Lots of Yarn

Three years ago today....

2010-01-28T22:35:00.006-05:00

It's almost bedtime and I just realized that three years ago today I started this blog. I was taking care of my Mom for six weeks after double knee replacement, staying at her house up in Maryland, it was freezing cold and snowy outside, and I was bored. I was knitting a lot at the time, working at a LYS, and stashing lots of yarn.

Now, I'm taking care of her again. She'll probably be staying at my house soon, for a while before going to the Hospice House. I'm not stashing much yarn these days, mostly spinning fiber that needs to be spun up, and antique spinning wheels. While I cannot do much to change how things are, I did knit her some warm socks of cheerful Koigu.

Ampersand Socks, but toe-up

And I am just into the lace section of a very fuzzy kid mo Ishbel as a sort of a prayer shawl.

Sometimes some fiber therapy helps.

Her name is Eleanor

2009-12-06T18:15:00.006-05:00

As I slip down the antique spinning wheels rabbit hole, I thought I’d introduce you to Eleanor. (All pics are clickable for larger.)

With help from the spinning wheel inspector

There’s a whole set on Flickr. I’m open to any and all suggestions, help, comments and info. I’m working my way through the cleaning and refinishing threads on the Antique Spinning Wheels group on Ravelry, have books on the way, but would love to know where else to start to figure out what the old girl’s history is.

How old is she? Are the pointy feet a clue?

Where’s she from? I think she looks a lot like some of the PA wheels in the Pennington book, but she came to me from near the VT/Quebec border.

What the heck kinds of wood are those? (I see oak on a few little pieces and the treadle, and am guessing maple on the rest, but the knot has me stumped on the table.)

There are some odd inconsistencies, and I know some work has been done in the past. There are pegs that look like twigs, yet metal inserts on the bobbin. There are some goopy repairs to the edge of the drive wheel in a few spots, and the footman may be newer.

Cleaning has started, and the first layer of plain old dirt came off with Murphys Oil Soap. A few pieces got the denatured alcohol treatment, and the before and after are pretty amazing. I mean, the wheel is made of wood, not brown crud! The whole wheel is going to need the alcohol, but it’s just too cold to do much heavy work outside at the moment.

It will be an interesting process, cleaning, oiling, and tightening up some wobbles. The drive wheel spins well, the mother-of-all adjusts easily, and I’m working out an issue with the flyer binding on one of the leathers which was really dried out. But, she spins!

Excuses, Excuses

2009-12-06T17:57:00.004-05:00

Herbivore

I've been gone for a while. Got busy, lost my blog momentum, then when things were settling down, Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage 4 non-small cell. There were five rounds of chemo (that's a lot when you are 82yo,) and followup with a drug so expensive we've had to get grants to pay for it. She's doing pretty well at the moment, all things considered. She goes to the gym more than I do, lives independently (thank heavens we moved her to Cville last year before all this happened,) and has gotten involved in local activities. But me, I haven't strung too many coherent thoughts together in the past nine months. So blogging, not so much. I'm on Ravelry as lotsofyarn, and you can keep up with me there while I'm in the blog doldrums, and I'll turn up here occasionally.

Now that the 'splaining is out of the way, I do have one new post coming up about a new project, but it's not knitting!

Mt Rushmore

2008-12-16T13:49:00.004-05:00

Is approximately the size of my blogging block! I'm still here, knitting little projects, spinning some and I had a blast at SOAR, learning more about weaving and looking forward to a return to the Campbell Folk School in January. But blogging, not so much. There are lots of things to tell you, when I get home.

We're out of the country right now, on the tiny island of Nevis in the eastern Caribbean. And though I am not getting any knitting done, I do have fiber content.

Barbados Blackbelly Hair Sheep

WIP Wednesday – Progress

2008-10-22T13:34:00.002-04:00

If you ever wonder why the Hubs is so supportive of my fiber adventures, it’s because I help him do this.

A slideshow with captions is HERE. Yes, ham radio towers are bigger than any loom I could ever dream of wanting. Plus, I spend hours standing around in mosquito infested marshy fields, manage hundreds of feet of rope, hoist many tower sections, actually read the instructions, help build antennas, solder circuit boards, and cheer him on in the contests. I'm happy to help him achieve some of the goals he's had for this hobby, literally since he was a little boy. And he has been delighted to cheer me on as I've careened down the slippery slope of fiber arts from knitting to spinning to weaving.

Meanwhile, I’m making good progress on the Fiddlehead Mittens for mitten swap. I’m coming in the home stretch on outer mitt #2. These mittens get a plain liner mitten picked up and knit after the outer mitts are done and blocked.

I’ve got a shocking pink wool/mohair yarn from local folks Kid Hollow Farm to use for the liners, That should provide a bit of bright cheer for dreary winter days!

Oh, you thought I was kidding about the SHOCKING part didn’t you?

Other than the mittens, knitting has sort of stalled around here. I need to finish up the hem of the comfy sweater and get some sleeves started. But, I keep looking at cowls I see on the blogs, and thinking about the handspun stash, and printing out cowl patterns, and thinking about handspun. Maybe I should cast on for a neckwarmer. With this.

MMmmmohair and BFL

More on spinning and weaving soon!

SOAR 2008

2008-10-17T16:28:00.003-04:00

Where to begin describing SOAR? I walked into the hotel and saw a bunch of spinners and knitters lounging in the lobby. That’s a start. To say I’ve never seen anything like it is an understatement. And, it got much better than that. When I spent a week at the Folk School, we had twelve spinners in our class, all very focused on what we were doing. But at mealtimes there were blacksmiths, and woodturners, and cabinetmakers, and quilters, and musicians, and well, you get the idea. Now picture 250 spinners sitting down to dinner, and carrying spinning wheels here and there, and drop spindling during meetings, and knitting at odd moments, and learning and teaching and cheering each other on.

All my photos are blurry, low light and too much caffeine I guess

Spinning goddesses mingling with mere mortals. Rockstar knitbloggers. Spinning and whirling Peruvians.

Aquilina

Making new friends. Staying up too late spinning with the cool kids. Swill. Chance conversations containing gems of information.

Peruvian Drop Spindling - Abby and Aquilina

Lightbulb moments. Total spinning amnesia. The Market.

Loot

Wheels so fast they humble you (Click and watch the video of Abby on her new wheel, 60:1, it gives you something to aim for). Polwarth and Silk Top. Autumn in the mountains.

Delaware Water Gap at Sunrise

These are a few of my favorite things.

I “got” long-draw, was able to spin on the very fast flyer,

Spinning for a Purpose

bottom whorl spindled,

Made possible by the Mary K. Larson Drop Spindle Fund

learned that nupp rhymes with soup, figured out how to spin for a sweater with all that Romney fiber I have,

Three ply knits up nicer than two ply

made countless teeny sample skeins,

If I knit them all together, they might make a great sampler scarf

Goats, and Silk, and Bison, Oh My!

watched silk being reeled from cocoons, finished my chunky handspun scarf,

Mmmmmmerino

had fun spinning Wrap and Roll,

Easier than it looks

and gained a new appreciation for the many features of the little Pipy wheel.

170 yards, worsted-aran weight, chain-plyed BFL with angelina

I can’t wait to go back next year!

“It Depends”

2008-10-08T23:56:00.002-04:00

Greetings from SOAR!

We’ve finished the workshop half of the week. I wisely decided to take Thursday off instead of go on the ALL DAY field trip and will test drive some wheels at the Market, you know, just for future reference. I’ve learned a few things about spinning with my little Pipy that have slowed down my wish for a big wheel a lot. But, while I’ve got a chance to see them in person, and spin on a few, I might as well.

Our class was really useful. Spinning for a Purpose, with Abby Franquemont, who knows an amazing amount about fiber, and has led an interesting life. And whose answer to many of our spinning questions was the above post title. That or, “Have you tried it?” We don’t have a lot of product to show off, but all gained tips and techniques and new ways of thinking about our spinning and project planning.

Photos tomorrow, some itty bitty skeins, and an FO!

WIP, uh Thursday

2008-10-02T19:36:00.004-04:00

Haven’t done a WIP Wednesday in a while, but the day got away from me yesterday. I’m getting down to all the last minute things that have to be done before going to SOAR. Little things like payroll, bills, cat food, laundry.

There are promises of wi-fi at the hotel, but time and brain overload may not allow much in the way of blog posts until I get back. So, I’ll leave you with a few simple projects that are in active rotation, for inspiration:

Endless Top-Down Raglan Sweater
I love this yarn, Classic Elite Classic Silk. It’s got a soft cottony-silky hand and some texture. It’s just a little tiring on my hands, so progress is slow, but I’m gonna love this sweater when I ever get it done. This is the generic top-down raglan pattern and with a scoop neck. Starting over, I would cast on fewer stitches at the back and front as the body ended up a bit oversized by the time the armholes were long enough. But my goal was a casual like-a-sweatshirt sweater, so it’ll do. And, I did add some decreases at each side at the waist to bring the hem in a bit.

In order to really check on the fit, I’ve already picked up and knit the neck’s seed stitch border, and will finish the hem and cuffs with the same seed stitch. I’m considering adding a small simple lace motif around the cuffs, but we’ll see when I get there.

Just a few more rows!

I realized taking this photo that it’s just the color of my favorite crape myrtles!

Goal: This has been great mindless TV knitting, and I’ll probably turn to this for evening knitting at SOAR. So, the goal is to finish the hem, figure out my decreases for the sleeves, and get one started.

Swap Mittens
I balanced my desire to knit some really complex Latvian mittens with the reality of a deadline for the mitten swap. Then too, I kept looking at the pattern for the Fiddlehead Mittens from Hello Yarn and just really wanted to knit them. I’ve kept the scheme to two colors rather than six but may have a surprise planned for the lining. I don’t want to give away too many details, but I don’t think showing a photo will spoil the surprise for my pal.

Yes, they are that bright!

I did add a longer cuff, using one of the motifs from the mitt.

Goal: Knit a bit on Mitten #1 at SOAR.

Green Twill Scarf
I’m using some Ultra Alpaca Light and M&W point twill threading and treadling on 4 shafts for a nice soft scarf. The draft is from Dixon’s Handweaver's Pattern Directory, page 88-89. I’m getting some xmas gifts started early for a change this year!

Have I told you lately how much I love Ultra Alpaca?

Goal: Weave a few more repeats before I leave on Sunday. Weaving is NOT portable.

Blue BLF with a Twinkle
Last but not least, this is spun from some lovely carded batts from Keri (her Etsy shop is empty at the moment but she has wonderful little project bags too). There’s just a touch of Angelina carded in for the subtlest sparkle in the spun singles. I’m spinning a bit thicker grist than usual (for me) and will chain-ply for an aran weight yarn to knit a Tudora neck warmer. The BFL is really soft, and I’m letting little inconsistencies into the singles so I’ll end up with a slightly tweedy (in texture not in color) finished yarn.

Please ignore my uneven singles and just click for big to see the little sparklies

Goal: I’m going to see if I can spin the second 2oz before I leave, or alternatively take this as sit-n-spin fiber at SOAR.

So, I’ll see you after spinning camp and a quick visit to my Sister at the Delaware Water Gap!

FO: Weaving - Tropical Handtowels

2008-09-24T09:19:00.004-04:00

My first project woven on the big Toika loom, Yay!

I wanted to weave a simple, mostly plain weave project just to shake down the loom and get a feel for how it weaves. So, I planned a set of handtowels with a random stripe warp (the longwise threads) in colors to match the crazy pink bathroom’s shower curtain, and wanted to try several simple twill and basketweave borders that could be woven with a straight threading and treadle tie-up for 2/2 twill. Desired finished size ~ 12 x 18” plus fringe.

Knitters, this is what those scary looking cones of really skinny cotton are for. The yarn is about laceweight to heavy laceweight, and I even mistakenly bought one cone of 20/2 cotton that’s the size of cobweb-weight, but decided to use it anyway for a little extra texture. It weaves up fast though – the actual weaving time on these was just a few hours. Setting up is the time-consuming part of the process.

The colors look great together, and I like my mis-matched borders. I had a number of missed threads on the reverse, since I think the cotton occasionally sticks to itself. But, otherwise, the cotton was easy to weave, and I’m still working on the right combination of tension on the warp threads and how hard to beat in the weft (the crosswise threads) to get a balanced weave (same number of picks per inch as ends per inch, or same number of threads longwise and crosswise for plain weave). My fabric did shrink more in length than width though with a machine wash and dry, so the finished fabric is closer to being balanced, and I think it looks better.

Since I was asked at weaving guild, the edges had no special treatment. I didn’t use a floating selvedge since there was going to be so little twill. I did twist the colors together at the right edge and catch the edge thread on the left with the shuttle on pattern picks. Mostly, I try to weave reasonably quickly, at an even pace, and without fussing with the edges so that a steady rhythm will even out my edges.

It will take me a while to get settled on an ergonomic weaving position on this loom, but otherwise, once I finally figured out how to tie-up the treadles (the foot thingies) to the harnesses (the eyelets the threads go through that, in part, determine the pattern) for a decent shed (the open area between the threads where you throw the shuttle across), it was easy to weave countermarch (a loom type where some harnesses go up and some go down at the same time, on a jack loom they only go up or down). I’ll set up something with a bit more complicated threading or treadling for the next project though.

Notes:
Project: Handtowel-002
Pattern: Plain Weave and Twill
Technique: Twill and Basketweave borders
Source: Chandler, Learning to Weave
Loom: Toika Norjaana
# Harnesses: 4
Reed: 10 dent
Width in reed: 14.5” 13.5” after draw-in
Warp yarn(s): Cottons from Stony Mountain Fibers in 8/2, 10/2, 20/2
Sett: 23 epi
Weft yarn(s): Same as Warp
Picks per inch: 18
Width: Off the loom unwashed 13.25” / Washed 12.75”
Length: Off the loom unwashed 22 - 23” / Washed 19 – 19.5"

An Assortment of Projects

2008-09-21T10:42:00.005-04:00

It’s like a Whitman’s Sampler of the fiber arts and projects around here lately. Welcome to my knitting, spinning, weaving, and ham radio blog! Wanna see some FO’s?

While in Mathews last week, we finished the Hubs’ second radio tower.

Yes, that’s the Hubs up there at 130 feet. No, I do not climb up there.

But, his is a hobby that makes anything I want to undertake seem reasonable, small, and inexpensive by comparison. For example:

Me: I think I’d like to take up weaving.

Hubs: Well then, you should get a loom.

Me: Umm, I may have already found some used looms on craigslist.

Hubs: Looms? How many looms?

Dishtowel-01:
So, now you will have to endure my noob weaving for a while. First, I wove off the warp that was on the Baby Wolf when I bought it. Some sort of lineny-cottony blend, and it worked perfectly with the cottolin I had on hand to make a nice, simple dishtowel with a monk’s belt border.

Pattern: Plain Weave, with Monk’s Belt border, pattern on page 98 of Dixon’s Handweaver’s Pattern Directory.
Woven on: Schacht Baby Wolf, using 4 of 8 harnesses
Warp: Mystery cotton-blend
Weft: Cottolin, 22/2, Cream and Green, from Weaving Works
Finished Size: 17 x 27”, hemmed

Handspun Twill Scarf:
Then, I unwove the scarf I had started on the little table loom as it was taking FOREVER to weave. I did in fact unweave almost three feet of scarf, take the warp off the loom, untangle it a bit, wrap it on the warping board, then beam it onto the BW. Oh yes I did. This was one of those “only a beginner would do something dumb like this because they don’t know any better.” But, hey, it worked!

The warp is sock yarn (very stretchy, which was a challenge, but soft) and the weft is my handspun(!) Romney from last year’s Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club. The scarf is woven in a simple 2/2 twill which I think really shows off the texture of the handspun, and doesn’t fight too much with the subtle serendipitous stripes.

The scarf has had a soak and a little agitation by hand, much as I would wet finish yarn that I want to set and full just a bit. I used fairly hot water in a big pot, some Eucalan, and dunked the scarf a number of times, rolled it in a towel, then hung to dry.

Pattern: Straight 2/2 Twill with plain weave borders and knotted fringe
Woven on: Schacht Baby Wolf, using 4 of 8 harnesses
Warp: Tess' Designer Yarns Super Socks & Baby, in a semi-solid dark chocolate brown, 1 skein, 450 yds, used every bit of it.
Weft: Handspun Romney, Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club, October 2007, Goblin Eyes colorway, ~350 yds fingering/sportweight.
Finished Size: 11 x 74”, plus fringe

Handtowel-02:
So, then, I spent a week trying to figure out exactly how to set up and tie-up the Toika loom. And now I know why you do in fact need to have a warp on a countermarch loom to make the tie-up work, despite the loom instructions' claims to the contrary. The beginner wins some and loses some.

I dressed the loom with a very bright random striped warp of 8/2 and 10/2 cotton for a set of handtowels to match the shower curtain in our crazy pale coral pink 50’s tile bathroom. The plan was to weave something simple and fast just to get the feel of the loom, and not get too fussy about little missed threads here and there. Each towel has a different border of twill or basketweave, and will be finished with a short fringe unless I change my mind and hem them all.

Need some shades to look at these

No more photos of these until the Hubs gets back to Charlottesville with my camera.

Then, I found a sweet little spinning wheel for sale on Ravelry. It’s a 70’s vintage Pipy Saxony, from New Zealand (again, the link will have to do until the camera gets home). The wheel is small enough to pop in the car, 16” wheel, single-treadle, double-drive or scotch tension, with a very “polite” take-up that will be just right for spinning thin. Along with the wheel, it’s former owner Sarah sent me some beautiful hand-dyed BFL in teal blue and violet from her Etsy shop. Mmmm, BFL.

Speaking of BFL, while the Hubs is up on the tower, or while we’re waiting for the wind to die down enough for him to get any work done at the top of the tower, I get long breaks and have learned to bring lots of knitting and my spinning wheel along. Last FO of the day is a skein of brown BFL hand-dyed by Gale Evans, who was a classmate at the Folk School in January, and who has her own Etsy shop. I spun this over a period of a couple of months, so the grist of the singles varied quite a bit, and I decided a the last minute to Navajo-ply which means the thin and thick spots didn’t get a chance to even each other out as they would in a standard 2-ply. But, I liked the idea of preserving the color changes instead of blending as this roving had real potential to ply up to be sort of muddy. I fought the wheel at a few points as well which left me with odd bits of plying. But, overall, I love how the skein turned out, and think I see some stranded mittens being knit with this.

