Gotta Make This Quick

About to head into a seriously psychotic weekend.  After a full day's work, hubby, eldest and I will jump in the car tonight and drive 11+ hours to Montreal.  (Lucky youngest is staying with a friend)  We are going to see McGill University and we have to drive straight through because the only tour time that was available was 10:30 tomorrow morning.  It is lucky that she was already accepted, because we won't be making much of an impression after driving all night and not showering.  We can't check into our hotel until 3pm, so I guess we'll wander about glassy-eyed until then.

We are really hoping eldest likes McGill.  It is way closer and WAY cheaper than USC, which is her other top choice.  We have heard very good things about the school and the city, but it is impossible to predict what she'll think.  My one consolation is that May 1st is fast approaching, so a final decision is just around the corner.  It will be so nice to know for sure!

Will hopefully get some knitting done while I'm away.  Salto has been started but progress is pathetic.

 

I did get Southwest Ocean Toes #1 finished AND it fits!  Such a fun sock to knit that there will be no possibility of second sock syndrome.

 

I didn't knit at all last night because I had a new spinning tool to play with.

 

This is called the Handy Andy Plyer, and it is meant to make Andean plying easier and more convenient.

Typically to make a two-ply, you spin two bobbins of single and then ply them together onto a third bobbin.  Unless you are really lucky, one single is always longer, so you have some wasted single at the end.  I wind all those leavings onto a spare bobbin and use them to practice Navajo plying, resulting in some shockingly ugly yarn.

Andean plying is when you 2-ply a single by putting the start and the end of the single together so there is no leftover.  There is a magic way to wrap the yarn around your hand so that the two ends will feed off smoothly and not tangle up while you ply.  The problem with this is that you can't really stop in the middle of winding or plying, so any interruption can be a problem.  I have also read that the winding can get uncomfortably tight around the middle finger and cut off circulation.  Ouch.

My Handy Andy substitutes for a hand and it has a base it sits in so that you can ply off it and have both hands free.  I tried it last night and it's pretty dang slick.

 

Big ol' bobbin of single.  ("Fall" colorway, superwash merino from The Ranches Angora)

 

Two ply! (Sorry, the light was not great)  No time to wind off the wheel this morning, so it will just have to sit there and await my return.

I did remember to pack my camera and battery charger, so I hope to have some Montreal pictures to show you next week.  Everybody take care and have a good weekend!

Comments

[Kate]

Huh! My mind-powers must be improving - I was just wondering yesterday whether there had been any decisions made on the college front. Drive safe and try not to be too zombified. I'll use my powers for good and think lots of McGill thoughts for you.

[Asa Zanatta, HealthPricer]

Hope you had a great weekend. My husband did his MBA at McGill and loved the whole experience, the University, the city and the friends he made.