Necessity and Invention

I'm sure you've heard the expression "necessity is the mother of invention" right? Well, this week I experienced both. 

I decided to make something in the most scientific way (not even close). I started with a cardboard box I had to wrestle away from my cats. They were trying to jump in it as I was taking it.

I also used some very old aluminum knitting needles that I never use anymore. (Why are these still in my house?) 

Here it is about halfway through. Any ideas yet? 

Very hopeful! I think it will work.

See, what I didn't tell you and probably should have, is about my new tool. 

I've been thinking for some time about an electronic spinning wheel or e-spinner. Not for any reason other than I like to sit with my feet up either in bed (my favorite snuggly spot) or on our couch which reclines. Especially in the winter when our floor is cold, I find myself not spinning much at all and I miss it so much! So I started doing some looking around and found some very nice but spendy e-spinners. That slowed me down quite a bit, imagining trying to save up for one for ages. Well, then my husband mentioned that he would like to get me a "really nice" birthday gift to make up for the lean years when I barely got any gifts. He mentioned jewelry which, don't get me wrong, I love jewelry but I don't need anything too fancy. I still have nightmares about losing my wedding ring! Just about that time I found a reasonably priced e-spinner that seemed like it would be perfect. 

With a little persuasion (and ordering it myself) I ended up with a lovely new tool for my fiber crafting.

Isn't she beautiful? This is the Heavenly Handspinning Vespera with the hand control. 

Well, to keep the cost down and also thinking I could make something else work, I decided to order just the spinner and not the lazy Kate. The trouble was, once the e-spinner arrived I realized just how big the bobbins are and just how much they would not fit on my Schacht Lazy Kate. 

So I resolved to work out some sort of makeshift Kate until I can purchase a nicer one. (I think I would like to get an Akerworks Kate, they seem really nice and would be so portable and work with my Schacht bobbins too.) 

Well, time passed, as it's been known to do and I hadn't set anything up. Which means I was kind of stuck. It came with 3 bobbins which is a good amount but I spun up some quick fiber just to get a feel for it, intending to do one of my quick and dirty 2-ply yarns with it but then I started a new spin on the third bobbin. The first two just sat there. It was high time to at least wind them off so they could be plied right? But I still hadn't set up a Kate. 

That leads me to today.

Hooray! A very unscientific and temporary solution. But a very good example of necessity being the mother of invention! Now I'm off to wind these singles off and get these bobbins back.

Onward I Knit

I managed to finish my Disco Superfly socks the other night at Knit Night.
I really love how they turned out.

They're just plain socks knit on size 0 needles with 80 stitches around. The fun is in the yarn which was a special Knitterly Things anniversary colorway with 12 stripes! It's sparkly too. I actually reversed the order of the yarn so it would stripe opposite on the second sock but I found that it has so many colors it's not noticeable at all. I love them though and I can't wait to actually wear my new sparkly socks!
I've been loving the plain socks lately and especially the plain, stripey socks so as I was getting close to finished with my Disco Superfly socks, I wound up a nice, springy skein of Vesper in the Iris in Bloom colorway. I finished the Disco Superfly socks on Tuesday evening at Knit Night and cast on the Iris in Bloom socks on Wednesday afternoon.

These will be my plain purse socks that I drag around with me and work on when I'm out and about and have a few minutes so they won't get a lot of action but will eventually be some lovely socks.
Same details on these as on the others. Size 0 needles, 80 stitches around, 15 rounds of 2x2 rib at the top, probably the same slip stitch heel as well.
I kinda feel like I'm in a knitting rut since I just keep knitting plain stripey socks but since I also keep buying stripey yarn, I don't see that changing any time soon. So, I'll just keep knitting onward! At least the colorways are different right?