a thing for string

A plea to indie dyers

2010-05-17T18:38:00.002-05:00

This year I have been trying to curb my fiber purchases somewhat. (It isn't going very well. Thanks for asking!) And while I have managed to reduce the number of discretionary purchases I make, I have been allowing myself to keep up with fiber clubs and spin-alongs. The problem is that all of my favorite dyers are doing clubs or SALs. Hence comes my downfall.

And why are they all doing fiber clubs and SALs? Because people like me are lured by the promise of "exclusive colorways" and "limited availability." Now, I'm a reasonably intelligent person, and I know how marketing works. I also know that there will always be more pretty fiber. But all of this rationality flies out of my head in the face of a new fibery offering. These clever dyers are positively charming the cash out of my pockets.

Of course, I try to justify this behavior to myself by trying to keep up with the clubs/SALs. In other words, I'm trying not to let any of these fibers actually go into my stash. And so far I've been mostly successful in that endeavor. The problem is that now I don't have much time to spin up all those fibers that are already in my (considerable) stash. Sigh. On the other hand, I have been rather productive.

So to the dyeing geniuses behind All Spun Up, Crown Mountain Farms, Into the Whirled, Fat Cat Knits, and Fiber Optic: please, have mercy.

Ravelry killed the knitting blog

2010-03-22T16:59:00.003-05:00

It's a cliche, I know, but in the case of this blog, it might actually be true. It's been quite a while since I posted, and I have a laundry list of excuses: mandatory overtime, snowstorms, power outages, social obligations, etc. The truth of the matter, though, is that I simply haven't felt like updating the blog. Apparently my inner slacker is coming through.

That's not to say I'm ready to abandon the blog, because I am not. However, I've decided to stop feeling guilty about not posting regularly. Sincere thanks to everyone who has continued to stop by and check things out despite my neglect of this space.

Where to begin? It seems appropriate to introduce the newest addition to our household:

It's my new HansenCrafts miniSpinner! For almost a year I've been on the market for a spinner that's more portable than my Lendrum. I had also been daydreaming about having an electric spinner, especially for plying (you 900+ yard skeins of laceweight, I'm looking at you). When I saw this little machine, I knew it would fit both requirements.

This really is a sweet piece of kit. It may be a miniSpinner, but those bobbins are enormous. The website claims they'll hold 8-10 ounces of fiber, and I don't doubt it for a minute. I just put 6 oz. on it, and it barely looked half full. And not only does it have great bobbin capacity, but it's also fast, quiet, and cute as a button.

I can't say enough about Kevin Hansen's customer service. When my miniSpinner arrived, it clearly had been damaged during shipping, and it was therefore unusable. Later it became apparent that I had a wonky power supply too. Kevin not only responded to my concerns almost immediately, but he also gave me lots of options about how to make things right. He fully stands behind his product, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this e-spinner to anyone.

Here's the new baby next to its older sibling.

All new babies require additional equipment. In this case it was a Zuca bag and a battery pack. Now my spinning addiction is as portable as I ever hoped it would be. (Please don't try to convince me to take up spindling. I know they're the most portable way to spin, but so far they just aren't for me.)

2009 holiday wrap-up

2010-01-10T13:59:00.004-06:00

It seems a little silly to write a holiday wrap-up post in the second week of January, but really, I feel even more sheepish about not posting in nearly two months. So, holiday wrap-up it is.

I was going to boycott holiday knitting this year. Really, I was. Then I knit these for myself.

They were fast. They were adorable. They were perfect for using up handspun. And did I mention fast? Surely I could crank out a few pairs for some special people on my holiday list. It was the first week of December, and I planned to have all my packages in the mail by the 18th. I even had back-up gift ideas in case I couldn't finish all the mitts I wanted to make.

I ended up with four pairs.

(Note that the brown mitts in this photo are not the same ones as the mitts in the first photo.)

All of that mitt knitting meant that I fell behind on the Professor's Christmas socks, though. I didn't actually finish them until the 27th. No matter. I'm pretty sure the Professor is a distant cousin of Ebeneezer Scrooge, so he honestly didn't care when the socks were actually finished.

(Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms Bluefaced Leicester, "Silk Road")

Love, love this colorway! The Professor had asked for brown socks, and I was so surprised that I made him repeat the request. You see, previously whenever I had suggested brown as a possible sock color for him, he had always wrinkled his nose at me. I suppose he took a good look at his sock collection recently, though, and saw that it was overwhelmingly green and blue.

This yarn was the only brown handspun I had in the stash. I think the combination of brown with deep, dusky purple is brilliant. The purple is quite subtle, actually, and it even looks brown in some lights.

The Professor and I enjoyed a relaxing Colorado Christmas with the family in Boulder. I was thrilled to get to experience some real winter weather. As it turned out, though, the DFW area got more than it's yearly share of winter while we were away. Apparently it snowed twice. However, I'm glad we weren't here to experience the general freakout that kind of weather inspires among the natives around here.

Happy 2010, everyone! I'm working on a catch-up post for spinning, too.

Gray for the boys

2009-11-12T21:03:00.006-06:00

Two of my nephews have birthdays in November, and I decided to knit for them both. Nephew 1 turns six this year, and since I made socks for his older sister on her birthday earlier in the year, he gets socks too. (These kids have great taste in socks; they love the hanknitted ones.)

Yarn: my handspun
Needles: 2.00 mm (US size 0) DPNs
Pattern: 2x2 ribbing with purl ridges

Mainly I picked this yarn because it was the most masculine handspun superwash yarn in my stash. Masculine or not, I'm now thinking of making socks for myself out of the other skein of this yarn. I love how it knitted up.

Nephew 2 was born a few days ago, and he's getting this:

Pattern: Owl Baby Vest (Rav link), by Jodi Haraldson
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK, "Cobblestone Heather"
Needles: 3.5 mm (US size 4) and 3.75 mm (US size 5)

This is such a sweet little vest. I've been waiting for an excuse to knit it for quite a while. I did make a few modifications to the pattern...nothing drastic, though. I knit the body over 112 stitches (vs. 110 in the pattern) to make it easy to center the V-neck over the middle owl. Then I knit the V-neck edging in the traditional manner, decreasing one stitch on each side of the V on each round. Finally, I did five rows of 2x2 around the neck and armhole openings.

Crochet comeback

2009-11-12T20:37:00.002-06:00

I am a crocheter.

Really, I am. I know I have shown very little evidence of it in the lifetime of this blog—notwithstanding this post, which has more hits than any other post I have written—but I was a crocheter long before I was a knitter.

Mainly I crocheted afghans. Between the ages of 15 and 30, I crocheted well over 100 afghans. You can imagine how I might have gotten a little burned out. But when my friend commissioned a baby blanket a couple of months ago, I knew I would crochet it rather than knit it. Crocheting is just faster. Or so I thought.

The whole project turned into a bit of an ordeal when I decided to design the pattern myself and crochet it out of fingering weight yarn. This blanket is based on a very similar design I did several years ago, except that the previous version had flowers around the border. Since this blankie had to be gender-neutral, I decided that flowers were out. Bring on the dots!

I crocheted the border motifs first and sewed them into strips. From those strips, I measured the dimensions of the center section. After doing a gauge swatch, I determined the number of stitches needed for the center, and away I went. When the center was almost done, I realized, to my great annoyance, that it was a bit narrower than I needed it to be. (Gauge swatches can lie!) Rather than rip out all that work, I added some rounds of single crochet around the edge before attaching the motifs.

I used Cascade Heritage sock yarn for this project, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The blanket is so soft and cushy. If I had to make one complaint about the yarn, it would be that the it tends to be a bit splitty. But I think that mild annoyance was worth it in the end.

And we're back

2009-11-02T18:52:00.002-06:00

Last week the Professor and I returned from a short jaunt to northern New Mexico.

It was glorious to get away for a little while, and the weather around Santa Fe was just what we needed. There was snow in the high mountains (Snow! How I have missed thee!), but otherwise the weather was sunny and crisp.

Because of the traveling and of some impending project deadlines, I haven't done a lot of spinning in the last two weeks. Before that, though, I had been on a bit of a chain plying jag.

The Arts at Eagle's Find fine wool blend, "Sunset at Sea"

480 yards, 124 grams

Gaia's Colours Sunna superwash merino, "Rainbow Beast"

360 yards, 114 grams

All Spun Up merino, I call it "Glowing Embers"

416 yards, 127 grams

Chain plying has never been my favorite way to ply, but for inexplicable reasons, I seem to want to chain ply everything lately. It's just a phase, I'm sure, but I am surprised it has lasted this long.

The wheel and the hook

2009-09-28T18:12:00.002-05:00

Warning: there are lots of photos to follow. Once again, I am woefully behind.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Hey Jude"
Chain ply (Navajo ply) skein: 438 yards, 114 grams
3 ply skein: 406 yards, 110 grams

Would it be one of my spinning posts if I didn't have some Crown Mountain Farms yarn? Normally I spin CMF colorways as straight 3 ply, but this one had so much contrast that I chain plied the second skein. I like them both!

Fiber: Southern Cross Fibre Polwarth, "Katoomba"
Chain ply (Navajo ply)
480 yards, 114 grams

This is the colorway that made me start stalking SCF shop updates. And for anyone who might not have had the pleasure, let me just say that those updates are mad, mad, mad. You try to figure out what you want beforehand (thanks to David's helpful preview photos), but in the end all you can do is throw things in your cart and hope something will still be there when you check out. Madness—but completely worth it. I have been lucky.

Fiber: All Spun Up 50% merino, 25% silk, 25% bamboo, Aug./Sept. SAL colorway
2 ply
1818 yards, 233 grams

This fiber was delicious, but spinning so much laceweight nearly did me in. I'm thinking of (eventually) knitting this into a Forest Path Stole (Ravelry link), but I'm open to other possibilities. Any suggestions?

Fiber: Into the Whirled merino, "Black Forest Cake"
3 ply
478 yards, 117 grams

Oh my, this spinning experience was total bliss. The wool prep was perfect...amazingly soft too. And those colors! To top it off, Cris's service is second-to-none. I can't recommend her store highly enough.

And finally, crochet! I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't crocheted anything in more than three years. My friend recently commissioned a baby blanket, though, so I took the opportunity to dust off my hooks. I'm improvising the design, but it's going well so far. ( I hope I didn't just jinx it.)

All about socks

2009-09-08T17:04:00.004-05:00

Somehow I never tire of knitting socks. There's just something about them that does it for me as a knitter. Second Sock Syndrome is purely theoretical for me—I know it exists, but I have never experienced it. And I'm utterly enchanted with my latest pair.

Pattern: Shur'tugal by Alice Yu
Yarn: my own handspun
Needles: 1.75 mm (US size 00)

This is a pattern I undoubtedly will knit again. It isn't completely mindless, but the stitch pattern is easy to memorize. The subtle striping of the handspun yarn doesn't quite do the pattern justice, but I love the overall textural quality of these socks. These socks are for the Professor, but I want a pair for myself too.

Anyway, socks—they have become so integrated into my daily routine that I sometimes forget to document them. One of the things I love about spinning my own sock yarn is that I feel perfectly justified in knitting a lot of plain stockinette socks. Even plainly knitted, socks made from handspun are killer.

I knit these ankle socks for the Professor while I was out of town last May (great airplane knitting!). He seemed genuinely surprised—and pleased—when I came home from my trip with a new pair of socks for him. By the way, he went away on two trips without me this summer, and did he bring home any new socks for me? He did not. But I digress.

Of course, I do knit socks for myself too.

I spun this yarn from Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino ( "Stand by Me"), and it is probably my favorite CMF colorway to date. The only thing about these socks that makes me unhappy is that it will be at least a month before the weather is cool enough for me to wear them.

Finally, I have a pair of socks that I did not even knit.

My friend Angele knit these beauties. It seems that I might have admired them a little too warmly, because she ended up giving them to me. I was gobsmacked. Look at all that cabling! And she gave them to me without a second thought! I am unworthy. Did I mention that the yarn has cashmere in it? Swoon.

Thank you again, Angele! For future reference: when I compliment your knitting, I do not expect you to bestow it upon me. I am profoundly appreciative of these socks, though.

Still here

2009-08-10T17:28:00.003-05:00

Clearly I haven't been feeling much blog love. I'm officially blaming the heat—it just saps all my energy and enthusiasm. When cooler weather finally arrives, I have no idea what my excuse will be.

So. Tour de Fleece ended...a while ago. I'm pleased with what I managed to spin during that time, though. I ended up with 3,050 yards of 3 ply fingering weight spun from just shy of two pounds of wool—seven skeins total. Three skeins were documented in the last post, so here are the other four.

Fiber: All Spun Up mixed BFL (75% ecro, 25% natural brown). I'm calling it "Berry Stains"
3 ply
542 yards
168 grams

Fiber: Freckle Face Fibers 80% merino 20% tussah silk, "Gypsy"
chain ply (Navajo ply)
456 yards
116 grams

Fiber: Fiber Optic superwash merino, "Spice Cabinet" (OOAK)
3 ply
396 yards
102 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up merino, I'm calling it "Richesse"
3 ply
400 yards
110 grams

And a group shot on the final day:

Sadly, the seventh skein was in the bath and therefore was unavailable for the final photo shoot.

In non-fiber news, the Professor and I brought home a new baby last week. (Well, he brought it home. I just like to pretend I was part of it.)

2009 MINI Cooper (British racing green!)

Could we have found a more obvious way to say, "Yes! We are Anglophiles!"? We traded in the Professor's rusty old Toyota pickup truck for this sweet little thing. I'm not ashamed to admit that we are part of the reason behind the recent headlines that the government's CARS program ("cash for clunkers") had run out of money so quickly (before Congress appropriated more cash, that is). The new car gets 20 mpg better than the old truck, so I don't feel bad at all.

I am, however, slightly jealous of the Professor's new wheels.

Tour de Fleece: Week 1

2009-07-13T16:13:00.003-05:00

Normally I'm not one to join groups, KALs, SALs, etc., but when Kristin of All Spun Up formed an ASU group for the Tour de Fleece (on Ravelry), I was helpless to resist.

We were supposed to set goals, so I set a characteristically nonspecific one: spin down the stash as much as I can. The T4S stash might be visible from space at this point, so I probably won't be able to make much of a dent. (Please don't tell me I should spin thicker. I just can't...for several reasons.) In any case, I have made some progress.

Fiber: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sheep 2 Shoe kit (superwash merino), "Rooster Rock"
3 ply
850 yards (only 400 yards was done during TdF)
234 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up merino, unnamed, but I'm calling it "Orchard"
3 ply
424 yards
114 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up merino, unnamed, but I'm calling it "Prepster"
chain ply (Navajo ply)
434 yards
119 grams

One week: 1248 yards of 3 ply fingering weight yarn. Maybe I should have set a yardage goal.

Flirting with disaster

2009-06-29T17:30:00.003-05:00

The universe seems to be throwing things at me lately. Item #1:

The tree in our front yard was blown down in a wind storm a couple of weeks ago. I was actually home when it happened, and I didn't hear a thing. I didn't find out about it until the Professor came home later that evening and asked me when it had happened.

The tree couldn't have fallen down more considerately. It didn't hurt anybody, and it didn't hit the house. Additionally, it stayed out of the street, our driveway, and our neighbors' yard. All in all, the tree showed admirable deportment. The irony is that we had already made arrangements to have it cut down when this happened. I suppose the tree wanted to go out on its own terms.

Item #2: This morning the universe threw me another curve ball. A small truck ran a red light and struck me while I was walking across the street between a parking lot and my office building. I'm fine—rather sore, slightly bruised, and more than a little freaked out, but otherwise I seem to be completely fine. No one else was injured.

Anyway, now I'm wondering what's next in store for me. Lightning strike? Meteor hit? Locusts? Only time will tell.

