PSSO

I Heart My Mini Combs

2007-12-11T13:11:00.001-08:00

I may have a problem.

I can't stop combing fleece.

It started with the Corriedale:

Then, I moved on to some Targhee I acquired from my guild's fiber swap the other night:

And then, there was Cormo.

There was adult Cormo:

And Cormo lamb (hogget):

Which is turning into hand-combed adult Cormo:

and hand-combed Cormo lamb (which you simply must feel to believe):

Of course, all this combing produces waste, which can then be carded. Here's some of that Cormo lamb combing waste, which I spun long-draw:

That was a quick-and-dirty, noils and all sample, spun around midnight without caring about consistent grist (that's probably obvious). But it proves to me that the combing waste is still very usable.

I also finished spinning some roving from Pigeonroof Studios:

That's 3.75 oz., 182 yards of superwash merino.

Combing Fleece

2007-12-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

I put on my big-girl skirt, got out my combs, and combed some Corriedale fleece from Rising Meadow

I used my Alvin Ramer super mini combs:

Mmmm... puffy.

I wound up with about 1.6 ounces last night. It's not perfect yet, but it's pretty nice:

I also made a Koolhaas hat from this year's Interweave Knits gifts issue:

It's made from my 3-ply tweed handspun, which I spun with this hat in mind.

(By the way, Kris, this is what happens when I try to smile while taking a picture of myself in a mirror.)

I've got almost enough yarn left over to make another one. I could probably shorten the ribbing a bit...

Pattern: Basic Toddler/Small Child Mittens

2007-11-21T14:27:00.000-08:00

Size
Child's small. This fits my 3-year-old, with some room to grow. Mitten is 6 1/4" long from base of cuff to tip. Portion above cuff is 4 1/2" long. Hand of mitten (minus thumb) measure approximately 5 1/8" around.

Yarn
Sport weight or heavy fingering weight wool (approx. 14-15 wpi) that will knit to gauge
I used less than one ounce of superfine merino 4-ply (a discontinued brand) for two mittens, with a small amount of contrasting color for the stripe.

Needles
U.S. size 4 dpns, or size needed to get gauge
blunt needle for weaving in ends

Gauge
6.5 stitches per inch.
8.5 rows per inch

Note: When working the thumb, you may want to pick up another stitch in between the stitches from the holder and the stitches you picked up from the hand, in order to avoid any holes. If you do this, immediately decrease them in row 1 by knitting them together with the neighboring stitch from the holder.)

Directions

Make 2 alike.

Cast on 30 stitches in main color. Divide onto 3 dpns. The first stitch of row 1 will join your stitches for working in the round.
Rows 1-14: K1, P1 around
Rows 15 - 21: Knit
Row 22: M1, K3, M1, knit to end.
Row 23: M1, K5, M1, knit to end.
Row 24: M1, K7, M1, knit to end.
Row 25: M1, K9, M1, knit to end.
Row 26: M1, K11, M1, knit to end.
Row 27: Knit
Row 28: Slip 13 stitches to holder. Cast on 3 stitches using backward loop method. Knit to end.
Rows 29-37: Knit
Rows 38-39: Knit in contrasting color
Rows 40-52: Switch back to main color. Knit.
Row 53: *K1, K2tog. Repeat from * to end.
Row 54: Knit
Row 55: K2tog to end.
Row 56: K2tog to end.
Row 57. Cut yarn, and thread end onto a tapestry needle or other blunt needle. Draw yarn through remaining stitches, pull through center tip of mitten to inside, and secure end to inside of mitten.

Thumb:
Row 1: (See "Note" above.) Divide 13 stitches on holder onto 3 dpns. Pick up 3 stitches from hand, at the inside of thumb. Don't knit them yet. These stitches will be the end of your row. Join yarn to the stitch after these 3 stitches, and knit around. 16 stitches total. The first stitch of row 2 will join your stitches for working in the round.
Rows 2 - 17: Knit.
Row 18: K2tog to end.
Row 19: K2tog to end.
Row 20: Cut yarn, and thread end onto a tapestry needle or other blunt needle. Draw yarn through remaining stitches, pull through center tip of thumb to inside, and secure end to inside of thumb.

Weave in ends. Block if desired.

All rights reserved. Do not distribute.

Bright Orange Mitten!

2007-11-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

I like my orange mitten.

I really think it's pretty cool.

In fact, I think it's just about the best thing ever!

But I'm not very happy about the hat.

Details:
Both are knit from 4-ply sport weight merino (a discontinued yarn, though). Both were made up as I went along. If anyone would like a pattern for the mittens (yes, I did make two), just let me know.

Handspun Silk Wedding Shrug

2007-11-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad this is done!

I spun around 8 ounces of bleached tussah silk for the I Do shrug. I pretty much followed the directions, but the silk was very drapey, so the sleeves were too long. I also decided I didn't like how flared they were. Easy solution: cut off the first repeat on each sleeve. I carefully picked up the last row of stitches I wanted to keep, snipped a couple rows below that, and then unpicked the yarn. I then simply cast off at my new cuff.

This will go to my sister-in-law, who is getting married December first. She's about my size, so it should fit her the same as it fits me.

Now onto mittens and a hat for the little boy...

More Spinning

2007-11-07T17:55:00.001-08:00

Tweed Superwash Handspun
Originally uploaded by Frith

Here's a 3-ply handspun superwash wool from a batt dyed and blended by Miss Babs. There's around 260 yards of worsted weight yarn, destined for a Koolhaas hat.

I also spun up a kid mohair/alpaca batt from another seller. It's very soft, but it was a pain to spin because the turquoise dye kept coming off on my hands and clothes. I gave it multiple rinses and a few glugs of vinegar when I finished it. Hopefully it will behave now. (And never fear, the horrified seller refunded my money when I told her about it.)

But really, I should be knitting right now. I've got a deadline on an "I Do" shrug coming up in less than 3 weeks. I'd show a picture, but unblocked lace is just depressing.

SAFF

2007-11-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

Competition season is over for me, and I'm pleased to report that my entries did well at SAFF, too.

A couple of those are new, created for some of the special categories at SAFF: yarn spun from fiber blended by the spinner, and yarn spun from raw materials processed by the spinner.

Here's the merino/angora/silk/alpaca/Angelina blend:

And here's my hand-processed Romney X:

I helped with the shearing and skirting of this one, too.

And here's a better picture of the Cormo I entered at the state fair:

And a closer shot of the bamboo/merino from the state fair:

And finally, some Hello Yarn corriedale I spun up a few weeks ago:

Toot, Toot!

2007-10-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

(That would be me tooting my own horn.)

I've just been informed by Katmoget that 7 of my 8 entries got ribbons at the fair! That's a first place for the sheep puppet; second place for my sweater, hat, and novelty skein; and third place for my linen, dyed wool, and natural wool. (Better luck next time, bamboo.)

And that gets me a total of 45 smackeroos to spend on more fiber!

Now that I think about it, Krazy K herself beat me in every category we both entered. It's a good thing I'm not at all competitive -- ahem. She got several first place ribbons, too! She kicks ass, basically.

[Note to K: The game is so on. Let the trash-talking commence.]

I'm headed up to the fair on Wednesday. There will be pictures, possibly jumping up and down, and definitely babbling "See?! See that?! I made that!" to hapless passers-by.

Meet Me at the Fair

2007-10-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Not only was dear Katmoget nice enough to drop off my entries at the fair, but she also photographed them all. Thanks, K!

So here are all the little skeins lined up:

Left to right: Bamboo/Merino blend, Cormo, beaded merino/tencel, chain-plied BFL, and linen.

Here's the beaded yarn. I'll take another picture when I get it back, because it's hard to see the beads in this light. I did manage to get the beads on the yarn itself, not just on a carrier thread. This was time-consuming, to say the least. But the results are really nice.

And the 3-ply Cormo. It's so squishy and soft. I need more of this roving, because I must envelop myself in this yarn. I suppose I should knit a sweater in order to do that in public.

Bamboo/Merino in "Lunasea" from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Yes, that's the same colorway as the silk/merino I spun awhile ago. And yes, I did get more of that, too. Just try and keep me away from the Lunasea, I dare you!

I also entered a handspun hat, my sheep puppet, and my Union Square Market Pullover. Why did I enter 8 things? To increase my chances of winning something, of course. Ribbons=Money. Money=Fiber.

A Mystery No More

2007-09-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is done:

I think it looks nice on.

Admittedly, I'm not terribly fond of the transitions between lace sections. But the shape is interesting, and some of the individual patterns are pretty.

Pattern: Mystery Stole 3
Source: Pink Lemon Twist
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr, colorway "vanilla", about 1.5 balls
Needles: U.S. 4
Notes: I used iridescent beads. I also blocked the heck out of it. It's about 20.5" wide and more than 80" long from tip to tip. I used blocking wires for the first time, and they are the greatest thing. So much better than using pins alone or pins and string.

This is headed to my mom for her birthday. (The chances she'd read this post are pretty slim.)

I've been working on a bunch of things since my last post, and I'd love to show you, but my camera battery just died. Here's my most recent handspun (taken just before the camera turned itself off):

It's a chained singles (aka "Navajo-plied") yarn, just shy of 2 oz., and measuring 166 yards. It's BFL, so it has a nice sheen to it.

It rustles.

2007-07-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

I love my new skein of handspun:

This is 3.6 oz., 584 yards of 2-ply 50/50 mulberry silk/merino blend from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (purchased at MDSW). The colorway is "lunasea." And have I mentioned I love it? Those colors! That silky rustle! The smell! Mmmmm...

Would it be wrong to knit it into a shawl and never take it off?

I've also removed the first spindle-full of merino from my .7-oz. Spindlewood square, another MDSW acquisition:

Even though I spun this with the intention of doing a 2-ply, and thus made sure I had plenty of twist in it, in a moment of insanity last night I decided to wind it off as-is. So now I have to put it back in a ball and ply it back on itself. Otherwise, it will bias way too much for my taste. This is .4 oz and 162 yards.

Lest anyone think I've forgotten how to knit, here's a little something:

It's a scarf made from 4 balls of Noro Silk Garden Lite. Two balls are the same, and continue throughout the length of the scarf. They are alternated every two rows with the other two colors.

