Vermeer Light

Some yarns either in progress or finally complete. Evidence of projects long in the thought process.

The 2 ply lace yarn started as Superwash BFL, dyed by me back around Easter using Kool Aid. Then I spun it super thin on a Bosworth Mini spindle - the one I bought at Mass Sheep and Wool in May. It took forever and I finally just got tired of the whole thing so I still have almost 12 grams left from the original 2 oz. The smaller skein was my attempt at plying on a larger spindle but I realized I didn't have the patience so I switched over to my wheel and produced the larger skein. All in all, there's about 344 yards of super thin 2 ply lace yarn here, and I have no earthly idea what I will do with it. This was more an experiment to see just how thin a yarn I could make. I call the yarn Samba. Shake it up.

Southern Cross Fibres, Binary Sunset, spun onto one bobbin, 4 oz. This will eventually be plied with 2 plys of Hello Yarn Alpine to make a nice, round 3 ply yarn. I want to make a sweater and use the handspun in the yoke. I've been thinking about this one for months. I hope I don't screw it up.

These photos remind me of Dutch painter Jan Vermeer. The colors of the yarn, combined with the blue pillow and the light. I should use a tripod to shoot these days with the wan November light, especially with the Northern exposure from my office window.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers. I will be busy cleaning, cooking, eating and maybe knitting a bit. Family arrives in the next 24 hours and I have much more to do.

Beyond Knitting

Lest you get to believing all I think about day and night is Knitting and Spinning, let me show you some things that have my attention lately.

First up, a photographer named Richard Barnes with a new series out on National Geographic wherein he photographed mummified animals; these were sacred pets of the Egyptian Pharaohs and kings. These are eerie and fascinating at the same time. There's a slide show over on the NG web site worth checking out. Tell me what you think.

Earlier in his career he photographed starlings in Rome, look at this, it's amazing. If you head over to his web site http://www.richardbarnes.net/index.html you can see a whole series they are fascinating.


I am always interested in depictions of animals. The taxidermy photos on his website are also compelling. They draw me in but repulse me at the same time. I guess that's what he wanted.

I have the same reaction when I look at Walton Ford's paintings. He had a show at the Brooklyn Museum nearly two years ago and it still resonates with me. I've been a Walton Ford fan since forever, and made sure to see his show at the Paul Kasmin Gallery when it came through.

His paintings are huge, super saturated in color and lurid. They harken back to Audubon, but they also tell the story that lies beneath the surface. The terrible history, the one that no one wants to believe happened. There's an impending doom in Ford's paintings and that's what is so fascinating.

Again, this tension of fascination and repulsion. I love that so much about both these artists. They both straddle that edge; they make art you need to experience with your brain and your gut; the work goes way beyond mere decoration.

Lots of people call themselves artists these days. It's so easy! I'll never forget, back when I was heavy into Photography (you'd never know, would you), I remember a guy rolling his eyes and saying "Everybody calls themselves a photographer these days". Today it's 'artist". I think it debases the true meaning of artist when anyone and everyone can appropriate the title. It's almost offensive. But for nothing else, it certainly forces me to put some effort into discerning who is and who is not an artist. Not that I am the world's leading authority on who is and who is not an artist. But sheesh. Come on, this age of entitlement does not mean you can just call yourself and artist and poof! You are one!

There's a book I saw today in Barnes & Noble, I'd love to have it someday: Bird, by Andrew Zuckerman. Gorgeous photographs of birds. Go have a look at the slide show, it's interactive so be sure to pop it into full screen mode and then tell me what you think. See? Now, it reminded me of Walton Ford and of Audubon, and it reminded me of another book I have in my collection already - Survivors, by James Balog, in which animals on the verge of extinction are photographed against white backdrops.

Oh and did you see the crow photograph? Recent chatter on the subject of crows got me curious, so I ordered up a book called Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. Now, when I ordered, I thought it would give me more insight into crow behavior. I've always been a Raptor fan but paid little mind to the Corvids. Well, this book did connect a few dots, but it was more than that. Haupt's story of the crow was a way to weave us into the larger framework of humans, animals and the urban environment. From the crow observations and her stories, Haupt reminds us that we don't need to travel for miles to observe nature. It's all around us.

I still want to learn more about the Crow behavior and there are other books that can show me the way. Okay so the thread here, about art, about photography and about the natural world and the urban environment. Mostly it's about the observing, the seeing, the links to the visceral and to the cerebral. No real conclusions but for my whine about 'artists'. Just more about keeping it real.

There's More Than Tweed In My Future

What am I up to these days? Goodness all around. There's definitely a bounce in my step, a bit of a smile, anticipation and excitement.

And, there's tweedy knitting happening! Enough to put a smile on the face of any knitter. The yarn has percolated in the stash far too long. I'd set it aside to make this vest for PhotoMan. But he deemed it too 'thick', fearing it would make him look fat. Oh, brother!

No amount of convincing could change his mind and I decided life is too short. I'll make it for myself. And with November being declared Vestvember, what better time than NOW!

The pattern, Dr G's Memory Vest, designed by Kirsten in honor of her father, who suffered from Alzheimers as so many parents do. I know, my Mom is heading there. What a lovely pattern, the knitting just flows, the rhythm easy to pick up.

I've finished the back in less than a week. Furious knitting between classes and studying, on breaks and during travel. Studying?! Cramming, really. 17 out of 20 classes complete, an exam coming up soon. An Important Exam. One that will change my life completely and which I am so excited and eager to take on.

God willing, this Vest will be a marker in time for me, that time when I made a huge decision and decided it is so right, so real and I am so ready.

Cigar Gloves

My friend P (affectionately P-Diddy) is a huge cigar fan. It's one of those things he takes great pleasure in, no matter what the weather. He and his cronies get together for drinks and dinner and they usually wind up their evenings with a cigar, living the good life. While cigars are not necessarily my thing, for awhile Photo-Man also enjoyed them. In fact there's still a stash of them somewhere, though not nearly as huge as my yarn and fiber stash.

So P's birthday came around again this year and I vowed this time I would produce what I had promised a year ago! And I wanted them to be perfect. As in all things I knit. Which of course makes me a bit crazed in the execution but it's all for the best.

Naturally, in the quest for perfection we needed several beers discussions. First, there was the time I carefully measured his hands. That might have been over a year ago? I know I recorded the statistics in my Blackberry! I ordered the yarn and then promptly moved on to other knitting projects. Guilty. As the birthday approached this year, it was a great excuse for more beers discussions and this time I produced a half finished sample.


I riffed a bit from a Knitty pattern I'd queued up ages ago. Only for some reason I thought a 3" ribbed cuff would be too much, and chose a 1.5" ribbed cuff. And I jazzed it up a bit with the gold edge color but that took a few attempts to get the right balance - not too much, not too over the top. P is a down the middle kinda guy dressing wise.

Well, he was pleased but I was not. Turns out the short cuff bothered me. And the fit was not quite right. Several evenings of working up different variations I concluded that the pattern as written made the most sense. A 3" ribbed cuff fits and knitting the entire glove on size 5 dpns just fits better and makes a warm, dense fabric when using Cascade 220. Such a versatile, workhorse of a yarn.

