K-or-K

Happy Kitty, Happy Jan

2009-12-30T12:07:00.004-05:00

Bob, my brother's cat, went to live with my good friend Jan, becoming cat #2 in the household. A new experience for him. Jan needed to name him Elliott, and he seems to like it. Jan is quite adept at introducing new cats into a household, so all had progressed smoothly, and here's the proof: Elliott (r) and Cali (l) sharing space while they eat.

He's quite the happy fellow after a few rough months. He adores Jan, and she returns the favor. Thanks to everyone for your good wishes and efforts on his behalf.

Pickin' n Grinnin'

2009-12-06T11:36:00.009-05:00

Back to fiber processing. This morning I was able to go from this:

to this:

by way of this:

in about half an hour. That's several hours of manual labor shortened by the Patrick Green Triple Picker. I'm a happy spinner!

I'm in the midst of a project that's taking me from the original silver/gray Coopworth fleece (from Cedaredge Farm in Roebuck, SC), through the washing, dyeing, picking, carding, and blending to make yarn for a very special vest. So far, so good. With a huge thanks to Diana, my color guru in Alabama.

Bob's Big Day

2009-11-03T20:05:00.004-05:00

Bob's day started out with a bang, when I tricked the poor guy while he was nibbling his breakfast and stuffed him into the carrier. It was the appointed day to take him to his new home. But first, a visit to his new mom's vet. I wanted to make sure he was healthy enough to join her, her husband and the resident kitty. No problem! On the healthy that is. They did have to sedate him to do the exam and give him his shots. He was a scared boy and wasn't letting anyone remove him from that carrier. So he was in la-la land when I said goodbye to him. I will let him get really settled, and then go by to visit once in a while. But I don't want to confuse him, so I'll stay away until things are normal in his cushy new abode.

A fitting outcome for today, since it's the one-month anniversary of my brother's death. He can rest easy now, knowing that all is well for Bob.

Knitting and spinning content to resume soon. Thanks to all of you for your help and prayers during a difficult time.

Help Me Help Bob!!

2009-10-07T07:52:00.004-04:00

Bob was my brother's cat. My brother passed away last weekend, rather suddenly as a result of complications from pneumonia. Now Bob is in my care until I can find him a good home. Please help if you can, either by considering adopting him, or spreading the word to others who might be appropriate new parents.

Bob is a neutered male with all his claws. I think he's about 7-8 years old, and he's a huge fellow. I can't actually weigh him, but he's probably in the range of 25 pounds. He's lived alone with my brother his entire life, and I know he won't "show well" in a shelter, or do well in a household with other animals or children. Which might make him a bit hard to place.

But he's a sweet guy, once he gets over being skittish about a new person or surroundings. I desparately love this fellow and would adopt him myself if I offered the right environment. However, I already have a house full of girl kitties and it wouldn't be a good situation for any of the animals.

If you can help me, please leave a comment. Bob and I are currently in Charlottesville, VA. I am willing to deliver him to surrounding state areas to the right home. I am pretty picky about him getting a loving new home, so please don't be offended if I ask a lot of questions first. Bob is the most important thing my brother left behind.

Sincerely, Sandra

The Push I Needed

2009-08-28T11:09:00.008-04:00

Jan and I did a 4-hour stint demo-ing spinning at the fair on Tuesday. It was the push I needed t

o get the wheel going again. It's been sitting there sadly much of the summer, just waiting patiently. Now I'm really putting it to work again.

For my non-fiber related entertainment, I have the cats. Here Terry (l) and BC have spotted a skink on the windowsill.

After the skink went away, it seems they had a minor disagreement about invasion of personal space.

Mushrooms On My Own

2009-07-30T13:05:00.005-04:00

We've had more rain this summer than I can remember since I've lived here. There are mushrooms everywhere! I have only rudimentary skills at identifying them, so I've tested some for dye possibilities. I was pretty sure when I found this that I'd hit on something:

I was right.

Oh, and these lovelies are now on their way to Girl Scouts in Bartlesville, OK. The troop is headed up by David's mom, and I gave them a little spinning demo a couple of months ago. They wanted spindles, so I ordered these from our local fiber artist, Barb, of Woolies Fiberworks. I think the girls will be thrilled.

On my summer vacation......

2009-07-21T21:52:00.006-04:00

I visited the home of my favorite hand-dyed yarns.

I knitted socks.

Knitting on the Middle Fork

2009-07-08T21:49:00.005-04:00

That's Middle Fork of the Salmon River. I'm on vacation. I've been mostly in Idaho until today, when we drove north into Montana. Where tomorrow I'm going to visit MOUNTAIN COLORS YARN in Corvallis! Really, they know I'm coming and everything.

To celebrate, I decided to start some socks with a skein of Bearfoot (Mountain Colors' sock yarn) from my extensive Mountain Colors stash.

See?

Ta-Da! Handspun Sock

2009-06-12T15:33:00.004-04:00

Note I didn't say "socks." I'm only 50% finished with these. I posted earlier about spinning for this pair of socks, but just to show the difference between the fiber and the finished product:

I used 2 plies from the Louet Northern Lights top (Picasso colorway), and added a strand of bright blue wooly nylon, courtesy of Janis. I just adore the result. The sock reminds me of some of the colorways available in sock yarns when I first started knitting socks in the mid-90's. I made no effort to control the color, I just took what I got.

The yarn is about 12 wpi (sport/dk range), knitted at a fingering gauge (8.25 st/in) on 2.75mm double points. It's a hefty sock. Now to cast on the second one......

Fair Isle Finish

2009-05-21T08:01:00.004-04:00

Mocha Spice Fair Isle Vest. I CAN get something finished if I put my mind to it, or have a compelling reason! Being a "process" knitter, though, finished items seem few and far between.

So I couldn't be happier that this vest is finished. And I like it! I knitted this as a result of a Fair Isle swatching class I taught at The Yarn Patch (link on my sidebar) in February. For those who chose to do so, they could use the swatch created in the class to plan and knit a vest. So I did.

This is Harrisville New England Shetland in 4 colors, using simple peerie patterns. My own pattern, which really wasn't so much a pattern as a process. I remembered how much I like Fair Isle knitting, and I have another vest already in the works.

Cowpens

2009-04-27T21:21:00.005-04:00

Wait! Wasn't I just talking about SHEEP?

Well, Cowpens was (is) a place. Where a decisive battle of the American Revolution was fought. And the Highland regiment in His Majesty's service was the 71st Fraser Highlanders. THOSE Frasers, my Outlander loving buddies. As in descended from old Simon. Somehow I don't think Jamie's going to be in this one, though. The Highlanders lost big time (along with the rest of the British force) that day). Then again, he knew what the outcome was going to be at Culloden, but he still ended up there on the wrong side...!

I had noticed the sign for the Cowpens National Historical Site as I passed up and down Interstate 26 several times. After visiting the lovely wooly ones, it seemed the right time to investigate. Hard to imagine a battle here, lovely as it was on this beautiful SC spring day. But it truly was the harbinger to the British surrender at Yorktown.

SC Mini Vacation

2009-04-23T12:14:00.005-04:00

Ah, spring in South Carolina. I had a chance to spend a day there recently just before attending a fiber event at Lake Junaluska, NC. I had previously purchased, and been delighted with, Coopworth fleeces from Ann at Cedaredge Farm. I went to visit, choose one more fleece, and see the wooly ones. Aren't the shepherd and lamb lovely? These sheep are what I imagine sheep should look like - the quintessential wooly ones.

Ann has been shearing twice a year, which gives a nice staple without it being waaaay long. She skirts heavily for the hand spinner, and these are some of the cleanest fleeces I've ever cleaned and carded. And it spins like a dream. Here's some of Rosemary's spring clip drying outside on this gorgeous spring day in Tennessee.

In addition to visiting Cedaredge Farm, I made a side trip and purchased this:

Now where could I have gone and why would this interest me?

Spinning for Socks!

2009-03-26T22:04:00.003-04:00

Finally, I'm really doing it. Spinning my own sock yarn. This is Louet Northern Lights in the Picasso colorway. Which I thought was going to be absurdly bright. Not so much - see what spinning does to it? This yarn is going to be a 3-ply, so I have to figure out what to ply this with. Right now I'm leaning toward 2 of the Picasso, and a 3rd composed of 3 colors (bright blue, gold and olive green) in long color runs. Or maybe a marled singles of those 3 colors. So many choices!

Green, Green

2009-02-25T20:02:00.004-05:00

So what's my favorite color?

Oh, one of my new favorite fiber processing tools - a cheap (under $3) salad spinner from Wal-Mart.

Exhausted!

2009-02-22T20:15:00.007-05:00

Meaning the dyebath. Here's the "exhaust fiber" on the drying rack:

Meaning also Diana and me. Non-stop fiber fun and knitting and spinning can really take it's toll on a girl! Plus she drove from and to Montgomery this weekend.

But here's some of what we were up to:

This is Diana's growing, slowly reproducing box of wool (or so it seemed - just open a 10-lb. box of Brown Sheep mill ends and see what happens!).

Here are a couple of our better "oops!" happenings:

I wanted red over the black/white Brown Sheep mill ends. Diana nicknamed this one "Barbie meets a dead skunk." She fixed it for me - it's red now.

And here's Diana's "snow fiber." It's thawing out; yep, we're calling it snow fiber because we discovered it this morning under the snow on the deck. It tried to escape off the deck yesterday afternoon, but apparently made it no further than the ramp before being stopped. There it lay, becoming covered by the overnight snow and in danger of vanishing until spring (or this afternoon, actually). I had the rare inclination to clear the snow off the ramp this morning, or it might have missed it's ride to Montgomery.

It was a super fun weekend, and one we'd like to repeat!

Fiber Central

2009-02-16T21:49:00.010-05:00

Hello, Fiber Central here.