I now understand the temptation to post way too many pictures of a simple ribbed scarf.

Just one more:

Oh, and I jumped on a bandwagon:

It's the Mystery Stole 3 bandwagon, and I've finished the first two clues. I'm using laceweight Zephyr in vanilla from the stash. Though they're difficult to see, I am beading the stole.

So what in the world is this face?:

At least, I see a face, possibly wearing a crown. Others see a scarab, pirate, flowers, and a host of other possibilities. I guess it's sort of a Rorschach's test for knitters.

Finally, I've been knitting socks.

These are Anna Bell's Baudcal socks, knit in the yarn I dyed during a recent workshop.

Flax, Thistle, and Copper

2007-06-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

I've been spinning more than I've been knitting lately.

Flax

I spun up 8 oz. of bleached Irish tow flax that I picked up at SAFF last year. Spinning this was interesting, to say the least. I have a little booklet on spinning flax, and it compares spinning the bleached tow to spinning Cream of Wheat. Well, it's not quite that bad. Sometimes the fibers were very long, then suddenly there'd be a bunch of short clumps. Sometimes the fiber would draft out pretty well, other times it was like the fibers were glued together. I kept a bowl of water on my lap to smooth the fiber as I spun it, and that seemed to help. Still, there were little bits of flax everywhere when I spun.

Since it's tow, not the long strick stuff, the linen is rougher than, say, Louet Euroflax. But I don't think it would be unwearble; it's sort of crunchy and cool to the touch. I need to make up a swatch and carry it in the bottom of my bag to see how it softens and wears.

Here's a closer view:

The weight is actually very similar to the Euroflax sport weight. So I got some inspiration just by looking up Euroflax patterns. If it's wearable, I might make up a little lacey sleeveless top of some sort. Can you tell it's hot here in NC?

Thistle

No, I haven't actually been spinning any thistle flowers. It's Adrian's latest colorway for the Hello Yarn fiber club. 18 micron merino. Wool doesn't get much finer than that.

Thistle on the bobbin:

Thistle on the dog:

And is it soft? Oh, yes...

This is 4 oz., and it was 398 yards before a somewhat abusive fulling wash (certainly shorter now). It measures approx. 12 wpi, somewhere around a DK weight.

I just split the top in half the short way, predrafted a bit to loosen it up, and spun it worsted with a short backward draw. While I was sorely tempted to spin for a single, I absolutely loathe pills. So I went for a 2-ply with enough twist to (hopefully) avoid them.

To set the yarn, I roughed it up in very hot water with some Dawn, plunged it into cold water, then back to hot with more abuse, then cold, then warm with some Lavender Eucalan. I wrung it cruely, thwacked it a few times on the bathroom floor, then hung it to try.

This was the first time I have ever abused a skein so much, but after the wet-finishing article in the current Spin-Off and the advice from Abby's Yarns, I gave it a go. It was really difficult to force myself to mistreat this poor, gentle fiber (if there were a yarn police, they certainly would have broken down my door). But I think it was a good move. The plies are well-integrated, and the yarn has bloomed well. Even so, I could have been rougher with it.

I'm thinking of using it in the yoke of a sweater, maybe paired with a light gray yarn.

Copper

This interesting textured wool/silk blend comes from a Crosspatch Creations blend called "Copper King." I decided to take the copper part a bit further by plying with metallic copper thread strung with metallic copper beads. It's really hard to get a picture of this stuff that shows you how it catches the light, but here you go:

I Z-plied each of the two Z strands with the beaded thread, then S-plied them together. The thread is still sticking out a bit more than I would like, so I'm thinking of running the yarn through the wheel again to put in a bit more twist. I'm not quite sure I got enough plying twist in there anyway (it's very difficult to see the fiber itself once you have all this metallic stuff shining in your eyes.

Originally, I thought I'd make some sort of Faroese shawl with this (I have 8 oz. of the fiber), but now I'm wondering if a little top with a drapey neckline might be the thing to do. I should probably knit up a sample of this skein before I continue, as all the beads and thread aren't cheap. I've already used hundreds of beads. Fortunately, it takes a lot less time than you'd think to string beads, even ones as tiny as these. Unfortunately, it takes lots of beads and thread.

After a shipping delay (Knitpicks customer service was very helpful, by the way), I finally got my yarn to make my Venezia sweater. But at the moment, I'm working on some socks, so I might wait until I finish those first. And I've got some beautiful red hemp I want to use to design my own summer top. And then there are those mittens I should make my mother sometime before her birthday in October. Too many plans, as always.

Venezia color scheme

2007-06-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

I do believe I've got it:

I went up a needle size to get gauge, swapped my golden brown, and tried out 2 different border colors. I like the blue (it's darker and slightly greener in person).

Here we go, poorly tiled again, but good enough to get the idea:

The colors are Knitpicks Palette:
Teal (replaces ivy)
Navy (replaces pine forest, though you could replace it with Palette's ivy if you want it closer to the original)
Tidepool Heather (turf)
Rainforest Heather (rosemary)
Marine Heather (peacock AND old gold)
Tan (sand)
Nutmeg (yellow ochre)
Twig (mooskit)
Cream (white)

Total yarn cost: about $22
Smug satisfaction from saving money: priceless

It's a good thing Knitpicks released the new colors for Palette. They make the entire line much more usable.

I'm off to San Francisco this week, and this isn't exactly a travel project, but I'll look forward to starting it when I get back. Artfibers, here I come!

Meet Mr. Swatchy

2007-06-02T17:19:00.001-07:00

veneziaswatch
Originally uploaded by Frith

And who is this swatch for?

Venezia from the winter '06 Interweave Knits. I really like this sweater, except for the "old gold" and "yellow ochre" colors.

I'm using Knitpicks palette, and when I'm sure about the colors I want to use, I'll order enough to make the sweater.

I've already decided to swap out the gold-brown for a slightly lighter color. Here's how that should look, poorly tiled:

I should probably swatch up some more possibilities. Maybe cream, dove, light grey and something else as background colors?

Good Golly, Miss Molly

2007-05-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Let me assure you, Molly: This hurts me more than it hurts you.

I think taking about 32 stitches out of the body should do it.

At least I have an FO to show, too:

This is the Sneak-a-Peak Tank, a Web-only project from Interweave Knits that seems to have disappeared from the site.
And yes, that netting is crochet.

Take a look at the back:

And there's a hot-weather option:

I only made a few modifications to the pattern: I made the straps only 10 stitches long, and I omitted the final neck treatment. I'm liking the drapiness of this neck for the time being. Maybe I'll change my mind later and give it a try. It's supposed to be more halter-like in the original.

The crochet wasn't difficult, but it did take a few tries for me to get the tension consistent enough. It went pretty quickly, though.

This took 4 balls of Berroco cotton twist.

The need for ease measurements

2007-05-16T12:05:00.001-07:00

ringwald
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Attention designers/magazine editors/book publishers:

Please include the amount of ease intended for your knitting patterns. This will help keep us hapless knitters from trying to guess how the heck a garment is supposed to fit without wondering if you're using clothespins to fit your models.

Now to buy some elastic to keep these damn sleeves from slipping off my shoulders. More sweater surgery may also be in order to try to slim this thing down a bit.

At any rate, this is "Molly Ringwald" from Knitscene Fall 2006. I forgot to include her in yesterday's round-up. I used 5 balls of Classic Elite Classic Silk to make the smallest size. If I were doing it again, I'd cut about 2-4 inches out of this thing.

I also took a dyeing class with Nancy Shroyer:

The class was on how to paint a yarn guaranteed not to stripe, pool, or otherwise irritate you.

I spun up the last .3 oz. of Hello Yarn BFL into 30 yards of sock yarn:

Cute!

"Mama!"

Cricket on the Bobbin (and off the bobbin)

2007-05-15T11:26:00.001-07:00

Cricket on the Bobbin
Originally uploaded by Frith.

This, dear reader, is about as much fiber as you can stuff onto a Louet Victoria bobbin. That's 4.7 oz., 558 yards of fingering weight BFL sock yarn.

And here it is washed and finished. The fiber is from Hello Yarn, and it's lovely stuff. It's the "cricket" colorway, exclusive to her fiber club.

Since I knew this would be sock yarn, I spun and plied with lots of twist to make a hard-wearing yarn.

See? Twisty. It still has some nice loft to it, and it will make some soft socks.

As far as spinning method, I didn't care about making matching socks, so I just divided the roving in half lengthwise for each bobbin. Then I split each half down the middle, pre-drafted a bit, and spun with a short forward draw, smoothing as I went for extra durability.

I have a bit left on one bobbin. Normally, I'd put any extra length into an Andean plying bracelet and keep going, but I was totally out of room on the bobbin. I'll ply it back on itself later to make a mini baby skein.

Since there's more than enough for knee-high socks, I'll probably use any extra in a colorwork project (hat or mittens, most likely).

Round-Up

2007-05-15T11:15:00.001-07:00

bleached recycled sari yarn hat
Originally uploaded by Frith.

There may not have been much blogging going on around these parts, but there has been knitting and spinning.

First up: a hat knit from bleached recycled silk sari yarn. I believe I knit this on size 10 needles, There was pretty much just enough to make the hat, which features a basic ribbed band and not much else of note.

I also finished the Union Square Market Pullover from Interweave Knits Fall 2005. This is made from Drops Alpaca in a light sage. I used these modifications to make the sleeves a little less full at the cuff.

The Lace Blouson is also finished. And I normally don't look homicidal, I'd like to state for the record.

This is from Interweave Knits Summer 2004. I used elann's Canapone hemp (about 5 balls), which is a tad lighter than the hemp called for. I knit it on size 2 needles. It's the smallest size, made slightly smaller with my smaller gauge. My only modification was to knit it in the round up to the armpits.

I love the way it feels -- so cool and comfortable. It will also soften with wear, but it doesn't feel rough. I'm also very happy with the fit.

This is baby llama handspun yarn. It was on my Schacht for way too long as I played with my little Victoria. Finally finished, it's about 600 yards of lace/light fingering weight yarn. It's ridiculously soft. It was a pleasure to spin, but tricky because it's so slippery. I'll have to find a suitable lace shawl pattern for this stuff.

