Folks, the cloud of pestilence hanging over the Kitchener Bitch household seems (knock on wood) to have finally gone on its way, and I’m back to post of more adventures in spinning and knitting. Have you ever had something just knock you down for a month? That’s how it seems to be around here - all sorts of stuff happening, and me tucked into bed.In knitting news, I don’t have as many finished objects as I’d like to be able to show, but at least there are some notable works in progress, and it’s my first-ever participation in Yarn & Fiber Pron Fridays! The Argyle of Doom is progressing… sloooowly. It would probably be done if I hadn’t seriously messed up one side and had to start over THREE TIMES (hey! Cold medicine is powerful stuff!) but alas, I am still on attempt #3 of the second side. This time I haven’t lost the chart or used the wrong needle, so hopefully I’ll have some better progress to show for it soon. I’d intended to have this sweater done for the Secret Squirrel project, but since it didn’t happen, I’ll be contented to finish it before it gets too warm again to wear it. Is that setting the bar too low? The way this sweater is going, I fear that I will get the urge to set it alight before I’m done.Speaking of fire, last week my laptop quite literally BURST INTO FLAMES - yes that’s right, actual flames - whilst sitting in my actual lap. It was quite a scary incident, but it led to a happy ending - buying a new laptop! I’m typing on her as we speak and she’s a beauty… I have to come up with a good name for her, because right now she’s named Mabel after the cat and she’s certainly a good deal more intelligent than my dear but dim little kitten.Spinning has been good. There’s this lovely colored Merino from Louet, which I must say has been the most pleasant stuff I’ve spun so far. It’s cloud-soft, and it spins up into a wonderful lofty yarn. I spun three bobbins of woolen singles. The two larger skeins are a three-ply DK/light worsted, and the little mini-skein was Navajo plied out of the remains. This was a great lesson as before I did this, I had no idea that Navajo ply had a harder, firmer texture than a regular three-ply. The regular three ply is just softer and loftier.

Here’s a skein of lovely 50/50 camel/silk - this stuff is a dream to work with:

And here’s a little skein of this beautifully dyed purple Romney roving, which I can’t wait to finish spinning.

Alas it has to take a back seat to the yarn needed to complete the Blanket of Procrastination:

I’ve spun up a good deal of grey Corriedale, brown Shetland, and white Bluefaced Leicester to meet the blanket’s fast-growing demands (never underestimate the power of prodigious procrastination.) …Call it therapeutic. It actually feels great to make progress on the BOP, because the argyle is moving SO slowly, and there’s something really gratifying about making a blanket so huge that you can actually use it as a lap throw while you knit it. I actually ran through everything I’d spun up that fit the color scheme - at least 1,000 yards of BFL, Corriedale, Shetland, Romney, Merino, and Suffolk - and I’m now working on spinning up a few more panels’ worth of the Leicester. After today, I’ll be thankfully free of a deadline that’s been making me procrastinate quite a bit, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to devote some more time to the almighty spin.

It’s funny, I know that I’m incredibly lucky to be able to be at home, but somehow I’ve felt unbelievably pressed in the last few weeks. Maybe it’s having been sick for so long, but I have had the sensation that I was trying to pass the Bar exam for about a month. Hopefully I’ll be able to relax relatively soon, and bask in the glow of my argyle accomplishments… that is, after I figure out where the hell to get more yarn for the sleeves. Argh.

A few thanks and a few promises of more details in the future: First, a giant thank you to the lovely Seiding, my Spinning SP. She sent me not only camel down (which I LOVE working with - so soft and fluffy, and much easier than yak!) and gorgeous Ashland Bay merino/tussah, but also PYGORA! The wool of the elusive Pygora, which is a cross between a Pygmy goat and an Angora goat, feels a lot more like cashmere than it does mohair. More to the point, it’s soft as a kitten. I also got all kinds of other wonderful goodies from Seiding, and a series of very funny notes and posts. Thanks dear! I loved being your downstream secret pal!

And also a huge and deeply belated thank you to Waterbaby3, my SP7 upstream. I had a wonderful time and was given some gorgeous things - including a huge pile of vintage patterns that you’ll be seeing plenty of shortly! Waterbaby gave me some absolutely beautiful things, including a cute felted bowl and a mess of Koigu, and she was great fun to correspond with. Thanks, Waterbaby!

And finally - I’ve gone over on Knittyboard to being the Kitchener Bitch, plain and simple. No more Purrl! That’ll confuse the hell out of people for a few weeks. Heh.