Oh, and just what I needed - another fiber hobby! Though Holly assures me it's a great stash buster. I can sort of see that possibility. This little warp took 1.5 balls of the yarn. Granted it's small yardage yarn. But using up 3-4 balls of stash isn't too shabby. I'll be very interested to see how much yarn this really uses. I have to say it's been fun, and now I have a whole new learning curve.

I give you my Ashford Knitter's Loom, first project in process.

Now, how about some yummy, clean fiber?

Here's some alpaca; lovely fawn, so soft, and pretty chaffy. The jury is out on this until I try combing in addition to carding, and spinning some of it.

And here we have some sumptuous, lock washed Coopworth staples from Cedaredge Farm in South Carolina. I want this stuff for socks. If I'm lucky this is the first stage of next year's "Sock It To Me" party.

And finally, something wonderful from our local shepherd, Martha. This is a small portion of Pretty Face's fleece. She has a fine wool and a fairly long staple. I washed the fleece in my washer, but was able to pull many distinct staples for flicking and then carding. It's spinning up very nicely, too!

No Excuses

2009-01-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

I hate whiners, so I won't even try. Besides, I well remember lessons from Lou Perez (my major advisor and favorite professor in college) that generally one gets the things done that are important. Sooooo.... I've been doing stuff and not so much on the computer.

I went to a spinning class at John C. Campbell Folk School, learning with a true master of textile art and science, Judith MacKenzie McCuin.

My head is full of new information and I'm working hard to teach my hands!

Yeah, I know. I had just returned from JCCFS the last time I blogged. Suffice to say I get inspired when I'm there!

Then I joined my Alabama fiber-loving friends on the Florida Gulf Coast for a 3-day spin and fiber fest.

I've been making yarn.

I'm still making yarn.

I'm washing fleeces. I've designated February as fiber processing month here in the Luinstra/David household. Mostly because the Luinstra half is on his way to Arizona, where he will spend a month on the Colorado River. So I can create fiber mayhem around here and no one but me has to put up with it.

Except Diana, who regretfully had to miss most of the Florida spinning fun. So she's taking some time to come here later in February and we'll have a dye fest. I have to get enough fiber off the guest bed for her to sleep, and make sure to keep the trail open to the bathroom. But I'm working on it; that's why it's such a mess right now!

I've been working on Fair Isle stuff.

Other knitting has happened, too. Maybe some pictures soon.

Brasstown Autumn

2008-10-12T10:41:00.001-04:00

Brasstown, NC, located in the scenic Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina, is home to the John C. Campbell Folk School. I spent last week there, learning how to dye fiber with mushrooms. Fall color was gearing up for a real show by the time I left yesterday. Luckily for me, the week's work with the fantastic fungi allowed me to bring Brasstown's autumn colors home with me. Behold:

Under the guidance of dyer extraordinaire and amateur mycologist, Susan Hopkins, our class chopped, simmered, poured and experimented our way through an astounding variety of mushrooms and colors. What a satisfying way to begin the autumn!

Summers are to Dye For

2008-08-07T18:35:00.001-04:00

I've been at it again. This time with Osage Orange sawdust, which has given me a bright golden yellow. Fleece on the first go with the sawdust:

Yarn on the second go, after extracting color from the sawdust a second time:

The roving and yarn on the right were dyed first, and both had been mordanted with alum. The skeins on the left were not mordanted, but the green one was dyed first with indigo.

I honestly think there's more color left, but I'm sort of out of items to dye.

I have to get more fleece or roving for the pending madder root and cochineal. And once I do the cochineal, I'll want to do indigo again so I can get purple by overdying the cochineal.

All the while I've been collecting lichens when they present themselves. Not enough to do anything with yet, but I still have my efforts from last winter yet to make yarn with, so no hurry.

Indigo

2008-07-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

It took a while, this being my first attempt. But it eventually worked, and as always -- MAGIC!!

July Spinning

2008-07-17T09:40:00.001-04:00

Retreat on Lookout Mountain, Mentone, AL. I met Tonni and Diana for a weekend spinning retreat. Nothing like getting together with your spinning girlfriends, spinning in your pajamas until 10 am, having Diana's friend Denise drop by to fix us dinner! Diana also brought Melissa along, showing her the basics. Melissa produced yarn in no time! Great fun. A retreat we all needed and had been looking forward to.

In Oklahoma

2008-05-26T20:14:00.001-04:00

lives David's daughter, who is the mother of our three lovely young granddaughters. Gillian is 7,Annabelle is almost 3, and Gaberielle is just about a month in these photos.

The girls adore David, and all three of them have a great time playing together. David is really just a kid in disguise, anyway.

Annabelle is intensely interested in "Baby Sissy" and has to be assisted often because she's too young to be able to hold her properly. But Gaberielle will not grow up without lots of love and assistance from her older sisters.

Locally......

2008-05-11T10:25:00.001-04:00

First, flowers in our yard:

And recently spun yarn, fiber from local shepherds and fiber artists. On the left, a merino, silk, camel blend spun from a carded batt produced by Barb. I spun one ply using a long woolen draw, and one ply using a short worsted draw. I really could tell a difference in the finished singles, which was the purpose of the experiment. Then I plied the two together and I'm very happy with the result. This yarn is wonderfully soft.

On the right are singles spun from a delightful roving acquired from Kay. The ewe from which it came is a Shetland/Romney cross and this was just a joy to spin. It let me finally understand how important the fiber and preparation are to being able to "spin for softness and speed" (from the title of the Paula Simmons book which details how to spin lofty singles). I could spin this roving for hours with pleasure. I've already asked Kay for more of this gorgeous stuff.

And yes, Diana, there is a shocking lack of color. Will this help? Coopworth, beautiful, lustrous stuff, acquried from Martha who got it SAFF last year, and I added a tiny bit of naturally dyed Corriedale. This was my own carded batt and very nice to spin as well.

Mr. Maize

2008-05-03T20:23:00.004-04:00

Isn't he adorable? And he's knitting!! (click to make him bigger)

Mr. Maize was a present from my friend, spinning and knitting buddy Jan. He was made by needle felting, and dressed in recyled and felted clothing.

Jan is so creative - a real artist!

Mr. Maize has takien up residence as my spinning and ball winding supervisor. He can't hang out upstairs because the cats would disassemble him. He keeps my Stash Weasel company.

Thanks Jan!!

Getting the Boot....

2008-04-26T19:55:00.001-04:00

quilt finished. Well, the top is done and I'm having it quilted. So I'm finished. I started this over a year ago, then put it aside in frustration because something wasn't working out. As usual when I put a project aside, it takes me a long time to get back to it. And the good news? I don't remember what the problem was, because I didn't have any this time around.

Here's a close up of the corner detail, where I used the "narrow frame" concept from Ricky Tims' Convergence Quilts.

Rushing Rivulet

2008-04-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

No, it's not what I'm paddling. It's what I'm knitting:

Sheep #3 again, using the Rushing Rivulet riverbed sock from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters Book 1. This is a fun pattern so far. I'll see how well I still like it by the end of two socks!

SSS has been averted on the first Sheep #3 socks. Photo to come when the second sock is dry. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind off for second sock and I think I'm happier with the results.

Spring in Tennessee Is.......

2008-04-22T21:45:00.000-04:00

Spinning on the deck!

Not Kidding

2008-04-19T19:15:00.001-04:00

When they said "punis from India" they weren't kidding:

It would seem that I'm thinking about trying to spin cotton.

Rare Moment

2008-04-15T21:55:00.000-04:00

Summer (aka "The Grouch") in my lap, BC on the arm. Each knows the other is there, but they're ignoring the fact. "If I pretend she's not there, I can peacefully do my own thing."

Summer doesn't get much press in my blog. Mostly because she just doesn't do cute. But she's about 14, and since Cali's passing almost two summers ago, she's been the grand dame around here. A recent round of antibiotics has improved the condition in her mouth and she's eating better. I think she's feeling better, too.

Riverbed Socks

2008-04-13T13:30:00.001-04:00

My first completed sock from New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi. It's a "Riverbed" sockitechture, where the "gusset" stitches are on the botton of the foot - you should be able to see the triangle from about mid-foot to the heel. I have a Coriolis sock on the needles, but it got put away somewhere and it's hiding among the UFO's right now, so this counts as my first sock from the book. I'm in danger of SSS, though, because now that I know how to do this, I want to try another one from the book.

BUT.... I love the yarn - it's Sheep Shop Sheep #3, a wool/silk blend that is soft and knits like a dream. Not sure how well it's going to wear for socks, but I want to find out. Luckily it's sport weight, so the second sock won't take long. I must cast it on today, though!

Other views:

Harlot in Nashville

2008-04-10T11:55:00.001-04:00

Stephanie is as funny, intelligent and profound as ever. Even more so in person than in print. I will never miss a chance to see her in person.

I went early to the event:

The Borders guy was setting up the sound system:

The Borders people were great. They made rounds with samples of coffee and snacks, and made waiting for Stephanie a pleasant "knit in."

I "finished" the Tennessee Spring socks (yes, they're as finished as I intended - they're for Stephanie as a memento of Tennessee [ "Born on a mountain top in Tennessee; Greenest state in the land of the free"] and she knows and I don't know how long to make her socks and how she likes to finish the toes).

I met Sydney (www.doctordirt.com/blog) and Rick (who took pictures for me):

Good day, great times! Thanks Stephanie. I always leave your presence inspired, not to knit more, or knit better, but knowing that I have the potential to be a better person, and striving for that. Thanks Sydney and Rick. Thanks Nashville knitters. And thanks Borders.

How I Did It

2008-04-06T20:50:00.001-04:00

"It" being the button closure on my green vest, photo originally shown in my Jan 20th entry. I had a request for further information, so I hope these photos will help.

This is the closure, fastened but pulled open a little in order to see the loop inside.

Here's the front unfastened and folded back, showing the crocheted loop sewn on the inside right, and the greenish, though clear (I know it doesn't look clear in the photo, but it is) button sewn on the inside left. The buttons on the outside are non-functional, purely decorative. It's the inside stuff that's doing the work.