Now, knitting fingers is a bit fiddly, I will admit. And because of that and the fact that I essentially knit the equivalent of four gloves to make a pair, the project took a bit longer than I originally anticipated, meaning I missed the birthday again!

I took advantage of that nice day a week ago to get some shots of these gloves, while we coordinated schedules. This time, it was lunch, not beers and no cigars, but these gloves do work well for checking email on Blackberrys too! Ah, modern life. I'm sure P-Diddy would prefer more cigars and less email...

Yea. It's Come to This.

Lately I've become enamored of The Onion. I guess I just need a good giggle, and they have a steady stream of content worth a good chuckle.

Entire Office Unsure What To Do About Bawling Coworker

November 6, 2009

Human resources personnel have not yet ruled out the possibility of a missed birthday.

FINDLAY, OH—The entire office staff of Altman & Hanson Accounting remained utterly baffled as to what, if anything, should be done in response to the prominent sobbing coming from the cubicle of 36-year-old clerk Jack Underwood, sources reported today.

Underwood, who has been employed by the accounting firm since 2004, reportedly began weeping sometime after 10:15 a.m. and has not shown any indication of stopping.

"He's just in there crying and crying—what are we supposed to do?" said coworker David Hammond, who was not aware of any medical or emotional issues Underwood might have. "At first I thought there might be an-other round of layoffs coming, but [office manager] Sophie told me that wasn't the case, so at least I know that whatever the sobbing is about, it doesn't affect me."

"But still, jeez, I hope he's okay in there," Hammond continued.

Other staff members were also at a loss as to how to approach the crying man. Junior partner Russell Hanson told reporters that he had "absolutely no clue" what to say to Underwood and decided to ask administrative assistant Emily Koe to go talk to the tearful coworker, seeing as she is "a woman and all."

"I really would, but I just don't know him well enough," said Koe, who has worked with Underwood for more than four years. "Someone should call his wife. If he has one."

Thus far, office sources have only been able to speculate as to why the crying is taking place. Accountant James DuBois, who was the first to discover Underwood's uncontrollable sobbing when he stopped by his office and awkwardly dropped off some receipts, said he was pretty sure Underwood did not have any dead or dying pets, but suggested the clerk might be upset about his recent passing over for promotion to senior clerk.

"No one knows why he's crying so hard, but then most people here don't know his last name, either," DuBois said. "I'm not sure what everybody expects me to do about it. After all, it's not like I can just walk up to the guy and, you know, ask him what's wrong."

"He talks to Amy," added DuBois, referring to audit manager Amy Case, who is currently on vacation. "Can somebody go get Amy?

Other theories as to the source of the crying include: recent diagnosis with a degenerative disease; some sort of family crisis; overall loneliness; or probably just something senior accounts representative Paul Greenblatt did. Unfortunately, because Underwood rarely ever talks to his coworkers about subjects other than work, there is little information to confirm or deny these speculations.

Nevertheless, office sources were nearly unanimous in reporting that the sobbing was becoming increasingly upsetting to them and, perhaps more importantly, was making it really difficult to concentrate.

"I feel bad for him, but the least he could do is go out to the stairwell to do his wailing," said Bob Cho, a tax specialist with the firm. "I wish he would just go home, to tell you the truth."

At press time, staff members were considering a variety of plans, including calling Underwood's parents, calling someone in Human Resources, sending Underwood an e-mail featuring a lighthearted Internet video, or just leaving for lunch and hoping that he is gone by the time they return. But whatever the solution eventually turns out to be, the only thing that seems certain is that nobody wants to go over there and deal with him directly.

"Maybe he just hates his job," said one coworker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "That's usually my reason when I start crying and can't stop."

Zombie Buckets

That last yarn I made was destined to hit the needles right away. The colors came out great, and the yarn is well balanced and even. You'll recall it's a 3 ply, which I think looks great worked up in stockinette rather than garter stitch. I had plenty of yardage, the gauge knit up nicely to 4.5 stitches on a #7 needle. All signs pointed to a hat, and maybe end up with yarn left over! Yay!

This pattern, A Better Bucket by Amy Swenson has been in my queue for ages. I even bought some bright Malabrigo for it but then never got around to knitting it up. Well, Shannon was wearing a cute tweed version up at Rhinebeck and that triggered my memory to go back and look at the pattern again. After winding and then swatching during the weekend subway rides, my plan was set.

Two days later a new favorite hat is born! I was so excited about it I skipped the necessary blocking stage to wear it today. I had to travel out to Long Island so while waiting to be picked up from the Farmingdale LIRR station, I used the beautiful day to snap some action shots of the hat in the field.

This pattern represents my first attempt at Provisional Cast On. It took about four or five attempts to get it sort of right at the start, but I think I have the hang of it now. I was wondering when I would have the occasion to use something other than the standard Long Tail Cast On, which seems to be the only method I really know! Hm. I have to expand my skills.

And this is also the first time I've ever hemmed my knitting. I chose some stash Cascade 220 for the inside brim, just for contrast and to conserve the handspun yarn. The hemming was interesting. I got a bit obsessed in making sure none of the provisional live stitches ended up twisted. Most of them did, no matter how I approached them, so I had to go back and carefully turn them around. That one phase took longer than the entire rest of the project combined. More practice needed! But I am pleased with the way the hemmed edge looks now and am glad I am so obsessive with this stuff. Because it does matter!

The yarn striped up so wonderfully! The original pattern calls for a button on the side, but honestly I don't know that this one needs it what with all the color going on and all.

This hat will get serious rotation in the coming months. It matches my down coat and my carryall knitting bag (packed with super secret educational materials these days...), and it's a nice change from the beret and beanie styles in my collection. Can't you just picture me tromping around Brooklyn wearing this jaunty hat?!

Rudy Says....

Mommy is feeling much better now, and I haz a happy.

Glug, Glug, Glug

Tomorrow morning at daybreak I have one of those "medical procedures" that necessitates drinking tons of fluids the day before. And no food for 24 hours. Lightheaded and feeling intensely full of liquid, I cannot leave the house till it's all cleaned out. Gaah, I hate middle age!

Lace Ribbons

This project may be at the top of my Super Satisfying Knits list. At least in the Scarf Department. So would that be, SSKL - SD? For once the scarf knitting did not wear me down 3/4 of the way through. This project hit all my sweet spots: color, yarn, fabric, pattern, Audible.com enjoyment, recipient.

For one, the yarn is beyond fantastic. I found this gorgeous Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn, the last two two lonely skeins at Brooklyn General and pounced. Yes, I know I have a jumbo stash, but I didn't have THIS yarn. And THIS yarn was perfect perfect perfect for the project. Initially it was the color that grabbed me. Coppery brown, with subtle glints of gold, blue and lavender. It has depth and roundness.

The next thing that appealed to me was the smidge of Mohair in the yarn. Just enough to add wonderful drape to the fabric and give it a a soft cozy hand and a bit of a halo. Mmmm, this is nice stuff. It's sock yarn - warm socks for sure. Has anyone used this yarn for socks? I'd love to know how it holds up and whether your feet are impossibly hot?