I finally spun up the Coopworth I dyed awhile ago. This red batch isn't quite as electric as it appears here, but it is certainly quite bright, with vivid reds, oranges, and magenta. It's a basic worsted-weight 2-ply.

I spun up the light blue batch to a similar weight, but it's a 3-ply (Navajo-plied or chained singles or whatever you want to call it).

This Coopworth isn't particularly soft, but it would be fine for a hat or gloves.

Finally, I have about half of a pound of this lovely stuff. It's a wool/silk/viscose blend from Crosspatch Creations called "Montana Summer Skies." It should be just about enough for a deep-v neck vest.

Baaaaaaaaaa!

2007-03-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

Meet Anu.

Pattern: Estonian Sheep Puppet, Spin-Off magazine, summer 2006
Yarn: My handspun, app. 15 wpi 2-ply
Needles: U.S. 0
Details: I knew I'd make one of these sheep puppets as soon as I saw them. Soon after I bought some corriedale "truffles" (2 oz. balls of roving from moorit sheep) at Rising Meadow Farm's shearing day, I spun the yarn (1 oz. each of two colors). Corriedale being corriedale -- very sproingy compared to the shetland used in the article -- I got about 120 yards out of each ounce spinning to 15 wpi instead of 88 yards per once. Nice.

I was so eager to start knitting it up, that I didn't even bother to wash and set the yarn (the horror). I pretty much followed the instructions as written (it has you mix and match patterns for the lower border, body, and arms), although I made the ears a bit longer (by about 4 rows), because I thought it would look a little funnier that way.

I was adamant that all the yarn be my handspun, so I used my spindle to make short lengths of yarn for the facial embroidery. I was dealing with such small amounts that I didn't even have to wrap yarn around the shaft. I just spun as far as I could reach, then doubled it over for a 2-ply. The light brown is more corriedale from the farm, the black is a bit of dyed merino from Deep Color Studio in Berkeley, and the blue is a wool/silk blend from Crosspatch Creations.

Happily, Anu has found a buddy here.

roar

2007-02-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Norberta, from Knitty:

This one was quick: I knit in one day, and seamed it in a few hours the next day. However, I think there's an error in the pattern. The scales were much too long for the body, and judging by the other Norbertas out there, it's not just me. The tail also looks stubbier than the original, so I suggest adding at least 8 rows to the chubby portion of the tail (about 10 or so rows in from the tip). I'll definitely do this next time (this dragon flew to a new home, but C really liked it, so I'll make him one eventually).

Catching Up

2006-12-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple of months. In October, I went to SAFF. I entered some handspun and my mitten, and won three ribbons (the mitten's ribbon isn't pictured):

I took a few classes, including Spinning Novelty Yarns. It was a wonderful class, and I left with lots of notes and samples:

(Click here for big.)

At the moment, other projects are on hold while I finish some Christmas projects, including a scarf for my sister-in-law:

And a tea cozy. I decided to make this out of handmade felt because it's faster and denser than knitting:

I'm very pleased with this. It's two-colored felt. The inside is local mystery wool that I washed, dyed in shades of blue, and carded. This was wool from a farmer who hadn't sheared in forever, and when asked what kind of sheep he had, answered "just regular sheep." The outer layer is undyed merino, and the stripey decoration is Manos del Uruguay.

I'm aware tea cozies aren't terribly popular these days. My husband claims to have neither seen nor heard of them. (I know we've been in the presence of tea cozies before -- we have been to one or two twee English tea parlours in the Bay Area. Hubby isn't known for his observational powers when it comes to housewares.)

But this tea cozy was very much wanted and will be loved -- it was a special Christmas request from my stepfather.

It was fun to make -- lots of rolling and thwacking. Unfortunately, it shrunk a bit more than I expected, but it should just fit their teapot.

M is for Mitten

2006-10-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Latgale Mitten, size small
Pattern Source: Latvian Mittens, by Lizbeth Upitis
Needles: Size 0

Silk!

2006-10-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Mmmm... 300 yards, 2 oz., pure silk hanspun yarn.

It almost makes me forget that right after this, when I went to take the spinning wheel back upstairs, the strap came loose, and the whole thing went tumbling down half a flight of stairs.

In slow motion.

After a panicked inspection, I think the only damage was a ding to the tension knob on top (replacement cost $22), but even that is still functional. Those Schacht people make a damn sturdy wheel.

In other "what the hell is wrong with me" news, I forgot my mother's birthday. As penance, I am knitting the Mitten of Guilt.

Looks simple enough, right? But those little braids on the cuffs are a real pain to make. You alternate colors, twisting the strands with each color change. By the end of the row, you're tangled, cursing, and miserable. But then you remember you deserve it.

Looking forward to SAFF next weekend. I'm taking some spinning and nuno felting classes, and it will be the first time I visit Asheville.

Swappity Swap

2006-09-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

I came home from vacation to find my Spinning Roving Swap package. Yay!

Isn't it lovely? Kaity, my wonderful secret pal, sent 4 oz. of merino in "Fall Squall," blues with hints of brown. There's also a large bag of soysilk, which I'm very excited to dye and try spinning. Kaity even sent a beautiful skein of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns' merino fingering in "Just Plum," which I love. It's such a pretty colorway. Not pictured are the Reese's Bites, which my husband broke into last night, and a copy of Madge from Knittyspin. What a haul! I'm looking forward to trying the pattern.

I sent my pal's package today:

The green fiber is BFL I dyed especially for my pal. There are also a few other things for her to try: some smaller amounts of llama, kid mohair, cotton, a cotswold mix, a bit of romney, and a little sample of sari silk to mix in with something else. Hopefully she'll have fun with it. I also took the opportunity to get spinner's control cards for my pal and for me. I'm hoping these will be faster to use on the fly than actually measuring wpi.

I'm allowed...

2006-09-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

...to indulge in the occasional random baby picture on my fiber blog.

My baby.

Dyeing, Spinning, Knitting

2006-09-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've finished both socks made from my own handspun -- woohoo!!!

The other one looks much like this, but I was standing on that one. The wool is anonymous gray wool.

Fingerless gloves made from my own handspun -- woohoo, too!!

The pattern is from Alterknits. The wool is Cotswold mixed with silk and sari silk.

I had some dyeing fun this past weekend:

BFL for the Spinning Roving Swap:

Various uncarded fiber:

Coopworth roving in red/orange/pink, greens, and light blue:

And finally, One-Shoulder Tunic from Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop:

I've also assembled everything I need for my Spinning Roving Swap partner: the green BFL above, some other fibers to play with, a spinner's control card, and a back issue of Spin-Off with a fun glove pattern. I just need to package it up.

Spinning Roving Swap

2006-09-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

I've signed up for the Spinning Roving Swap, and heard from my pal almost immediately (thanks for that).

My answers to the questionnaire:

1) How long have you been spinning?

Almost a year

2) Are you a beginner, novice, or experienced spinner?

I'd say somewhere in the advanced beginner or intermediate range

3) Do you spin on a drop spindle or wheel, or both?

Mainly a wheel, with occasional spindling

4) What types and weights of drop spindles (or what type of spinning wheel(s) ) do you currently own?

I have a Schacht Matchless DT wheel. For spindling, I have a Schacht hi-lo, and I just got a Bosworth mini. I also have a tahkli.

5) What type of fibers have you spun with before?
Wools, silks, alpaca, and very small amounts of a wide range including soy silk, cashmere, mohair, bunny, and doggy. I've spun mixes of fibers, and textured stuff can be fun, too.

6) What fibers do you prefer to spin with?

Soft fibers, silky fibers, lustrous fibers, fluffly fibers. I also like to play with unusual things. (I spin cotton on my tahkli and I'm getting a charkha, but I do already have a lot of cotton right now in the stash.)

7) What fibers do you dislike?

I don't much like rough fibers, although I recently got some linen and hemp to try for fun. I'm not a big fan of dog fiber.

8) Do you prefer natural colored fibers, or handpainted/dyed fiber?

It really depends. I mostly spin dyed, because color is so much fun. But sometimes natural colors are gorgeous, too.

9) Would you prefer all one type of roving or smaller amounts of different types to sample?

I would prefer enough to make something out of, rather than samples.

10) What are you favorite colors?

Tough one. I like lots of colors: blues, greens, reds, pinks. I tend to like color mixes inspired by nature.

11) What colors do you dislike?

I don't tend to like yellows, or greens that have a lot of yellow in them. Anything that could be described as "flourescent" is probably not a good match either. I generally don't like mixes that are very rainbow-y either.

12) What would you like to do with your handspun yarn, or what do you plan to do with it?

It depends on the fiber, really. I like to knit a variety of projects -- lace shawls or stoles, armwarmers, gloves, scarves, hats, sweaters (not that I'd expect that much fiber, of course), socks. It's just a matter of finding something that works with the fiber. But I've been knitting for a long time, and I think I can handle most patterns.

13) What spinning projects are you currently working on?

I just finished spinnig up a bunch of sock yarn, and I'm now making the socks. I'm not sure what I want to spin next. I just got a carder, and I've been playing with some fleece, Lincoln and Cotswold. I'm intrigued by the idea of spinning enough for a sweater, but I'll probably do some smaller projects first.

14) Do you have a wishlist?

Yes

15) What are your other favorite hobbies?

Knitting, dyeing, reading, watching movies

16) Do you have any allergies (pet, smoke, food, fiber,etc...)?

Cigarette smoke

17) What is your preferred shipping method (USPS, UPS, FedEx)?

No preference

Handspun Sock Yarn

2006-08-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

One sock's worth down, one more to go...

Lumpy Bumpy

2006-08-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

I started this at the guild meeting Thursday and finished today. It's a Cotswold/silk/sari silk/angelina blend I bought off eBay. The preparation was pretty lumpy, with a fair amount of VM, and I decided to just go with the lumpiness. I like the finished texture -- it's less bumpy than I thought it would be.

I got about 180 yards out of 4 ounces -- a practical weight.

In the Pink

2006-08-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

100 yards, 100 grams BFL

Now can I spin something blue again?

Before and After

2006-08-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

cotslock
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Would you look at that? Scouring works!

These are Cotswold locks, acquired through a massive sale held by the original owner of Carolina Homespun (a few other things may also have followed me home).

Cotswold is a very lustrous fiber, which you can really see when the sun hits it.