We've had company, there's been rain and the rivers are running. So we've been paddling. Folks have been calling David to get information, arrange meetings at the river, and discuss options. We told him he should start answering the phone "Paddling Central" and he has! It's a hoot. Here's a photo of the doorway between our living room and kitchen last night: 6 drysuits all hanging to dry out for another day on the river.

Stuff I've Been Working On (and some finished)

2008-03-30T19:00:00.000-04:00

The middle of Sarah's quilt. Borders yet to go, but I'm closing in on it. DL keeps calling it another UFO. I'm calling it a project from the stash almost complete. We're having it machine quilted.

Shetland wool yarn. Take-home fleece from two previous spinning and dyeing classes at the Folk School. This worked well with the new draw Lucy showed me last week: a sort of modified woolen draw, still drafting against the twist, but pulling the new yarn toward the wheel with my forward hand. I have had problems with underplying, so some of this is a bit overplied. But I'm pleased with it.

Northern Lights, sunset colorway, from Louet. I spun these singles on the new Lendrum. I struggled to find the right drafting technique, but finally settled into the same one as for the Shetland and it worked quite well. It may not be obvious, but the size of my yarn is more consistent in the bottom two groups of yarn than in the top 3, though it's still a bit overspun. I should have used the slow whorl. But the problem, and the ONLY problem with the Lendrum, is that the regular flyer, on the slow whorl only, makes quite a racket. I'm in correspondence with my vendor about that. But I loved the Northern Lights and will be spinning more of it soon I hope.

These are skeins that I'm very pleased with. Left to right: Corriedale from spinning class, brown and white wool, hand carded and some blended, Navajo plied; Coopworth with a little natural dyed Corriedale, flicked and then drum carded, singles spun long woolen draw; Winter Sunset roving from Deb Cline, Lincoln and Coopworth blend, singles spun long woolen draw.

Mother's Little Helper

2008-03-28T12:30:00.000-04:00

Terry actually spends more time in my sewing chair than I do. It's her favorite daytime nap spot. So she's reluctant to give it up when I need it.

"Under the Troll"

2008-03-23T20:26:00.001-04:00

Stash Out of Control:

Stash Under the Troll: (that's Nancy-speak for "under control" - thanks Nancy!)

I got the guest area cleaned up before Creek Week, expecting company afterwards. No company, but I'm much happier with the space down there anyhow. I got rid of some things (de-stashing), but stowed, reorganized, and rearranged others. Guests can now actually use the bathroom to do something besides wash wool, and they can get to the beds without hopping over fiber.

I've been having difficulties loading phots lately, and it seems our internet connection goes down at inconvenient moments, too.

They Serve Us Well

2008-02-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

Fiber people know how valuable a good guard dog is. And animal people know how valuable a good dog is, in so many ways. So it's heart breaking and maddening when such animals are abused. And folks who love them can't just ignore that.

Jack, a Great Pyrenees, has been rescued. He must have surgery. It's expensive. Every dollar helps. I chose snail mail rather than PayPal for my small contribution, so inquire if that's your preference. And if you make a contribution after being directed there by my blog, I'll send you some nice sock yarn from my over abundant stash. And if I have colors you like, I'll try to accomodate you. Just let me know in the comments that you made a contribution, and sock yarn will be yours.

You can read about Jack here.

Spin-In

2008-02-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

I went to Destin, Florida. I shared a condo with Diana. We met a whole room full of other spinners and vendors. I met Tonni, who, like Diana, is from Alabama. We carded, we partied, we were silly, we had fun.

Here are Diana and Tonni working with the drum carder.

Our "party hats". Char with a silk hankie:

Diana with the flying pig and some roving, tied on with handspun:

Tonni with wrapping paper adorned with handspun streamers:

And Diana wearing her gorgeous original design sweater:

Yes, I did make some yarn. When I get new batteries for my camera, I'll show you some yarn and roving (yes, there were vendors!! came home with more fiber than I went with).

(edited later: I've tried several times to fix the formatting and it just isn't going to happen. Sorry for the less than great presentation!)

How to Wear It?

2008-01-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

I'm finished with a rib warmer variation. Well, sort of finished. I need to decide how I want to wear it. I have two options.

First is my original intention - shawl collar all the way down the front (it's just temporarily pinned now). I will sew it down, add two buttons outside, and a secret closure inside, like this one:

I like the other option, too. I'd add a button again, but a functional one. I'd have to add I-cord around the shawl collar to make an invisible I-cord buttonhole.

I haven't decided yet. In the meantime, I can finish the armholes.

Home Dec

2008-01-16T19:40:00.000-05:00

I've been making pillows. From scratch. Totally from scratch.

I had a couple of false starts before I decided that a zipper AND piping at the seams lines are just beyond my skills. Once I accepted that and inserted the zippers in the middle of the backs, it was just a matter of doing the job.

But first I had to make the forms (non-standard size wanted). Then I had to make the piping. I futzed with this for several days but it's done. And packed to mail. Along with a couple of napkins from leftovers from a previous pillow. (color issues with my camera again - it's not blue, it's purple)

More to come, but this is it for now. I can go back to fiber fun for a while!

Here's some yarn from my Totally Tubular kit. I'm pleased with this, but I need to work on the plying skills!

And then the natural rainbow yarn. Singles on the left, which is what I used to make the ribwarmer. Navajo plied on the right. Same fiber.

Natural Rainbow

2008-01-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

It's done! The Natural Rainbow Vest. A rib warmer, of course. What better way than to use my favorite vest to showcase my hand spun yarn. It's not the first I spun, it's the second. But it's the first that I prepared myself, and boy, have I learned a lesson about carding. This yarn is thick/thin/fuzzy. On purpose. But also because I knew that's what I'd probably get from my first rolags.

The GREAT thing about this though, is that it's from wool dyed with natural sources, under the guidance of Martha Owen in my class at the John C. Campbell Folk School last February. Read more about Martha and the Folk School by clicking my link on the sidebar. Click a photo for a clearer view of the yarn and the colors. If anyone is interested, post and I'll review what was used for which colors.

Now, about the magic of blocking. The last photo is the newly finished vest. A tad short in front, even for me (I like 'em short). I blocked, and the first photo shows an improved length in front.

However, also notice the "wing" at the left armhole in the newly blocked version. Sigh, I hate armhole wings. Sometimes that happens when you block a rib warmer and I'm learning I need to be more careful there. So the vest is back on the ironing board, having had the armhole steamed a bit and reshaped. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

(PS - The I-cord is not handspun. It's Cascade Pastaza from The Yarn Patch, a wool/llama blend.)

Jaunty Jane

2008-01-13T08:55:00.000-05:00

Though not original, I think the title to this entry is most apt. Here's my good friend Jane, modeling her recently made rib warmers. Jane is an expert knitter with an affinity for lace. She teaches lace classes at The Yarn Patch and is a friend and mentor to so many of us. She's such a wonderful resource, and her cheerful outlook brightens our lives!

Spinning My Wheel

2008-01-06T22:24:00.000-05:00

As I said I would, I've been spinning. But first, I finished Andrew's hat and it's on it's way to Oklahoma. The colors in the photo aren't quite true. It's got green, not teal, charcoal, black and gray, and rusty brown. There's no blue or purple. I should get a better camera or something.

I've filled two bobbins. This is 2/3 of what I need for a hat. I'll ply as soon as my tensioned lazy kate arrives. Or maybe sooner, since I'm running out of bobbins.

And I've been knitting with handspun, natural dyed yarn. Ribwarmer in process.

For thos of you who don't know, if you click on a photo you get a bigger, closer view. I think the fiber on the bobbins is pretty cool. When I'm finished with the hat, I'll post where I got the kit. I can't remember right now and I'd have to go back downstairs to look. I'll do it soon.

A New Year

2008-01-01T13:15:00.000-05:00

2008 Already!

This year I am going to either finish or formally abandon any and all socks currently on the needles. I am going to finish spinning the green pencil roving (hand spindle) and knit myself mittens from the yarn.

And I'm going to "spin my wheel" more. More spinning = more learning and improved results. That's a good goal!

I will also start my Christmas 2008 gift knitting in January (easy one - it's already begun).

Today, the projects on my needles that need to be finished SOON. Of course, there's no way I know the current UFO count (nor do I particularly care). But these projects have reasons to be done.

A new hat for Andrew. The one I made him two years ago turned up with little holes in it when he went to use it this year. Andrew is an active hunter and fisherman, and he really likes the soft, warm Noro wool hat. New one post haste, along with washing and storing directions to keep the m _ _ _ _ at bay.

A big blob that will be felted. It's my head start on Christmas 2008 and I will say no more lest word get out to the intended recipient.

A rib warmer, with some modifications and a possible "unvention." No more said about that until it's unveiled. Except that I'd like this one pretty well done by Thursday, when I begin teaching the new rib warmer class at The Yarn Patch.

A rib warmer, knit from my handspun. Wool dyed with natural dyes in my learn to spin class last winter. It's deliberately spun thick and thin, fuzzy slubby. Yes it is!! But it's also the very first wool I carded and prepared for spinning, and I've learned a lot of how NOT to do it since. This one will be a show and tell at the January Spin-In, where Diana and I are planning on playing in Destin, Florida late in the month.

Lots of other goals, of course. But since I know me, they're likely to change as the year progresses, so I won't mention them.

And..... the 2008 socks are under way. I've decided on the Tyrolean Stockings, designed by Ann Budd in the Fall 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. These ought to take me a while!

Happy New Year to everyone!

2007 Socks Done

2007-12-31T21:38:00.000-05:00

Not exactly down to the wire. I knitted the sock on my left foot last winter, casting on the first stitches on Jan 1, 2007. My intention was to finish the pair by the end of the year. The second sock was completed at 8:53 pm CST tonight, Dec 31, 2007. So I followed my rule in this little game I'm playing with myself, and I have a new pair of socks.