And then there is the pattern. Lace Ribbons by Veronique Avery has been in my Ravelry queue since forever. Occasionally reviewing the ever-expanding queue, I repeatedly landed on this scarf and thought "someday..." About time, I say.

My work friend L started reading my blog after I pinged the link to her one day after (dare I say, during?) a lengthy contract negotiation conference call. She was so complimentary and I was flattered. Yes, flattery does win points! We've stayed in touch long after the contract was signed...two years it took to close that one...gawd...and I'd promised to knit her a scarf one day.

That day finally arrived and once I cast on, I could not stop! I found this pattern engaging enough to keep my interest all the way through yet easy enough that I could whip it out while on the commute and polish off a few rows between stops. Perfect commute knitting, and it was nice to work on something at a larger gauge than socks for a change! Unlike so many of my other projects, I stuck with this one for the entire time - usually I put one project down, start another, and well, you all know how that goes. Before you know it, there are five projects on the needles, all of them screaming for attention.

It helped that I was also listening to one of the best books I've 'read' in a long time, "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout. Oh, man what a wonderful book. The words! So so so good. This book won the Pulitzer, and unlike other awards granted this year, this one was deserved. As stated on the Pulitzer's web site, Olive Kitteridge is "a collection of 13 short stories set in small-town Maine that packs a cumulative emotional wallop, bound together by polished prose and by Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed and fascinating." If you have not read this one yet, run to your nearest bookstore to pick it up.

Anyway, one Sunday a few weeks ago L and I had a lovely brunch in Greenwich Village and I gave her the scarf. Which she promptly put on her neck and did not take off the rest of the afternoon. We wandered around a bit after we ate and it was a fun afternoon - the weather was that perfect Fall in New York City and the streets were teeming with people, sun shining, lots of things to see.

When L asked for a scarf she said she preferred neutrals. I gave this lots of thought and realized beige would NOT cut it. I am so glad I took the risk on the yarn. The pattern speaks for itself, I WILL knit this one again. For myself! And as you can see, L looks fantastic, the scarf is flattering, and I am so very pleased with the way it all turned out. Enjoy it, girlfriend!

On the Verge

A friend of mine just used a very interesting analogy about where I am right now.

Imagine a wolf in a trap and the wolf is chewing its leg off to get free. Eventually the wolf does free itself from the trap. It limps away but it does get free.

Oh yea. Still chewing...but about to break free.

Sorry. I know that's harsh. But some days it really does feel like this.

Yarnmaker Returns

Two new yarns, one pre-Rhinebeck and one post-Rhinebeck.

The first, a two-ply spun up woolen from Jacob Sheep roving purchased last May. My first attempt at a long draw. Needs work but I am quite pleased and even more intrigued. I definitely want to spin more rovings, using the long draw, making woolen spun yarns.

I think what I love the most about this yarn is it's not a bunch of colors - the natural colors of the sheep are quite pleasing. The yarn has a nice bounce; it's super lofty and squishy. And there's still some lanolin in there. Yea baby, I like the rustic and primitive!

Another exploration on 3 ply. This started as Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club, August 2009, named Zombies. It's Falkland one of my favorites to spin. I divided the top into three equal sections. The first ply was stripped in half and spun from the end. The second ply was divided into about 6 sections, broken by color group. The third ply was stripped into about 6 -8 thinner strips.

It came out way better than I expected and I love love love this yarn. About 200 yds; squishy, bouncy and soft. I'd never have predicted the result when looking at the fiber.

The Sky Bandit, She is Finished

Thank goodness.

In the last update you will recall I agonized over the size, proportions and color. Ach, not to worry, it's is all good. The color is fine, not baby. The proportions (six body repeats, one edge section) work fine and the size is good for a scarf/shawl/bandito-style neck warmer.

Thanks to all of you in the knitting blogworld who gave me the encouragement to continue on this project.

Not without some little ups and downs, mind you. You know how you're knitting along and you're seeing the yarn ball getting smaller and smaller and you're thinking 'oh NO! I'm running out of yarn! Knit faster!!" Yea. That works every time. There was a moment or two when I thought for sure I wouldn't have enough despite ripping back to six body repeats. Turns out my remainder is about the size of a small plum. As in, not much - note scale next to Eiffel Tower and Peggy's Cove Lighthouse.

There is a rhythm in this pattern that had me thinking of drives I used to take down into southern Lancaster County back in the day. I'd go for these drives on summer evenings and the hills would roll and roll and roll, then the road would straighten out and calm down for a bit. But before too long, there you are again rolling and rolling and rolling, up and down, twist and turn. So this pattern has these sections you're knitting along, stockinette,all easy and sort of lullaby. Then whoops! you got the YO, K2tog, YO, SKPSSO, whammo bammo combination, all rapid fire and rat-a-tat-tat, you know.

That's how the body section works up in this shawl. Then you get into the edge section and things are a bit more interesting. Hold on, things change up and there are mental adjustments to make! Pay attention! Before you know it, you're up to the last four rows. I don't know about all you other Bandit knitters, but I had to knit verrrry slowwww to avoid making mistakes.

All this edge of my seat nail biting excitement happened over two weeks ago now. I finally blocked it yesterday. As I was threading the shawl onto the blocking wires, I couldn't help but think how using these things is like putting lace into bondage. I mean, seriously, it's like beating the lace into submission or something.

Astute shawl knitters will note that the spine on this pattern does not act like other shawls as this one has an integrated leaf pattern rather than the straight line of YO, K1, YO as in most patterns. That little difference and the lack of points in the edge make this a unique, intriguing and thoroughly modern pattern. Now that it's finished, I have a mental note to try this one again, in a different yarn on a different gauge.

Cloud Nine

Somebody around here is walking around on Cloud Nine....rightfully so! Go buy the New York Times on Sunday and see for yourselves!

No Yarn for Me!

photo by Sara MacKenzie

Ah, Rhinebeck!! Annual pilgrimage to fiber Mecca. What a fun weekend!

The weather did not deter us one bit. In fact, it was far better than the dire predictions we heard the days leading up to the Great Friday Escape. I don't know if it was these same predictions that made the crowds feel just a bit thinner on Saturday, but on Sunday the light drizzle did keep shoppers at home.

My high point came at dinner on Friday night. A dinner dominated by hearty laughter, hilarious story telling, and good food. It's soul food, and it's been seriously lacking in my life this past year.

Earlier in the week I came to a major decision, one that will shape my actions in the next few months. That decision lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. New optimism and eagerness, gathering with friends who share a common passion. Oh yea. I've seriously missed laughter. What a year.

After a hearty breakfast on Saturday we were off to conquer the fleece!! Oh the fleece!! This year's highlight sheep breed, Leicester Longwool has a beautiful long curly fleece and I fell in love. The sheep are handsome, aren't they? They have an interesting history in America - these are the sheep George Washington and Thomas Jefferson imported from England. They are the sheep you see if you visit Colonial Williamsburg, and are considered a rare breed in America and England today.

I found the most adorable little fleece from a ewe lamb named Sarah, and decided this would be my first foray into processing fleece to yarn to shawl!! I am so psyched - tomorrow is Saturday and I'm ready to scour! It's lovely and I can't wait to show you the process.