This fleece is on the finer side, so I think it could work well for sweaters and possibly even scarves. Although the natural white is gorgeous, I'm looking forward to seeing how it takes dye. It's known as "poor man's mohair," so I'm expecting good results.

The guild's monthly spin meeting is tomorrow, and I need to pick a new project. I have another 100 grams of BFL from Sweet Georgia Yarns, this time in a pink/peach, and I have yet to attempt a bulky single. Hmmm...

The Blue Period

2006-08-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Every yarn I've spun in the past couple of months has blue in it. I think it's time to break out of that particular rut. In the meantime, here's the Innisfree yarn.

It wasn't as dark as I feared, though I may still lighten up on the dye a bit next time. I have about 200 yards.

And the subtly sparkly BFL is sunbathing in the nude -- woo!:

Oh -- and hubby swears he didn't actually see the still life from my last post, even though it was hanging in the bedroom for about 24 hours. So is that more disturbing?

Should I be worried?

2006-07-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

gromit
Originally uploaded by Frith.

This display in our bedroom did not illicit a comment -- not a single word -- from my husband. Has he decided I'm already so far gone?

What's a girl to do?

At least the yarn is now behaving properly. I'm thinking arm warmers or gauntlets.

I spun up two ounces of my hand-dyed Corriedale. It's looking a little darker spun up. I'll try lightening up on the greens next time. Two more ounces to go, and I'll see how it plys up as a two-ply, hopefully around worsted weight.

Spinning

2006-07-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

purpleblue2
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I just finished plying 100 grams of hand-dyed BFL from Sweet Georgia Yarns. I added in a strand of beads and sequins while plying, and I spun a whisper of Angelina fiber into the singles. I didn't use many beads or sequins, so I'm hoping the overall effect is subtly iridescent.

I found it very difficult to control the plying with the added hassle of plying the thread (slightly behind the plying of the singles) and adding in beads and sequins at somewhat regular-ish intervals. Hopefully the skein isn't too overplied.

I'll leave it on the niddy-noddy for as long as I can stand it before setting the twist.

What a difference a week makes

2006-07-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Stella is done. I just need to steam some seams.

It fits very well, and it's also really comfortable. The finishing seemed to never end: block, seam, pick up stitches for neckband, knit neckband, sew in zipper, finish seaming, attach buttons, make button loops, weave in ends, tack edges of zipper down.

This past weekend, I went to a dyeing party hosted by a member of the local SnB.

I dyed roving:

It's some Corriedale I had around. And I shall call the color "Innisfree":

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the mourning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

I'm a big cornball at heart.

I also dyed silk hankies:

Next Up

Lace Blouson, Interweave Summer '04

It's hemp, and it has an earthy scratchiness to it. Very "Wild Swans."

"The Wild Swans" was apparently very influential to me in my childhood. My mother even saved the book:

Poor Elise. Not only did she have to crush and spin stinging nettles (and I complain about a little VM), but then she had to knit them into 12 tunics without any needles.

But even a spinning, knitting mute with bleeding fingers proves irresistible to the right person:

Is it still summer?

And because Teva Durham rocks my world, and I'm just that kind of crazy, and season be damned...

... Green Sleeves from "Wrap Style."

Scour Power

2006-07-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

cleanfleece
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I have scoured fleece for the first time. I did it in the washing machine. First, I turned the water heater all the way up, left for a couple of hours, and then filled the machine with hot water. I stuck a bunch of Dawn detergent in, placed the fleeces (nearly 3 pounds, unscoured) in, and let them soak for close to an hour. Then I switched the machine to the spin cycle and spun the water out. I refilled the machine with hot water, and put the fleeces in with some hair conditioner and oil of pennyroyal (that stuff really should come with a dropper -- I spilled it all over my hand and the entire upstairs stinks). I let them soak a little while, then spun them dry again. I probably should have gone for two rinses, but I needed to get the baby down for a nap.

They're certainly much cleaner, softer, and nicer smelling. And now I know that any bugs I come across will definitely be dead. That's worth a lot in my book.

This top fleece is a Jacob cross. I was there for the shearing and helped skirt it myself. I think it's the nicest fleece in that little flock, and I was lucky to talk Judy even out of a pound of it (she's a spinner, and if I were her, I would have hoarded the whole thing). It's so silky and pretty fine, too.

The bottom is a Jacob from a different flock. I bought it out of a van on a dark street in the rain last night. $10 for nearly 2 pounds. If I sound like a desperate addict, so be it. It was after the spinning guild meeting, and the whole thing was very "psssst... want to buy some fleece?"

I plan to preserve the color variations when I spin these. I imagine I'll spin the Jacob X fairly fine, and do a thicker woolen yarn out of the Jacob. But first, there will be much picking and carding (all by hand).
Now pardon me while I study my fleece preparation books.

Yes, I am knitting Stella's Blouse out of the Rowan Cotton Glace (found some on eBay). But Paton's Grace is about the same weight, as I discovered recently while searching the local craft stores for some inexpensive worsted-weight cotton to make another Frith-agamo for my sister-in-law (haven't found a thing, unfortunately).

The Cotton Glace is lovely -- hard on the hands, though, as cotton tends to be.

I am adoring the pattern. The smocking is so clever it kills me. I'm wishing I had a baby girl in my life because I think I need to make a little smocked cardigan.

Vanity, Thy Name is Handspun

2006-07-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Mmmm...

I've been wearing it around the house draped over my shoulder.

It's 354 yards and 2.5 ounces -- the last of the merino/silk I spun up. This one is more consistent than the first one. Funny how that works.

I soaked both skeins in hot water and Eucalan yesterday and hung them to dry without weights (I didn't want to lose any bounce).

Maybe one day, when I really know what I'm doing, I'll see nothing but flaws in this skein. But for now, it's love, baby.

I've started a new knitting project: Stella's Blouse from Interweave Spring 2004:

I'm knitting it in a sort of muted lavender:

Handspun Cotton Hat

2006-07-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

And here's what happened to the takhli-spun cotton I posted recently. It's a basic hat, with stripes based on a short Fibonacci sequence. The cotton felt a bit like Blue Sky Organic Cotton, soft and fluffy.

Granted, it's hardly the most evenly spun cotton in the world. It's over- and under-spun in parts. The thickness varies. But I don't think it looks half bad. And a little blocking should improve it, too.

I love that the colors are natural shades of cotton, not dyed. I love that I spun it on such a rudimentary tool. I love that, in the process, I learned how to do long draw (there's no choice when one hand is occupied with controlling the takhli). I also love that it's so soft -- perfect for its bald intended recipient.

Houston, we have a lining

2006-06-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

The bag, she is lined.

I love the fabric. It's "How to catch a husband."

I also like the corkscrew curls.

Happy bag, reclining in the sun.

Bag-alicious

2006-06-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

All the knitting is complete. I just need to line it. I'm pretty happy with it so far, although I notice the front handle is slipping, so I need to tighten it in there a bit.

Real Ferragamo: around $1600
Frith-agamo: around 50 cents for the dowel

The yarn (Nature's Choice cotton) was from my husband's grandmother's stash (she de-stashed when she moved recently), and the fabric I'll use for the lining is from my stash.

Frith-agamo

2006-06-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

frithagamo
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Inspired by photos in the fashion magazines, and helped immeasurably by pictures and a beta version of the stitch] on Kate's blog, knit lit, I crafted this. Kate will send you a PDF of the actual pattern she used, but I was not physically capable of waiting a couple of days for it to arrive.

Instead of continuing the stitch pattern at the top, as she did, I tried something a little different: a crocheted top to provide more stability and a bit of contrast. I only know how to do the most basic crochet stitch, but that's fortunately the one I wanted.

I just need to sew up the bag, add the corkscrew curly things to the bottom, craft some sort of lining (this makes me a little nervous, as sewing is not my strength), and cut and paint a dowel for the handles.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Wuz a Hat

2006-06-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

I love it, my first thing made from my own handspun. For days, I kept trying to wear it out of the house. In summer. In North Carolina. My husband, who normally doesn't bat an eye no matter what crazy thing I'm wearing, thought I was nuts.

Me: Honey, do I look––
Husband: Yes, you look like an idiot. It's 80 degrees outside.

It's fabulous, and I don't care.

Is it hot in here?

Big Update

2006-06-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

Bless me, reader, for I have sinned. It's been more than 3 months since my last update.

Here's what I've been up to:
I finished the Prairie Tunic (I think that's what it was called) from this year's Spring Interweave.

Yeah, the camera in these pics is annoying, but if I waited until my husband and I both had some free time, it would be another 3 months.

Note that the pattern as printed has several major errors. I called this to the attention of the editors (after I ripped out half the front and figured it out myself). They've printed corrections on the Interweave site.

I finished the rectangular Birch (or Kiri) shawl, and wore it to my cousin's wedding (though this pic is obviously from today). It's made from Artfibers Tsuki:

I swear to God I had boobs before I had a baby. What the hell?

I received these amazing red socks from my Swedish Sockapaloooza pal (along with a beaded knit bracelet and some yummy candy):

Thanks, again, Anna-Karin! I love them!

I am nearly finished with some socks for me, made from the same color yarn I used for my sock pal:

I did a lot of spinning. First, I took a weekend workshop and learned to skirt, scour, card, and comb. I also had lots of practice spinning on all sorts of fibers. Here's the crazy skein I made:

I made a wonderful hat out of this. I'll take a picture after I recharge my camera batteries. But the fibers include wool, mohair, silk, soy silk, cotton, Great Pyranees, Angelina sparkle, cashmere, alpaca, and angora.

I also got a takhli, and I'm spinning cotton to make a hat for a friend:

I'm trying to spin relatively thick yarn, but the cotton always wants to be thinner. So I won't be able to use all of these skeins -- some are simply too fine.

Finally, I've been turning this hand-dyed merino/silk top from Three Waters Farms from this:

into this:

It's around 2.4 ounces, and nearly 300 yards. I'm definitely improving my control, and I'm very proud of this skein. I have another 2.5 ounces to go, so I'll have to think of something nice to make with it.

And that about does it. My head is mostly occupied with this little man:

Spring is in the Air

2006-03-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

sockpal2
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Spring is in the air, flowers are starting to bloom, and socks are hanging from trees.

