Unraveling marlowe

Pattern Sale!

2011-12-05T20:23:00.001-08:00

All patterns in my Ravelry shop are 30% off through December 31, 2011.

Amazing Trieste

2011-09-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

Where my trip started.

Remains of a Roman arch

A street of very old paving stones

Remains of the Roman am

Cattedrale di San Giusto rose window

Theater

Piazza Nuova

Display in the window of an optometrist's office

Boat on the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal

A working fountain

A typical form of transportation

In case you need a bar

It's been too long

2011-09-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that almost a year has gone by since my last post. I'm still knitting and designing sock patterns. I just need to write up my notes about these patterns so that they will make sense to everyone else. I also need to get pictures and then marry the photo to the written pattern. And then post them in my Ravelry shop. In other words, I have a lot to do and I'm better at the knitting part than at the writing up the pattern part.

I've spent the spring and summer riding my bike a lot. My bike has taken me places I won't have gone had I not taken up cycling again last year. I have taken my bike all over northern and central California. I've rode my first half century in Solvang in March. A few weeks later, I rode the Cinderella Classic, which is a metric century (65 miles) around the base of Mt. Diablo. In May, I rode the Wine Country metric century. In August, the Tour of the Napa Valley metric century called my name. However, the highlight of the summer was the trip I took in July.

I went on a cycling trip through northeast Italy and Slovenia. It was an amazing eight day tour that started in Trieste, Italy and ended in Bled, Slovenia. I did all of this with a wonderful tour company called Ciclismo Classico. After the tour ended, I returned to Trieste for a few days and then joined my boyfriend in Verona for a few days of cycling there. Then we spent a few days in Venice being tourists since it's impossible to ride a bike in Venice. We have both been to Venice before so we spent time in museums and neighborhoods we hadn't explored on previous trips.

We traveled with our bikes. There is nothing like riding your own bike in a foreign country. We attracted a lot of attention in Trieste when we were putting our bikes together. Northern Italy is bike crazy. I ride a Bianchi named after the velodrome in Milan. I was asked a few times if I knew that my bike was named after a famous velodrome. Fortunately, I'd done my homework and could honestly say that I knew where the name came from. I attracted even more attention taking my bike apart in the same alley nine days later so I could pack it. I gathered it was a bit unusual for a woman to be taking a bike apart on her own.

After my bike was packed, I took a walk around Trieste. Trieste is James Joyce crazy in addition to being cycling crazy. There is a bronze statute of JJ on a bridge crossing the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal isn't at all like the Grand Canal of Venice, which is what I picture when I think of the Grand Canal. There are bars and hotels named after JJ. I even stayed at the James Joyce Hotel. You can walk around the city following a James Joyce itinerary. Of course, there are the well known spots he frequented while he lived, taught English and wrote in Trieste. I've never seen greater JJ love outside of a university English Department!

Time Flies

2010-09-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Earlier this spring I bought a new road bike. I've been riding an average of five days a week. This has meant less time for knitting and spinning. At first, I was concerned about this. As I got more time on my bike, I realized that I had been needing a serious break from writing sock patterns, knitting and spinning. I had become seriously burnt out and that was a bigger threat to my continued interest in these things than giving myself a much needed break to recharge.

I rode my bike a lot as a teen. I'm one of those rare Californians who didn't get a driver's license the minute I turned 16. My bike was my transportation. I loved the freedom it gave me. I gave up my bike when I moved to San Francisco in the 70s because I'd had too many close calls with cars. San Francisco wasn't remotely bike friendly then. I love the way I feel on my bike; I'm using my own power to explore my surroundings. Cycling requires a set of skills in the same way that knitting and spinning require. The more I practice the better I become at it. I've also come up with some ideas for new sock patterns while I've been out on the road. I wouldn't have come up with these if I wasn't out on my bike.

Now when I knit or spin, I enjoy it more. I'm no longer feeling that I have to produce constantly in order to be a "real" knitter or spinner. I know that I am those things and I feel good about that.

Sunday photo

2010-03-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Not socks

2010-03-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

I love the images I've seen of Sufi whirling. The cable in these mitts remind me of this movement. These started life as an idea for a sock that just didn't work. I couldn't let go of wanting to use this specific cable. I just couldn't figure out where else I could use it. So the unwearable socks languished hidden in a drawer for about six months. (And, I do mean socks; I had to knit a pair to prove to myself the design really didn't work.) I moved on and worked on other designs. One night while doing mental inventory of my designs, the idea of using the cable in fingerless mitts hit me.

I knit these out of A Verb For Keeping Warm Creating in Supernova on US #1/2.25 mm needles. They use less than a 100 gram skein of yarn and are fast to knit.

The only tricky bit is the cable. It is a ribbed cable over 11 stitches. An 11 stitch cable is a bit tight to work on the cross simply because of the number of stitches crossing one another. Because it is worked over an odd number of stitches some of the knit stitches become purls and some purls become knits. If you follow the directions, it works--you just need to forget what your brain tells is logical and trust that it works as written.

Dervish was test knit by members of the Free Pattern Testers Ravelry group. Michael Del Vicchio provided the technical editing. The pattern is available in my Ravelry shop.

Knitting from the stash

2010-03-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

I went stash diving a month or so ago and re-discovered this Socks That Rock medium weight yarn in Mesa that I bought at Stitches West 2006. Socks That Rock was the buzz of the knitting blogosphere that year. This small company out of Oregon seemed to have come out of nowhere, was represented by The Fold at Rhinebeck 2005, and was suddenly the most sought after yarn in the world. And I had to have some.

I got to Stitches early Saturday morning and immediately headed for the Blue Moon booth. It was nearly empty--in that, there was very little yarn to be had. All of the light weight STR was sold out. There were a few skeins of medium and heavy weight STR left. There were plenty, relatvely speaking, of skeins of Seduction, a merino/tencel blend that wasn't named after types of rocks. I walked away with the Mesa STR and two skeins of Seduction--Prove It All Night, which became a Swallowtail shoulder shawl and Lucy in the Sky. Lucy in the Sky is still in my stash waiting to become something fabulous.

This yarn tried to be many things. In the end, it worked best as a variation on my Basic Shaped Arch Sock pattern. I used US #2 needles and cast on 56 stitches. The ribbing is a 1x1 twisted stitch rib. I mixed up the heel a bit by using eye of the partridge instead of a standard heel stitch. I love the way eye of the partridge looks with hand painted yarns that have a lot going on color-wise.

I also love the way the triangle that is formed by the gusset and the arch shaping really highlights the angles the yarn is going in. This was a fast sock to knit compared to the socks I usually knit on US #1 or #0. I really like the way they turned out. I think this will be my fall back pattern for all of the really colorful hand painted yarn in my stash.

A new addition to the collection

2010-03-19T20:13:00.001-07:00

Please welcome Adrienne into my small, but growing, collection of sock patterns. I named these in honor of my friend Adrienne, who is fun, warm, giving, and a very important person at A Verb for Keeping Warm.

I used A Verb for Keeping Warm Annapurna for this in the color Vermilion. Adrienne features left and right twisted cables in the cuff that continue down the side of the leg and travel across the instep, mirroring the arch shaping. The yarn is a yummy blend of merino, cashmere and nylon. I knit these on US #2/2.75 mm needles.

I was inspired by the many variations I've seen of socks with clocks. Plus, I wanted a design that really allowed the yarn to be the star. I wanted to incorporate arch shaping since I like the way that shaped arch socks fit. It took me several attempts to get the cables integrated with overall design. Needless to say, these were ripped back to the heel flap numerous times (the yarn held up beautifully!) before the cables looked right to me.

While not a complicated sock to knit, you do have to keep track of quite a few stitch markers while shaping the arch and cables. I'm not a big fan of a ton of stitch markers but just didn't see how else to keep track of arch stitches that move as well as cables that travel. A bit of disclosure here: I typically knit my socks using 5 double-point needles and arrange my stitches so I don't have use so many stitch markers. If you choose to follow my lead, be sure to keep the markers for the arch shaping and the traveling cables on the instep.

This pattern has been test knit. Technical editing was provided by Michael Del Vicchio.

It's been awhile

2010-02-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

The design bug has bitten me again.

Coffee is definitely a necessary part of my design kit.

A few stitch dictionaries for inspiration plus my graph paper notebook.

A scrawl of notes.

Weird, in a good way

2009-12-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

I'm terrible, vain actually. Ever since the Winter 2009 issue of Knitty came out, I've been stalking the internet for comments about Pyroclastic. I can't help it--being published is really new to me. The best thing I've found: there is a geologist named C.C. Knitter who studied and wrote about pyroclastic flows!

Knitty

2009-12-14T10:31:00.001-08:00

I can hardly believe it. Pyroclastic is in the Winter 2009 issue of Knitty. I never thought I would be published in Knitty a year ago. I don't think I can ever express my gratitude to everyone who encouraged me though the past year. Thank you!!!!

Pyroclastic was born at Sock Summit 2009. I started by charting the repeat and began knitting it in a class with Cookie A. The yarn I was working with was pretty but completely obscured the design. Cookie walked around the class to see what everyone was doing and to answer questions. When she got to me, she asked "Are you sure about that yarn?" My initial reaction was these are only for me and I need to use this yarn from my stash, which I only said in my mind. So I rooted around in the bag of sock yarn I had with me and found something much more suitable--A Verb for Keeping Warm Creating in a color called Bolinas (Pictures were not taken of it because it didn't seem as if it would photograph well; it's really pretty in person.)

I was really busy for the rest of Sock Summit and didn't really get back to my sock until the ride home. I was lucky enough to be ride sharing with Kathleen (KatDee on Ravelry) and Michael aka Wonder Mike. Michael and Kathleen drove the first 2/3's of the way home while I sat in the backseat working out the pattern placement for the heel and instep fueled by Voodoo Donuts. This was a bit tricky because I knew I wanted to have a shaped arch, which has less give that a straight forward foot and instep. You see, the shaped arch biases the fabric so you need a few more stitches than usual to get it on your foot. I was doing all of this on the needles because I couldn't find my notebook and only had the sheet of paperI'd charted the pattern repeat on, which was pretty scribbled on at this point.

Once home I finished the prototype, wrote out the directions, and knit it again in Lorna's Laces Shepard. Meanwhile, Kristine was busy knitting it out of the Burnt Embers colorway of AVFKW Creating. When we finished knitting our respective socks, I set about formatting the pattern in Knitty's style.

Kristine and Adrienne went to our local cemetery to take photos. Kristine did a bang up job of photography. Adrienne was our foot model. We had so many photos to choose from, it was difficult to decide which to submit to Knitty.

A few days later, I submitted the whole package to Knitty. Then the wait began. I tried really hard not to think about it. Every once in awhile, Kristine would ask if I'd heard anything. I started new designs. In October, I received an email from Amy Singer saying my pattern had been excepted. I was in a state of disbelief for about two days.

After that, it was a push to write the pattern for a second size since I was asked for at least one other size. Yes, this meant more math! I had to think about how the sock could be knitting using something other than my beloved dpns. I had to rewrite the pattern without reference to specfic needles. In my mind, I knit these socks on two circs and using magic loop. I had imaginary stitch markers that had to be tracked. I got stuck more than a few times with visioning what happens on magic loop. But in the end, I worked it out with great advise from my technical editor.

Then I waited some more and now it's really here. It's been a great experience and I want to do it again!

Photos in this post are copyright Kristine Vejar.

Back to the notebook

2009-09-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

My last idea failed miserably once I got to the instep. I still like the basic idea; just needed to figure out a different way of execute it. I think this time I've got it right. I am finding that the more time I spend designing, the more I learn. In the beginning, I wanted every idea to work out perfectly the first time. Of course, the design process doesn't work that way. I have a few failures tucked away in my sock drawer as a result.

