Back in action...

Spinning: The Pedal Pusher is back in action. :-)

It still wobbles like crazy (I haven't put the support bar back in yet), squeaks like crazy, and now the pedal clicks, but it works. With it being annoyingly noisy though it will probably end up being just a plying wheel after I finish this project. I seem to be spinning much finer than usual, which doesn't bode well for using all of this for a sweater.

A handy spinning tip for even bobbins when your flyer has sliding 'hooks' (unfortunately I can't remember where I learned this), is to use a mirror on the floor angled so you can see the entire bobbin - it works great! I first tried it while navajo-plying, as particularly on the Pedal Pusher I can't see a good part of the front of the bobbin while spinning. It also made the 2+ hours I spent spinning yesterday go faster, since I had something else to think about (maybe that's why my yarn has been a bit more even too).


Loom-knitting: I've made progress on the sock - I'm doing the foot now. Here you can see the heel.

Luckily you can't see my mistakes - I need to pay just a little bit more attention. This is about as mindless as it gets, but you do still need to look at what you are doing from time-to-time (being on the loom for a couple of years probably didn't help much either).

This particular craft goes by many names, depending on what style of loom you are using and what area of the country you are from (and possibly urban vs. rural). Frame-knitting, loom-knitting, they are knitting rakes (or just rakes), looms, boards, frames, rounds, Amish looms - these are some of the terms I've heard. For a blog label, I'll use "loom-knitting" unless someone has a suggestion that makes more sense. :-)


MK'ing: A bonus picture - I made this on my Bond ISM several years ago. It was going to be much bigger, but I got bored with doing so much hand-manipulation. But I sure do like how it turned out.



Weaving: I seem to be taking a break from weaving lately, though I've been wanting to do more Weave-It squares, and I want to finish the bag on the cardboard loom. The bag is going to end up as a spinning oil bag if I can get it finished, but it might be a little big - perhaps a small scissors will fit in there too. Now, If I can just remember where I put my Weave-It box and the cardboard loom....


Another bonus picture:


Boss Dog is such a cutie! It's hard to believe she's 11 years old! :-D She's as frisky as the 5-year-old (and he's plenty frisky!)!