However, I have learned that I should do one of the following: (1) not wait almost a year before knitting the second sock, especially if I don't (2) take the first sock along so I can see what I did because I didn't (3) make better notes. A close view will show some discrepancies between sock #1 and sock #2. Dobby socks again!

Now I'll go swatch. I've been thinking long and hard about what my 2008 socks will be. Tomorrow I'll know for certain what they'll be. And a final "cuteness" photo for 2007 - a rare occurrence with all three snoozed up close to each other.

My Favorite Holiday Moment

2007-12-31T15:55:00.000-05:00

Gillian asked me if she could knit.

Mason Dixon Recipe Box

2007-12-30T19:35:00.000-05:00

Boy, was this a trip down memory lane! The challenge is to post a photo of my recipe box. I have two, so I chose the vintage 70's model, which I think had something to do with a Campbell's Soup promotion. Or some kind of promotion.

As I wandered through the box, I saw pieces of letters from my mother, responses to my questions of "Mother, how did you cook butter beans?" or "Mother, tell me how you made the Italian sausages with green peppers." Got me all teary-eyed, too. Mother has been gone since 2000, but here are her instructions to her newly married daughter living far away from home in the early 1970's. The same daughter who didn't learn to do it while she could have hands-on help in the kitchen. Anyhow....

Note the slanted front. That's so one can insert a recipe card in a slot under the clear plastic top (see through), then slant the box so the recipe is readable and protected while one cooks.

Most of my recipes looked more like this, so the plan didn't work all that well for me.

The photographed recipe is one for Moroccan Chicken (Lemon Chicken - Poulet Citron) that I got from my husband's family. They lived in Morocco when Dad-in-law was attached to the US Embassy there.

I present the recipe below. Note that it doesn't tell you to drain the salt water from the lemons before using them in the recipe. You should do that! And you need to prepare the lemons at least a month ahead of time.

Poulet Citron

3 boxes chicken parts (9 to 12 pieces)

3 TBSP olive oil

1 jar green olives, with pits

1 tsp crushed saffron

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 lemons, pickled *

Cook chicken in oil for about 30 minutes, shaking pot to coat chicken well. Add rest of ingredients and simmer until chicken is tender, 1.5 to 2 hours. Slivered almonds may be added toward end of cooking time (1/2 to 1 package).

* Lemons: Cut 4 lemons into quarters, put in a jar, almost covering with water. Add 1 TBSP salt for each whole lemon. Grease lip of jar lid (easier to open later). Shake each day until salt dissolves. Store 4 weeks or longer before using in the recipe.

Rib Warmers - What Else?

2007-12-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

Considering I've been teaching a workshop at The Yarn Patch (see link on sidebar), and knitting more for myself in the process, here are some of the results.

Here's Treva. Her's is knitted with Taos, a soft wool. She hasn't blocked it yet, so it will be a little longer when she's finished.

Here's Susan, also looking fabulous. Susan chose to crochet her edging.

Treva and Susan both work at The Yarn Patch and have been very helpful to me with my classes, as have all the shop employees. More photos of their finished rib warmers as soon as I can get them.

THIS is the one I had in "time out" for a few years because I had attached the I-cord too tightly, not once, but twice (Noro Silk Garden). Now that I know to make an I-cord swatch and attach based on the information it gives me, I was able to fix it. I left the original I-cord around the armholes, which I want to pull in some anyway, but replaced it around the perimeter. It's magic - I can wear it finally:

Speaking if I-cord magic, here are some photos of the green one that I knitted in September DiVe Autunno in the Chrysalis colorway) to hang in the shop. It got super stretched out after hanging up for a couple of months, so I brought it home and blocked it. I have completed the perimeter and one armhole. Check out the two armholes for a comparison - see how wonderful I-cord can be?

I-cord has been applied on my right armhole, but not on the left.

Here's the un-done armhole from the side.

And the completed armhole.

This is the black one (Harrisville Flax and Wool, which I LOVE) I made knitting along with my workshop students.

And since I'm showing off rib warmers, here are older ones: me in the Noro one I knitted for my cousin, and Nancy wearing the one I made for her in Manos.

Pictures After All, But Not Mine

2007-12-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

Hooray for HollyMay! She took pictures. Go here:

http://www.waywardpeach.blogspot.com/

to see about the spinning and dyeing class at the Folk School. And read Holly's amusing account of her week.

Spinning Again

2007-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Of course, after returning from a week-long spinning and dyeing class at the John C. Campbell Folk School, how could I not be?? I immediately began on the mountain of colored rolags from last February's class, which I had been hoarding until I was "good enough." Well, I got enough confidence from the recent class that I've decided I was being too hard on myself. So I worked on it last night. See the full bobbin of color??

Also, the lovely natural colored yarn on the right bobbin is from Orchid's fleece, which I brought home from my Viking spinning class last winter. I lock washed Orchid in net bags, then flicked the locks and I'm spinning directly from those without further processing. Very satisfying to do.

Here's the color from the recent class - slightly different, plus the addition of some lichen dyed fleece (that would be the whiskey gold color at the bottom of the photo).

The yarn I actually made while in class.

I practiced process, not production, but I really learned a lot. What I am really pleased about is this little skein of Shetland, with which I learned to Navajo ply!

OK, I didn't take any pictures while I was there--again! I've just been too caught up in the atmosphere to remember to pull out the camera.

The Well Trained Human

2007-11-18T21:05:00.000-05:00

Do you think that some felines KNOW that when Mom's in the kitchen, treats are likely to ensue? Only Baby Kitty is absent - she's a bit too proud to beg.

Vanity and a Surprise

2007-11-13T22:15:00.000-05:00

Call me vain. I just couldn't let the previous hat photos stand. I had David take pictures today - they're better, at least of me. And of the top of the hat, too.

In the meantime, I've been looking through the photo album and find that I DID manage to get some shots of our local fiber festival in October! That was a nice surprise (but it doesn't say much about my short term memory these days).

Here are Susan (sitting) and Cynthia, Sheri and Treva (standing l to r) in front of the fashion gallery.

Jan, our needle felting artist extraordinaire.

Maria and Betty helping at one of the booths.

Members of the Kindred Spirits spinning guild.

And Judy Robinson demonstrating bobbin lace (there's going to be bobbin lace in my future!).

The exhibitors and demonstrators provided an informative, fun day for all who attended. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Hither and Yon and a New Hat

2007-11-12T17:25:00.000-05:00

I've been out and about and when I looked at the date of my last post, I couldn't believe how long it's been!

The stealth sweater was completed and made a debut in the first ever Crossville Fiber Festival. A fun, small hometown event. It seemed to be well received, and we had a lot of fun. I got to meet many of the local spinners, a really nice, fun group of ladies. And I had a chance to try bobbin lace - more on that in the future, for certain!

Tomorrow will begin the second workshops for the rib warmer vests, the first sessions were last week. Before that, I attended a workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School with Hazel Tindall from Shetland (can you imagine - the world's fastest knitter?? - Google her name - I'm not kidding)! Not a speed knitting workshop, though. It was "experimenting with color in Fair Isle knitting." I visited Denise. She and Nancy and I went to the Southeast Animal Fiber Fair in Asheville, NC. I headed toward a visit with my brother, again stopping for a visit with Denise for hiking and knitting. Brother visit postponed when it was learned that his grand child #3 was imminent.

And my little camera was either temporarily mis-laid or forgotten during most of this. However, the Fair Isle project from my class at the Folk School is nearing completion.

I used this much yarn:

To make these many swatches:

To produce this hat:

I'm attempting to tame the somewhat ruffled brim. It's still a work in progress.

When I've decided it's done, I'll post another photo.

This workshop was really wonderful. Very much a self directed exploration, with Hazel on hand to guide, explain, assist, and generally share her wonderful wealth of knowledge accumulated over a lifetime of knitting in Shetland.

Edited later: photo of the hat on me. It feels too big, but not sure what, if anything, I'll do about that. It's exactly right in terms of what I intended it to look like. I'm thinking of giving it away, too. It's on the shelf for now while I churn through the options in my mind.

Jackie Lee has a new vest

2007-10-18T17:31:00.000-04:00

This is Jackie Lee. She's come to live with me so I'll have a model. In my effort to prove to myself that I can knit a rib warmer in any size with any yarn, I made her a vest. BC is impressed with it.

In other knitting news..... I'm sewing the boondoggle sweater. The one I didn't plan on making and started on impulse because Maria and Betty at Tuesday Knit Night were making them. Theirs are green, so I felt like I'd be a copycat to do green. OK, I am a copycat, but I at least went for different colors. And I'm into fall colors right now. (We actually have some in the woods and fields here in Tennessee.) I'm calling this one Autumn Diamonds.

If I'm lucky and don't dawdle too long, I'll have this sweater done in time for the fashion gallery at Knit Out and Fiber Festival in Crossville on Saturday.

Knitting Rib Warmers

2007-10-09T22:03:00.000-04:00

I've agreed to teach a workshop on rib warmers at The Yarn Patch in November. It's to be a knit along. I've worked it out so that we'll be using gauge x measurement (imagine that!) and can use any yarn we want. I decided I needed to develop and test, so I've been knitting rib warmers almost exclusively over the last couple of weeks. And the old axiom is true - if you really want to learn something, teach it.

Here are the three that I've knit as display models for the shop. I have at least 3 more planned or in the works to have ready before the class, and I plan to knit along with my class, so that's one more. Good thing I love these!

The bright multi-colored one belongs to the shop, and I knitted it in a worsted wool/acrylic blend. Sheri chose kid colors for this, and it's been knitted to fit a 13-year old young knitter. Button selection is in process.

I knitted the green and brown ones for myself, so those are on loan to the shop as demo garments. The brown one has I-cord trim, the green one is just garter stitch with no trim. Though I made the green one a tiny bit larger than the brown, I think it's grown a bit while hanging in the shop for the last couple of weeks, which is why it looks much larger. It really isn't much larger. But after the class it will probably benefit from a wet blocking, and I may add I-cord trim to it as well.