Now I am much more comfortable with ripping out and starting over again. I just don't quit because it didn't work out perfectly the first time. I've learned to fail and be alright with it.

A taste of something to come

2009-09-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

The last six weeks or so I've been occupied with something that's not ready to show you yet as well as catching up on all of the knitting that got neglected when I started getting ready for Sock Summit. So I have been knitting and spinning; it just hasn't been blog worthy. During this time, my creative juices got a chance to recharge and I recently started working on a pattern idea I've had for a few months. The yarn is A Verb for Keeping Warm Annapurna, a yummy cashmere and merino blend. The color reminds me of raspberry sorbet.

Errata for basic shaped arch sock

2009-08-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Row 12 of the turn heel instruction should read:

Sl1, P15, P2tog, P1, turn.

Row 14 of the turn heel instruction should read:

Sl1, P15, P2tog (18 sts remain).
Knit across these 18 sts so that ndl is in postion to pick up sts along the right side of the heel flap.

1300.3 miles later

2009-08-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sock Summit. What can I say. I had a fabulous time.

Last Monday, my dining room table was covered in sock patterns and knitted samples. Not just any patterns or samples; my designs with my new logo on the patterns. When I was finished putting all of the patterns in their sleeves, I had an almost filled bankers box. I also had my fingers crossed that the patterns would be well received.

On Tuesday Wonder Mike, Kathleen, and I met Kristine and Adrienne at the Verb studio to help pack up the van with the entire Verb store. We were on the road by 10:00 a.m . Kristine and Adrienne in the van. Michael, Kathleen and me in my diesel Jetta. We stopped in Ashland for a few hours to take a break. Of course, we went to Websters. I bought more sock needles as if I was going some place where such a thing wouldn't exist. We walked along the creek while drinking iced Stumptown coffee. Then we got back on the road to our destination--Eugene.

The next morning Kathleen drove Kristine and me to Portland. We arrived with time to spare before we had to unpack the van and set up the booth. We checked into our hotel and then met the call for coffee. Near the Oregon Convention Center Starbucks has a monopoly. So we had Starbucks.

Within about 6 hours, we unpacked the van and set up Verb Portland. The booth was right inside the front doors of the marketplace, which was awesome. Kristine and Adrienne did a bang up job of planning the set up--we had maps and everything! Once we were done with the set up, we draped the booth and left it looking like this.

Thursday I took a full day class with Cookie A. on sock design. It was really interesting to hear Cookie talk about her design process. The class was a perfect compliment to her book. After a few false starts, I left with a new design that I'm really loving.

Immediately after class, I went to work in the booth. Where I met a lot of people and talked about my patterns. The highlight of the evening for me was meeting Amy Singer of Knitty. Amy encouraged me to submit a pattern to Knitty. It was so awesome that I wanted to cry!

Friday morning I took a class with Star Athena. Star's class was also on sock design. It verged perfectly into what I learned in Cookie's class. Star and Cookie have very different approaches to design. My approach is somewhere in between the two. Later that day I got a chance to chat with Star and discovered we went to the same university. Ten years apart, but still. Star is a fine artist. Her hand drawn charts are works of art. Mine are an absolute mess by comparison.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday's marketplace a more than a bit of a blur. I worked the booth and talked to a lot of wonderful people about Verb's yarn and fiber. I answered quite a few questions about my sock designs.

I released three new patterns at SS09. Kristine, which uses a new base of 70% superwash merino and 30% silk called Metamorphosis. Kristine is a combination of cables and eyelets and has a regular shaped foot. Caitlin's Lace Anklet, which is a simple lace anklet and perfect for commuter knitting. Oliver, which was originally designed for the Men's Knitting Retreat Spring 2009. The guys attending the Fall retreat will also receive a copy of this pattern.

I didn't buy much at SS09. Two sets of Signature Needle Arts 6-inch double pointed needles in sizes I use most often, a bag from Queen Bee Creations, clogs, a lotion bar from Ildanach Limited, and a wee bit of fiber from Knitifacts.

Monday Kathleen, Michael and I drove back to the bay area. It is good to be home and sleeping in my own bed. That said, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Thank you Harlot, Tina and the ST-1 and ST-2 teams!

Update on SS09 pattern give away

2009-07-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

I've changed my mind about which pattern to give away at Sock Summit. Instead of the shaped arch sock, I will be giving away a choice between

Slipstream or

Caitlin's Lace Anklet.

Slipstream combines a lace panel and cables with a shaped arch. Caitlin's Lace is a simple allover lace pattern with an eye of the partridge heel. I will giving away up to 50 patterns total with the purchase of a skein of A Verb for Keeping Warm sock yarn.

Socks and more socks

2009-07-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've no excuses for not posting since May. The beginning of summer has flown by because I've been occupied with a few things: new sock designs, sock knitting, working my regular job, working at A Verb For Keeping Warm, getting to know Kristine's friend, Babu better, seeking test and sample knitters, and having a pattern tech edited.

Oh yeah, and getting ready for that little thing known as Sock Summit '09. I will be attending two classes, both on sock design. I will be working the Verb booth as well. Right now, I am working with Adrienne on putting a professional polish on my patterns and getting them printed for SS09. I'm really nervous and excited at the same time.

I will giving away copies of the Basic Shaped Arch Sock pattern to the first 50 people who buy a skein of AVFKW sock yarn.

The Men's Knitting Retreat 2009 sock pattern will also be available for purchase as a show special. It will then disappear for a short while and become available for purchase (through Ravelry as a download or in hard copy from AVFKW) September 1, which coincides with the Men's Fall Knitting Retreat.

Here is preview of patterns in the works:

This is called Caitlin's Lace Anklet. I knit this up using some sock yarn I dyed last year after taking a dyeing workshop with Scout.

Meet Kristine; knit out of a wonderful 70% merino 30% silk blend in a color called Patina. This is one of newest AVFKW yarns and it is yummy.

Roses

2009-05-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today was a sad day in California. The state Supreme Court upheld Prop 8. The initiative process is broken. It's time to call for a Constitutional Congress and rewrite the state Constitution so that the majority cannot terminate the rights of minorities.

Looking at roses cheers me somewhat.

Keep the Fleece

2009-05-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Creating

2009-05-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

One of my secret projects. The yarn is A Verb for Keeping Warm Creating in Supernova. The cute stitch marker is from Girl on the Rocks.

Busy, busy, busy

2009-05-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

I've been busy! Working on two new secret sock patterns: one for men, especially for the Men's Knitting Retreats of 2009, and the other I can't talk about at all. I've also been working at my "real" job and at the Verb store.

The men's sock is finished and printed. Michael (aka Wonder Mike) agreed to be the model for the men's sock. The other is written and needs to be test knitted, which Kristine graciously agreed to do. Both use A Verb for Keeping Warm yarn.

Michael and I went down to Bobbin's Nest for Cookie A.'s book signing in mid-April. It was a lot of fun. Some sock knitting got done. I saw old friends and made new ones.

My daughter and I took our Holland Lop bunny, Moon, to the Oakland Animal Shelter to meet a potential new friend. Our beloved Lars died on Christmas Day and Moon has been lonely ever since. Moon participated in bunny speed dating and found a new love. His name is Murray. He is a white and brown English Spot. Of course, I have pictures; I just don't have them on this computer--I know bad blogging.

This morning on my way to work I was struck by inspiration. I have another new sock pattern idea. If it works, I'll be sharing it soon!

Ella's Tea Socks

2009-03-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

The pattern is now available on Ravelry. The sample is on display at A Verb For Keeping Warm--The Workshop. I love, love this yarn and the color--Thai Iced Tea. It's orange but it's not. What I mean is that it's not screaming Halloween orange. It's earthier.

Stitches West

2009-03-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

This year I worked the A Verb for Keeping Warm booth on Saturday and Sunday. It was so wonderful meeting everyone who stopped into the booth. It was especially thrilling to talk to people about my sock patterns. I still can't believe that knitters like them.

What else can I say about Stitches. It is very different to experience this show working a booth compared to being just an attendee. I meet other vendors and designers, which won't have happened if I had been only an attendee. I saw a lot of people whom I only know about because of Ravelry. It is so nice to put not only a face but a real person to a familiar name.

Watching Kristine grow Verb for the past year has been so much fun and to be a part of it has been incredible. If not for Kristine, Adrienne and Kathleen, I won't have ever put one of my sock designs out there in the world. So thank you to the three of you for pushing me in one of the most exciting directions ever!

A new sock

2009-02-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've been seriously bitten by the sock designing bug. Here is what I am currently cooking up:

I'm naming it Ella's Tea Socks. This is to honor both the colorway of the yarn and the person who came up with the colorway name. It is knit out of A Verb for Keeping Warm Creating: SW Merino yarn. The colorway is "Thai Iced Tea," which is a semi-solid color. I'm almost finished with the first sock, which I'm knitting to fit Kristine. Once the pattern has been test knitted from the written and charted pattern, it will be available for sale at A Verb for Keeping Warm as well as here and Ravelry.

Introducing Slipstream

2009-02-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Since the election, I've been busy. It all started with a conversation I had with Kristine about a sock I was knitting out of some handspun Pigeonroof Studio superwash merino. She wondered if I could use the basic shaping of the arch and put a pattern in it. I took her up on the challenge.

This is the sock that Kristine originally saw.

This is the challenge sock. It is called Slipstream.

Both patterns are for sale at A Verb for Keeping Warm's studio in Berkeley. And, until I figure out linking for so you can download the patterns directly, if you would like to purchase a PDF copy, shoot me an e-mail at unravelingmarloweATyahooDOTcom letting me know which pattern you are interested in and I will send you an e-mail telling you how to pay me via Paypal and email you a copy of the pattern.

A very busy November

2008-11-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

This is what I've been up to this month.

My felt scarves will soon be available at the A Verb for Keeping Warm workshop in Berkeley. The sock is being knit from handspun from a Pigeonroof Studios roving. The sweater is Fylingdales from A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd. The beret is my first attempt at making a handmade felt hat from my own felt. It's not perfect but it worked and I will be making more.

I am so proud right now

2008-11-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

I am so proud to see my country made a sane decision about our next president. I was watching MSNBC when they called Obama the winner. I didn't realize just how emotional I would be about this outcome. I'm still blinking back tears of joy and wonderment.

My daughter just told me that Prop. 8 has lost. I can't believe that we cannot support equal rights for all people in California. For this, I am shedding tears of sadness.

Combing Alice

2008-10-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

A great day

2008-09-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Kristine, Adrienne, Sara and Kathleen got together at my place for a "fiber prep" day. I had my combs set up, flicker and hand cards out. Kristine and Kathleen both brought drum carders. But before any fiber prep took place, we hopped into the car and drove over to San Francisco for the grand opening of Urban Fauna.

We arrived at Urban Fauna a few minutes before 10:00 a.m. The shop hadn't opened yet. There was a small line forming. Sara and Kathleen decided to stand in line. Kristine, Adrienne and I went to get coffee. We returned about 20 minutes later. The line to get in had transformed into the line to pay and it was long. Kristine and I squeezed our way into the shop for a look around. There is an impressive amount of stuff in that tiny space; and at the rate things were being snapped up, I wouldn't be surprised if they sold out of most things. In the meanwhile, Adrienne, Kathleen and Sara went to a Russian deli to pick up a few things for lunch.

This is part of the set up we returned to. Those are Wensleydale locks waiting to be hand combed. The fiber in the back of the drum carders is cormo I've been hand combing.

Kristine, Kathleen, Sara and I set to work. Kristine hand combing, Sara spinning and Kathleen and I knitting. Adrienne prepared lunch.

Kristine working the hand combs.

Kathleen knitting.

