Spin, knit, deliberate.

I've been knitting and spinning and working and playing and doing my civic duty for the democracy like crazy this last few days.  The civic part of that was jury duty... the work and play part are just the normal keeping on... and the knitting and spinning was employed primarily to offset the weight of being on a jury.  Thank goodness for democracy (and wool, to distract my mind in the evenings). 

We're looking forward to fall around here... not to say that we are wishing away summer, but we've tried on and adjusted school uniforms, bought school supplies and new shoes and are gearing up for another season of peewee soccer (or in our case organized socialization of first graders).  

This morning is especially peaceful... coffee, Elton John's "tiny dancer" filling my ears, the girls absorbing the Olympics, my better half off enjoying some visiting friends and me with a few moments to record these projects...  I hope your morning is equally lovely.

 June Nest Fiber project - color way called "Boardwalk"

Attempting to create some blocks of color in the singles

Three ply result

I did get some spinning in last weekend... and am working hard not to overspin the fiber...  You'll see what I spun with the May fiber is so very tight, that the wool actually feels like cotton... not ruinous, but not what I was going for...

In progress

"Simple but Effective" cowl

Modeled by our tiny dancer...
complete with a pirate smile.

Waist length cowl

The May fiber was this beautifully dyed Targhee wool... which I spun and chain plied.  And then knit it into a cowl which will be a Christmas gift for a dear friend of ours (who has no idea that this blog exists).  It will definitely be warm, it's a dense and heavy 8oz of wool all packed into a conservatively sized cowl.  (In other words, way over spun.) Modeled by our ever-willing-to-be-photographed girl.  I think I included the last picture just so I'll have a record of her hair when time passes... 

New beanie

Keeping our heads warm in August

 And lastly, I took this girl of ours to the local yarn shop and she attached herself to this skein of bright pink wool and announced a need for a new hat... and I was happy to oblige.