Yardage recovered

2009-06-18T17:27:00.002-05:00

Many thanks to those who commented on the last post and suggested—ever so nicely—that I need to get over myself and stop worrying about yardage. Point taken.

However, I seem to be back to my old ways.

Fiber: Fiber Optic superwash merino, OOAK colorway "Golds and Browns"
3 ply
462 yards
113 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up superwash merino top, May/June SAL colorway
3 ply
460 yards
113 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up merino top
3 ply
580 yards
122 grams

Fiber: The Arts at Eagle's Find fine wool blend top, "Cranberry Bog"
chain ply (Navajo ply)
416 yards
118 grams

Sucking yardage

2009-06-01T20:15:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I prefer to spin fine yarns, most often fingering weight. Normally I count on getting at least 400 yards out of 4 ounces of wool. Getting that kind of yardage is something I've come to take for granted. Well, I recently went through a period during which I couldn't hit 400 yards to save my life.

Fiber: All Spun Up merino top
chain ply (Navajo ply)
340 yards
113 grams

Fiber: Sheepish Creations superwash BFL top, "Carmen"
3 ply
376 yards
123 grams

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Gypsy Queen"
3 ply
710 yards
226 grams

They're all good yarns, but really, where did my yardage go? I've thought of things I might be doing differently, blamed my wheel, etc. I still can't figure it out. My current theory is that the yardage was sucked into a parallel universe. It could happen.

Think pink

2009-05-26T17:47:00.003-05:00

Wow, I really didn't mean to be silent for nearly a month. Life gets in the way—work, traveling, etc. The kicker was that my computer died about a week ago. I think the Professor felt vindicated because he has been saying for months that we needed to replace that computer. So now I have a new baby and therefore no excuses for neglecting the blog.

My goal is to do a bunch of make-up posts in the next week or so. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Since I like to be methodical, I'll use this post to highlight some FOs I finished about a month ago. In March I mentioned that I planned to knit two pairs of pink socks for my two young nieces. Well, I accomplished my goal, but barely in time for each of the respective birthdays.

These were for my older niece:

Terrible artificial light photo.

Pattern: Gentleman Socks by Kristi Schueler
Yarn: my own handspun
Needles: 1.75 mm DPNs

What a great pattern for handspun! I had originally planned to do right twists on one sock and left twists on the other, but somehow my left twists didn't seem to mirror my right twists very well. It could be that I just didn't give it enough of a chance before I ripped out the left twists, though. (Hey, I was under a deadline!) And I really love the irony of knitting "Gentleman" socks for my niece who is the girliest of girls.

My younger niece got something simpler:

Since I only had a couple of days to knit these, they had to be ankle socks. It's a good thing that handspun looks so great in plain stockinette. Even in this sad unblocked state, they still look pretty good.

However, I doubt whether I will be able to knit with pink yarn for a year or two.

Drastic

2009-04-30T06:17:00.002-05:00

The ponytail formerly known as my hair:

12 inch (30 cm.) ruler added for scale.

It's all for a good cause, though.

A bit of randomness

2009-04-27T17:24:00.003-05:00

Random tidbit #1:

Have you ever noticed how people who are newly in love delight in telling everyone they know about their newfound happiness? Well, I have a new love.

Fiber: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sheep 2 Shoe kit (superwash merino), "Puck's Mischief"
3 ply
860 yards
226 grams

This may be the dreamiest superwash merino I have ever spun. Seriously. I can hardly describe how smoothly it drafted. The only negative comment I have about the stuff is that when I finished spinning it, I only wanted more. (And as luck would have it, I do have more.)

Random tidbit #2:

A while back Dave posted about some "ugly socks" he was knitting. While I don't think his socks are ugly at all, I do have a contribution of my own to the Ugly Socks Brigade.

I knitted these from some yarn I dyed nearly two years ago (my first yarn dyeing experience, in fact). My feelings about these socks are so mixed. Since I dyed the yarn myself, I feel a little guilty about calling the socks ugly. And really, I don't really think they're ugly...but nor do I think they're particularly attractive. I like the colors individually. I like the way the short color repeats knitted up. But there's just something not quite right about the overall effect. I can't even begin to articulate why I feel that way, but there it is.

When I was trying to figure out what to call these socks, all I could think was "Rastafarian camouflage." It's a bit ridiculous, but henceforth these will be my "Rastaflage" socks.

On the upside, I'm pretty happy with the yarn base (Kraemer Yarns Jeannie). The yarn itself is not overly soft, but the longer I knit, the more I appreciate sturdy sock yarns. Jeannie has lovely stitch definition, and I think it will wear like a champ.

Random tidbit #3:

If I'm in love with BMFA superwash merino, it's fair to say that I have more than a mild crush on Fiber Optic's 80% superwash merino 20% nylon pencil roving.

Colorway: "Lazy River"
3 ply
380 yards
110 grams

While pencil roving is never going to be my favorite form of fiber to spin, I'll make an exception for this stuff. It's silky smooth, and the colors are intense. And I really love that it has nylon in it. Commercially prepared wool/nylon blends are surprisingly hard to come by, especially dyed ones.

Random tidbit #4:

I'm off this week to visit my BFF in Washington, DC. Well, the main purpose of the visit is to see my friend, but I will admit to scheduling it this weekend so that I could go to Maryland Sheep & Wool. I'm only human, after all, and my friend is extremely understanding and supportive. I may have to knit her some more socks, though.

All Spun Up

2009-04-13T17:10:00.002-05:00

As I was trying to hammer out some blog material, I realized that a couple of my recent yarns have fallen through the cracks (as far as documentation is concerned, anyway). Please allow me to remedy that situation now.

It's no secret that my favorite indie fiber dyer is Kristin of All Spun Up. I'm sure I go on and on about her fabulous fibers as if she's paying me for advertising, but honestly, I just can't help but gush. For instance, I started out with this:

It was so pretty in fiber form that it almost seemed a shame to spin it up. But I'm a spinner, so I spun it.

Fiber: merino combed top
3 ply
550 yards
110 grams

This is currently my favorite skein of handspun. I can't get over how happy it makes me. (Love those peeks of orange!) Now I just need to come up with a worthy project for it. Socks are my default, of course, but do I really want to put all that loveliness in my shoes?

I also finished up a skein from the most recent installment of the ASU SAL. For this round the fiber was BFL.

3 ply
380 yards
108 grams

Although I'm slightly disappointed with my yardage—my goal was 400 yards—I can hardly hold the yarn responsible for my own shortcomings. The blue is so brilliantly vivid that everyone who sees it in person comments about it. One or two have already tried to make off with it. I suppose that's a success, yes?

Deadlines

2009-03-30T16:53:00.002-05:00

I recently spent two solid weeks working on a knitting deadline (which partially explains my blog inactivity). Normally I work best under a deadline, but this experience was almost frantic. Even worse, it was of my own doing. I really hate it when I have no one to blame but myself.

Toward the beginning of February, I received an invitation to a baby shower that was scheduled for the third week of March. "No problem," thought I. It was plenty of time to knit some sweet baby gear. I spent the first week deciding whether to make a blanket or a sweater. Then I spent far too much time obsessing about color and pattern. After much dawdling, I realized that I only had two weeks until the shower, and I absolutely had to make a decision. (Oh, and I had to entertain houseguests the week before the shower.) Ah, procrastination—my old nemesis.

And what did I decide to knit? A toddler-sized fingering weight cardigan with a hood. Egad.

But I did it. I didn't get the buttons sewn on until the morning of the shower, but that is neither here nor there at this point, right?

Pattern: "A Cardigan for Merry," by annypurls
Yarn: Fearless Fibers lightweight superwash merino sock yarn, "Inner Sanctum"
Needles: 2.50 mm.

Very happy with the cable grafting

I have wanted to knit this cardigan ever since I first saw the pattern a couple of years ago. Being mostly stockinette, it really is a fairly simple cardi. The reversible cable is quite intuitive to knit, too. Because I had delayed the decision about what to knit, though, I definitely had to knit it with yarn from my stash. My two favorite colors for baby sweaters are green and orange, and since the last two baby sweaters I knit were green, I wanted to go for orange. Luckily I had two skeins that fit the bill. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn, but I did a bit of number crunching for my fingering weight, and all turned out well.

Before I started on the baby cardi, I managed to finish up some yarn that's related to another deadline.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Touch Me"
3 ply
806 yards
212 grams

My two pink-loving nieces both have birthdays at the end of April. Can I bring myself to knit two pairs of bright pink socks in that time? Stay tuned to watch the ~~disaster~~ progress.

February Gentleman Sweater

2009-03-14T10:17:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all who helped me convince the Professor to pose in his new sweater. The photos I got aren't stellar, but since it was over 80°F outside during the shoot, I took the shots as quickly as possible. It seemed cruel to make him wear a wool sweater in that kind of heat.

Pattern: Cobblestone Pullover, by Jared Flood
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, color 2445, "Shire," 6 skeins
Needles: US size 7 (4.50 mm)

This sweater is easy and fun to knit. Because my gauge was a bit smaller than the pattern called for, I knit a size larger (43.5 inches) than I normally would have. The sweater is a little roomy on him, but I'm glad I didn't knit the smaller size. He does have to roll up the sleeve cuffs, but he tells me that's a common problem for him. I'll have to file that knowledge away for future reference.

The good news is that the Professor really seems to like the sweater. He has worn it quite a bit since his birthday...in public even! And I think he looks quite fetching in it.

First and second

2009-03-02T16:49:00.002-06:00

I recently finished spinning up my first laceweight, and I must admit to being fairly pleased with myself, if only because I proved I still know how to do 2 ply.

This multicolored merino made its way into my stash when I first started spinning, but I could never figure out what I wanted to do with it. When I decided to try my hand at spinning laceweight, this was the first fiber that came to mind. I thought it would make a nice heathery yarn, and so it did.

Fiber: Ashland Bay multicolor merino, "Forest"
2 ply
1600 yards
209 grams

Since I normally spin sock yarn, I'm used to adding a lot of twist when I spin. I wanted this yarn to be softly spun, though, so I had to give it a little thought before I started. In the end I decided to back down one notch from my smallest (fastest) whorl and go for it, and I'll be damned if it didn't work. The yarn is soft and squishy. Is it perfect lace yarn? No, certainly not. Is it good enough for me? Oh yes. I will admit, however, that at certain points I didn't think I'd make it through all the plying. For the first time I wished for an electric spinner to help move things along.

I also got some socks off the needles last week.

Pattern: Thelonious, by Cookie A.
Yarn: Brooks Farm Acero
Needles: 2.00 mm DPNs

This pattern is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, this is the second time I've knit it. Both times I made them for other people, and yet I would still like a pair for myself. Can I bring myself to knit the same pattern three times? The answer is probably "yes."

I'm still trying to get photos of the Professor's his birthday present, but confound the man, he keeps wearing it. (And he normally doesn't come home until well after dark—a terrible time for getting good photos.) I would really like to get shots with him modeling it, but he seems down on the idea. Still, he does read this blog, and if he sees comments from people stating how much they would like to see him wearing his birthday gift, he might succumb to peer pressure. It's an idea, anyway.

Knit like the wind! (I wish)

2009-02-17T17:27:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I checked in here, and ironically, my blog neglect has everything to do with fibery activities. I'll start of with spinning, because you know I always have spinning.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Stand by Me"
3 ply
832 yards
228 grams
Sigh. I think this is my new favorite CMF colorway (until I spin up the next one, at least). I definitely will be knitting something for myself with this yarn.

Believe it or not, I've been devoting most of my time lately to knitting. Apparently knitting for myself isn't much of a motivation, but knitting for others? That totally gets me in gear.

This pair of socks for a friend started off horribly, but I have since come to love them. The main problem was with the skein of yarn. The yarn itself (Brooks Farm Acero) is lovely, but I got a bum skein. It tangled so horribly as I was winding it that I nearly shed tears of complete frustration. At times I despaired of ever getting it off my swift. It took me more than two hours to wind it completely. As far as I can tell, it was a break in the yarn that caused all my heartache.

In my frustration, I fired off a diplomatically worded (I hope) email to Brooks Farm to let them know about the trouble I was having. Well, they couldn't have been nicer. They offered to refund my money, or if I wanted to keep the yarn, they would pay for the postage to have me send it to them so they could wind it for me. At that point, I had gotten the yarn wound myself, but I so appreciated their reply. Hooray for companies that stand behind their products!

The knitting project that has been eating up the most of my time, though, is the Professor's birthday present. Today is his birthday, but since he hasn't yet opened his gift (and since he reads this blog), I can't show y'all what it is. However, I will show the swatch I did for it.

Happy birthday, my dear, sweet Professor! I'm so grateful that you're my lab partner for life. You can keep me after class any time.

Going quietly about my business

2009-01-22T18:08:00.003-06:00

I finished some socks, and I could not be happier with them.

Yarn: my own handspun (Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "We Are the Champions")
Plain stockinette sock over 64 stitches
2.00 mm needles

I had forgotten how quickly plain socks knit up! At some point I think I convinced myself that I needed lots of patterning in order to keep myself entertained, but these socks have completely quashed that notion. I loved every second of knitting these. My sock mojo seems to be back.

I also plied the bobbin of Targhee from my last post.

Fiber: Sweet Grass Wool Targhee, "Hidden Canyon"
Navajo/chain ply
610 yards
110 grams

Ah Targhee, how I love thee! This wool has serious bounce. It spins up a lot like merino, but it's more elastic. If you've been with me for a while, this colorway might look familiar. I spun up another skein of it last April and subsequently sent the yarn to its new home with Peaknit. This new skein came out a little finer than I had intended, but I'm sure I'll think of something to do with it.

And last but not least, here is round three of the All Spun Up spin-along.

This time the fiber is 70% superwash merino, 30% alpaca. This particular colorway is nearly impossible to photograph accurately. In real life the fiber is a fair bit darker than the above photo. Anyhoo, I have spun up half of the fiber into this:

3 ply
420 yards
111 grams

I really don't think Kristin is capable of producing a bad colorway, and this skein is further evidence in support of my theory. Rest assured, though, that I will continue to subject this theory to rigorous testing.

Progress continues

2009-01-11T09:49:00.003-06:00

I'm still a bit behind, so I have lots to show today. Spinning is back on track after the holiday lull. A while back I signed up for the Fat Cat Knits fiber club. The first shipment arrived in September, and I have only just gotten around to spinning it up.

Fiber: 100% merino
3 ply
486 yards
109 grams

The soft greens and lavender in this yarn remind me of spring. This isn't a colorway I would have chosen for myself, but nevertheless, I'm pleased with the finished yarn.

I'm continuing to attack my pile of Crown Mountain Farms fiber too.

Fiber: Bluefaced Leicester, "Silk Road"
3 ply
818 yards
209 grams

Every time I spin BFL, I wonder why I don't spin it more often. The soft luster and silky hand make me giddy. And this colorway in shades of brown and dusky purple is simply awesome.

Continuing the theme of breaking out of my merino rut (at least temporarily), I also spun up a bobbin of Targhee.

On to knitting... Here's the finished shot my my handspun Morning Surf scarf.
Pattern: Morning Surf scarf by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer (66 stitches)
Yarn: my own handspun (100% superwash merino)

I couldn't be happier with this scarf. It looks shockingly bright against my black wool winter coat, and the contrast pleases me immensely.

My sock knitting mojo seems to be slowly creeping back as well. I started knitting a pair out of the recently spun "We Are the Champions" yarn.

So far so good. I had forgotten how satisfying plain stockinette socks can be.

Catching up

2009-01-04T11:16:00.004-06:00

The holidays sucked away all my blogging time, but that doesn't mean I haven't spinning and knitting away. Now I find that I'm woefully behind on documenting my projects, so it seems easiest to to it in one fell swoop.

First, spinning.

