I really can't believe for the second time in a recent memory there is nothing on my needles. It is so bizarre.
The next thing that will be going on my needles are a pair of socks for my friend Meredith. But I am doing them as part of the July Sock Knitters Anonymous Knitalong. So I will wait until tomorrow to start them.
It is definitely odd not having anything on the needles!
I hope I will remember the pictures tomorrow. I took pictures of the scarf I finished last night as well as the Decadent Fibers roving I have. Of course, I forgot to upload any of the pics yet! *grin*
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Happy Happy Joy Joy
I am really happy. My fiber from Decadent Fibers arrived yesterday. *happy Snoopy dance*
It is really beautiful! They custom dye the colors you want. So of course, being me, I went for black, burgundy and purple. *grin*
I took some pictures last night but of course forgot to get them off the camera. So I will have to do that soon.
The funny thing is that I ordered the Jelly Roll. I thought when I read it that that was their name for their custom color roving. So I was a bit surprised when I pulled it out of the box and it was one big piece. *blink*
I went to their site and realized I made a mistake! The Spun Sugar is their roving that is in strips. Oops! *laugh*
I wrote the terrific folks at Decadent Fibers. I explained my mistake and asked what I could do. The kind person explained that I can just pull off bits and said I can mix the colors or take the color off in strips to get distinct areas of color.
So last night I spend some time pulling off sections and predrafting them.
It is definitely spinning nicely. It has a good bit of crimp to the wool. It feels similar to the Romney to me. I am very curious to see how this comes out. I certainly have a lot! So I will be working on it for some time to come. It is good as when I start the Tour de Fleece, it will be good to have that much fiber. *grin*
It is really beautiful! They custom dye the colors you want. So of course, being me, I went for black, burgundy and purple. *grin*
I took some pictures last night but of course forgot to get them off the camera. So I will have to do that soon.
The funny thing is that I ordered the Jelly Roll. I thought when I read it that that was their name for their custom color roving. So I was a bit surprised when I pulled it out of the box and it was one big piece. *blink*
I went to their site and realized I made a mistake! The Spun Sugar is their roving that is in strips. Oops! *laugh*
I wrote the terrific folks at Decadent Fibers. I explained my mistake and asked what I could do. The kind person explained that I can just pull off bits and said I can mix the colors or take the color off in strips to get distinct areas of color.
So last night I spend some time pulling off sections and predrafting them.
It is definitely spinning nicely. It has a good bit of crimp to the wool. It feels similar to the Romney to me. I am very curious to see how this comes out. I certainly have a lot! So I will be working on it for some time to come. It is good as when I start the Tour de Fleece, it will be good to have that much fiber. *grin*
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Cool Mosaic Meme
I saw this meme on Stephanie/Stuffywump's blog.
It is very cool. And I love the images. So of course I had to do it as well.
1. Claustro San Michele in Isola, 2. Melting Chocolate, 3. Brookfield Zoo, Oct 8 AMUR TIGER (FORMERLY KNOWN AS SIBERIAN TIGER), 4. Red purple black brown and green, 5. Ewan McGregor on his bike in Namibia, 6. Fort, 7. Fountain, 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. FYS 2008 019, 10. Orchids from my husband!, 11. Intelligent Design, 12. 190220071342
The Questions (and The Answers):
1. What is your first name? Michele
2. What is your favorite food? Chocolate
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color? Black, red & purple
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Not big on celebs. But if I have to chose one, Ewan McGregor. Love the accent and his down to earth demeanor.
6. Favorite drink? High Gravity Beers
7. Dream vacation? Brewery tour of
8. Favorite dessert? Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting
9. What you want to be when you grow up? An indy yarn dyer?
10. What do you love most in life? My husband
11. One Word to describe you. Intelligent
12. Your flickr name. akkasha
Now go ahead, make one of your own. Here's how:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
It was really funny with my flickr nick. It seems two of my images have been picked for other people's mosaics. *laugh* One was some Southwestern Bamboo yarn. Another was the tip of my Malibrigo lace shawl. Very fun.