Adrienne working her magic with a knife.

The remains of a very yummy lunch.

A few hours later we sat down to a Spanish influenced meal of shrimp and mushroom tapas, chicken and artichoke paella, sangria and this wonderful natilla made from goat's milk from Bodega Goat Cheese that Adrienne had picked the day before at the Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco's Civic Center. The natilla has a flavor similar to caramel so we ate it with apple slices. We had ice cream as a second dessert. By the time we called it a day, it was 11:00 p.m. I can't wait to do it again!

Yes, I've been knitting...

2008-08-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

and felting. This just hasn't been exciting in the sense of drama. No horrible mistakes discovered deep into the project. No pending deadline of doom. No nothing.

First up, The Road Not Taken Scarf from A Fine Fleece knit from A Verb For Keeping Warm merino colorway cosmos, which I handspun.

This is two ounces is about six feet long. It is currently on loan to Kristine as a sample for her shop.

I just finished the Lace Ribbon Scarf last night. It is currently soaking in preparation of blocking it. I knit this from some cormo/soy silk I spun up last summer. It's not as long as the pattern called for; I knit until I ran out of yarn.

I've also been felting. I am exploring the idea of selling felted knitting needle cases, business card cases, etc. and these are prototypes for DPN cases. They were still wet when I took the pictures so are very unfinished at this stage.

Lambtown--a brief review

2008-07-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Early Saturday morning, Kathleen, Sara and I headed to Dixon for Lambtown. Fortunately, the weather was on our side this year in that it wasn't unbearably hot. Once there we headed straight for the fiber vendors hall. I promptly scurried over to Carolina Homespun's booth because Morgaine was holding these for me.

A pair of wool combs! Not that I have ever used combs and will probably injure myself using them, I had to have them for my cormo fleece, which I'm almost finished washing.

When I returned to A Verb for Keeping Warm and Tactile's spaces, Sara was busy cobbling together a fresh out of the box Louet Julia. We then visited most of the vendors before the need for coffee and food got the better of me. I staked out a place on the grass in the shade and soon a bunch of friends were sitting, eating, laughing, spinning and knitting. All in all, an excellent day.

I also did a little dying and plying on Sunday. On the top is Henry's Attic Kona handpainted with cochineal and madder using what I learned from Scout. On the bottom is BFL that I dyed with black walnut and spin into a two ply fingering weight. I haven't decided what I want to knit with the Kona. I'm thinking of using the handspun for a pair of Breakfast at Cafe du Monde Gloves.

Of Hydrangeas and Cake

2008-07-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

This was influenced by this.

I handpainted the yarn using one of the methods I learned from Scout's dyeing workshop last month. The hydrangea is in my neighbor's front yard and has flowers ranging from pale greenish white to deep periwinkle. The base yard is 75% merino superwash 25% nylon and I bought it from Woodland Woolworks at Black Sheep Gathering.

I got the baking bug this weekend. It was a good thing I was going to Kristine's studio and could share this with others. Otherwise, I might have eaten the whole thing myself. This is a raspberry buttermilk cake. I used this recipe from 101 Cookbooks, changing it to suit the ingredients I had on hand. I really like this recipe and will make it again--it's easy and transportable and can be altered to reflect what fruits are in season.

String Theory

2008-07-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Dye workshop with Scout

2008-07-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended a dye workshop with Scout at Knit One One. It was a lot of fun.

The space at Knit One One is great. Light and airy; perfect for seeing what you are doing.

Winding yarn onto a warping board to make self-striping yarn.

This is what a skein off the warping board looks like when it is dyed.

Dyed skeins hung out to dry.

The skein I dyed after winding on the warping board.

The blue face leceister roving I handpainted.

Scout is a wonderful teacher and freely shared her experiences so that we could learn from the mistakes she has made. The one thing that no teacher can teach is color sense and Scout has great color sense. It's just one of those things that you have. It really helps if you are willing to experiment with color and accept that there will be mistakes.

So thank you Scout for a wonderful weekend!

BSG purchases

2008-07-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Black Sheep purchases top row left to right: a sampler of shetland roving from The Bellwether; a Redheart/Ebony spindle from Spindlewood Co.; BFL/pygora blend from Toots LeBlanc; roving in Eggplanted, Socks That Rock in Mochaberry (I just love that name) and Turquoise from Blue Moon Fiber Arts; bottom row left to right: 2nd place targhee fleece; close up of the targhee; a vintage pattern from Sirdar called "Teenage in Sirdar"; the silk bag, nettle yarn and Habu kit were purchased at Web-sters in Ashland.

Black Sheep Gathering 2008

2008-06-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

What can I say except that I had a blast!

Alice, oh Alice

2008-06-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Meet Alice. Or, more accurately, Alice's fleece. Alice is a cormo and is soft and lovely and a little bit in need of a wash. So I designated Sunday the first of many wash Alice's fleece days. (Basically, I want to stay home and clean Alice but that would interfere with my day job, which I need so I can continue to buy more fleeces like Alice.) Alice's fleece isn't really all that dirty as Alice was covered.

Locks in a "delicates" washing bag just the way I was taught.

Soaking in a scouring liquid of hot, hot tap water and Method dishwashing liquid. When I learned to scour fleece, we used Dawn. I had Method on hand so that's what I used.

Washed locks spread out to dry.

All in all, a good day to wash Alice! (I purchased Alice's fleece from Sue at Cormo Sheep & Wool Farm.)

I've been tagged

2008-06-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Michelle. So here goes.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

I was working at the same law firm I work at now. Parenting a five year old.

2. What are five things on my to do list for today?

Since I'm writing this at the end of the day, here are the five things I did today. Farmers' market, washed some cormo fleece, brushed my dog, roasted beets, and walked my dog.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Chocolate, especially dark
Peanut butter M&Ms
Two pump vanilla latte from Peet's
Almonds

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Quit work; move to the country; have a spinner's flock; travel more; donate to cancer research.

5. Places I've lived:

Torrance, CA
Mojave, CA
Diamond Springs, CA
S. Lake Tahoe, CA
Riverside, CA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Oakland, CA

6. Jobs I've had

Busgirl
Pantry cook
Line cook
accountant
librarian

7. Bloggers I am tagging who I will enjoy getting to know better:

KatDee
Krista
Sara

A Verb for Keeping Warm Open Studio

2008-06-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend was open studios in the East Bay. Kristine opened up the A Verb for Keeping Warm studio. It is a small piece of fiber heaven in a very cool artist space in Berkeley.

I brought these. Made from the Magnolia Bakery recipe. The frosting was a very delicate orange flavor.

Any how, I spent the day hanging out, chatting with lots of cool people, pretended to knit. Honestly, the one row I knit I managed to screw up and had to tink. And I bought fiber. On the right is 2 oz. of shetland in "liberty"; on the left is 2 oz. of Blue Faced Leicester in "polished". I also got one of Kristine's cool spinning wheel t-shirts.

Fini

2008-06-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Socks That Rock clapotis is finished! I used most of 2 skeins of medium weight labeled as mill ends without an indication of what color they were intended to be. Now I must find a new carry around project. But tonight is going to devoted to spinning.

In which I handcard and acquire a new spindle

2008-05-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

A basket of handcarded mixed wools. I was practicing handcarding and color mixing using odds and ends of leftover rovings.

My new Grafton flagship spindle. I love it.

In which I am a bad, bad girl

2008-05-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here it is Friday afternoon before a three-day weekend and I can think of nothing but wanting to knit. The problem is that I still have a few hours to go before I can leave my office and I really should be writing performance reviews. I, of course, have no desire to write performance reviews at the moment--or at any time, if truth be told. It's really quiet around the office and streets of the financial district are basically empty. Do you think I can get away with a row or three? (I've got a clapotis as my carry around knitting.)

Hey, I wanna do that!

2008-05-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday afternoon spinning on my Joy while keeping Kristine company at the Claremont Middle School Spring Fling. Claremont Middle School is in the Rockridge area of Oakland. They have an amazing school garden and music program. Kristine's booth was on the lawn near the garden and the petting zoo (which had the cutest little pig).

The beginning of the event was slow back where we were. By early afternoon, a number of kids had stopped by to see what Kristine was selling and what Adrienne, Sara and I were doing. Soon Adrienne and Sara were showing kids how to spin on a spindle. There was one boy that was closely watching me. I asked him if he wanted to learn how to spin. "Yeah." "On a spindle?" "No, on that" pointing to the spinning wheel. I slowed down to show him exactly what I was doing with my hands--a modified long draw. Then we switched places. At first, he wanted to treadle just as fast as he would if he were riding a bike and the wheel kept snatching the fiber from his hands. I stopped him and got him to treadle a bit slower. He started making bumpy, lumpy yarn like all beginners make. Then the urge to race the treadles bit him again. Snatch, stop, re-thread the orifice, start again.

After about 10 minutes, I noticed a little girl sitting on the chair next me. I asked her what she thought about spinning. Her answer: "Hey, I wanna do that!"

So I began the cycle of showing another child how to operate the spinning wheel. Man, was she determined. After awhile, she stopped and wanted to spin some different colored fiber. I asked her why. "Because this is ugly." (Mind you, this was some polwarth I bought at Deep Color Studio last summer in a colorway I love called "Black Magic".) "I wanna spin some of that" pointing at some of Kristine's indigo dyed fiber. I explained that we couldn't use that and that I didn't have any other fiber other than the "ugly" stuff with me.

"Well, I don't like it."
"Okay, what colors do you like?" I asked.
"White."
"Why do you like white?"
"Because it's pretty" all the while grinning at the sky.

This Baby Surprise Jacket flew off of my needles last week. I made it for a co-worker's newly adopted newborn girl. The buttons are Peter Rabbit and are leftover from baby things I made for my daughter forever ago.

Handspun weekend

2008-05-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is the yarn I made this weekend. It is a combination of this:

baby llama purchased from A Verb for Keeping Warm at Colors last weekend and

80% merino/20% tencel purchased from Deep Color Studio in December.

I hand spun the merino/tencel and spun the baby llama on my Schacht Matchless. The colors of the merino/tencel are bright and the gray of the llama tones them down so that they are much softer. The yarn is approximately 18 wpi and 262 yards. I'm thinking neckwarmer.

The most stylish woman on my street

2008-05-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

This lovely lady lives in one of my neighbor's front yard. She is always there, regardless of the weather. She makes me smile every time I see her.

RIP Ada

2008-05-03T13:25:00.001-07:00

I hoped against hope that in the end Ada would turn out to be the perfect throw on sweater. Alas, I was mistaken. Last night, Ada and I bid farewell. And this morning, Ada went to the frog pond. Ada, it was fun while it lasted.

Colors--A Fiber Festival

2008-04-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Colors in Berkeley. This event was pulled together by Sara, Kristine of A Verb for Keeping Warm, and Brooke and Maia of Tactile Fiber Arts. In addition to fiber and yarn from A Verb for Keeping Warm and Tactile Fiber Arts, there was fiber and other goodies from Pigeonroof Studios and Girl on the Rocks. Plus, there were three sessions of beginning drop spindling and three different fiber tastings. It was great fun.

I took the Exotics fiber tasting with Kristine. We spun baby alpaca, alpaca with silk, baby llama, baby camel with silk and 100% cashmere. It was all yummy and gave me an idea of what to ply with this merino/tencel blend I'm spinning on my Bosworth midi spindle.

This is going to look gorgeous with the baby llama I bought from A Verb for Keeping Warm.

Kristine is a really good teacher. There was the right mix of general chatting, discussion of the fibers we were spinning, and spinners silently concentrating on their spinning. I would highly recommend if you are in the Bay Area and get a chance to take a spinning class from Kristine that you leap. I've not taken spinning classes from Maia or Brooke; the buzz was that they are great teachers as well. I occasionally spin with both of them and can speak to their understanding of spinning and fibers--deep, very deep.