These really are fun to knit and don't take long. It's safe to say they're my favorite vests, and I'm happy to have had the incentive to make more for myself. Once I've completed the I-cord portion of the class and used my current I-cord disaster rib warmer as a "what not to do" demo, I'll fix that one. Pictures on that forthcoming.

We Have Lift Off!

2007-10-07T11:40:00.000-04:00

At approximately 11:15 am, CDT, our Monarch lifted off on it's maiden flight, bearing south toward Mexico. It's first leg took it from our fence high into a tree across the road. From there I lost sight of it and wished it a safe journey. Deborah, be on the lookout.

It couldn't have chosen a more auspicious day to emerge and take wing. It's sunny and hot, but with a fall breeze, temp expected to top out at about 90. Same for tomorrow. I noticed last night that the chrysalis no longer looked green, but sort of blue-ish, though the light was bad and I couldn't tell for sure. By the time I checked on it this morning about 9:30, the butterfly was out. (click the photos to make them bigger). I wasn't quick enough to catch the few times it opened it's wings while still on the fence, and while I watched it's maiden flight, it took off too quickly for me to even think of the camera.

Loving the Socks

2007-09-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all! Remember I mentioned I got Cat Bordhi's (www.catbordhi.com) newest book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters? Well, very interesting constructions going on in that book. I showed you photos of the two learning baby socks. Now I'm into a full sized pair for myself using the Simple Master Coriolis pattern and I just LOVE it. Here's the first sock so far, done with all of the major construction and ready to knit up the leg.

I decided on a self striping yarn so the coriolis "jog" would be visible and I like it. Using Cat's directions and master numbers, this sock fits perfectly through the foot. I'm going to try the leg in stockinette so the yarn's pattern is more evident, but I really like the fit of a ribbed leg better, so I may change my mind. This is the first toe-up sock I've knitted where I actually like the toe, and the increases didn't make me cringe. Some people hate Kitchner (not me), and I normally hate increasing on a sock toe just about as much. But I tried Cat's method (La-rink and La-link) and actually enjoyed it.

It's going to be a while before it's finished, though. It's 9.5" stitches to the inch, and I have some ribwarmer models to get done, among other things!

But while you're here, I want to mention that Aimee is fundraising for the Alliance for Lupus Research. Visit her blog to find out more and see some of the great prizes she's offering in return for your support: www.fairieknits.blogspot.com

Personally, I'm hoping I get that set of Wendy's patterns! Between those and the Cat Bordhi book, I could make a big dent in my sock yarn stash!

Ta-Da!!

2007-09-24T20:50:00.000-04:00

Click to make the pictures bigger. I found ONE Monarch chrysalis! But since the caterpillars wandered off without telling me where they were going, I count myself lucky.

This thing is beautiful - like a little piece of jade jewelry with gold trim. Looks like a pretty safe place to hang out and turn into a butterfly if you ask me! I understand it will become more transparent the closer it gets to emerging, so I'll be keeping my watch. I'm excited. This is way more cool (and elegant) than watching caterpillars devour leaves and poop.

OK, second ta-da!

A ribwarmer almost complete. (It's not brown and blue, it's green and turquoise - strange colors and the camera will NOT get them right. At least not in this light. I'll try again when I've finished it.) I knitted most of this on our drive to and from West Virginia and over our weekend there. My LYS has asked me to conduct a workshop on making this garment, so I figured having a model knitted from yarn that they sell would be a good thing. I think we'll be ordering the Spun Out (see http://www.schoolhousepress.com/) as soon as we have an idea how many people are interested. In the meantime, my little finger will be knitting ribwarmers!

Caterpillar Watch

2007-09-14T12:45:00.000-04:00

I have Monarch caterpillars! Six at last count, and I'm so pleased. I've been trying to get them for a couple of years. Not the greatest photos, but if you click on them, you can make them bigger and see at least two caterpillars in each photo. In the first photo, there's one on a butterfly weed plant, and one on a dead piece of vegetation.

A couple of years ago I ordered some milkweed seeds and planted them in our stone flower bed. But it's too shady there and while they would feebly sprout and grow a little, they were never very happy. This year I successfully transplanted some of those sprouts. Last year I noticed one "wild" butterfly weed plant along the semi-wooded area on the edge of our fence. It produced one seed pod, and I harvested those. After sharing with a friend, I ended up with 26 seeds, about 7 of which actually sprouted this year. Those were added to the transplants. The sprouts and transplants were placed in the ground on the non-wooded sunny side of our driveway fence after we got back from Idaho, and they took off!

In addition, last year I only had one seed pod on the wild plant, and this year there are seven! Here's a photo of some of them:

So with luck I'll have more sprouts to add to the patch next year. Why do I care? Well, Monarch butterflies are, I believe, the only breed that makes a round trip migration of thousands of miles. They're pretty amazing insects. These caterpillars will leave rural Tennessee in a couple of weeks as adult Monarchs, and they'll fly all the way to Mexico or Southern California. And next spring they'll fly back to breed.

These beautiful butterflies need conservation help, because of loss of habitat and the food sources that grow in those habitats. The caterpillars, you see, only eat species of milkweed (of which butterfly weed is one). I've noticed several places here in my little corner of rural Tennessee where the bright orange butterfly weed is plentiful along the roadsides. But our roadsides get mowed. So I'm planting the stuff where it won't get mowed.

And after two years of trying, I might be able to send 6 Monarch butterflies to Mexico. And maybe they'll come back to see me in the spring!

If you'd like to read more, and find out how you can help with Monarch conservation, see these websites:

http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/

http://www.monarchwatch.org/

Knitting? Oh yeah. One cool tip I got from the new Cat Bordhi sock book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters, is a better way to swatch in the round. I HATE swatching in the round, especially for Fair Isle work. Or rather, I DID hate it. Piece of cake after reading Cat's helpful tip (hint: it involves Judy's Magic Cast On( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhBIS0AhhQY). My swatching in progress:

Wedding Dress and other endeavors

2007-09-13T20:07:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't MAKE a wedding dress, I un-made one. And then made keepsake cushions. My friend, Jean Ann, was married in a lovely silk, tulle and lace gown, probably early-mid 50's. One daughter wore the dress at HER wedding, and the second daughter isn't married and not likely to wear the dress should she change her status. So, Jean Ann asked if I could make cushions for her and her daughters. That way they'd have a keepsake of the dress, but she wouldn't have to keep the whole thing around. So it's done.

In other fibery pursuits, I've dyed some white Koigu sock yarn in the copper jar. Dark to light: 20 minutes in the jar, then about 6, then about 2 (it's really a dusty sage green, not gray, even though it's a gray-ish green).

And if you've seen or read about the new sock book by Cat Bordhi

you'll probably realize that I've been exploring some of the new "sockitectures" therein. Really cool stuff. Here's are the first and second little learning socks from the book.

Now I'm having a hard time deciding which one to try for full size!

It's Catching On

2007-09-10T20:25:00.000-04:00

Double occupancy of the bird seat, that is.

Terry and Baby Kitty:

BC and Baby Kitty:

That't it for the available combinations. Summer, aka "The Grouch" doesn't use the bird seat very often, and she has a very large personal space into which she allows no other animals. If I ever catch her sharing it, I'm likely to be so surprised I'll forget to document.

Back to regularly scheduled knitting content tomorrow or so!

Critters

2007-09-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

My cats enjoy sitting in the window and watching the activity at my bird feeders. Lately Terry has taken to joining BC there. But with the original setup, there was really only room for one cat. Terry, being the smart cookie that she is, probably realized she was crowding BC, who doesn't like that. Thus BC would leave the "bird seat" to Terry.

I asked David to expand the bird seat so it would have room for two. Once done, the above scenario repeated itself a few times. Then BC realized, I think, that she wouldn't be crowded. My objective was achieved!

Another activity that BC is enjoying these days is watching something else at night:

This is a recent photo of our deck. Hmmmm, wonder what's making the little droppings?

Here's what's above those droppings:

David suspected, and finally decided to look. Definitely bats!! He unscrewed a corner of the sign and peeked. One flew out, and another barred it's little teeth at him! He's let them be for now. We have two perfectly good bat houses high up on the siding, but this is home near an easy food source, because night insects flutter around our windows and doors at night. The sign's occupants don't have far to go for a meal.

We also suspect we have bats in the attic. But with the temperatures being what they have, David has no intention of investigating and remedying the situation until the weather is cooler. In the meantime, David is sweeping up bat poop and we're leaving them alone. They do entertain BC, that's for sure!

I've Been Knitting - Honest!

2007-09-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

You don't need yet another inside-out photo of the green vest in progress. But be assured I'm making progress. In the meantime, I finished these:

This is a little cotton/silk top made from STASH yarn!! Whee, I used some of it up. Yarn is Misti Cotton, pattern is Jaunty Jane by Carolyn White.

This is a PAIR of socks. Dobby socks for sure. Although the same color and dyelot of Twin Twist from Wool in the Woods, it's hand dyed. As usually suggested when working with yarn like this, one should alternate the skeins every couple of rows. But for socks I won't do that. It interrupts the flow of the colors for one thing, and it's just plain annoying to me. But then, I don't mind the "fraternal twins" nature of the socks. And unlike a lot of people, I really like color pooling. I think these pooled quite nicely on the 2x2 ribbed legs.

Kari asked about what I was holding in front of the Bison sign, so here's a better photo. It's "Loopy" mascot for The Loopy Ewe. Sheri asked her customers to take Loopy on vacation and send in photos. So Loopy went to Idaho and back with me.

Moving Right Along....

2007-08-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

Well, at a snail's pace perhaps. I haven't found much time for blogging lately. But I have been paddling and knitting! And I think I left off with our summer vacation while we were still in Idaho.

So let's wrap up the vacation. After a fabulous river trip, hosted by Canyons of McCall, Idaho (beautiful scenery and whitewater, great guides, fabulous food, 6 days of fun on the Middle Fork of the Salmon),

David and I had planned some tourist stops taking a long way home. First up was Great Falls, Montana. Where the falls were pretty dry, but we enjoyed the Louis and Clark Interpretative Center. And Don and Karol picked up their new Subaru Outback, outfitted it with racks, and removed their boats and gear from our truck. We parted company here and made our separate ways home.

