(mis)adventures of spindlerose

Too sunburned to blog

Yesterday, we treated A and D (and ourselves) to a private surfing lesson. We all stood up on our boards and had fun. There is photographic evidence I will share in a few days. I did not use enough sunscreen on the backs of my legs and sitting is a little challenging.

When not surfing, we have spent a lot of time relaxing at the pool, walking along the beach, and shopping for art in Lahaina. There have been very few photo-worthy activities.

Today, I'm planning to stay out of the sun (and off of the backs of my legs) shopping for gifties and souvenirs for family, friends, and swap buddies.

A wedding and a dangerous beach

Yesterday our dear friends got married on the beach. I met A about 10 years ago on KnitU. About 7 years ago, she started dating our friend D. She knit a stunning shawl to wear for her wedding. Tomorrow we are going to check out the local yarn shop--which also sells ukuleles and guitars.

This morning we hiked along the Napali coast. We did not go all the way to the waterfall, "just" the 2 strenuous miles to the beach and back. The views from the trail are breathtaking--there are many photos over at Flickr.

Right now, D is sitting on the sofa in our condo with ice on his knees. I'm feeling pretty good despite all that exercise. I did a bit of yoga and some knitting during our break on the beach. The stretches helped me not get stiff. But now I'm ready for a nap.

A beach picture for Claudia

Solstice Slip at Tunnels Beach, originally uploaded by SpindleRose.

Yesterday, I went to the beach. D stayed at the resort and worked on a court filling due on Monday. I played in the surf, took some pictures, and knit a few rows on Solstice Slip. I gave up on the knitting when the rain showers became more frequent than the sunny spells. There are lots more beach pictures over at Flickr in the Kauai 2007 Set.

Summer of Socks wrap-up

I pretty much only knit socks this summer. I did not, however manage to meet all of my Summer of Socks goals. This is mostly because my image of how much knitting time I have and the reality of how much knitting time I have just do not match.

My total tally for SOS2007: 3 finished pairs, all of them started before SOS officially started (the Summer Monkeys missed by only a few hours, though), and added 3 new odd socks in the odd sock basket.

l to r: Travel disaster Hedgerow Socks, Solstice Slip, Sockotta basic sock knit last fall, and blue cotton Widdershins that started SOS2007 too long, but now fits perfectly.

Let's review my SOS goals:

1. Knit more sock yarn than I buy Umm, not so much. Enough said. I would post photographic evidence, but the jump drive with my photo archive is at home, and I'm here.
2. Finish a pair of two of socks from 2007 sock club yarn Again, not so much. I've knit 1-3/4 Rockin Sock Club Solstice Slip. I will finish sock two soon, but not before midnight tonight. Here is what sock 2 looked like as we departed Washington, DC, for this year's tropical vacation. During 10 hours of flights yesterday, I turned the heel and knit about 1/3 of the leg. And read two novellas from a fun trashy romance collection.
3. Knit mates to odd socks Again, not so much. I added three mateless socks to the collection, and only finished one pair that had started SOS2007 as a complete mateless sock. The travel disaster last month did contribute to the addition of two mateless socks to my collection.

Secret Stash Swap

Better late than never, here is my Secret Stash Swap questionnaire. I missed the part of the instructions that included the questions in the chaos that was August around here.

1. When is you birthday? May 10
2. How long have you been spinning? 7 or 8 years
3. How long have you been blending your fibers? Not long at all. I'm using this swap as an excuse to get me off my duff to start playing around with the tools I have and to be creative with my stash.
4. What types of blends do you like to make and spin? I have no idea what kinds of blends I like to make, but I'm looking forward to finding out. I enjoy spinning just about everything in small quantities. I love spinning my own sock yarn and then knitting it.
5. What types of fibers do you NOT like? Are you allergic to any kinds of fiber? I'm not a fan of really short fibers. I have no allergies.
6. What are your favorite colors? Green, red, and pink. But never all together. I also love natural sheepy colors.
7. What are you least favorite colors? Orange, yellow, and any muddy blends.
8. What type of yarns do you like to spin? (singles, plied, novelty, fingering, bulky, etc.) I usually 2 or 3 ply, from tiny up to aran weight. This fall I'm challenging myself to spin fatter lofty yarns.
9. What type of blending equipment do you use? I have used a drum carder and hand cards. I own combs, but I have not yet been brave enough to try them out. I plan to comb one blend for the swap.
10. What type of wheel or spindle do you spin on? Wheels: single treadle Schact Matchless and Ashford Joy. Spindles: whatever top whorl feels right for the fiber at hand.
11. What do you do with your handspun yarn? Usually, I admire it and pet it. Sometimes I knit with it.
12. What are your interests outside of spinning? Knitting, cooking, watching sports (while knitting or spinning) with my DH, and traveling.
13. What types of music do you like? Just about everything. Lately, I'm listening to a lot of show tunes, folk, and classical.
14. What types of movies do you like? Classics, musicals, and romantic comedies. Nothing scary.
15. Do you collect anything? Yarn and fiber. ;-) And Disney character tea pots.
16. What types of candy and snacks do you like and dislike? I like just about everything. I prefer my chocolate dark--the darker the better. I think that Scharfenberger 99% is tasty stuff.
17. Do you have any food allergies to common "goodies"? (ie: chocolate, nuts, etc.) Peppermint. Wintergreen and spearmint are OK, though.

If I manage to get home during daylight tomorrow, I will have an actual finished pair of socks to show off. And two more odd socks added to my collection.