For me, one of the best parts of the day was meeting old friends from Deep Color and new friends from Ravelry. I loved sitting and knitting and spinning with Kathleen, Sara, Adrienne, Krista, Wonder Mike and Hizknits from Yknit. (If you haven't listened to their latest episode which is an interview with Lucy Neatby, what are you waiting for?) I met a lot of people from Ravelry whom I can't mention by name because I'm absolutely terrible about remembering names.

Here is the rest of the stash acquisition from yesterday.
100% Finn in Indigo Dip from A Verb for Keeping Warm.
80 merino 20 silk in Headlands from A Verb for Keeping Warm.
Superwash merino in Pink Cady from Pigeonroof Studios.
Superwash merino in Harlequin from Pigeonroof Studios.

I also bought the sweetest stitch markers from Girl on the Rocks and forgot to take a picture.

Just in case it looks as if I've done nothing but add to my stash, I present last week's spinning project: 268 yards of 80 merino 20 silk dyed with logwood grey from Tactile Fiber Arts.

Ada update: less than 20 rows to knit before I'm finished with both sleeves!

Let's make thread

2008-04-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the great pleasure of giving my Louet student spindle to a friend's five year old. Every time he has visited my house, he's wanted to "make thread." On Sunday as he spun, he told me he was going to make a pillow with his thread. To help him meet this fantastic goal, I gave him a bunch of small skeins of my hand spun. As he was getting ready to leave, I gave him a bag with some of rovings I had make with my improvised hackle. He is really a ways away from really spinning as his small motor skills don't match his ambition yet. I'm just so thrilled that he wants to learn to spin.

I finished knitting one sleeve of Ada. I didn't knit the full 9 1/2 inches of garter stitch the pattern calls for, stopping at around 8 inches because I didn't want a sleeve that grazes my knuckles (apparently, I've got short arms because I'm always shortening sleeve lengths when I knit or sew). I just have to finish knitting the garter portion of the second sleeve, sew up the shoulder seams, pick up and knit the front and neck band, sew up the sleeve seams, set in the sleeves and find a button. I figure another week and I'll be finished.

Experimenting

2008-04-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

I've been busy experimenting with natural dyes. Last weekend I dyed up the last of my white BFL with cochineal and marigold. Here's what it looked like before I overdyed it.

I'd been inspired by some lavender growing in my neighborhood. So I overdyed it with logwood grey and got this.
I like the soft colors a lot.

I also experimented with an improvised wool hackle made from a hair pick and a table vise.

It works and is a lot less expense than buying a hackle. I'm going to keep playing with this set up until I decide whether or not I really like blending on a hackle enough to sink some money into a better set up, which will probably be homemade as well. Here's the first roving I pull off of the hackle.

Right now Ada is blocking. I used my Knitter's Blocks and steam blocked the top. I'll have to block the garter portion separately. I'm half through knitting the first sleeve and so far, so good.

Architectural Rib Pullover revisited

2008-04-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Remember this? It is going to live with Kristine. I know that Kristine will give it a good home. I loved knitting it. It just isn't flattering on me. I got a really good idea for using the angled ribbing as a kick pleat in a skirt. I used up some of my stash yarn that I couldn't bring myself to give away as yarn and I've still got just under 3 skeins left to make something special for myself. For me, the best part is always in the making rather than the wearing. I thought about unraveling it and making something else. But this sweater is such a beautiful thing that I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I finished the body of Ada and started the sleeves, which I am knitting one at a time in case I encounter any problems. I really love the look of this sweater. Yet, man oh man, interpretation of the pattern has been a bit of a trial for me. Have I learned anything in the process? Yeah, I love knitting with my handspun!

A weekend of natural dyeing

2008-04-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend dyeing BFL with marigold (grown by me last summer), cochineal, and black walnut. These were all kettle dyed.

Marigold.

Cochineal; it's a bit darker in real life.

Black walnut; I was going for a color that reminds me of coffee with lots of cream. This is pretty close.

I also got these in the mail.

Blackbird from Butterfly Girl Designs, a blend of 60% merino, 30% bamboo and 10% nylon firestar; it appeals to my inner magpie!

Dance of the Dervish BFL from Crown Mountain.

A little progress

2008-04-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

I've made a bit of progress on Ada, not much really. There are a lot of stitches on the needle--you start with 260 and decrease 2 stitches every three rows plus it's garter stitch, which eats up yarn but doesn't add a lot of inches. I've probably got about 5" more to go before switching to stockinette and shaping the bodice. This really doesn't make for good blog fodder, but it is what it is.

On Sunday, I started spinning up some carbonized bamboo that I bought from Tactile Fiber Arts. It wasn't smooth spinning at all. I predrafted thin strips of fiber and was getting lumpy yarn. I fluffed it even more and tried spinning over the fold--still getting lumpy yarn. On top of all of that I wasn't enjoying the hand of this fiber at all. The last time I spun bamboo I had the same reaction about the hand. On Monday, I inspected my results and hated, hated, hated them. So the spun fiber came off the bobbin. I gathered up the unspun fiber as well and trotted off to the garbage shoot and gleefully dumped it. I just needed it out of my life. This is no reflection on the quality of Tactile's fiber. I've spun other fibers from them and they were quite nice. In fact, I'm spinning up a lovely merino silk blend that was dyed with logwood gray I bought from them at Lambtown last summer. I just think that bamboo and I don't get along!

A wee bit more from Stitches West

2008-03-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

I feel so lucky; I won a prize from the Ravelry raffle at Stitches West. I never, ever win drawings. Surprisingly, my name was drawn for one of the prizes from A Verb for Keeping Warm. While Kristine is a friend of mine, this was a complete, utter surprise and there was no monkey business with the drawing.

Here's my swag.

422 yards of fingering weight of an alpaca/silk blend. This yarn is lush.

This bag has already traveled to Los Angeles loaded down with books!

I've been spinning some of the fiber I bought from A Verb for Keeping Warm at Stitches. This is 2 oz. of merino dyed with cosmos grown by Adrienne and Kristine last year and overdyed with indigo. I think I'm going to knit a shoulder shawl with this.

Hello, Ada

2008-03-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

I started knitting the new Article Pract pattern "Ada" while on vacation. My gut told me that there was a mistake in the stitch marker placement--of course, I ignored myself. I knit almost 10" of the body before I accepted that my gut was right. I ripped it out and started over after I contacted Christina at Article Pract to see if, indeed, the pattern had a mistake. She is posting the errata on the pattern page over at the Article Pract website.

Oh, and I'm knitting it out of the wine colored merino handspun I spun last fall.

Where I've been

2008-03-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Two glorious weeks at the beach in Southern California--a much needed break from my regular routine. I took my daughter down to LA for LA Fashion Week; drove around most of west LA taking her to casting calls.

Explored a few yarn and fiber shops while there. Loved, loved, loved two of the shops: Knit Cafe in West Hollywood and Wild Fiber in Santa Monica. What made them so wonderful? Both had a ton of natural light and friendly staff. Good natural light always grabs me.

I didn't get much knitting done so I have no real progress to report in that regard. And, now I'm back at work and my regular routine. Fortunately, the weather in the Bay Area is quite wonderful and warm, but right now I wish I was here:

Spinning a dream

2008-02-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

I'm spinning the bundle on the left--a lovely merino from A Verb for Keeping Warm, colorway "Cosmos"--as a lace weight. This is dyed with cosmos grown in Kristine and Adrienne's dye garden and overdyed with indigo. I'm in love!

Stitches West

2008-02-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday at Stitches West in Santa Clara. I had a great time, met a lot of people from Ravelry including the guys from Yknit and Jenny and Nicole from Stash and Burn, and visited a lot of vendors that were new to me thanks to the Ravelry passport game.

I'm still recovering from the yarn fumes, so here is my day in pictures.

The patterns:

The books:

The yarn:
Sock yarn from A Verb for Keeping Warm; for my mom.

Primero from Brooks Farm; also for my mom.

Sock yarn from Tactile Fiberarts; for my mom.

Millends from Blue Moon Fiber; medium-weight Socks That Rock.

The roving:
Fire on the Mountain merino superwash from Blue Moon Fiber.

50% merino 50% bamboo from Creatively Dyed Yarns.

Merino in "Cosmos" and polwarth in "Correopsis" from A Verb for Keeping Warm's Garden Series 2007.

A change of heart

2008-02-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

I've decided that the Architectural Rib Pullover would look better on my daughter. So I've gifted it to her. I really enjoyed knitting it. Since it's all about process for me, that is enough.

Don't judge too harshly

2008-02-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

This is the architectural rib pullover on. It fits closer than I thought it would. I got gauge and thought I picked the right size according to my measurements. My daughter says it looks better in real life than in the photo. I hate having my picture taken and never hold my body in a natural way when I know the camera is on me. So forgive the wrinkles above my bust.

Fighting Tofu

2008-02-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

I have been in an ambivalent frame of mind when it comes to knitting. As Natalie Goldberg writes in Writing Down the Bones, I was fighting the tofu. Fighting the tofu gets you nowhere.

The conversation in my head goes something like this:
"I want to spin."
"You need to finish knitting Caitlin's sweater."
"I'll knit later; after I've spun for a little while."
"You'll knit right now!"

So while my head talks to itself, nothing gets done. I don't spin nor do I knit. Goldberg goes on to say "If those characters in you want to fight, let them fight. Meanwhile, the sane part of you should quietly get up, go over to your notebook, and begin to write from a deeper, more peaceful place." So for the past couple of evenings, I've let my head fight it out while I picked up my needles and knit. I don't have pictures yet. The knitting is easy; I can do it without looking. And, after awhile my head stops fighting and begins to enjoy the creative process.

This sweater which has taunted me since the end of January is practically knitting itself because I've stopped resisting the process. I've got my knitting mojo back. It's not come back in a blaze of fire. It's just back and I've stopped looking for reasons not to knit. I didn't really do anything special to get my mojo back. For the first time in a very long time, I let my life take its course and did what felt right.

If spinning felt right, that was fine. I spun. I even thought about the sweater, but I always brought myself back to what I was doing at that moment. I just took note of the command to get knitting and filed it away. I kept spinning.

A few days ago, I picked up the sweater thinking I would knit a few rounds. And those few rounds became a few more. Tuesday night while knitting at a friend's house, I enjoyed the conversation and let my fingers feel the knitting. When I got home I was surprised to see that I had knit about 3 more inches of the body.

Yesterday, I was reading Goldberg and came across the phrase "fighting the tofu." It seemed to perfectly describe what I've been going through with knitting. Now, mind you, I've read this book a few times and this never jumped out at me before. I really like it.

And, I'm going to stop fighting the tofu.

Oh, and this is what I've spun when I haven't been knitting.

But is it knitting?

2008-01-31T09:16:00.000-08:00

Since I finished the Architectural Rib Pullover, I haven't started another knitting project. I've been spinning, which is clearly not knitting; it's a fiber-related activity that provides me with the same mental relaxation I get when knitting. I've also been swatching and recalculating a pattern since I want to knit it in a lighter weight yarn than originally called for. I feel as if I haven't been knitting.

Yesterday I was mulling over my recent activities and asked myself "But is it knitting?" Which lead to an examination of what I consider "knitting". I realized that perhaps my personal definition of knitting was narrow, possibly too narrow. For many years, my definition of knitting has been restricted to knitting a clearly identifiable object such as socks, sweaters, etc.

