I’m home from Japan and when I have the time, I have many things to share from the incredible trip! Meanwhile, it’s crunch time for me in getting the Paper Tiger Fall/Winter 2013 collection patterns finished and prepped for publication, and the samples ready for a photoshoot! It’s all very exciting but it’s also a lot of work. And so, for now, just a quick update on a few things:

My bike sweater, Faire du Vélo, is currently hibernating at about this point. I won’t have time to work on it more until after the F/W collection is released, but I thought I’d share the progress. I think you can get a sense of what the final sweater is going to feel now. I’ve just got to finish the raglan decreases, knit the collar, and sew a zipper in the front. I’m so pleased with the overall feeling of it, and I’m very happy with how the stripe sequence turned out. It’s sporty and bold in exactly the way I wanted it to be but also very wearable. I’ll be sure to post when it’s finished! I can’t wait to wear it when I’m biking.

Next, may I present The Chunkiest Handspun:

I’ve learned to use a drop spindle and I spun my very first yarn! It’s a 2-ply, and really ridiculously chunky with a thick-and-thin thing going on, but I wanted to ply my singles to practice. The two fibers I used were both from the Louet kit that Craftsy sells, a Jacob Grey Wool Top and a Medium Coopworth from New Zealand. There was literally just enough yarn for me to crank two little squares out of, which I will be seaming to turn into the Chunkiest Wristlets ever. I’d rather make use of my first yarn than never use it at all! It’s been very instructive. I’ll share photos of the fingerless gloves after I’ve seamed them!