Knitting with Handspun

It was a really long journey for this yarn, but it's finally been put to some good use. Remember when I made it? I do. My lumpy bumpy yarn, which everyone told me I'd never be able to replicate. How true how true!

Over the months I tried a few stitch patterns. Back around Christmas I considered a project based on garter stitch. It didn't thrill me. I even thought of knitting up a baby hat but realized this is my first yarn! It stays with me!


So when I finished the Wurmy Angelfish hat and I was all giddy with the awesomeness that is knitting with handspun, I pulled this yarn out of the handspun stash again and this time did a serious scan of the queued up cowl patterns to find a match. Quickie Cowl (I know!) was the perfect fit. Why hadn't I noticed before?

With a bit of a modification to narrow the width and thus make it long enough to join with buttons, I was able to use up all but 5" of the yarn. Yessssss! I finished it up late one Saturday night a couple of weeks ago and the next morning I surfed till I found the perfect match - handmade ceramic buttons in a pretty light purple, perfect for highlighting the subtle lavender in the yarn. Be sure to check out Julie's selections, she has some really pretty colors in a variety of sizes - http://www.etsy.com/shop/pushingmybuttons.

Somehow I knew when I made the yarn it would eventually be used for something to put around my neck. The yarn is so soft - Cormo is wonderful for soft squooshiness - and the fit is perfect. This is going to be a very cozy neck warmer indeed. But it will have to wait till the seasons turn again, and in the meantime I'll use my newest photo prop, found sitting on the sidewalk just up the block from my house on Friday evening. Discussions in the works on a name, Prudence seems highly likely.

Win Some...Lose Some

A hot mess wrought from my hands, this is most likely never going to see a set of needles.

What I envisioned and what I created somehow did not meet in the middle!

The vision: Lightly fulled laceweight singles suitable for a shawl, preferably Citron.

The creation: Heavily fulled unevenly spun singles that 1.broke in at least 5 spots when re-skeining, 2.kinked up so bad during the aggressive fulling they now appear as permanent bumps with heavy yarn abrasion, 3. fuzzy, frizzy yarn, 4. showing a very wide variance in diameter from frog's hair to light worsted.

Oh well, it does serve as a learning experience and the first lesson was to place an order on Amazon for Alden Amos' Big Book of Handspinning. Served with a heaping huge slice of Humble Pie!

Wurmy Angelfish

Some yarns tell you what they want to be with such clarity there is no moment of indecision, no second guessing the choices; it is a direct path from start to finish, as if pre-ordained. This fiber knew it wanted to be Navajo Ply and the yarn knew it wanted to be a hat.

Thank God I listened!

This is Wurmy Angelfish. So named for the pattern and the colorway. Incredibly soft and squoooshy, thanks to the amazing prep by David of Southern Cross Fibres. Navajo ply turns out to be less scary than I thought once I slowed down. Really slowed down.

But that was the only part of this project that was slow. Because the yarn jumped onto the needles on a Sunday evening and flew off around 1AM. The four hours in between were smokin'. Fingers on fire, no anxiety, no hesitation, no ripping, just knit knit knit with such intensity I wasn't aware of anything going on around me. Zen. Or mad driven. You choose.

A bit of slouch in a hat is a good thing. Teetering on the edge of 'crazy old lady in a loud hat', but...not. quite. there.

It was meant to be. Every detail. Like ending in a little blue 'anus' surrounded by a hot magenta halo which was completely unplanned. And that makes me giggle.

I'm kinda glad the weather turned chilly, cause it gives me an excuse to wear this and now I don't wanna take it off! Knitting with handspun is the bomb diggity!!

I Wasn't Kidding...

I told you there were more fingerless mitts...Ha! Here's a pair just finished up and barely dry...

These mitts are really all about the yarn. Which I bought at my first Rhinebeck in 2007. It was near the end of the day and I was wandering through one of the sheep barns when I saw three little skeins sitting all forlorn by themselves. The husband was tending the area and he didn't know much but I also don't recall asking any questions. It was priced right and seemed lovely, but didn't give it much thought beyond that.