Swatching didn’t count because it wasn’t an actual object to me; nothing useful, just a swatch. Still, while swatching I am engaged in the act of knitting. It provides me with the same tactile and calming experience I get as knitting a sweater. I can experiment with different size needles and play with stitch patterns if I want to without disrupting the shape. After all, it is only a swatch and there is not right or wrong place on a swatch to try something new. I am more likely while swatching to ask what happens if I change this and do it than when knitting an object. Although, the exception might be socks, which I frequently cast on without a clear idea of the final design.

So what about recalculating a pattern for a different gauge? Or writing an original pattern? Are these knitting? I suppose in a technical sense these aren’t knitting because they don’t necessarily involve sticks and string. The more I pondered this I came to realize that these are “knitting” in the broadest sense of what knitting comprises. I’m employing my knowledge of garment construction, fit and behavior of knitted fabric, all acquired through many years of knitting and tweaking patterns. I am imagining the outcome of such changes just as I imagine the outcome when faithfully following a pattern. I am knitting the item in my head. I am experiencing the satisfaction of problem solving; bring an idea to life by using acquired knowledge directly related to knitting. It is only missing the tactile qualities I so enjoy.

If I can’t imagine that sweater and work out how to construct it, I won’t enjoy the actual knitting—I also can’t enjoy the feel of yarn in my hands, the clacking of needles or the quiet state of mind I get when I actually knit.

So for now on, when I think about whether or not I’ve been knitting, I will consider all of the aspects of that thing called knitting.

A new friend, an old friend

2008-01-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

Architectural Rib Pullover

Pattern by Norah Gaughan in The Natural Knitter

Yarn: Alice Starmore Dunedin in color 999

Used 7.5 skeins

Started 12/23/2007

Finished 1/27/2008

Yes, I'm lifting the format from Brooklyn Tweed. I followed the pattern as written since the construction is a bit unusual. If I were to knit this again, I would make the collar about 3/4" shorter. This is a relatively easy pattern, using make 1 increases and k2tog and ssk decreases to provide the shaping. The center front and back rib panels are knit as one piece. You pick up stitches along each side for the sides and sleeves. It only has two seams. This is the first Norah Gaughan I've knitted and I love how clever this is.

In addition to finishing the sweater, I started teaching my daughter to sew. We picked out fabric for a pencil skirt at Piedmont Fabric. I came home and got an old friend out of the closet.

My Bernina, which has not seen the light of day in about two years. Which is somewhat surprising because I used to make most of my clothes. Before we started the sewing lesson, I got my fabric stash out (it's quite small and fits in a large storage bin, which was not the case years ago). We looked at the stashed fabric and my daughter claimed several pieces for herself, which is fine because someone should use it. I got out some fat quarters for her to practice sewing seams on. Then we moved on to the pattern stash, which sadly is very small compared to the stash I had before my divorce. The best find in the patterns was a discontinued Vogue pattern by Issey Miyake for a raincoat. I don't think the sewing machine is going back in the closet for a long time because I want to sew!

Overdyed and repurposed

2008-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

The weather here has been rainy and gloomy. To cheer myself up, I unraveled (I do a lot of that here, but usually it's not a knit item that is unraveling) a beanie I knit out of some orange handspun merino/tencel. For about a year I had a beanie, which I never wore, and a pair of matching socks, which I do wear. After unraveling, I had about 3 oz. of yarn, enough to knit a beret which I would undoubtly wear. Only I didn't want orange; I wanted red. So I hauled out the dyepot and my trusty dyes and mixed up a red that was pleasing to me. The orange yarn went for a little R&R in the red dye bath. It is now the red yarn cake in the picture.

I cast on and started knitting my red beret as soon as the yarn had dried. Only thing is I didn't like it as a red beret--a project that went straight to the frog pond.

3/4 of an architectural rib

2008-01-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

This is the Architectural Rib Pullover with one side and sleeve completed. It has been a pretty quick knit so far. I didn't work on it for a few days last week because I had the awful flu that seems to be striking everyone I know. The days I didn't knit, I slept. I seem to have recovered and am thinking I might be able to get a goodly portion of the second side and sleeve done this weekend.

This is what the sleeve and side look like laid flat plus a close up of the sleeve ribbing.

Oh, and I've been spinning. This is the targhee I bought in September. It was a dream to spin. The fiber was ultra clean and drafted easily. I loved the way this felt in my hands. Little fluffy clouds of softness. I had 6 oz. so I spun up three bobbins of singles and then made a 3-ply yarn, which yielded approximately 210 yards. I had some left on two bobbins and made that up as 2-ply, giving me approximately 80 yards. I would really like to spin more of this fiber. Not that I need to add any more fiber to the stash!

Some magnetic poetry fun

2008-01-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when it is pouring rain and you are being silly.

And this is what I hope to find.

Not much to look at

2008-01-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

I've finished the center panel of the Architectural Rib Pullover and picked up the stitches for one side and sleeve. And, as you can see, it looks like one big nothing. I was hoping to be a bit further along. Friday we lost our power for almost six hours. Since it was pouring rain and the sky was very gray, I had very little natural light to work in. Well with black yarn, it was a little difficult to see the stitches and I was still working the center panel where I needed to increase. So I needed to look at my work. I can't wait until I can see the shape a bit more clearly.

Archtectural Rib Progess Report

2008-01-01T11:04:00.001-08:00

I've started on the back of the center panel. This has been fun to knit so far. I can't work on it too much at night because it is hard to see the stitches since the yarn is black. Hope to have the center panel done by Sunday.

Beginning of Archtectural Rib Sweater

2007-12-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

I've made more progress since this photo was taken; about 26 rows until I work the cable row. It's kind of fun to watch the ribs merge and the hem take shape.

Riffing on patterns

2007-12-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

This is my version of the Parallelograms scarf from Knitting New Scarves. It's for my daughter, the scarf queen. This was a fun, easy knit; perfect for BART knitting or while watching over the caramel pot (I made caramels on Saturday). I used two skeins of Noro Silk Garden on US 8s. It is about 4 inches wide and 6 feet long. Perfect for the child who believes that one must wrap your scarf about your neck multiple times.

I used the Tweed Beret pattern from IK Winter 2006 as the basis for this beret. I used an aran weight blue face leicester yarn I bought from Kristine earlier this month. This took one skein plus a little bit that was left over from knitting the Maine Morning Mitts. I started with a four stitch i-cord; increased to eight stitches and then increased 8 stitches every other round until it was the diameter I wanted. In the next round, I knit 2 together all around. I finished it off with 1x1 ribbing, knitting the last two rounds in the contrasting color.

Late last night I cast on for the Architectural Rib Pullover from The Natural Knitter. I'm using some Alice Starmore Dunedin I've had in my stash forever. I haven't gotten very far, so I haven't taken a progress photo yet. Besides it's black and I'm not sure a photo would show all that much detail.

A weekend for making stuff

2007-12-02T16:55:00.001-08:00

"I'm going home to make stuff" I said to Kristine of A Verb For Keeping Warm as I departed from Glimakra Weaving Studio yesterday, clutching the yarn I had just bought from her. Kristine, Brooke and Maia of Tactile Fiber Arts were participating in the Open Studio weekend at Maj-Britt Morbrand's studio. I bought 3 skeins of BFL from Kristine; two skeins of "The Best Blue" and one of "Northerner". Glimakra Weaving Studio isn't all that large and was stuffed to gills with wonderful fiber-y stuff. I wanted to stay and take it all in, but I had to go home and start making stuff.

As soon I got home, I wound one skein of "The Best Blue" into a ball and started to knit Clara Parks' Maine Morning Mitts. These are going to be a Christmas gift. This first one was knit while watching A Midsummer Night's Dream and part of Chocolat. Since I'm not knitting much in the way of Christmas gifts, the second one will be done in no time.

While I was working on the mitt, I poached some pears. I got these from one of the attorneys I work with. They have a wonderful flavor on their own, but I like poached pears. These are dead simple to make and make your house smell wonderfully spicy. First, make a simple syrup of 2 parts water to 1 part sugar. Throw in some cinnamon sticks, whole allspice and fresh ginger. Add the peeled and halved pears and cook over medium low heat until tender. Cool.

I also started the second twisted rib sock. After knitting the Maine Morning Mitt on a US 7 going down to a US 1 felt a bit weird. I normally knit on small needles and was surprised that I couldn't get my coordination right. So, I didn't get as much done on the second sock as I'd thought I would. But that is okay because these are for me and I'm in no rush to finish them.

I set today aside for spinning. I started spinning this merino/tencel up at the last pot luck Sunday spinning day at Maia's. I finished spinning 2 oz. today and will start on the second 2 oz. later this week. This fiber was one of my solar dyeing experiments from this summer. I love that the colors are softer than they would have been had I steam set the dye. I also started spinning the Targhee I bought in September. It is turning out a lovely oatmeal color. I've spun up 1 oz. and have 5 oz. left. I'm thinking of making a 3-ply for a hat.

Speaking of 3-ply, I made my first successful 3-ply late last week. I ended up with approximately 1.9 oz. and 190 yards. I dyed three separate pieces of merino top in three strengths of Jacquard Black using a low-water immersion technique. I'm going to use this to make another Purl Bee Beret.

Pizza

2007-11-29T18:28:00.000-08:00

Yum, sort of homemade pizza. This pizza came into being with a lot of help from Trader Joe's. I used their pizza crust--in this case, garlic and herbs--their pesto and fresh mozzarella. And surprisingly, it came out quite tasty. It also made up for not having a refrigerator for two days, which pretty much put things to a stop in the kitchen.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I started this twisted rib sock using some Koigu from my stash. I really like this yarn, especially the color. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to knit with it because I'd used some of it to knit my former boyfriend a pair of socks. He wore them a few times and then they were lost to the infinite laundry pile he kept. I knit that man several pair of socks, which he said he really wanted, and which he proceeded to lose. So this yarn has some bittersweet memories associated with it. I don't even remember why I bought four skeins of this colorway.

The ribbing is from the pattern dictionary in the Vogue Knitting book. I was at my parents' when I started it and asked my mum for a stitch dictionary. And was told she doesn't have one. Mum has been knitting for over 50 years. How could it be possible that she doesn't have a stitch dictionary? Two days after I asked about this, she unearthed Mary Thomas's stitch dictionary. She had completely forgotten she had a copy. I don't understand how you can keep track of every issue of Vogue Knitting (going back to the sixties) and IK in your collection and not know that you own a stitch dictionary!

Dying fridge

2007-11-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Last night I returned from the Thanksgiving weekend to find that my fridge started dying sometime during the past four days. The freezer wasn't freezing and the fridge wasn't chilling. And the motor kept coming on about every three minutes, whining for about a minute and then going silent. I checked the fusebox to made sure the fuse hadn't tripped; I fiddled with the temperature settings; I discovered melted juice bars from earlier this summer that had completely melted. I also discovered that I can't move my fridge by myself to check the plug. Before the night was through, I'd turned the freezer off, which in turn stopped the motor from whining every three minutes. This morning the stuff in the fridge wasn't even a little chilled. Now, I'm waiting for the repair man to show up to tell whether or not I need to replace the thing. I bought this fridge six years ago and will be very disappointed if it can't be repaired.

I did get some knitting done over the weekend, which I did not photograph. I made the Purl Beret out of some Claudia Hand Painted and donated it to Caps for Kids in my hometown. This was a fun, quick knit and I will most likely make it again.

Added later: The repair man made my day--I don't have to replace the fridge. It needs a new compressor and something else. The parts and the repair man will be here tomorrow. I'm so relieved!

Not felting

2007-11-19T18:36:00.001-08:00

For the last month or so, I feel as if I've done nothing other than make felt scarves. Which is not exactly true.

I finished my Thelonious socks. I think I would have finished them faster if I hadn't screwed up my stitch count a few times--mostly from losing yarn overs and other equally mind distracting things.

