Getting the Hang of It

It's getting better every time. Getting better all the time.

100% Romney, 2 oz, purchased at Rhinebeck last year from Fox Hill Farm. Semi-woolen spun yarn, 2 ply, about 106 yards. Looks like either a DK or Worsted weight.

Blue Faced Leicester, 2 oz., Kool Aid dyed by my friend Sarah and gifted to me for my birthday. Woolen spun, 2 ply, about 118 yards. Looks like either a DK or worsted weight.

My proudest spinning achievements so far.

Iceland in Spring

A couple of months ago the cousins got together for a reunion Pot Luck dinner. It was fun catching up with them and it gave me the chance to get to know some of the spouses I'd never really spoken to in the past. In thinking about why, I realized our usual reasons for getting together are either weddings or funerals. With those events, everyone is distracted, or the crowd is large, or it's just not the time and place to simply relax and let a conversation flow. So it was a real treat to just come together for dinner and catching up. It was also oddly liberating to have none of the Aunts and Uncles around.

During the evening cousin Patti and her husband Neal talked about experiences out West and good friends who own a sheep farm in Oregon. They were all excited about my knitting and described the Icelandic sheep on the farm - cute and really wooly little guys!

That was all I needed to remember I had some wonderful Icelandic yarn in my stash and the next day I pulled out my options and started swatching for some fingerless mitts. In addition to the gorgeous gray and Mustard dyed Icelandic I picked up in Rhinebeck, my friend Rosie G decided to sell some fingering weight yarns from her stash. At the time I was in an Icelandic state of mind and snatched them up immediately!

At first glance one would not think these fingerings to be complimentary. The yellow is a variegated with mint green, apricot and pale blue - overall it leans toward the pastel side. And the purple is a dusky tone, with just enough shading to make it well rounded, interesting, lively.

All winter long I've been hankering for some fingerless mitts and was afraid that using just one color as a stand alone would not stretch far enough. So colorwork it is.

Initially I thought I would use these for some Endpaper mitts and try my hand at colorwork. I made a valiant effort, and every time I sat down to work a few rows of the pattern, I would put the project down and stare at it. Something just didn't work for me. Something about the fuzziness of the yarn bothered me when worked up in this pattern. Looking at the half finished mitt now, maybe it wasn't the yarn so much as my knitting skill. I need to practice the two color fair isle technique. Ahem.

I kept going back to my little striped swatch. Finally I succumbed to the siren call of the stripe. Oh, the stripe, you know I love thee. The project certainly took on a quicker pace once I switched over to the stripe. And maybe that's what I needed: something finished. Something I could use at least once or twice before the Spring finally made them unnecessary till months from now.

The mitts fit great. And that Icelandic wool - it's really warm. After finishing the mitts I realized there's enough yarn left over to whip out a slouchy hat. Many are the mornings I am racing out of the house to work and my hair is still wet. The 5 blocks to the subway can get mighty cold, but wearing my other hats gives me a serious case of hat head. Why not a slouchy hat to protect the hair from icing up without smashing it like a pancake?

The hat borders on the frumpy and it's key to wear it with a bit of slouch and some hair hanging out. Otherwise it takes on a look of 'shower cap'. Not a good thing. But I am happy with the way it turned out as it will serve it's wet hair purpose nicely.

Now if I could just find an easier way to model my work and shoot it at the same time. I need to find out if this little camera has a remote control. My arms are just not long enough!

Piecing It All Together

Remember all those knitted squares I made about a month ago, destined for the Afghans for Afghans project? Well, the squares are steadily arriving at Prospect Perk, the designated drop off point, all donated by so many charitable knitters in the Knit PH group - it's simply amazing! At last count we have enough for four blankets and the squares keep on comin' on.

It's time to piece them together and prep these blankets for shipment to A4A Headquarters. Tony dropped the squares off (two bags full!) at Eliza's house this morning and later on Liz and I joined her for some homemade scones (yum!) and sewing in her bright, sunny living room.

This one is more of a hodge podge than the next one, which will be all crochet in more muted colors. I learned that sewing crochet squares is more difficult than sewing knitted squares. There's still lots to do before these blankets are finished: weaving in the ends, possibly adding a simple crochet border...

There's talk about continuing this project for months to come. Everyone has lots of leftover yarn from projects and this is a fantastic way to use it up. Knitting squares is very enjoyable and I am seriously considering a personal project using handspun or maybe working up some sampler blankets like the ones Barbara Walker suggests. It's a fun way to try out different stitches and the squares are portable.