Fiber/Starting Weight: Brown Blue-Faced Leicester, ~4oz.
Purchased from: Gale’s Art, at the Folk School, colorway Deep Blue Sea
Spun with: Lendrum DT, fast-flyer, middle whorl 15:1 / moderate tension
Plies/Method: 3-ply / Navajo
WPI/Gauge/TPI: ~14wpi / DK to Light Worsted / 9tpi
Yardage/Finished Wt: 215yds / 3.6oz
Started: June 2008
Completed: 9/18/2008
Intended Project: Mittens maybe?

Whew!

No More Humdrum Mittens Swap Three

2008-08-30T12:27:00.000-04:00

They’re Back!

After a wonderful mitten swap this past Winter/Spring, I’ve signed up for No More Humdrum Mittens Swap Three. And, I’ve enticed another local knitting pal, Norwegian-knitter-extraordinaire Vilde to join too. It may be dueling Selbu mittens at SnB soon! So, two posts in two days, I don't expect to keep this up, but here are my answers to the mitten questionnaire.

How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?
Five and a half dog years. That sounds way better than how many years since I was ten or eleven. What I remember is that we learned to knit a garter stitch square at school for a class afghan project. I learned to knit, forgot, and learned again a time or two or three. About every five years or so, I'd decide I wanted to knit something, knit it, then leave knitting alone for a while. I bought a copy of Knitting Without Tears about twenty years ago, and that was my main source of instruction for a long time. Since finding my way back to knitting, I've taken lots of classes and a couple of trips to Stitches, but most things I figure out on my own.

Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I think I'll have to say advanced. I consider myself a collector of knitting techniques, though I've rarely knit entire projects with most of them.

What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?
Like: Purples, Blues, and Greens. Also, natural sheepy Grays, Browns, and Black. Dislike: Hunter Orange and Lemon Yellow. I like rich colors (even if they are light) better than pale pastels.

Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?
Oh yes! I finally got a copy of Lizbeth Upitis’ Latvian Mittens book and though I haven't knit any, I love the motifs and color combinations. No favorites.

Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?
For myself, please.

What is the measurement from your wrist to the tip of your longest finger?
7-1/2"

What is the circumference of your hand at it's widest point?
7-5/8"

What other things do you enjoy knitting?
Lace and socks.

What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum) Addi Lace circulars. Also, in my comprehensive needle collection are regular Addis and KnitPicks Options and the occasional Harmony.

What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?
Still have entrelac on my list of things to try that I haven't gotten around to yet.

What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?
I’m a little curious to try CTH Possum Sock and Louet Mooi (bamboo, bison, and cashmere, what’s not to like?)

What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?
Spinning, brand new weaver, not enough gardening (you should see the weeds this year), a little cooking, occasional beading.

Besides yarn, do you collect anything?
You mean like my new hobby of collecting looms?

What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?
Dark Chocolate. I'm allergic to walnuts and cashews.

Do you have any kids? Pets?
Evil step-monster to four. It’s OK, they’re grown. Three cats who do like me! (local knitting friends will know why this is amusing)

What is your favorite part of Winter?
Clear skies and bare lacy tree branches.

What is your least favorite part of Winter?
Freezing drizzle.

Blogryngitis

2008-08-29T14:46:00.004-04:00

Lost my blog voice for a while. Longer than I intended.

Rather than try to catch you all up on everything that has happened – a daunting prospect which has pretty much prevented me from even trying, here are the Cliff Notes. Went back to Seattle for a week, moved my Mom to Cville, nephew visited for ten days, the Hubs had eye surgery, we have lots of new client work, cleared out late FIL’s house, knitting a little, spinning a teeny bit, I took up weaving and bought three looms.

Schacht Baby Wolf, 26", 8H jack loom and Toika Norjaana, 40", 8H, countermarche loom

Yes, that's only two. Here's the third.

Northwest Pioneer "Designer", 15", 8H

That pretty much sums up the past three months.

Knitting:
Finished Scoop du Jour which will get it’s own post. Started a Comfy Sweater of Classic Silk that I found in Seattle.

Such a lovely plum color that is so hard to photograph

After the Mystery Lace meltdown, I started and stopped a couple or three mystery shawls, then started Hazel Carter’s Sampler Stole from Gathering of Lace which is resting until cooler weather.

Yes, it looks like a big pile o’ because it’s lace

Also need to get back to work on the lovely nectarine-colored silk Heat Wave scarf from Wooly Wonka’s Change in Seasons lace club (Hi Anne!) And, I signed up for No More Humdrum Mittens Swap Three! Questionnaire to follow.

Yes, it does take nine months for me to knit a pair of socks. All the more ironic considering the size of my sock yarn stash.

STR Charade Socks, coming in the home stretch!

Spinning:
I’ve got pounds of free raw fleeces, fiber back from processing, and dyed rovings. And couldn’t figure out what to spin since I couldn’t envision what to knit with the yarns I saw in the fibers. So, I haven’t been spinning. Even though I was accepted to go to SOAR and Abby Franqemont’s workshop.

And then, like a little tickle at the back of the throat, I thought that maybe if I learned to weave I could weave faster than I can knit and would spin more. I’m not sure which is the gateway drug here, but it’s already too late.

Weaving!:
Like I decided to spin, I have decided to weave. I bought a neat old table loom from a Raveler, and signed up for a week of classes with a wonderful local weaving teacher Laurie Duxbury (scroll to the bottom of THIS page). I was warping and weaving in no time, and found myself really inspired to pursue this new craft. I even got to finish a project of two handtowels during my week!

Obligatory newbie weaver sampler = scarf

Cotton handtowels with monk’s belt borders

The borders, how cool is that?

So, that’s my icebreaker. I plan to be back around the blog more, and reading and commenting on your blogs, and I’ll tell you more about lace and sweaters and weaving and spinning soon. And, Yes, Krista, I miss you.

Did you miss me?

2008-05-10T16:56:00.004-04:00

Greetings from the Chesapeake Bay. Here's a Saturday Sky as proof I'm back on the East Coast.

I had a wonderful time in Seattle! Hanging out with my nephews for almost three weeks, when I usually get to see them once a year at best, was just what I wanted it to be. A chance to get to know them better, who they are growing up to be, and what their life is like. Seeing someone on vacation, on a visit far from home, and rushing to do lots of activities is at best a snapshot of who that person is, not a portrait.

Seattle is a fascinating place. The weather was just awful. I’m not making jokes about Seattle weather, it really was unseasonably cold, hailing, and rainy. But the “Emerald City” was green and full of blooming Spring flowers. I’m not a cold weather or a hot weather person, and I dream of a temperate climate like the Pacific Northwest. Rather than try to post them here, go to my Flickr set and see the slideshow for a walk around the Washington Park Arboretum.

There are many yarn shops. I know there are several that I missed, but I’ll be back for a few days in June. Here are a few that I did visit. You know, just to look.

Weaving Works: Where I taught Boy #3 to spin. Knitting and Weaving yarns, Spinning fibers, supplies, equipment, and workshops. A nice friendly comfortable shop with good selection of yarns and fibers. I brought home a pretty Cascade drop spindle to practice spinning with the nephews, but resisted the yarn. Near the U-Dub (University District)

Bad Woman Yarn: A wonderful shop in the Wallingford Center, small in size but packed with lovely yarns. Lots of hand-dyes, organics, and luxury yarns. Some Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace came away with me for a mystery stole.

Acorn Street Shop: A welcoming shop with a beautiful selection, and lots of pretty summer yarns. Some spinning supplies as well as knitting. I succumbed to a sweater’s worth of Classic Elite Classic Silk in a yummy Plum color. Near University Village.

Hilltop Yarn: Worth the trip all the way to the top of the hill in Queen Anne. Also small, but with a wonderful selection, including lots of Rowan yarns and indie hand-dyes. Found some Addi’s I needed there.

Tricoter: Whether you like things organized by color or not, it certainly makes for a pretty shop. This is the place for high-end and luxury yarns, attentive service, and the offer to write a custom pattern to your measurements for any yarn from the shop. Drawn immediately to the wall o’ cashmere, I did try to resist, but was helpless against the charms of some pretty blue Tahki Cashmere 7000 for the Persephone Scarf. Located in Madison Park.

Knitting:
And, though I did get to knit some, the second sock languishes, and the second mitten wonders where the love is.

I did knit the first clue for the Mystery Lace KAL (and got caught up in some of the drama)(it became a massive trainwreck)(no links for this one as it’s gone). But that is behind me, and I’ve started Renee’s Spring Mystery Stole instead with the lovely Silky Alpaca Lace, and will knit a bit until I see what the clues are shaping up to look like.

The pearly beads are BACK!

But the Scoop du Jour cardigan has been the darling of the WIP pile.

It is fast. It is easy. It is fun. Using the sleeves-as-giant-swatch method, both are done. The back is DONE! I’ve started a front. I may actually finish this thing. In time for shorts and bathing suit weather, but whatever.

So, there’s a long update. I’ve been neglecting the blog something awful. It takes me a long time to write long posts, because I feel like I want you to have Content. But I miss the blog, and will try some quick shorter posts for a while to stay in touch better.

WIP Wednesday – Soccer Aunt

2008-04-23T16:25:00.003-04:00

(Three boys x two teams each) + violin lessons + (missed school bus x 2) + (mixed up dr appointments x 2) + three grocery stores + (Lowes x 2) + three yarn shops = many miles.

I’m getting a bit of knitting done though. It’s been hectic, but since I usually only get to see my nephews about once a year, and on hurried vacation visits, it’s been so great just being a part of regular life here. There’s a week to go in Seattle, and I already miss my Boys.

And while I’ve had some time to check blogs, I’ve been terribly remiss on comments, and owe everyone a Thank You for comments left here in the past two weeks.

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Charade Socks:
Charade Sock #2 has suffered terrible neglect in favor of brighter shinier projects. So sad! But, I have a long plane ride home and socks make better travel knitting than sweaters or lace.

Goal: Knit past the heel before I get home

Scoop du Jour:
Just started this sweater last week, and it's moving fast. I swatched, but still wanted to get some real knitting in to check my gauge since I know I’m a teensy bit off the 4.5spi called for. I just felt the fabric was going to be a bit loose for the winter sweater I’m visualizing. So, I started with the sleeves, have finished one (my goal from last week), and am past the deep ribbing and into the increases on the second!

I’m such a sock and laceweight knitter most of the time, that this heavy worsted weight seems to grow by leaps and bounds. Gotta keep at it though and not get let myself get distracted. Still loving the Mountain Colors 4/8’s. It’s nice and smooth, soft but doesn’t seem like it’s going to be pilly, and it’s fast.

Goal: Finish Sleeve Two. Maybe cast on the Back?

Mystery Lace Stole:
Umm, Startitis? What Startitis?
A new mystery lace KAL that caught my eye. A quick trip to Bad Woman Yarn later, I cast on and knit Clue 1, once with beads and once without (the first clue was very small). I’m going with the non-bead edging as it means about a thousand fewer beads. I like the beads, really I do. But, one thousand extra beads. No.

Without Beads, Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace, mmmmmm

With Beads

Goal: Clue 2 may be delayed a few days, so this may go on the plane with me, or may have to wait until I’m home next week.

Boy #3 Wristies:
He wants wristies. I knit wristies.

In the running to be favorite Aunt

I’ve got to tell you that this is the Boy who loves projects – though his sticking with things needs a little work. I taught him to knit on a visit a couple of years ago. He sat down at a wheel and I taught him to spin in an hour. We’ve repaired the toilet flapper, and practiced soldering. The light in the breakfast nook needs to be fixed. He cooks and has poured concrete. He has more power tools than his Dad. He’s 12.

WIP’s On Hold:

Bird in Hand Mittens:
Sorry BiH! I’ll be back.

Startitis Alert:
Who knows what tomorrow will bring in the way of temptation.

WIP Wednesday, on Thursday – Soggy in Seattle

2008-04-17T17:37:00.003-04:00

Hello from Seattle! I’m staying with my three nephews until the end of the month, and I’m now officially a Soccer Aunt! I don’t know how many miles I’ve already put on the station wagon (seriously, a Volvo station wagon!), but it’s a lot. And yes, it’s been raining.

Now, I’ve been to Seattle several times before, and I do know it doesn’t rain ALL the time. But, so far it has been cold and rainy. It’s such a pretty place though. I hardly mind the overcast and showers when the up-side is the abundance of flowers and beautiful green everywhere. There are camellias here the size of trees! Tulips everywhere, daffodils, just missed the cherry trees, but some azaleas are already out. Lovely!

The Sun has just peeked out, and I’m going to write up this post then take a walk.

Yay! An FO, the Secret Project:
Except for sewing on the cute buttons found at Weaving Works yesterday, I’m Done! But, it’s a secret. While we were there, I taught Boy #2 to spin. And because I’m a ditz, I didn’t have my camera along.

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Charade Socks:
Charade Sock #1 is done, Sock #2 toe is begun. Heel details in my last post.

Goal: Knit past the heel while waiting for the Boys. Which should give me plenty of knitting time!

Scoop du Jour:
New on the WIP list this week is Bonne Marie Burns’ pattern for a simply styled aran-weight cardigan with deep ribs at the sleeves and hem. I’ve just cast on a sleeve so far, in Mountain Colors 4/8’s wool, in the Lupine colorway which has pretty shades of deep blue, purple, lilac, and mossy green. Though I’m not quite on gauge, I’ll knit a size up and work out the length as I go.

The 4/8’s is easy to knit, soft but with a good body that holds it’s shape well. I want this to be a nice sturdy knock-around sweater and so far, it’s looking promising.

Goal: See if I can knit a sleeve this week.

Bird in Hand Mittens:
Poor neglected BiH! I brought them with me and will work on Mitten #2 as a break from the sock and sweater.

Startitis Alert:
Low, since I just started the Scoop last night.

Toe-Up, Short-Row, Mini-Gusset and Flap, Slip-Stitch Heel!

2008-04-13T01:19:00.006-04:00

Greetings from the Charlotte Airport! Well, I’m on my way to Seattle, and it’s been a bit hectic the past few days. So, if I haven’t answered an email, acknowledged a comment, or read your blog, that’s why!

I promised an explanation of the sock heel I compiled for the Charade Sock I’m knitting. Compiled is the accurate word since I didn’t invent or unvent anything, but I did pull together three different methods. The original pattern, by Sandra Park, is top-down with a flap heel, and I knit a pair as written last summer. This time, with the STR, my big feet, and not wanting leftovers, I decided to go toe-up.

But, I am also tall, so without long feet I would tip over in a strong breeze

If you don’t know about the Magic Cast-on for toe-up socks, go here for Judy’s blog tutorial, or to Knitty.

After knitting mostly flap heels (top-down and toe-up) for the past year or so, and finding they fit my foot well, I’ve been thinking about short-row heels again after helping Kathleen (Hi!) with a PGR heel, and knitting at least one of the second round Sock Madness Reversai Socks with a garter-stitch short-row heel. I have a long, narrow foot, US11. And while my instep isn’t particularly high relative to MY foot, it is a bit high considering I usually knit the equivalent of a Women’s medium to fit in width. This should be useful as well to someone with a wide foot, high instep, or generous ankle who has found a standard short-row sock to be a little tight around the heel.

FluffyKnitter Deb wrote about adding a small flap and gusset to a top-down short-row heel here. The idea had been simmering in my brain since then, and I decided to add a small gusset to my toe-up Charade to give it that bit of extra room I wanted.

Yes, I know it looks odd

Now, I don’t have exact numbers, since this will vary with row gauge and extra ease desired, but this is how I went about it. Deb, on her sock, knit a small flap just before turning her regular short-row heel, picked up stitches along the flap before going back to knitting in the round, then decreased the extra stitches creating a small gusset.

On my toe-up version the steps are reversed – add stitches as you approach the heel to create a gusset, turn the heel on the usual number of stitches (half the total), knit back and forth on those heel stitches to create a short flap while consuming the gusset stitches, then continue the sock leg in the round. Oh, I also am hard on heels so I knit the short-row increases and flap in slip-stitch, though one could just as easily use eye of partridge.

How do you know when to start the gusset? First, I decided to add a six stitch gusset, which means with increases every other row that will take 12 rows. More stitches in the gusset mean more depth in the heel. With a toe-up sock you have plenty of time to figure out an accurate row gauge long before you reach the heel, so in my example, I started my gusset increases 12 rows before I would typically turn the heel. I used a M1 increase, one stitch in from either edge of the sole. You could use Kfb, or pair the slant of the M1 or lifted stitch increases depending on the look you want.

There are several methods to knit short-rows, and I chose wrap-and-turn this time. Priscilla Gibson-Roberts’ YO short-row heels (links at the end) are just as easy to knit in my opinion, and I think you just have to knit a few of each to decide which method you like best. I’ve never tried the Japanese method, but will have to give that a whirl someday.

Anyhoo, for wrap-and-turn, check out Wendyknits free patterns for either a pithy generic sock pattern, or her detailed version (link to pdf) with instructions for wraps, turns, and picking up the wraps too. Now, I also decreased down to fewer stitches since I have a narrow heel, and this also adds some depth. And one can always turn the heel on more than 50% of the stitches, in which case, keep your gussets outside the heel stitches.

Once the heel was turned, I knit the flap in the flat, taking in a gusset stitch at the end of each row with SSK on the RS, and P2tog on the WS. When all the gusset stitches are gone, return to knitting in the round, picking up an extra stitch between the heel and instep if you have a gap, and decreasing these away on the next round.

So, there it is!

A comparison of short row techniques at NonaKnits:
Japanese
Wrapped
YO

YO short rows:
Priscilla Gibson Roberts, Simple Socks Plain and Fancy

Blog Tutorials:
Blue Blog Short-Row Tutorial

PurlyWhites Short-Row Tutorial

WIP Wednesday – Missing in Action

2008-04-09T10:47:00.003-04:00

Well, I wish I could tell you I’ve been off on some adventure that’s kept me from my knitting. I could make something up. The truth, it’s just an ordinary slump, and the distractions of a hundred tiny details. Like my Mother is moving here this Summer. I did organize and sell a quantity of stash last week. Filed our taxes. And just need one more piece of info to finish my Mom’s taxes. Yes, I know.

But, I have a few little things on the needles, and some mods to a sock heel that I’ll share in another post. Maybe later today.