I finished spinning these singles from a Lorna's Laces roving I bought a few months ago. I also finished plying them but have yet to take a picture.

And I started spinning this up.

Yet more felting

2007-11-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

I've finished thirteen felted scarves. I think this a good number to have at my employer's holiday crafts fair. I've had fun making these, but I miss spinning and knitting.

Both of these are numo felt.

These are merino felt. The one on the left has merino indigo dyed by Maia. The one on the right is made with some merino/tencel I dyed earlier this year.

This is a numo felt scarf made with silk I low-water immersion dyed and some more of Maia's indigo dyed merino. I wanted to see how the silk would like if I didn't felt all the way to the edge.

Left to right: merino from Ashland Bay Trading Co., numo felt, merino felt (it's black on the reverse side).

Just felting

2007-11-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready for a craft fair at work and have been consumed with making felt scarves. See...

Yesterday I took a break from felting and went to spinning potluck. Which was a good thing to do.

More felting

2007-10-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

This became this.

Another view. This shot is closer to the true colors of the finished felt.

Felting Sunday

2007-10-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I've had this need to finish something other than socks this week. So I decided a little felting was in order. I had to set up a felting area where a bit of water spilled on the floor wouldn't matter. I have the perfect space in my dining area. I covered the floor, which is wood laminate, with a plastic drop cloth. An inexpensive solution that can just be rolled and thrown away when I am finished. I set up my handy dandy multi-purpose folding table. Cut a length of ridged shelf covering a bit longer than the table. Heated a stock pot of water. Found the bucket of homemade soap gel I use for felting; donned my denim apron and set to work.

I started with this--about 4 oz. of roving. One hank was merino and the other was merino/tencel. The colorways were similar and had been stewing in my fiber stash for a long time. I know that both of these came from Deep Color and had been dyed by Jen.

I proceeded to lay out lengths of roving shingle style for the first layer. This took all of about 15 minutes. Each bit of fiber is about a staple length. Next I laid out a second layer of shingles running cross-wise to the first layer. For the third layer, I laid out fiber more or less going in the same direction of the first layer. More or less, meaning I was much more random in placing the fiber so that there would be some "movement" in the finished felt.

The first stage of felting looks like this. I wetted the fiber sandwich I just created, lay a net bag over it, drizzled a bit of soap gel over it, and patted it. I kept on patting until I couldn't see any air pockets. I moved my net bag over to the next section and patted. Once I was sure that the fiber was wet all the way through, I started moving my hand in a circular motion to start the agitation process. I kept the net bag over the felt while doing this. I turned the piece over after I was pretty sure it was holding together. If you look closely at the photo, you can see the ridge marks from the plastic I used underneath. I continued rubbing the felt, making sure to work the edges so that they weren't all feathery. I kept doing this until I thought it looked done and could stand up to a bit of rough treatment like being rolled up and rolled around with pressure. I did this until the felt was "hard" enough. I rinsed it out under running hot water until all of the soap was out. Then give it the cold water shock treatment. I wrung it out, twisting hard.

About an hour and a half later, I had this. I'll be able to wear it tomorrow if it is dry. I then cleared up my work table and started another scarf. The second scarf was made out of a merino/tencel roving hand painted by Jen at Deep Color--again, fiber from the stash. Pictures to come.

Since last week, I finished the Flame Wave Socks. These are for my daughter's friend Emily. I thought I wouldn't have enough yarn to finish the toes so I used a multi-colored I bought especially for these.

After seeing Kristine's Pomatomus socks, I dyed this Henry's Attic Kona superwash sock yarn with alkanet and madder. While waiting for this to dry, I started Cookie A's Thelonious socks using the Fleece Artist Basic Merino Sock I bought at Knitty City in New York.

Oh, oh I spun some the Lorna's Laces superwash roving in Red Rover. No wonder I feel I can't get anything finished. I don't have the attention span to focus on just one thing.

Overheard in Beverly Hills

2007-10-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my daughter had a casting in Beverly Hills. While having lunch, I overheard a man tell his companion that they really ought to get a panini grill. When asked why, he responded that that way they could make ham sandwiches at home. For some reason, this struck me as really funny. I'm easily entertained.

Tart

2007-10-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

The top down sweater is really, honestly finished. I've wet blocked it and it is drying as I write. Once I stopped over thinking the math to get the shape, it fairly flew along. I started this version Sept. 21 and finished knitting and blocking it October 14. And one of the best things is that the rainy season has arrived a month early. It is cooler, damp and sweater wearing weather.

This is the Sunday Spinning potluck tart before baking.

This is after baking and before being putting in a fancy-dancy banker's box lid for transport to Maia's on Sunday. Kristine was there with her beautiful hand dyed yarn. As was Linda and Kathleen. Maia's husband Roger was there for a short while entertaining us with a story about Independence, MO. Even though we were a small group, we had a grand time. I got to model Maia's shetland sock. It is the most amazing shetland I've ever felt--soft, squishy, yummy. I wanted to take this sock home with me. Alas, only one has been finished. I started spinning up some Chasing Rainbows merino tencel I bought from Carolina Homespun in Boonville last month. It is so lovely to be with a group of like-minded people and spin, eat and drink coffee. I can hardly wait for next month.

Close to finished

2007-10-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm almost finished with the top down sweater. I've got about 5 more rounds of stockinette before I start the bottom ribbing. I hope to finish it in the next few days.

This is the progress on the Flame Wave sock so far. After one full repeat of the pattern, I decided to substitute a yarn over for the make one the pattern specifies. It makes the knitting go just a bit faster and I prefer the openness of the yarn over. I'll see how I feel about it when I've worked a bit more of the leg.

Off to make apple tart for tomorrow's spinning potluck and listen to Springsteen's new cd, which I'm liking a whole lot right now.

From that to this

2007-10-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

From 13 plus bobbins of singles to approximately 2000 yards of 2-ply. I started spinning this on August 5 and finished plying at about 11:40 p.m. last night. Two months to spin and ply the two pounds of top I started with. Before wet finishing, it comes in at 12 wpi, putting it in DK weight range, which was what I was aiming for. I'm going to finish it using Judith MacKenzie McCuin's method for finishing woolen spun yarns. In fact, I just bought a cute mini sink plunger just for this job. Of course, my daughter thinks I'm nuts to believe that a plunger is going to help me in finishing the yarn.

From this to this

2007-10-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

This started as 2 lbs. of merino top.

It's now 13 plus a little more bobbins of singles.

Next step, plying.

Thoughts on knitting books

2007-10-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

The number of new knitting books released each season is a good indication of the popularity of knitting. A few years ago, I felt that I was missing out on something if I didn't own all the new books as they came out. While browsing at Borders on Friday, I realized that I no longer feel that way. I was browsing through The Best of Interweave Knits, tempted to buy a copy when "Why?" popped into my mind. After all, the likelihood that I would knit anything in the book was zip. Did I really need to add a book to my knitting book collection just for the sake of saying I own it? After all, who am I trying to impress? And, don't I complain enough about having to dust as it is? I will buy some knitting books if I especially like the styling or photography. I'll also buy a book that uses a clever technique that I want to understand better. The sad truth is that many of the knitting books just set in the bookcase often overlooked as I search for an old favorite.

Last year, I gave away a lot of stash yarn and knitting books because the shear amount of stuff I owned overwhelmed me. Rather than feel motivated by the quantity around me, I was depressed and at loose-ends. Nothing appealed to me. The books included the likes of Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, Sally Melville's Knit Book and Color Book plus odds and ends of knitting essay collections. I wasn't the least bit sad to see these books go. They were serving no real purpose while in my possession. Most of the folks who claimed the books were relatively new to knitting and glad to have some reference material. The stash yarn went to a stay at home mom with two young kids, a few new knitters, and to a senior center. It was liberating to let go of belongings that I had held onto far too long. There was nothing in the books that will go down in history as classics or comfort knits that are timeless. (Well, maybe Sally Melville's Einstein jacket will become a timeless classic.)

I need to bear these thoughts in mind when I look at Kaffe Fassett's Kaffe Knits Again. Now, don't get me wrong, I love his color work. However, I don't like to knit intarsia. And, I can borrow Glorious Color from my mum whenever I want if I need color inspiration. Plus, I have Deb Menz's ColorWorks. Just because a new book is the buzz of the blogosphere or podcasting world doesn't mean that I need to own it. Just like when an indie dyer or particular yarn is the favorite of the moment, I don't need to add any of it to my stash. I never want to feel overwhelmed by my knitting books again. Leaving The Best of Interweave Knits on the shelf was one of the best decisions I've made lately.

Purchases from TKGA

2007-09-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

I went to the TKGA show in Oakland yesterday. My promise to myself was that I would not add to the fiber or yarn stash. I kind of kept this promise.

I couldn't resist this skein of Schaefer Anne. I'm thinking it will become a Chevron scarf.

I also bought a new square mini featherweight SpindleWood Co. maple burl with Brazilian cherry shaft. It's so cute and that was a big factor in the decision to purchase it. I really enjoy spinning on my wheel more than on a spindle. But I don't have room to collect wheels; however, I do have room for a few more spindles.

Other purchases were 200 braids to twist, knot, loop, or weave, a copy of The Crystal Cove Pullover pattern from Just One More Row and a copy of Myrna pattern from White Lies Designs.

On the spinning front, I finished bobbin number 10 of the wine-colored merino yesterday and started spinning up the last 8 oz. bump today.

I'm off to finish knitting the ribbing on the first sleeve of the top down sweater. I'm really liking it. Oh, and to check on the bread in the oven.

Fourth time is a charm

2007-09-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

Or, I hope so. The top down sweater is progressing nicely. Apparently, I had to have many duh moments for the process to gel for me. The Misti Alpaca worsted has held up well considering one skein has been re-knit four times now. I'm past the neck shaping; although you can't tell from the photo because being stockinette it is curling like mad. I've got the front, right sleeve and back holding on two 32" circular needles while I knit the left sleeve.

I started the left sleeve on a 16" needle and just changed to dpns.it's going pretty fast. I haven't fully decided on how tapered the sleeve will be. What I like about this method of sweater knitting is that I can make that decision later. Just I can adjust the body length based on how much yarn I have left to work with when I get to that point. I can see using this method with my handspun for that reason.

A vistit to the frog pond

2007-09-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

My attempts to get the neckline right on this sweater haven't worked out so far. Last night I got as far as about an inch on the left sleeve and just wasn't liking what I was seeing. So the yarn and I took a little trip to the frog pond. Even though I said that if this attempt didn't work out I would find a commercial pattern, I just can't give up. So I am going to give it another try. If that doesn't work, I'm going to put this yarn in time out and start the Rowan Felted Tweed I bought at Stash today for Salina in Rowan's Vintage Style. The colorway is a dark plummy color called Bilberry.

I've been asked by one of my daughter's friends to knit her another pair of socks as the first pair I knit her no longer fit. She saw the Broadripple socks and decided that she wants a pair. I have some Cascade Fixation in my stash in a watery blue and will use that. Teenagers--when do they stop growing!

I'm a lemming!

2007-09-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Or, am I a sheep? I received my invitation to Ravelry a few days ago. Today I finally had an opportunity to poke around a bit. Like many people, I found myself sucked in. I've only posted my profile (marlowec) and a few of my finished projects. I can see how one can easily spend hours or days browsing and joining groups. However, this has brought up a question for me. Do I want to spend much time (any time?) drooling over other people projects or work on my own? I realize that this is not as ponderous as "to be or not to be?" and that the kingdom of Denmark or any other kingdom is not at stake. But it does present a conflict in my life and I probably shouldn't spend much, if any, time thinking about it. So tonight, I'm going to continue my quest for the perfect neckline for my top down sweater. (I would post a picture but it looks like all of nothing.)