The yarn went to live in my stash till now. I pulled it out to try this pattern (Natalya by Jody Pirrello) and that's when I started to observe what I was really working with. Oooh. A very simple straightforward two ply, but quite special in it's honest presentation. Probably hand spun. Maybe by the farmer's wife? And the color? Very rich, Garnet Red. I'm not completely sure, but it seems the base wool was dark - perhaps a gray or moorit? So was it dyed after it was spun? Was the wool carded with multiple colors? There are glints of gold, green and blue in here. And a shadow of gray or brown. Really lovely stuff.

After these soaked and blocked, the yarn bloomed beautifully. And now the mitts are soft yet sturdy enough for everyday. Best of all, they don't look likely to pill (my nemesis). The cabled pattern makes a nice warm mitt. These are winners in my book.

I started the project fully intending to gift them (as seems to be the normal course of things lately - all gifts, all the time). But after working with the yarn a bit and tweaking the pattern a bit I could not bear to let them go. These are staying with me, and I'll have to make another pair to give as a gift. Oh well.

Fingerless Mitt Mania

For nearly five months now I've been knitting Fingerless Mitts. Fast and fun, I'm finding these projects are terrific gifts and a great way to use up the small lots of yarn that invariably make their way into the stash.

My Ravelry queue was so heavy with Fingerless Mitts I created a special tab just for them. Which prompted me to create tabs for all manner of knitted categories - Hats, Baby, Cardigans, Pullovers, and on and on and on. Oh man, to know me is to know I am pretty obsessive with the Queue and Stash organization. But it all started with the Fingerless Mitt category.

Once I'd nailed the Fingerless Mitts into their own file tab, I delved deeper into researching suitable yarns, viewing other knitter's finished projects and trolling my own stash to find pattern-yarn matches. All the while making electronic notes to jog my memory once I sit down to actually knit the project. God, the hours I spend in the planning - it boggles the mind! But I guess for me the planning stage is part of the process. And though I often get frustrated that I don't knit faster, or act more spontaneously, the reality is most of my projects require me to marinate the ideas till I am sure and can commit.

These cute blue cabled mitts are the now very ubiquitous Fetching Mitts which everyone in the knitting blog-o-sphere knitted like crazy three years ago (yes, I am very late to this particular party). Quite fetching indeed. A few hours of knitting back in February resulted in a perfect birthday gift. And they hit a sweet spot for me in the Great Houndville Stash Knit Down of 2010. All the technical details are here including the modifications I made - they are longer than called for in the pattern.


Next up is this lovely pattern called Susie's Reading Mitts. Which was perfect since the recipient's name is a bit variation on that. She was so patient waiting for these - the whole Potholder Swap thing kind of jumped to the front of the line in March!

I had a few false starts with this project. In fact, it started as a different pattern but I hated the way it knitted up. That pattern got booted out of my queue and I moved this one to the top. The yarn was deceptive too! It took several changes in needle size before I found the magic combination of fabric drape with heat retention density. I cannot remember why I bought this yarn in the first place, but once I started working it up on this project, I kinda fell hard in love with the color. And used up all but a smidgen of the yarn, so woo-hoo for continued stash reduction. Linky here for more gory details.

This mitt design is lovely - simple and feminine without being fussy. And it invites you to consider small changes - additions or deletions, depending on the yarn being used. I particularly like the picot edge, something I'd never used before. It's a nice touch and worth the effort. This pattern is a winner and it will likely become a standard as I work on building that gift stash.

So the Great Houndville Stash Knit Down is becoming an enjoyable discipline/challenge. It's like a competition with myself to see if I can bring out the best in the yarn by matching it with the perfect pattern. Stay tuned for the next parade of fingerless mitts, there's more where these came from!

:)

More potholders, this time for my Mother In Law.

PhotoMan heads out to Northern California this morning for a visit with his Mom. Armed with a little gift from me.

This set incorporated a discipline that the Swap Potholders did not. Namely, keeping the color choices limited to 5 and then combining them into different stripe sequences. These colors feel a bit "retro Mexico" to me, so I am quite pleased with the results.

The pattern is really easy, Old Fashioned Potholders by Cathy Irish (that's a Rav link to my project page with info on yarn colors, amount used and all the other gory details including individual pics of each potholder) I love this newest feature on Ravelry, don't you?!.

Making potholders is fun, and a bit addictive.
Happy weekend to all!

Bella Mittens on Steroids

The gluttony that is my stash is really starting to feel like a guilty burden. It weighs on my conscience and if I can't knit faster I may begin to give some of it away or sell it.

