Restless (amended for your vote)

I want to knit. I want to spin. I want to ride. I need to clean the henhouse. I need to exercise.

Knitting is on hold right now. I am waiting for my friend Pam to try on the body of the Sonnet before I start on the sleeves. After the 3 1/2 pound sagfest that is my sari silk Sonnet, I modified the pattern so this one wouldn't fall off the shoulders. The chenille is vastly lighter than the sari silk, but still I thought making the neck opening narrower and shallower would help. It did; I've tried the chenille body on and the fit across the shoulders is great. The body, however, is not big enough, at least for me. I will let Pam decide if it's workable for her; she doesn't button cardigans so it may be. If it isn't, I don't want to waste any time or yarn on the sleeves!

I want to cast on for this. I've done the swatch and have the yarn, but thought it would be cool to have the cables in a different color. A question put to the Yahoo Traditional Knitting list confirms that can be done; I just haven't decided on the main color. What do you think; white, or dark red/burgundy with grey (leftover from Brian's birthday cardi) cables? (I think the "claret" is a little brighter in person; I'm leaning towards it since I've been told I look good in that color. :-)
But the real reason I haven't cast on for a new project is that I haven't finished lining the mini-Himalayan totes for Pam's daughters. Seeing as how they are Christmas presents (for 2008, not 2009), they are on the front burner. I finished the tiny one last night; the other two are started. If I finish them today, I may just drive over to Pam's to deliver them and have her try on the Sonnet.

Spinning stalled out for a bit, but I'm rarin' to go at it again when I have some uninterrupted time. With the new year, I started a new fiber, the black huacaya alpaca roving I bought from the local farm. I was expecting to love it, but found myself disappointed and mystified by it. It was short and "pilly," and I was not enjoying the process or the product. When I threw out a question to the Yahoo Spinning list (what would I do without "my" lists?), someone suggested calling the alpaca farm to see if they would let me return the roving for a refund. I sent the owner an email and got a prompt, gracious response. She checked the roving (which was inventory that came with the place when they bought the farm from the previous owners, who also had alpacas) and found it to be tender; no wonder I couldn't spin decently with it! I returned it yesterday (she's going to give it to a felter); she refunded my money AND gave me a generous sample of some white roving to try. I want to spin it up fast, because more fiber is coming! I know; I need my head examined. I have two big boxes of roving from my own sheep, as well as other prepared fiber that I've purchased here and there, AND two lamb fleeces waiting to be skirted and washed - and I bought MORE fiber??? It's an illness, apparently. I saw this gorgeous dyed Shetland and silk noil stuff advertised on Laura's blog and Just. Had. To. Have. Some. Here's a better photo she sent me:
On top of that, another blogpal suggested a fiber swap. She wanted to try some of my Shetland roving, and offered in exchange some Jacob roving, Cotswold roving and curls, and BL/CVM/Rambouillet roving. How could I resist trying some new varieties? (She's also including one of her Christmas cards since I begged to be put on her Christmas list - I just love her style!)

Unfortunately, fiber/yarn play only exercises my saddlebags, and maybe my fingers. Schooling Russell would work my abs and thighs, but its been too rainy to get in regular rides. Shoveling out the henhouse is a necessary one-time workout, rain or no rain. (Rick forgot to put flashing on the back wall, so the inside floor is as wet as the outdoor pen!) What I need to make time for is regular aerobic exercise, and the treadmill on loan to us from one of Rick's clients is probably the only realistic method available to me, given weather and child-care restraints. (Rick's sister's family uses one in the winter; they call it going for a "hamster run.") Now I just need to get disciplined enough to use the noisy thing.

That's it for now at . . .