Scarves in Handspun Yarns
Diagonal Scarf with Handspun
Pattern:
Go Diagonal Scarf by Sophia Kessinger
http://yarnovermanhattan-free-patterns.blogspot.com/
Made for:
Me probably though could be a gift
Yarn:
Finn Handspun & Handyed
Around 55.0 yards
Colorway - Tropical Punch & Grape Kool Aid
Fiber was given to me with my wheel
Needles:
Knitpicks Options US 13 / 9.0 mm
The total measurement on this is only 5" wide, 23" long. So another neckwarmer! *chuckle*
I would have been happier if it had been longer. But otherwise it was good. It was a quick knit that was very simple and features the yarn pretty well.
This is my first batch of handspun where I plied two singles together. I wanted something that would feature the texture without overwhelming the yarn. This project was suggested on the Ravelry knitting with handspun group as being good with thick & thin yarns. It seems to be working very well.
It is super simple to knit and is going very quickly. Though as I feared there wasn't enough yarn to make a scarf. My second handspun neck warmer! *laugh* That is all I could make with the first handspun I made given there was no length to it. I wish this one was longer, but it wasn't.
I ended up going with 19 sts wide as I like scarves to have some thickness. I suspect I should have gone thinner. But I am not a fan of skinny scarves.
I am still not sure about the colors. They were dyed with Kool-Aid. I may overdye it with some more Kool-Aid. Though I might also spin some more fiber and add it to each end instead. Not sure yet.
So Called Scarf in Handspun Romney
Pattern:
My So Called Scarf by Allison Isaacs
Yarn:
Shepherd's Mill Farm Romney Roving Handspun by Me
Colorway Purple with some Grey
8 oz. about 90.0 yards (not including some extra that is overtwisted & very lumpy from spinning it on spindle)
Purchased at Delaware Highland Games
Needles:
Knitpicks Options US 13 / 9.0 mm
I cast on 18 sts which is a lot less than the pattern calls for. On the other hand, the yarn I spun is thick. And if I cast on too many stitches, it would have been another short, wide neck warmer! I already have done two of those with handspun. I would really rather not do a third.
I am not sure if this will keep going or get frogged. I am not sure the yarn is the right texture to show this well. I think the Romney might have too many fibers sticking up. So I may not look good. I will knit some more of it and see if I like it.
Kaylee Socks Complete
Pattern:
Kaylee by Monkey Toes
Unfortunately, no longer available online but hopeful her husband will upload it to Ravelry sometime soon.
Made for:
Me - Size 9
Yarn:
Done Roving Frolicking Feet Superwash Wool Yarn in Fancy Footwork colorway
1 skeins = 480.0 yards (438.9m)
Purchased at Seaport Yarn in NYC
Needles:
US 1 1/2 / 2.5 mm Knitpicks Options & Harmony
2 socks on 2 circs
Started for the May Sock Knitters Anonymous KAL.
I do find it weird that the pattern has no gauge. But luckily, they are toe-up. I was able to tweak them as I went which helped.
I had to add 6 sts to each side to get them to fit. They would have been too small if I just follow the pattern. For the additional side stitches I did p2 k2 p2 on rows 1, 2, 4 & 5 of the repeat. And I did p1 k1 p2 k1 p1 on rows 3 & 6. I found that worked pretty well.
The repeat isn't as complex as I feared. Though I had trouble understanding row 5 of the pattern. Shansays on ravelry explained it in a way that made more sense.
Basically, for the middle stitches of row 5 it goes:
* Cast on 4 using backward loop cast on
* Pick up the 4 dropped stitches from the 4 previous row, knit them as a stitch
* YO
* Again pick up the 4 dropped stitches from the 4 previous row, knit them as a stitch
* Cast on 4 more stitches using backward loop cast on
I should have taken some pictures as it would make it easier to understand what is happening.
The toe is Judy's Magic Cast On. I really don't know if I will ever do another toe up toe! I love it.
The heel is a short row toe up heel. I am not really thrilled with it. There are holes along the edges. I won't be doing that again.