This is some gorgeous merino top I got from Kristin at All Spun Up. It seemed almost too pretty to spin, but spin it up I did.

3 ply
404 yards
108 grams

I love love love how this yarn came out. It was always meant to be a gift for a friend, but I will admit that I gave it away with a certain amount of reluctance.

Then I finished up the twin of the handspun yarn that was one of the prizes in my birthday giveaway.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Crocodile Walk"
3 ply
420 yards
118 grams

This yarn met with a sad fate while I was reskeining it. Somehow I managed to turn part of it into an enormous tangle. After spending nearly two hours trying to sort out the mess—it's handspun after all—I decided I would have to cut out the worst of it (about five yards of irretrievably tangled mess). So this skein has something that no other skein of my handspun has ever had—a knot. Sigh. Oh well, it' s still pretty.

Crown Mountain Farms has had some great sales in the past few months, and as a result, my bin of CMF fiber is overflowing. In an attempt to make room, I've been spinning up a lot of it.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "We Are the Champions"
3 ply
908 yards
233 grams

And believe it or not, I have been doing a fair amount of knitting too. When I finished my my Christmas knitting a week before the big day, I decided that was enough time to knit one or two things to put in the Professor's stocking. I made him a hat first.

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood
Yarn: Cascade 220 superwash, color 865

Since the hat only took a couple of evenings, I cast on for a pair of socks as well.

Yarn: Rio de la Plata superwash sock yarn, color SC46 (port royal, bison, topiary)
Pattern: improvised

I really like how these socks came out, although they are quite fraternal in color. One sock leans more red, and the other more green. Really though, who is going to be looking that closely at his feet?

And finally, I've been working on a little something for myself.

To be completely honest, this scarf is now finished and blocked. I just liked this photo of it in its unblocked state.

Holidays = Crazy Woman

2008-12-17T17:30:00.002-06:00

This year has been all about spinning for me. As a result, I've neglected my knitting most shamefully. In fact, I had only planned to knit one holiday gift—the ankle socks my mom requested long ago. So I dutifully spun up the yarn and knit the socks.

These are just plain ankle socks with a bit of alternating 2 x 2 ribbing on the instep just to keep me interested. That should have been it. Holiday knitting done!

But then something happened inside me last week. A little voice said, "You're a knitter! You must knit more gifts." And like a fool, I decided to heed that voice. Does this happen to the rest of you around the holidays? Because now I'm wondering why I do this to myself year in and year out. When I posed that question to the Professor, he just looked at me gravely. I think he was implying that no sane woman would cause herself so much stress.

Anyway, since time was limited, I decided to see how many hats I could crank out in a week. The answer for me on this particular week was four. (And during that week, I did not spin at all. No. Spinning. At. All.)

Pattern: A Hat Fit for a Boyfriend
Yarn: my own handspun, 70% superwash merino 30% alpaca, "Stormy Weather"

Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish worsted, Wisteria (left) and Clematis Heather (right)

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride superwash, gray heather

And now I will observe a moment of silence in gratitude to Jared Flood's incredible hat mojo.

You're all winners

2008-12-01T16:29:00.002-06:00

All right, I chose a wistful title for this post. I do not actually have 55 prizes...only three. And without further ado, the winners are:

Jodi, whose first choice prize (only choice, actually) was the skein of handspun yarn;
Aisling, who will be getting her second choice prize, the Japanese stitch pattern book; and
Lori, who will receive the skein of Wollmeise, which was actually her first choice!

I've sent emails to all the winners, so if you are one of those three, please send me your address so I can get your prizes in the mail. (Except you, Aisling. I'll bring your prize to the next knit night you can make.)

Many thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! It took me a while to sit down and draw the winners, so your patience is much appreciated.

Knitting and spinning posts to follow as soon as I can get some decent photos.

Spinning along

2008-11-24T19:24:00.003-06:00

I have never been much of a joiner. In fact, I'm downright unsociable in many ways. However, sometimes I can't resist following the crowd. Case in point: the second All Spun Up spin along. I had such a lovely time spinning up the fiber in the first round that I absolutely could not miss the second. This time the fiber was superfine merino, and the colorway perfectly captures the beauty of autumn.

Naturally I signed up for a double dose (8 oz.), and I planned to spin it up as 3 ply (because apparently that's the only trick in my bag these days). However, a number of the SAL participants were Navajo plying theirs, and I was charmed by the results they were getting. What's a girl to do? Spin it up both ways, of course.

3 ply
458 yards
119 grams

Navajo (chain) plied
388 yards
120 grams

Since I had no immediate plans for the yarn, it didn't bother me in the least that the skeins would not match. What does have me perplexed is the difference in yardages. I thought I had spun the singles at the same thickness, but clearly I did not. Oh well. It's all a learning experience.

Thanks to all who left comments and sent emails full of good birthday wishes. It was a lovely birthday. The Professor surprised me with a wonderful fiber-related gift.

I have a skein winder at last! This one is the 2-yard manual version from Crazy Monkey. It's quite sturdy and thoughtfully designed. The only thing it's lacking is a rotation counter, but the Professor has procured one for me. What a nice man he is. Of course, it may be that he simply was tired of listening to me curse at my niddy noddy.

There are still a few hours left to enter my birthday giveaway! See the previous post.

A palindromic age

2008-11-17T17:31:00.002-06:00

Today is my 33rd birthday. Somehow I think that 33 must be an auspicious age, although I don't have a rational explanation for why I feel that way. Birthdays that are also palindromes just seem special. Good things are bound to happen. After all, I met the Professor when I was 22, and as it happens, he met me when he was 33. See what I mean? Good things. (Those of you who really know me may be wondering where this optimism is coming from. Again, I can't explain it.)

Anyway, I have always been of the opinion that it is far more fun to give than to receive, so I have some birthday gifts for you all—three birthday gifts, to be exact. Apropos, no? And since I believe in giving 'til it hurts, I have chosen three extra-special gifts.

First up is a skein of my handspun 3 ply fingering weight yarn. The fiber is Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino in the "Crocodile Walk" colorway. The skein weighs 118 grams (4.125 oz.) and is 420 yards. I hope the shades of green and russet will appeal to a wide range of tastes.

Next is a brand new (unused, that is) Japanese stitch dictionary. This one contains 500 different stitch patterns. If you've never perused a Japanese stitch book, you're in for a treat. There's lots of scope for the imagination in this between these pages. The book is in Japanese, but every stitch pattern is charted, so knitters of all linguistic bacgrounds should be able to use it.

Last, and certainly not least, is a skein of Wollmeise 100% superwash merino sock yarn in "Veilchen" (the strong/dark version). Yes, I'm breaking into my precious but neglected stash of Wollmeise. (Let it not be said that I won't sacrifice for all of you!) You can't really tell from the photo, but there's a rich, vibrant purple in addition to the deep blue.

That's it—three prizes for three winners. Now, I really can't decide what should be first, second, and third prize, so I'm leaving it up to you. To enter, just leave a comment on this post listing your first, second, and third choice for prizes. I'll randomly select three entries. The first winner selected will get his or her first choice of prize. The second winner selected will receive the highest remaining prize in her/his ranking. The third winner will get, well, whatever is left; however, the last prize may well be that person's first or second ranking.

Got it? I'll leave the contest open until midnight (Central Standard Time) next Monday, November 24, and I'll announce the winners shortly thereafter. Anyone with a mailing address on Planet Earth is welcome to enter. Oh, but only one entry per person, please. Thanks, everyone! I'm off in search of birthday cake...

Just Kid 'n Ewe

2008-11-15T15:15:00.003-06:00

Last weekend five of us from the Sisters of the Wool made our way down to Boerne, Texas (north of San Antonio) for the Kid 'N Ewe fiber festival. Considering the name of the festival, alpacas seemed to be overrepresented.

Cuervo (left) and Masquerade (right)

These cuties were at the festival two of the three days we were there. This was the only shot I managed to get with both of them in the frame. Cuervo seemed to be a little stressed out about all the people and the unusual surroundings, so he kept making a sweet little humming noise. I just wanted to hug him and take him home with me. Oh, and did you know how dangerous alpacas are?

It's true. They will.

The only other livestock we saw were the cashmere goats. (Alas, I got no photos of them.) We happened upon the barn in the middle of judging, and the judge was kind enough to turn the event into a sort of workshop about what qualities they look for in the animals.

The folks form Wyatt Spinning Wheels were at the festival. Here's one of Bill Wyatt's apprentices demonstrating their Great Wheel. It was really mesmerizing to watch.

I was hesitant to sit down at one of the Wyatt wheels myself since I was fairly certain I would want one if I tried it. It wasn't until the second day that I couldn't resist any longer, and I parked myself in front of his Pegasus wheel. Oh my, I really have no words. OK, I do have one word: love! I may have put my name on the 2-year waiting list for one. Sigh.

As far as my yarn and fiber purchases, I think I was reasonably restrained. (Hey, I can hear all of you snorting.)

Jojoland Melody superwash yarn and Swirl Shawl pattern

Plain & Fancy Texas wool singles yarns, sport and fingering weights

Brooks Farm Primero, Acero, and Mas Acero

Cibolo Creek prepared alpaca fiber

This alpaca fiber was the softest I came across at the festival, and I love the light fawn color. It came from a Huacaya female named Tapatia (or "Tia" for short). We talked to Suzanne, the owner, for several minutes, and she was kind enough to show us adorable photos of Tia. Suzanne was so enthusiastic about Tia and her fiber that she was practically bubbling. How could I not buy some? I plan to spin it up into laceweight and knit myself a stole from it. It'll be the perfect souvenir of a glorious weekend.

Hallowe'en

2008-10-31T12:00:00.002-05:00

Wishing you all a very scary (scary in a safe way, of course) Halloween!

No, I am not crazy enough to give homemade caramels to the trick-or-treaters. These are for my coworkers. The trick-or-treaters will get mass produced, individually wrapped gobs of sugar and chocolate that have never been touched by human hands. It's sad, really. Here's a thought: anyone who shows up on my doorstep tonight and yells "merino!" instead of "trick or treat!" should get a caramel. If I have any left, that is.

Sock yarn forever

2008-10-30T17:30:00.002-05:00

I love spinning fingering weight yarn, although I rarely spin with socks specifically in mind. My latest yarns, though, are all about socks.

A while back, my mom told me she would like some purple ankle socks. With the holidays and her December birthday quickly approaching, I realized I'd better get to it. Alas, I had no purple handspun that would fit the bill, so I picked something appropriate from the stash and got started.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
3 ply
880 yards total

Purple ankle socks—that's what Mom asked for—yet somehow I translated that request into nearly 900 yards of sock yarn. Hmm. I blame Crown Mountain Farms for selling their superwash merino in 8.5 oz. lots. The yarn spun up so nicely, I just couldn't stop at half the fiber.

I'm about halfway through knitting the socks, and not surprisingly, there's still a lot of yarn left. Mom might also get some coordinating mitts and/or a scarf to go with her socks.

I had such a great time spinning up the purple yarn that I pulled some more CMF out of the stash. This time I had no real purpose in mind; I just wanted to see how the crazy colors would look in 3 ply sock yarn.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Born to Be Wild"
3 ply
860 yards total

I was a little worried that spinning this yarn as 3 ply would muddy the bright colors too much, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results I got. It's true that the colors are probably less distinct than they would have been in 2 ply, but I'm utterly charmed by the 3 ply effect.

One of these skeins has already gone to a new home, but I'm not sure what I want to do with the other. The colors aren't really me. However, I suspect the yarn might appeal to one or both of my nieces.

Shine

2008-10-12T09:32:00.003-05:00

I've always been something of a plain Jane. Although I always try to be presentable, I don't actually like to draw attention to myself. And stereotypical feminine interests like clothes, makeup, jewelry, accessories, and shopping have never held much appeal for me. My no-frills sensibilities also transfer over to my yarn choices. I tend to like traditional plied yarns; no novelty yarns for me, thank you very much. (However, I do like color, so I don't think I'm a complete fuddy-duddy.)

Recently though, I spun a couple of yarns that made even me say, "Ooh, shiny!"

Over the past year, I've stashed a few merino/tencel blends, but until now I had been a bit hesitant to try spinning one of them. I had read a few comments about tencel being tricky to spin, so I thought it best to wait until my spinning skills were a bit more developed. Now I can't help thinking, "What was I waiting for?"

Fiber: Squoosh 50% superwash merino 50% tencel, "Fraises"
3 ply
390 yards
105 grams

I'll admit it, I've never been a fan of pink. It's far too girly for me. But pink and brown? That's a color combination I can get behind. As for this fiber blend, I can sum up the spinning experience in one word: smooooooth. The fiber just slipped through my fingers, and there were really no neps to speak of. My only complaint is that the fiber tended to drift apart. After each spinning session, I had to wipe up wisps of tencel from the furniture and from myself. Everything the fiber touched ended up looking as though it were covered in cobwebs.

I consider the yarn itself to be an unqualified success, though. The tencel adds a lot of shine and drape. I know a lot of tencel blend yarns are marketed for socks, but I'm not so sure that's the best application for this fiber. Tencel really has no elasticity, so I think it's better for things like scarves and shawls. In fact, I'll probably aim for laceweight the next time I spin this blend. This skein has already gone to its new home with my friend Edith, and I can't wait to see what she makes with it.

The second fiber blend has a shine that's a bit more subtle than the tencel blend, and I think I like it all the better for it.

Fiber: All Spun Up 60% merino 40% bamboo
3 ply
410 yards
107 grams

The white bamboo fibers in this make the yarn look almost like it has a frost on it. The effect really is lovely. And the fiber itself was dreamy to spin. I'll definitely be treating myself to more of it in the future.

Compared to the sw merino/tencel blend, this yarn has quite a bit more bounce. I attribute it to the slightly higher percentage of wool and the fact that the merino is not superwash. The yarn has enough elasticity that I would consider making socks out of it. It would also make a lovely scarf, cowl, hat, or pair of mitts. Hmm...

Brace yourselves for actual knitting

2008-09-30T16:52:00.003-05:00

Although I claim to be a knitter and crocheter, lately this has turned into a complete spinning blog. (Actually, I'm not sure I've ever blogged about crocheting, except for my infamous knitting vs. crochet yarn consumption experiment. Hmm, maybe I need to start a crochet project...) Apparently I'm not much of a multi-tasker.

In any case, I come to you today with actual proof that I do still knit. I give you Exhibit A:

Pattern: Undulating Rib Socks by Ann Budd (from IK's Favorite Socks)
Yarn: my own handspun (100% merino)
Needles: 1.50 mm DPNs (US 000)

Even though I've spun approximately 35 skeins of yarn, this is only the second time I've actually knit with my own handspun. I really need to slow down with the spinning slightly, because knitting with handspun is just plain awesome. Awesome, I tell you!

And yes, I did knit these on 1.5 mm needles at approximately 11 stitches per inch. Why? Well, the yarn was fairly fine to begin with, although still very much a fingering weight. Also, this wool is not superwash, and I figure tightly knit socks are less likely to felt than loosely knit socks. Most importantly, though, is that I want these socks to last. After all, I took all the trouble to spin and knit them, so I want the Professor to get lots of good wear out of them. (I've warned him repeatedly about the washing machine too.)

This is actually the second time I've knit this pattern (well, sort of), but I think this pattern is really fantastic for self-striping handspun yarns. My friend Angeluna knitted a pair from Sock Hop last year, and I have admired them ever since. So when I was trying to decide on a suitable sock pattern for handspun, this one immediately came to mind.

The other thing I like about this pattern? It looks good on both sides. The photo above shows the wrong side, and the following photo gives a side-by-side view of the right and wrong sides. Both look great, and it's a good thing too. The Professor sometimes can't tell whether his handknit socks are inside out.

With this project complete, I've been fantasizing about bigger knitting projects—namely, sweaters. Even though I haven't knit many sweaters, I do have sweater quantities of yarn in the stash. Time to dig in, I think.