We were lucky to get a quick demonstration on how to use combs to separate the long fibers from the short and now I am on a quest to find the perfect combs. This little fleece has a lovely luster and will work really well combed out.

I met a bunch of people (and forgot to photograph them, of course). I met sheep and goats (and did remember to photograph them!). I learned how to spin Cashmere which comes from stinky devilish goats like Duke, this handsome guy. He's gorgeous. Mmm, black cashmere.

We ran into friends from last year and well, I might have been wearing a few handspun and handknited items on Saturday and got Busted! (scroll down, but don't forget to read the blog entry - it's super entertaining) by Ann and Kay. Ahem. It was cold, girlfriends! And of course, the Ravelry party. There's nothing better than the gourmet combination of beer and cupcakes when gathering with a bunch of yarn crazed knitters.

The exhaustion got to us and we departed early but not before meeting some lovely knitters from Montreal and learning about the yarn stores in their hometown.

photos by Sara MacKenzie

Sunday morning four of us arrived to the Fairgrounds bright and early for a spinning workshop - we got to play with Cashmere, Camel, Yak and all manner of fine, downy fibers. It was challenging, and you can see I am perplexed by the long draw.

photo by Sara MacKenzie

Of course, we shopped. Some of us more than others. I'm looking at you, Sara! But seeing this haul it's hard to believe I bought not one skein of yarn! Fibers yes. Fleece, yes. Just no finished yarn!

I'll show you the stash as I spin it up. There's lots of fibery goodness in there.

Thanks to my good peeps for such a fun time. I can't wait to do it all over again next year.

Knit Quickie

Not alot of knitting nor spinning going on at the moment. It's weird. I am super excited about Rhinebeck, but I can't seem to get my ass to finish the bobbins I've loaded up, nor what's on the needles.

In an intense fit of organizing and cataloging, I finally got around to taking individual pictures of my obscene yarn stash and loading them up on Ravelry. It took hours. No wonder I've been putting it off. But now that I can SEE what I have, I am embarrassed. And it's making me think very hard about buying more yarn. Or not. There's enough there to keep me amused for awhile and I need to justify the splurges by actually doing something with it. Or sell it.

I needed a gift for a little after-work gathering this week and decided to knit up something fast and for once USE the yarn in my stash for Pete's sake! That's how this little scarf called Bainbridge came to be. Fellow New Yorker MintyFresh designed it as an adaptation of a friend's scarf, so named for the street in Philly where the friend picked it up. I had fun knitting this and might have finished it in about 3.5 hours. That's what I'm talking about!

The yarn - Filatura di Crosa Zara - is a bit odd. While knitting, it felt a bit 'spongy'. Reading the ball band revealed it's a superwash yarn. After a short soak and blocking, the yarn relaxed completely. Do all superwash yarns do that? I'm glad it did, because I like the drape now.

The only modification I made was to cast on an extra 20 stitches, which meant I ran out of yarn while kitting up the ties. Ah well, it allowed me to dip into the stash for another color. Call it a design element. It makes for a sedate little neckwarmer.

Which seems to align with how I am thinking and feeling at the moment. All serious and sedate. I just want a little more road in front of me so I can navigate the twists and turns. We'll see if that happens.

Sheep in the City!

Spotted on my way to an appointment this morning, grazing in the median on Park Avenue near 53rd Street.

And of course, Central Park has the Sheep Meadow...

So you see, New York City remains close to it's farm roots.

Sky Bandit

I mentioned there's a shawl on the needles and for now, it's simmering on a back burner. I might some knitterly and fashionista type input from you all.

This is Springtime Bandit, so named Sky Bandit because of the blue yarn. When I bought this yarn, Schulana Merino Cotton 135, I debated over this light blue and a lovely silvery gray. In a fit of wanting more blue in my life, I chose the blue.

Being totally inspired by brokeknits who has been on quite a shawl rampage this year (how many Bandits, Katie?) I realized I needed one too. A simple lace pattern in a larger than lace gauge yarn. Though not quite as chunky as the pattern yarn. With yarn and needles in hand, I took off into the wild blue yonder.

The first hint of trouble was when PhotoMan asked me who was having a baby. Then on the subway one evening with my iPod glued into my ears a lady asked me if I was knitting a baby sweater. Hmmm. So not SKY Bandit, more like GOO-GOO-GA-GA Bandit.

With the courage of my convictions, I knit on. At the end of the fourth repeat in the body section, I did a mental calculation to double the body to eight repeats, why not, I hadn't even broken into the second skein! I got to the end of the eight repeats and then realized there's not enough yarn for the edge section. Ooops.

So I ripped back to the end of the seventh repeat and forged on with the edge. Only to run out of yarn 4 rows from the end. Argh. Much as I like the yarn, I don't think I want to buy another skein to complete four rows! And now that it's this size, I can see that this thing has some heft. Here is the law of unintended consequences at work. The cotton in the yarn might be adding some heft to the shawl.

While it simmers I have time to ask all of you some questions:

1. Does the color remind you of baby blankets? Should I overdye this and aim for a smokey gray/blue? Never mind that I have limited dyeing experience...

2. Is there a fine balance one needs to consider when knitting lace? Does it matter if the ratio of body repeats to edge repeats is around 8:1?

The pattern shifts from a diamond/leafy repeat to these fluted thingies.

3. Seeing as I need to rip this thing back to reduce the body section, what is the stopping point? Six repeats? Five? And then do I just make one repeat of the Edge or do I cast caution to the wind and try for two?

4. Does any of this even matter? Is the old Knithound overthinking things (again)?!

Have at it, readers. I can handle it.

Hunter Valley

Before I launch into another yarn story I want to thank you all for your lovely comments and encouragement. I try to answer everyone individually but sometimes the commenters are not linked to email so I can never be sure if the replies get sent! I really do appreciate you coming and visiting me and the comments make me feel great, so thanks again!

More fibery goodness - this one another 3 ply, the colors of which make my heart sing. My Mother might have expressed serious interest in this one, too. A hint that maybe she wants to see a pair of mitts like mine...hmmmm?

This is Hunter Valley, Merino Top, a generous gift from David at SCF. I love Merino! So soft and a nice bounce to the yarn. I want more Merino in my future. There are some tiny technical issues but I will not go into them here. My Ravelry support group has convinced me to ignore any imperfections and just knit with the yarn, dammit.

This 3 ply thing, it's got my attention big time. I have found a niche and I want to explore every nook and cranny.

Being Completely Enchanted

Whew! Three hours of shooting, uploading, labeling and cataloging into Ravelry and on Flickr and I have made a dent in the photo documentation backlog that looms over me forever and a day.

The project I am most excited about these days is this little number, these fingerless mitts. I got totally inspired and a bit envious when the Rooster made her fingerless mitts with her Five Plum Pie yarn. I may have drooled over my laptop upon seeing them all done up. And so I took to my needles and decided the Enchanted 3 ply yarn from SCF was the perfect tonic to ease my serious case of WANT.