Not sure why I kept stalling with these. I finished them by the end of June so they will be eligible for the May KAL. But they were kinda slow going. I think I just haven't felt as driven to do socks. And the pattern was not mindless enough to be easy tv or car knitting.
I think the yarn is too busy for the pattern. It doesn't show it well. But I will still wear them as I like it.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Okay... Maybe I Am Crazy...
I decided to sign up for the Tour de Fleece.
Basically, the point is to spin every day of the Tour de France. That means July 5th though the 27th. There are two days of rest just like the real one.
The nice thing is that there isn't set requirements. It isn't do X numbers of hours or yards or ounces. It is about challenging yourself.
I did write the group moderator on the Ravelry group to ask if missing days was okay. I will probably be in the
So I signed up! *shake head* Ah well. There isn't any sort of elimination or such like Sock Wars. So it is just focusing on spinning. I probably would be anyhow, right? *chuckle*
Diagonal Scarf with Handspun Yarn
Pattern:
Go Diagonal Scarf by Sophia Kessinger
http://yarnovermanhattan-free-patterns.blogspot.com/
Yarn:
Finn Handspun & Handyed
Around 55.0 yards
Colorway - Tropical Punch & Grape Kool Aid
Fiber was given to me with my wheel
Needles:
Knitpicks Options US 13 / 9.0 mm
This is my first batch of handspun where I plied two singles together. I wanted something that would feature the texture without overwhelming the yarn. This project was suggested on the Ravelry knitting with handspun group as being good with thick & thin yarns. It seems to be working very well.
It is super simple to knit and is going very quickly. My only fear is that I will not have enough yarn to make a scarf and end up with another neck warmer! *laugh* That is all I could make with the first handspun I made given there was no length to it. I am hoping this will be longer, but I am honestly not sure if it will be.
I ended up going with 19 sts wide as I like scarves to have some thickness. I really hope I have enough to get some length. Though I may not.
I am still not sure about the colors. They were dyed with Kool-Aid. I may overdye it with some more Kool-Aid.
Handpainted Yarns
I dyed this yarn I bought as blank skeins from Dharmafey.
I did two batches. Both were handpainted with Dharma fiber reactive dyes with vinegar as the agent mixed with the chemical water. I let it sit around 20 hours then steam set them.
Black Orchid
I wanted something dark and rich. I love the Raven colorways from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. But after their Atomic 6 colorway fading so badly that it isn't even the same colors, I am unwilling to buy more of their yarn. So I figured why not dye a colorway similar but yet my own.
There are four dyes - black as well as deep purple, burgundy & fire red all mixed with varying amounts of black.
I really like the way this colorway came out. I think it will look wonderful in socks.
The name is inspired by the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean.
Chocolates
This batch was dyed for my friend Meredith. She said she really just wanted brown & black. So that is what I did. Pretty simple. It is two different concentrations of chocolate brown & black (same black as the Black Orchid).
I think it came out well and hope she will like it.
Because of the Superwash/Bamboo/Nylon blend, there is a shimmer to the yarn. It looks wonderful. I need to buy more of this yarn. It also super soft.
I made my Baudelaire socks out of this base yarn dyed by Dharmafey. I really love them. They feel great and are super comfy. They are wearing pretty well.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Spinning Romney
I got 8+ ounces of Romney fiber at the Scottish Highland Games in
The roving was very sticky. I am guessing it wasn't heavily washed. I mean, it was dyed so it has to have been washed some, right? But it still felt sorta gummy. Even after soaking the yarn with Eucalan while setting the twist, it is still a bit tacky. But not as bad as it was before soaking it, but I can still feel some tackiness.
The bulk of the yarn was spun on my Babe double treadle production wheel. It really is such a wonderful wheel. I am loving it more and more as I use it.
Here are some pics of the yarn:
Here is a pick of the yarn I created using the a single I had spun with my a drop spindle I got from ebay.