Goodbye summer, hello autumn

2008-09-21T13:49:00.003-05:00

The weather here in Texas is still decidedly summer-like, but I'm more than ready for autumn. Before moving here I had always lived in places where September meant the beginning of cooler weather, so being this warm at this time of year feels downright unnatural. My most recent spinning seems to reflect my desire for a change in season.

This first yarn is definitely summery. It makes me think of ripe peaches and raspberries. However, the orange tones definitely hint of coming autumn.

Fiber: All Spun Up 100% merino
3 ply
476 yards
118 grams
I love how this yarn turned out. The colors came together quite nicely, and the yarn itself has an enormous amount of bounce. It's an all-around happy yarn.

The next yarn is spun from a more autumnal palette, although I can't help thinking of Mardi Gras when I see these colors together. (A friend looked at the yarn and called it, "Mardi Gras in the forest." Very apropos.)

Fiber: Copperpot Woolies 100% merino, "Mulled Cider"
3 ply
376 yards
115 grams

I do love the colors, but I'm not completely happy with this yarn. Somehow I managed to overspin it. Thinking about it now, I'm not quite sure how I did it. After all, I've spun a boatload of merino, and I spun this using the same ratios I normally use for fine wool. Perhaps the fact that this wool is a carded prep rather than my usual combed top made the difference. It's good to have these reminders about how much I have yet to learn about spinning.

The yarn itself is perfectly usable, but it doesn't quite have the soft loftiness and bounce I'm used to from merino. It's rather sturdy. Still, it would probably make a reasonably hard-wearing pair of socks.

Believe it or not, I have started picking up my knitting needles more frequently of late. I should actually have some finished knitting to show within a week. Yes, I'm rather shocked about it myself.

We need more plies over here

2008-09-02T18:29:00.002-05:00

Ye gods, I can't stop with the 3 ply! Everything must be 3 ply! Don't get me wrong, 2 ply has been good to me, and I have no intentions of abandoning it. But oh, 3 ply, you make me weak in the knees (which, ironically, has nothing to do with the fact that 3 ply is more work than 2 ply).

I started with this fiber. Does it look familiar? It did to me too, and it suddenly hit me that I spun a yarn very similar colorway from the same seller earlier this year. Apparently this color combo calls to me in some mysterious way. Who knew I was such a fan of purple? Certainly not I.

Fiber: FatCatKnits 100% superwash merino, "Sentinel"
3 ply
356 yards
109 grams

It does look smashing as a 3 ply, though, and I'm thoroughly happy with it. The fiber was absolutely lovely—probably the best superwash merino I've spun thus far. The resulting yarn is a very squishy heavy fingering weight and would make a killer pair of socks.

Next up is a yarn I spun over Labor Day weekend. I started spinning on Friday evening and plied the yarn on Monday morning.

Fiber: YarnPig 100% merino, "Patina"
3 ply
400 yards
100 grams

This yarn certainly exceeded my expectations! My friend Bea (aka, YarnPig) dyed the fiber as part of an exchange we did several months ago. She let me choose from several rovings she had dyed, and I was immediately drawn to this one. Bea did warn me that she thought the fiber might be a bit felted, but I liked the colors enough to chance it. It ended up being a great choice.

As it turned out, the fiber was not felted; in fact, it drafted quite easily. And those subtle colors—swoon! This one was hard to photograph. Depending on the light, it can look steely blue, earthy brown, or even greenish-gray. Very nice. The texture is lovely too. It has so much elasticity that I can practically hear it go "sproing." That's the kind of bounce you just can't get with superwash merino...at least, not with any superwash merino I've tried.

CMF redux

2008-08-25T17:26:00.002-05:00

I've gotten into the habit of spinning fiber in 4 oz. lots. After all, fiber is very often sold in lots that size, and that amount of fiber will fit comfortably on my bobbins. It makes sense. However, the system breaks down somewhat because I'm also in the habit of buying fiber in 8 oz. lots. Very often I lose interest in spinning the second 4 oz. by the time I've finished the first.

Crown Mountain Farms sells many of their fibers in 8 oz. lots, so it isn't surprising that I had a couple of half bumps of fiber lying around. I decided to take pity on them and spin them up.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms Bluefaced Leicester, "Shala"
3 ply
390 yards
105 grams

I absolutely loved the first skein I spun out of this, so I actually started on the second skein within a few weeks of finishing the first. Since I had spun the first skein a bit thicker than I really wanted, I didn't try to make the second skein match in weight. It's a good thing, too, because they're definitely fraternal in color. Skein #1 is undeniably blue and brown, while skein #2 is also blue and brown, but with an almost purplish cast. Both are nice hanks of yarn, but they're more than subtly different.

Next up is some Corriedale I spun in response to a request.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms Corriedale pencil roving, "Finding Rainbows"
2 ply
536 yards
110 grams

I gave the first skein to my friend Angeluna for her birthday in July. When I casually mentioned that I had more of the same fiber, her eyes lit up, and she asked if I could possibly spin up the rest for her. Well, I can't say no to a friend, so when my spinning queue became empty last week, I immediately thought of this.

The problem, of course, is that this second skein is a bit finer than the first (420 yards vs. 536 yards from the same weight of fiber). This is what I get for spinning this immediately after doing a fine 3 ply yarn. What do you think, Angeluna? Still interested?

30

2008-08-22T15:55:00.002-05:00

No, 30 is not my age (not anymore, anyway...sigh). According to my Ravelry stash, I just added my 30th skein of handspun. That number is not entirely accurate, since it doesn't include multiple skeins in the same colorway. Nevertheless, it seemed like a momentous number to me.

In mid-July a bunch of us in the All Spun Up Ravelry group convinced Kristin to do a spin-along. Kristin obliged by dyeing up some merino/silk blend in the same colorway for all of us.

Patiently waiting in my spinning basket

This is half of my 8 oz. lot. See the personalized label? I love little touches like that. I spun the fiber up into this:

80% merino, 20% silk
3 ply
540 yards
111 grams

It seems as though I only want to do 3 ply these days, and this colorway looks amazing as 3 ply. Really, I couldn't be happier with this yarn. The best part about the spin-along, though, is seeing how everyone spun the same fiber into such different yarns. If you're on Ravelry, check out the photos so far.

My tentative plan for this yarn was to knit a scarf for myself since I've been wearing a blue acrylic number (the horror!) for the past two winters. Ms. Bockstark has already knit socks out of her yarn, and she's tells me that this yarn absolutely must also be made into socks too. I think she's convinced me.

Catching up

2008-08-18T17:25:00.002-05:00

Clearly I am still trying to find my blogging mojo. It's amazing how easily one falls into the habit of not updating the blog. Yes, I'm full of brilliant insights.

OK, I promised some finished objects in my last post, didn't I? Here's the first of two (although in actuality, it was finished second):

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug, "Copperbeech"
Needles: 2.00 mm DPNs

More plain stockinette socks! Sorry, I know they're boring, but they're such a great take-along project. Besides, the Professor likes to wear ankle socks in the summer (if he wears socks at all), and he doesn't have nearly enough of the handknit variety.

I figured ankle socks were the way to go with the dismal Jitterbug yardage. Of course, I didn't know about the yardage issue before I bought this skein of yarn, and I didn't check the label. Normally I have plenty of yarn left over after knitting a pair of socks, so I don't often double-check the yardage. I expect a 100 gram or 4 oz. skein of sock yarn to have enough yardage to complete a pair of average size socks. Apparently the Colinette people don't understand this concept. However, I can't be too upset because it's my own fault for not looking at the numbers. Lesson learned.

The yarn is nice to knit, though. As countless others have noted, it's strikingly similar in feel to Socks That Rock lightweight. Given that STR is less expensive and has more yardage, however, I see little reason to go back to Jitterbug, at least for socks. (I can't believe I just noted that STR has more yardage than another sock yarn. How surreal.)

And now for something I'm completely happy with:

Fiber: All Spun Up 100% merino
3 ply (Navajo/chain ply)
620 yards
124 grams

And for all of you who like to see the "before" photo of the fiber:

(Obviously it isn't a true "before" shot since it also includes the finished yarn. I just had the foresight to buy two bumps of the same fiber.)

This spinning was pure fun. The fiber was dyed in nonrepeating blocks of color. Kristin doesn't dye these "color block" fibers very often, so I thought carefully about how to handle this one. In the end, I decided Navajo plying was the way to go. It was the best way to preserve the color sequence that Kristin had so carefully dyed.

Now, what does this yarn want to become? Socks? A scarf? Will I even be the one to knit it? Only time will tell.

And we're back

2008-08-06T19:49:00.002-05:00

Wow. I never meant to neglect the blog for so long. To all of you who are still checking in here, I am profoundly grateful. And many thanks to those who emailed me to make sure I am still among the living. Indeed I am still breathing...barely.

The move went reasonably well, but I'm still busy, busy, busy with the house. However, I do have a small backlog of finished objects to share, which is really shocking since I've hardly spun or knit in the last month. I'll save most of that for another post, though. It would be a shame to "spend it all" at once, wouldn't it?

Instead, I'm going to devote this post to a little bit of business. (Well, there's one FO from me at the end.) About a month ago (just before the dreaded move), I decided to sign up for the HHHH swap. It required me to spin 4 oz. of fiber for my partner. "No problem," thought I, "I can easily spin that in a month, move or no move." Heh.

I didn't even start spinning until after we had moved into the house (mid-July). On the upside, having a reason to spin gave me a great excuse to indulge in some stress relief. Nevertheless, I knew it was going to take some effort to finish on time.

Before I did finish spinning the yarn, I received an HHHH package from my upstream partner, Opal, the Akamai Knitter.

Yes, my friends, I received a package from paradise (Hawaii, to be exact). Opal spun some yummy fingering weight yarn out of some superwash merino/alpaca blend from one of my favorite fiber pushers. As if that weren't enough, she also sent me 8 oz. of fiber (instead of the required 4 oz.). That's 4 oz. each of a gorgeous alpaca/silk blend (the brown fiber) and some "Black Diamond" carbonized bamboo (the gray fiber). Opal also thoughtfully included some fun Hawaiian goodies, including not one, but two forms of chocolate covered macadamia nuts (kisses and clusters). Needless to say, I feel utterly spoiled by this level of generosity. Here's a gratuitous close-up of the yarn:

Thanks again, Opal! I couldn't have wished for a better swap partner.

At this point, I was really feeling the pressure to do right by my downstream partner. After probably too much contemplation, I chose to spin this fiber.

Which I turned into this:

Fiber: Crazy Monkey 100% superwash merino, "Like Autumn in April"
2 ply
440 yards
106 grams

Hmm, are you my partner?

Brace yourselves for actual knitting content

2008-07-01T18:19:00.004-05:00

Even though knitting and spinning have slowed down dramatically here at Chez T4S, I do have a couple of finished projects. First up is proof that I still do knit, although even I will admit that stockinette socks don't make for the most exciting knitting. Exciting or not, the Professor is happy to have a new pair of socks.

Yarn: Trekking Pro Natura (75% wool, 25% bamboo), colorway 1604
Needles: 2.00 mm DPNs

I'm still a great fan of Trekking sock yarn. It may not be the softest stuff in the world, but it wears like iron and comes in fantastic colors. This is the first time I've used the Pro Natura line, and I like it as well as XXL. I did find the yarn to be a bit splitty; however, the splittiness didn't cause me any angst, so it's probably a bit petty of me to even mention it.

I am starting to itch for a new, non-sock knitting project, though. Right now I'm wavering between some sort of sweater/top or some lace. Any suggestions?

Of course, I'm still spinning more than I'm knitting. I really do need to find a little more balance in my fibery pursuits. (I think Ms. Bockstark and I may suffer from the same affliction.) Spinning is what's making me happy for now, though, so I'm going to keep at it.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms Bluefaced Leicester, "Shala"
3 ply
250 yards (sport weight)
103 grams

Oh. My. Goodness. I adore this yarn. Blue + brown is one of my favorite color combinations, and it looks better in the 3 ply yarn than I ever imagined it would. In fact, I had originally planned to spin up half of the 8 oz. bump of fiber as 3 ply and half as 2 ply—just to compare the two. However, I'm so thrilled with the 3 ply that I have already decided to go ahead and do the second half of the fiber as 3 ply too.

This is the first CMF BFL that I have spun, and it is lovely stuff. It practically spins itself. I am certainly looking forward to spinning more of it.

HHHH questionnaire

2008-06-25T16:05:00.002-05:00

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
I started spinning in September 2007, and I consider my skill level to be beginning-intermediate. (Is that a real level?)

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
So far 2 ply and 3 ply (including Navajo ply). I have never made "art yarn" (even unintentionally), and I really don't have any plans to do so. However, I reserve the right to change my mind.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
Wheel forever! I don't even own a spindle.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
Love merino, bluefaced leicester, targhee, and alpaca. So far I haven't spun anything that I've hated, although my tolerance for scratchy wool is pretty high.

5. Who are your favorite ~~crack dealers~~ fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
Ooh, so many—All Spun Up, Crown Mountain Farms, Spunky Eclectic, Freckle Face Fibers, Enchanted Knoll, Copperpot Woolies.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
Hmm, I'm open to just about anything. On my list are silk, bamboo, tencel, llama, and cashmere. I'm more interested in animal fibers than plant fibers, though.

7. Are there any techniques you would like to learn?
Cabled yarns (I understand the concept, but I haven't tried it yet), thread plied yarns.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
I have dyed yarn, but not fiber. However, I have a boatload of undyed fiber waiting for me to experiment on it.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
Nope. Ready-to-spin for me, please.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
Um, doesn't the handspun count as completed projects? I have knit a pair of socks from my own yarn, and I will certainly knit more.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
Nothing comes to mind.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
I tend to buy a lot of dark, earthy colors. Brown, green, red, orange, and deep blues make up most of my stash. I'm generally not a fan of pastels or neon colors. Pink is probably my least favorite color, although I don't mind it in small quantities.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
All Spun Up merino:

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
My woolly pursuits don't leave much time for other hobbies. However, I am an avid cook/baker and reader.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
The Professor, of course!

16. Do you have an online wishlist?
No.

17. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides fiber and yarn? Um, I used to collect teapots, but not so much anymore.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have subscriptions to Spin Off, Interweave Knits, and Interweave Crochet. (Yeah, Interweave pretty much has me in their back pocket.) I can't think of any books or patterns I don't have that I've been lusting after.

19. When is your birthday?
November 17.

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
The first one that comes to mind is Hermione Granger. I do try to curb my know-it-all tendencies, though. My memory's capacity for useless facts is astounding.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
Hot, hot, and more hot.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!
My mother named me after her favorite uncle. When I was a bratty teenager, I complained to her about having been named after a man. She replied that if she had named me after her favorite aunt, I would be called "Gertrude." Touché, Mom.

Favorites

Favorite painting/picture(link): Good grief, there are too many to choose from! I do like a lot of Klimt's work.

Candy: Chocolate, caramel, jelly beans, gummies, mints.

Food: Indian, Mediterranean

Drink: Tea

Movie(s): I could never pick just one. However, I tend to go for drama over comedy. Oh, and I love period pieces.

TV Show(s): I am a geek who watches PBS, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel. I adore old Britcoms too.

Book(s): Again, I couldn't possible choose one. I am in inveterate Jane Austen fan, though. (I know, how original.)

Guilty Pleasure(s): None—pleasure should be guilt-free!

A tale of two greens

2008-06-10T18:16:00.003-05:00

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted. Sorry about that, folks, but I have to tell you that posting will likely be sporadic for the next month or so. You see, the Professor and I just became homeowners. Eek! So much work to do.

Anyway, you're probably expecting to see some yarn. Far be it from me not to oblige. Today I've got two very different green yarns.

