It's been a productive week! Most of my Christmas knitting is finished or well on its way and I've been doing plenty for myself/ the house as well. First up, some cotton. This is a basic washcloth pattern that I think is absolutely precious.

 My goal is to have a set of 4 for the bathroom.
Next is a dish towel for the kitchen, extended from another dishcloth.

It definitely needs a mate, and maybe a row of single crochet on the edges to make it look more finished.

I found both of these patterns easy to work and customizable, but definitely a bit boring because of the repetition. Cotton makes my hands really tired and after working them back to back I was ready to take a long break. For spinning!

I finally finished a massive cop of wool/ mohair that I dyed and carded a few weeks ago. That's 58g of fiber on a 10g spindle. What a voluptuous gal! I found myself wanting to keep going, partly because I wanted to see how much I could get on there and partly because I didn't want to end the magic of being able to go and go with all the weight of the singles. I finally stopped and wound off today and began the arduous process of plying, which I don't know if I'll ever get the hang of doing on a supported spindle. :/
Also in handspun news, a hat!

I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished yarn before knitting it but I suppose that doesn't matter too much. This is my daily darling now. 100% wool mill ends that I dyed and carded then spun into a self striping single between sport and DK and knitted from the top down into a reversible, light, slouchy conversation starter.
The next hat project is to be something from a popular cartoon.

If you've ever seen Adventure Time then you know about Finn the Human's hat. I found a pattern online for it, but the ears didn't sit straight up like the animation, rather they stuck out at angles like a teddy bear. Cute, but not what I was looking for. So I took it on this evening and with some experience drawing in perspective, simple math and short rows I was able to get something a little more iconic. I haven't decided if it will be a full hood or just have a chin strap.

That's all I'll share for now. After Christmas I'll share a very unique stocking and some other FOs. Until then I suppose I'll stick to everything that won't spoil a surprise. See you next week!

Introductions.

Hi! My name is Betsy and I'm a fiber fanatic.

My husband and I live on the beautiful island of Guam, which is situated smack in the middle of the Pacific ocean. Our closest familiar neighbor is the Philippines, but we're also close to lots of other beautiful islands in Oceania. We also have LOTS of fresh coconuts and beautiful beaches.

We also have Nemos...

This is my bestie's hand holding a piece of coral shaped like a pistol. That beach in the background? Maybe 10 minutes away from my house by bike. I love it here!

We also have a kitty friend who loves us. We think.

I could fill pages and another hard drive with my beach and snorkeling pictures, but I'm here to talk about yarn. Of all things, why would I want to knit on a tropical island? The answer is, of course, that I just absolutely love it. Furthermore, there's still a place for knits and needlecrafts in hot weather. Cotton, silks, synthetics and other blends are great for garments. Wool socks are great even where it's hot for superior sweat control and in shoe comfort, especially on long hikes down to gorgeous secluded coves. Accessories are always fun to knit and can be made out of whatever's handy, and while gift knitting isn't for everyone, I enjoy it occasionally and it gives me the opportunity to make hats and sweaters for my family members that still have to deal with weather below 75F.

Here are a few things that I made either shortly before or since I've arrived here.
A grocery/ tote bag-

 Hiking socks-

A shmexy tank top-

 A cute toy thing for my couch-

 Trivets for a kitchen set that I'm slooooowly adding to-

 Baby overalls for a friend-

 A vest-

 And the list goes on! I use all of these items on a regular basis with the added pleasure of knowing that I made them myself.

Lately I've added another skillset to my collection, spinning and dyeing wool and other fibers. Admittedly this is not so practical for my island life, but I do wear thin wool hats on occasion and frankly I'm not so concerned with having a purpose for every bit of yarn I spin. It's a relaxing hobby and I truly enjoy it.

Other endeavors lately have included spindle making, shopping for a spinning wheel, small weaving projects and sock design, all of which I intend to discuss in the future. I'll see you soon!