The sockapaloooza socks are done!

Sockapaloooza

2006-03-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

pinksock1
Originally uploaded by Frith.

As requested:
Bright, cheery color: Check!
Just-above-the-ankle length: Check!
Superwash wool: Check!

This is a Simply Lovely Lace Sock from the Spring '06 Interweave in Cherry Tree Hill, wild cherry.

Its mate should be finished in a few days.

I really hope my sock pal likes pink.

Rectangular Birch and Jacket with Frilled Band

2006-02-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

birch1
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Thank you so much for the lovely comments on the corset pullover.

Meet the latest projects, a rectangular version of the popular Birch shawl from Rowan 34 and the Jacket with Frilled Band from Rebecca 25.

I'm making Birch with Tsuki, a 40/60 silk/mohair blend from Artfibers. It's very similar to Kidsilk Haze (with a slightly greater silk content). I love it. It's like knitting fairy wings.

I'm going slowly to avoid errors. Stitch markers between each repeat help, too. I haven't had to tink back more than 3 stitches at a time.

I'm knitting on #7 Pony Pearls -- not exactly the pointiest tips, but I find the plastic too comfortable to switch.

The original Rebecca pattern calls for Safari, a leather-like yarn. I'm using R2 Paper, which I've been obsessed with for awhile.

I like the stiff, crunchy texture and the way light passes through it. My swatch softened after blocking, so I'm hoping the ruffle doesn't turn out to be too stiff. If I had it to do over again, I'd increase a bit more in the ruffle to make it longer (my row gauge differs from the pattern, making my ruffle less full, as I picked up the same relative number of stitches instead of the same number), but I'll see how this turns out. Redoing both ruffles would be a pain in the butt, but not the end of the world.

Oh -- and I've got the cutest little robot button to fasten it instead of the ties.

I'm planning to finish Birch first, because I may wear it to a wedding next month.

Socks, socks, socks

In other news, I've joined my first exchange -- Sockapalooza. I'm planning to knit the Giotta socks, as my recipient likes her socks on the shorter side. She likes "bright happy" colors in a superwash wool, so I'm still mulling over the yarn choice. I was considering Lorna's in Bittersweet, but I'm afraid it might obscure the design. Maybe a solid would be better. A shade of pink could be fun, and a nice break from all my recent colorless projects.

Update: I think it's between Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Bittersweet, and Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Wild Cherry. Really, I'd prefer the latter, but it's proving tough to track a skein down.

Corset Pullover

2006-01-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

corset1
Originally uploaded by Frith.

It's lovely and perfect.

What? What's funny?

Oh, that.

Well, due to a bit of, er, user error, the neckline was about 3 inches too deep and the darn thing was slipping off my shoulders. I wound up detaching the sleevecap, cutting the shoulder bind-off, and redoing the 3-needle bind-off 3 inches sooner. Reattaching the sleeve took some tugging, as I had lost about 6 inches of armhole. This crazy picture above shows the new and old shoulder.

D-rings, ahoy!

I did some searching on the Web, and it looks like most people left off the straps. Me, I really like the straps, even though I ironed and starched them within an inch of their lives and they still want to curl. But I think they really make the sweater.

Corset Pullover
Pattern: by Robin Melanson, available free here,
Yarn: Filatura Elena, 10 balls (just a bit of the 10th) for size 32; Yes, the very yarn and color used in the pattern. So sue me.
Needles: U.S. 8
Notes:
I abandoned this project because the cotton hurt my hands. But now that I'm not working on the computer full-time, the yarn doesn't bother me at all. It's really sproingy.

Other than the shoulder thing, it wasn't too complex. I did have to graft live stitches to bound-off twisted rib on the neckline, but I'm happy enough with the results.

The neckline is still wide on me, but I don't feel like it will slip off.

All in all, I'm pleased. I think it's a very creative design, and it will be perfect for spring.

Sockies!

2006-01-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

P1010124
Originally uploaded by Frith.

My first little sockies are done, and I'm so proud.

Pattern: Fibertrends Raindrop Lace Socks
Yarn: Too lazy to look at the moment, but they were from a yard sale in Berkeley
Needles: 1.5 dpns

I started these before Christmas. The first one took several weeks. The second took about three days. I was so proud of the first, I wore it every evening this week. The other foot got jealous. It threatened to kick the hands if it didn't got its sock soon.

I see more socks in my future. I want to try different heel and toe methods, too. Not that I have any idea which heel and toe methods I just used, but I like variety.

Next up: the corset sweater. It's languished in my knitting basket for way too long -- partly because I dread trying to remember where I left off. I really should take better notes as I knit.

First Sock

2006-01-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

sock1
Originally uploaded by Frith.

After years of hating wearing socks, I've had a change of heart (or perhaps a change of sole). My feet get cold easily in my old age.

I picked up some sock yarn and a few patterns at a yard sale in Berkeley. My first sock is a Fiber Trends Raindrop Lace Sock. Hopefully it will have a twin in good time.

I don't have much to say about the process yet -- I haven't reached the heel, and I've never minded dpns. And since I'm taking extra-special care of my hands these days, it might be awhile yet before I even finish.

I have discovered a weakness for knitting socks while taking a bath. The air is warm, so my hands are happy. I'm warm, so I'm happy. And my fingers aren't in the water, so they don't get too wrinkly. Aside from the yarn tail getting soaked, it's bliss.

Genius, pure genius.

Eleanor is done, and she took my finger with her

2005-12-20T06:28:00.000-08:00

I finally finished Eleanor in several recent marathon sessions. It's not like I had a deadline or anything, but you know how you get so close, and every day seems like the perfect day to wear it, if only it were ready? Well, I'm powerless to stop, even when my finger is quietly swelling to previously unexplored proportions.

Sadly, it took me awhile to realize what had happened. It was sort of in the back of my mind for a couple of days: Gee, my finger sort of hurts, and I should probably do something about it, or at least take a look at it. When I finally did, it was about double the size of the other fingers.

Cold hands and knitting really don't agree with me, which is why I should really wear my Natalya gauntlets whenever I knit.

I like 'em long.

Pattern: Natalya gauntlets
Yarn: Rowan Calmer, color 480, a little over 1 ball
Needles: Size 7
Notes: Obviously, I made these longer than the pattern. I also used a smaller gauge. I really like them, and they're very comfortable. If I were making them again, I'd do something about the twisting that comes from making a straight tube for a body part that isn't straight. This would probably entail removing some cables to allow for more space to shape. Or possibly going down a needle size or two (there's enough room in the wrist), and adding some purls up at the arm, and steadily decreasing the extra stitches away to the wrist.

But what of Ellie?

Here she is, soaking wet:

Pattern: Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, color 150, 14 balls
Needles: Size 9
Notes: Because of the thinner yarn, I added a square to the width, for a total of 8 full squares across. I also wound up making the stole longer. I completed 43 rows (not including base and final triangles), for a total blocked length of around 76", not including fringer. This was a great pattern for mindless knitting, as there's just enough to keep your interest going. I also learned how to knit backwards, and believe me when I say you do not want to be flipping this thing every 8 stitches.

On my resident model:

There's some law of physics about how a toddler in motion tends to stay in motion. So, yeah, the picture's a little blurry.

Oh, and here's the flower basket shawl on its happy recipient, the little guy's great-grandma:

Well, the loft in Oakland is sold, and we're now in our new house in Carrboro. It's a great house, and I wish I had more time to explore the area. But with the little man, a contract editing gig (thankfully working from home), various and sundry contractors coming and going, holiday madness, etc., it's amazing I have any time to knit. Which hopefully explains why I took months to finish ol' Ellie, and why my blog updates are few and far between. Here's to a new year and a cup running over with knitting and blogging!

Has it really been so long?

2005-10-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

koolaid
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I'm coming at you live from Pinehurst, North Carolina, our temporary home while we close on our house in Carrboro (and finish selling our loft in Oakland).

Everybody's here at the in-laws place, including Coltrane's great-grandmother, who had enough of Hurricane Wilma and no electricity in Florida.

Let's see, I finished the shawl for great-grandmother, and she was thrilled with it. Pictures will be forthcoming as soon as I can catch her wearing it.

This little hunk of yarn was my first foray into spinning on my Schect hand spindle. Before I left California, I picked it up at Deep Color Studio (along with some blue-face Leicester) and they taught me the basics of using it.

I went a little nuts with the Kool-Aid. I tried one package of lime and 2 packages of blue lemonade, but it looked like the Incredible Hulk of yarn. So I over-dyed it with about 4 more packages of blue, and got this. It also turned out a little felted -- bear in mind that it had already been through a wash to set the twist in addition to two novice dyeing sessions. Poor yarn.

Then I abused it further by attempting to ply it with a thin strand of silver sparkly stuff. I really need to take a class in this stuff.

I'm planning on knitting this into a hat on its own, or pairing it with some crazy silver stuff I picked up at a yard sale and turning it into some psychotic scarf. We'll see.

I enjoyed the spinning, and I'm itching to get my hands on a wheel and see what that's like. Maybe I'll try to find some weekend spinning retreat somewhere in the state.

I've been working on Lady Eleanor still. Here she is:

This is color #150 of Noro Kureyon. I did add a square to the width, as the gauge is a little smaller than the La Lana the pattern (from Scarf Style) calls for. I may make it longer than the 32 rows of squares. I really love the color. Purple's not normally my thing, but the blues and greens are, and I love the subtle changes.

I've also cast on for some Natalya gauntlets in Rowan Calmer, a la Cari. I've only done about 5 cable things, so it's not worth photographing, really, but it's a pretty dark teal color. These are for me, 'cause I get cold easily. And I've always wanted to try Calmer. I'm using #7 needles because my arms and wrists are pretty small.

North Carolina Bound

2005-09-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

After much discussion -- and some agonizing -- we've decided to pitch our tent in North Carolina. Hubby will leave at the end of the month and drive across country, and I'll follow a couple weeks later with baby and iggy.

I love the Bay Area, and it's hard to leave. But now that we've made the decision, I'm excited. And a little nervous -- we've got to pack everything up, sell the place, and find a home in the Chapel Hill/Durham area.