Fiber: The Arts at Eagle's Find 100% merino, "Leaves on the Water"
2 ply
500 yards
114 grams (4 oz.)

This yarn is nothing if not subtle. The subdued green blends easily with the gray to create a yarn that could tempt even the most conservative person. This yarn would make great man socks, although my man would probably yawn at it and say, "too boring." Well, I like it.

However, it does look a little drab compared to this vivid yarn.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Out of Time" (overdyed with green)
2 ply
305 yards
115 grams

This fiber was predominantly green with bits of brown and blue (see it here). Unfortunately, the lot of fiber I got had quite a bit more white in it than I really wanted. The commissioner of this yarn was very clear about wanting as little white as possible, so I decided to overdye it. (Sorry, I didn't take a "before" photo. Bad blogger!) The end product is almost shockingly green, albeit in a good way. In fact, it's remarkably similar to Dream in Color's "Happy Forest" colorway. It is indeed a happy green.

Too hard and too easy

2008-05-26T09:31:00.002-05:00

One of the things I love about spinning is how relaxing it is. There's something about having fiber sliding through the fingers that I find almost meditative. Occasionally, though, I come across a fiber that just does not want to play nicely.

The colors in this merino are so deep and rich that I was really excited to start spinning it. Unfortunately, the fiber ended up being slightly felted and full of neps. Full. Of. Neps. I spent an eternity picking them out.

Fiber: Enchanted Knoll 100% merino, "Tia Dalma"
2 ply
430 yards
110 grams

Despite all the travails of spinning, the yarn did really did turn out well, so I shouldn't complain too much. My other Enchanted Knoll fibers don't seem to be suffering from the same neppy affliction, so I think this bit of merino is just a fluke. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

After such a labor intensive spin, though, I wanted something guaranteed to be easy. Enter the pencil roving.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms Corriedale pencil roving, "Finding Rainbows"
2 ply
420 yards
110 grams

I had never spun pencil roving before, and good grief, it was like spinning on autopilot. Spinning pencil roving is the equivalent of knitting a garter stitch scarf. In the right mood, it can be just what's needed to maintain sanity. In the wrong mood, the monotony can drive one batty. Fortunately, monotony was just what I needed at the time.

First handspun knitting project

2008-05-19T18:05:00.003-05:00

Look! It has only been eight months since I started spinning, and I already have a finished object to show.

Yarn: my own handspun (from Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Under the Boardwalk" colorway)
Pattern: 6x2 ribbing
Needles: 2.25 mm DPNs

Initially I was concerned that I might not be able to eke out a respectable pair of socks with my 350 yard skein, but halfway through the first sock, my worries disappeared. My trusty scale told me I had nothing to worry about. In fact, I could have made the legs longer, because I have about 20 grams of yarn left over. (Please don't advise me about the virtues of knitting socks toe up. I'm aware of the pros and cons, and I still generally prefer top down construction.) I'm actually happy to have a bit of the yarn left. It certainly won't go to waste.

What can I say? I adore these socks! (However, I don't adore them enough to model them in today's 100°F heat.) The subtle colors and the random blending of stripes thrill me to my toes...literally. This is why I started spinning.

The perils of spinning to order

2008-05-18T08:41:00.002-05:00

Just when I think I'm getting the hang of this spinning thing, the spinning gods manage to give me a light smack across the cheek to remind me that I still have a long way to go.

A while back I exchanged a few emails with Oiyi about doing some spinning for her. She had some merino that she had bought with the intention of learning how to spin, but she had never been able to find the time to do it. Nevertheless, she did want to see the wool spun up. We arranged a trade, and shortly afterward, I received these in the mail.

We discussed the possibilities for spinning these up. It was clear that the two blue ones could be spun together to make a 4 oz. skein, but it seemed best to spin the pink one on its own. Oiyi said she would like the yarns to be in the sport-DK range. No problem, said I. (You can probably see where this is going.)

Fiber: Skeintily Clad 100% merino, "Peacocks on Broadway" and "Aegean Fantasy" (plied together)
2 ply
250 yards
116 grams

Fiber: Skeintily Clad 100% merino, "Sonoran Sunset"
3 ply (Navajo/chain plied)
116 yards
65 grams

If you look at the specs, you'll see that both of these yarns ended up closer to worsted weight than sport or DK. Oops. In my attempt to spin thicker than I normally do, I definitely overcompensated. While they're both nice yarns, I can't help being just a little disappointed.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my fingering weight spinning comfort zone for a while.

A winner at last

2008-05-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks for being so understanding about the delay, everyone! And good grief, y'all are jonesing for the handspun, aren't you? I really love the way contests bring people out of the woodwork.

Without further ado, the winner—as chosen by the random number generator—is...peaknits! Winner's choice:

Many thanks to all who commented! Now I just need to decide what to do with that other skein...

Delays

2008-05-05T16:54:00.002-05:00

Sorry, folks. I'm going to have to postpone the drawing for the handspun yarn for a few days. One of our computers has died, and the Professor still needs to finish writing his final exam. We're also in the midst of some turmoil related to house-hunting. Please bear with me.

You must choose, but choose wisely.

2008-04-29T16:10:00.003-05:00

I have two new yarns to show today. The first one is chock full of earthy goodness.

Fiber: All Spun Up 100% Merino, "Woodland"
2 ply
410 yards
117 grams

Every fiber of Kristin's that I've spun has turned to gold, and this one is no exception. Her fibers are among the best prepared I've found, each one an absolute joy to spin. And her colors? They rock. If you're a spinner, do yourself a favor and procure some of this lovely stuff. And if you're not a spinner, well, Kristin also sells her own amazing handspun yarns.

Next up is a wool that's new to me—Targhee.

Fiber: Sweet Grass Wool 100% Targhee, "Hidden Canyon"
2 ply
360 yards
108 grams

What a lovely, bouncy wool Targhee is! It's now among my favorites to spin. These super-saturated colors from Sweet Grass Wool push all my happy buttons too. And did I mention the bounce? This wool has so much spring that I can practically hear it go "boing."

Now, about that contest... For the past couple of months, I have had vague plans to give away a skein of handspun on a blog contest. Various spinning commissions forced me to put off those plans, but now I have two yarns that I think are worthy of giving away to a good home. But which skein? After two nanoseconds of thinking about it, the answer was clear: Let the winner choose.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post indicating your choice. The contest will remain open through midnight (Central Daylight Time) on Sunday, May 4th. On May 5th (or a bit later), I'll select a winner at random. Anyone with a mailing address on Planet Earth is welcome to enter. (Humble apologies to any Martians who might be reading. I can't afford NASA's cargo fees.)

Good luck!

News flash

2008-04-28T19:13:00.002-05:00

I am actually knitting with my own handspun. Details at 11:00.

OK, so it isn't all that exciting, but at least now I can stop answering the "When are you going to knit with it?" question.

Oh, and stay tuned for a contest.

Finishing what I've started

2008-04-19T13:14:00.003-05:00

My knitting has slowed down so much of late that it feels like a momentous occasion when I actually have some finished knitting to show.

Pattern: Anastasia from Pepperknit
Yarn: RubySapphire Treadsoft sock yarn (100% superwash merino), "Kira" colorway
Needles: 2.00 mm (US size 0) DPNs
Modifications: worked top down rather than toe up, added eye of partridge heel

This is actually the second time I've knit this pattern. It's really great for busy yarns, and yet it isn't as monotonous as plain stockinette or ribbing. And just look at that eye of partridge goodness! It makes me smile just looking at it.

Best of all, having these finished means my niece will get her birthday present on time. I'm also sending her a couple of books. Hmm, socks and books—surely those will secure my position as "favorite aunt" (ahem).

Of course, I am still spinning like a madwoman.

Fiber: 70% superwash merino, 30% alpaca from All Spun Up
2 ply
250 yards
116 grams

This fiber was really lovely to spin. It's a heathered gray base overdyed with shades of blue, teal, and brown. The finished yarn has amazing depth of color.

In the interest of honing my spinning skills, I've been attempting to spin a bit thicker lately. Before now, I had been in a bit of a fingering weight rut. Although fingering weight is still my favorite to spin, I am over-the-moon happy with this.

Mmm, blue and brown are such great partners.

Lost: blogging mojo

2008-04-11T18:20:00.002-05:00

Seriously, has anyone seen my blogging mojo? It seems to have run away from home, and I do miss it. I'm going to file this particular lapse under "life gets in the way."

Lack of blogging does not imply lack of spinning, though. These have been finished for about two weeks.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Good Vibrations"
2 ply
Skein 1 (left): 380 yards, 111 grams (fingering weight)
Skein 2 (right): 280 yards, 120 grams (sport-DK weight)

This fiber is from the previous lineup of colors in CMF superwash merino. This is one of the colors Teyani used to dye, which I tend to think of as "vintage Sock Hop." There isn't much more to say about this fiber that I haven't already said. We loves it.

Why did I spin it at two different weights? Initially I didn't plan it that way. However, my current spinning project requires me to spin a bit thicker than I've been used to doing, so I decided to use one of these skeins as practice. It worked out pretty well, and it's interesting to see the difference between the two yarns. Although I'm still a fan of spinning fingering weight, I am starting to appreciate some of the advantages of spinning thicker.

I have knitting too! Such as it is...

I must finish these in time for my niece's birthday. Theoretically, there's still plenty of time—more than a week—but this darn spinning wheel keeps mysteriously appearing in front of me. Maybe I should ask the Professor to hide the wheel for a couple of days so I stand a chance of making progress on the knitting front. Hmm, on second thought, perhaps not. The withdrawal symptoms might be too unpleasant.

(P.S. To all you Ravelers: Have you contributed to Ravelraiser? There are fabulous prizes to be had, including my donation to the handspun stash.)

Two for one

2008-03-27T16:28:00.002-05:00

I've got two finished yarns for show and tell today. Let's start with some good old superwash merino.

Fiber: Spunky Eclectic superwash merino, "Toronto" colorway
2 ply
420 yards
111 grams

The fiber seemed to have an alarming amount of white, the full extent of which is not really visible in this photograph. Since I'm generally not a fan of white, I was a bit skeptical about how it would spin up. At the same time, however, I know that those stretches of white tend to look less white in the finished yarn.

Meh. I don't love it, and I don't despise it. The color sequences ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated. Even though I did make some attempt at planning how the colors would come together, in the end it was all for naught. There are some particularly long stretches of—you guessed it—white.

Moving on to a yarn that exceeded my expectations in almost every way...

Fiber: The Arts at Eagle's Find 100% merino, "Tropical Fish" colorway
3 ply (Navajo/chain plied)
500 yards
118 grams

This yarn is just plain fun. Look at those colors! The childlike side of me is clapping with delight. The fiber itself was a joy to spin, and it was really reasonably priced to boot.

This was my first full-skein attempt at Navajo plying, and all in all, it came out quite well. I think it's ever-so-slightly underplied, but not enough to make me want to do anything about it. Interestingly, my natural tendency is to overply conventionally plied yarns. Go figure.

Final verdict: I love Navajo plying! The process did seem to take forever compared to my normal 2 ply, what with spinning the extra-long single (1500+ yards) and then making the big loops during plying. However, the end result is totally worth it. Yay!

Chocolate & raspberries

2008-03-19T09:28:00.004-05:00

All right, I take back everything negative I ever said about pink. It's a fine color.

Fiber: Freckle Face Fibers 100% Merino, "Razzleberry Pie"
2 ply
approx. 285 yards
92 grams

Bea asked me to do some spinning for her in exchange for some of her lovely handmade things, and of course I happily agreed. She was ~~maddeningly~~ delightfully vague about how she wanted the wool to be spun, so in the end, I just let the fiber tell me what thickness it wanted to be.

Of course, I had more singles left over than I would have liked. (Drat! Why does that happen when I'm spinning for someone else?) I decided to Navajo ply the leftovers, so Bea also got this mini skein.

In return, Bea presented me with this treasure trove of handmade goodness.

That's merino roving she dyed herself, her own YarnPig 100% superwash merino sock yarn ("Painted Desert" colorway), and one of her plum velveteen project bags. Really, I feel like I won the lottery. She showed me three more of her rovings, and all I can say is that I hope she puts them up for sale in her shop. They are so beautiful that it's hard to believe they're the result of her first attempt at dyeing fiber.

Thanks again, Bea!

A bit o' green

2008-03-17T18:42:00.002-05:00

At last, I have proof that I still know how to knit!

Pattern: Double Lace Rib socks (from More Sensational Knitted Socks, by Charlene Schurch), 60 stitches
Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot, "Juniper"
Needles: 2.25 mm DPNs

These socks seemed to be forever in the making. As some of you may recall, I originally started knitting Nutkin in this yarn. Although I love both the pattern and the yarn, the match just was not meant to be. Once I hit upon a stitch count for Nutkin that allowed for the correct amount of stretchiness, the yarn pooled badly. Badly. I know when to give up. Really, I do.

I finally decided that a simpler pattern was called for. Enter my trusty copy of MSKS. This is really just a simple 2x1 rib with yos. It's simple, but pretty. (Ahem, that's "pretty" in a very manly sort of way, of course. These socks are for the Professor, after all.)

And since I can't have a completely spinning-free post these days, here's a bobbin of rainbow singles just waiting to be plied.

Since I'm planning to Navajo ply, I'm letting this rest for a few days to let the twist energy settle down a bit. My hands don't like to be idle, though, so I may or may not have also started spinning a new yarn. Empty bobbins just look so sad.

Just call me Rumpelstiltskin

2008-03-12T17:10:00.002-05:00

Rumpelstiltskin could spin straw into gold. I can't quite do that, but I did turn these...

...into these.

Ms. B wrote a blog post recently suggesting that she would be willing to trade Wollmeise for handspun. With all the skeins of handspun I have piling up, how could I not jump on board? At last, I have obtained the long-coveted Spice Market! (Insert evil laugh.) She also sent along some Knitters Uncensored stickers, so now everyone will know how cool I am (ahem). Thanks again, Ms. B! I just love the barter system.

I do have some finished spinning that I'd love to show, but unfortunately, it'll have to wait until next week. In the meantime, here's some spinning-in-progress.

Since five of the last six skeins I've spun all had brown in them to some degree, I wanted to spin something that is NotBrown. This rainbow merino is about as NotBrown as I can get. It's as though I'm releasing my inner 7-year-old—the one who drew rainbows, suns, and clouds on every blank piece of paper she could get her hands on. These days I'm not much of a girly girl, but this? This makes me happy.

Wild horses

2008-03-05T16:47:00.002-06:00

Now that Grace has the yarn in her hot little hands, I feel like it's OK to show it all to the rest of you. It was a little difficult to hand these skeins over to her. Oh, how I love brown!

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Wild Horses"
2 ply
Skein 1: 440 yards, 111 grams
Skein 2: 430 yards, 120 grams

These turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, the roving wasn't as easy to work with as the previous CMF fiber I used. It looked as though the fiber had taken a bit of a beating during the dyeing process. There were lots of neps and scraggly bits that needed to be picked out. I do think the state of this particular roving was a fluke. The other CMF rovings I have appear to be in good shape. All in all, there wasn't as much waste as I was expecting, so really, I don't have a lot to complain about.

Both skeins were within the yardage range I targeted too. Whew! Grace said she wanted sock yarn, and I believe I delivered sock yarn. It's enough to make me feel like I almost know what I'm doing. I'm very excited to see how these knit up.

I'm nearly finished with yet another spinning commission, this time from the lovely and talented Bea. Here's what she gave me to spin up for her.

Isn't it delicious? I'd better be careful, because I'm in danger of becoming accustomed to people giving me pretty fibers to play with. Of course, they do expect me to give it back to them as yarn. There's always a hitch.

A teaser for Grace

2008-02-29T14:46:00.001-06:00

Details to follow.

