I HAVE been busy, just not with posts. The yarns above are part of my current learning exchange (HGA), Alpaca. The yarn on the right is a three-ply, woolen spun. When I was spinning the singles, I thought it was going to be too fuzzy, but the final yarn is quite soft and the fuzz is not overwhelming. The yarn on the left is a four-strand cabled yarn, worsted spun. It has a harsher feel to it but I want to knit up samples to see what they feel like in an actual swatch.
This is the up-close pic of the two different yarns, but I had a hard time with the focus. I wanted to show the difference between the cabled yarn and the 3-ply. I bought the alpaca as a box of sample blends, back in 2001 when I first started spinning, from http://www.angelfire.com/va2/fibers/us.html, Stony Mountain Fibers in Virginia. (As you see, I continue to be technically challenged!) I still have the rust top to use for the actual samples for the exchange. 
The China Flower sweater is done! with the exception of buttons and blocking. In this pic I have yet to sew the hems etc but I completed all of that work yesterday. Yippee! And just in time, as Elizabeth is just the right size for it. I started this two years ago, and am now on a fairisle jag, so I might be able to make substantial progress on the Grant Ave vest before I get the urge to pick up big needles.
All this leads up to the idea that November is going to be a month of finishing things. There has been so much talk on Knitting Daily about unfinished projects that I actually have the urge to pull a few of them out. Next up will be the Grant Avenue vest! 
This is Belle's fleece, along with some mohair top, ready to be carded. The spools are the spun singles. I am spinning this with a worsted draw, planning a three ply yarn for mittens. With the addition of the mohair, I should have about 8 oz of yarn, plenty for mittens. I am concerned the yarn will dirty fairly quickly and become a dismal white with use, but I am also considering dying small samples and doing a fairisle design. I plan to finish the carding on Friday, as I have to go to the Textile Center to use the carder.
These last two pictures are what I plan to use for a wrap/scarf as my spinning group's exchange project. The top pics are the weft yarns, the balls are the yarns I drew in the exchange. The green is a mohair/merino/silk roving I bought from Huacaya Moon in 2006, at Shepherd's Harvest. I spun some light sport weight, 2-ply. The white is shetland, again a 2-ply light sport weight yarn. This is part of the original shetland I bought, planning to do a shetland sweater in natural colors. The yarn is not my best spinning, it is under-plied and not very consistent, but it should be fine for weft.
The second pic is the warp yarns. Two mill-spun shetlands and some of the Huacaya Moon roving spun as a two-ply fingering weight yarn. The pattern will be based on Sharon Alderman's Grand Canyon Throw that was in a recent issue of Handwoven. She used a simple twill weave. I am determined not to overthink this, and just let it happen. Otherwise, I will never finish it. It must be completed by our December meeting!
But, before I can put the shawl on the loom, I have to finish this:
It is the second of three towels from my waffle weave towel kit from Halcyon Yarns. This was purchased quite some time ago. The weaving goes quite quickly so I should be able to finish the weaving this weekend (GULP!). If only I wasn't on call on Saturday! I may take my warping board to work with me so I can make the warp for the shawl. There is usually some down-time on Saturdays. EEK, that would be a first, making a warp while on call.
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