Same lesson learned again

2007-09-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

I cast-on the Misti Alpaca worsted again last night. Only to have to rip it out again; this time because I twisted the additional stitches I had cast on for the front neck. So, I ripped it out yet again. Cast-on again and got about three rows into it when I changed my mind about the front neck shaping (I know, I'm fickle). I'm going to rip out these three rows and try again. Hopefully, the fourth time will be charm for me. One of these days I'm going to really learn that I shouldn't try to knit a sweater that I mentally envision when I'm tired. If the fourth go round doesn't work, remind me to find a pattern and line by line instructions!

Boonville

2007-09-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

Friday night before going off to sleep, I was quite undecided about going to the California Wool & Fiber Festival in Boonville. I really didn't need to add to the fiber stash and I really didn't want to drive by myself. After dragging myself out of bed and walking the dog Saturday morning, I said to myself "why not go? What have I got to lose? Besides, it will be pretty up there and you are most decidedly gloomy here." So hopping in the car, Peet's coffee in hand, I drove to Boonville. On the way, I listened to a few podcasts and some of my favorite music. The two hour drive when by quickly. And it was a really pretty drive; especially the last 27 miles once I turned off 101 onto Highway 128.

I visited with Brooke and Maia at the Sincere Sheep booth. Kristine was there also. I few minutes later I ran into Kristine again at the Carolina Homespun booth. I did add to the stash. Here's the haul:

Indigo dyed merino from Maia

Baby camel tussah top from Herndon Creek Farm

Targhee batts from Merry Meadows Farm

Finally, I rinsed my indigo dipped fibers this weekend.

The green is merino dyed with onion skins and then dipped a few times in indigo. The blue is merino tencel dipped five or six times in indigo. The purple-y is blue faced leicester dyed with lac and madder then dipped in indigo. The brown-y gray, which is more gray in real life, is merino that was dyed with fustic and then over dyed with logwood gray. I'm quite pleased with the results.

Also started knitting some Misti Alpaca worsted into a sweater, using Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top as a guideline since I'm making this up as I go. I had knit almost two skeins before I had a lightbulb moment and realized that the neck as I had cast on wasn't right. In fact, it was downright funky looking. Once I understood where I had gone wrong, I ripped all the way back and cast on again. Lesson learned: don't cast on for a raglan as if it is a set in sleeve.

Finished!

2007-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

I finished my Chevron Scarf on Wednesday. I'm pleased with how it turned out. Right after I wove in the ends, I started knitting a swatch out of Misti Alpaca Worsted to find the right needle size for the sweater I have in mind. I'm using Barbara Walker's Knitting From the Top to guide me in making the pattern as I go along.

Indigo dyeing

2007-09-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mixed up my indigo stock using indigo powder from Earthues. It turned the appropriate sickly yellow, which reminds me of clean motor oil. Needless to say, I was pleased. I had an irrational fear that I would not get this right without my spinning and natural dyeing teacher there to hold my hand. To riff Sally Field, it worked; it really, really worked. So just be sure it really worked, I let it sit overnight. I didn't want to be cursed and find out that it had re-oxygenated and turned blue. The dye fairy was on my side. It stayed motor oil yellow.

Last night, I set the fiber to soak. 2 oz. each of undyed merino tencel blend, BFL, and merino. I had previously dyed the merino with onion skins. While pleased with the color, it's not one that looks especially good next to my skin. The BFL was originally dyed with lac then over dyed with madder. I was feeling so-so about the color and thought a dip in indigo might help me get over it.

Today after my morning walk to Peet's on Piedmont, I set up my makeshift indigo dyeing kitchen, which happens to be my balcony. Last week I bought an inexpensive hotplate just for this purpose--I don't want an indigo kitchen after all! I'm using an old stock pot that I've had forever as a dedicated indigo pot. My black solar dyeing tub is set up to hold the fiber once I remove it from the dye pot. I knew it was a great investment when I bought it. I've got a tub of clean water next to the solar dyeing tub so I can rinse my gloved hands and not turn the handle of the sliding screen blue if I needed to go inside.

Each of these photos shows the result after one dip in the indigo pot. I ended up dipping the undyed merino tencel about five times. I dipped the yellow four or five times and the red around seven times. I didn't keep good track of the numbers of dips; I just went for color I like. Right now, the fiber is resting in a plastic bag. I'll probably let age a week before I rinse it. You may ask why I rest it, and it is a good question. The only answer I can give is that this is what Claudia told me to do when I learned indigo dyeing from her. So I follow her lead.

Muffins and knitting

2007-09-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

I made Espresso Banana Muffins last night. The recipe is from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson. The recipe calls for toasted walnuts. So I dutifully got a bag of walnut halves out of the freezer and spread the amount called for on a rimmed cookie sheet and put them in the oven to toast. Only I promptly forgot about them until they smelled way too toasty. The walnuts went in the trash and I proceeded to make the muffins without them. These are really good--not heavy the way some natural foods muffins can be. I'll make these again. Definitely, yummy.

I started a Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I know that a lot of people have knit this and that I'm rather late to the game. I'm using some Twisted Sisters Daktari that I bought at the Knit Cafe two summers ago--the colors are less bright than in the close up photo. I didn't know what I was going to use it for at the time. It has kept a happy place in the stash waiting for the right project to come along. It didn't occur to me to use it for the Chevron Scarf until I saw some Daktari knitted up in a chevron pattern at Article Pract. I only have two skeins of this yarn so my scarf will not be mega long as the original but that is okay with me.

The end of summer

2007-09-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

My firm was gracious enough to close early the Friday before Labor Day weekend. I used the few extra hours to go to Target and buy another storage bin for my growing fiber stash. Of course, I didn't reorganize the stash right away. I have a character flaw that will not allow me to make use of things like storage bins right away; I must contemplate storage for awhile, secure in the knowledge that the bins are waiting for me.

Saturday I was busy. I finished my Monkey Socks. I really like the way they turned out. I would knit this pattern again if there weren't so many other sock patterns I want to knit. I really just used the pattern for the lace pattern and followed my standard sock recipe. So the Monkeys helped make a small dent in the yarn stash. Yeah!

I spun up about 4 oz. of the wine colored merino sliver, which means I have a little less than a pound left to spin. I'm really enjoying spinning this. I just have to figure out what sweater pattern I want to make when I'm done.

I painted some merino tencel sliver to solar dye. At the right is my solar dyeing set up. A black plastic tub from Ace Hardware, a piece of plexiglass and c-clamps. I left this out until late Monday afternoon.

Sunday was a mellow day. I drove down the coast with a friend. We stopped for a few hours at a beach about a mile below Pigeon Point Lighthouse. It was windy but the sun felt really good. Plus, it was fabulously clear. On the way home, we stopped at Duarte's Tavern for pie and coffee. I love the pie there; the crust is the best.

On Monday, I got out the dye pot to overdye some sock yarn I was no longer happy with. The orange was originally a hot pour of burnt orange leaving sizable spots of white. So I overdyed it with aztec gold and got this almost solid orange. The brown was my very first experiment of dyeing with KoolAid--originally, I dyed it with orange KoolAid. It was a bit too candied colored for my tastes. So I overdyed with brown. Now it is a lovely brown with hints of reddish brown. I'm really happy with how these turned out.

I also started knitting a Chevron Scarf using some Twisted Sisters handpainted Daktari I bought at the Knit Cafe two summers ago. I've been waiting for the right project to come along for this yarn, which is slubbed cotton. I love how it is working up. I don't have a photo yet; I'll post one soon.

This is how the solar dyed handpaint turned out. I'm calling this Spring. The colors are so much softer than if I had steam set the dye. The green broke a little bit, but I'm fine with it. This is going to become sock yarn. But first, I am going to finish spinning the wine-colored merino.

Cupcakes

2007-08-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday I made cupcakes. I used a yellow cake recipe from the Fanny Farmer Baking Book. It called for shortening; I used butter instead. I overfilled the baking tin and got giant cupcakes. They smelled so wonderful. I could hardly wait for them to cool so I could frost them.

The frosting is the recipe that comes off the box of powdered sugar, not a true buttercream, which is fine because cupcakes are comfort food. In the spirit of Magnolia Bakery, I tinted the frosting a pale blue. Since my daughter is not fond of really sweet things, I didn't put a lot of frosting on each cupcake. For a final touch, I sprinkled them with "wild flowers". These were good and met with my daughter's approval of being good without being too sweet.

I finished the first monkey sock. I really like how this turned out. I've tried this yarn in other socks and always ripped them out because I haven't like the way the color has worked out. This was the right pattern for it. I'm more than half way done with the second sock. I don't know whether I'll keep these or put them in the gift box. I made these to fit me and that is a bit of a problem for gift giving since I have the smallest feet besides my mum in my family. I'll see if my daughter can get them on without over stretching them. If they fit her okay, then I can give them to one of my sisters-in-law.

This is the fifth bobbin of wine-colored merino singles. I have two pounds of this and plan on knitting sweater with the finished yarn. It is really lovely to spin. I'm spinning it over the fold, which is one of my favorite ways of spinning. I have about a pound and a quarter left to spin before I ply it. This will be good yarn for a Bay Area winter, where it can get cold without being bone chilling cold. Plus, it will be a good weight to wear indoors in Tahoe. Off to finish the second monkey.

Back from NYC

2007-08-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I are just back from a wonderful trip to NYC. We could have spent a lot more time there but work and school called us back. In three days, we crammed a lot of shopping in (which, truth be told, was the reason for the trip). We stayed at the Lucrene Hotel on the Upper West Side.

However, we probably spent the most time in the Village. The only cultural site I was able to get to was the New York Public Library. I love it there. We arrived on Monday evening and had a wonderful dinner at Nice Matin, which is next door to the Lucrene.

On Tuesday, we hit Canal Street. My daughter learned about negotiating for the knock off D&G bag she wanted. Then we headed off to Soho--or so we thought. I am clueless when it comes to direction. We ended up in Tribeca before realizing that we were off track. It didn't matter though because I was enjoying just walking around and taking in the City. Finally, we got pointed in the right direction and made it to Soho. I stopped by Purl because I thought I might as well since I was in the neighborhood. I knew that it was a tiny shop; I wasn't quite prepared for just how tiny it is. They were putting out fall yarns and there wasn't any room to move easily--not that I imagine that is easy to move around without boxes of new yarns in the middle of the shop. From Soho, we walked to the West Village and paid homage to the cupcakes in the window of Magnolia Bakery. The line was long and we weren't in the mood for sweets. From the West Village, we walked up to School Products and Habu. Where I bought nothing. That's right, nothing.

Wednesday we went to the emporium of discount designer clothing, Century 21. Letting a 14 year old girl loose in such a place is interesting to say the least. She found a few things that she really liked and that fit--quite a feat when you are 5'10.5" and wear a size 2. So being a good mother I got out the credit card. And yes, I found a skirt for myself. From there, we headed back to the West Village and The Point. On the way there we had lunch at Moustache, a funky little cafe with handmade pita bread hot off the grill. The chicken sandwich I had hit the spot; my daughter had one of their "pitzas", which is really a small pizza on handmade pita. Feeling full and re-energized, we continued on our way to The Point.

I was feeling rather doubtful that The Point would really be a "knitting cafe". After all, I had been fooled by the Knit Cafe in LA. There I had expected at least coffee as well as yarn. The Point proved me wrong--it really is a knitting cafe. There was a menu posted above the bar and an expresso machine. You really can order food and drink here. Best of all, people were sitting at their tables knitting, eating, and drinking coffee and tea surrounded by yarn on walls. It is a small place with great light. I bought 4 skeins of Punta Del Este Mericash Solid to make their fishtail lace top. It is wonderfully soft yarn. I will go back next time I'm in NYC. (I also want to have a place like this in the East Bay.)