I did hit on one pattern that works up fast and burns up two skeins of yarn (Cascade 109LE, sadly discontinued) for each project. That put a good dent in the bulky yarn bin. Of course, there are several more bins needing similar stash busting attention.

These are the Bella Mittens, a pattern that has captured many a knitter's fancy the last few months. Based on the ones worn by Bella in the Twilight vampire movies (did not like), these mittens are super long, super warm and really squishy (do like).

I have in mind to keep one pair, give one pair away immediately and reserve the third pair for my gift stash.

Gift stash. I don't know if it will work, but I'm thinking of knitting up quick projects that will use up yarn (to ease that burden) and create a selection to grab off a shelf when I need a quick gift. Maybe then I won't feel so pressured. Although I'm thinking hats might be even faster to knit up than mittens.

Catching Up on Projects

I'm a bit behind on showing some finished projects. For instance, I have this sweater, "Heathered Grapes", (Ariann by Bonne Marie Burns) which took from October 2008 till February 2010 to knit, and another two months to finally tell the story!

The only redemption is that I can say it's been a major wardrobe staple from the minute it came off the blocking boards. Warm, comfortable and despite a few 'issues', I am pleased to have a cardigan to slip on when I need a casual go-with-jeans sweater.

I remember why I put this aside way back in December 2008 - it was the at the point where the sleeves get joined to the body and for some reason, I couldn't get my mind around how to do it. With that Holiday approaching, I put it on the back burner. Little did I know it would be a year before I picked it up again. A familiar refrain, right?

And that's when the fun really started. After serious knitting gymnastics to get two sleeves and the entire body onto one long needle and knitting away for at least a dozen rows (almost 400 stitches per row!!) I learned there was a slight error in the bind off on one sleeve, which made for a wonky lace pattern on one side. Ooops. Painful rip back.

Resuming again, but not doing the raglan decreases correctly took a further three attempts, each filled with multiple rows of knitting and ripping. At the widest point. Yea. Cuz that's how I roll, I guess. At one point I seriously considered cutting the yarn out of this section as it looked pretty pooped out. Which put us to end of January and it was cold! Were it not for needing a new sweater I might have shelved this one forever.

But I am really glad I didn't. I learned lots about sweater construction, and the mistakes I've made in this one will not be repeated in the next sweater: 1. I will make better button holes which will be be positioned in the center of the button band, not near the edge. 2. If I encounter another pattern that combines raglan decreases with a lace pattern, I will take note to mirror the decreases so the lace pattern lines up perfectly on each side and between the raglans. 3. I will pay attention to little details like properly slipping the first stitch to make a smooth edge through the entire project, not 90% of the project. ;)

Along the way, I make a few modifications to the pattern.
1. Knit 2 inches longer in the body before the waist shaping. To cover the hips. Ever widening.
2. Knit a 1x1 rib collar for 4 inches. I think the pattern called for Garter Stitch? I wanted to carry the 1x1 rib up from the button bands into the collar for a seamless look.
3. Used a 3 stitch I-cord for the belt rather than slip stitch crochet. Yes, it takes longer. Worth the effort.

I found some nice abalone buttons that work great and have worn the sweater constantly ever since. Most of the time I leave the belt off. But if I want to dress it up, I add it. And if I manage to lose a few pounds*, it will fit across the back and hips just a bit better.

* gained in direct correlation to my finally completely and forever and ever quit smoking** and substituting sweets. Yay me for quitting, now I need to get to Yoga all the time. More on that some other time.

**Yea, my dirty little secret, shut up. I quit, didn't I?

Potholder Landing in Houndville

Look what I got today! Hee Hee!

The piggy is a charming fellow; the others are all so beautiful and well crafted! I love love love them all.

We are going to have some work done in our kitchen this year and I plan on displaying these properly when the work is finished.

Thank you swappers, I love them so much!

Shopping Manifesto

To: The various chain stores I am forced to use to buy 'career' clothes (Ann Taylor, Talbot's, etc.)
From: Me, the fed-up shopper

1. Don't offer me a discount on your clothes only when I sign up for yet another credit card. I don't want your credit card. I want to pay cash. Why are you willing to give me a 15% discount only when I run up a debt? You should reward me for paying you cold hard cash. Cash goes straight to your bottom line. Cash is what pays your bills.

