Lots of work, but no progress

I've got no knitting progress to share. There are two reasons for this; firstly I have lots of work obligations right now. But on top of that, all my free time has been going towards finishing the spinning wheel. I bought a cheap vinyl shower curtain liner and spread it out in my living room. The staining has kinda taken over. There are 20+ pieces which have now received their second coat of stain (American Cherry - it looks yummy!). The flyer and bobbins are made of a more porous wood so they stained deeper. I doubt they'll get any more attention. I expect I'll be adding a final coat tonight. The description of the stain I chose said it stains AND seals, but I don't feel like it is sealing. I can rub and rub and stain keeps coming off. I don't want all of my yarns to be American Cherry! Therefore, I'll be making another trip to the hardware store for a polyurethane topcoat.



Despite the fact that my home feels rather un-homey in its state of staining splendor I'm really enjoying this process. I've certainly learned a few things about staining such uneven surfaces, though. If anyone out there decides to stain a spinning wheel (or banisters of any sort) let me know and I can give you a few pointers!

Since I am obsessed with socks I am about to cast on for 2 different patterns (Jaywalkers in Koigu KPPM, and Leyburn Socks in Miss Babs' Handpained Sock and Baby). I also decided to place an order at the Loopy Ewe after hearing Lime and Violet rave about it so much. I wanted to try a yarn I've never seen in person, but have still heard positive reviews about. I decided to sample Fleece Artist's basic merino sock yarn in Pixie. I think it's going to be Lombard Street socks since it's a nice simple semi-solid. I think it will compliment the cables and lace well. After I placed the order I continued to poke around on the Loopy Ewe site (potentially dangerous, I know) and found that the owner sends little surprises in your packages! Now I'm really excited - what on earth will it be? Perhaps a darning needle or stitch markers or some other knitting notion that gets eaten by couch cushions (which is why we always need more of them!).