Saturday, I head to Seattle and am staying ‘til the end of the month with my three nephews while my sister is in China. Very exciting for her, and a great chance for me to spend a lot of time with the boys who seem to grow up too quickly when I only get to see them once a year. I’ll be able to work from there, and of course Knitters and Spinners, I’ve got to figure out what to take with me.

Now fortunately, Seattle has something like a half-dozen LYSs, so I’m not too worried about the odd needle size or notion. Hmm, what projects to take? I’ve got socks and mitts underway, so they are easy. But I want to take one big project along that’s not too complicated so I can knit it with distractions, so no lace. I liked Margene’s Scoop du Jour, and have been thinking about the Central Park Hoodless (like Ann’s), and have a sweater’s worth of Mountain Colors 4/8’s in the stash. And I’m taking my sadly neglected spinning wheel since I’ll have free time while the guys are at school and there’s a big spin-in at Weaving Works next weekend.

But now, the real reason you are here, the Knitting, what there is of it.

Ripped and Frogged:
This week the dear departed get their own category. That says a lot.

Reversai Socks - RIP:
Sock Madness 2, Round 2. This is an interesting, gansey-ish patterned, completely reversible sock with a garter stitch short-row heel and sole. But all that purling did me in.

Love the yarn, it’s Black Bunny Fibers superwash merino sock, mmmmm

With the distractions of having Mom here to look at the rent house, I was a day behind, had made it past the heel, and was a bit down the foot on Sock #1. There were 15 of 20 spots filled in my division, and my arm and hand hurt. It’s possible I could have finished in time, but I figured it was better to spare the arm and let my spot go to someone who could really enjoy competing in Round 3.

Monkey Socks, Because Kate Said So – RIP:
This was what, the third go at knitting a sock with this yarn? Stubborn much? I love the colors. But the STR is so dense I just must knit it at a looser gauge or it is no fun at all for me. The pretty pale turquoise BBF will make some nice Monkey Socks.

At least I figured it out before I got very far along!

A Sweater that shall not even be named:
Cast on and knit about an inch, twice, for a top-down raglan and decided to destash the yarn instead of knitting the sweater.

It’s Classic Elite Wool BamBoo in a gorgeous medium steely blue that I just love, but just cannot get a gauge I like since I’m such a loose knitter. I love the fabric when this yarn is knit firmly, but do not see an entire sweater on US3’s at the moment.

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Charade Socks:
To cleanse the palate, I started yet another sock with the STR and this time we have a winner. The Charade Sock, by Sandra Park. It’s simple, fast, easy, looks great, and doesn’t hurt my arm.

Love the subtle variegation with the herringbone rib!

Since I want to get every bit of leg length I can out of the STR, I’m knitting toe-up. I fiddled a short-row heel with a mini-gusset and slip stitch flap. It looks odd off the foot, but it worked perfectly and fits, so you’ll get details in a separate post.

I’m nearly done with the Secret Project.

Startitis Alert:

I’ll take some easy fun spinning projects with me to Seattle. I am all about the easy and fun these days, aren’t I? And maybe start that easy fun sweater. And write up a pattern for the easy fun cabled fingerless mitts. That’s probably enough to keep me busy for two and a half weeks!

WIP Wednesday: She Who Knits and Runs Away...

2008-03-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

Rips and Knits another day!

The Wyvern Sock cannot make me feel guilty anymore. I loved the color of the STR Mustang Sally, the firm dense yarn, the dragon scales, and the new toe-up flap heel I tried. Just, not all at once. I was well past the heel on the first sock, but this yarn wants to be something else (toe-up Monkeys, Kate?) The pattern wants to be knit with something else, something lighter and less dense. The foot was a little too long and I didn't want to give these to my sister, I wanted to keep them for myself. RIP. Problems solved. That was easy.

Monkey, Maybe?

Or maybe since Sock Madness Round Two calls for STR this sock toe will not survive the week either. We'll see.

And, I love the Sea Fever Cardi too. No, don't worry, I haven't ripped it. But, I'm giving myself permission to put this on the back burner again. Small projects are better suited to my necessarily short attention span right now. I'm leaving in two and a half weeks to spend two and a half weeks in Seattle with my nephews while my other sister is away. I need to get the taxes done, a bunch of client work done, the house Spring Cleaned because the Hubs has out-of-town guests coming while I'm away, wash some fleece, and finish the secret project, and y'know, stuff.

And knit the second round of Sock Madness, which starts next Tuesday. So,...

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Bird in Hand: Kate Gilbert’s stranded mitten pattern, knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, charcoal and blue.

Status: First mitten Done! Second mitten cast on! My gauge has worked out to between 6.5 and 7 stitches per inch, for a mitten that's just a tiny bit large on me. I think fulling it slightly will be just the ticket. Click each photo for bigger!

Back

Palm

The inside? Why yes, I can show you the inside

Why no, I haven't woven the ends in yet

Goal: Work on Mitten #2. I'd like to finish this project soon.

Secret Project: Still a secret, but it's coming along after a break for Sock Madness, and a mitten. It is soft and pretty.

Status: About halfway done.

Goal: Finish in the next week!

Startitis Alert:

Meh. A spring sweater (didn't I just put a sweater on hold?) A shawl, which one? Truthfully, I'm having a bit of knitting and spinning and blogging ennui. I have some reasons. It will pass.

I'm looking forward to signing up for and hopefully getting into a workshop at SOAR. I'll be teaching a basic lace class at the Fall Fiber Festival. And I'm working out how and where I might teach occasional knitting classes at some other venue, since it did NOT have a happy outcome teaching at the LYS.

WIP Wednesday - Mad Slacker edition

2008-03-19T10:10:00.004-04:00

All the WIP's have been sadly neglected, again. But, I did knit something!

FO - Zombie Socks:

The first round pattern for Sock Madness 2 was released last Thursday, and I knit a pair of socks in about four and a half days. With lots of breaks. I missed making the cut in the first round last year, literally by minutes, and I was determined this year. Determined, I tell you!

OOOoooooooOOOOOOOoooooo

Zombie Socks, designed for SM2 by Emm1e, were knit in Colinette Jitterbug, Castagna colorway, on US0/2mm circs. Because the very stretchy drop stitch consumes extra yarn, I finished up the toes with some Koigu KPM.

Notes:
When I say this pattern is stretchy, I mean STRETCHY! Like, I could fit both feet in there stretchy. The drop stitch is easy to knit, and looks OK in this variegated yarn. Though I think it looks better in the photos I've seen of it knit in semi-solids. Knitting this again, I would definitely reduce the stitch count, by one or two repeats around the leg, then add stitches for the plain stockinette portion of the foot if needed.

The eye-of-partridge heel flap was knit with a garter border, and gusset stitches were picked up in the ridges. Several knitters opined on Ravelry that this was quite a bit fiddlier than picking up the bars between, but all agreed it gives a nice finished look, with no holes and gaps.

Click for bigger

Given how much extra fabric was knit, I ran just short on the toes using one of the old put-up 100g skeins of Jitterbug, and finished with some Koigu. But, I do think I could get a pair of socks, even for my size 11 canoes, out of one skein of Jitterbug. For the competition, I knit 9 full repeats of the drop-stitch pattern, then a few plain rows before the toe decreases. They were still a bit short for me, so I've already ripped the toes and am re-knitting them with a few more plain rows.

Here's a good look at the drop stitch pattern, too

ETA: I forgot to mention, that I really enjoyed knitting with the Jitterbug. It's tightly spun but not as stiff as the STR lightweight I'm using for the Wyvern Socks. I was knitting with a combination of Addi and KnitPicks US0's, and didn't find the yarn to be splitty at all. The finished socks have a nice sturdy but cushy feel. I expect the fabric will bloom a little with a soak, and I'll let you know after a wash how the dye holds up.

Other WIP's:

All languishing, except that next up when the sock toes are finished this AM is the Secret Project. It's still a secret, but here's the yummy yarn I'm using.

Lovely to knit

Startitis Alert:
Startitis Watch Level - Low.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T09:55:00.003-04:00

Round Tower, Ardmore, County Waterford, Ireland, 1984

Many of you would have no way of knowing that I spent most of my life named O'Reilly. My sisters have even more irish names than I and the week the three of us spent in Ireland with our Dad in 1984 was amusing at times. "Oh, the Da, the three girls!" We arrived by overnight ferry from France (I don't know what the Canadian kid down the bar did, but I was drinking free whiskeys on the ferry because I was American not Canadian), I was the designated driver, stick shift, left-handed, on the wrong side of the road, with a hangover. Let me mention now that the Irish, known for their fatalistic attitude, drive with no fear of death. It was June 1984, early Summer, beautiful, and President Reagan was touring the Irish countryside (while we all hoped no Irish eejit would lob a bomb at him).

I've not been back since. But the Hubs has asked me to plan a trip to Ireland for September and it will be fascinating to see how things have changed, and what remains timeless.

Sláinte

Mail Box

2008-03-16T10:39:00.003-04:00

Admit it! When you see one of these, doesn't your heart beat just a little faster?

And then, sometimes, your next thought is "Hmmm, I don't remember ordering anything"

Well, this time a big Thank You! goes to Norma, who just had her fourth blogiversary, and a contest, and I was among the lucky winners.

Lucky indeed! The yarn is pretty tiny-new-leaf green Piece of Vermont merino/bamboo/nylon fingering weight in the Hoping for Spring colorway. Bamboo gives it a really nice subtle sheen and a soft silky feel. Though it's machine washable, there's enough yardage for a shoulder shawl, and this is too nice for the feets. Plus, yummy Vermont maple syrup (I love the real stuff!), and TRUFFLES from Vermont Nut Free! I am definitely hiding these from the Hubs.

Ooops!

For such a thoughtful package of local Vermont goodies, Thanks Norma! Love your blog.

Saturday Sky - March 15, 2008 & Socks

2008-03-15T15:42:00.005-04:00

Tall things. Oak trees, pine trees, lilac stems, 4-element SteppIR multi-band yagi antenna.

Wait, that's the Hubs' hobby

Does it say something about how much I am used to the ham radio tower and antennas that when I snapped this photo this morning, I didn't even notice the antenna was in it?

Socks-in-Progress, and a really cute little bag from Sandra's Satchels (at the Pike Place Market in Seattle) that my sister C sent for my birthday

The Sock Madness 2 Zombie Sock is coming along, slowly but surely. Sock #1's gusset is nearly done, and Sock #2 is halfway through the first of four pattern repeats on the leg. I am really just hoping to make it through the first round this year, but need far fewer distractions (like my work computer making an unscheduled trip to the shop yesterday when I was trying to get client work out the door). Really, I'm not a fast knitter, and if I knit too much, my arm gets a little mad at me. So, the goal truly is to have some fun, and see what crazy patterns the designers have come up with this year.

Fortunately, I had help

A LOT of help!

Sock. Madness.

2008-03-13T14:50:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am.

Sock Madness 2, First Round, Zombie Socks, Colinette Jitterbug in Castagna, KnitPicks US0/2mm circs.

Got Fleece?

2008-03-12T18:23:00.004-04:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled WIP Wednesday to bring you the following special report. WIP Wednesday will return next week at its regular time, unless I’ve still been spinning instead of knitting, and teaching knitting classes instead of knitting, and rolling in fleece instead of knitting, and, well you get the picture.

The nice UPS man brought me two big boxes. Two big boxes of fleeces. Almost 18 pounds of fleece. Does that seem like a lot? It seems like a lot to me.

We’ve had a bit of sunny breezy weather this week, so I’ve aired out the fleeces (they were cooped up in a box for a week), and washed a handful of each fleece to sample. Here’s what I’ve got.

Rosalie, a Romney-Suffolk-Columbia ewe, half a fleece, 3.5 lbs

Mostly pale soft grey, with some darker sections that I separated out. Medium crimp, long staple 4-5”, easy to spin.

Shirley, a Romney-Montadale-Suffolk ewe, 6.5 lbs

Medium grey, and somewhat variegated – more of a pewter grey than Rosalie’s cloud grey. A little softer and finer than Rosalie, long staple 5”, medium crimp.

Beverly, a Romney-Montadale-Suffolk ewe, 6.25 lbs

Very dark brown/black with a slight chestnut cast and a little bit of silver shot through the fleece. Medium crimp, long staple 4-5”. Beverly is soft like Shirley, with a staple length more like Rosalie.

Carole, the mystery girl, a portion of a fleece, 1.5lbs

This was a surprise addition to my order since Beverly was re-skirted just before shipping and the lost weight was made up with 1.5lbs of Carole’s fleece. I just completely forgot to ask until today what sort of sheep she is, but you’ll hear more about Carole in the future since this is very nice fiber. Variegated ranging from medium grey to very dark grey/dark brown. Medium crimp, long staple 5”, very soft.
ETA: Melissa emailed to let me know Carole is a Romney ewe lamb, and this is her first fleece!

Carole has had a bath and is enjoying the afternoon out in the sun and breeze.

Oh yeah, that white in the back, that’s the rest of 8oz of alpaca from North Star Alpacas, that’s had it’s bath and is out drying too

Now, for a minute, I need to sing the praises of SkyLines Farm and Thank Melissa again! Rhonna (enabler of the first order, even though she is all the way over in Norway) pointed me to SkyLines’ Handspinning Fleeces page where one can not only purchase prepared roving, but also reserve raw fleeces prior to the year’s shearing. Each fleece has a description, including last year’s weight, and photo, and is reserved by email and held with a PayPal deposit. The sheep are raised largely with organic practices, and a compassionate approach to predator management. The website has a wonderful description of their Great Pyrenees guard dogs. The farm’s philosophy certainly seems to inform all that they do, and these beautiful fleeces reflect it.

The fleeces have been well skirted, have very little VM and very few second cuts. The fleeces are not particularly greasy (some sheep breeds have a lot more lanolin), and not particularly dirty. So, the samples and Carole have been pretty easy to wash.

But, I’m leaning towards sending most of this out for washing and carding. See, I have a washer, a top-loader, but it is incapable of filling the tub with hot water to soak the fleece. It will fill a few inches with hot, then start pouring in warm, which just will not do for washing a raw fleece. I have already given Carole a wash, but had to resort to the bathtub after a first wash using the washer just didn’t get the job done.

I’ve also been playing with a new toy, a Strauch Petite Drum Carder, which was a belated birthday gift from the Hubs. Encourage your significant other to pursue an equipment-intensive hobby, and your reward will come when your own birthday rolls around. Still, I do not see myself carding pounds and pounds of fleece! So, I have some ideas on small batch processors, am leaning toward one who also uses organic methods on their own farm, but would love to hear in the comments if anyone has experience with a good mill.

Samples

Wow is this fiber easy to spin! I took a handful each of Rosalie, Shirley, and Beverly, washed it, carded it, and span it from the batts. The long staple of their Romney heritage, combined with a medium crimp and a smooth hand means each of these samples spun up very easily with a semi-worsted draw and fairly low twist. The fibers bloomed with a wash after spinning for a very light, lofty, bouncy yarn. I think these may be sweater yarns, rather than next-to-skin soft, but I want to sample a bit more to find the best way to spin each fleece, and to try spinning some laceweight.

For close-ups, click to go to Rosalie, Shirley, and Beverly.

Rosalie

Shirley

Beverly

Meanwhile, I also managed to spin up a small 60yd skein of Bison down, another club fiber from Wooly Wonka. This was not easy to spin, and is certainly not my finest work, but boy oh boy is it soft! Light worsted weight 2-ply, 60yds, 0.8oz, wet finished to full it slightly.

Oh, give me a home...

And that’s why I haven’t been knitting.

Spinning FO: Icelandic Snow Squall and a little Saturday Sky

2008-03-08T09:24:00.001-05:00

Spun from Icelandic wool roving, the Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club January 2008 offering. Since the fiber was smooth, but not next-to-skin soft, and it’s best use will be for outerwear (mittens or such), my goal was to maximize warmth and spin with fairly loose twist and ply for a lofty rather than tight worsted weight.

That was very easily done. This roving had quite a long staple length, 4-6”, as is typical of this type wool, and enough crimp to hold together. But, I did have to be conscious of drafting more fiber, and letting it spin and wind on with less twist than some of the spinning I often do. I split the roving two or three times lengthwise and did a little pre-drafting especially where the dye was dense, and used a worsted/forward draw.

After it was done and plied, and since I had let the spun singles sit on one of the bobbins for a day or so before plying, I thought I might have put in too much plying twist as it had a pretty strong Z-twist (the plying direction) in the finished but un-set skein. (Should have taken a picture to show you!) But, one of the things we learned at spinning camp is to take a little control sample while the twist is fresh.

Spin a length of single, stop treadling, pinch to isolate about a foot or so of the single and fold it in half rolling it just slightly between your fingers to allow the single to ply against itself, tie this off, save it as a control sample for later plying, join your fiber back on, and keep spinning.

I had done this, and used my sample when I started plying to gauge how much plying twist to use to balance the yarn. So, having faith, I gave the yarn a soak (which awakens any twist that may have set on the bobbin), and about a dozen thwacks on the shower wall. Amazing to behold, the yarn was nicely balanced. Patsy Z was right!

Day before yesterday, the Hubs asked for some sturdy fingerless mitts for outdoor wear and climbing the radio tower. Now I think I might just have the right yarn for that!

Details:

Fiber/Starting Weight: Handpainted Icelandic Wool Roving / 3.8oz
Purchased from: Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club, January 2008
Spun with: Lendrum DT
Whorl / Tension: Fast Flyer, Large whorl 12 : 1 / Med-High
Plies/Method: 2-ply / standard
WPI/Gauge/TPI: 12-14wpi / worsted /6-7tpi
Yardage/Finished Wt: 185yds / 3.6oz
Started: 3/1/2008
Completed: 3/6/2008
Intended Project: Mittens

And if you want to know why all my photos today look so gloomy,

It’s 43 degrees, raining, wind advisory

Eye Candy Friday – March 7, 2008

2008-03-07T22:25:00.002-05:00

Harbingers of Spring!

Also, I owe a long overdue but heartfelt Thank You to Milly at Stitches and Stories and Natalie at The Yarn Yard (go see her beautiful yarn and fiber) who each named mine as a blog that Makes their Day!

I’m so glad to brighten your day! And I’m so belated in fact, that this meme has pretty much run its course in the blogosphere and I’m not going to officially tag other blogs. But there are plenty that make my day, and a listing of inspiring blogs may be a post for another day!

Things have obviously been a little disorganized lately (understatement), but I’d like to get back to more regular posting, and to bring you some more mini-tutorials from the projects I’m working on. Please feel free to send questions in the comments, or email me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I’ve just gotten an email and will be meeting Robin H and Mary tomorrow for a little yarn browsing and spinning wheel enabling!