Two evenings of knitterly focus and I have something I think I can wear proudly at Rhinebeck this year. I adapted the Toast pattern by Leslie to add a gusset thumb because I like the fit better. And instead of a curled edge, I added a few rows of garter. All in all, a WIN project.

Sunday Update With Lame-o Photos :(

It's a cop out not to have lots of great photographs to tell my stories, especially today, when I have several knitting and spinning updates. For me, making the photographs for this blog is the hardest part of the whole process. I have a simple P&S and get frustrated with the macro (lack of).

Most of the time I don't think my photos do my work justice. Coming up with unique and wonderful ways to show it is a challenge. I live in essentially a brownstone wreck. Long, narrow, dark and in a constant state of mess. The back yard is also work in progress (Yes, Marie we are going to move forward just as soon as we can!) and full of mosquitoes. Me and mosquitoes - not so good. I'm too sweet I suppose! Heh.

Well anyway, so just a few teaser shots today.

It's been busy around here as I finished up a pair of socks intended for the photographer. I know what you're thinking: why not enlist him to shoot the knitting and spinning? Well, sometimes I do, when he has the time!

Anyway the socks are wonderful. I used a yarn from my stash, and chose a pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, and the combination worked out great. I mentioned my intention to knit all the patterns from that book and I'm glad I set this as a goal. Loving the patterns in this book. They're almost finished blocking, so next week we can do some on the feet shots.

In addition to the socks I'm working on a stealth project, a gift for a friend. She's been waiting patiently in the wings for awhile now, and I finally found a yarn I love (I hope she does, too!) and a pattern that really works so I am happy with how it's coming along. You won't be able to see this one till it's been sent out, but it's a doozy.

I started a Spingtime Bandit shawl using yarn I picked up from my LYS a few weeks ago. At first it was all gung-ho, but then I started to have mixed feelings about the yarn choice. More specifically the color choice. I'll try to get my act together on this one next weekend because I want to get your opinions on several aspects of this project before I rush off and make changes. However, there's really no hurry. You see, this WAS the project I originally intended as the stealthy gift, but because of those second thoughts, I stopped into another LYS, found the yarn/pattern combination that's on the needles now and I am quite pleased.

That big cabled yoke cardigan I started nearly a year ago is at the seaming stage. Oh, I might have seamed it up...ummmm...three times now. Yea, three. Yea, I can be a huge dope. Yea I make dopey mistakes. All of which caused me to lose some steam on it. Can you blame me?

But seeing it spread out on the dining room table is giving me big time guilts and with Rhinebeck around the corner I might find the mojo to throttle on through and finish this sucker. I really want to because there are so many other big sweater projects I am itching to start and I refuse to do it till this one is done.

Those are the knitting projects in the foreground for now. I try to keep it to three or else I find myself feeling very scatter-brained. Some of the unfinished projects are now officially in the hibernating stage but one of these, the humongo garter stitch blanket has to come back into the forefront because I feel the need to give a healing gift.

There's yarnmaking too. Surprise surprise. I made a 3 ply yarn using this combed merino top and learned I need to be much more consistent with my singles if I want to avoid major tangles. Oy, what fun that was, but that's a story for another time.

I made some nice looking bulky singles, using Spunky Eclectic's Selfish from June club and from what I can see, it will be wonderful. I threw this fiber onto the wheel last night and just wanted to loosen up with a nice bulky yarn. Originally destined to be a two ply, I loved the look of the singles enough to keep them. The entire bump took me about 3 hours start to finish. What fun.

Next up I started some Jacob roving I've had marinating since late May. This one is my long draw lesson. I'm halfway through it and I'd say while it got easier as I progressed, I need lots more practice. I'm sure it will ply up just fine for a very rustic looking yarn and there's nothing wrong with that. Very rustic. And the natural coloring of the roving is a nice respite from all the wild colors of the club fibers.

I think I will put some energy into finding more rovings like this Jacob at Rhinebeck. I'd like to make a sweater using a natural colored fiber, spun woolen 3 ply. (FLEECE??) That's what's on my needles, my wheel and my mind right now. Have a great week everyone!

Redbone with Shawl

Lola, oh Lola. My beautiful, intelligent, stoic, photogenic Redbone Coonhound. I realized not long ago that for some reason I have never posted any stories about Lola, and that's something I want to fix right now.

It might be because she is just so complex. Lola is a fine wine. Deep, layered, nuanced. While Rudy is a beer. Straight forward, unambiguous, what you see is what you get. And with Lola we have many stories to tell, some of them are downright scary, some are hilarious. Where to begin?

She's nearly 10 years old now, and we are so lucky she's still around. You see, one of Lola's really bad habits is to GOBBLE. Not CHEW, but GULP foreign objects. This dog has an unnatural fetish for sticks, rubber dog toys, rawhide treats, bones, tennis balls, you name it. And when she gets her jaws on one of these things clamps down hard, refuses to let go and ultimately swallows the object nearly whole. Which has led us to the Emergency Room at Animal Medical Center (translate: VERY EXPENSIVE) four times.

Surgery #3 in 2006 was particularly harrowing. Seems she chomped on a beef rib bone, which splintered and got stuck somewhere along the lower intestine which then punctured it in several places. This dog was seriously ill by the time we transferred her from our local vet office (where she had been under observation for several days after we arrived home on a Wednesday night to a horrendous mess of blood, vomit and you don't want to know what else). When they called me that Friday night to say they did not like the direction she was headed, they were not in a position to care for her, as they are not a 24 hour enterprise, and something terrible could go wrong in the wee hours of the night, I knew we had trouble. I didn't know how big it was and really there was no time to ponder.

The entire ride through Brooklyn and up to AMC on the Upper East Side, she was so calm, so patient, watching out the window at the passing world, not a whimper or a sigh. When we arrived, told them in a rush of words -- our regular vet urged us to come here are her x-rays we think she is in bad shape please please save our dog. These doctors took one look and whisked her off to emergency surgery. Even before we gave permission they were prepping her.

Around 5AM the next morning we got a phone call that she was out of surgery, they'd removed over 12" of small intestine, and she was in a very precarious place. Though she was past the surgery, she had been arrhythmic the night before, causing great strain on her heart and other organs, and the intestinal punctures had made her septic. The surgery was the beginning, not the end and she was a very sick girl with quite a few obstacles to overcome on the road to recovery. The next four days were super tense, because if the sutures burst, there was no saving her. We were absolutely beside ourselves with fear. Every time the phone rang we jumped out of our skin.

But this dog is a survivor. She came home from that event with a tube coming out of her stomach and very weak. People stared at us when we took her down to the sidewalk to pee. All bandaged up, tube dangling, she was a complete mess! Slowly she recovered, but not before she ripped the tube out and chewed the little end thingy. And that meant another trip to the ER for removal via the esophagus. Can you believe the determination?! She is single-minded that's certain.

Which is one of the things I truly adore about her. Though her determination is misguided, it is pure. It is a hallmark quality of Coonhounds to be this focused. Lola is also determidly focused on being warm and cozy. She loves nothing more than to curl up on the sofa with a blanket tucked around her. She hates being wet and when it rains she will refuse to go out, preferring to hold it as long as possible.