At the moment, I seem to be most concerned with how the yarn will make it across the country. I may be insane. Should I trust it with the movers? What if we decide to have them store everything until we find a place? It could be months! Anything could happen -- mold, theft, loss. Should I have the hubby stuff all he can in the Tercel? What about those roving bands of yarn theives, ready to strike at every rest stop? Stuff it in my suitcase? The airlines have never lost a bag of mine, so I'm overdue for the experience. Sadly, my carry-ons will be taken up with baby things and a computer (and a dog). That leaves the mail. Can I trust the mail?

On Sunday, I packed up the bulk of my yarn into bags. Hubby, looking at my progress and the mountains of yarn, could only laugh and shake his head.

I've been tagged by the charming Susan

TEN YEARS AGO: I was at UC Berkeley in a joint masters program in journalism and Asian studies.
FIVE YEARS AGO: I was at Burning Man with my husband-to-be, our tent was leaking, and the sandstorms were making me miserable.
ONE YEAR AGO: I was preparing to give birth to my son. I was very large and overheated
FIVE SNACKS: honey mustard pretzels, cheddar popcorn, raspberry yogurt-covered pretzels, dark dark chocolate, Barbara's blue cheese curls
FIVE SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO: Just about every Beatles song
FIVE THINGS I WOULD DO WITH $100 MILLION: Buy homes in New York, Paris, and maybe the south of France; save for baby's education and parents' retirement; buy cashmere and quiviut yarn; start some sort of charity endowment/foundation for vocational training programs for young people; take friends and family on amazing trips around the world.
FIVE PLACES TO RUN AWAY TO: France, India, Tibet, some exotic island, a yoga retreat
FIVE THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR (in public): Leather chaps, pointy JPG bustier, hot pants, really pointy shoes, girdle
FIVE FAVORITE TV SHOWS: Homicide: Life on the Street (soooooo under-appreciated), Rescue Me (a current favorite), Buffy, The Office (I actually like the NBC version, too, but the BBC is still the best), early seasons of Six Feet Under
FIVE BIGGEST JOYS: My baby's laugh, My husband's sense of humor, bare feet (mine, I mean), good food, learning something new
FAVORITE TOYS: knitting needles, sewing machine, computers, gadgets, my baby's cute toy cars (they look sort of like the ones from Pixar's upcoming movie, and I like to race them)

I'll find some people to pass this on to later. I'm feeling lazy right now.

Nothing very new to report on the knitting front. Let's see -- I made another Branching Out scarf from some silver Artfibers silk while I was on vacation. I started another Flower Basket Shawl for my husband's grandmother (she saw mine while I was on vacation and wanted one in black). I'm about 1/4 of the way through. I'm still working on Lady Eleanor (maybe 1/3 of the way done). I did start the Forest Paths stole while on vacation, but my first set-up triangle kept turning out messy. I might start over with a more reasonable yarn. This is super-thin (like, thinner than Shetland cobweb) bamboo.

Branching Out

2005-08-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Branching Out is done, blocked, and ironed.

Ironed?

Yes. I used Artfibers Golden Chai (tussah silk), same yarn I used for the Flower Basket Shawl, and wore it to Artfibers (it was the first one they had actually seen in person). Anyway, they suggested ironing it, and I thought I'd use my leftover ball to make the scarf and try the iron on that one first.

Ironing turned out to be a Good Thing. It makes it shiny. And flat, of course, which is nice for lace.

Iron vs. Scarf

Iron vs. FBS

The finished scarf. A respectable 55 inches long (around 21 pattern repeats).

ADD Knitter

2005-08-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have way too many things I want to knit right now, and it's made me really unfocused. The responsible thing to do would be to finish every project I have started, right?

But what I really want to do is abandon everything and try some really complicated lace. Maybe not this complicated, but something nearly that dainty and involved. I've ordered the book (used through Amazon) Heirloom Knitting, and I believe there's a little sampler that might take the edge off. We'll see.

Really, what's driving this is the thought of making an heirloom-quality white lace wedding shawl for my son's wedding.

My son is 9 months old.

I justify this by saying that it would be nice to get it out of the way -- never put off until tomorrow, early bird, and all that. Furthermore, even if he doesn't get married, it would be a nice thing to have. Or if he's gay, maybe his future husband would be into lace. And it might actually take me around 30 years to make such a garment.

What it comes down to is that this is my Mount Everest, and climb it I must.

I have a nice cone of Habu laceweight bamboo. Not to mention several balls of Artfiber's version of Kidsilk Haze (slightly more silk, and much better yardage for the money). And I really shouldn't talk about the genuine Kidsilk Haze I've acquired for some other shawl/stole projects. Shhh...

I blame Wendy, in all her wonderful lace madness. It's terrifyingly easy to be enabled by someone you've never even met.

On that note, I present Elizabeth's yarn-over Steek Tank. I love the color, the deconstructed look, the yarn. I also wonder if I could wear it backwards, but the correct way is great, too. And it would make sense to make this during the summer, when I could actually wear it. So I should make this now.

But then it also would be good to get a jump on the fall. Maybe finish that corset sweater that's been hanging around in my knitting basket for months.

What I really should be doing is getting a good start on the holidays, and making some presents. In fact, if we accept that my mother really needs a Shetland lace stole, we come full circle. Circles are nice.

Sigh. I'm visiting some friends in a few weeks, and what I really need to do is make their daughter that adorable alpaca bunny from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.

Lady Eleanor is still a good mostly mindless knit, and I've been making progress. I'm also using some yarn left over from my Flower Basket Shawl to make a Branching Out scarf that I hope will make a nice gift for the holidays. Until I finish at least one of these, I'll try to resist starting yet another project.

Lady Eleanor

2005-07-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

entrelac
Originally uploaded by Frith.

This is the start of the Lady Eleanor Stole from Scarf Style. I'm using Noro Kureyon, and it's fun to see what color comes out of the ball next. I'm adding one repeat to the width, and I think I should be able to do the same length as the pattern with 16 balls.

Entrelac is not as hard as it looks. And hopefully this will be good practice for tackling the Forest Path lace stole from Interweave Summer '03. I still haven't found the right yarn for that one, though. Well, I lust for the Suri Alpaca, but it's pricey.

Clapotis in Blue Sky Organic Cotton

2005-07-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

cottonclap
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I love it! It's so soft and yummy. Knitting it was like knitting fluffy little clouds. I used 5 balls and left out one repeat in the straight section (I did 12 repeats total). It's nice and wide (my gauge was larger than the pattern's), and plenty long enough.

A Bear is Born

2005-07-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Date of Birth: July 17, 2005
Length: 14 inches
Materials: Pakucho Organic Cotton, 2 skeins (almost exactly)
Pattern: Blue Sky Alpacas Baby Bobbi Bear
Note: Lengths given in pattern were reduced about 10 percent to make up for smaller gauge of yarn

Baby meets bear

Obligatory gratuitous baby shot:

The bear will soon be sent to its intended recipient, a little baby girl in Chicago. The winters there should be good for bears.

The Flower Basket Shawl is Finished!

2005-07-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

They thought she'd never make it. She struggled for life over the long months. For weeks at a time, she languished alone, afraid.

But she was never really alone.

She was always there -- in my bag on BART, under the front seat of the car. I tried to ignore her, but I heard her pleas, and finally, I brought her to life.

And here she is, unblocked.

And blocked:

Another viw:

And a close-up:

The yarn is Golden Chai from Artfibers. I used 2 balls. And I mean 2 full balls. I literally had less than 6 inches left. Since I have a third ball of it, I may start Knitty's "Branching Out" scarf and see how far I get.

Japanese kniting/crochet books

2005-06-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

I found the Japanese crochet book at a Japanese bookstore in San Francisco (in Japantown). They also had knitting books, so I picked up a stitch dictionary, too.

A number of pattern books included both knitting and crochet, and I gather it's common for people to know both. I never got the weird dichotomy here. I expect more knitters here will learn to crochet, which should fuel a growth in good crochet pattern books.

We Interrupt This Knitting Blog...

2005-06-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

to bring you an experiment in crochet.

Yes, the pictures of the mysterious Japanese cat are here.

I don't know really know anything about this cat, as the book is in Japanese. But for some reason, I have to make it.

Does this help explain the obsession?

No?

Anyway, the body is done:

I'm not sure about some of the other directions, but how wrong could I go?

By the way, I'm convinced that if I study this pattern long enough, I'll learn Japanese. The same way that if I spend enough time with the La Boheme libretto, I'll learn Italian.

Back to knitting.

This thing that looks like nothing is the Flower Basket Shawl. My progress is painfully slow. Like, row-by-row slow. But look, I'm almost done with the first skein. That means I'm halfway through.

Okay, the baby is crying and the dog is vomiting up barely chewed shrimp parts. I am needed.

Mmm... books

2005-06-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Elizabeth. To prove I'm still alive (but swamped with baby and work these days), here goes:

Total number of books I own?
Good question. I really have no idea. I just know that whenever we get a new bookshelf, it seems to fill itself instantly. The office-cum-babyroom is filled with them, and then we have a few bookshelves in the living area. And some of my college books are in boxes.

The last book I bought?
That would be Primo Levi's "The Periodic Table." We're reading it in my bookclub, and it's excellent.

The last book I read?
Probably a baby-related book, like "Baby Signs." Because in my prodigious amounts of free time, I'll be teaching my baby sign language.

Five books that mean a lot to me?

1. Like Elizabeth, a Shakespeare collection is high on my list. My mother often took me to his plays when I was a kid, and I've always enjoyed reading them. Recently, my uncle gave me a collection that belonged to my father. It's ancient and falling apart (he loved books, and sought out old editions -- not for value, but for character). In it was a picture of me. My father died when I was nine, so it was nice to have a reminder of him -- and his love for me.

2. Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet." They're beautiful, of course, and inspirational.

3. Nabokov. Do I have to pick one? Sometimes people for whom English is not their native language use it with the most creativity, freedom, and playfulness.

4. "There's a Wocket in My Pocket," by Dr. Seuss. Okay, I picked that particular Seuss at random because I read it last night. I'd probably pick "The Lorax," if I had to choose one. I am rediscovering Dr. Seuss with my baby. The man is a genius. I also recently saw a PBS special on Geisel, and it was fascinating learning how his politics affected even his children's work.