Stretchy Bind-off

2008-03-05T13:51:00.002-05:00

Well Jenny quickly spotted the “design feature” on my Swap Mitts! I used a K2tog bind-off and out-thought myself trying to remember which way I’d bound off the first mitt. So, I knit one through the back loops and the other through the front loops. Either way, it makes a nice bind-off that is good for socks if knit loosely, and is similar to an even stretchier bind-off used for shawl edges that you want to block assertively.

Now, I’ve seen this sort of bind-off done at least two different ways - knitting two stitches first and knitting a stitch between each decrease (Evelyn Clark), or just launching into the decreases with no stitches in-between (Nancie Wiseman & Vogue Knitting). The first method results in a stretchier and more substantial bind off, the second is a little firmer, but in my opinion, still easier to knit stretchy than a standard bind off. The choice to knit through the front or back loops depends on whether you want the look of a distinct chain or not, and to a lesser extent, if you are binding off from the RS or WS.

A photo? Of course! Here’s a little swatch from the RS:

Click to go to full size on Flickr

Directions:

#1 K2tbl Bind Off with a stitch between:
Very stretchy, with the look of a chain stitch on the side it’s knit.

Knit 1, *Knit 1, insert tip of left hand needle from back to front through the front loops of both stitches on the right needle so as to knit them together through the back loops. Repeat from * to *.

#2 K2tog Bind Off with a stitch between:
Stretchy, a bit more fiddly than #1 since you really have to slip the stitches back to the left needle.

Knit 1, *Knit 1, slip stitches back to the left needle, K2tog*. Repeat from * to *.

#3 K2tbl Bind Off:
Firmer, but can be knit loosely for a fairly stretchy edge, chain stitch on the side it’s knit. When knitting in the round, I would knit this with one stitch to start, rather than none, as I find it easier to make a neat join at the end of the bind-off.

*K2tbl, slip this stitch back to the left needle*. Repeat from * to *.

#4 K2tog Bind Off:
As #3 this is firm, but can be knit loosely for a fairly stretchy edge. Again, when knitting in the round, I would knit this with one stitch to start.

*K2tog, slip this stitch back to the left needle*. Repeat from * to *.

And here are just a few links that I’ve checked out on this topic. Google is a great tool when looking for information on knitting techniques. But I’ve also found that I have to use quite a bit of common sense in evaluating the results, as each of us is posting our own opinion and experience. Remember, YMMV!

Knitter's Review Forum post
Grumperina
SheeptoShawl
WeebleKnits

WIP Wednesday Lite – March 5, 2008

2008-03-05T13:44:00.002-05:00

How did it get to be Wednesday again so soon? What have I been doing for the past week to get so little knitting done?

Well, one reason is that the Hubs got home on Saturday, and I hadn’t seen him since February 12. I went off to take care of my Dad, and he’s been away helping settle his father’s estate. Before he leaves again for a long-ago-planned week in FL with some pals, we had to get some serious work done.

See, I work with the Hubs in the consulting business he started with two partners 14 years ago this month. Over time, one partner was excused, the secretary left for greener pastures, and the other partner was bought out, leaving just the Hubs. Shortly after I met the future-Hubs, I left a career in construction management (the last four years spent with non-profits) that had left me burned out and a bit crispy around the edges, to “help out” in the office while I hunted for a new job. Seven years ago. Sometimes we work really hard, long hours. Sometimes we have a lot of free time. Sometimes it’s stressful working without a safety net. Sometimes just the thought of going back to having a boss and a “real job” gives me the shivers.

But, this is supposed to be about Knitting. I can make this brief. I’ve knit a few inches on the handspun scarf. I’ve spun a bit (that’s a post for another day). I’ve started a top secret project (twice to find the yarn I liked) that you can’t see until a little bit later. No I didn’t knit on the sock, or the mittens, or the sweater. Because I am Bad.

Peer pressure won’t work unless you make me feel like a slacker for my lack of progress, OK.

You will get a two-fer today though as I’ll have a post on the stretchy bind-off used on the mitts up in a little bit.

Startitis Alert:
What am I supposed to do now that my Wooly Wonka Seasons of Lace package has arrived? Zephyr 2/18 in a rich spruce green and a brand new pattern, Zephyros by Miriam Felton. Go look at Mim’s photos as they really capture how pretty this project is going to be.

Let’s Talk about Mitts!

2008-02-29T21:05:00.004-05:00

My sister and I have a joke about “little” life lessons. You know, the ones learned the hard way, but that eventually you ARE able to laugh about. Well anyway, I think on a smaller scale, we often get little knitting lessons, and I’ll tell you about a couple of them.

You know I knit some fingerless mitts for the Mitten Swap. That sounds easy doesn’t it! They turned out pretty well, but the innocent looking finished mitts have a hidden past.

My pal suggested some things she likes - fingerless for indoor wear, cables, and colorwork. Being ambitious (OK foolhardy) but not finding a pattern that incorporated them ALL, I put together a pattern of my own. I’d seen fair isle mitts with no cables, and cabled mitts in worsted weight that seemed too bulky for indoors, and I’d looked at lots of sock leg patterns for inspiration. I even started some twisted stitch wristies based loosely on a sock, but that wasn’t quite it.

Ivy, supervising the wristie

I pulled out all my Walker Treasuries and Harmony Guides looking for a cable that looked just right. And I found one. But first,

The request for colorwork led me to start the mitts with a corrugated rib cuff, for extra warmth at the pulse points. Corrugated ribbing is a knit and purl ribbing (like a typical ribbing) worked in two colors, that is often used in fair-isle designs. Generally the knits are worked in one color, and the purls in the other.

Knit with orange, Purl with brown

One key difference is that corrugated ribbing, because of the stranding of the unused color across the back of the work, is not nearly as elastic as either plain knitting or one-color ribbing. I wrote about this a few weeks ago, and even ended up re-knitting that last cuff one more time, adding more stitches.

Lesson One: Knit corrugated ribbing on larger needles! With more stitches!

OK, so I was tooling along on the swap mitts. I got the first mitt mostly done on the planes down to FL, finished the thumb by the pool. Then I looked at it.

Blink. Blink. Blink.

Now can you see the mis-crossed cables?

Aarrgh!

Lesson Two: Pay Attention!

All’s well that ends well though. I mean, at least I noticed. So, after finishing Mitt #2, I pulled #1 back to the first offending cable, and knit it back up.

And the first person to correctly identify the other mistake that was NOT fixed, and that we shall not otherwise speak of, will receive a skein of sock yarn in the color of their choice!

Lesson Three: Take better notes!

Done, and blocked

Cuffs that fit

Cabled back and smooth palm

The Mitts are done, wrapped, packed with goodies and have been sent to my Pal!

WIP Wednesday: Home Again - February 27, 2008

2008-02-27T09:40:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm home and still trying to get caught up. Also, missing the Florida sunshine! But, I've got some little bits of knitting progress to share with you. Little bits of knitting seem to be what's working best for me right now, so might as well make the most of it.

FO's:

Swap Mittens:
My Pal's mitts for the No More Humdrum Mittens Swap 2 are finished and blocked! I've been assembling goodies for the swap package, and will share more details later.

Almost ready to send to my Pal

Leaf Lace Swatch/Sample Teeny Shawlette:
We had the first of two classes last night, and had lots of fun. I can tell you as a newbie instructor, that when a student exclaims unprovoked "Oh, I'm learning lots of new things!," it's nice. Really nice. Kind of goes without saying, but I always try to thank my teachers for something specific I've learned, even in a class where the topic is one familiar to me.

Evelyn Clark's Leaf Lace Shawl, just a few repeats

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Wyvern Socks:
A free pattern by Marnie Maclean, knit in STR Mustang Sally, a beautiful variegated red.
Status: Sock #1 has a foot, a heel and is one repeat into the leg.

Dragon Scales

Remembering that I'm knitting these toe-up (per the pattern) but with mods to the short row toe and heel, I wanted to experiment with toe-up flap heels and swatched a bit with two versions - one from Knitty's Baudelaire Sock pattern, and the other a generic version of the free You're Putting Me On Sock by Judy Gibson.

Baudelaire uses a slightly deeper gusset, round heel, w&t short rows, and a heel flap that knitted up just a bit shorter than I usually use. Judy's sock uses a shallower gusset, and rather than using short rows, decreases the heel stitches in a wedge shape, then picks up stitches along the decreased edge before also knitting a flap while incorporating the gusset stitches.

Clearly, I need to knit some more swatches, include some short row heels, and post some photos to show you the differences. Why the fascination with toe-up flap heels? Well, first, I have a long foot (size 11, that's about 10-3/4"), my sisters wear 10 and 12, my Mother a 10, my husband a mens' 11. So, I worry about running out of yarn no matter whose socks I'm knitting. Do you know how annoying it is to knit the leg a little shorter than you really want to be sure to have enough, then wind up with, say, 20g of yarn leftover? Yep, that's the extra inch I wanted. I've been knitting flap heels since they seem to fit a little better, and wanted to combine the two. So, I'm on a mission to find MY favorite heel.

Goal: Finish Sock #1.

Returning to Active Rotation this week are two old friends that, now that a little dust has settled, I want to get back to work on. I'm determined to get my remaining UFO's done, hopefully before my resolve weakens and I start some other bright shiny new project.

Bird in Hand:
Kate Gilbert’s pretty stranded mitten pattern, knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, charcoal and blue.
Status: First mitten was started and halfway up the thumb gusset a while back. Here's the old photo to refresh your memory.

Back of hand and thumb gusset

Goal: Finish Mitten #1.

Sea Fever Cardigan:
Simple gansey pattern cardigan, knit with Berroco Ultra Alpaca in heathery lilac.
Status: When last we saw SFC, the ribbing was done, and while partway through the first repeat of the body, I decided to add some steek stitches at the cardigan front, and knit this rascal in the round. There's just a little of the gansey pattern that occurs on the WS rows. The combination of all that purling (which makes my hand ache after a while) and WS pattern was making this sweater slower and more tedious than it really needed to be. The front edge gets turned under and a button band picked up anyway, so let's hope I don't knit to regret this!

I love this sweater and it's been very patient waiting for me

Goal: Sort out where I was in the pattern, and (modest goal) knit an inch.

A New Category for WIP Wednesday,
WIP's Not Very Active, But Not Quite On Hold, and Just Sort Of There:

One-Row Scarf in Ring of Fire Handspun Merino:
From the Yarn Harlot, in my handspun. Still occasionally picking this up and knitting a few rows.
Status: 9 inches

I miss the Hibiscus

Goal: Knit, no hurry.

Startitis Alert:
Still hoping to get to the wheel in the next few days. Turns out I'm not going down to Mathews since I won't get to see much of the Hubs anyway. So, I'm a fiber bachelorette until Sunday night!

Thirty Nine Degrees and Raining

2008-02-26T10:55:00.003-05:00

Mitten Swap Pal Irene (reanbean on Ravelry) asked:
“in VA, how often do you wear mittens? LOL”

Not today, and maybe not typical, but we do actually have a Winter here

Since I’m known for my popsicle digits, my answer is “Often!” Today, in fact, since this post's title is an accurate reflection of the day's weather! My return from “Winter” weather in Sarasota to Central Virginia’s chilly damp hasn’t been too bad, but it was nice to have wonderful warm mittens this morning.

Go look at all the amazing stranded mittens on Irene’s Projects page. Did I luck out with a swap pal, or what? These are my fabulous new mittens, the Petseri Mittens by Aino Praakli, a reconstruction of an Estonian pattern.

Looks like Winter around here

Knit with a main color of lovely fingering weight Fleece Artist Merino in a slightly variegated Ivory/Oatmeal and a contrast color of Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Handpainted Ultra in shades of turquoise olive, and spruce. Are they Soft? Check. Warm? Check. Match my new parka? Check.

The pattern makes me think of dancers with their arms outstretched

But, Wait, there’s more! Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales, a collection of knitting essays, and a cute little card case.

I love books like this for a little bit of bedtime reading

Soothing warm beverages! And how did Irene know about my chronically chapped hands?

Still not done yet! The latest Piecework magazine has an article on and pattern for Poetry Mittens - the stranded knitting pattern around the mitts contains a verse. Plus there’s enough Louet Gems fingering weight (the old Pearl) to knit the mittens in the original colors!

Irene, I can't thank you enough for the beautiful mittens, and for putting together such a fun and thoughtful package!

Stay Warm and Happy Knitting!

WIP Wednesday: Tropical Flora Edition - February 20, 2008

2008-02-20T08:51:00.002-05:00

Well, I've found some wireless internets and thought I'd bring you a quick knitting update today. Dad has his follow-up with the surgeon today, should be cleared to drive, and I'm scheduled to fly home into ice, snow, and sleet on Friday. Yeah, I know, wah.

What I've got for you are some almost FO's. I want to do a better write-up on the swap mitts when I get home and after I've mailed out the package. I plan to re-knit the mitts for myself with some revisions, and hopefully put that up as a free pattern in a little bit.

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Swap Mittens: No More Humdrum Mittens Swap 2
Status: Knitting is Done! Just need to block them, and assemble a package to send out when I get home.

Details: Fingerless mitts, Louet Gems Pearl, corrugated rib cuff, cabled back of the hand, thumb gusset.
Goal: Block to smooth out the cable section a bit.

Learn to Knit Lace:
Lace Classes will be on Tuesday February 26 and March 11 at The Needle Lady.
Status: I've finished knitting an abbreviated mini-shawl in fingering weight as a swatch of the techniques and lace pattern.

Goal: Need to block when I get home, and finish writing up class notes.

Wyvern Socks:
A free pattern by Marnie Maclean, I've knit my own toe using Magic Cast-on and increases rather than short rows, and am only a couple of repeats into it. It's pretty in the slightly variegated STR Mustang Sally (which I have to say has help up to repeated frogging very well). I'm also going to use a flap heel rather than short rows again.
Status: Sock #1 Toe plus two repeats.

Goal: Travel knitting for the trip home, hope to get past the heel.

One-Row Scarf in Ring of Fire Handspun Merino:
This is from a Yarn Harlot blog post, and works very well with some nubby, irregular, highly variegated handspun. I've just been knitting on this in little bits here and there, and it may go on the plane with me too.
Status: 8.5 inches

Goal: Knit some more.

Startitis Alert:
When I get home, I really want to get back to the spinning wheel. And finish the Bird in Hand mittens. And pull the gansey cardi back into active rotation. See how good I'm being!

Azaleas

2008-02-19T13:19:00.002-05:00

One of the things I love about Sarasota is how early the azaleas bloom.

I know! When I think of Florida, I think of hibiscus and bougainvillea too. But the large condo community in which Dad lives was built the late 70’s. So, whether planted or preserved in the first place, there are a lot of middle-aged and mature live oaks which provide a significant canopy for understory plants.

In other words, it’s shady. Shady enough for beautiful ferns, and philodendrons the size of small cars, and alongside the hibiscus – azaleas.

This post is for Margene.

And the photo shoot director

Saturday Sky - February 16, 2008

2008-02-17T08:40:00.003-05:00

Dad's doing much better, so I've made a quick escape to the free wi-fi at Panera, which allows me to bring you some winter skies from Sarasota. Don't hate me! (and click if you want to see 'em bigger)

A Good Outcome!

2008-02-15T17:06:00.004-05:00

In case it takes me another few days to catch up on emails, please let me thank you all here for good wishes, thoughts, and prayers for my Dad! Though there was risk of stroke or worse, he came through surgery very well yesterday, and the surgeon said the blockage was such that it's a very good thing he went through with this. After a night in the ICU, he's home this afternoon, and is not so good at the resting.

You know how you sometimes have to make a two-year old just lie down and be quiet at naptime even though they don't think they're tired, and a few minutes later they are sound asleep? Yeah, it's like that.

I've gotten some knitting done. Including two egregiously mis-crossed cables on Swap Mitt #1, way back about halfway down, on the plane, I guess I wasn't paying enough attention. I've gone on to get most of #2 done (correctly) while in the waiting room yesterday and after a little time out will rip #1 to the offending area and knit it back up again.

And, lastly, some people talk on their cellphones in the waiting room, loudly enough for, um, all the rest of us to hear, about really entertaining, but wildly inappropriate topics. Like her cheating husband, and how he's acting like he's all mad at her, and she "accidentally" erased 5,000 of his emails including the ones from "that woman", and now he is in surgery for a badly messed up knee. I think maybe it's karma, or something.

At least it's warmer than Siberia

2008-02-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

I'm off to Sarasota tomorrow to assist my Dad through a second carotid artery surgery. I've got lots of little knitting projects packed, a three hour layover in Charlotte that should mean some progress on my swap mitts, and I know where all the yarn shops are.

But, and you knew there was a but coming, Dad has dial-up. So, my internet access will be limited for the next ten days unless he feels up to my escaping to the free wi-fi at Panera Bread.

So, since I don't expect to update for WIP Wednesday, I'll leave you with a few snips of progress.

My swap pal's mitts, in B&W to protect the innocent. You can see the first mitt on the right that was abandoned for a too tight cuff. The new cuffs are much more comfortable.

Just right! At last

And a sock that I've been knitting for, I don't know, three days and this is where I am. I've started three different stitch patterns, in two needle sizes and finally know what I want to do. But, I'd frogged a row too far, and the stitch count was off, and well, you get the idea.

The STR lightweight in Mustang Sally is really pretty though!

The very beginning of a mini-size Leaf Lace Shawl as a sample swatch for Lace Class.

Periwinkle is my favorite color

And, for Project Spectrum, Madeline Tosh merino handspun in Ring of Fire. I'm giving the Harlot's One Row Scarf a try. Easy peasy.

And bright!

I'll try to check in when I can.
Happy Knitting and Spinning!

Knit Squared plus Purl Squared equals Hypoteneuse

2008-02-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

Time spent waiting plus a straightforward geometric lace pattern equals a completed Hypoteneuse Wrap. Talented Anne Hansen at Knitspot created this pattern as “man lace”, and it is a clean and un-frilly design that a man would wear as a scarf. Yet it is also simple and elegant enough that it makes a lovely and warm stole.

I’ve knit the larger size with Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in the Black which has a subtle blue-black cast to it. Though the yarn is slightly tweedy with tiny silky slubs, it knits up smoothly with good stitch definition. After a soak, the Silky Wool softened and blocked out very well. The yarn and knitted fabric have a light, dry, cottony feel, yet the wrap is quite warm. The fabric is sturdy enough that it will make a perfect everyday or travel wrap.