Further sightseeing for us included the Little Bighorn National Battlefield in Montana and Devil's Tower National Monument (no close encounters to report) in Wyoming.

In South Dakota we stopped to see Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, and Badlands National Park.

After which we were ready to head home and pretty much made a bee line from there. (By the way, my little photo friend is Loopy from The Loopy Ewe, who got to go on vacation with me and get his picture on Sheri's blog.)

Soooo, knitting is up next. But not this entry!

A Quickie!

2007-08-22T17:01:00.000-04:00

As in knit:

This hat harkens back to my freshman year in college. My dorm mom, Mama Mac, taught a bunch of us to knit using broom handles (literally - sanded smooth and shaped to have tips). A few stitches with giant yarn doubled, knit garter stitch back and forth until it fits around your head, cast off, sew cast off edge to cast on edge, gather one open end, sew on tassle or pom-pom - viola instant hat !). I had some fancy, super chunky multiple yarn lovely colors stuff and couldn't think what to do with it. I did the scarf and hat pretty much in an evening. Not my favorite type of knitting (size 15 mm - US 19 for the hat; 20 mm for the scarf), but it was a fun diversion from the green Shetland, which I was glad to get back to.

And also as in blog entry. I'll catch back up with the Idaho vacation and other stuff next week. Right now I've got to get ready to spend one of the last long weekends at the Ocoee. After Labor Day, the releases will be weekends only. We're going to take advantage of the non-crowded Thursdays and Fridays while they last!

Oh, and here's the latest on the green Shetland vest.

More Summer Fun

2007-08-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

OK, the accident wasn't fun. But traveling with Karol and Don was. Once we had their new boats, we headed north from Denver to Ft. Collins, where we traveled into Wyoming via the Cache la Poudre River Canyon.

And Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. This is Paul from Chattanooga (who met us in Idaho) demonstrating that it was windy.

We saw lots of wildlife on the road trip, including Pronghorn and Elk.

We went to Shoshone Falls, near Twin Fall, ID (here are David and Karol).

I didn't take pictures on the actual river trip, where we saw Bighorn Sheep, Bear, Otter, and countless birds. But this is Stanley, Idaho, our last town before heading to the Middle Fork.

I have about a gazillion projects in my head or on the needles right now. Unfortunately, my little camera isn't working right now (hmmmm, what's up with that?), so no current photos. One of the projects, though, is this vest from Folk Vests:

And I got this lovely new knitting bag from Maggie Porter just before the annual 127 Yard Sale.

Is it Over Yet?

2007-08-16T12:45:00.000-04:00

Almost two months since I've posted. Wow, the summer would seem to be flying by! But right now, with the current heat wave and dry, dry, dry.... I'm desparately hoping for an early fall!

It'll help both with knitting and the computer. We don't keep the AC set really low - just low enough for the house to be live-in-able. And the room where my computer lives is the warmest in the house. Ever since we got back from Idaho (more on that in a bit), I've been keeping the computer turned off a lot. I think I'm going to get a notebook soon. But I have new computer phobia, so I haven't made the plunge yet.

So, we went to Idaho with small adventures to and from (which, for my yarnie friends, included driving up Montana's Bitteroot Valley, home of Mountain Colors, which I didn't visit but I will in 2009 when we go back). Yeah, we had such a great river trip we're doing it again in 2009.

The adventures "to" weren't really ours; our friends Karol and Don had an accident (caused by a semi with a DUI driver). They were, and are, fine. They pretty much walked away from it. Their car and kayaks did not. But not being willing to forgo the river trip just because their vehicle and boats were totaled, and being willing to ride in the back seat of our truck with all of our gear crammed in the back for about 3,000 miles, the four of us proceeded to Denver. Where Karol and Don got new boats at Confluence Kayaks.

Here's our truck. In addition to our boats and all our gear, we have boats and paddling gear for Eric and Woody, who were flying to Idaho. This is also Karol and Don's gear - everything that was in their Subaru, all of which was totally intact after 2.5 rolls.

Here is David loading the new boats; we now have 5 up and one inside the back.

Idaho trip adventures to be continued.

I did not knit everything I took with me - as I mentioned to Holly May, it was boredom insurance. I finished two socks.

When I got home, I finished the "I should have known better" top and find it very comfortable. The puckers around the neck line are hardly noticeable.

Summer Vacation!

2007-06-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

This will be my last post for a while. We're leaving our happy home in Tennessee and driving to Idaho, where we'll be kayaking on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. We'll be on the river for 6 days, so that will be non-knitting days. For the drive out, sightseeing other than on the river, and sightseeing our way home, I have packed this:

Projects in Zip-Loc baggies. I love those things. They'll all be contained in the blue bag, along with my Knit Picks needle binder and the gizmo bag. It's two scarves and ummmm... some socks. Including Socks for Soldiers.

In the "I knew better" department:

Just because the pattern says "pick up 3 stitches for every 4 all the way around the neckline" doesn't mean I should do it. I know to pick up stitch for stitch across the front and back, and use the 3/4 ratio on the curves and stitch to row pickups. And the whole time I was doing it "all the way around" this little niggling voice says "why don't you trust your own judgment???". Indeed! Well, at least the worst of it was handled with steam, and it's just a casual summer tank, and it doesn't look so bad on. In case you're wondering (because the picture isn't so great), there are very slight puckers across the bottom of the neckline, where I SHOULD have picked up stitch for stitch. KNITTER, TRUST THYSELF!!

Lastly, BC always makes me giggle when she lays like this. She doesn't do it all the time, but it's been a regular pose since she was tiny. It made me laugh then and I think it's even funnier now that she's a 14 pounder!

And I'm away. I look forward to catching back up with everyone when we get home sometime in July.

The Kittens

2007-06-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

BC and Summer have the same unofficial birthday: May 15th. BC is 2 and Terry is 1. They're the "strictly inside" cats, and the only two that are friends.

An Opportunity

2007-06-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

For knitting backwards.

There are only a few stitches on each side, and I'm using 2 balls of yarn. Turning was becoming annoying, so I decided to suck it up and just practice. It's slower than purling, but I'm getting better and at least I don't have to keep turning and shifting the yarn.

To forge a friendship. Terry (left) and Summer were both sound asleep when I went for the camera. Terry respects Summer and gives her room (most of the time), but I guess since Summer was asleep, Terry figured it was safe to approach closely and sleep, too. I woke them as I approached, and when Summer turned to find Terry within touching distance, she hissed and jumped down. An opportunity lost! Still, Summer has become a bit more approachable and less of a recluse since Terry came to live.

It's been a low energy, sad day for me. Mosby didn't make it thorough the weekend. I had left with instructions to the vet that if he worsened and seemed to be in pain or suffering, that they should not make him lay and suffer until I returned. He and his assistant were with him, letting him know he was cared for, when they put him down. Thank you all for thinking of us; I'm sure it was the right decision and he's no longer in pain with no hope of recovery.

FO and Update

2007-05-30T09:15:00.000-04:00

Another ribwarmer:

This time from EZ's pattern and Meg's variations in Spun Out ##42 from Schoolhouse Press. All my previous ones have been knit from Sidna Farley's variation that appeared in Knitter's #48, Fall 1997. This is another garment that I have finally "wrapped my head around" thanks to Meg's mini-camp in May. I no longer must blindly follow a pattern for ribwarmers. More on the way, and I'll try different variations as I go.

More of my mini-camp classmates showing their wonderful knitting:

It's summer, we're trying to prepare ourselves for a week paddling the Middle Fork of the Salmon in late June, so we're gone a lot these days. It's fun to meet friends and paddle, though it's been so dry lately that our best choice is the Ocoee River, in SE Tennessee. We were there for a 4-day weekend last week, and will be back for three days, leaving tomorrow.

Last week, about two days before we left for the holiday, a young, gray and white male kitty showed up on our porch. My first inclination was to chase him away as we do with the toms who occasionally hang around and harass my girls. But this little fellow was friendly and affectionate, and seemed disinclined to make trouble. He seemed to just want attention. And food. I finally fed him, especially after I noticed how thin and puny he looked. After we returned home, it took him a while, but he came back. I again gave him food and water, then easily ushered him into the carrier for a trip to the vet (note that "easy" is the operative word - no way to easily get ANY of my girls into the carrier).

My intention was to have his health assessed, get his immunizations, and neuter the little guy. Check-in at the vet requests a name, so he's Mosby. He's gray and white and disappears a bit in the shadows, so I named him after Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby, aka "The Gray Ghost". As it turns out, little Mosby might be pretty sick. The vet reported he's quite dehydrated and has an elevated BUN. So Mosby is in hospital and I'm awaiting further developments. Poor little guy. I really don't want another cat and my four girls don't want another one either (though Baby Kitty acts like she might accept him as a friend sooner or later). So Mosby will live outside, at least for the immediate future. Assuming he gets well. Positive thoughts for him, please?

Meg Swansen's Mini-Camp

2007-05-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

Last year, when I randomly did NOT get into Meg Swansen's First Timers camp, I was really bummed. What a blessing in disguise.... because she held a mini-camp the first weekend in May and those of us who didn't get into camp were guaranteed a spot. Small group (only about 20 of us), spring in the Upper Midwest (it was my first trip in that direction), and a time that was way more convenient for me than mid-summer.

Meg is an incomparable teacher, and the workshop logistics couldn't have been better. With Amy Detjen as assistant and exceptional "camp mom," and a visit from Joyce Williams whose work is so original and inspiring, I knew I was in knitting nirvana! It was a small, warm, fun group and I learned way more than I can enumerate. I went with two goals: (1) understand how to deal with the "color jog" that occurs when knitting in color patterns in the round and (2) gain enough of an understanding about constructing a garment that I will feel confident to design my own vest. I met those goals, and got so much more! And in some cases, it wasn't new information (I had heard or read much before), it was having Meg show or explain in such a way that the light went on in my head. It was being guided to think, look, and understand. It was unforgettable!