5. I'm fickle, and I'll leave #5 for whatever book I'm loving now. Right now, it's "The Periodic Table." A few years ago, I was obsessed with Rushdie ("Midnight's Children," in particular). Before that it was Marquez ("One Hundred Years of Solitude," especially).

Okay, and in knitting news, well, I'm very slowly working on my shawl. I am also having a love affair with a Japanese crocheted cat pattern. Do I read Japanese? No. Do I crochet? No. Did I let that stop me? Of course not. I'm teaching myself just enough crochet to do this project. I've completed the body so far. I've worked out most of the instructions, and I'll bluff my way through the rest.

Books and more

2005-05-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

I've been bad with the blogging lately. I blame it on sleep deprivation, baby's cold, my cold, and extra hours at work. If anyone's figured out the whole working mother thing, drop me a line, because the gig is kicking my butt.

To catch up on some old news, I had pre-ordered a copy of Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop, and it arrived a couple weeks ago. I've already started a chain scarf for my niece. I figure a toddler version would be very popular with the preschool set.

My mother-in-law gave me a copy of "At Knit's End" when she was here for Mother's Day. Although I'm usually not big on books of affirmations and pearls of wisdom, this one is pretty cute. And it makes my yarn obsessions seem normal. Scary.

Today at the Sunset Celebration Weekend in Menlo Park (love that Breezehouse), I picked up a cute bag that I'm planning to use for a project bag. It's from Mixi Blue. Check them out, they're adorable -- and vinyl-coated, very important in these days of baby vomit. They're working on getting an online store together.

I'm now avoiding projects that cause me any stress -- the corset sweater stresses my hands and the flowerbasket shawl stresses my brain. The chain scarf is simply loops inside of loops. The only stress is when I forget to join the first round through an existing loop, which I've done more times than I care to admit.

I'm also having a little love affair with some red Radiance Wave (silk and alpaca) from Knitpicks. I want to make it into a shrug or some sort of bolero-type thing, but I haven't found the right pattern. I tried a simple 3x3 rib shrug, but it's not right for the waviness of the yarn. I'm considering something along the lines of the drop-stitch shrug from the latest IW, but I'm not sure I have enough yarn. I've actually been too lazy to go and count how many balls I have, but I think it's only five. It's a thicker yarn than the one in the pattern, so I'd have to adjust it.

I'm calling a moratorium on all new projects until I have some FO's. You heard it hear first.

not my fault!

2005-05-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

So as I was saying, none of this is my fault -- my path home, the yarn store's location, the luxurious fibers. And the fact that the Yarn Harlot did this, and even had the gall to post about it so that any innocent person who googled "Artfibers" -- just out of curiousity, mind you, not with any intention of buying more yarn -- would find it.

But somehow, all of these factor have led me here:

On the bottom, you may recognize Artfibers Kyoto, that seductive blend of silk and mohair with the legendary glow. The apple of many a knitter's eye, it's almost never in stock when I'm there. With no ulterior purchasing motives, I recently asked Kira at the store how one finds the elusive red Kyoto. There is a list. And several weeks later, I got an e-mail message that it had arrived. Again, through no fault of my own, I found myself at the store. Before I knew it, Kira was measuring me, and I had a custom-made pattern for a ballet-neck cap-sleeve top that I can't even think of fitting into until I stop nursing (ahem).

And that would be Golden Chai, 100 percent Tussah silk, completing my luscious yarn pyramid. I have three skeins of the green on top, and only those two of the bluish gray below it. The green has already found its way here:

Yes, that is a Flower Basket shawl. Ba, ba, ba. Me sheep. Want to make something of it?

But let's ponder the red Kyoto for a moment: Is any project worth such marvelous stuff? I have had some brilliant blue Kyoto for years that I haven't dared to knit. I keep it in the knitting basket, gaze at it, stroke it, sniff it, and cuddle up with it. Maybe what I really want is to surround myself with the most gorgeous fibers in the world; build rooms out of the stuff; live in it, on it, under it. Nest in it. Could a sweater, a shawl, or a sock be only mundane? A disappointment next to a skein that is only a skein, beautiful for its own sake? Or is a sweater only an excuse to be close to my yarn all day long?

In old project news, I'm still working on the corset sweater. And somebody please kick me if I even think about knitting mercerized cotton tape again. But it will be great. Terrific. So I keep telling my complaining hands.

Mother's Day

This mommy gig isn't all sleepless nights and vomit-filled days. I was thrilled to receive this from my 6-month-old:

That would be a gift certificate to my favorite Oakland yarn shop. Oh, how well my baby knows me. And my child will likely catch on, too.

What Followed Me Home

2005-05-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

Is it my fault my route home takes me right past Artfibers in San Francisco? Is it my fault the yarn is so gorgeous? Is it my fault some choice fibers followed me home? Stay tuned...

Baby Meets Sweater

2005-04-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

colsweater
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I love grow-into-me clothes. I had intended to make this about a 12-month size, and I think I hit the mark (baby is 6 months old).

The yarn softened up in the blocking. I'm very happy with it, and it's even machine-washable.

Pattern: Call it my own or a very bastardized version of the placket sweater in "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" (just where do you draw the line?)
Yarn: Filatura di Crosa 501: About 2.5 balls sky blue and 1/2 ball dark chocolate

Coltrane's Sweater

2005-04-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

sweater
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Looks simple enough, right?

Ha! This sweater started (about 3 weeks ago) as a variation on the placket sweater in "Last-Minute Knitted Gifts." I was just going to change the colors around, use a different yarn with a different gauge, change the hem, change the raglan sleeve decrease style, change the stitch around the neck and on the placket, and add a hood. Mind you, I didn't go to the trouble of actually planning this out. I just thought I'd use the 3-month sweater cast-on amount with my thicker yarn, but follow the length for the 12-month sweater, and just tinker with the other stuff as I went along.

This lack of planning first got me into trouble on the second sleeve. I sort of spaced out and forgot to do some increases to match the first sleeve. Fine, rip back. Then I forgot to start the stripe on the second sleeve. Again, rip back. All well and good, but when I got mid-way through the neck placket, things looked decidedly off. It turned out I had accidently followed the smaller size, and was therefore (supposedly) off by two stitches. But it looked like far more than a two-stitch error. I went online and found that the pattern in the book was so royally messed up that they were offering an entirely new corrected PDF for download.

The moment of truth: rip back and re-do the placket, or go with the off-centered look? Yeah, off-centered look all the way. I was already working that look with the stripes on only one sleeve, so why not?

Fine, but this should have caused me to rethink my hood concept. Off I went on my merry way, using "The Sweater Workshop" to figure out how to create a hood. And I was nearly done with the darned thing when the thought occured to me that there was no way for the hood to stay up. Had the placket been in the center, I could have started the hood close enough to it that it would have worked. But off-centered with my one button leaving the neck open? No way. So the hood had to go. Another day, another sweater.

Obviously I still have to weave in some ends, but the sweater is pretty much done and is now blocking.

At least the hood provided an opportunity for a little lesson yesterday. I was teaching someone how to knit, and when I do that, I always like to unravel something so that they can see how knitting is just loops inside of loops -- no great mystery and nothing to be afraid of.

I casted on for the back of my corset sweater (finally) I really should re-work flat patterns to be in the round more often. I hate feeling like I'm doing the same exact thing twice. But I want to wear this sweater, which won't happen without the darned back, of course.

This also means I should probably start another non-cotton project to relax my hands. The little feathery scarf thing isn't quite relaxing enough (yarn is too thin). I'll have to give this some thought. Hopefully my Knitpicks yarn will come soon, and I can start one of the little Scarf Style projects. I know many "serious" knitters look down on scarves. But I love to knit them and wear them.

working without a pattern

2005-04-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

I enjoy trying to come up with my own designs, but there's something to be said for knowing exactly where you are in a written pattern. Take yesterday. I was starting my second sleeve for the baby sweater, making it the same as the first, except for some stripes at the top. But I kept spacing out and forgetting to switch colors or do increases. This doesn't happen when I'm following a pattern and keeping track of rows.

Corset front is finished

2005-04-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

corsetfront
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I finished this yesterday morning. Finally getting around to blogging.

Now my hands are tired from working on the cotton. And my little scarf is not a quick knit either. So I cast on for a baby sweater in superwash wool DK -- light blue and brown. I'm doing it in the round, and kind of making it up as I go. I think I'll make some stripes and put a hood on it.

Dangerous Chocolate

2005-04-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

I've never put those two words together before. But last night, after the chocolate bread pudding/Corset sweater incident, I need to be careful. There I was, innocently knitting and purling along, when I saw a big dab of chocolate right on one of my twisted purl stitches. I ran to the bathroom, madly rubbing the spot and cursing.

I think I got the damage out, but it will be a frosty day in H-E-double hockey sticks before I knit while eating chocolately goodness. Rich, dark, chocolatey goodness. Chocolate pudding. Extra-dark chocolate bars. Chocolate cake. Chocolate souffle. Chocolate cookies.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'll just try not to get it all over my hands next time.

In other news, I've cast on for the featherweight stole, so I can give my hands a break when needed.

Dog Collar

2005-04-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

But, of course, this isn't really a dog collar. It's my progress so far on the corset sweater:

So far, so good. But the cotton is hard on the hands. Still, I like its stiff texture -- very corset-like.

The difficulty of knitting cotton means that I should cast on for another project so I can give my hands a break. Decisions, decisions...

Baby sweater?
Mommy sweater?
Scarf?

Clapotis Appears!

2005-03-31T15:38:00.000-08:00

Doesn't Bob look elegant in my new clapotis? This is five balls of a blue-faced Leicester wool, worsted weight, 132 yards each. The yarn is very soft, similar to a merino. It was also sold at a discount (from Paradise Fibers), so the whole thing only cost $20. I made no changes to the pattern. In fact, I love the pattern. It's simple, but very clever and easy to remember.

I'll be making more of these (I'm already planning one in Blue Sky Organic Cotton).

Why start only one project?

2005-03-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

Instead, start two. I'm about 1/3 of the way through my clapotis and I've just casted on for the corset sweater. The clapotis is good relatively mindless knitting (although the pattern is genious), and the sweater requires thinking. So there's a little something for any mood. These days, I'm much more likely to opt for mindless, so I suspect the clapotis will be finished well before the other.