The pattern is intuitive and easily memorized, which made it perfect for travel and social knitting. The wrap can be made any size by adding or subtracting repeats in width and length. I think it would look great knitted in pretty much anything from laceweight to bulky handspun.

This was an immensely enjoyable project. I loved the pattern, yarn, and process, and the finished product is just what I wanted it to be!

Details:
Pattern: Hypoteneuse Scarf or Shawl, from Knitspot, purchase it on the website
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool (65% wool/35% silk) in Black
Needles: US6/4mm KnitPicks Options circulars
Gauge: 4 stitches/inch blocked in stockinette
Started: 8/29/2007
Completed: 2/2/2008
Finished Size: 21” x 78”, though I could have blocked it longer.

WIP Wednesday – February 6, 2008

2008-02-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

I’ve tried to concentrate on knitting and fiber here, keep it light hearted, and amuse you with my trials and triumphs. But last week was spent at the bedside of my terminally ill father-in-law. Next week I’ll fly to Florida to help out my own father through his second surgery for carotid artery blockage.

So, it may seem like WIP Wednesday would be a low priority, but I’m home for a week, and wanted to share a few good things from the past two weeks, since Knitting was a good thing for me. Knitting helped pass the time, helped busy the fingers, and quiet the mind just a little. Reading a few knitting blogs in the evenings helped remind me of and re-ground me in the normal world that was going on everywhere else. I am very grateful for kind thoughts and prayers sent our way in comments and emails.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

FO’s:
MadTini Socks! Done and mailed to my sister.
Hypoteneuse Stole! This wonderful wrap will get its own post in a day or so after it’s blocked.
Sock Class Sample Sock! Done and going to the LYS today.

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Swap Mittens: No More Humdrum Mittens Swap 2
Status: Believe it or not, I’ve knit the corrugated rib cuff AGAIN! Even with the votes of confidence at SnB last week, I just knew the cuff was too tight, too unstretchy. So, I’ve knit it again, still on US2.5’s (Addi Turbos) but so loosely that now at least the cuff will fit over the wearer’s hand.

Details: Fingerless mitts, Louet Gems Pearl, corrugated rib cuff, cabled back of the hand, thumb gusset. The cable is intricate enough that it requires keeping the chart handy, and needs more than casual attention. Good for my long layover in Charlotte?

Goal: Continue Mitt One. Start ribbing on Mitt Two.

Learn to Knit Socks: Sock Classes will be on Sunday February 24 and March 9 at The Needle Lady.
Status: Sample sock is done!

ArtYarns Supermerino, worsted weight

Goal: Finish writing up the instructions/pattern for class.

Learn to Knit Lace: Lace Classes will be on Tuesday February 26 and March 11 at TNL.
Status: The plan is to knit mini Leaf Lace Shawls in three weights as samples of the leaf lace pattern. I’ve cast on for a DK weight sample, and will also knit one in fingering weight and lace weight yarns.

Goal: Continue mini-shawls, maybe as travel knitting, and write up class notes.

WIP’s On Hold:

Bird in Hand: Kate Gilbert’s pretty stranded mittens pattern, knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca.
Status: On Hold until I get class prep knitting and my swap mittens done.

Sea Fever Cardi: Simple gansey cardigan, knit with Berroco Ultra Alpaca in the heathery lilac color
Status: On Hold until things quiet down.

Felted Tote:
Status: Knit a few rows last night as it was the only mindless knitting around. I’ll still knit a bit when I can, but, find that knitting with this heavy worsted aggravates my arm.

Startitis Alert:
Too much going on to seriously consider big lace right now, so I’ve dodged that bullet. I’m looking for low-challenge travel and waiting around knitting for next week.

Red!

Right now, I have my eye on some stashed Lightweight STR in Mustang Sally that is perfect for Project Spectrum’s current elemental theme of Fire. Then there’s also the fiery handspun merino that wants to be a simple scarf. Too hot for Florida knitting though. That one will have to wait ‘til I get home.

WIP Wednesday - On Hold

2008-01-30T17:16:00.000-05:00

Life as well as WIP Wednesday are on hold at the moment as we remain out of town at my father-in-law's bedside. It's worth remembering that there are moments of humor and hope to be found in even the most trying situations. But, sometimes you have to look harder than others.

First Blogiversary!

2008-01-27T16:38:00.000-05:00

Monday is my First Blogiversary! Since we will be in transit most of the day I wanted to get this up early rather than late. You see, I didn’t really imagine, or think through the long term aspects of knit blogging. Honestly, I just jumped in one day, thinking it would help me get the stash under control, and document my projects better, and make me think and learn and write more about my knitting. It was all about me!

Who knew that, a year later, I would still be here. But why? Knitting blogs have given me lots of inspiration, information and laughs, and even provoked a lot of thought. At the end of my first year of blogging, I hope I am providing some of that for you. If I can inform, motivate and empower through writing about and showing you my knitting and spinning, successes and struggles, then this is worth it.

Because, the most amazing thing about this year is to have made such good blog friends. Now, it’s all about you!

So, Thank You! For visiting the blog, for commenting, for encouraging me, and for being patient through the dry spells.

Happy New Year!

And, I'll leave you with a wintry Chesapeake Bay beach. Wouldn't you love to have some yarn or fiber dyed in this colorway?

Aarons Beach, Mathews County, VA

FO – Be Glad and Rejoice, for the MadTini Socks are Done!

2008-01-26T09:17:00.000-05:00

First a quick Saturday Sky

Clearing sky

Why is it so hard to finish the Second Sock?

DONE! Fini! Buh-bye!

What I didn’t tell you before is that I promised and pinky swore to myself that I could not, would not start another sock until I finished this one. Despite my well documented Startitis, I have been good. And I’ve been trying to figure out what it is about this sock that made me avoid it. So, ideally, I can avoid whatever that is in the future.

It’s NOT the pattern. Mad-Tini is now available for download from the designer’s website (or see it on Ravelry). The Oblique Rib to start the cuff and Oblique Spiral for the leg and foot have a nice texture, work well with a variegated yarn (since the slip stitches break up pooling a bit), and the repeat is easy peasy and knits up quickly. I did modify the pattern to knit in sock weight rather than sport weight, by simply adding a multiple of 8 stitches.

Portrait of socks off the needles

Now, we’re getting closer to the problem, um opportunity. No, problem. It’s the yarn. I do not enjoy knitting with Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock. Not in a boat, not with a goat, I do not like it Sam I Am. This is purely my preference. It’s a lovely yarn, many knitters love it, it comes in lots of colors. I just, find it, well, stringy. I remember now I thought the same thing knitting those Jaywalkers last Spring.

Anyway, I’m glad they are done! They will be sent off to my sister in Seattle and I hope she’ll like the colors, I know I do. All in all, I’d knit these again, with the sportweight called for in the pattern.

Details:

Pattern: MadTini Socks, Pattern from Sock Madness 2007, by Karin Bole

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, in Spruce

Needles: US 0 / 2.0mm Addi Turbo circs

Gauge: 8.5spi

Started: 3/27/2007

Completed: 1/25/2008

Finished Size: Womens US 10

WIP Wednesday – 2008/01/23

2008-01-22T19:37:00.000-05:00

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

MadTini Sock Two: Pattern from Sock Madness, knit in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock.

Status: Didn’t finish, but I’m more than halfway down the foot, and will get a bunch done at SnB tonight!

I think I can, I think I can, I know I can

Goal: Finish and send to my sister C. Seriously! Get. Them. Done!

Hypoteneuse Stole: From Knitspot, knit in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool.

Status: Still at repeat 13.5 of 18. I didn’t knit a single stitch on this while traveling, in favor of The Sock.

Goal: Same as last week. Get back to work on this wrap and make some progress this week.

(However, I did spin a some hand-dyed merino from Madeline Tosh that my friend Krista brought me from Texas. I know we’ve had enough of spinning this week, so I’m just sort of sneaking this in here.

Click for bigger and more details

It’s 3.5oz, ~140yds of aran to chunky weight, 2-ply, enough for a hat or a small scarf.)

Swap Mittens: No More Humdrum Mittens Swap 2

Status: After a couple or three false starts, I think I have a plan. And I spent a LOT of time charting and figuring for these. My pal wants fingerless mitts, lightweight for in the house, or under big gloves outside. So, I’m going with fingering weight Louet Gems Pearl. The pattern is my own and it’s knit with a corrugated rib cuff, cabled back of the hand, and thumb gusset. If this works out, I’ll put the pattern up later.

Really, the floats are looser than they look

Goal: Take these to SnB and have others try on to see if the cuff really is too tight. Finish Mitt One? Start ribbing on Mitt Two.

Learn to Knit Socks Class: Sock Classes are scheduled for Sunday February 24 and March 9 at The Needle Lady.

Status: We’ll knit a basic, worsted weight, top-down, flap-heel, grafted toe sock, using Ann Budd’s Getting Started Knitting Socks as a reference, and I’ll be writing up a simple store pattern (once I knit my sample sock!) Based on a conversation at the shop on Sunday, I’m going to ask Mimi about scheduling a beyond-the-basics sock class, for knitters who want to try toe-up, short-row heels, or just want a little support working some patterning into their socks.

Goal: Start knitting a worsted weight sock and drafting a basic sock pattern.

Lace Knitting Class: Lace Classes are scheduled for Tuesday February 26 and March 11 at The Needle Lady.

Status: A second session of Beginner Lace, this time using Evelyn Clark’s Leaf Lace Shawl as the class project. So, I need to actually knit a small sample of the shawl

Goal: Start a mini-Leaf Lace Shawl as a sample for the shop, and write up a few notes.

Bird in Hand: Kate Gilbert’s pretty stranded mittens pattern, knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

Status: First mitten started and halfway up the thumb gusset. I’m going to have to move these to the On Hold section until I get class prep knitting and my swap mittens done.

WIP’s On Hold (but not In Time Out):

Sea Fever Cardi: Simple gansey pattern cardigan, knit with Berroco Ultra Alpaca in the heathery lilac color

Status: On Hold until things quiet down.

Felted Tote:

Status: From the long-term UFO pile, and begging to be finished. All the outside pockets are knit, the base is done, and sides (in-the-round) are at about 4.5 of about 18”.

Goal: Knit a bit when I can.

Startitis Alert:

Amazingly, I have not cast on for any lace shawls or stoles despite the ongoing mystery group for the Spring Surprise and Secret of the Stole 2.

Goldilocks and the Four Mitts

2008-01-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, Goldilocks was matched up with her mitten swap partner, and the partner said they might like to have some *fingerless* mitts. So, one day while the three bears were out gathering nuts and berries in the woods (because, you know how distracting it is when you are trying to knit a charted pattern and bears keep asking you what’s for dinner), Goldilocks sat down to plan out what sort of non-humdrum mitts she would knit for her pal.

She thought that maybe she should include some wristwarmers too, since her pal wasn’t getting a full mitten. And she wondered for a long time what color the mitts should be, since her pal hates the colors she likes, and loves the colors she has, um, issues with. Goldilocks looked through many many patterns for mitts and for the legs of socks, and the Harmony Guides, and the Walker Treasuries. Her pal liked cables you see, and colorwork too.

Goldilocks saw a cute twisted cable on a sock pattern, and went to Excel to chart it all out with the right stitch count for a wristie.

Then she pulled some chocolatey brown Regia Silk sock yarn out of the stash. And she began to knit, and add beads, and knit. “Oh My!” she cried, “These wristies are already beginning to fuzz and pill! And you can’t see the gansey pattern, and ~~oh crap,~~ where’s the Gems Pearl.”

Nice and soft, but already fuzzing

So, Goldilocks went back to the stash for some Louet Gems fingering weight in a nice dark chocolate color, and started to knit, again. And she realized she still couldn’t see the little gansey diamond in the dark yarn, and the beads were awfully futzy, and it was late, and she was tired. So, the chart was reworked to have just the nice traveling stitch cables, and she knit on. “Oh My!” she cried, “These wristies are too small!” And then she said “Unless her wrists are very thin, and well, I would wear them, and ~~oh crap~~, I think I’ll start the mitts instead.”

Even though she was getting a lot of good help, they were Too Small

Goldilocks went to visit her friends at the yarn shop (Hi Elizabeth and Kathleen) and just couldn’t decide. The solids were too solid, and the variegated yarns wouldn’t show the cables on the mitts, and she didn’t know what to do. Some variegated Diakieto would make perfect simple wristies, but was that too much of one of the forbidden colors in the mix? Here’s some pretty Ultra Alpaca Light in Redwood Mix, an approved color, and a few more skeins of Gems Pearl are always good to have in the stash. And she went home to start the mittens.

Using the pretty deep redwood Ultra Alpaca, but on US1.5’s to get a smaller gauge, Goldilocks cast on and knit some ribbing, then looked at her knitting and was exasperated. “Oh My!” she cried, “These wristies are going to be too big!” And then she said “~~crap, crap, crap~~”

They would fit Mr Goldilocks

And then Goldilocks looked at the too tight wristie in dark brown Caribou Pearl, and the new skein of Citrus Orange Pearl, and the pretty light green Willow Pearl, and she re-worked the chart, again, and she cast on for a corrugated ribbing. And she stayed up way too late knitting since her husband was out of town and she lost track of time.

And she wondered if the cuff was going to be too tight again because what they say about corrugated ribbing is really true and it doesn’t stretch nearly as much as regular ribbing because the strands aren’t as long as the loop of a stitch.

“Oh My!” she cried, (well she might have said something else since she worked in construction for fifteen years and has heard a thing or two) “The cuff of this mitt is going to be too small!” And the colors of the ribbing should be reversed so the knit ribs flow into the cables, and they could be a little longer. And she went to bed.

Too Small, Again

In the morning, I Goldilocks got out her US2’s (Addis, so they are 3.0mm not 2.75) and her three colors of Pearl, and she cast on, again, and she knit, again, and she tinked, and she fiddled with the chart, and she knit, and started the thumb gusset, and the chart, knit, etc.

This one is Just Right, or as close as I'm going to get

Even going up a needle size, and about as far as Goldilocks would go with the fingering weight yarn since she is a very loose knitter, the cuff is still snug. A little hard to get over the hand, but OK once it’s on, but her pal’s hand is a little smaller. But the cables look pretty and Goldilocks wanted to show you the stranding on the inside.

Keep your floats LOOSE!

And Goldilocks knit happily ever after.

THE END

PS:

1. I have only good things to say about the Louet Gems Fingering Weight! Note, old labels may still say Gems Pearl. The range of colors is great and it’s not too expensive. The yarn has a nice firm but not too tight twist, it’s not splitty, and it has endured quite a bit (OK, a lot) of tinking and re-working as I sort out the details in creating this pattern. The label says machine wash cold and 15 minutes in the dryer then lay flat to finish.

2. Remember corrugated ribbing isn’t stretchy when you plan your needle size and stitch count!

3. Ditto for cables and twisted stitches.

More on Spinning Luxury Fibers, but tomorrow, Mitts!

2008-01-21T17:34:00.000-05:00

More spinning today! Sorry Knitters. Come back tomorrow to find out how many tries it took to get going on these swap mitts I’m designing.

But, knowing that there ARE spinners among my readers, it occurred to me that in my post on the experience of the Folk School, I didn’t say much that was specific about the fibers, preps, and spinning we did. Rather than try to be exhaustive (and perhaps exhaust your patience), let me share a few things now. Other details of what we learned will probably surface as I spin various projects in the future. It’s photo and link heavy today, I apologize sincerely if you are on dial-up. Remember to click any of the photos for larger images and a few notes. Also, since I didn't put any dimes in the photos, I'll tell you all the samples are lace to fingering weight, except the slubby blue mohair and faux boucle.

Suri alpacas get much dirtier than Huacayas. Both have fine, soft, smooth fiber – the Huacaya with a little more crimp, while the Suri has longer very slightly curled locks with a more slippery feel. The Suri locks seem to lock in whatever they rolled in, and a wash is really desirable before spinning. In contrast, we happily span Huacaya unwashed with just a quick hand-card to open the fibers. Because both are so smooth compared to many sheep wools, more twist is needed to form a cohesive single, but much of the extra twist can be balanced in the plying. Blended with a crimpy wool, as in the purple sample, the Huacaya can be spun with much less twist.

Loved spinning the Huacaya, lightly carded

The Huacaya span easily to a smooth, high twist-per-inch yet still supple, laceweight, as did the Suri, though it wanted a little more twist. The higher twist needed by the Suri made it an ideal partner to ply with tightly spun tussah silk singles.

The silk has a great sheen with the matte hand-dyed suri alpaca

Later, we started with silk hankies, spun somewhat loosely “S” (spin it in the typical plying direction), Suri combed top spun moderately tightly “Z” (the usual spinning direction), and plied them “S” with more tension on the silk than the Suri. The silk twist tightens up nicely while the Suri loops and bumps out a bit, forming a mini-boucle.

Now’s probably the time for me to backtrack and say that my default spinning is a short draw, sort of a hybrid forward/backward, and I tend to spin thin. So, that’s my starting point. For the first day or so, Patsy pretty much just sat us down and told us to spin, suggesting more or less twist. But she didn’t mandate forward, backward, short or long draw, leaving each of us in our comfort zone. At the beginning! I did ask Patsy to give me some pointers, and worked on my long draw during evening free spinning time. What I’ve realized is that, though I still want to practice my long-draw, the yarns I prefer to use, and the desired yarn for most of the things I prefer and am likely to knit with my handspun (lace, socks, someday a sweater), are smooth, worsted or semi-worsted, plied yarns. That’s just me. In the course of the workshop, I’ve learned techniques that I hope to use to make smaller quantities of textured, different, and out-of-the-comfort-zone yarns for accents, or small projects.

French angora bunnies are very fuzzy. And soft. And the only thing that sticks to your clothing more is cut silk when you are hand carding it together with your bunny. After sanding dowels to be used as puni sticks, we hand carded the plucked angora, then rolled it into punis. The fine fibers were spun quite easily to a thin laceweight. The bottom sample is plied on itself, the top sample is plied with ordinary sewing thread then cable-plied.

Yes, the taupe ply is sewing thread, and that IS 4-ply

Remember that Llama-Llama-Duck song? No, for the sake of our sanity I won't link to it. Well, imagine the logistics of a mating between a Llama and an Angora bunny. Llamora. Me neither. Hand-carding can accomplish what Nature cannot. A higher percentage of llama made a smoother yarn, but more angora gave a nice tweedy effect.