And guess what else? We got to SHOP at Schoolhouse Press. The actual physical place! No, I won't show you what I bought (mostly because I've sorted and put it away and don't have time to drag it out again for a photo), but as I use it and post photos on the blog, I'll let you know where it came from.

Our group was composed of wonderful ladies - truly talented knitters and just plain nice folks. For some reason I was totally unable to keep names in my head, though. Perhaps because it was so full of knitting and yarn? We had show and tell, though, and here are a few of my class mates strutting their amazing stuff. I'll post more on future blog entries.

Hannah

2007-05-20T15:22:00.000-04:00

Hannah, my 7-year old great niece, is a charming child! I met her last week during my visit with my brother, Jack. We visited the book store, where she came home with stories about fairies and mermaids. And she learned how to use a Knitty-Knoddy.

I found the local yarn shop in Lexington, SC. My brother asserted that I'm obsessed with knitting (yup, so?). And we had a good time.

I am just home, so I thought I'd just show you. I will, I promise, tell about my workshop with Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen.

Heads Up!

2007-05-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

It's out of print! Get a copy while you can. If your LYS doesn't have it, you can still get copies from Schoolhouse Press. Link is on my sidebar.

We're just home, and I had a fabulous time. There's unpacking and laundry and yarn to put away, and we've returned to find rivers running for paddling tomorrow. More later, but here's a teaser:

First person to identify these three ladies gets sock yarn, so let me know your color preferences.

Ready!

2007-04-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

We're going paddling this weekend. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not until Saturday. Depends on how much it rains today. But we'll be leaving tomorrow in any case, because we'll camp and make a weekend of it, and need to be in camp tomorrow evening in order to meet our friends on Saturday morning.

When we get back, we'll have Monday to get things cleaned up and put away, because on Tuesday we're leaving for Chicago and Wisconsin! I'm going to a workshop with Meg Swansen! I tried to attend her camp last year, but selection was random and I didn't make it. So I'm really excited to be going now. I've never been to Chicago or Wisconsin, either.

Got books, notes, knitting needles, knitting gizmos?

Got yarn?

Got directions?

I've been knitting, and doing a little sewing, too.

More on the sweater when I'm finished. I know it looks like an amorphous blog at this point, but it's really pretty cool and looks nice on. And here's the boot quilt, ready to assemble. I really need to get this done and to the quilter. It's tying up my sewing machine, and I'd really like it's intended recipient to have it!

Happy Beginning

2007-04-22T14:45:00.000-04:00

Chelsea went home with Sheri and Michael today! I was going to call this "Happy Ending" to my story with Chelsea, but it's really about a happy beginning of a new and safe life for her. On the way, she managed to poop and pee on her new mommie, who is, of course, a wonderful doggie person and understands about frightened pooches.

Sheri has promised to stop at a friend's on the way home, because the friend is looking for a dog, and might just decide that Chelsea is a better fit for the friend. But in either case, she'll be loved and well cared for.

And now I can quit worrying. I must confess that worrying about her fate has taken a lot of emotional energy over the last week. Bless you Sheri!

And any of you knitters out there who are in the Crossville, TN area, please stop by Sheri's shop, The Yarn Patch. It's even closer to I-40 (like 2 minutes!) than originally, and she has lots of gorgeous yarn in a friendly and cozy shop. You won't be sorry you stopped in.

I don't have a photo of the new shop yet, but that's Sheri in the old one. Don't forget to thank her for taking that sweet dog, too!

PS - Blogger help doesn't have the information I always copy to make a live link in the place where I'm used to looking for it. I was going to live link you to The Yarn Patch website, Sheri's shop in Crossville. I'll keep looking, but in the meantime, you can get there using the sidebar on the right of my entry.

On the Porch

2007-04-14T18:55:00.000-04:00

I'm calling her Chelsea, and sadly I can't keep her. The kitty girls would find her problematic, as would David.

I found her sleeping at the front door for the last two mornings, so today I fed her (she was so excited she couldn't keep the food in the dish), and took her to the vet. She now has had shots. She should get a dose of Frontline, and on Monday she'll get a bath and spayed.

The vet says she's about 7 months old, and a mix of something like Dachsund and Australian Shepherd. She's about the size of a beagle, but long and low, with short little legs. She's just soooo sweet, and a real lap dog.

I have to find her a good home. Wish me luck.

I Love New York!

2007-04-04T10:20:00.000-04:00

Really. Totally unexpected. And in no small part because I had such good shepherds - Liz and Mardi. Mardi lives in Manhattan and Binghamton, Liz lives on Long Island. They met me in the City and we "did" the yarn thing all day.

I was surprised that the trip itself didn't cost a whole lot more. And when the Super Shuttle van let me off at my hotel, the New Yorker on 8th Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets, I was delighted to find a McDonald's and a Starbuck's right across the street. I would survive, if nothing else. That made me relax, as did the fact that bellmen weren't hovering to handle my meager luggage (no tips to worry about), and the knowledge that Mardi and Liz would be meeting me in the morning.

The city was easy to navigate. Of course, having my two new friends to show me the subway ropes helped tremendously. But I walked (wanting to get the lay of the land and the mood of the city) from my hotel to Rockefeller Plaza outside the Today Show, where I understand the knitter's were seen on television. I wasn't jumping up and down in front of the cameras, so I'm not certain I specifically was seen on TV. But anyway, it was a crazy, touristy thing to do - standing around out there, knitting in the cold. And it was cold. Mardi and I finally gave it up and headed back to my hotel to meet Liz, grabbing a little breakfast in the lobby while we waited.

Liz was right on time, and had a day-long subway pass for me; bless her! So off we went to begin our "yarn crawl." By the way, in my previous post-New York post, you see Mardi (black glasses) and Liz next to the Yarn Harlot sign, as well as flanking Mason-Dixon Knitting's Kay in Central Park.

My rule for yarn shops was that I would buy nothing I could obtain at home or easily on the internet. School Products first

(I bought lace weight hand painted cashmere, and some yak/merino blend; strange, but there is was and very soft when knitted up). We climbed the stairs and had no sooner entered the store when the building experienced a fire drill. Luckily it wasn't a full evacuation drill, and was of short duration.

Next to Habu Textiles;

very different sort of place with more exotic fibers. Small, intimate, oriental. Nothing grabbed me there, so I managed at least one stop without making a purchase.

Then onto the subway toward Central Park, and a quick stop at Zabar's for my souvenir:

Mardi made me promise not to stop and enjoy the frangrances of this unique and interesting grocery near Central Park, because we were due at Strawberry Fields for The Sock Shoot at noon. So, coffee was purchased and we boogied, getting to see The Dakota along the way. I didn't take nearly as many photos as I should have, The Dakota is a gorgeous old building.

Stephanie was there with the traveling sock, of course.

My previous post has the sock shoot at the "Imagine" mosaic.

After Central Park it was on to Knitty City, where I found some lovely and interesting yarn and spent too much money (but still following the rules!). While we were there, Knitty City received their copies of The Book.

Then The Yarn Company, one more project using the store's own pattern, free with purchase of yarn, and free shipping as well! (I asked that all my purchased be shipped, so I didn't have to worry about them in my luggage on the return trip.)

Late lunch at the Popover Cafe (check out the size of the popover on Liz's plate!)

before heading back down to the Fashion Institute of Technology and The Harlot's book launch event.

The trip was wonderful. I had a fun mini-vacation, made some new friends, and decided Manhattan is a place I'd like to visit again. Thanks Liz and Mardi!

Touch and Go

2007-04-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

That's what they call those airplane practices where the pilot touches down, but only briefly, before taking off again. Right? That's what I feel like right now. Though I did extend the ground time by rescheduling my appointments in Knoxville. Instead of tomorrow they're a week or so away. So I can stay home tomorrow and pack, heading out again on Thursday, to return on Tuesday evening. I'll spend the Easter weekend with my friend Jenny in Herndon, VA, along with her mother Jean Ann. I know Jenny and Jean Ann from my years in Florida.

David has likewise landed. He's off the Colorado River, has raft packed and is heading east. We will meet again on Tuesday evening. Hurray! My sweetie returns.

I am now a hot water fan. Not for everything, of course. But definitely for white sheets. Pre-treat with Oxy-Clean, and add it to the wash water. White sheets again! Normally I wash everything in cold water, for energy conservation and because it works OK for normal clothes. But I've been sleeping on dingy sheets for a while, and I finally said ENOUGH!! Today they got washed on hot, and by golly, they're white again, and LOOK clean! Ahhhhh. Which is good. This bed takes a good bit of energy to make and re-make, so I don't do it as often as I should. But today, it's good and worth the effort.

Note the steps. I need them to get into/on the bed. Note also the bins and bag UNDER the bed. Stash.

So I'm enjoying being at home again and the kitties are liking it, too.

But I had a great week at the John C. Campbell Folk School. I knitted mittens all week. And learned more technique than I could have imagined. Beth Brown-Reinsel is an extraordinary teacher, and I feel so lucky to have spent another week under her tutelage.

First up were our Selbu Norwegian mittens. I really like these, especially some of the little elegant touches, like the side edge stitches and how they close up at the top of the mitten. I'll make the mate to this one.

Then, on to Swedish twined (two-end) knitting. Tedious and slow and kind of a pain, but gorgeous! I can see myself doing small, very small, portions of this. I've ordered Beth's lovely sock pattern using this techinque - we'll see if I ever make myself do it again. The problem is that, when done in the traditional way, the yarn gets twisted so much that you have to stop every round or two and untwist it. Now, there's a special technique for doing that, but still, one must stop knitting and DO it.

After that, the colorful Latvian mittens. What you can't see here are the really neat braids. They're done with the twined knitting techniques, and are a real pain, but very much worth the effort. I also added fringe, hated it and ripped it out. No fringe on my Latvian mittens ever! I opted for a child's size, since time was growing short and for once I wanted to finish my projects in time for "show and tell."