But I'm so excited to wear the sweater that I bought a skirt in anticipation last weekend. It has little buckles that I think will set off the cinch straps on the sweater quite nicely.

Somebody get this woman some help.

Anyhoo, the cotton (Filatura Elena) for the sweater has a firmness about it that I like. And blue-faced Leicester wool for clapotis is pretty soft. And I love the crazy candy colors.

Finito!

2005-03-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased with how it turned out. The only changes I made to the pattern were moving the opening for the tie down about 9 cm, leaving off the crochet edge on cast-on edges in favor of leaving my cable cast-on alone, and picking up the stitches for the ties off the chain selvage (I liked the open lacey look I got this way).

If I were making this again, I'd probably add a few centimeters to the length, even though it's cute this way, too.

I'd also spend more time picking up the stitches across the front. There are a few inconsistencies in the way I did it, though they're probably only noticable to me.

Update: less blurry picture
It's not really this transparent. Blame the camera flash.

Neverending sleeves

2005-03-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

Theory: The shorter the sleeves, the longer it takes to finish them.
Evidence: Usually I'll finish a sleeve in a night. But I've been working on these teeny Rebecca sleeves for days.

Then again, I do have an infant. This changes things. I went to bed at 8:30 p.m. the other night.

Sigh...

Future Projects

2005-03-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

As one project draws closer to its conclusion, a girl's thoughts naturally turn to future projects. Here are the possibilities:

The Beloved Clapotis
Yarn Status: Purchased an inexpensive wool (fairly similar colorway, actually), although the Lion and Lamb used here is sooooo nice. Maybe one day...

Lovely French Market Bag (and I NEED a decent project bag)
Yarn Status: Have some Cascade 220 around, would need to buy more; Would like to do a red and orange one.

Fair Isle Sweater from winter 2004/2005 Vogue Knitting
Yarn Status; Have inexpensive alpaca in similar colorway (although I'm feeling a little iffy about my purple replacement for their eggplant color).

Corset Sweater from Interweave Spring 2003
Yarn Status: Have exact original yarn (bought close-out)

Featherweight Stole from Exquisite Little Knits
Yarn Status: Have fairly inexpensive substitution for Kidsilk Haze

Cardigan from Rebecca 25
Yarn Status: Need 8 balls of GGH Safari in dark brown

Jacket from Rebecca 27
Yarn Status: Have Rowan All Seasons Cotton (love eBay) in a dark gray

Angelina Jacket from White Lies Designs
Yarn Status: Got it

Estonian Lace Stole (individual Fiber Trends pattern)
Yarn Status: Have 2 balls of lace-weight mohair in light jade green

Nordic Baby Sweater (12 months - 2 year size) from Knitting for Baby
Yarn Satus: Have Manos in greenish blue and gray

Nordic Baby Hat from Knitting for Baby
Yarn Status: Have Manos in pretty green

Sparkly Scarf from Exquisite Little Knits
Yarn Status: Have it in blue colorway

Elizabeth I Sweater from Tudor Roses (this model freaks me out)
Yarn Status: Bought it (and started it, like, 4 years ago *hangs head in shame*)

Assorted Baby Sweaters in do-it-yourself raglan pattern
Yarn Status: Have some wool superwash in various colors

Barely Mentionable Poncho: This is an inspired-by-Jay-McCarroll knit (instead of his crocheted) poncho, but I need to do some serious math to work out a pattern.
Yarn Status: Have 4 balls of gorgeous Kyoto in a similar color. Need sequins.

Okay, so that's a pretty good summary of my stash, too (nearly, anyway).
So what's next? Good question. I think the corset sweater would be fun, and it's cotton, so it's good for spring/summer.

she progresses

2005-03-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

knit0310
Originally uploaded by Frith.

So the back of the sweater is in the background. I've got the two fronts on the needle. Working them at the same time is going well. I figure I'm over halfway done. Yay!

Blocking should even everything out (cross fingers).

netting, netting, netting

2005-03-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

bag0310
Originally uploaded by Frith.

So these are about the dimensions I'd like to achieve. But the bulk at the top is due to the fact that I've just folded it over a couple times to cut down the length. I'll have to do some cutting and sewing to get it looking decent. Hopefully this will work. I'll also need to rip the seams of the lining and re-sew to deal with the new dimensions. Gaaaaaa!

Look, little netting bag, I will kick your a**. Bring it on.

progress

2005-03-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

I'm 1/4 done with the rebecca sweater. Or at least I've used up 1/4 of my yarn for it. I'm nearly done with the back.

I may try doing the front sides at the same time. We'll see how that goes.

The great bag o' netting has caused me some frustration. I have no idea how the author wound up with those dimensions. Mine was way too long. I may have to sew the edge to stabilize and then cut. And then hem. Ugh.

fingerless glove thing

2005-03-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

I finished one:

This was after I ripped the original one out (it looked too bulky worked vertically and the cable pattern I put going up the center just wasn't showing up very well). This new pattern is from "Weekend Knitting."

I should have follwed my gut and cast on an extra ten stitches or so as I'd like them longer. At any rate, I think these will be helpful with my RSI. Maybe I'll make gloves with little half-fingers to provide a little more warmth to the joints.

Made some progress on the Rebecca sweater last night:

I'm enjoying it -- it's so light and fluffy.

rebecca in da house

2005-03-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

I have the pattern and the yarn in light blue. I've swatched and am ready to go (moved up to size 8 needles).

I also completed the knitting portion of the little pink purse last night. But there's lots of finishing to go. At least I'm done cutting strips of netting. I saw in the yarn store that Debbie Bliss makes a netting yarn. At $11 per ball, my way is a lot cheaper, at least.

In other news, I knit about 4 inches of a gauntlet in a mint microfiber. It's so soft, but the gauntlet is turning out much thicker than I imagined when I conceived the project. I think I'll have to just see how it looks when it's done.

new rebecca obsession

2005-02-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

I'll be joining in the Rebecca 29 wrap-cardi-along as soon as I can get ahold of the pattern and yarn.

Hopefully my LYS (Article Pract) has both. Unfortunately, it's not open Mondays. Argh!

And if only they used plastic shopping bags, I could also make some headway on plastic bag (couple posts down)...

adventures in netting

2005-02-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

I'm making this purse (upper right corner of the book) from "Simple Knits with a Twist" for a bride-to-be:

Pretty cute.

This involves cutting netting into 1-inch wide strips and knitting it up. It's kind of fun. Here's what I have so far:

As you can see, I've given up on trying to wind the netting into anything resembling a ball. It just catches on itself and tangles.

bag made from bags

2005-02-27T19:42:00.000-08:00

I thought this project from "Simple Knits with a Twist" was pretty cool. And it allows me to indulge my knitting habit without paying for yarn.

But I have a problem.

I've run out of plastic bags (grocery store bags are too wimpy). I could remedy this by going shopping, but then I'd defeat the purpose of the cheap knitting. I'm resisting the urge to ask my neighbors for their plastic bags.

Anyway, here's where I am so far:

plouf!

2005-02-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

skinnyscarf
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Oh, how I love Plouf!, a fun yarn from Artfibers in SF. I found some of it left over from a scarf I made my mother-in-law. This is how skinny scarf came to be.

Learn from my pain: I finished this late last night. I was binding off the last stitch and realized I didn't have a pair of scissors handy. So I took scarf in hand, walked over to the kitchen, grabbed the shears and cut. All good until I pulled the strand the wrong way and started unravelling the scarf! ARGH!!! You do not want to make a mistake with Plouf. Ever. It is impossible to see the stitches. I managed to stop all the runs, I think. Never cut when sleepy.

fuzzy

2005-02-27T17:46:00.000-08:00

fuzzy
Originally uploaded by Frith.

My mother showed up with a red boa-type scarf (not handmade) and said they were "all the rage" back in the Midwest. It just so happened that I picked up this crazy Crystal Palace yarn (actually two colors knit together) at Stitches West. Voila, present for mom.

Stitches West was pretty overwhelming. I was afraid I'd get trampled by little old ladies at the bargain bins.

bears, oh my!

2005-02-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

Another one from "Knitting for Baby." The big one was a Valentine's Day present for the boy. The others were made before Coltrane was born.

awwwwww... booties

2005-02-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

Another project made from "Knitting for Baby" before baby was born:

What's that? You can't see the booties with the big baby in the way? Very well:

heart sweater

2005-02-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

babysweater
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Another sweater from my big-bellied days. Of course, baby has already grown out of it, but it was fun to see him in it. Although now I understand why baby clothes often have buttons at the neck. Pulling this thing over his head made him a wee bit angry. This is also from "Knitting for Baby" by Falick and Nicholas. Love that book.

the magic of short rows

2005-02-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

balls
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I made these for the baby boy while I was pregnant last fall. I have fond memories of working on them while in my birthing class. This might have affected the stitch tension in parts -- some of those labor videos are pretty gnarly. This project is from Falick's "Knitting for Baby" book.

blocks

2005-02-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

blocks
Originally uploaded by Frith.

More oldies: this is 2003.

Love the baby blocks from "Knitting for Baby." Of course, my niece is displaying the plain stockinette sides, but trust me, there are actually different textures on each side. Must make more of these for Coltrane.

Italian Greyhound sweater

2005-02-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Bobsweater1
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Bear with me while I archive some old projects. This one is from a couple years ago.

But first, I need to point out that my dog actually gets very cold if the mercury drops below 70 degrees, so he needs clothing. He *really* needs it. Truly.

Yes, you, too, can clothe your dog. Measure your dog, know your gauge, and start knitting. This was knit in the round from the neck down using some Starmore yarn I had around.

first xmas scarf

2005-02-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

basketweave
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Made this for the hubby for our first xmas together (1999). It's a simple basketweave made from a delicious cashmere/silk blend. Nothing's too good for my man.

ancient knitting history

2005-02-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

nordic
Originally uploaded by Frith.

This is the second sweater I ever made. This was in the spring of 1993, before I understood the importance of such niceties as gauge and the tension of carried yarn. But three colors is pretty ambitious for an early project, I think. Bear in mind this is a new picture of a 12-year-old sweater. It did look a bit better when it was young. So did I. Tee-hee. I'm soooo old.