All in all this is a fun project and it's a great excuse to get out of the house on a beautiful day and spend some time with friends.

Diversionary Tactics

There are moments during my day job that can drag and let's face it, become plain dull. Sometimes I need to take little escapes to keep myself from burning out. I've been doing this gig a long time so it's not a huge intellectual challenge. There are other challenges to it, but intellectual is not one of them.

To keep myself from completely passing out in boredom or during long conference calls when I have little to do but "listen", I find myself stalking fiber sources. It all started innocently enough. First I was just posting photos of my newest obsession - yarn making - on Flickr. Then, I started linking to other fiber enthusiasts. Then I figured out some of these Flickr friends had Etsy sites selling their fiber. Oh, man.

It's a slippery slope, I tell you. With a click, click, confirm and send I am amassing a small arsenal of fiber fuel. I swear, the combination of Etsy and Paypal will surely spell economic doom for me! Small consolation that I can completely justify these purchases as my little contribution to prop up the economy. And of course, it is a wonderful diversion from the mind numbing portal based web enabled workflow systems we are forced to use in our daily existence. Process monkey for hire!

These fiber balls tickled my retinas when I stumbled onto Yarnzombie's Gaslight Dyeworks out of Ohio. They are mixed with nylon sparkle, curly locks, bamboo, tencel, alpaca, wool, you name it. They delighted me so much I went back the day after they arrived to place another order for Cathy's birthday. The gift arrived in time, the service was superb, thanks Jacki!

Last weekend at the spinning party (I mean, what better way to have a birthday, anyway!) Cathy suggested these would be fantastic done as core spun and I really like that idea. Something ropey, to be used as trim for upholstered pillows?

And this lovely fiber is Bluefaced Leicester combed top dyed by Pumpkinmama on Vines. Erin dyes her fiber up in MA and does some amazing spinning, too. I've been admiring her work for about a month or so, and when this one popped up on Flickr last week, I zoomed over to her site to make sure it would be headed my way. She sells out quickly, so you gotta pounce! This stuff is so pretty, very soft colors. I envision a shawl in fingering weight yarn, or maybe I will use it as a weaving project? Soon, soon.

Weaving? Spinning? Oh yea, I am in deep. Way way deep. And all day long there's a little compartment in my brain churning out ideas, considering options, conjuring ways to make these raw materials into things that please me and keep me amused. Anything as a daytime diversion.

Some Progress

It's a learning curve to be sure. This yarn was made entirely on the new wheel. Oh, did I forget to mention? I have a spinning wheel, a birthday present in January. Here it is, the end of March and I finally got up the gumption to spin yarn on it.

More on the wheel some other time, when I have a chance to photograph it and get into all the details. For now I will just show you the first completed yarn on it. This is Hello Yarn Thrive. I love the colors. It's cheerful and makes me want sunny days and blue skies.

As with all the spinning, there's alot to learn and in this case, the plying needs practice. I found out yesterday the unintentional method I achieved was spiral plying. Which is okay, but not what I really wanted! I love this yarn anyway and someday it will be a hat.

It's a busy time round here, so little blogging of late. Back to you all later...

Performance Art with Sheep

This is simply amazing. Take a moment to watch, you won't be disappointed.

Sign of Spring

Tonight on my way home from the subway I looked up to see three Canada geese flying in formation, heading north. And it was still light out. Ah, Spring.

Handspun Introduction

Hello, I am Knithound's first handspun yarn. I am made of Cormo, which is a lovely breed of sheep that makes a wonderfully soft and fluffy/fuzzy wool. I was spun and plied entirely on a Bosworth midi spindle.

Knithound bought that spindle and the roving at Rhinebeck in October. But she was so intimidated by the spinning process it took her awhile to get the courage up to spin me. I'm glad she did it because I like being yarn.

I am thick, I am thin. I am overspun and I am underspun. I am all over the place. But I am yarn! And I will soon be something squooshy and warm and I will wrap around Knithound's head or neck and I will make her proud and I will keep her warm and I will be loved forever.

Lace Sock Wrap Up

FINISHED! Finally, these are done. A bit of a slog given that I had to make those changes mentioned a couple of weeks ago. That slog gave me enough time to think that this may be the last pair of socks for a short while. There are so many other things I want/need/want to do, for the first time since this journey began it felt like I was wasting my time. And that made me restless and anxious. But knitting is supposed to be relaxing! Ha. As if.