Llama, Llama, Bunny

Take some kid mohair locks and card them. Spin ‘em up slubby (spread out the drafting zone and pull some extra fiber forward into the twist). Ply on itself, or with some smooth thin wool singles, or get some thread. I don’t even like thick/thin yarns, but this was just so much fun to make!

Goats just want to have fuh-un

Next, spin some mohair top, not too thin, and with a moderate twist, so it won’t drift apart in the plying. Get a spool of Woolly Nylon serger thread (it’s fuzzy stretchy nylon sewing thread, knitters can use it to reinforce sock heels). Ply keeping the thread very taut and the mohair very lightly tensioned. Give it a soak, and after it dries, when the stretchy thread draws in it pulls loops in the mohair, for a more textured faux boucle.

Good golly, where's my Dippity-Do

Next we experimented with commercially prepared camel down combed top to see if we each liked it better spinning the fiber as is, or after a light hand carding. Since, as you know, I like my worsted-spun yarn, I preferred the combed top, but others found the fiber much easier to spin after loosening it up by carding. The top sample is a hand-carded blend of camel top with cut silk, less silk than camel. I don’t know if you can see the sheen in the photo, but it gave the camel a lighter look and smooth hand.

Bactrian Camel, the one with two humps

What could be better than Cashmere? Maybe cashmere blended with silk? We sampled two types of commercially prepared cashmere. First the light gray is cashmere cloud, a loose, soft, downy fluff of fiber. Given the short staple length, the cloud can be spun with a high twist, just as it is, or lightly carded and rolled into punis for a little more control. The center sample is cashmere top, hand carded with some more of the cut silk. The silk smooths and gives an almost dry crisp hand to the very soft cashmere. Again, both the cut silk and cashmere are very short and need a good bit of twist, which balances out in the plying.

Soft, Softer, Softest

An exotic fiber that we’re starting to hear more about is NZ possum, a fur-bearing distant cousin to our scraggly Virginia oppossums. The fiber is quite short in some cases, though I have some commercially prepared possum that is half-again as long as the fiber Patsy obtained from her hosts on a visit to NZ. In any event, after hand carding the shorn fur, it took a high twist on it’s own, but was easier to spin and ply when blended with either cashmere or silk. The sample has one ply of each blend. Commercially available possum may also be blended with fine wool, which would certainly be easier to manage. Our samples were lightly hand-felted to stabilize the finished yarn and bring out the distinctive halo.

Lastly, alphabetically and otherwise, Yak. The yak down we tried was very very short. It spun easily enough, both on its own and blended with silk. But I failed to put in enough twist, which I only found out when I tried to ply and it kept drifting apart with the slightest tension from the lazy kate. The blend with silk was better than the straight down. So, give yak down a LOT of twist.

Needs twist

And there you have it. We didn’t get to sample qiviut in class, though I’m “this” close to ordering some roving from the University of Alaska’s musk ox farm. Want to see a baby musk ox? Patsy also hadn’t gotten her samples of bison for class. But I’ve just received the latest Wooly Wonka exotic fiber installment, with a lovely 2oz of bison, and I’ll let you know how that spins up.

After all that exotic, luxurious-ness, what’s on my wheel? Wool. Madeline Tosh hand-dyed merino in the Ring of Fire colorway, and I’m spinning for a funky chunky weight 2-ply.

And the flames went higher

Yarn Shops as Diversion

2008-01-21T12:46:00.000-05:00

Or, I’d really rather be anywhere other than the Atlanta Airport

Stash Enhancement, click for bigger and notes on my haul

At the close of a week of spinning at the Folk School, I had to leave campus at 10AM, but my plane from Atlanta wasn’t until 9PM. What to do? Sit around the airport? Well, I decided to visit yarn shops instead. A shock, I know!

Armed with directions, maps, and instructions from Atlanta spinner/knitters Lydia and Gale, I made my way down from the mountains and into town. By now my camera battery was down for the count, so please visit the shops’ websites for photos to go along with my words.

Yarn Circle, Murphy, NC

Small, in size but big on interesting yarns, along with spinning and weaving fibers, equipment, and supplies. The shop is just a few miles from the JCC, though owner Martha Owens (resident artist at JCC in dyeing, spinning, and knitting) says the shop will be moving to a location closer to the school soon. The shop is arranged generally by color, which gives it a pretty look, and carries an interesting selection of mostly natural fibers, including some locally produced hand-dyed and/or hand-spun yarns. The shop has a friendly Monday Knit Night, and several of the spinning class visited for shopping and knitting.

Yarn Circle also carries spinning wheels, carding equipment, spinning fibers, a few drop spindles, and both natural and chemical dyes. For the weavers, there are coned yarns in various fibers as well as looms, and small pieces and parts. I came away with about half pound of superwash merino mill-ends in two colors from Jaggerspun that will go in the mitten queue, as well as a nice little bit of merino-cashmere top, two balls of Jamieson & Smith jumper-weight that I'm collecting until I have enough for a project, and a small book of charts of Finnish stranded knitting motifs.

The Whole Nine Yarns, Woodstock, GA

Set in the center of a charming small town in the northwest outskirts of Atlanta, The Whole Nine Yarns is a lovely, bright, welcoming shop. First though, after a drive out of the foggy mountains, I had a delicious lunch across Main Street at the Old Towne Café (Robin and Mary, I had a mixed greens salad with grilled salmon, almonds, and citrus vinaigrette). There was an entrelac sock class in progress when I arrived which looked like fun, and a couple of knitters relaxing and knitting in the large seating area. There’s a wonderful selection of both basic and luxury yarns, lots of alpaca, and silks, some Rowan, Debbie Bliss, ArtYarns, Malabrigo, some sock yarn and baby yarn, and lots more. There was a teeny bit of spinning fiber, though I suspect more of it gets felted than spun. The damage, Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn (yeah, I know, sock yarn stash the size of a Volkswagon, but wouldn’t you?), which is as rough and thick-thin as you’ve heard, and some Alpaca with a Twist baby alpaca top in a silvery off-white.

Knitch, Atlanta, GA

Continuing down I-75, into Atlanta, winding over to Virginia Highland, down a side street, and up the alley, one finally finds the shop Knitch. Wow, it’s worth the effort! This is luxury yarn Mecca. Cashmere, silk, merino, mohair, cotton. Lots of Rowan, ArtYarns, indie spinners and dyers, Sublime, Be Sweet, Manos, Noro. The upstairs has a nice large space for classes including a great wet area for dyeing workshops. There’s lots more yarn, many many colors of Cascade 220, a selection of luxury rovings and tops, along with a number of colors of Louet Northern Lights and Ashland Bay rovings. I’d spent the week spinning with classmate Gale Evans of Gale’s Art fibers, who dyes the most lovely bright merino and BFL rovings (I think the Black BFL is especially nice with its more smoky subtle look). Even though I’d already succumbed to her roving charms at JCC, I confess to bringing home one more hank of BFL roving dyed a gorgeous semi-solid Leaf Green, some matching Firestar to add a little bit of sparkle, a few ounces of lustrous undyed Wensleydale top, and how in the world did that other skein of Noro sock yarn get in there?

There’s a great big table downstairs for sitting and knitting, coffee and ice water on hand, and with a few more hours before flight time, I made myself at home for a little while.

Spinning Lavish Luxury Yarns at the Campbell Folk School

2008-01-20T11:20:00.000-05:00

In honor of NaSpiMoMo, though I won’t exactly be showing you much spinning today, I’ll be talking about it. Because, last week I had enough spinning to qualify for a month’s worth. Knitters, I used to think spinning posts were boring too. It won’t hurt my feelings if you want to come back later.

That's a mess o' spinnin' wheels

I’ve been struggling with how to write about my week at the John C. Campbell Folk School, which is why it’s taken so long. So, I started jotting down random notes and thoughts, and that’s how this was written – as impressions, fragments, and bits. And it's gotten long.

The School

The week was amazing, wonderful, inspiring, useful, informative, rewarding, and more, but in an experiential more than quantifiable sort of way. The experience was almost overwhelming, but that’s a good thing. The last couple of days, it’s not that we didn’t want to go home, but no one wanted it to end. And I would love to go back for another workshop. It’s worth mentioning that I attended an Advanced Week, so all classes were intermediate to advanced level. The level of interest and commitment among all students and instructors was very high, and it was so energizing to hear what everyone else was working on and excited about.

Sunset on the mountains

Located in Brasstown, in very western North Carolina, the School is about a two hour drive from Asheville, or Atlanta, or Chatanooga. (The Hub was going to drive me down then visit clients and friends for the week, but there’s so much going on with family and work that instead I flew to Atlanta and drove up). It is a beautiful rural setting, with Blue Ridge mountains in the distance, and the campus sits in an open valley that rolls through woods and fields, down to a creek. The numerous buildings that house the School’s operations range from simple and rustic to new and well-designed for their function. For early January, we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Yes, there were chilly frosty nights and some rain, but mostly we had clear warm sunny days and mild evenings. Which made walking from my room to the main lodge to the dining hall to the classroom quite pleasant.

The food was wonderful, fresh, and mostly homemade. The bread, Oh! the bread was fabulous. Served family-style in the dining room with its high ceilings and windows all around, meal times were some of the highlights of each day. You never know who you’ll be sitting with, or what they might do in “real life”. If you want hilarity, sit with the Blacksmiths, those guys are nuts. Be ready for bad jokes and flirting!

Housing ranges from dormitory style rooms to double rooms with a private bath. When space permits one may pay an upcharge for a single room, though it may still have a shared bath. I was in the Hubbell house, which is newer, and it was quite comfortable. Rooms have no telephone or TV, but if you really need a fix, and bring a laptop, there is wireless broadband in the library of the Keith House.

Spinning!

It was a true escape from the rest of the world, and to tell the truth, other than going to knit night at Yarn Circle, I didn’t even leave the campus. It was full immersion spinning, and in addition to the 30+ hours of class time, I spent almost every waking moment in the spinning studio, even skipping the other crafts demos and contra dance. On my next trip, I’ll get out more.

Click for big, and check the notes for all the fiber types

I don’t have much product to show for my week, just a collection of lots of sample skeins and control fiber and yarn in my notebook, although many things were tried and learned. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have had a workshop like this so early in my spinning career. It wasn’t so much about drafting, or woolen vs worsted, or which hand is where. It was more about the process of trying new fibers and techniques, and where they can take you.

Fiber mustaches and control yarns

We were so busy spinning, and watching, and asking, and doing that I barely had time to take notes much less remember to get the camera out. And that’s my excuse for not having many photos, but honestly did you really want to see photos of us sitting and spinning? Or dirty goat hair? Or wondering as we waved around our hand combs what TSA would say if they were in our carry-on bag? OK, Well, click HERE for a small set of photos on Flickr that you can view as a slideshow.

Patsy Zawistoski, our instructor, has more than earned her nickname Most-Excellent Hand-Spinning Guru.Calm! In addition to knowing a whole lot about spinning, she is funny, easy-going, engaging, and can set an exceptionally fast pace for a week-long workshop. We worked with luxury fibers from alpaca to yak. Seriously, angora, huacaya and suri alpaca, camel, cashmere, llama, mohair, possum (no not our opossum, NZ brushtail possum), silk, and yak. We used some commercially prepared roving and top. But we also picked, washed, dyed, carded, blended, and combed. We plied with thread, woolly nylon, wool, and beads. We made faux boucle, slubby yarn, cabled yarn, thick yarn, and thin yarn.

There IS a story that goes with why her shrug is on her head

Our class had so much fun together, and really got along well. What a great group we had, all women, ranging in age from 20’s to 60’s, professional, non-traditional careers, retired, and just starting out. New spinners, veterans, skilled and unskilled, even several with goals of producing handspun to sell.

Davidson Hall

Spinning and Dyeing classes are held in the “Wet Room” on the ground floor of Davidson Hall. Cooking classes are held next door, and too bad nothing was scheduled during our week! The large room has wonderful natural light, long expanses of countertop, cabinets full of tools and equipment, three stoves, four sinks, washer/dryer, many tables, a full complement of stainless steel pots for dyeing and soaking, clotheslines, and ample room for a baker’s dozen spinners and all their gear.

Mohair in a "scouring dyepot" - wash it and dye it in one lazy step!

The School has a broad range of equipment available for student use – many and varied spinning wheels, hand cards and combs, drum carders, swifts, etc. About the only negative comment I have is that much of the equipment (our instructor called them orphans) was in need of more TLC than it has been getting – cleaning, oiling, minor repairs. In addition to bringing my Lendrum Folding Wheel, I spent time spinning on the School’s Majacraft Suzie and Kromski Polonaise, as well as a classmate’s Ashford Traditional. I like Saxony wheels more than I thought. For those that are curious, class participants’ wheels included four Traditionals, five Lendrums, one Schacht Matchless, one Polonaise, one Joy, two Louets (not Victoria).

Our efforts with the drum carders

At the end of our week, all the School’s students gathered for a closing ceremony and Show and Tell in the big meeting room of Keith House. Ours was one of the largest classes that week, and though I said we didn’t make much product, it sure looked like we’d been busy when we set everyone’s samples out.

Show and Tell

*Fiber Enabling Alert* For some beautifully hand-dyed BFL, merino, and Firestar rovings, go check out classmate Gale Evans’ new Etsy shop Gale’s Art, though, really, the photos don’t do her pretty rovings justice. Gale brought some samples with her to class, and she didn’t take any home as we snapped them up, and sent her back to her studio with orders for more! All the colorways can be dyed in merino or BFL. Though my favorite, if she still has the fiber, is Black BFL which gives each of the colorways a darker and deep smoky subtle look. PM her on Etsy to ask about semi-solids too, since I bought a gorgeous Leaf Green of hers at Knitch before I got to the airport. But, that’s another post.

WIP Wednesday – 2008/01/16

2008-01-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Dancing Crayons Poncho:
Status: It’s Done!
But, here’s my confession of Boneheaded Knitting Maneuver #1.

This project was on hold for a Loooooong time. All the various yarns and the pattern and the needles in their package were in a large tote bag. ~~Taunting me from under the work table that I couldn’t just~~ Waiting patiently for me to decide to add another square or just sew the buttons on and be done.

So, when I went back to work on this project a couple of weeks ago, I pulled out the needles from their package labeled US9 and picked up/cast on the last square and knit away (you know where this is going, right?) for thirty rows or so. Then I thought, Man, I sure seem to be knitting a lot tighter than I used to, and Gee this square seems to be pulling in a little more than the others. Because the needles in the package were US7. Argh.

My shame, here on the blog for all to see

I’m ordinarily a Do It Right sort of knitter. But ripping and re-knitting those 2500 stitches was not on my agenda. So, I wet the offending stitches and blocked them hard overnight to see if I could get away with my laziness. Score: Laziness 1 – Offending Stitches 0. No one will ever know. You won’t tell will you?

Yes, in fact, the Xmas lites ARE still up on the deck

What have I learned? Check the needle size when you pull out an old UFO. Better yet, check the stupid needle size before you put it away in “its” package!

I’ve got some ends to weave in at SnB tonight to really and truly be Done. But, I’m wearing it now, it’s very warm and cozy, and perfect for our chilly house.

Unwoven ends, flapping in the breeze

Goal: Weave in ends, maybe steam block it.

Hypoteneuse Stole:
Status: Still at repeat 13.5 of 18. I didn’t knit a single stitch on this while traveling, in favor of The Sock.

Goal: Get back to work on Hypoteneuse and try to finish it this week.

MadTini Sock Two: Pattern from Sock Madness, knit in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock.
Status: Well, this turned out to be my travel knitting. I knit down the leg on the plane and during odd moments of free time, knit the heel flap (Eye of Partridge, pretty), turned the heel, decreased the gusset, and was several rounds into the foot (you know where this is going again, right?) when I pulled out Sock #1 and thought Man, I sure seem to be knitting a lot tighter, and Gee I can’t even get this sock on my foot! Yes, it’s Boneheaded Knitting Maneuver #2. I knit the heel of the second sock at a completely different gauge than the first.

MadTini Two, Gusset Take Two

This time I Did The Right Thing. So, sitting and knitting at Knitch, wiling away the hours before I really had to go to the Atlanta airport, I pulled the sock back to the heel turn, re-picked up the gusset and am most of the way back to where I was, but knitting at a civilized gauge this time.

Goal: Finish the foot and send to my sister C.

Bird in Hand: Kate Gilbert’s pretty stranded mittens, knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca. MMMmmm.

Status: First mitten started and halfway up the thumb gusset.

Goal: This might have to wait a while longer since these are for me and I need to get class prep knitting done, and my swap mittens.

Rambouillet: Spinning the second 2oz of fiber from Wooly Wonka to match the first 2oz spun in June.

Status: Done, plied, and twist set.

With Skein One, enough for some mittens

Swap Mittens: NEW!

Status: I’ve got my swap pal’s info and some special requests. A search will begin through the pattern archives, and my new copies of Lizbeth Upitis’ Latvian Mittens and Nancy Bush’s Folk Knitting in Estonia for inspiration.

Goal: Select a pattern, find the yarn (hopefully in stash), and get started.

Class Knitting: NEW!

Status: I’ve been asked to teach another round of Beginner Lace and Beginner Socks at The Needle Lady. Depending on the schedule for my Dad’s surgery (currently mid-Feb unless he postpones for a few months), and my trip to FL to assist him, I have a few weeks to pull this together. This time for Lace, we’ll use Evelyn Clark’s Leaf Lace Shawl as the class project. So, I need to actually knit a small sample of the shawl, and write up a few notes.

For the Sock class, Mimi wants me to knit up and write up a store pattern for a basic worsted weight sock. Again, I’ve got a few weeks, but just need to get started on this. Speaking of which, I’ll probably use Ann Budd’s Getting Started Knitting Socks as a reference, unless someone has a better suggestion for absolute beginners.

Goals: Start a mini-Leaf Lace Shawl as a sample for the shop. Start knitting a worsted weight sock and drafting a basic sock pattern.

WIP’s on Time Out:

Sea Fever Cardi: Simple gansey pattern cardigan, knit with Berroco Ultra Alpaca in the heathery lilac color

Status: On Hold until things quiet down.

