Scrap Happy Scarf

I used to sew A LOT.  And therefore have a ridiculous amount of scraps that are long and thin.  They are the right size to quilt with, truly.  But why let perfectly good fabric be turned into a blanket?  Especially when you can spin it.

This is part of the pile I started with:

I spun it up on a core of pencil roving

And then knitted it straight off the bobbin into this lovely scrap happy scarf!  It's a drop stitch scarf, with one row of single dropped stitches, and a row of double dropped stitches.

It's actually quite comfy and warm, despite some of the more coarse fabrics I did put in there, including the stuff you cover ironing boards with!  It's a little wacky, but so very fun!  I entered it in the Craftster RRR challenge, and voting takes place until the 20th!  Have a look at the other fabulous entries, and give the one you think deserves to win a vote if you are a member!  ( And if you so happen to think my scarf does, well then all the better for me :D)

~Kara

She didn't die after all!

So I kind of fell off the blogosphere for a while there, didn't I?  But I promise you I was enjoying life to it's fullest.  I spent a week (A Whole WEEK!)  unplugged, at a fly in fishing camp with my husband, sister, brother-in-law and a few of their friends.  It was an amazing adventure.  7 beautiful sunsets, something like this:

I did, of course, take along my spinning wheel.  And didn't quite fill a bobbin.  But really, I was adventuring!

Speaking of adventuring, we went for a walk on the island and came across this odd lichen.  At first I thought "Can I spin it!!?!?"  I turned to my husband who said " I don't think you can spin it."  Before I even said it out loud.  Turns out you can't, but it makes great fire starter.

After that amazingly relaxing quiet time away from pretty much everything, I was back to Real Life full force for a whole week, and had little to no time to do much of anything before I left again, this time, children in tow, to my Parents place!  It's approximately 8 hours one way, so we stayed until we had to leave, because of the start of the school year.

I pretty much made my Mom buy a loom in June this year, and she still hadn't warped it up (in her defence, she needed to buy somethings, and the LYS there was closed for most of July)  So while I was there,  I helped her out, making the warp, pulling the threads through the loom, and getting started weaving!  It took us the better part of a week, because there were so many other things we needed to do while there.  But we did it!

She has since finished this off, and I bought her a bunch of cotton to keep practicing with.  She says she'll try to make dish cloths with it.  I can't wait to see more of her work!  She really seemed to enjoy it!

And of course, I couldn't pass up collecting bales with my Dad.  I took this shot while out in the field.

We finally made our way home, with just 14 hours to spare before the first day of school for my oldest boy.   And I truly haven't stopped "doing" since we got home.  I've gotten a good start on the actual practical work part of my level 2 homework.  And managed to get a good start on the re-arranging of my crafting studio.  And started the rearranging of the whole basement, so we can frame a room in for the oldest kid.  And did most of the refinishing of a dresser.  And And And!  A lot of things, anyway.  I will, of course, share all the wonderful things I've been up to in these past 2 weeks, but not now.  I will save it for later!

~Kara