So I plied my first yarn.
Mouse for scale. It's a pretty sad little ball of yarn. I know that I can figure out the stuff like predrafting and getting the yarn to be sort of the same size as I spin it. However, I am lost at trying to figure out how to keep the yarn from untwisting itself when I go to ply it, or for that matter wind if off the spindle and into a ball to then ply. This is before I would set the twist, I believe. The thick roving pieces in the ball above are there because the nice singles all untwisted themselves before I could ply them. Yesterday's post had a picture of the singles on the spindle before winding into a ball. I asked the lovely people on the Knitter's Review forums what they think. I have a feeling it's something very very basic that I should be able to figure out.
I got the spindle (it's a Louet, very basic, unfinished with little sheep on the top) and the gorgeous fiber from Amy King at Spunky Eclectic. The kit came with the spindle, 4 oz of Corriedale, 4 oz of BFL, and a little amount of a mystery roving that I am guessing is to practice with...but I'm not sure, it's really nice too. It's the roving used in the candy cane stuff above. The fiber is really soft and beautiful and I don't want to wreck it.
I finished my first Simply Lovely Lace sock. It's in Claudia Handpainted Merino in Blue Skies. I am close to working the heel for the second. I would like to finish this pair as I have my first shipment from the BMFA Rockin' Sock Club coming soon and I think I may do that as my next pair of socks rather than do another Project Spectrum color (although, for all I know the Rockin' Sock Club colorway may be something blue, white or gray).
I like the picot cuff, my first time doing this. It's a fun and quick and easy pattern. But I learned the hard way not to use delicate needles with this. I snapped a rosewood trying to do a K2tog. I swear, it's so variable if I am going to be a tight or loose knitter. Usually I'm pretty loose but boy howdy...not when I am doing K2tog. It's my least favorite decrease. Give me an ssk ANY day.
So! Tooth update. Thank you all for your well wishes. It has been very helpful. On Monday I went in for an emergency appointment because the pain was agonizing...waking me up at night about every hour. The only thing that really soothed it was ice water or ice cream, I guess because it numbed it. Turns out I was somehow biting into the ligaments which had gotten all swollen and angry. So the emergency endodontist, who was hilarious and told me that she had to drill one of her OWN TEETH on a Sunday once, "dusted the tooth" which I didn't get. She did some drilling thing and checked my bite a million times and finally I could bite without wanting to rip the tooth out. I had about 12 hours of pain free bliss and then the throbbing, pounding, stabbing pain started again. I had my appointment already set for Wednesday to finish up the root canal so went back for that and was very happy when the endodontist numbed me up. It was bliss. He finished the root canal and told me I would DEFINITELY need a crown and that was that...no abscess or anything. He did stick 4 rods in there. Is that normal? I have no idea. I think I am cured of my dental phobia after going through this.
Wasn't THAT a boring story?!? Here is what I rewarded myself with:
100 grams of 100% bamboo super thin yarn for $14 from the newish yarn store nearby, Lovelyarns, which I JUST heard about even though it's been open for 6 months and is practically next door to my supermarket. Unacceptable! It is a cute store, though very small and with quite a limited selection (lots of Cascade, Classic Elite, and Berroco). She is moving to a larger store in the next several months. This yarn is from a vendor in New York and that's all the information she has on it. It's pretty and soft though!