Wicked

2008-02-19T16:38:00.002-06:00

I'm coming to terms with the fact that it's simply all about the spinning around here...at least for now. It's useless to fight it. I did knit yesterday, though. Honest. And since I don't feel like hauling the wheel to knit night, I will knit again tonight.

Anyway, the spinning. Here's the latest. It started off as this roving. Then I spun it into these singles.

And the singles got plied into this yarn. It still seems like magic every time.

Fiber: 100% merino from All Spun Up (unnamed colorway—I'm calling it "Wicked")
2 ply
121 grams (4.25 oz.)
560 yards

There are no problems with the yardage on this one! When I skeined the yarn off the bobbin, it was just over 600 yards. I was so incredulous about that figure that I counted it three times. Since I wanted the yarn to bloom, I abused it a bit during finishing (agitation, hot/cold shocking). I was fairly certain that process would cost me some yardage—which it did—but really, I felt like I had yardage to burn.

About halfway into the first single, it occurred to me that this colorway might lend itself well to Navajo plying, but by that time I was pretty much committed to my original 2 ply plan. Although I still think Navajo plying would have been the way to go, I am quite happy with this result.

I'll admit, the colors aren't exactly "me," but I'm wild about this yarn.

Confidential to Grace: You're up next.

Twins

2008-02-14T16:41:00.002-06:00

Most of us are familiar fraternal twin socks, so please allow me to present fraternal twin skeins. Considering my sock knitting history, producing fraternal twins seems to be in my blood...probably because I have a fraternal twin sister. (Am I the only one who thinks we should be sororal twin sisters?)

But I digress. The skeins really aren't that different. The second skein (on the left) is a bit darker than the first, but it should be clear to anyone with functioning color vision that these two are siblings. They were born from this roving.

Half of it was greens and browns with a little red, and the other half was mainly red and white with a bit of brown. I spun it up according to Teyani's method (more or less), and I must admit that I'm thrilled with the results.

For the record, skein #2 is 118 grams, 350 yards. Also for the record, Crown Mountain Farms hand dyed superwash merino is fiber crack—lovely, affordable, addictive. It just is.

Technically there's enough yardage to get a pair of socks out of each skein (especially for my size 7 feet), but I'm still aiming for 100+ yards per ounce in my sock yarn spinning. I've only achieved it once, but I know I'll get there.

Really, I can't be disappointed with this. I won't let myself.

Promised knitting

2008-02-06T17:07:00.000-06:00

I do have finished knitting to show! OK, so it's a very small project. Don't judge me too harshly.

Pattern: Saartje's Booties
Yarn: Smoky Mountain Fibers sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon), "Rosewood" colorway (leftover yarn from these socks)
Needles: U.S. size 1 (2.25 mm)

Aren't they sweet? I'm not 100% satisfied with them, mainly because the buttons are a tad large. They matched the yarn so well, though, that I couldn't resist buying them. I think I'll knit another pair with smaller buttons and see which ones I like better. (In case anyone is wondering, these booties are not for me. The Professor nearly gave his mother a heart attack the other day when she called and he told her I was knitting baby booties.)

There is also a sock in the works. It's not cooperating nicely, though, and I need to adjust the fit. Here it is just before I frogged it.

Never fear, though; the sock will rise again. Note to anyone knitting Nutkin: there's not a lot of stretch due to the biasing of the stitches. Luckily it's a snap to add (or subtract) stitches with this pattern.

And because I'm sneaky, I'm tacking on the latest spinning project to my knitting post. Hey, it will get knitted eventually.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Under the Boardwalk" colorway
2 ply
385 yards
120 grams (4.25 oz)

I love this colorway! More details to follow when I finish the second skein.

Inevitably, more yarn

2008-02-02T13:39:00.000-06:00

So, the general consensus from my last post is that I don't in fact have a problem, and I don't need to slow down on the spinning. What enablers you all are! I very much appreciate all the kind comments about the last yarn. (I do try to respond to all comments, so if I didn't reply to yours, it's most likely because I couldn't find an email address for you.)

One of the things I love about spinning is the almost magical transformation of colors from fiber to yarn. Many times the finished yarn looks nothing like I imagined it would...and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Take this fiber, for example.

It seems to be a somewhat even mixture of purple, blue, brown, and white. The blue actually pops quite a bit. And here's what it looks like all spun up.

Yes, the blue is definitely still there, but this yarn is all about the purple. Purple is not normally one of my favorite colors; however, I'm thrilled with this yarn. I particularly like how the brown tones down the brighter colors a bit.

Fiber: Blue Faced Leicester from Fat Cat Knits, "Arabesque at Night" colorway
2 ply
250 yards
102 grams

I spun this yarn a bit more softly than the merinos I had spun previously, and I think that was a good decision. This skein just begs to be squeezed.

There should be some knitting in my next post—not necessarily finished knitting, but knitting nonetheless. Really.

Time for an intervention

2008-01-27T14:24:00.000-06:00

My friends, I think I may need help. I simply cannot stop spinning. When I'm not spinning, I'm thinking about spinning. For the past week I've spent more quality time with my Lendrum than with my husband. This can't go on.

Yesterday around 2:00 pm I finished plying and skeining some yarn. And today just after noon, I had two more bobbins (4 ounces total) ready to be plied. That's officially my fastest spinning to date. This BFL flew through my fingers so quickly that it seemed to spin itself. When it was all over, I just sat there wondering what the hell had happened.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should show you the finished yarn first, shouldn't I?

Fiber: 100% merino from All Spun Up
2 ply
17 wpi, heavy fingering weight
109 grams (3.875 oz)
376 yards

Another knittable yarn! If only I would stop spinning so I could knit some of it. This merino from All Spun Up was glorious. (See it in roving form here.) Kristin, the dyer, has amazing color sense. She also spins some killer sock yarns. I've looked through some of the sold items in her Etsy shop, and there isn't a single one of her handspun yarns I wouldn't want to have in my stash. In fact, I do have one in my stash. I use it as inspiration. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to knit with it.

I really do need to stop neglecting the knitting, though. There's a pair of socks in the works for the Professor, and I'm sure he's starting to wonder if they'll ever make it all the way to his feet.

Finally, many thanks to both Bea and Jodi for tagging me for the You Make My Day Award. Right back atcha, ladies! However, I am aware that the time-honored rules of tag frown on tag backs.

So now I have to come up with a list of 10 people whose blogs make my day. It's hard to narrow the list down to 10, but here it is (in no particular order).

Kristie at Guilty Pleasures. Kristie knits such lovely things, socks in particular. I consider her a kindred spirit.
Emily at MLE Knits. Emily churns out fantastic sweaters, all of them perfect for warmer climates.
Angeluna at PurlsBeforeFrogs. I know Angeluna in "real life," and she has become a great friend. We have remarkably similar color sense...well, except for the blue.
TECHknitter at TECHknitting. With every post, I learn something new.
Deb at Fearless Fibers. Deb produces some of the finest yarns known to knitterkind.
Kelly at kelp! knits. Kelly is another amazing sock knitter. The rest of her knitting, sewing, and spinning are pretty awesome too.
Lori at From the Wool Room. Lori is an astoundingly prolific knitter and spinner. One day I hope to be like her.
Aija at sock prØn. Aija's enthusiasm for knitting, spinning, and all things handmade is contagious. Her Etsy Friday series has not been good for my wallet, though.
Oiyi at Oiyi's Crafts. If only I were as crafty as Oiyi! Go check out the photos of her sweet new baby.
Grace at Bookgrump. One word: Critters.

Knit or spin? Spin or knit?

2008-01-24T17:14:00.000-06:00

If you've been getting the impression that there has only been spinning going on here at Chez T4S, well, you'd be mostly right. To prove that I haven't forgotten to knit, however, I present the following evidence. (Humble apologies for the horrendous photos. I'm tired of waiting for good light.)

Pattern: cable pattern from Stulpen, body of mitts based on Serpentine Mitts
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy, "Black Parade"
Needles: U.S. size 1 (2.25 mm) DPNs
Modification: I mirrored the cables on the two mitts.

Ever since I knit those two pairs of Serpentine Mitts in December, I've been wanting a pair for myself. The thought of knitting the same pattern for a third time so soon did not appeal to me, though, so I used a different cable pattern. All in all, I'm quite happy with these, but I would change a couple of things if I were to knit them again:

I would move the cable pattern 4 stitches farther away from the thumbs. Although the pattern is centered on the mitts I made, it doesn't appear to be centered when I'm wearing the mitts. Apparently hands are three-dimensional. Who knew?
I would probably shorten the cuffs a bit.

Still, these mitts are supremely functional. That is, they're keeping my hands warm while I'm at my frigid office.

So, spinning! I finished another skein on Monday. It started out looking like this.

Occasionally I like to buy things that are outside my normal color comfort zone. This roving from Copperpot Woolies certainly fits that bill. It's comprised of dusty purple, orangey-gold, and white. As I started spinning it, I said to myself, "This has the potential to become some really ugly yarn." But I pressed on. The Professor wasn't exactly encouraging. He told me it looked as though I was spinning up a bad Halloween wig. Humph. At my look of displeasure, he did add that the spinning seemed to be improving the fiber.

As it turns out, I needn't have worried. The finished yarn is worlds better than I was expecting.

Fiber: Copperpot Woolies 100% merino, "Elegant Autumn"
2 ply
310 yards
16 wpi, sportweight
114 grams (4 oz.)

I am still surprised by how much I like this yarn. It's heathery, tweedy, and just plain good. The roving gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me. It didn't draft quite as smoothly as the superwash merino I used for my last skein, but it wasn't difficult to draft by any means. The slightly less smooth drafting did mean that my singles weren't as consistent as I would have liked. However, the inconsistencies aren't particularly apparent in the finished yarn. Those nice color variations can hide a multitude of sins.

Mmm, soft and squishy merino goodness.

Pygmalion

2008-01-19T15:35:00.000-06:00

Like the mythical Greek sculptor, I have fallen in love with my own creation. Here is my recipe for happiness: Take these two bobbins...

...and ply them into this.

The yarn looks unremarkable enough at this point, but it has secrets hidden beneath that top layer.

Those streaks of sunny yellow and orange make me giddy. They're just the thing to brighten up my winter days.

Fiber: superwash merino from Crazy Monkey, colorway "Autumn Leaves"
2 ply
20 wpi, fine fingering weight
110 grams
510 yards

The colorway of the roving may have been called "Autumn Leaves," but it reminds me more of fruit punch or those rum swizzles I drank in the Caribbean a few years ago. In any case, it's delicious.

I think I'm in love with spinning superwash merino. It drafts so smoothly that I hardly had to do any predrafting at all. Easy drafting led to rather consistent singles. And for the first time, my singles were very close to the same length.

Best of all, this yarn is sproingy and smooshy (only made-up words can adequately describe it). I am completely amazed at how much bounce it has. It's positively elastic. And the yardage! I can hardly believe I made this. Spinning is awesome.

Spinning my wheel

2008-01-12T12:31:00.000-06:00

I've been more or less neglecting my knitting all week in favor of spinning. Here's the latest.

Fiber: Pigeonroof Studios corriedale roving, colorway "Green Ocean"
Yards: 380 (3-ply)
WPI: 20
Weight: 90 grams

Drat, I keep forgetting to photograph my rovings before I rip them apart and start spinning. This is what the roving looked like, and oh my, it was a lovely thing. I now completely understand why Pigeonroof Studios rovings sell out so quickly.

Alas, I am still a beginner, and this yarn is not everything I wanted it to be. For one thing, I overspun it a bit, so it's a little, um, firmer than I would like it to be. I think I was worried about the fine singles breaking during plying, so I overcompensated with too much twist. The yarn isn't exactly twine, but nor does it have the squishy wooliness I would have preferred. At least it should wear well.

This is my first foray into 3-ply, and all in all, it was a success. Once again, though, I spun one of my singles quite a bit thicker than the other two, which explains why this skein is only 90 grams. The original roving was 4.3 oz (122 grams). I did ply the remains of the other two singles together to come up with 175 yards of heavy-ish laceweight.

All in all, though, I am pleased. With every skein, I see improvement in my spinning, and I can't ask for more than that. Plus I'm having lots of fun to boot.

The next spinning project is already well in hand. Just look at that evenly wound bobbin. Oh Woolee Winder, how I love thee!

2008: Number 1

2008-01-06T13:59:00.000-06:00

Presenting my first FO of 2008. I actually finished them on January 1st. I hope that finishing a project on the first day of the new year is an omen for good things to come.

Pattern: Improvised—2x2 ribbed cuff, 6x2 ribbed leg and instep
Yarn: Knit Picks Felici, "Clay"
Needles: U.S. size 0 (2.00 mm) DPNs

I am not ashamed to admit that I have an almost childish fondness for self-striping yarns. They are one of my guilty pleasures. So when I needed a mindless sock project for my vacation knitting, this is what I chose. Good grief, this yarn is soft! Ridiculously soft, considering the price. I have no idea how well it will wear, but as these socks are for me, I will be able to give a progress report in the future. My only complaint about the yarn is that it had small white spots at the transition between the terra cotta and red stripes. Still, I would not hesitate to knit with Felici again.

With my holiday knitting complete, I have been able to turn my attention back to my neglected spinning wheel. Here's a preview of the latest hanspun.

2007: Year of Socks

2007-12-31T14:24:00.000-06:00

It's December 31st—time for the self-indulgent year-in-review post. It appears that I managed to finish 30 knitting projects in 2007, 23 of which were socks. Warm feet for everyone!

There were, of course, some notable non-sock projects: my first lace stole, an adorable baby sweater, a few scarves, my first adult sized sweater, and some pretty mitts. Item I'm most proud of? Print O' The Wave. Socks I wear the most often? Monkey (followed closely by Drunken Bees). Pattern I have no desire to knit again? Jaywalkers. (Socks I'm wearing right now? Jaywalkers. I am nothing if not contradictory.) 2007 will also remain notable in my memory as the year in which I learned to spin.

There is a pair of socks in the above collection I have not shown you before. These are the socks I gave the Professor for Christmas.

Pattern: Dublin Bay Socks (PDF link) by Ryan Morrissey, Mossy Cottage Knits
Yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight, colorway "Lagoon"
Needles: U.S. size 0 (2.00 mm) DPNs
Modifications: Reduced stitch count to 64.

Although I initially started these socks with an allover lace pattern, it soon became clear that this yarn wanted to be something simpler. Enter the Dublin Bay Socks. The easy lace panels on the legs of these socks are a nice detail, and they allowed me to honor the Professor's previous request for "more socks with holes."

This was my first time knitting socks with Socks That Rock, and incidentally, it's also the first time I've ever worried about running out of yarn for a pair of socks. 360 yards cuts it pretty close. I had just about a gram of yarn left after knitting this pair for the Professor's size 7 feet. The socks look great, though, and they have the Professor's seal of approval.

Finally, I started on yet another pair of simple socks while we were in Colorado. At this point, it's unclear whether these will be my final FO of 2007, or my first FO of 2008. I think my sock trend will continue into 2008, but I do have some ideas for other projects jostling around inside my head too. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year to all! Stay safe out there.

The end of the frenzy

2007-12-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

My holiday knitting is done. Finished. At an end. I just completed the quickest pair of adult size socks I've ever done. This was sock #1 early Saturday morning.

At this point I was wondering whether I could really pull it off. These socks are for my brother-in-law, the one who showed great appreciation for the scarf I knitted him last year, so I was determined to finish them in time. I knit pretty much all day on Saturday. Here's a progress shot taken around 8:00 Sunday morning.

At this point, I knew I could do it, and I wouldn't have to be frantically working on them on the plane on Monday. Here's the completed pair at 4:00 pm on Sunday.

That's one pair of socks in under 48 hours. Sometimes a deadline can be a good thing. I can't say I would want to do this again, though.