Maybe the yarn, a disappointment, contributed some anxiety. I wanted a solid color yarn to show off the lace pattern with no distraction. Unfortunately, this stuff is a bit splitty, doesn't have the sproingyness I like, and started to show a fuzzy wear after all the ripping and reknitting. It just didn't feel that great going through my hands. It better soften up in the wash or I will be thoroughly pissed.

Decision #1 involved the cuff and yes, I DID add the missing 4 rows. The perfectionist in me just couldn't let that one go. Besides, they felt a bit funny when I put them on - like one was shorter than the other? Or maybe I was imagining that just to satisfy myself that the correction needed to be made. Not that it was easy, by the way. Ripping out a cast on is NO fun and it made my blood pressure rise on several occasions. The bind off is a very loose, purl bind off and it seems to match the first sock well enough.

Decision #2 was all about the toes. Since I knew I had to rip back sock #1 to add a lace repeat, I had the opportunity to reconsider the shaping. In the end, I decided to go with the toe as written in the pattern. Even though it looks a bit weird. I am one willing to try anything at least once. In that spirit I have eaten some mighty strange things, altered my mind more than once, gone places considered a bit dodgy...I mean, that's how I roll. Odd looking toes? Camel toes? Okay, why not?

From covering feet to covering hands, I am on to the next project, a pair of fingerless mittens, wherein I get to play with stranded colorwork. Colorwork is one of the 2009 goals, so maybe it won't feel like such a burden.

The Specs:
Pattern: Socks for Veronik, by Mona Schmidt
Source: Interweave Knits, Holiday 2007
Yarn: KnitPicks Essentials, Granny Smith - most accurately depicted in the first photograph.
Needles: size 1 US dpns
Started: 1/30/2009
Finished: 3/8/2009

Charity / Sanity

Times are tough. Everyone, I mean, everyone is feeling the strains these days. Last night DH photographed a Boys Club Benefit dinner and auction. The event was well attended but NO ONE bid on the silent auction. Not one thing sold! He said it was a bit embarrassing, and I imagine it was a huge disappointment for the organizers, because they did not raise the funds they hoped for. It will have the effect of hurting the Boys Club and all the kids who attend.

It hit home when I heard this story. There will be more stories like this in the days to come. And so, the entropy continues. Not good.

When the call out for charity arises, I am lucky to have a skill and a ready supply of materials. While I might not be able to bid on an auction either, I can dive into my treasure trove, apply basic knowledge and a little time to yield some decent results. It's small, but it's something.

These squares, eight of them, were knit up in the last week. They are destined to become a blanket, part of a Knit-Along involving a community of knitters here in Brooklyn, and our winter contribution to the charity Afghans for Afghans. Life in Afghanistan is harsh for kids. Their winters are long, resources are few. These striped squares are filled with as much color as I could inject. They are my way to hopefully brighten the lives of kids living in war torn poverty and strife, halfway around the world.

(eta: In reading the above sentences, I am suddenly hyperaware that I may be construed as some sort of bourgeois dilettante for thinking the Afghan kids are suffering and living lives of bleakness. With all the politicizing that goes on these days, I suddenly feel the urge to delete what I wrote just to avoid the controversy. Gosh, it's terrible to feel so paranoid about expressing thoughts for fear of being politically incorrect. What is correct these days anyway? Oh, crap, I will carry on. Internal dialog concluded.)

Not having seen the other squares from other knitters, I have no idea how this blanket will look when it's all done. Being a bit of a control freak I thought about knitting all 20 squares, but decided to let that go, it will be okay however it turns out.

These are really easy to make. Fast, fun, amusing, very pleasing to make and to look at. The yarn was a sale purchase from Webs last year. At the time I ordered, I had no idea what I would do with all these bright colors and kind of regretted my impule buy. Rather than go through the hassle of returning, I figured they would come in handy for kid knits and so far, it's worked out. I've made some toys and a Baby Surprise Jacket with it. And now these squares. There's plenty more of this stuff in the stash closet, so future toys and blankets are certainly possible.

The simplicity of knitting garter stitch squares is a blessing. The day job grinds on and it takes so much stamina and time that by the end of the day, garter squares are all I can handle! These helped me keep sane all week, where other projects were downright hateful. (The yarn is hateful to work with, the socks are lovely otherwise. Nearly done, decisions were made, more on this later).

Do you really want to know the specs on these squares? Oh, okay.

Pattern: Oblique Blanket Squares by Tony Limuaco
Yarn: diVe Zenith, lots of colors
Needle: size US6
Time spent: one week off and on.

