Look what I can do...

Look what I spun. Look at that! It's like 23 WPI.

I finally picked up the sample roving I got from the Yarn Source, the one that I dyed. I re-read this post from the Yarn Harlot's Blog (about pre-drafting etc) and just started spinning.

Okay, so it's a single and I do plan on plying, but I was so proud of myself.

Thanks also to Maggie of Click Clack. She is a new drop spindle spinner too and gave me some good advice. Oh, and look what she's done with her hand spun...Gor-geous.

This spinning stuff, so addictive. Can't wait to actually use my wheel. Hubby took it back to the welders today, to get a part welded so the pedal won't fall off--then maybe he can finish it!!

Look what else I can do:

(just ignore the spots on the mirror)

I CAN finish this sweater.
Considering Friday night when I picked it up I had just attached the sleeves that's pretty good. I did the whole raglan decrease section (again), made the hem and sewed it down.

Now, my neck hem is wonky:

so I'm going to steam block it in a minute. I didn't do the hem the way it was written. You are supposed to leave the live stitches on the needle, run a scrap piece of yarn through the purl bumps about 6 stitches down on the wrong side, and then sew each individual stitch together.

I just found the purl bumps, marked them and knit the hem closed like I did for the bottom hem.

Maybe my way will work, maybe not. But what I am learning about knitting is that if I don't' like it, I can always rip it back and try again.

I love this sweater. It's a little scratchy (my fear of wool) so I will wear a T-shirt under it, but I love it. The sleeves are just the right length and I love the design. (I do think she was maybe a little tired when she wrote the pattern, because a lot of it just doesn't make sense..if you make this sweater--read the errata and you may still have to figure some stuff out yourself...but).
Pattern=beautiful.

and now back to more sweater knitting--progress shots on that later....