Hi, my name is Monika, and I suck at Navajo plying ...

Last Monday the 12th I went to Serenity Knits to get some Noro Silk Garden, and some Koigu. The store was closed. Next possible visit would have been Saturday. I was very disappointed that the store was closed. If I wants yarn, I wants it now! Imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail, announcing their second Christmas Open House on Saturday the 17th, the day I wanted to go there anyway! Needless to say I got more than Noro Silk Garden, and Koigu. I filled out some ballots for door prizes, all of them desirable goodies for knitters. :o) I was very sorry that I was in a hurry, because the Ladies had wonderful cookies there, and the smell of hot apple cider was just spreading throughout the store. Did I mention I went there early? Like right after they opened at 9 AM? Well I did.

Last night, it was late Sunday afternoon, I got a call from Laurie, one of the owners, to tell me that I won a door prize, so I have to go back to pick it up. I'm already thinking what I would need, once there, to make the trip worthwhile. Hm.

And regarding the yarn I bought, do not think I've started knitting any of it! But at least this time I bought the yarn with specific projects in mind.

So, now we come to this blogs title. On Saturday, after my LYS outing, I sat down to ply, and ply, and ply some more. Hours, and hours of plying. Well, I did ply on Friday, and on Thursday as well, and I think I started plying on Wednesday.

I got the 3-ply done, worth 2 pairs of socks in size 10. Never again! It's so boring to sit and ply, I think I took a nap here and there. All of the three singles broke once, which woke me up, and brought a little excitement into it. My Jumbo bobbin was backed to the fullest when I was done. Little happy dance, and on to the next - 2 ply. Very uneventful, everything went smoothly, but oh so booooring! I used to think I like plying best, because it brings me so close to the finished product. But that's only true for small projects.

So, to get it over with I decided to Navajo ply right away. In theory I know how to do it, and so on, but it was a disaster, once again. I treadled very slowly; I think I did all the right moves, or not, and I didn't get as stressed as the couple of times I Navajo plied before. In any case, I gave up caring about smoothness, and loops, pretty soon. I don't like how this yarn looks, and it's such a shame. As I said in the previous post, this yarn is holding a surprise. It came like this (the little balls of fiber are not included in this project. I think they are meant for needle felting. It came in my Birthday package from my daughter Hannah).

When I pulled it apart it became obvious that the colores separated easily, at least most of them. What to do? I was hoping to get enough out of it for a hat. I started with black and moved through the colores to where no black fibers where anywhere near anymore. I liked the idea, despite that it was hard to spin, because it stuck together even pre-drafted. I think my idea would have worked, if I would have been able to properly Navajo ply. I'm either going to abandon this kind of plying altogether, or I'll have to find someone, who can show me how to do it right. All the pictures on the Internet didn't really help me this time.
Here you have it: New Zealand Wool Navajo plied; going to be a hat, but not for my head. It's only 115yds. There is a section which is only black and gets more colorful in the middle, until it's only lilac/purplish in the end. I'm still liking the idea.

Goblin Eyes - Romney Wool - 4 oz - 229yds - 2-plied - mittens.

Below: Mohair/Wool (very much over twisted) - 3-plied - one skein is 375yds, the second is 366yds - 2 pairs of socks, some day.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day. While the men of the house raked leaves and filled paper bags, I was having fun with the dogs. I love the sight of Birch trees against a blue sky, can't get enough of it. The ground was frozen for the first time this fall; the top layer of the rainwater in the pool was frozen too, and the bucket with water for the dogs had a layer of ice too, which I had to break, so they could drink. Sam's prepared for the coming winter, snow shovel and all. He "found" it again, and was over the moon. Forgotten was his big red ball, not a second glance in its direction. He was shouting out to the world, that he's gotten his shovel back (little did he know, that it was only for this one time).

The chewed up edges cut his mouth, and under his elbows as well. I'm sorry for him, because nothing makes him happier than his shovel. So let him play for this one outing and hide it again. When he gets a good grip on it, he runs around, and then you've got to watch out for your knees, or in Biko's case her head. He bonked her once, and my knees escaped just barely.

So when the time has come, I took the shovel and held it high with my left hand, the right hand took a picture of this face .... so cute, if I say so myself. Sorry Sam, it's for your own good. And didn't you know, that things we like and have fun with, are NOT good for us (O.K. my mind's not on a shovel here, it's more focused on chocolate, very random, I know)?