it's usually socks... compact, interesting, useful, amusing.  For me Socks have it all :)