More eBaying of the Stash

I have two big lots on eBay right now.
1. Araucania Nature Wool

2. Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy

Both in more than sufficient quantity to complete a garment.
All items must go. It's getting even more crowded in here now that I have added spinning fiber to the ridiculous stash.

My First 3 Ply

...by Hasbro!
No, really, this is going to be my first batch of 3 ply, and it feels a bit like it felt when I tied my shoes or rode a bike for the first time.
Oh, by the way, I learned how to spin a couple of months ago. Now I have even less space in my studio as bags of roving are added to the enormous yarn stash. But to get back to the point...

I spun the first bobbin on Thursday and Friday last week. I've already used this fiber (multicolored merino top) for 2 skeins of 2-ply spindle spun, which is already earmarked for a hat/mittens project. After doing a bit more reading and getting some wheel practice in, I decided I wanted to spin a heavy worsted-weight 3 ply yarn on the wheel.
I don't think this yarn is going to end up chunky, though. I had to try pretty hard to produce a single as thick as my sample, such as it was. This was the "sample" three-ply I had as my reference:

I have a hunch that making sample cards of my singles and plied yarn is going to be one of those things that I have to learn the hard way is not optional, like when I learned that gauge swatching is mandatory after making the Buckwheat Hat. (The Buckwheat Hat was my first non-scarf project, so called because it could have accommodated a large Afro with room to spare; naturally, I had to frog the entire thing. It is now in my stash, waiting to be knit up post-Kool Aid Dye Experiment).
Anyway, the 3-ply sample was made from three fairly short lengths of singles, all of which were created while I was getting used to spinning the merino on the wheel, and as a result were replete with thick and thin spots. Also, I didn't leave any of the singles unplied, so I had to pick a spot I liked on the plied length of yarn and un-twist it to see how thick the singles were at that spot.
Pretty unscientific.
Well, ignorance is bliss and I forged ahead and spun all three bobbins of singles, after splitting the roving into three piles of approximately 2.1 ounces each so the bobbins would (theoretically) contain the same amount of yarn.

Aren't they pretty? I could honestly leave them like this for a while as a decoration. This is the most spinning I have done so far on the wheel.
Here's a clearer picture, though:

You may be able to tell which bobbins I spun first (most twist), second and third (less twist). I'm still mulling over whether I need to run the last bobbin back through the wheel to tighten it up a bit before I ply it. Not having much experience upon which to draw, I'm not sure how much of an effect this will have on the plied yarn.
Pictures of the finished yarn will be forthcoming.

Sometimes a banana is just a penis cozy

Pattern found on Classic Elite website here.

I like how they included exactly two round fruit in the banana tableau.

Jettisoning a sweater's worth of yarn on ebay...

I've got 19 balls of Lily Chin Manhattan yarn up for grabs on ebay, all matching color/dyelot. Auction is here.

HI-larious

Since my blog is on life-support for the immediate future, I might as well take the chance to direct you to something that is actually entertaining:
Stuff White People Like
Yes, we're hypocrital and lame, and it never stops being funny. Except when we declare wars and conduct genocide and stuff.

Again, I apologize for being out of the loop.

I've kept having the technological impediments to blogging, although hopefully the time is approaching when I will finally be able to do something about that, but at least it hasn't stopped me from knitting. In fact, I have enjoyed increased output over the last several weeks, and I just realized that I need to update my tickers!
I haven't been quite as diligent about photographing all of my FOs, but I will have to work on that as well. I finally blocked my Swallowtail Shawl of Sea Silk for my grandmother and got it to her for Christmas, but I didn't get a decent pic before I mailed the package. That kind of stuff.
Oooh - and I actually finished two pairs of socks this month! That's a first.
My yarn inventory is off again, too, so that needs updating as well. I am going to have to reset the kitty, though, and start over. Just like a diet, although hopefully the Stashbust can be more successful this year than diets have been.

MIA

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. My computer has all the functionality of a warm dog turd, so posting to the blog is quite an ordeal.
When it was still under warranty, it developed this issue with the power supply. When you plug the AC adapter into the back, it only senses it when the cord is resting in certain positions. As a result, the screen flickers like a candle flame as it constantly switches between AC and battery power. Not only does this make me want to throw the computer out of a window on the top floor of a tall building, it also means that the computer only picks up on about 1 out of 3 keystrokes.
Never buy a Dell. The three-year service contract sounds really good, but when the service people play dumb (or blind, as my particular case demands) whenever you take the computer in to them, the warranty doesn't really mean anything. I took the damn computer in several times, and each time the service people claimed they "didn't see anything wrong with the display" or suggested that the problem might be with the power cord-- which was not under warranty, of course. So, I would go back home, plug in the new power adapter, and the screen would start flickering like crazy.
The only way I can use it even occasionally is to fiddle around with the plug in the back, find a sweet spot where the computer detects the AC power, then hold it absolutely still with my left hand while I peck on the keyboard with my right.
This does not exactly entice me to spend some quality time on Blogger.
So, I've been knitting and everything, I am on my third sample, and I am knitting some socks to relieve the tedium of the nonstop stockinette I am doing on the sample. I turned the heel at lunch today, which was nice because I forgot to bring my lunch -- I had lots of time.
I do miss coming on here, though. As soon as I get my tax refund, I'm getting a new computer, and as soon as I get a new computer, I'm updating everything, including the stashbust challenge and getting a photo gallery going of my FOs.
I won't even get started on how little use I've gotten out of my Ravelry invite.