Pattern: improvised (2x2 ribbed cuff, 6x2 ribbed leg and instep)
Yarn: Ball and Skein sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon), "End of Winter"
Needles: U.S. size 0 (2.00 mm) DPNs

This was my first time knitting with Ball and Skein sock yarn, and all in all I'm quite pleased. This colorway is to die for. It's so multidimensional—really an outstanding dye job. The brown and gray tones make it supremely appropriate for a man, but I would love a pair of these socks for myself too. Dave made a pair out of this yarn several months ago. When I saw his socks, I thought to myself, "Hey, I have that yarn in my stash," and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

The yarn itself isn't terribly soft—it feels a bit like Trekking or Regia to me—but it's pleasantly woolly, and I'm sure it will be hard-wearing. My skein had two giant knots in it, though. Luckily, the knots were toward one end of the skein...the end of the skein that was left over after I finished this pair (great yardage!). The knots are probably a fluke. I do have more Ball and Skein in the stash, so I'll find out eventually.

There is one other holiday FO that I have not yet shown. This FO is for the Professor, and since he trolls this blog, it seems prudent to wait until after Christmas to post photos.

The Professor and I are heading to Boulder on Monday for a Rocky Mountain Christmas, so I probably won't post again for a week. Joy and peace to you all.

Second verse, same as the first

2007-12-23T17:19:00.000-06:00

Look, another chevron scarf! (Original specs are here.) I know it looks exactly the same as the first one, but trust me, it is actually another scarf.

When I finished the first scarf, I weighed my leftover yarn and calculated that I could get another 60" scarf out of it. What I did not do was weigh the two balls of yarn separately. I assumed they were roughly the same weight. Amateur mistake! It was panic time when I ran out of Watermelon Tourmaline about 45" into the second scarf.

This is where Ravelry saved me. I posted a thread on the "In search of" forum begging for leftovers. When nothing came of that, I started messaging people who had used the yarn in their projects. This kind of begging very much goes against my personality, but I really didn't want to buy another skein of yarn when I only needed 15 grams. I only got three replies out of the dozen or so messages I sent. Two of those people didn't have what I needed...but the third one did. Huge thanks to the Knitting Bandit for saving the day! Not only did she send me her leftover yarn (more than enough to complete my scarf), but she would not take anything in exchange for it. This is someone with whom I had never before had any contact, and she cheerfully sent me yarn. People are amazing.

So, that's two identical chevron scarves complete. How about two pairs of identical mitts?

Pattern: Serpentine Mitts, by Miriam Felton
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy, "Cloud Jungle"
Needles: U.S. size 1 (2.25 mm) DPNs

I had never knitted mittens or gloves of any kind before these, and I must admit that I'm smitten with mittens! (Groan.) These were so quick and fun to knit that I'm already planning to make a pair for myself. I got two pairs out of one skien of Smooshy, with a generous amount of yarn left over. This is the first time I've knit with Dream in Color, even though I have been, um, collecting it for several months. I was not disappointed. No pooling!

The day after I cast on for the first pair, I found out that Angeluna had cast on her own pair the same night I started mine. We had never discussed the pattern before. Clearly she and I have some kind of psychic bond...or the same impeccable taste at the least. Angeluna is knitting hers in Wollmeise, and I know they're going to be stunning.

Little things

2007-12-20T16:30:00.000-06:00

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I took two days off work to knit. Here is the result of that decision.

Pattern: improvised (1x1 ribbed cuff, 3x1 ribbed leg, heel flap, stockinette foot)
Yarn: Trekking XXL, colorway 71
Needles: US size 000 (1.5 mm) DPNs

Yes, I knit them in three days, and yes, I really used size 000 needles. (Please don't throw your needles at me! But yarn? Yarn you can throw.) These are 64 stitch socks, and they will fit my five-year-old nephew. Why did I knit them at such a tight gauge? First of all, I'm a somewhat loose knitter. My standard sock needle is size 0 (2.00 mm), so going down two sizes wasn't that much of an adjustment. Second, Trekking XXL is a thin fingering weight, and I just didn't like the fabric I was getting with larger needles. And finally, I figured little boys are hard on their socks, so I wanted to give my nephew socks that had some hope of lasting until he grows out of them.

I am endlessly charmed by the random stripeyness of Trekking XXL. It reminds me of handspun yarn. And this colorway? Awesome. It looks almost black in low light, then brilliant blue in natural light.

When I was in Salt Lake at the end of October, my nephew was quite interested in the green socks I was knitting at the time. He told me that he would like to have them (despite the fact that they were men's size 10). In response to my raised eyebrow, he changed his mind and announced that he would like blue socks. Blue socks it is, then, and not a moment too soon. He has almost grown out of the socks I gave him last Christmas.

BTW, I used HiyaHiya stainless steel DPNs for this project. Initially I was worried that they wouldn't be slick enough for my liking, but they were great! And to my amazement, I didn't bend a single one.

Must. Knit. Faster.

2007-12-17T16:41:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (or is that a train?), but I'm not there yet. Life becomes stressful at this time of year as I worry about getting all my gifts shipped on time. Blogging has been lowest on my list of priorities, but I still feel guilty for neglecting the blog for so long.

I will post some real content later this week. Actually, I have quite a bit to share: a scarf, a pair of socks, some mitts, and a story about why Ravelry is so great. Please bear with me. Here's a sneak preview.

Rationalization

2007-12-04T16:34:00.000-06:00

It seems I've been coming up with reasons not to blog. For example:

It's too dark to take photos.
I've got some super-secret knitting that isn't yet bloggable.
My other projects are, well, not terribly interesting.
Did I mention it's too dark to take good photos?
Why blog when I can bake?

However, I don't want anyone to get the impression that I'm slacking over here. There has been some spinning.

Not just one bobbin, but two (of three).

The roving is some Corriedale I got from Pigeonroof Studios. Me like very much.

And there has been some finishing. This time it's more slipper socks for my mom.

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Superwash, "Indigo Heather"
Needles: U.S. size 4 (3.50 mm) DPNs
Pattern: improvised, but the cable pattern is from Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns

Mom's favorite color: check. Interesting but easy cable pattern to keep the knitter entertained: check. I'm starting to understand why some knitters knit small projects exclusively. There's something to be said for (nearly) instant gratification.

Since I have a few vacation days to burn, I'm taking Thursday and Friday off to knit. How decadent! OK, so I might have to squeeze in some housework (houseguest arriving soon) and some holiday errands, but officially those two days are for knitting. Really. I might even be able to muster up some more blog fodder.

Quick and not so quick

2007-11-23T13:19:00.000-06:00

Oy, I'm still recovering from the Thanksgiving gluttony. I don't think we ate that much compared to the average American, but it was certainly orders of magnitude more than we usually eat. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner for two is really the same amount of work as cooking for six or eight, but at least I'll get to eat pumpkin pie all weekend.

On with the knitting: first, the quick. This is a pair of worsted weight slipper socks I made in practically the blink of an eye. Look, I finally accomplished matching green socks!

Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Lisa Souza Superwash Merino worsted, "Olive Tones," 60 grams (leftover from this scarf)
Needles: US size 4 (3.50 mm)

Three years ago I gave my mom two pairs of crocheted slipper socks for Christmas. She liked them so much that she decreed that she would like slipper socks every Christmas in perpetuity. Now, of course, she gets knitted ones. This is pair #1. Pair #2 (in a different color and pattern, natch) is already half finished. I love how quickly these go!

This quick project makes up for one that took me two months to complete: the Chevron Scarf.

Pattern: Chevron Scarf, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock mediumweight in "Farmhouse" and "Watermelon Tourmaline"
Needles: US size 4 (3.50 mm)

I love this scarf. Love it! So why did it take me two months to complete it? Because it bored me to tears, that's why. It's a nice, mindless knit, perfect for taking to knit night. The problem was that knit nights were the only times I could bring myself to work on it. This is probably why I've knit so few scarves.

In light of that confession, I hope you can appreciate the irony of the fact that I am knitting another Chevron Scarf. In the same colors. The scarf I just finished is 67 inches long, and I calculate that I can get another 60 inch scarf out of the yarn leftovers. Sixty inches should be long enough for my younger niece, so she'll be getting a scarf too.

Just for giggles I thought I would mix things up and reverse the color sequence. Bad idea. I'm here to tell you that the color sequence matters.

The second scarf looks muddy compared to the first. In fact, I disliked it so much that I have since frogged it and restarted. So this is my public service announcement for the day: Farmhouse should be color A, and Watermelon Tourmaline should be color B.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who sent me such nice birthday wishes. I couldn't have had a better day. It was full of fibery goodness, including some rovings, knitting books, and this.

That would be the WooLee Winder that the Professor gave me. In the weeks before my birthday, I told him several times that my wheel was to be my birthday present. He just nodded vaguely each time. Naturally, I was floored when I opened this. I had once mentioned to him that I would eventually buy one of these (a year or so down the line), and the clever man actually made note of it. Even more amazingly, it arrived in time for my birthday. Since there's a waiting list for these things, that meant he had ordered it more than a month before. How was I ever lucky enough to find this man?

The only bad thing about new spinning toys is that I have all this Christmas knitting to do. As a result, I'm neglecting my spinning somewhat. Still, I'll manage to sneak in some play time here and there.

Serendipity

2007-11-17T14:11:00.000-06:00

I'm not normally a believer in fate, destiny, or the like, seeing this has made me think twice.

Check out the dye date on this skein of prize yarn. It was dyed exactly one year ago! Today is also my birthday, and I'm so happy to be giving a present to someone else.

So without further ado, the winner of the "one year" contest is:

reluctantMANGO!

Do click on the link to her blog. I'm completely enamored with the sweet baby hoodie she knit recently.

Many thanks again to all who entered. There certainly will be more contests in the future, so please stay tuned.

I should stop knitting green socks

2007-11-15T16:24:00.000-06:00

The modified Cable Rib socks are finished. Overall I'm pleased, but once again I'm plagued with color variations in the green yarn. (Apologies for the low light photos. I also used the wrong setting on my camera and was to lazy to retake the pics.)

Pattern: Cable Rib Socks by Erica Alexander (from Interweave's Favorite Socks)
Yarn: Regia Silk, Moss 070
Needles: US size 1.5 (2.50 mm) DPNs
Modifications: Used a braid on the leg instead of the specified cable and did not run the cable all the way to the top of the cuff.

So, the yarn. When I started knitting the second sock, I noticed some yellow bits of fiber that I had not noticed in the first skein. I didn't think much of it at the time. Then when I finished the second sock and compared it to the first, I saw the difference. One sock definitely had a more yellow cast than the other.

I had bought the yarn from an extremely reliable online source, and honestly, it never occurred to me to check the lots when the yarn arrived. Sure enough, when I went back and checked the labels, the lots were different. Drat! These socks will be a gift for my dad, and I wanted them to be, well, perfect. It's a good thing he's of a certain age, and his eyesight isn't so, well, perfect.

(For those who are curious, the extremely reliable online source did make things right.)

What a nice surprise Regia Silk is, though! It has a lovely hand, nice stitch definition, and good grief, it's affordable. Since it comes in a nice range of solids, this may become my go-to "man yarn" (except for the Professor, whose taste in socks runs a bit wilder than that of the average man).

Don't forget to enter the contest! Really, the odds of winning are quite good.

Second skein, first year

2007-11-10T13:52:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week I finished my second skein of handspun, but there wasn't enough decent light to take photos of it until today.

The yarn proved devilishly difficult to photograph. This photo looks a little dark, but it's the closest representation of the yarn's true color—a deep greenish blue. What this shot doesn't capture are the subtle color variations in the yarn. Here's a lighter photo that does show it.

The fiber is Ashland Bay merino top, colorway "English Garden." This skein is 3.25 oz. (92 grams), 2 ply, 16 wpi, 284 yards. It's between fingering and sport weight; that is, some bits are fingering weight, and some bits are sport weight. Yes, I'm still working on my consistency. My second single was quite a bit finer than my first. In fact, it was so much finer that I have an 80 yard mini skein of 2 ply that I made from the leftovers. Still, I'm quite pleased with this yarn! It's so darn pretty.

In non-spinning news, my one year blogiversary came and went on November 7th with very little notice from me. When I started this blog, I mainly intended it as a way to keep a record of my projects. No one could have been more surprised than I when people actually started reading it. I've met so many nice knitters in the past year! As a way of saying "thank you" to all of you who stop by, I'm offering up a little contest.

That's one skein of Lisa Souza Superwash Merino worsted in semi-solid Teal (a huge 8 ounce, 560 yard hank), and one skein of my beloved Fearless Fibers Superwash Merino sock yarn, colorway "Earthenware" (4 ounces, 550 yards). Both of these lovelies can be yours! Just leave a comment on this post by midnight CST on Friday, November 16th. On November 17th I'll select a winner at random. And thanks again to all of you for reading. Mwah!

You can't go home again

2007-11-05T16:21:00.000-06:00

It's a fact—vacations get in the way of blogging. Humble apologies for the lack of posting in the past week. My trip to Salt Lake was lovely. Really, how bad could things be when this was the view out my window every day?

As is always the case, I got less knitting done than I intended. I finished exactly 1¼ socks, plus several inches of the chevron scarf. (I categorically refuse to disclose how much knitting I actually took with me.) In my defense, most of my time was devoted to spending time with family in general and admiring my adorable niece and nephew in particular.

Ack, now that daylight savings time has ended, it's even darker when I get home from work. Stay tuned for inferior photos all winter! (I may need to rig up a light tent.)

These socks are a modified version of the Cable Rib Socks from Favorite Socks. I'm doing a braid on the leg, then transitioning to the pattern's specified cable on the instep. It seems to be working out pretty well.

Other than that, I'm happy to be back home so I can spend some quality time with my spinning wheel. I should have some new yarn to show within the next few days.

I'll leave you with another photo from Salt Lake. This is a view from Silver Lake near Brighton. I love how moody this shot is.

Remember this?

2007-10-23T16:35:00.000-05:00

I spent much of the weekend finishing up my longest-standing UFO: the Urban Aran. The poor thing has been sitting forlornly in pieces since March. At last, it is complete.

Pattern: Urban Aran, from the Patons booklet "Street Smart"
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Highland Chunky, "Spiced Wine"
Needles: size 8 (5.00 mm)
Modifications: Like nearly everyone else who makes this pattern, I cardiganized it. I also added a row of crochet slip stitch along each edge of the front opening to make the edges more substantial.

Unfortunately, it's also too big. Too bloody big. Gauge is such a fickle mistress. I'm not quite sure what happened. I did a gauge swatch. I even washed and blocked the swatch. Everything was good. Originally I started knitting the smallest size, but then I panicked when it seemed too small. Intending to wear this sweater as a jacket, I thought it would be no big deal to go up one size. Lesson learned. Oh well, it isn't unwearable, and this is my first adult sized sweater, after all. I couldn't expect perfection. (However, I did wish for perfection.)

It isn't all bad. My finishing was pretty good, and I'm particularly happy with the zipper installation. It wasn't nearly as painful a process as I was expecting. I just basted the front opening closed, pinned the zipper in place, and then hand sewed along the edge of the zipper tape. Then I ran another line of stitching closer to the zipper teeth on each side.

That's one project done, but knitting progress elsewhere seems to be eluding me. The Chevron Scarf is only half finished. I only seem to work on it at knit night. I've also started some new socks, but they aren't interesting enough yet for photos.

Next week I'll be in Salt Lake visiting family, so I don't know if I'll be able to make any blogging happen. (There will certainly be lots of knitting, though.) Maybe I'll be able to sneak in one more post before I leave. In the meantime, I'll try to become more interesting.

The Wollmeise has landed

2007-10-15T18:53:00.000-05:00

One of the main reasons to order Wollmeise directly from Claudia: just look at this packaging.