It is overtwisted and very irregular. I really suspect that if I use this at all, it will be as trim or edging. It is still twisting some even after I soaked it. But hey, it just tells me how far I have come, right?
The yarn is still very much a bulky yarn for most of it. There are some points when I was able to draft it much thinner (like the smaller ball). And that really does make a difference in the size. But overall I am getting about 6-7 wpi. So it is still a bulky yarn. However, I feel like I am making progress. And the more I spin, the better it is getting.
I am really glad I picked this up. I think it has taught me a good deal. And it was something like $12 for the 8+ oz. So it was ideal for learning.
I did a 2 strand ply again. I got some elastic so I was able to use my DIY lazy kate as tensioned. It worked pretty well. Though I want to get a slightly thinner elastic as I think that might work better. I also think some clips would help. There are pegs on the bottom of the Babe that are supposed to work as a lazy kate. But honestly, I do not see how they spin very well from there. So I am not using them. I am using a cardboard box, 2 knitting needles and point protectors. It works pretty well.
It is similar to this one:
http://craftycanines.typepad.com/stuck_on_socks/2005/03/diy_tensioned_l.html
The difference is that I am using a wooden box instead of a plastic bin.
Though this one has my Babe bobbins instead of the wooden ones:
http://purly-qs.blogspot.com/2007/10/diy-tensioned-lazy-kate.html
I am figuring I want to get some similar clips and then the cardboard to hold it in place. I think that will help with the tensioning.
I think I got about 90 yards of yarn (not counting the super twisted stuff from the spindle with is probably another 5 yards or so). That is pretty good I think.
Of course now comes the great debate on what to do with it. I fear I am going to have a dozen scarves by the end of this process! *laugh* Because it is so irregular, that seems to be what I keep ended up with. I can't really see much else other than maybe mittens or something. But I don't wear mittens. I only wear leather gloves. And it is sorta odd stuff. So I don't think anyone but me would wear mittens made with this stuff! *laugh*
I spun 2 oz. of
I also dyed some sock yarn on Saturday. It is some superwash/bamboo/nylon yarn I picked up from Dharmafey of Cosmic Fibers. I dyed one batch for my friend Meredith who I promised socks. The other is for me. I will have to take pics and share them. I like the way both came out.
So it was a fiberlicious weekend for me. *chuckle*
Scarf for Paul
Cast On:
May 24, 2008
Completed:
June 20, 2008
Yarn:
Handspun Kid Shetland from Unique Designs by Kathy
http://www.uniquedesignsbykathy.com/
1 skeins = 160.0 yards (146.3m)
&
Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends in Colorway 16040/Grey
4 skeins = 412.0 yards (376.7m)
Needles:
US 4 / 3.5 mm for the handspun
US 8 / 5.0 mm for Bernat
I wanted a super simple project to knit at a Memorial Day weekend BBQ.
I really wanted something that would feature the yarn I bought at Unique Designs by Kathy. But I knew it wasn’t enough to make a scarf for my husband. And he liked the yarn.
So I decided to make a scarf for him by adding another yarn.
I figured the handspun would really be best featured by something simple. I decided to just go with garter stitch. Super simple for knitting at the bbq.
I cast on 80 stitches on the size 4 needles. However, after a couple rows it was turning out 12" wide. My husband’s ideal scarf width it 8-9". So I ripped it out and cast on 60. That gave me around 9" which was ideal.
When I added the Bernat Cashmere Blend, I knit one, then knit 2 together. This way I decreased to 40 stitch to get it around the same width. It isn’t perfect but I think I can block it and they should look pretty even.
I did a basketweave stitch pattern for the body of the scarf. I handed Paul my first scarf which is a sampler scarf and told him to pick the pattern he liked. I find the basketweave is very simple. I did k4, p4 for 5 rows & then p4, k4 for 5. That way it seems to come out roughly square.
It turned out to be a bit over 70" which is the ideal length for Paul. It is long enough to wrap around twice. It is also long enough so he can fold it in half and loop it though itself which is also how he likes to wear it. He seems very happy with it.
Definitely a pleasure to knit and very simple.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)