Fiber Clubs

The spinning fixation is starting to get very real around here. I joined two Fiber Clubs so I may be assured of a regular dose of fuel for the wheel and spindle. The first shipment arrived yesterday. The second club comes all the way from Australia so it may take a couple of weeks.

All week long I raced home to see if the box arrived. When it got here, I was so thrilled I could barely open the box, my hands were moving too fast. Oh! What a squeal of delight to see this inside! I can't tell you how completely giddy I was, wish you were here to see it.

This fiber is Corriedale Wool Top, hand dyed by Adrian of Hello Yarn. It's called Thrive. And these colors are just beyond wonderful. They are vibrant, rich, explosive, joyous. Which is how I feel when I look at it.

I can't wait to get this stuff spun up. And being a beginner, this fiber is pure motivation to become better. Stay tuned, I promise to show you the results.

Sock Decisions

Halfway through the second of these socks, I noticed an odd thing about the cuff. It was wavier than the first one. I couldn't figure it out at first, but after comparing it several times, it finally dawned on me. I didn't follow the pattern instructions in the second sock, and only knitted the purl one row, knit one row one repeat rather than repeating two more times. So I am four rows short on the second sock.

I knew right then and there I would not rip out what I'd already knit. Not a chance. Mainly because the lace pattern calls for P3tog (purl 3 together) at every center of the scallop pattern and I am hating that part. So, I am faced with several decisions on what to do about the cuff:

1. Do nothing and let it go, no one will see the cuff since I wear most socks with pants.
2. Rip out the mistake and add the four rows and then cast off.
3. Rip out the mistake, put the live stitches on a holder, then cast on a new set of stitches, knit down the rows I need and then graft onto the live stitches,
4. Rip out both socks, correct the row mistakes on sock #2, and then incorporate some new cast off solution, maybe using Nicki Epstein's Knitting on the Edge for ideas.

What do you guys think? I haven't made any final decisions yet and I am still working through the foot on sock #2.

Meanwhile, on Sock #1, I already know I have to rip back the toe and add one more lace repeat because the socks are a bit short. Which leaves me with the option to reconsider the toe shaping.
I'm not sure I really like how the pattern is written here. In keeping with the P3tog theme, there is a center line using that stitch all the way down to the end. It looks a bit weird on the foot and because of the double stitch decrease happening here, the side decreases are not mirrored in the traditional way. It makes the overall shape odd. It fits fine, but I just don't know if I like it that much. Again, what do you think? Should I just go with the pattern and have one pair of socks with a twist on the traditional? Or do you think it would look better using a standard mirrored decrease?

Daydreaming

At Rhinebeck I got wind of an event coming up in August that sounded really intriguing. I filed it away in my little brain and a few days ago I got an email telling me there were updates to the plans.

I tried to ignore it, thinking it doesn't fit my overall plans for world domination. Today I succumbed to the temptation and peeked in on the updates: http://www.socksummit.com/

The list of instructors for the 2009 SOCK SUMMIT is beyond unbelieveable. It is mind-blowing. Let's just say, so many of my knitting idols are going to be there, I actually got dizzy right here at my desk.

The idea of attending this event is completely frivolous, totally wacky, and just so much FUN!!!
Now I am plotting ways to get the time off, scrape up the money and make plans. I'm still not sure I can pull it off, because the other thing I really really really want to do is this:

http://www.the-mannings.com/mannings_catalog.cgi?dwew=on&ad=4680&tt=739

A visit to Gettysburg, a week of weaving instruction...I know, I can see your eyes rolling. But I do. really. want....sigh.

That's What I'm Sayin'

Hey New York Times, what took you so long?!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/opinion/23mon1.html

Toy Knitting

One of my colleagues decided to leave the company and I wanted to send her off with a gift for her young son. There are tons of cute little toy patterns available on Ravelry, and this one, Sheldon the Turtle stole my heart when I first saw him.

The body is super easy to knit up. The top of the shell is pretty simple too. The construction around the shell edging gets a bit tricky. It combines crochet and i-cords and I found myself having to start over several times before I was completely satisfied. I love that the shell comes off. That should make it fun for little Joey when he plays with it.

While I was making this project, I thought about how much I enjoy making toys and added several to my Ravelry queue for future projects. Good thing, too because when my other colleagues saw this one, they all placed orders for their own kids. Looks like there will be many more toys in my knitting future.