She may not have the correct conformation for a Redbone, all spindly in the legs and out of proportion to her body, still she's a beauty. It's the look in her eye, her gorgeous mahogany coloring, and her melodious (loud) howl that simply melt my heart.

Lola's communication skills are highly developed. She tells you exactly what she wants by pointing, darting her eyes back and forth and using her head and nose to literally guide your hand to the object of desire. On top of that, she also makes these yowly, gurgle sounds that I swear, she is as close to talking as any dog I've known. It is truly amazing.

Lola is on a first name basis with the doctors at AMC, and we are lucky to live in a place with access to such high quality medical resources. They took such good care of her during that event and since then, another surgery (I told you she was relentless... but that's for another time).


Okay, enough. This is a knitting blog, after all. I asked the resident photographer to take the shots you see here because I thought the mini shawl looked nice on her. And much as she told me she really likes it, I think I will keep this one for myself! Last night I posted these shots to my Flickr and generated a mini whirlwind of response! Thanks, guys! The lesson here is I may need to shamelessly use my dogs to pimp model my knitting more often! Heh. Seriously, I do love the comments as they motivate me to continue with blogging and Flickr-ing. Such a great community, this knitting and spinning world, I love it!

Now about this project. The yarn started as hand dyed Wensleydale from Spunky Eclectic, purchased at the MASW in May. I had so much fun at that little festival, entirely because I got to meet Amy and Adrian in person and I might have been a bit in awe of them, my admiration is that huge!

I spun it up over the summer and learned that I truly love working with the long wools. It's a 2 ply yarn, fingering weight, with 4 oz. yielding around 318 yards.

The pattern is from the talented Kristin Kapur, called Lavalette, and another project tied to raising money for a really good cause, funding research in Alzheimer's Disease. I knit this little shawl intent on using up all the yarn. I used #4 needles because I wanted a denser stockinette section. I was amazed at how nicely the yarn striped up. And you all know how much I love stripes.

As I was working the final lace section I got a bit spooked about running short on the yarn so I omitted the last two repeats of the section. As it turns out, I have some yarn left over, and the shawl is not huge, but it makes a lovely neckwrap and will fold nicely under a coat collar. These colors are well suited to many things in my wardrobe so I predict lots of use in the coming months. It's why I traded a Milk Bone with Lola to keep it for myself!

Knitting with hand spun yarn is fun. My collection has grown to the point that I seriously need to work up some projects. Or sell some??

Yarnmaker

What's in a name? Centuries ago people often acquired surnames associated with their occupation. Baker, Cooper, Miller. These names identified the work that the person did, their livelihood.

I don't recall, nor have I done enough research to know if there was a name for a person who makes yarn. Spinner? Spindler? Perhaps it was because women did the spinning, the yarnmaking and women did not get their own surnames? I read somewhere in the history of knitting that men did the knitting and women did the spinning. Yet I don't recall a surname for knitter either. There are a few names associated with the fiber world...such as Weaver. And for those who kept the sheep, the name Shepherd. There's Taylor (tailor?), Clothier...surely there are many more.

Tell me, do you know if there are any surnames associated with yarn making?

If I were to choose a surname now, I would lean toward something fiber related. The one that keeps coming round in my mind these days is Yarnmaker. When people ask what I do with my spare time, I say, "I make yarn. I am a yarnmaker." I say, "I am a knitter, I make things."

I like the idea that I am making things. That my hands and some simple tools are able to make tangible, real objects. The day job involves "selling solutions". There are wires and cables and interfaces and muxes and connections, but they are so abstracted by the time I get involved, the thing I sell is more about solving some business problem, helping to cut costs, increase productivity, or some other intangible. It's not like I can touch it, see it, put it to my nose and smell it. Which is why the idea of yarnmaking is so attractive. When I finish a skein of yarn and I can hold it in my hands, examine the twist, breathe in the sheepy goodness, I feel such satisfaction! There. It's real. And, sometimes, it's really pretty too.

This skein of fingering weight singles is spun from Southern Cross Fibres Club April 2009, Turkish Delight. The fiber is a British long wool breed called Masham. Long wool is an understatement. The staple on this fiber is amazing - 8" to 10", similar to a Wensleydale, making the drafting a real dream!

I took David's advice and aimed for a low twist single on this yarn. It practically spun itself. Those long fibers will easily keep the yarn in one piece despite the low twist. To make it a higher twist risks turning it into twine. This is fuzzy stuff! After the bath and a good whack, it set nicely. The gorgeous colors are David's brand of genius, and yes, it is a true Turkish Delight, all 434 yards of it.

Again, the yarn I make screams "weaving!" to me. Why is that? I am not a weaver yet. But the yarns I make seem to speak in weaving terms, and I am intrigued by the path that is being cut through this forest.

But for knitting, I might say, go with a 3 ply handspun yarn. Like this little lovely, spun up from Southern Cross Fibres, a Corriedale called Enchanted. Yes, it is enchanting!

My first attempt at a 3 ply, these gorgeous colors, some of my favorites, blended so nicely with the greens and blues popping against the browns and blacks. My idea of heaven on earth. A 3 ply adds roundness and plumpiness to the yarn.

My original intent was sock yarn. It might be a bit more on the worsted side to be sock yarn, and that's okay because I want to make something more visible - fingerless mitts? A hat?

It doesn't matter right now. There's 236 yards to work with and I'll know it when I see it. Right now I enjoy looking at it and squeezing it. And I'm making more 3 ply. I can't help myself. And I can't wait to show you all the next yarns to come off the wheel, so stop by again real soon, okay?

New Yarn

These were made a few weeks ago and I've been so busy it's hard to find time to post to the blog.

These lovelies are from my Hello Yarn club - Five Plum Pie. Note that the colors are distinctly different. One of the pains of knitting and spinning after work hours is lack of decent daylight. Had I noticed this prior to spinning, I might have split the two tops down the middle and exchanged them to get a more even color match between the two skeins. This is the world of hand dye! Next time I am going to carefully inspect the two bundles in the daylight and make adjustments as needed.

But it doesn't matter all that much. I am super pleased with these skeins and I just love the way the colors lined up and complement each other. Adrian has a real gift with color combining and her fibers look smashing no matter what you end up doing with them. This is Falkland, one of my favorites fibers to spin. It comes up lofty, squishy and decently soft. I netted about 550 yards which also pleases me to pieces. The more yardage the more options for projects! I'd say the yarn is somewhere between a DK and Worsted weight.

But wait, there's more! After I finished these yarns I dropped them into the handspun basket and they aligned themselves next to the lovely Irises Shetland from Southern Cross Fibre, spun up earlier this summer.

Well lo and behold, the three skeins, laying together in the basket just clicked and I realized these can be worked into something striped. Which would help overcome the lack of matchy on the Five Plum Pie skeins. With 244 yards on Irises plus the 550 yards of Five Plum Pie I might have enough to make some sort of garment. David and Adrian both outdid themselves with their club creations and I love the result!

At the moment I'm leaning toward a simple vest, but haven't come up with just what. On the other hand the idea of combining my skeins has also led me to consider adding to these three, over time, until I have enough to pull off a full blown sweater. Which might be the ultimate in knitting and spinning fun and well worth the time it will take to spin and collect like-minded skeins.

