Spinning progress

I finished spinning my 3.8 ounces of Falkland in the colorway Renaissance. I ended up with three skeins that look very different (the colors in the fiber bump changed pretty significantly from one end of the braid to the other, but as I'm knitting the skeins up the color transitions are working very nicely).

That is my mini, sparkly Christmas tree in the background. I haven't figured out how I want to decorate it this year, but I'm hoping you might have some suggestions for ornaments I could make out of paper or yarn that might be cute. Let me know in the comments if you have any ideas!

These photos are of the project I'm working on using the yarn - a simple stockinette shawl with purl ridges.  This is the first real thing that I've knit with any of my handspun, and I am just loving it. The yarn is really squishy, the color changes are fun to watch, and I keep smiling when I remember that I made the whole thing (well, except for the sheep part...).

Here is what's currently on my spindle: 4 oz. of Australian Wool (I am guessing it's Merino, given the feel) in the colorway Grass, purchased at Fibre Space on my trip to DC.  I'm thinking of changing its name to Kiwi.

One of the things that really strikes me as I'm spinning this up is just how much we knitters can attach emotions and memories to our yarn and our projects.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  Every time I pull this out of the yarn closet to work on it, I'm struck by what I was doing the day I purchased it with my now-ex, what meal we ate right after buying it, what we talked about.  While it's sad to think that three weeks later our relationship is so different, it's also heartening to think about all the new memories I'll soon associate with this green fiber and yarn. I'll probably take this along to my knitting group tonight, where we'll share coffee and laughs, and next time I pull it out of the closet, I'll remember those things, too. And when I finally gift this yarn away or knit a gift with it, it will gather even more good memories that can be shared with someone else.  I think that's the real joy of crafting, creating something that is both so temporary and so lasting just using our hands.