Specs:
Pattern: Sheldon, by Ruth Homrighaus
Yarn: diVe Zenith; 1 ball olive green; small amount Yellow
Needles: US 5
Started: February 7, 2009
Finished: February 18, 2009

Completely Immersed

Today on my way to work I missed my subway stop. Listening to Cast-On, a knitting podcast and working on a sock...I was so involved...

That's actually the first time it happened. I felt...sheepish ! :)

A Long Way to Go

Well I finally got the guts up to show you my newer obsession. Yes, I've been sucked into the Spinning Vortex but until this past weekend, I felt like I could keep myself from being completely consumed. Mostly because up till now all my attempts at making yarn were pretty lame-o.

Even this little peek reveals how much I still need to learn. Let's just say, I know what I don't know; even scarier is that I also don't know what I don't know. When it comes to spinning fiber into yarn, there is so much nuance, and so many decisions and choices, it is a bit overwhelming. For now I am working on the basics. Like controlling the spin so I don't over twist. Just trying to get it even. And to get the spindle to spin a long enough time so I can draft the fiber on.

As this unfolds, I am becoming aware that I WILL come to a point when I can make conscious choices about how I want it to look when it's done. There are no rules, but there are rules. There are ways to do things, all of them valid. It all depends on what I want it to be.

So. Much. FUN. I am blowing my mind here, folks. The possibilities are endless.

Specs:
Fiber: 4 oz. of 100% hand dyed Cormo
Source: Fox Hill Farm in Lee, MA
Purchased at Rhinebeck, Oct. 2008
Started: Feb 2.
Goal: finish entire batch this month, using the Bossie; make it 2-ply
Equipment: Bosworth Midi

Ever since I picked the yarn at Lion Brand's Studio pre-opening, it's been my obsession. Not because it's particularly soft, because it's not. Not because it's easy to work with, because it's not. Really there is no obvious reason to be obsessed, except the color. Which just grabbed me and would not let go.

This is a very intense yellow. It borders on bright curry. It looks sorta sickly in a creepy good way (know what I mean?). The little stripes of greens and browns break up the brightness just enough to keep this color from being completely obnoxious. I love looking at this color and I became obsessed with the idea that I needed a pair of yellow socks for the middle of winter to make me feel bright and cheery.

And I clung to that idea through what turned out to be a very long, cultural tour of New York / New Jersey streets. Let me explain. My sock knitting is usually relegated to the daily commute (grind). And so back in November I embarked on a simple 2x2 rib sock which presumably would be the easiest of projects for crowded subways. Being completely OCD, I also use the subway to listen to books. And in the past, one book usually meant one pair of socks. It's a neat little package: one pair of socks and some literary cultchah'.

This pair really confounded me. I started on size 1 dpns and could not get gauge. Had to rip three times, and consumed "The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz in the process. (destined for Hollywood, this one).

While the book was superb, (rope-a-dope ghetto nerd narrative and heartbreaking loneliness) the socks were not. Too tight, TWICE! On the third attempt, too big! And in the process I broke one of my bamboo needles, I was desiccating the yarn with all the knitting and ripping. Whew. The book ended but the socks were still in their presock state (on the skein!).

After putting a little distance on the project, I resumed and this time downloaded "Lush Life" by Richard Price. A very entertaining diversion, one of those urban cop stories, the narration was particularly in synch with the characters. Some progress on the sock, but still not done when the book ended.

After two books I needed some music. Enter Little Jackie and her new release, "The Stoop" - check that one out if you like your hip-hop combined with Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound"!
Pefect for 2x2 ribbing with attitude. Two more weeks with Little Jackie, some Slumdog Millionaire sountrack and Beethoven's 4th and 5th Piano Concertos and I finally finished.

Man, talk about a journey! The cultural tour was a real delight. The socks, not so much. Now that they are finished, they are a bit large. The heel flap is too long, the toes should have started sooner. In the end, I might gift these over. Besides, he's been eyeing them, asking questions. Seems yellow is high on his list, too.

I Knitted a Feedbag*. *Or a Lightbulb Cozy. Take Your Pick.

Some projects just don't end up they way you envision! This was supposed to be a hat for my Mom at Christmas. Instead, it's a horse feed bag turned upside down. Hey, it's warm, it's soft. It covers the head.

The problem is, I chose the wrong yarn to pull this one off. The original pattern called for pure Angora. Not my favorite to knit with, since the little hairs fly off and get into everything. But that would have made this hat airy and light. Instead I ended up with a giant sodden mushroom. Not chic. Very frumpy.

So, it's headed to the frog pond. Unless someone tells me they need a giant lightbulb cozy.