Show Extended

Those of you on Facebook already know this. I thought I'd tell the blog world as well.

Jose Gaytan's show, "The Gowanus: Brooklyn in Transition" currently installed at the Brooklyn Public Library will stay up just a bit longer! The show has been extended to September 11.

If you happen to be in Brooklyn, please do stop in to see it - the main branch is right on Grand Army Plaza.

Forward Thinking

Keen observers of my blog may have noticed two links I added about six weeks ago: Joy of Giving Something and Forward Thinking Museum. There is a method to this madness. Things are happening. Doors are opening, paths are forming through the forest, conversations are taking place.

If you have a few minutes, take a stroll through these two sites. Really interesting stuff.

You might even stumble upon this and enjoy the take.

She Does TOO Knit!

I'm convinced I've successfully chased away all knitters from this blog by now, and they are all wondering why I don't just give up the ghost and call this a SPINNING blog rather than a KNITTING blog.

To prove to you that I have not eliminated knitting from my life, here's a pair of socks I finished about two weeks ago.

My sister was in town and so I finally had a foot model and after she tried them on, it was apparent they fit her better than they do me, so once blocked, these are headed out west to Corte Madera (in Marin County). If there are still hippies living there, then she will be able to infiltrate their ranks without notice.

The pattern is my first from the book, Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. These are the Madder Ribbed Socks (rav). I have been admiring the patterns in this book for about 4 months. The book is by my bedside and I've read the patterns one by one, thinking about the yarns I will use to recreate them for myself. Many is the night I've fallen asleep with this book on my face after I get through three lines of a pattern.

Yes, I know, I know, reading knitting books in bed is the epitome of dork. I'm okay with that. And you can stop laughing now, thank you.

The ribbing in this pattern is terrific. I really like them and will use this rib again. The heel is a bit different from my usual one, in that it did not have the slip stitches one usually uses, and I will be curious to see how it holds up. The gusset was another new approach, with the three rows between decreases and the right side decrease was a bit different too (the traditional sl1, k1, psso rather than the more modern, ssk). Cool. (Dork alert!). But note - this is a book on Vintage Sock patterns so of course it includes using the traditional method of making a left slanting decrease!

The toe is not my favorite, as I prefer a straight edge rather than this pointy bit, but I wanted to knit this pattern as written, so I went with it. With this yarn, the toe gives these socks a bit of an elfish or hobbit look what with the Noro yarn. That's okay, too.

The way this pattern is written, so that it flows from one section to the next completely seamlessly was what I really noticed. This was well thought out and well documented and I really enjoyed the process. So much that I've pretty much decided I am going to knit every single pair of socks in this book, one by one. So you will be seeing quite a few socks in the coming months, and all of them are going to be these new twists on classic patterns.

Now let's talk about this yarn. I am a Noro love slave. I see this yarn with all their pretty colors and I am a woman caught in the throes of pure lust. Without warning, I grab up a few skeins, my head and heart pulsing with excitement, and before I can say "get a grip!!" I am standing at the cash register handing over ungodly amounts of money to satisfy the crave. Unstoppable. And shameless.

In the cold light of the new day I look back on my wanton behavior I regret just a teensy bit, because sure as the sun rises in the east, there are issues with Noro yarns. In this case, I knit up the first sock and of course there were color sections I liked more than others. That always happens too. I pick my favorites and gaze upon those sections lovingly, pleased in how the colors shift and work into each other. That's the seduction, isn't it? The subtle shift and pairing of the colors? In this case, the lovely reddish-teal transition down the foot on the first sock quickly became my most favorite section and I was GIDDY to think this would be the part that shows on a pair of shoes. See it there, right over Rudy's big nose? Yea, that's pretty isn't it?

I diligently wound off a bunch of yarn to set myself up at roughly the same starting point on Sock #2. For me, that's part of the challenge with Noro sock yarns. Making them sort of line up on the colors. I did it pretty successfully the last time out with that nasty Noro Kureyon sock, and thought it would be the same here with Silk Garden Sock.

Until I was on the subway one morning and I came upon a knot. You Noro knitters out there know what I am talking about. THE KNOT. And what was beyond the knot? Yep, a complete break in the color shifts, and guess what, my favorite part, the reddish-teal transition was GONE. Did not exist. Spitting nails, I put this down for two weeks to gain my composure.

When I was ready to resume, I did the best I could, using gray to substitute for the missing section and then worked in the greeny bit to the toe to approximate the first sock. There are many of you out there who will say, "no big deal", and "go with the flow" when it comes to Noro. But for the expense that this yarn represents, I stick to my guns.

I will resist the siren call of the Noro. Until the next time I see all those pretty colors and completely abandon all resolve.

Just Can't Stop

Last week I actually did not look at my wheel at all. Instead it sat in it's carry case until sometime Friday evening, after a busy day with my sister and mother which included 5 hours of spreadsheets and followups for work (a vacation day?!), the movie Julia and Julie and a trip to the grocery store. Two roasted chickens with fresh veggies later, I finally retreated to my office/spinning/fiber room to see what I could do about the ever growing fiber stash.

Something crazy came over me. I decided it was time to tackle the Merino/Tencel blend from April's Hello Yarn club shipment. I'd already used some of it for the workshop, and decided it needed to be transformed to yarn. Three hours and two bobbins of freshly spun singles later I staggered off to bed. Oh! My aching back! My joints creaked all over.

Little did I realize then, I was so wrapped up in the spinning, but I was setting myself up for some issues down the road. I spun with a vengeance Friday night. I might have overspun? What was I thinking? Turned out the bobbins were so kinked up that on Saturday night, I tried to ply and was getting some pretty shameful results. I just cut off the junk I'd just made (but I kept it - I can't seem to throw any piece of crap yarn away ever. I might neeeeeeed it....) and ran each bobbin through the wheel to relax the fiber. Okay I thought, not a big deal, this happened once before and it worked out great.

With the bobbins full again, I set about plying the yarn. Still some hurdles. Was I holding the yarn too tight? Did I put too much resistance on the ply? SNAP!! I broke the brake band! I might have had the tension set too high? Ya think? Okay so it's just a jute string, no biggie.

I tied a knot and kept on going. The singles still had some serious twist which I guess I was trying to forcibly straighten out, thus causing the break. I even broke the singles in a few places. So this is not the best yarn I've ever made. There are plenty of uneven spots, the yarn has varied thickness from 12wpi to 8 wpi, the ply is not smooth.

Despite all it's faults or maybe because of them, I think it's pretty! I love the sheen that the Tencel brings to this yarn. And I really like how the colors ended up because I honestly didn't know if I liked it in fiber form. It is drapey yarn too. I don't know yet what this yarn wants to be in finished project.

And I will go back to the drawing board on the Merino Tencel blends. I picked up a Jacquard Dye sampler set so I can dye my own and then practice. Still so much to learn!

Workshop sampler

Some of you have been waiting patiently for me to share the various yarns I made during last weekend's workshop. Thanks for indulging me, it was a busy work week and my sister was in town over the weekend. To top it off, I had a relapse on a summer cold, which is so rare for me. It made getting through the week that much more exhausting.