How could anything inside this lovely parcel not be wonderful? I admired it long enough to take this photo, and no longer. Come on, I knew what was inside.

I had seen Wollmeise in person before, but I was still blown away. I think the colorway names are clear enough in the photo, so I won't list them. Each one of these is the dark/strong intensity. Wow. Just wow.

Best of all, I didn't have to throw myself into the feeding frenzy over at The Loopy Ewe. Don't get me wrong, I do plenty of shopping at TLE, and I have nothing but praise for the service I've received. However, the shopping experience there can sometimes be, well, stressful if one is looking for something specific. Besides, I get a certain amount of satisfaction knowing my money went directly to the dyer who created these beauties.

I am a spinner!

2007-10-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, my friends, I can finally call myself a spinner (not to be confused with a Spinner—I won't be there for a while). Behold, my very first handspun.

I spun this yarn from some very coarse undyed Icelandic top that came with my wheel. It made for some pretty easy spinning for a beginner like me. This 2-ply skein is about 150 grams, 350 yards, 15 wpi (approximately sport weight). It's hardly soft and cuddly, but I could not be more pleased. I made yarn!

some leftover singles added for scale

Actually, I finished this nearly a week ago, but I realized almost immediately that I had overplied it. (Ack—beginner's mistake!) After mulling it over for a day or so, I decided to run the yarn back through the wheel to remove some of the twist. No one could have been more surprised than I that it actually worked. The yarn is now fairly balanced.

It's so hairy!

With that yarn finished, I decided to treat myself to something from the other end of the softness spectrum. I'm now spinning up some Ashland Bay merino I bought at Heritage Arts a few weeks ago.

my blue period continues

Wow, after the Icelandic wool, this stuff is like buttah! Oh merino, how I love thee.

And now for something completely different... Here's a shot of the flowers the Professor gave me for our anniversary.

They have nothing at all to do with spinning, but they're so pretty! How could I resist?

Two years (plus seven)

2007-10-10T16:48:00.001-05:00

Two years ago today was Columbus Day, that most romantic of holidays. At least, it was romantic in 2005. On that day, at a quiet spot in one of the canyons outside Salt Lake, the Professor and I stood up in front of an intimate group of family and friends and exchanged our vows.

I think that group of family and friends breathed a collective sigh of relief, because some of them surely believed a wedding would never happen. After all, the Professor and I had been together for seven years before we tied the knot. (No need to rush into these things, you know.)

The past two years (well, nine years) have been full of changes, but through it all I've always known that I can count on him no matter what life throws at us.

Happy anniversary to my best friend.

From the ashes

2007-10-05T19:45:00.000-05:00

It seems as though these socks have been in the making for ages, so actually having them finished feels a bit unreal. Bonus: it's just in time for Socktoberfest!

Pattern: Fawkes by Gigi Silva
Yarn: Mama Blue Knitting Goods Merino Semi-Solid Sock Yarn, "Uniform"
Needles: size 1 (2.25 mm) DPNs
Modifications: I did straight ribbing between the lace repeats instead of the garter ribbing specified in the pattern. Why? No idea! I do like the way it makes the lace panels pop, though.

After browsing through photos of finished Fawkes on Ravelry, I see that I'm one of the few people who did not knit this pattern in red, orange, or pink yarn. Clearly my Fawkes is a bird of a different color. Or else he's very, very cold.

This is my first time knitting with Mama Blue yarn, and I quite like it. The yarn is soft and has a nice twist. While I'm not sure I would consider this to be a "semi-solid" colorway—it has more contrast than is apparent in the photos—it is lovely. It also seemed to have a bit less elasticity or "give" than a lot of other 100% merino yarns I've used. That's not to say it was unpleasant to knit with, though, quite the contrary.

I think it's now time to turn my attention to my shamefully neglected chevron scarf. There won't likely be any more photos of it until it's finished. After all, progress shots of scarves are almost pointless. ("Look at my scarf! It's six inches longer than the last time you saw it.")

Have a fantastic weekend, everybody!

Best Google search string ever

2007-09-27T18:30:00.000-05:00

Occasionally I check my stat counter to see what types of Google searches are leading people to my blog. It's often a mildly amusing activity, but today I came across a string that I'm almost tempted to use as my tag line. Wait for it...

that thing that's not knitting but close

To the person who originated this search: I think you are awesome.

New things

2007-09-26T16:36:00.000-05:00

First up, new man lace socks. Out of the ashes of New Year's Day comes, appropriately enough, Fawkes!

The fit is good, and the Professor approves of the pattern. All is well in sockland once more.

Next, here's some yarn I dyed on Saturday.

The Sisters of the Wool had a "field trip" down to Heritage Arts. Angeluna has brilliantly documented the excursion, so I won't elaborate any further. Much fun was had by all, despite the heat.

And we'll round out the yarn portion of our program by showcasing some yarn dyed by someone else.

This is the second shipment of the Fearless Fibers Seven Deadly Sins sock club. On the left is Sloth, "a varied light blue shade often used to symbolically represent laziness, mixed with the slightest, subtlest hints of gray and lavender." On the right is Lust, "a rich and passionate shade of eggplant purple mixed with dark oxblood and crimson." Swoon!

Here are the first singles I spun on my beloved new Lendrum. (Is it wrong to love an inanimate object so much?)

I'm quite pleased. Although there is some unevenness, these singles are much more consistent than I was expecting for my first go. The wool is some coarse Icelandic top that came with the wheel, but it's perfect for a newbie like me. The heathered gray is lovely too.

Finally, here's a peek at my newly accumulated fiber stash.

There are almost six pounds of fiber in this picture, and not all of it is visible. It's piled on top of the sock yarn cabinet, waiting for a new home. (What? Don't all of you have pieces of furniture dedicated to yarn?) I'll find an appropriate vessel for it this weekend.

It is not a house

2007-09-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

If you've been a regular visitor for a while, you might remember this photo from last March.

That's me at a B&B in Christchurch, New Zealand. The proprietor gave me an impromptu spinning lesson, and I haven't stopped ~~obsessing~~ thinking about it in the six months since. So it is with great pleasure that I introduce the newest member of the family.

Lendrum double treadle folding wheel

After I came back from New Zealand, I knew I wanted a spinning wheel, so I started to do research. There are a lot of good wheels out there, but it didn't take long for this one in particular to sing its siren call to me. But in an attempt to be practical (ha!), I decided I should wait and get it for my birthday.

My birthday is in November. It is now September. I know, I know, but honestly, it's the Professor's fault! The conversation went something like this:

Me: When I get my wheel, I'll be able to ________. [I don't remember exactly what I said.]
Him: What are you waiting for?
Me: Sorry?
Him: Why are you waiting to buy the wheel?
Me: Um, well, I'm waiting for my birthday.
Him: Why?
Me: [quizzical look]
Him: You already know you want it, so I can't understand why you don't just order it.
Me: Well, it's several hundred dollars.
Him: So?

That was my cue to shut my mouth and run (don't walk) to order the wheel. It arrived on Thursday, and I think I'm in love.

I think I have the best husband in the world. However, I'm not sure he would have been so encouraging if he had realized that getting a wheel means that I will be accumulating fiber as well as yarn from now on. Well, he knows now.

Another reason this week was good: look what came in the mail.

Lori has been giving away books, and I was lucky enough to win the first one she offered up. I'm thrilled—it's the first time I've ever won a blog contest. The book is gorgeous, and the chocolate...well, it's now just a yummy memory. Thanks again, Lori!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play with my wheel.

You're all so smart

2007-09-17T16:53:00.000-05:00

Yes, of course the Socks That Rock I showed in my last post is for a chevron scarf. Yes, I'm using one of the most popular color combos out there for this scarf. And yes, some day I hope to have an original thought.

Seriously though, I'm loving it. This scarf will be a present for my niece, and the vibrant colors will be perfect for her. I'm overdue for a mindless knit, and this one has the added entertainment of watching the color pattern develop. Look at those two balls of yarn! It shouldn't work, but magically, it does. (For a more amazing example of two colorways working together synergistically, you must see Grace's version. It's even better in person.)

As for the New Year's Day socks, they have retired to the frog pond, so we shall speak no more of them. The pattern, while lovely, is not stretchy enough to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of the Professor's feet. I've simply lost the will to keep trying to make it work. The quest continues for the perfect man lace socks. I think I may have found a new candidate, but I'm also open to suggestions.

I'm not terribly sad about the socks, though, because something wonderful is going to happen this week here at T4SHQ. How's that for being vague?

Mossy Trellis

2007-09-12T18:02:00.000-05:00

Presenting Trellis, looking completely innocent after the button fiasco.

Pattern: Trellis by Britta Stolfus Rueschhoff
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK, "Moss," 3 skeins
Needles: size 4 (3.50 mm)
Size: 6 month
Modifications: I used DK weight yarn instead of the specified worsted/aran weight. The pattern calls for ⅝" buttons, but I used ¾". It just seemed like the ⅝" buttons would slip too easily through the buttonholes. (It could be that I make unusually spacious yarnovers.)

This little sweater charms me. It looks like something an old man would wear, but in miniature. The pattern is well written, and the chart is easy to memorize. However, this may not be a good pattern for anyone who despises sewing. I don't really mind sewing pieces together, so it was fine for me. If I were going to knit this again, though, I would probably try knitting the body in one piece to the armholes

Despite my initial disappointment with this "shades of '70s" green, I do quite like the yarn. It's soft and squishy. Like most yarns, it gets even softer after washing—just the thing for a baby garment. As I've noted before, Swish DK feels a bit heavier than most other DK weight yarns I've used (admittedly, that's not a large number).

Now I just need to box up the sweater and ship it off. I hope the sweater keeps its wearer warm throughout the upstate New York autumn.

My mind is now turning toward holiday knitting. It's time for another non-sock project, I think. I just wound these into balls.

Yes, I am no longer a STR virgin, although honestly, I don't know why I've been, um, saving myself. Many of you will be able to guess what I'm making out of this just based on the colorways.

Hard lessons

2007-09-10T19:53:00.000-05:00

I had hoped this post would be all about my finished baby sweater, but the knitting gods would not have it so. My grand plans were foiled by buttons, if you can believe it. Buttons! The cute metal ones I originally picked turned out to be too, um, substantial for such a tiny garment. Important lesson learned! I only wish correcting the error hadn't entailed driving from one end of my little piece of suburbia to the other twice. (Fabric/notions stores are sorely lacking around here.) Anyway, I just finished sewing on the new buttons, so photos will be forthcoming. It's just to dark to take pictures now.

There has been other progress on the knitting front, in sock form, of course. Having conquered one pair of blue socks, I've decided to go back to another pair that previously gave me trouble.

After a few false starts in which I tackled gauge issues, all is now going well. This pattern—New Year's Day—is similar to Monkey (without the purling), although I think it's a bit less stretchy. The Professor asked me for some "socks with holes" (i.e., man lace), and I thought this pattern didn't look too feminine. Come to think of it, if he's the one asking for lace socks, why should I be worried about whether the pattern looks girly? I'll just be proud of him for being so secure in his masculinity.

The bees, they are tipsy

2007-09-04T16:59:00.000-05:00

Drunken Bees are finished! Actually, they've been finished for a few days now, but the weather has been too dark and overcast for good photos. Not that today is any less dreary; I've just grown impatient.
Pattern: Drunken Bees by domesticat
Yarn: Fearless Fibers Superwash Merino Sock, "Prosperity"
Needles: size 1 (2.25 mm) DPNs
I adore these socks! The pattern is fun and interesting, and the yarn is gorgeous and soft. Really, it doesn't get any better. Here's a closeup of the stitch pattern.
This is certainly not a mindless knit, although I didn't find it difficult. After completing the leg of the first sock, I didn't need to consult the chart anymore (although I didn't actually abandon the chart until I started on the second sock). Still, there is patterning on every round, so it's important to pay attention. I just love the way the honeycomb cable continues down the heel.
I love the "bare bones" way the pattern is written. It's basically a chart with instructions to "do your own thing" for the sock. My version differs slightly from domesticat's in that I chose not to do the 6-stitch partial pattern repeats on the sides of the instep. (Once again, my innate laziness rears its ugly head.) As you can see in the above photo, the transition to stockinette on the instep sides isn't particularly elegant, but it doesn't bother me.

In the past I've gushed about how much I love Fearless Fibers yarn, so I won't yammer on the subject any further here. However, I would like to point out how particularly lovely the yarn looks in the stockinette sections of the sock. "Prosperity" is a lovely shade of greenish-blue, with subtle hints of gray here and there.
In non-sock news, I only need to knit one more sleeve for Trellis. Yes there's still seaming and collar knitting after that, but I'm excited about the prospect of having all the pieces finished.

Cop-out post

2007-08-31T14:01:00.000-05:00

Since my knitting projects look much the same as the last time I posted, I'm going to do what all good knitbloggers do when blog fodder is lacking. I'll share a photo of some pretty yarn.
This is the first shipment of the Fearless Fibers "Seven Deadly Sins" Sock Club. On the left is "Wrath," and on the right is "Gluttony." "Wrath" is a vivid red with shots of yellow and orange, while "Gluttony" looks like milk chocolate and caramel. (I knew I could count on Deb to come up another great brown, but I was pleasantly surprised to find one in the first shipment.) Now all I need to do is decide on a worthy pattern for each.

I'm looking forward to a long and lazy weekend. I have today and Monday off from work—that's a lot of knitting time! With any luck, I'll have some finished objects to show y'all next week.

Found: Knitting mojo

2007-08-27T16:51:00.000-05:00

Much knitting progress occurred this weekend. I've all but forgotten last week's mini slump. Exhibit 1: Reknitted Drunken Bees sock, with second sock started.
I'm so glad I swallowed my pride and reknitted this on size 1 (2.25 mm) needles. The sock fits perfectly now...like it was made for me. Ha!

Exhibit 2: Baby sweater started. I finished the back on Saturday evening.
This is of course Trellis from Knitty (Spring 2005). So far I'm finding it to be heartbreakingly cute. The yarn is Knit Picks Swish DK in Moss. It isn't exactly a traditional baby color, but I've never been one for pastels or brights. (What can I say? I'm dull!) Now, I don't remember much of the '70s, but this color is giving me flashbacks. It isn't quite avocado, but it's awfully close.

The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn and a size 7 (4.50 mm), but I'm getting gauge with this DK yarn and a size 4 (3.50 mm) needle. Swish DK seems to be slightly heftier than the average DK, but even at that, I'm really surprised about the looseness of my knitting. I even washed and blocked this piece just to be sure of my measurements before knitting the rest of the cardi.

Oh, and the first shipment of the Fearless Fibers Seven Deadly Sins Sock Club arrived on Friday. I love the yarns, but I'll hold off posting a photo for a couple of days. I'd hate to ruin someone else's surprise!

I came, I saw, I dyed

2007-08-22T16:34:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Angeluna, Susan (defiantly blogless), and I spent the day at Heritage Arts. Originally the plan was just to go down and check things out, but then Angeluna brilliantly arranged for us to do some dyeing while we were there. Here's what I came away with.
The blue skein was my first attempt, and I'm not thrilled with it. It's too bright and too yellow. I was aiming for something much darker. There's a strong possibility that I'll end up overdyeing this one. More than one person at knit night on Tuesday commented that "those aren't your colors" (as in, "we've never seen you knit with anything like that"). What can I say? I'm chalking it up to the enthusiasm of a first-time dyer. (Naturally it can't be that I have the color sense of a common warthog.)

However, I love, love, love the second skein! It's right in keeping with my current obsession with autumnal colors. Yeah, this one deserves a close up.
The proof is in the knitting, though. This lovely skein may knit up into a hideously ugly pair of socks. But you know what? I don't think I would mind.

I've gotten shockingly little knitting done this week, so now I'm off to figure out where I left my knitting groove.