Felted Tote:
Status: Another resurrection from the long-term UFO pile. I started this several years ago, found the heavy worsted weight yarn is hard on my wrists, and set it aside. But, I want to get it done and off the list, so, I’ll try to pick away at it. Currently I have all the outside pockets knit, the base done, and sides (in-the-round) at about 4.5 of about 18”.

Goal: Knit a bit when I can.

RIP:

Nothing new RIP’d this week.

Startitis Alert:

I’ve wound some Alpaca Fino, but am still resisting casting on for the Spring Surprice Shawl [sic]. I feel my resolve weakening however.

Re-Entry

2008-01-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

Hi All, I’m back! Well, I got back late Saturday night, have been under the weather since, and just haven’t had the brain power to post. I had a great time at the Campbell Folk School and will tell you about all our spinning adventures in a bit.

In the meantime, I’ve received some very pretty stitch markers in the Stitch Marker Exchange. First a set with a small soft loop, perfect for sock needles, from Betty

Malaysian jade

And from Taryn, with a larger loop (for all those sweaters in my queue)

Big and bright

Moving on to mittens, partner info has gone out for the No-More-Humdrum Mittens Swap 2! My partner has some preferences that could make this a very interesting pair of mitts! I don’t want to reveal too much until I select a pattern, but this should be fun, and I’m still considering whether I can use some handspun. Hmmm, diving into the pattern archives ….

Tomorrow, WIP Wednesday, and a confession.

Spinning: Last FO of 2007, First FO of 2008

2008-01-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

In honor of my imminent departure for a week of spinning at the Campbell Folk School, I bring you Romney and Rambo. You may not hear much from me until I return, blogging, commenting or email, depending on whether there’s internet access on the school campus.

Goblin Eyes:

Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club, October 2007, Romney, colorway - Goblin Eyes

Given that the Romney fiber is smooth and long-stapled but perhaps not quite soft enough for delicate next-to-skin projects, I decided to spin with medium-high tension for moderate twist in the singles and plied yarn. Something suitable for warm mittens or socks, but probably not a scarf or neck warmer. I was aiming for a sport to DK weight.

This fiber drafted easily, was very easy to spin, and didn’t require a high twist even spun somewhat thin. The roving came in two balls and I used one for each bobbin. I wanted to blend the colors, rather than have color blocks, so working in sections, I split each ball of roving in half lengthwise, and pre-drafted before spinning with a sort of combined forward/backward short draw.

The fiber spun up to a little over 350 yds, and has a nice drapey look, and a soft bouncy feel – in fact, softer than I was expecting. Hmmm, what to make with it? The colors did blend nicely, and might be husband-y enough for a nice scarf for him. Or maybe stick with my original thought of mittens. Something like Knitty’s Broad Street mitten/gloves, for my chilly fingers.

Details:

Fiber/Starting Weight: Romney / 3.8oz
Purchased from: Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club October 2007
Spun with: Lendrum DT
Whorl / Tension: 1^st bobbin – regular flyer smallest whorl 10:1 / medium-high , 2^nd bobbin – fast flyer largest whorl 12:1 / medium-high
Plies/Method: 2-ply / standard, tensioned lazy kate
WPI/Gauge/TPI: ~16 / Sport / 6-7
Yardage/Finished Wt: 354yds / 3.8oz-110g
Started: 12/25/2007
Completed: 12/30/2007

Rambouillet:

My next project on the wheel was the second 2oz of Rambouillet from Wooly Wonka Fibers. Spun with a goal of matching the first 2oz, spun some months ago, dyeing half, and knitting some more stranded mittens. Maybe for my No More Humdrum Mittens pal?

It’s plied, off the bobbin, washed and almost dry.

I promised Mary I’d get photos before and after wet finishing. I don’t really abuse the fiber, but do give it some vigorous dunks in warm-to-hot water, a soak, and about a dozen good thwacks on the bathroom tile wall before hanging to dry unweighted. Even though spun with quite a bit of twist, this is a fiber that really plumps up a lot with a soak anyway, but it really evened out more than the first skein which was just soaked and dried. Of course, maybe my spinning is more even than it was six months ago too. ;)

Unwashed

Washed, and for full disclosure, only about halfway dry. Otherwise, y’all wouldn’t see this for another week. This might not be the best fiber for this comparison either, since it was going to fluff up a lot anyway.

Washed and Fluffy

Details:

Fiber/Starting Weight: Rambouillet / 2.0oz
Purchased from: Wooly Wonka Fibers, Exotic Fibers Club
Spun with: Lendrum DT
Whorl / Tension: Fast Flyer largest whorl 12:1 / medium-high
Plies/Method: 2-ply / standard, tensioned lazy kate
WPI/Gauge/TPI: ~12 / DK / ~7
Yardage/Finished Wt: ~135yds / 1.8oz
Started: 1/1/2008
Completed: 1/5/2008

Stitch Marker Winter Swap

2008-01-04T18:12:00.000-05:00

I am usually a world-class procrastinator. But, since I'll be gone all next week, and the deadline to mail to our swap partners is January 15, I'm just so proud of myself for getting these in the mail today! Each pal got an extra, long marker with a clasp to clip on the knitting or use as a beginning of round marker. I also sent along enough leftover beads to make another half dozen markers for a larger set.

Green cat's-eye glass, pressed glass, amethyst, and seed beads on silver head pins

Czech pressed glass flowers, cubes, lampwork, and seed beads on silver head pins

Czech pressed glass, rose quartz, amethyst, and seed beads on silver wire

Handspun Husband Mitts

2008-01-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

No, I didn't spin the Husband.
This was my last knitting FO for 2007. Better photos will have to wait for said Husband to come home and model these for us though.

Mitts look funny without a hand in them, don't they?

This project was fun from start to finish. The moment I saw Anne’s lovely hand-dyed BFL from Wooly Wonka Fibers, I knew it would become mitts for the Husband. His radio room gets cold, but he needs nimble fingers for the morse code contests (I know, how big a geek does he sound like right now, but remember, some of the contests he operates from the Caribbean, so we think this is a very cool and manly hobby, ‘kay). The BFL spun up very nicely into a 2-ply heavy fingering/sport weight (290yds to 3.2oz). The finished yarn knits up to have subtle stripes, although no attempt was made to preserve color blocks in the spinning.

Faux cable detail

Details:

Pattern: Improvised and modified from AnnyPurls’ adaptation of Hello Yarn’s Cable Twist sock, using 64 stitches and a 6 stitch faux-cable

Yarn: My handspun Blue-Faced Leicester, from Wooly Wonka Fibers, colorway Willows, heavy fingering wt

Needles: Addi Turbo circs, US0 and US1

Gauge: 8-9 st/inch

Started: 11/21/2007

Completed: 12/30/2007

Finished Size: Man’s Large

WIP Wednesday – 2008/01/02

2008-01-02T17:27:00.000-05:00

WIP’s in Active Rotation:

Dancing Crayons Poncho: Please, please don’t laugh. Or, go ahead and laugh, I’m glad to provide some amusement. I started this project several years ago during the fifteen minutes ponchos were popular. (Now, I have very fond memories of teenage years and a poncho I used to have, with a pattern of llamas and Andean motifs. Loved that thing, but folks, that was the 1970’s.) Knit with a base of Montera plus a handful of “accent” yarns, it’s a wrap of large mitered squares that is meant to be worn as a shawl (it actually says “sassy shawlette”, yes I know, what was I thinking) or buttoned to form an asymmetrical poncho.

Status: I finished the knitting literally years ago and stopped at the point of selecting and sewing on buttons. Let’s see a show of hands, how many of us have stalled at the buttons?

My squares are a bit larger than the pattern’s, and consequently the fit is droopy and awkward. I’m lukewarm on the mix of nearly novelty yarns with the sturdy Montera, though, damn this thing is warm and my house is chilly. Still, I’ve felt the weight of this unfinished project on my conscience for far too long. So, I’ve ripped out the button band, and picked-up/cast-on for one more square that will make it a symmetrical, super-warm, around the house wrap.

Proof it's back on the needles

Goal: Before leaving for NC on Sunday, finish the new square and continue the attached i-cord around it. Weave in the rest of the ends. Wear in secret.

Hypoteneuse Stole: Simple, easy knitting, geometric lace, great for travel. Goes quickly in Silky Wool.

Status: At repeat 13.5 of 18.

It will be very cozy

Goal: This will be my travel knitting to NC and back.

MadTini Sock Two: Pattern from Sock Madness, knit in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock.

Status: The bane of my knitting existence. I have a mental block the size of a train car about these socks. I cannot tell you why because I do not know. Second Sock’s ribbing and 4.5 repeats of 8 on the leg done.

This was Sock One as a baby, Sock Two looks just like it

Goal: Finish the leg.

Bird in Hand: Kate Gilbert’s pretty stranded mittens, knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca. MMMmmm.

Status: First mitten started and halfway up the thumb gusset.

Back of hand and thumb gusset

Goal: Honestly, I don’t know whether I’ll have time to work on this in the next week or not. It’s fun, and an enjoyable knit. I’m not avoiding it, but I want to clear the old WIP’s first.

Rambouillet: Spinning the second 2oz of fiber from Wooly Wonka trying to match the first 2oz spun in June.

So, I’ll have enough for Mittens, Anne.

Status: Spun the first bobbin.

The skein I’m trying to match

Goal: Spin the second bobbin and ply before I leave for NC.

WIP’s on Time Out:

Sea Fever Cardigan: Simple gansey pattern cardigan, knit with Berroco Ultra Alpaca in the heathery lilac color Status: On Hold until things quiet down this month.

RIP:

Secret of the Stole: Ripped and reclaimed the yarn and beads.

Mystery Stole 3: Ripped and reclaimed the yarn and beads.

Tangled Yoke Cardi: Abandoned, though I may work the garter rib and cable pattern into the shaping of an EZ EPS.

Startitis Alert:

Resisting so far casting on for the Spring Surprice Shawl [sic].

PS: Format completely borrowed from How The West Was Spun.

January 2008 Knitting To-Do List

2008-01-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Send out beaded stitch markers for the Stitch Marker Exchange. Make them first.
Have a wonderful time at John C. Campbell Folk School, Spinning Lavish Luxury Yarns workshop. Learn lots.
See #2, should help with NaSpiMoMo (National Spin More Month!)
Knit a sock and write a simple store pattern for Sock Class at TNL in February.
Finish the dadgum Mad-Tini second sock and gift the pair to C.
Knit a small sample Leaf Lace Shawl and prep notes for Lace Class at TNL in February.
Knit Non-Humdrum Mittens for swap.
Start an EZ EPS. Probably a cardigan, figure out the yoke later.
Finish Hypoteneuse Stole.

Plus go to FL and take care of Dad after surgery #2, organize our corporate taxes, and have a birthday.

Better get busy.

No More Humdrum Mittens!

2008-01-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Anne, mitten enabler extraordinaire, I've signed up for the No-More-Humdrum Mittens Swap 2!

Here are my answers to the questionnaire:

How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?

The truth is, I don’t know. What I remember is that when I was about ten, we learned to knit a garter stitch square at school for a class afghan project. I learned to knit, forgot, and learned again a time or two or three. About every five years or so, I'd decide I wanted to knit something, knit it, then leave it alone again. I bought a copy of Knitting Without Tears, in the eighties sometime, and that was my main source of instruction for a long time. Since I came back to knitting about five or six years ago, I've taken lots of classes, including two trips to Stitches, but most things I figure out on my own.

Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I think I'll have to say advanced. I consider myself a collector of knitting techniques, though I've rarely knit entire projects with most of them.

What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?

Like: Purples, Blues, Greens, Reds, though not always all together. Also, greys, browns, black. Dislike: Orange. Perhaps it would have been easier to say I like most colors except orange and really bright yellow. I like rich colors (even if they are light) better than pale pastels.

Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?

I haven't knit any, though I do like the motifs, and color combinations.

Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?

For myself

What is the measurement from your wrist to the tip of your longest finger?

7-1/2"

What is the circumference of your hand at it's widest point?

7-5/8"

What other things do you enjoy knitting?

Lace and socks.

What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum)

Circs, Addi, Addi Lace, Options, Harmony.

What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?

I've got entrelac on my list of things to try that I haven't gotten around to yet.

What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?

Pygora. I've got some fiber and just need to spin it up!

What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?

Spinning, a little gardening, a little cooking, occasional beading

Besides yarn, do you collect anything?

Other than clutter and herds of dust bunnies, ummm, no.

What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?

Chocolate. I'm allergic to walnuts and cashews.

Do you have any kids? Pets?

Four grown step-kids. Three cats!

What is your favorite part of Winter?

Clear skies and bare lacy tree branches.

What is your least favorite part of Winter?

Freezing rain.

2007 R.I.P.

2007-12-31T19:36:00.000-05:00

Buh-bye

1. Secret of the Stole, 2. Mystery Stole 3, 3. Tangled Yoke Cardi

2007 Spinning FO’s

2007-12-31T18:08:00.000-05:00

I had my first spinning lesson in March 2007. Here are some skeins since then. Some of the most fun knitting this year has been with my own handspun yarn!

1. My First Tiny Skein, 2. Spinning Progress March 12, 3. Spinning March18,
4. Spinning March 19, 5. Spinning April 7, 6. Spinning April 26-1,
7. Spin April 26-2, 8. Kid Hollow mohair, 9. Spinning April 26-3,
10. Spinning April 26-4, 11. BFL Willow, 12. Inspiration,
13. Merino/Silk/Angora, 14. Corriedale Class skein, 15. Rambouillet,
16. Merino-Tencel, 17. Falkland Thundercloud, 18. Antigua BFL,
19. Cormo DK, 20. Chocalpaca, 21. Goblin Eyes

2007 Knitting FO’s

2007-12-31T17:58:00.000-05:00

For my first year-end as a blogger, here's a quick look back at some finished projects. There were a few items at the very beginning of the year that didn't get their picture taken. And knitting production was hampered by my falling down the spinning rabbit hole.

1. Annemor #4, 2. Husband Mitts, 3. Forest Canopy Shawl
4. Cleite Shawl, 5. Cherry Garcia and wristies, 6. Scarf with Weldons Border
7. Argosy Scarf, 8. Charade Socks, 9. Springgrass Socks
10. Amble Socks, 11. One Skein Shawl, 12. Wisteria Scarf
13. Jaywalkers, 14. Monkey Socks, 15. Mad Cow Socks
16. Forever Husband Socks, 17. LacyLeaves Pi, 18. Swallowtail Shawl

Bird in Hand

2007-12-22T16:23:00.000-05:00

Back of hand and thumb gusset

I have jumped on the mitten bandwagon! No sooner had I finished my Black Dog mitts, than with Margene as my inspiration, I cast on for the very popular Bird in Hand mittens designed by Kate Gilbert.

With a little flower on the palm

Just a couple of quick pics for you today. More on how they are different to knit than the Selbuvotter soon.

Merry Mittens Everyone!

Selbuvotter - Annemor #4

2007-12-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

Terri Shea’s Selbuvotter is a wonderful resource. After detailing the history of a particular style of Norwegian mitten, which is unique in having an origin with one woman’s work (Marit Guldseth Emstad), Terri has produced modern patterns using the traditional motifs and style which evolved during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The book contains patterns for mittens and gloves in various yarn weights and in sizes for a child, woman, and man. The motifs range from a stunning array of starkly geometric or gracefully curved snowflakes, to Art Deco lilies. And don’t forget the moose, reindeer, ravens, and dogs!

Inspired by my sister’s very large black dog Grindley, who will have to be an honorary Norwegian elkhound this winter, this is Annemor #4.

The mittens are knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, on Addi US2/3mm circs. I like to knit with the main color (MC) in my right hand and contrast color (CC) in the left, throwing and picking to follow the charts. There’s a good discussion of color dominance related to which color to hold in which hand in stranded knitting at nonaKnits.

Ultra Alpaca is very versatile and I’ve knit it at 6+ to the inch, all the way up to typical worsted gauge. At 50/50 wool/alpaca, it has a lot of resilience, more like its wool half than its alpaca half. I have found that the gauge relaxes just a bit with a soak, so if you are using it, wash your swatch!

The yarn knits up nice and soft, but with good stitch definition. Given that the entire hand is stranded, and so, double thick with stitches and carried yarn, the mittens are nice and warm. I would consider knitting these a little looser and fulling slightly for more wind resistance, and might experiment with that on a future pair. With use, the fabric develops some halo, but not enough to obscure the colorwork.

I used a strand of waste yarn rather than setting the thumb stitches aside, casting on new stitches, and picking up later for the inside of the thumb. I also made the effort to match the stitch pattern on the inside to the rest of the palm.

Details:

Pattern: Selbuvotter, Annemor #4. There are errata for several patterns, HERE.

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, 1 skein each Black and Light Green Heather, worsted wt. I used about 140yds of green (MC) and less than 100yds of black (CC).

Needles: US2/3.0mm, Addi Turbo circulars

Gauge: 6.5 stitches/inch

Started: December 9, 2007

Completed: December 19, 2007

Finished Size: 8.5” hand x 12” long

Arf !

2007-12-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

Back

Palm

Thumb

Inside Thumb

Selbuvotter, Annemor #4. Details later. Mitten #2 is on the needles. Time’s running out.

Forest Canopy Shawl FO and a new WIP already

2007-12-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl in handspun BFL is done!

Susan Lawrence’s pattern would be an ideal beginner lace project. The pattern is clearly written, gives complete instructions along with explanations of why things are done, includes both charts and written directions, has a small easily memorized repeat, and introduces several lace techniques. Best of all for new lace knitters, the pattern is written for sport weight yarn. For many who are new to lacy knitting, one of the most difficult things is to get used to very thin yarn on what seem like way too big needles. Knit in finer or heavier yarn, one would simply adjust needle size and number of repeats for as small or large a shawl as you wish, or have yarn for. So, another pattern good for skeins of handspun.

Beech trees make great shawl models

The shawl is knit from the center neck down, using a simple cast on, and four YO increases every right side row to create the triangle shape. The leaf lace pattern is composed simply of Knit, YO, and SSK, and the WS rows are plain purl. I like to use stitch markers on complex lace patterns, but Susan’s instructions were correct. This lace is so easy to read, markers really aren’t needed, and I think this would be a good pattern to help beginners learn to “read their knitting”.

