Score!

In my recent knitting activity, I have been frustrated when some of my inexpensive, bought-on-Ebay, bamboo-with-plastic-cables circulars have broken their cables in the middle of a row.

I am nothing if not my mother’s daughter.  I continued on.  And then I super-glued and kept on keeping on.  And they kept breaking.  Some of the more used sizes, I fear, have reached the end of their life span.  The needles are okay for what they gave me…a range of sizes in circulars of 32” that got me by for several years…for about $12.00.  For the whole set.  I am not complaining.  They were not meant for the Loops of Magickness.

They also gave me the time to review what I wanted to Really Have.  And what I really wanted to have is the ‘Berninas’ of interchangeable needles…Addi Clicks by Skacel. (A Bernina is a high end sewing machine...like the Electrolux of sewing machines.) (An Electrolux is a high end appliance...like a Volvo...anyway...)

I found some Addis that a fellow Raveler was selling.  Gently used, a good price point, shipping paid…I forked over some leftover Christmas money to further justify the expense.

My Addi Lace Clicks arrived last week.  Eight sizes of tips, and 5 cord lengths. (Wonderful Guy wonders if I will ever need to buy another set of needles again? I hesitated to answer…because really?  The answer is..probably yes.) I have admired them.  I have petted them.  I have connected and disconnected them.  I have showed them off.

 But I have not used them.  I wonder what I am waiting for….

Maybe for all my other circs to go belly up and I REALLY need the new ones?

No Time A-Wastin’

While the fleeces were doing their soaking thing, I kept myself busy working on a project I have been putting together in my head for some time.

On New Year’s Eve 2008, I made a needle holder for my straight needles, and recently ‘finished’ it with some seam binding. I have come to realize how handy this is, and how much I just plain like it. I am often flummoxed in finding the size of circular needle I want, and have been thinking maybe I need to make something similar for my circs.

My circular needle collection is a bit motley. When I cranked back up the knitting, after giving away previous collection of needles (I know!), I bought a couple sets of bamboo needles off Ebay. They are…adequate.

My sock journey using the Loop of Magickness required different circs, however, and I bought some skinny and long corded Knitpicks. Oh. Now those were sweet, when compared to the bamboo! But KP doesn’t make their nickel plated needles past a size 3. They think beyond that, that’s what their interchangeables are for.

Not me. I struggled on with the cheap bamboo, and their uneven joins and thick cords.

Then I figured out while I may not want a set of interchangeables, all I really need is one of each size circ with a long cord. With Magic Loop, I can knit anything of any diameter! So freeing the Loops of Magickness are!Slowly but surely, I have been buying Addis, here, there, on sale, with a discount, on the equipment destash forums on Ravelry. I have almost one pair of Addis (or Knitpicks) of each size.

Well, those fancy-pants Addis sure as heck need a home, now, don’t you know

So…while the fleeces soaked….

I cut and trimmed and patched and sewed and matched and hemmed and bound and stamped.

Yes. Stamped.

Then I crocheted. I used plies of yarn from waaaa-ay back when my first spinning lessons. I took two, unrelated plies and single chained them together for a tie. Chic, eh? Well…certainly functional. And memorable...ever reminding me of how far I have come on the spinning scale...as it were...

It’s not perfect, but better than what was, which was Ziplocs, other plastic containing things, and shopping bags.  And I like it.  We will see how well it works.

Now the dpns and hooks are jonesin’ for their own place, but I don’t know. I am out of scrap quilt, and I really don’t use those implements at all.

What I Did On New Year's Eve...

I got those creative juices flowing!

While putting away a new blanket, I saw an old, old, and very tattered quilt I bought at an auction years ago. Thinking I should move out something old since I was moving in something new, it seemed a likely candidate.

But I have had an idea fermenting in the back of my mind about that there quilt. And I just can't through out a hand stitched quilt...no matter how used...and this one is very well used.

So I looked over the article and found a section a bit 'less' used. I started cutting and sewing and sewing and cutting....the singing Singer (a.k.a. the Rocketeer!) worked wonders.

And this is what I ended up with.

One might ask oneself, 'is she taking that bedroll somewhere to sleepover?'

But it is not a bedroll. It is a my spiffy new needle holder for my single points, both shorties and longs!

Is it not the coolest ever!

Three levels of pockets, the lower just deep enough for 8 inchers, and the 2nd and 3rd just right for longer needles. (I sewed across the 3rd pocket to adjust it's depth.)

I have some vintage reproduction fabric that worked perfectly with the quilt pieces and colors.

This is the back and outside cover. This was the 'best and least used' piece, but still it need mending. So I cut good pieces from the scrappy parts and just zigzagged them over the really ratty pieces. Funny how certain fabrics just didn't last.

This is what it looks like all with my needles all tucked in.

I am so pleased with the results. My single points have a cozy home (now the dpns are all jealous, and jonesin' for their own sweet crib!)