From The Point, we took the subway back to the Upper West Side. On the short walk from the subway station to the hotel, I stumbled upon Knitty City. It was the largest of the yarn stores I visited. They had a fairly large selection of knitting books and nice variety of yarn. This store was more like the yarn stores I'm used to compared to School Products and Habu, which are in office buildings and not at street level. I bought a skein of Fleece Artist Merino Sock and a copy of Cookie A's Thelonious Sock Pattern. I've never seen Fleece Artist yarn in any of my local yarn stores. I just want to pet it.

After a short rest, we headed to Central Park and Strawberry Fields to visit "the bench". (I first saw a picture of this bench on the Harlot's blog. So I am totally stealing the idea of posting a picture from her, but it is my own photo. ) It was really nice to sit in the park and people watch. New Yorkers seem to appreciate and use their green spaces differently than here in the Bay Area. The parks and squares seem to be an extension of their living space, much like people in Europe use their squares. Or, perhaps it seems that way to me because New York actually has summer in summer. When I lived next to Golden Gate Park, it was never summer in summer. I just remember being cold all the time.

Thursday we just had to have cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery so we traveled back to the Village and bought an assortment of four cupcakes and a copy of More From Magnolia so we can have Magnolia inspired treats at home. We headed back towards midtown and Bryant Park. In a very New York seeming moment, we found a table and chairs in the park and realized that an Opera in the Park sound check was taking place. It was the right moment to break open the box of cupcakes and eat one--really yummy. Next we headed to the NYPL and then back to the Upper West Side. We got caught in a rain storm on our way, ducked into a Starbucks to wait it out. As soon as it looked dry enough to go out again, it rained even harder. So we ran for the subway station and took the subway back to the hotel to grab our umbrellas (this is what happens to me when I don't listen to the local news or read a newspaper--I get caught in weather). Of course, as soon as we had umbrellas in hand it stopped raining. The rest of the day was spent wandering around the Upper West Side and the Park.

Friday morning we had time to go to Zabar's and to walk to Barnes and Noble on Broadway and W. 66th (I think it's W. 66th) to buy books for the flight home. Our shuttle picked us up on W. 79th, then drove to another hotel on W. 52nd and then headed uptown again to yet another hotel two blocks from where we had started. I figure we could have spent another hour walking around the UWS if we had been picked up last. Go figure! After going through security, we found out our flight to Chicago was delayed about 20 minutes, which ended up really being 4 hours and 45 minutes. The last hour and half of that was spent sitting on the runway. At one point, the captain announced that if we didn't take off within the next 14 minutes work rules required him to return to the gate and cancel the flight. Two minutes before the 14 minutes were up we were taking off. Of course, we missed our connection in Chicago and had to rebook for the following day. So it took us about two days to get home. But it was so worth it.

And I did get some knitting done while in New York. I finished my shaped arch socks out of Sockotta and started a pair of Monkey Socks in some Lorna's Laces that I've had for a very long time--the label is the original Lorna's label; the colorway is "whitewater".

Even more catching up

2007-08-11T13:31:00.001-07:00

Here are the photos of recent projects.

This is merino/tencel solar dyed with Jacquard violet and black dyes. The black broke and looks more copper in real life. The colors are much softer than if I had set the dye on the stove.

This is the Three Bags Full fiber. It's two ply and I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. It is 4.4 oz. and just shy of 600 yards. Because it is textured I don't think it will make good socks.

This is Henry's Attic Kona dyed with cutch. I love how soft the brown is. It reminds me of carmel or a dark honey.
The finished Broadripple socks on a chair and modeled by my daughter.

We are off to NYC on Monday. Definitely going to hit School Products. If there is time, will visit a few other yarn stores.

A sad thing, a bad thing & a good thing

2007-08-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

The sad thing. Deep Color is closing in September. Our spinning group will meet for the last time this Thursday. I've been so honored to be a part of this group of talented women. I've learned so much from Claudia and been inspired by others in the group. I've become a better spinner, learned to use natural dye stuffs and gotten brave in experimenting with acid dyes.

The bad thing. Last month I attended a conference in New Orleans and I was mugged on the last night I was there. It was scary. The man that grabbed my bag pulled me down in the process. I skinned my shoulder, hand and knee. I bruised the palm of my right hand and my right knee cap. The next morning when I started to absorb what had happened I was worried that I might not be able to spin because my knee was about twice it's normal size. I was more worried about that than anything else. The NOPD was quite understanding and tried to be helpful. They managed to recover my cashmere wrap, which had been wrapped around my bag strap. A street vendor in Jackson Square found some of my stuff including my house keys, office key cards and my business card case. He was kind enough to send these back to me--fortunately my key card has the name of my employer and address on it. He apparently contact my office and got the mailing address. However, he didn't include any way for me to get in touch with him to thank him and offer a reward.

The good thing. I was invited by Brooke to a spinning potluck at Maia's this past Sunday. It was so nice to get together with a lot of other women who share your passion. I met Rachel, Lala, Janine and many others. The was plenty of yummy food, good conversation, spinning and knitting. I started spinning up the wine colored merino top I bought from Julia for a sweater. I'm shooting for a dk weight 2-ply. It is a lush fiber and I'm really enjoying spinning it.

Some other good things. While in New Orleans, I finished the Broadripple Socks for my daughter--they remind me of Mardi Gras colors.

On Saturday, I solar dyed 4 oz. of merino/tencel with violet and blacks, trying to capture the colors I see in my neighbor's sweet peas. The black broke and gave a nice gray and copper. Despite not getting the colors I envisioned I'm really pleased with the results. Most likely I will spin this up for socks. (I rigged up my solar dye oven with a black utility tub, plexi-glass and c-clamps. I borrowed this idea from Spinning Spider Jenny.) I also plyed up the singles I spun from the Three Bags Full fiber. I got approximately 590 yards 2-ply out of 4.4 oz. of fiber. I'll post pictures later as it has been gray and gloomy in these parts the past few days.

Last night, I dyed some Henry's Attic Kona with cutch. I really love the color--a warm brown. Once it's dry, I'll take a picture. This yarn is for my mum to knit socks for my dad.

I'm still working on the socks I started in New Orleans. They are plain vanilla stocking stitch with a shaped arch made with Plymouth Sockotta that I bought two years ago at Lofty Lou's in Placerville. I'm not crazy about this yarn. It a bit to splitty for me. I want my plain vanilla socks to be mindless knitting, which means only glancing down at it every once in awhile. I have to look more often because of the splittiness. Fortunately, I like the colors--a few blues, a light green and light brown. These will be good socks for clogs.

I should have plenty of time to finish the second sock this weekend because my daughter is modeling in Teen Vogue's fashion shows in San Francisco, Sacramento and Concord. There is a lot of waiting time before a show starts and I must entertain myself.

More catching up

2007-07-05T18:06:00.001-07:00

I've been knitting but have nothing to show for it. I used scrapes of Cascade 220 to knit a buttonhole-type bag for felting. It looks like a blob of black, purple, and red right now. I have to felt it. I'm in no hurry to do so because I think this will become a Christmas gift. I'm working up a pair of Broadripple socks in some Fixation that I've had in my stash for a few years. This should be a really fast knit--socks on US 3's. It is going slowly though. I don't know if it is because it is summer, and we are actually having summer weather in the Bay Area. Or, if I've just lost my interest in knitting this particular pair of socks.

I haven't lost interest in spinning or dyeing though.

The single is spun from a batt by Three Bags Full in Dragon's Fire I bought from Carolina Homespun last summer. I'm almost finished spinning the second bobbin. It is American Romeldale, tencel, and silk noil. I let this marinate in the fiber stash for a year because I changed my mind about liking it once I got it home. Now that I've spun most of it up, I really like it. It is a lovely color and I like the texture that the silk noils add. Once this is plyed, I'll figure out what to make with it.

I dyed this a few weeks ago. It's 4 oz. of merino/tencel. I was inspired by the Tidepool roving in the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. This is destined for sock yarn. I plan on spinning this next.

Kinda, sorta catching up

2007-06-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I wrote about this sweater. It's Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere from my stash. I haven't gotten around to sewing the buttons on yet even though I've worn at least three times. If I were to make this again, I would lower the neckline about an 1" to 1 1/2". I learned a lot about knitting pattern composition, like not be scared of the math. I use math everyday in my professional life, so why be scared of it in my knitting life. I'm not terribly happy with this yarn though. It kind of itches; so I don't consider it terribly next to the skin friendly. You would think that a yarn that is primarily cotton would be comfortable next to the skin. It has made me wonder if the cashmere content is really cashmere, perhaps it is mohair? Which would explain the itch factor.

This poor yarn has been three different sweaters--really, two sweaters. I knit the first one a second time because I didn't like the fit. I decided after the second go-round that I really didn't like to sweater on me. So before I even wove in the ends, I unraveled it. It was liberating to do so. I was not going to let the yarn defeat me. Then I found the slouch sweater in Greetings from Knit Cafe and knew that this yarn was going to be happy as a slouchy, casual sweater. When this is on, the fronts curl onto themselves making a spiral, which I like. I like that it is casual without looking like a "mom sweater" or something that is better suited for my daughter.

I recently finished the "Indigo Ripples Skirt" from IK Spring 2007. I knit it in black cotton so it doesn't photograph so well. I wore it for the first time today and felt very girly--in a good way--in it.

Here is some recent spinning. The green is spun from a roving from Chasing Rainbows colorway "More Teals" 80% merino 20% tussah. I got 330 yards two-ply out of 2 oz. I'll probably knit a lacy scarf. The multi-color is from Nancy Jane Campbell and is 80% cormo 20% soy silk colorway "Floral Suite". I bought this at Lambtown last year. I gave about 1 1/2 oz. of this to my daughter, leaving 2 1/2 oz. for me. I got 576 yards of two-ply. I don't know what I'm going to do with this.

Reasons to blog

2007-05-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day, I attended Fleece Day at Deep Color Studio. We learned how to select and wash fleece. We washed an Icelandic fleece as well as a fleece from a sheep that had escaped being sheared for a year and half. Julia of Knitting History and I got to talking about blogging and why she started. Julia told me that it was a way for her to keep track of what she was knitting and how it grew into something bigger, a part of a community.

I realized that I hadn't kept up with my blogging in part because I believe that I can keep track of everything I knit and spin in my knitting journal. Then I realized that I don't write about the nitty gritty in my knitting journal. In fact, my journal has become a record of completion dates and what yarn I used. No notes about what I learned or changed. The only exception being the sweater I designed myself. And, even then I started with a formula from The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. So really, all the math was done for me.

I recently knit a sweater from Greetings from Knit Cafe, blindly following the pattern without really thinking about it. Once I laid out the pieces to block them, I noticed that the sleeve cap looked too small for the depth of the armhole. All of my training in flat pattern making kind of kicked in--the eye saying to the brain that is too small. I, of course, chose to ignore this. Instead, I found myself thinking that the pattern can't be wrong (despite knitting for decades and knowing that it is universally true that many, many knitting patterns are, indeed, riddled with errors and in search of errata). Once I tried to set the sleeve in, it didn't fit--by several inches. Rather than feel defeated (as this was the third time I knit a sweater from this particular yarn), I sucked it up and put these flat pattern skills to good use. I consulted Maggie Righetti so that I would know just when to calculate the decreases for the perfectly shaped sleeve cap. And, it worked. It really honestly worked.

So back to the topic of this entry--reasons to blog. I realized that I do want some place to write about my knitting and spinning. I don't have to be the Yarn Harlot or Wendy or anyone else. I don't have to join a knit along or secret pal swap or anything like that. I can just be who I am; and maybe this will become something more, something bigger, a part of a community.