More experienced lace knitters will find this pattern is practically like taking a vacation. And I mean that in a good way. It’s very relaxing and knits up quickly. For this project, I wanted to knit something in a simple, regular pattern so it wouldn’t compete with the striping I knew was going to occur with this handspun, and I think it worked out well

Knit as written, the shawl looked like it would be about the size stated in the pattern. But I knit a couple of extra repeats of the main chart for just a few extra inches in width and length. Since I’m planning to give this to a friend who is very tall, it’s still going to be a nice shoulder size. I made no other modifications. Though if I were to knit this again, in a solid color yarn, I would like to put some beads at the points of the scalloped edge.

The BFL has knit up very soft and warm, with just the teeniest bit of a halo. The fiber from Sakina Needles was great fun to spin, and has made a nice cozy shawl. I’m hoping my friend will see this a bright fun everyday scarf rather than some delicate dressy piece that languishes in a closet somewhere. Fortunately I have enough of the handspun left over to make myself some wristies. I’ve also got another 4oz of the fiber, but I’d like to spin that into a Navajo-plied 3-ply to maintain the long bands of color from roving to finished yarn.

Because of the small size, I blocked the shawl with blocking wires along the top edge, down the center “spine”, and through the points. The finished size is just right to sit comfortably and stay on the shoulders without a lot of fiddling.

Blocking Detail

Details:

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl, by Susan Pierce Lawrence
Yarn: Handspun BFL, Antigua colorway, fingering wt, approx 375 yds
Needles: US5/3.75mm, KnitPicks Options circs
Gauge: n/a
Started: Late-September 2007
Completed: 12/9/2007, and it only took that long because I set this aside for about six weeks
Finished Size: 56”w x 26”

All in all, another quick fun knit! Now, I’m embracing my inner hummingbird, and making the most of my sort attention span with some very entertaining small projects. The sweaters are languishing, unloved right now. But, Oh yes, I’ve already started something else.

I received my copy of Terri Shea’s Selbuvotter last week, and it’s wonderful! I’m going to have to start wearing mittens, I tell you, since I want to knit so many of these. Flipping through the patterns, I found one that immediately made me think of this guy

My Sister's dog Grindley on the ferry in Everglades City, FL

With Plenty of Ultra Alpaca in the stash, I started this last night

Selbuvotter, Annemor #4

My sister is getting mittens for Xmas.

Cleite Shawl Done!

2007-12-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

I started spinning last Friday night and finished knitting this Friday night. A new land speed record!

The Yarn

Spun from the November fiber in Wooly Wonka’s Exotic Fiber club, a lovely soft chocolate alpaca, a 2-ply ranging from heavy laceweight to fingering weight. Yes, I could have spun more evenly, but I don’t regret it for a second, I wanted to spin something and I wanted to finish it Now!

After the third time through Chart 2, I started to worry

I did come up a little bit short on yardage compared to the pattern specs which were for a much thinner laceweight. As a loose knitter though, on the same US3’s called for, I ended up with a nice size shoulder shawl, just a bit larger than Mim’s.

The Pattern

The Cleite Shawl pattern is currently only released to the fiber club. Keep an eye on MimKnits as she posted that she’s working on a full size version for her pattern shop.

The shawl is a triangular shape, worked from the center-neck down. The lace patterns form what look like feathers or spear-heads – appropriate I suppose for the Amazon Cleite’s journey to the Trojan War. Though it looks fairly complex, the lace was quite straightforward, with an easy repeat across each row that had a nice regular quality. So, it knit up fast. Don’t let my knitting friends tell you otherwise, I am really not a fast knitter. I have to take lots of breaks for my hand and arm, but I do have stubborn determination.

Wet blocked, using blocking wires on snap-together foam flooring blocks

As soon as the pins came out, Ivy offered to help

As Miriam says in the pattern instructions, the scalloped edge is formed by the decreases and YO’s in the last rows so that a knitted on edging is not required. She also notes it is perfect for handspun as you can bind off when you run out of yarn. Which I did. I was only six rows short of finishing the last repeat of the second chart, so I had made it past the last decreases for the spear tips, with enough rows of eyelets after to get a nice pointy finished edge. Knit again in a finer yarn, I would love to place some beads at each of the points before binding off.

The Shawl

Sturdy yet soft. Lacy yet warm. Scarf size for a little coziness at the neck and shoulders.

Details

Yarn: Handspun alpaca from Wooly Wonka, 2-ply lace to fingering weight, 286+ yards, spun on the Lendrum DT, fast flyer
Needles: Addi Lace, US3/3.25mm
Pattern: Cleite Shawl, MimKnits
Started: November 23, 2007
Completed: November 30, 2007
Finished Size: 46” across, 22” deep

Thank You Anne and Miriam!

Holiday Spirits

2007-11-29T14:26:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the impending season, I want to share a recipe that I’ve often made for the holiday dinner. There’s still time, since this is best mummified in cheesecloth and soaked in liquor for a few weeks.

Many years ago (I think I was halfway through college), I found an old recipe clipped from the newspaper in one of my Mother’s cookbooks from her days as a new housewife in the late 1950’s. The faded newsprint had a note, in my Kentucky grandmother’s handwriting “This is the cake you all enjoyed so much at Xmas last year.” It’s dated 1964.

Over the years I have fiddled with the ingredients a bit and the result follows. But with important notes first.

Use the best bourbon you can! This is no time to scrimp. You only need a small bottle. Get the good stuff. I’ve had decent results with Old Grandad. And, you can try other liquors as well. I’ve tried Irish whiskey, and I think a dark rum like some Mount Gay or Meyers could be quite tasty too (with some grated coconut, mmm).

The original recipe was written as more of a traditional “fruit cake”. Nothing gives me the shivers quite like those icky colored candied “fruit” bits. If you like them, I’m very sorry, and you can have my share. The point was, I’ve most often made this with golden raisins alone. The black raisins seem to scorch more easily, and the golden have a lighter flavor. I’ve also used dried cranberries, and I think you could make a nice fruity cake with dried cherries, apricots, currants, and maybe dates included.

And how does this relate to knitting? It’s going to be baking for a good long time. So get some knitting done while you wait!

Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Cake

Makes one cake
Preheat oven to 250°

2 cups sifted flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp nutmeg (also cinnamon, mace, allspice, and cloves if you wish)

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

6 eggs, separated

1 cup bourbon

1 pound coarsely chopped pecans

1 pound golden raisins

Grease bottom and sides of a 10” angel food cake pan or two 8” springform pans, and line bottoms with greased brown paper. (A recipe of its time – I certainly think you could use parchment paper instead)

Mix 2 Tbsp of flour with nuts and raisins and set aside.

Sift remaining flour with baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Cream butter and sugar. Thoroughly beat in one egg yolk at a time. Beat in sifted ingredients alternately with bourbon. Beat until smooth.

Stir in pecans and raisins.

Beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into batter.

Turn into prepared pan. Bake at 250° - about four hours for angel food cake pan, or about 2-1/2 to 3 hours for springform pans - until cake tester comes out clean and top springs back. Place a shallow pan of water in oven for first 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours of baking.

Cool 30 minutes on a rack. Turn out and remove paper. Cool completely.

Store wrapped in bourbon-soaked cheesecloth and in plastic in an airtight tin. (Nowadays, get a nice big ziploc bag)

Best made at Thanksgiving, and soaked until Christmas.

Doing My Part to Keep the WIP Alive

2007-11-27T16:37:00.000-05:00

“Is the WIP blog post dead?” some are asking. Not here at Lots of Yarn, and I’ll tell you why. I’ve had several forced “rest periods” from knitting in the past four years (before and after three arm surgeries). I found my first knitting blog, WendyKnits through an article on blogging in the Washington Post. Wendy linked to other blogs, and they linked to other blogs, and I am embarrassed to tell you how many blogs are in my Bloglines right now.

I have learned so much, have been inspired, and have been moved to try knitting things I never had any idea existed, or had any idea I would want to knit. Some I’ve liked more than others. Lace has stuck. And I have an epic stash of sock yarn. Oh, and now I’m a Spinner. Down the rabbit hole.

Knit bloggers have made me laugh, sometimes when I’ve really needed it. And made me think. There are some keen analysts and really good writers out there. Some have shared such poignant episodes in their lives and the level of trust in their dear readers is reassuring to me that common decency still exists in increasingly rude times. There are caring, funny, smart, and wise (mostly) women who make an effort to put what they love out there, and it’s just amazing sometimes.

Bloggers have been my vicarious stitchers at times, and have made and fixed mistakes and shared them with us, and we’ve all had a chance to learn. Of course, celebrating the happy FO’s is fun too, but the WIP’s, and the lessons they teach, are what I love best. So whether you are a process or product knitter, or a hybrid of both, I hope you will find something useful here on occasion.

The Cleite Shawl is now through two repeats of Chart 2. I’ve been weighing the remaining handspun after each, and I’m figuring and calculating, hoping I’ll just make it through four full repeats. Of course I can bind off a few rows early, but I’m knitting faster, so I won’t run out.

The lace pattern is very straightforward and rhythmic once you get through a complete repeat. I keep forgetting to knit the few knit stitches on the WS since the dark brown yarn makes them less obvious, and have resorted to hanging markers on each which look silly, but keep me from going on auto-pilot.

The handspun is quite uneven in spots, but part of the beauty of lace is that it’s not a smooth solid fabric anyway, and pinned out the lace is still looking lovely.

If you are knitting this from the Wooly Wonka Exotic Fiber Club pattern, note that errata are posted HERE.

Husband Mitt One is done. You know what? It is hard to photograph your own hand. The Husband hand is out of town, so I’m working this out as I go based on some mitts I made him a couple or three years ago, and won’t weave in the bound off ends until he tries them on for length.

As I mentioned the other day, I started with AnnyPurls’ adaptation of Hello Yarn’s Cable Twist sock, cast on 64 stitches, worked out a gusset, fiddled with the thumb, changed needle sizes to snug up the cuff and top, and there you have it. The yarn is 2-ply fingering weight spun from Wooly Wonka hand-dyed BFL. And I cannot say enough nice things about how wonderful the roving was to spin or knit with. Husband Mitt Two is already on the needles!

On a Roll, Chocalpaca = Cleite Shawl

2007-11-25T13:20:00.000-05:00

As promised yesterday, here’s the finished skein of alpaca, fiber from Wooly Wonka’s Exotic Fiber Club. Click photos for big!

After its soak in Soak

I didn’t give it the full rough wet-finishing treatment, just a few vigorous dunks in very warm but not hot water. The yarn didn’t bloom as much as it just softened quite a bit. It was spun with a pretty good twist to keep it together, then plied to be balanced.

The singles were pretty uneven in spots, totally the result of my hurried spinning, not the fiber. This could easily have been spun finer, but I was in a must-finish-something mood, and I also wanted a little sturdier shawl as a finished product.

Chocalpaca with 25 cents EC, about the size of a US quarter

The East Caribbean Dollar is the currency of most of the Eastern Caribbean island nations and territories.

Final specs: 3oz, 2-ply, 19-22wpi which makes it (as predicted) a heavy laceweight/light fingering weight, 9tpi, 286 yds.

So, I immediately cast on for the Cleite Shawl. The pattern, from Miriam Felton of MimKnits, was part of the club package, though she’s test knitting a full size version and so I’m guessing the pattern will be available soon.

Just beginning, though Chart 1

The alpaca is knitting up beautifully, and this will be a sturdy, soft, warm shoulder-size shawl.

Chocalpaca*

2007-11-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

Some thoughts on spinning the alpaca roving from Wooly Wonka’s Exotic Fiber Club.

Click the photos for big.

* = yes I made that up

Bobbin One, you saw this earlier

The fiber has a smooth long 4-6” staple, and a firm rather than fluffy feel. The fiber notes recommend spinning with a tighter twist than one might with a comparable sheep’s wool. I found the alpaca easy to spin after getting a feel for it, though at first, as promised, it was drifting apart a bit while winding on. The color is a rich solid rusty chocolate.

Bobbin Two, looking much like Bobbin One

I started out spinning the fiber for a 2-ply laceweight to knit the Cleite pattern from Miriam Felton that was part of this month’s offering. Spun per Mim’s recommendation with a semi-worsted, forward draw, but not having even touched the wheel in seven weeks, I was too impatient, and wasn’t up to trying for Mim’s 30 wpi(!). Seriously, I needed to spin and finish something. All I need is about 300 yds of something.

With the flash so you can see the sheen

Wound on the niddy-noddy, 286 yds. I’m going for it.

I’ve been reading posts to one of the spinning lists trying to describe how to avoid over-plying, and what a balanced 2-ply looks like with the fibers in the singles ending up parallel to the length of the yarn, like this =//=//=//=.

Fibers aligned, close enough for government work

Ready for a soak – I predict fingering to heavy laceweight

Tune in tomorrow to As The Wheel Turns for post-soak photos, finished gauge, and the cast on for a lacy shawlette.

Saturday Sky: Crisp

2007-11-24T11:58:00.001-05:00

It’s really and truly Autumn! Most of the leaves are gone, frost was heavy last night, and the air is dry and clear and crisp.

Virginia plays Virginia Tech here in Charlottesville this afternoon in the classic in-state football rivalry – playing for bragging rights and this year for a trip to the conference championship. Everyone in the Commonwealth is still feeling the losses at Tech, and especially living in a university town we feel the sense of a near miss. But with five UVa degrees in the immediate family, I’ve got to say,

Go ‘Hoos! Beat Hokies!

I’ll be watching and spinning the lovely alpaca top from Wooly Wonka’s Exotic Fiber Club. I’m spinning it to a 2-ply laceweight to knit the Cleite pattern from Miriam Felton that was part of this month’s offering. The fiber has a long staple length, is easy to spin once you get the feel for it, and is the color of melted baking chocolate. Yum!

I’m getting some good help today!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Ummm, What Blog?

2007-11-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

Lots of travel + general slump + work crunch = no blogging for a while

Knitting:

I’ll give a full UFO report, to keep myself on track (or not as the case may be) after Thanksgiving. But, to tide you over, I will show off some progress on Hypoteneuse now.

The stole is coming in the home stretch with only five more repeats to go, unless I lengthen it. This is going to be a great cozy everyday wrap for the chilly TV room or traveling. The Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool has a soft yet sturdy feel that is warm but very light. I can just see it shoved in a bag on a plane trip with no ill effects and being just the right weight for those times when there’s just a little too much AC.

3² + 4² = 5²

You may remember this merino-silk-angora from The Woolen Rabbit.

I don’t know what possessed me the other day, but now it’s a cute neck and wrist warmer set.

The neck warmer is Hello Yarn’s Cherry Garcia, knit as written, and the wristies are simply ribbing with a few cable twists thrown in. I was determined to use every bit of the lovely yarn and succeeded in only having about six yards left over. So much fuzzy halo, so much silky sheen!

Speaking of handspun,

I started some fingerless mitts for the Husband. He loves them for operating the ham radio in his chilly radio shack. This is BFL in Willow from Wooly Wonka spun to a 2-ply fingering weight. I’m using AnnyPurls’ adaptation of Hello Yarn’s Cable Twist sock as a departure point and will knit these to fit a manly size mitt.

Yes, I guess this does count as Holiday knitting. I’m putting my sweaters on the back burner and will see if I can get the Forest Canopy Shawl and maybe the Secret Stole done in time for gift giving.

Teaching:

I taught my first Introduction to Lace class on Monday night and it was fun. We could have gone on for another hour or two, I’m sure. I’ll know better next time how to pace things and will try to schedule the classes for weekends rather than evenings after work. I showed lots of samples of lacy knitting, covered basic yarns, needles, and techniques, worked on some swatches, and we got started with a lacy scarf from VLT as a class project. I’m hoping to run the class again after the first of the year when things aren’t quite so busy for everyone.

Spinning:

And in exciting news for me, I’ve just registered for a class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in NC for the second week in January. Spinning Lavish Luxury Yarns will cover lots of fiber types, carding, dyeing and spinning techniques for the various fiber characteristics. I am really looking forward to the workshop, especially after hearing such wonderful reports on the classes from Robin H and Mary L.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. If you are traveling, be safe!

Las Vegas – Yarn Shops

2007-11-09T14:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, I’m in Las Vegas, and I’m going to tell you about yarn shops. Is that just completely lame? We’re here for the Hubs’ ESOP convention, and we don’t gamble, we went to shows a couple of times, but honestly, with the three hour time difference, by showtime we’re ready to go to sleep. So, what’s left to do? He goes to meetings, and I loaf.

We got a rental car for the first day and from the airport drove out to Red Rock Canyon, about 20 miles west of town. Info here, here, and here. The desert and mountains are beautiful and so different from our old green hills back East.

Red Rock

On the way back into town, we stopped to check out Gail Knits. No photos, sorry. The shop is easy to find, seven miles West of Las Vegas Blvd (The Strip) on Sahara, in a teeny shopping center. The store very bright and sunny, with a coffee pot and comfy bored-husband sofa right inside the door. There were quite a few knitters there working on projects, and I’m not sure whether it was a class or just the regulars having some fun. We were warmly greeted, and the Hubs was settled in with a nice cup of joe, and I took a look around.

Not surprisingly, given the climate, the shop’s selection runs more to lighter fibers with lots of luxury cottons, wool/silk blends, high-end novelty yarns (like Trendsetter and Colinette), some laceweight and sock yarns, and plenty of baby yarns. There were lots of samples, and Gail mentioned I had just missed the Trendsetter trunk show. I left with a skein of the new Classic Elite Alpaca Sox in greys/browns for some cozy socks for the patient husband, and a hank of Baruffa Cashwool, a light merino laceweight in white, which I’ll dye when I find a project for it.

Vegas Stash

On Thursday, I found Wooly Wonders on the East side of town at Tropicana and Pecos. This is a small shop, but it’s filled with lovely yarns. Lots more wool here, including Debbie Bliss, Louet, OnLine sock yarns, and beautiful italian blends. There is an emphasis on crochet threads and patterns as well as knitting supplies. They also carry a selection of spinning fiber, wheels, weaving supplies, dyes, and looms. With admirable restraint, I was able to resist the fine llama and bison down fibers, but succumbed to enough Lana Gatto sport/DK wool/cashmere (mmmmm) for a modest shawl, and several spools of Lang sock reinforcing thread. Wooly Wonders is very friendly inviting shop with knitting, crocheting, spinning and weaving groups meetings, and a nice selection of yarns.

Now if anyone gets to this blog posting via Google search, I’m told that Two Crazy Ladies Yarn Shop closed a while back, and that there’s a quilt shop called Nancy’s Quilts that has lots of knitting classes and Knit & Crochet Alongs several times each week. I’ll have to check it out next time.

Our view of The Strip