I'm finally ready to show you what I made. Some of these techniques are really interesting and I want to work on them some more.

First up, the Coils. I used the most fantastic fiber, purchased from Pumpkinmama, called Vibe. Here's what the fiber looked like before it got spun. Eye popping, isn't it? I love it, which is unusual because I lean toward more subdued colors, but when I saw it in her Esty shop, I knew it would be perfect for the workshop!

This being Targhee, it is squishy beyond belief. I do love Targhee! The color breaks make the coils really pop. The Vibe was spun as thick and thin singles and then plied with a gray merino laceweight I picked up at School Products just for the workshop. I like how the gray tones down the Vibe just a bit. The coils were more defined before the yarn was washed, and now they are very plump little babies.

Reflecting back on this project: obviously I need more practice in the technique. But now that I see how the coils plumped up after the bath, I would work on making them very stable in the spinning. There's a part of the technique called 'anchoring' that I need to incorporate.

I see this technique could be really fun in scarves and hats. Also trims around collars, cuffs, that sort of thing.

Next up was Twists . This yarn is a combination of Hello Yarn Air (Merino/Tencel), some Ashland Bay Merino and I can't remember what else. The Twists are interesting in that they create a 'shaggy' look. Properly applied, this could be a fun yarn for scarves. The twists are in the blue Merino, and I threw in some more coils, for fun. This yarn was also plied with the Gray lace weight. Good thing I bought a cone of it! There are also attempts at embedded objects, but they do not look good. Definitely some practice needed here!

How about some cocoons and beehives? These are another way of making coils only with singles rather than in a ply. I would say this will need some more practice, but worth it if you want singles with good fun mixed in. Fibers are combined Hello Yarn Air, some borrowed roving from Donna (a dream to spin, I will seek out this seller at Rhinebeck!!), and bits of fun stuff from the workshop.

We worked on Corespun, which I really like and want to do more. This was a batt provided at the workshop. My first attempt at batt spinning, very intriguing. There are so many wonderful batts out there and I am now a convert. More corespun in my future! This first attempt is not great. The trick is a 90 degree angle and a light touch. If I recall, put the tension up on this technique so it takes up quickly onto the bobbin. I added an over wrap of sparkle, borrowed from Cathy, (thanks Cathy!!) but it got a bit complicated so I dropped it after a bit. There was enough to handle just getting the corespun to go!

We worked on Halos and Circles next and this was fun! The Halos are made from Cocoons that are then twisted into little loops when plying. The circles are similar to a boucle. The first thing is to spin up some singles, using Spunky Eclectic Beach Day (merino/bamboo) adding cocoons as you go, and for the circle section we used some amazing mohair, and spun super thin. This was my first mohair experience - very similar to long wools like Romney, Wensleydale or Masham. I love long wools so I will definitely be working with Mohair in the future.

Once the singles are made up you get to ply the yarn and that's where the fun really begins. Each cocoon gets twisted up into a little loop, anchored and away you go. When we reached the mohair sections, we angled at 90 degrees and just fed it on, very loosely, anchoring start and finish. I liked making this yarn very much and want to make more.

Last but not least, Super Coils! This one has sooo much potential, but the result last Sunday is a mere glimpse at what can be achieved. The Vibe was put into use once again, this time the singles we spun as homework before the class - the top bobbin in the photo below.

In this yarn you simply wrap the yarn around a core but unlike a corespun in which you start with a batt, you are working with a spun up single so you get a very ropey wrapped yarn. If I were to do this again, I would want to work with fatter singles, as it would take forever to finish this one!

Did you notice the prop in some of these photos? Yep, my little ottoman! A perfect backdrop for yarny pictures. You will see more of this project as time goes by. I might even sit on it from time to time. Yes, it is sturdy! I want to update you on my further reflections of the Upholstery class, but I'll get to it later this week.

I loved the yarn workshop. I learned a ton and it opened up a kinds of possibilities. And I bought the CD, so I can practice some more. If you want to really explore a whole new range of yarn wonders, I recommend the CD or if you can, take the class. Jacey is fun and encouraging. And she can spin a really mean yarn. Seriously. Inspiring.

Becoming Insubordiknit

Okay folks, once again, I have entered another new dimension of fiber heaven. This time, led by Jacey Boggs, of Insubordiknit fame, I got down with a group of serious spinning fiends for two solid days of playing with fiber and yarn making - awesome, outrageous art yarns. Lucky us, the entire event took place in a gorgeous setting down by South Street Seaport - Seamen's Church Institute.

Many years ago I attended a wedding at the same place and I remember being so impressed with the views of Brooklyn Bridge, the Seaport and the neighborhood. The top floor is like being on a ship's prow, which is appropriate for a Seamen's Institute, now isn't it?

Here you see two of my bobbins enjoying the view of the Brooklyn Bridge! This weekend, the focus was on the fiber. But what a great space! There was lots of room for us to spread out, and the natural light was simply superb. It made the entire experience really special. And we could SEE what we were doing! And we were able to leave all our stuff over night making the whole experience easy peasy.

Donna, aka BunnyMom is enjoying the airy open space and it's a good thing we had all that room because she brought a fiber bump that was supposed to be about eight oz. Umm, right. After fluffing it out for about an hour, and seeing the huge pile on the floor, we giggled because there was seriously, about 2 pounds of fiber from one bump. Spins nice, too. Thanks, Donna!

We learned coils, wraps, halos, beehives, tiny circles. We laughed, chatted, oohed and aahed over each other's yarns and provided encouragement to keep on spinning. Jacey is entertaining, informative and very upbeat. Her Mom, who came along for the ride - it's New York after all! - was so adorable.

Jacey sets the bar high, which I appreciate. She wasn't afraid to show us what we were doing wrong and how to correct. These techniques require finesse and practice. Her standards for the art yarns are the same as any other yarn: well balanced, knittable yarn.

Her teaching method worked really well: see it, try it, adjust it, try it again. As we learned a new technique, Jacey invited small groups up to the front to watch how she worked the fiber. Then we retreated to our wheels to try it. As the next group went up, we all had the advantage of listening to her talk through it again.

Christina aka miukat was so excited about the workshop she painted her wheel to match her dress and jewelry. She added a bunch of designs to make it look like a peasant ox cart. Amazing!

There's lots to practice. Some of these techniques hold appeal: corespun, coils and wraps. Halos and beehives are interesting, too. Once the workshop samples are set I'll post pictures and show you some of the details.

Oh man, was this fun! I learned new things. I was completely immersed in the challenge and the tactile pleasure. So satisfying, so challenging, so interesting! Whew!

Photo Galleries

The positive fall out from the recent publicity in the New York Times continues! We learned today that Legion Paper, makers of the fine Moab photo paper set up a photo album on their Facebook page.

Jose used the Moab paper for his exhibit, which is still up for view through the end of August at the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Libary on Grand Army Plaza. He is a real fan of their product as it makes fine exhibition quality prints.

If you have access to Facebook and really who doesn't these days, well then take a look at the album. There are images there not seen anywhere else!