2. Why don't you ever have items in Size 10? You have plenty of items in Size 0 and Size 2. But never anything in Size 10. After repeating this mistake for a few seasons, do ya think you'd catch on - the Size 10s sell out because there are more Size 10 women. Maybe you should order MORE Size 10's and LESS Size 2. Whoa, what a concept.

3. NO, I don't want to be on your email list. No, I don't want to give you my Zip Code.

4. What's with the selection these days? Really few choices! Suits with only pants, no skirts. Or vice versa. Or outfits in just one color when there used to be at least three. Let's see a little variety and options. Mix and match options? Please?

5. Can't you find any other country on this planet to manufacture your goods? Does everything have to be Made in China?

6. Slacks should come up to just below the belly button. NOT ride on the hips. How do you expect me to sit down if the pants feel like they are falling off my ass?

7. Can you please find an alternative to the sewn in label? They poke the back of my neck and drive me batty. If you insist on sewing in a label, can you please use cotton thread not nylon fishing wire? You don't use nylon fishing line for the seams, and they are far more important to the garment's integrity. So why do you think you need to affix the label with such an indestructible thread?? Come to think of it, why are the labels so stiff and unyielding?

8. Clean, classic, well fitting with a unique twist. And doesn't cost an arm and a leg. How hard is that?

The Magnolia Edition

I took a break today, to visit Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

I wanted to see the Magnolias before their burst of glory completely faded.

It was evident the peak arrived sometime earlier this week, but I managed to find a few gems.

The crowds reflected the weather's cooperation, because Jeeper Joe, the joint was jumpin'!

I did manage to do some spinning, some knitting, some fleece combing and some Alpaca fleece washing over the weekend.

I'll have some things to share as soon as these projects get their moment in front of the camera. How was your weekend?

New Yarn

Let's see...it's been a good long time since I showed you new yarns. I have a few in the works but these three I've finished up over the last six or eight weeks.

First up from a small batt purchased at Rhinebeck, last fall. It's 2-ply, about 96 yards, 12 wpi; from 1.75 oz of hand dyed, hand carded Dorset Sheep's wool from Amondale Farms in Stow MA.
I have no specific plan for this yarn. It represents a step in learning a new technique. In this case, an attempt at long draw yarn, though the truth is, it's closer to a supported long draw.

There's a Handspun Revolution exhibit coming up and a call for entries. This little 40 yard skein came from a teeny little batt handed out as a Holiday party favor. Donna made these on her drum carder after dyeing the fiber with Kool Aid. I need to send this off soon, if they will accept my entry, since I somehow missed the deadline. It's supposed to be part of a huge yarn art installation this May, in Norway.

Last but not least, a lovely plumpy skein of Superfine Merino, 2 ply, 350 yards, 12 wpi - Sport Weight yarn. Always on the lookout for some Funky Carolina fibers, I snagged this bump through a massive Ravely destash last December. This is one of Carrie's club offerings, called "What Light". Very nice colors, the turquoise shots make me happy.

The yarn was spun with a recipient in mind, a friend and knitter recovering from surgery. I thought a little handspun might cheer her up. I'd never spun a superfine Merino and it was good to give it a go, though I feel like I need to practice with this fiber. Lucky for me I have plenty in my stash for that.


The yarns I'm working on now are more representative of my 2010 spinning goals - Navajo ply and Long Draw. I'll be focusing more attention to these techniques, particularly the Long Draw throughout the year.

Orchids

This Sunday morning I took Mom up to the New York Botanical Garden to see the Orchid show. A nice break from the routine for both of us.

It's been a rough couple of months as we've come to the place in our lives where the role of caretaker transfers from the parent to the child. She's fighting it every step of the way and while I admire the struggle to hold on to independence, it became evident that I needed to take over paying bills, scheduling doctor appointments and arranging day to day tasks.

The level of involvement will only increase in the months to come and at some point I'll need to call in some help. For now we achieved a plateau which I hope will remain stable for the near term.

Our adventure gave her a chance to marvel at how amazing this universe is; how abundant and varied, how intensely colorful and lush. Best of all she forgot her troubles for a bit which was a relief.

I'm going to try to inject more of these little events into her life, while she can still enjoy them. Who knows if she really remembers them a week later, but at least she enjoyed the moment.