When we weren't knitting, we were able to appreciate a Southern Appalachian spring.

Tomorrow - back to New York!

Failure to Blog

2007-03-24T18:00:00.000-04:00

I'm whupped! New York was great and with the guidance of Mardi and Liz, I had a wonderful time. Then I stopped to eat on my way home from the airport yesterday. Something didn't agree with me, so I spent most of the night emptying the entire contents of my digestive system. I just can't get it together today.

I AM ready to head off to the Folk School first thing in the morning. I'll be gone just over a week. More on New York when I get back, plus I'll have the Folk School workshop to tell you about, too.

But just for fun, here are some of my photos from New York. Comments and more when I return.

Pesky Fiber Stuff!

2007-03-20T15:30:00.000-04:00

Fiber stuff is soooo sneaky! It sits quietly in the store. It looks inviting. If given half a chance it will follow you home. And THEN, once there, it keeps drawing attention to itself, making noise and not leaving you alone. The Ashford Traveller spinning wheel has been like that. And now this, this.... Louet drum carder!

And it's not just equipment. Fleece is the same way. This New Zealand Romney from The Yarn Circle, for example. It knows it hooked me and that I'd have to have more!

And of course, once you're reading all about spinning, and you run across something that says "Perendale is an excellent fleece for beginners," you must run to the internet and find some. Perendale lamb, lovely, not very greasy, and just begging me to wash and spin it.

Noise, that's all I've had from this pesky spinning equipment and fiber, ever since that spinning bug bit me. Sigh.... soon I will give in to the pests.

But right now I'm knitting my hat for the Yarn Harlot's Represent book launch in New York. I leave in the morning and I'll be back late on Friday. Just in time to turn things around at home and head out for another fun filled week at the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Gourmet for One

2007-03-15T23:20:00.000-04:00

Food and wine. Chicken recipe from my friend Karol, but this is really leftovers. I prepared this dish when our friends stayed with us Sunday evening.

Yarn. I received this brightly colored sample of superwash merino and decided to try it as a quick break between plying and spinning my medium brown Corriedale roving. Whoaaa! I can tell I'm not ready for this yet! Also, I was spinning it pretty fine, and the wheel just about yanked it away from me. I can see where the lace kit would be handy of one were going to do much fine spinning! I didn't do this long, but the bright colors were fun. Today it was back to my natural brown roving.

Mystery Revealed

2007-03-14T16:35:00.000-04:00

You were all on the right track. Here's the deal. It's copper tubing in a solution that's 1 part ammonia, 2 parts water. The ammonia reacts with the copper to create the blue color, and the copper acts as both the mordant and the coloring agent for the wool. The wool is supposed to end up some shade of mint or seafoam green, like copper patina. The rolags in the photo are kind of sage green and came from Martha's copper jar in our class. My wool ended up a light beige with a slight greenish cast. There was a warning on the instructions that the first attempt with a new jar and new copper might give me a brown instead of green. Yup! So now the solution is a cloudy green, and I will wait a while before trying it again. I might try to overdye this skein, shown next to original undyed for comparison), or I might learn it's not good for the wool and I'll just use this as is.

In other dyeing fun, I mordanted a few skeins yesterday in preparation for later dyeing.

I used alum and cream of tartar - yummm, the fragrance of cooking wool!

The resulting skeins, drying and waiting for dye at a later time.

Spring!

2007-03-12T14:45:00.000-04:00

Terry and BC are friends again. BC is still uncomfortable with her feet, and sort of creeps around. But she's getting better and I can tell she feels better, too. Of course, having Nancy Guthrie's lap and lots of petting last night helped. The girls had an exciting evening because we had paddler friends spend the night.

What's Happening?

2007-03-10T19:25:00.000-05:00

Does anyone detect changes in the mystery jar?

Meanwhile, in the upstairs bathroom:

After a couple of days of teasing me, the amaryllis is finally fully opened. Well, two fo the four blooms are. Now to enjoy for the duration, as it's my only one, and it's only once a year.

Speaking of once a year, someone reminded me that we switch to Daylight Savings Time in the wee hours tomorrow. I like DST, but I hate changing. I wish we could just pick one and stick with it.

Easily Amused

2007-03-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

I've had an exciting evening! I watched Disney's "Almost Angels", listening to the Vienna Boys' Choir, while producing this ethereal white cloud:

It's white New Zealand Romney, and before I started, it looked like this (pardon the poor close-up; my camera just doesn't do them well):

Now, it was pretty darned nice to start with (before I washed it, it was a beautiful golden color - LOTS of lanolin), but I was worried about those tips. But just some light flicking with a flick carder, and poof - gone! And without further processing, I could start spinning the stuff in the box. Listening to angelic voices and watching the transforming of the fleece - my idea of a rockin' Friday night! (Martha at The Yarn Circle still has some of this gorgeous white Romney - see the side bar for a link to the store if you want some for yourself.)

And spinning the stuff! I can't wait. It'll be thrilling.

Noel Thurner (from the Viking Spinner workshop) says there must be some fiber DNA somewhere in the genetic makeup of people like us. I think she must be right.

BC and I have been suffering this week. The cold materialized and since I usually give one about a week, I have a couple more days to go. It's better, but still with me. And BC is still recovering from her surgery, poor baby. And to add insult to injury, Terry growled and hissed at her for the first two days she was home. That's over with, thank goodness, but BC still isn't her active self, and her feet are obviously causing her discomfort. It hurts me to see her walk, which she isn't doing much. I HATE, HATE, HATE that I had to do that to her. It'll be fine soon, but in the meantime, I'm suffering with her.

Monday, Monday

2007-03-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

David left for his Grand Canyon trip today. I have to stay busy so the time will go quickly. He'll be gone about 6 weeks.

BC went to the vet today. I must have her de-clawed and the surgery is tomorrow. I can't possibly manage NOT feeding and watering one cat in the house when there are three others who can eat and drink. So surgery days for kitties are preceded by an overnight at the vet. Sigh.... I hate having to do this. But she's developed the habit of ripping up the carpet pile and eating it. And climbing the walls. Otherwise she's a wonderful kitty. Terry has gotten along just fine post de-clawing and doesn't seem any the worse for the wear. Cali never seemed any different - she was de-clawed when I found her. So.... but still, it's tough knowing she's there and I'm here and I can't be any comfort to her until I bring her home.

I woke up feeling stuffy and as the day has progressed, I've decided I'm getting a cold.

On the busy side, I'm getting my tax documentation done. I took apart the old CD player that ate 3 of my CDs and wouldn't give them back. I got my CD's and it's going to the dump tomorrow. New one in the box downstairs waiting for me to finish with the tax stuff.

And I have yarn that I made myself!

The brown is Corriedale roving and the first yarn from my new wheel. The green is Columbia pencil roving from Chester Farms (purchased from Holly Spring Homespun), spun on my hand spindle. I wish I had a better camera, but maybe if you click on the picture, you'll get a closer look at the yarn texture or something.

And here's the current state of the myster jar. HollyMay was thinking crayons, but I believe that's because she had nothing with which to gain any perspective. So here's a picture with stuff next to it, for a better idea of size.

Mood Indigo

2007-03-03T19:55:00.000-05:00

Well, the color is indigo. The mood is elated - because I've finished carding all the dyed wool!

The two top rows are from the individual dye pots. The bottom two rows are rolags (hand carded) and batts (drum carder) from the rainbow dye pots. There's a better look at the colors:

I also finished spinning a second bobbin of the brown Corriedale, so tomorrow, I'll ply! And then spin s'more.

Now I'm going to ... knit, yeah, that's it, knit!

Practice and a Mystery

2007-03-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

Lookeee!! A full bobbin from the spinning wheel. I'm on my second one. Something "clicked" yesterday and the process of making yarn is going a lot more smoothly for me. Now something will smite me for saying that. As Alyssa observed, it often goes thusly: "Hey, I'm doin' good.... aw shit!" I'll keep my fingers crossed that I don't have a major gaff to report soon.

So, now the mystery. What could I possibly be up to here? Of course, if you were in the class, you know what's going on. I'll continue to post photos as the mystery progresses. Stay tuned.

And the weekend cuteness factor: Terry plays in anything, with anything. David is getting tired of keeping her out of his gear and stuff he has spread around getting ready for his imminent departure for another trip down the Colorado River.

Color!

2007-02-28T19:15:00.000-05:00

After a dyeing and spinning class, what would you expect me to be doing???

Rolags from the piles of colored fleece. The carding is progressing, albeit slowly. But I want to finish all of the carding before beginning to spin, since I want to make "designer" yarn - haaaa haaaa! My camera didn't do a very nice job with these colors, but you get the idea.

I brought home some wool/nylon sock yarn, plain white. It wants to be the creamsicle socks, so I opted for quick and easy as my first venture. This is not a bowl of spaghetti, it's the last skein in it's Kool-Aid dyebath.

For the first skein, I used the suggested 1 pkg per ounce, therefore 4 pkgs. Then 2, then 1. Since my microwave oven is small, I had to use a small-ish bowl. I didn't want equal distribution and total saturation. I'm pleased with the results, but there's not a really obvious difference between skeins 1 and 2. Probably because I deliberately let some areas soak up more color than others with skein 2.

And for the spinning part, brown Corriedale. And I actually think I'm starting to get the hang of this process! Oh, I know there's much, much to learn. But I might acutally be making something I can use. I'm really excited about all this!

Spin or Dye!

2007-02-26T07:58:00.000-05:00

Spin or dye was Martha's final lesson for us after a week filled with fiber fun and more information than one can possibly imagine! I've never had a better week at the John C. Campbell Folk School. From room mates and class mates, to class content, to food, and most importantly, to Martha Owen, our instructor and fiber enabler!

We began with a mountain of raw wool, sheared from Martha's own sheep, which we washed and dried.

We dyed wool using natural dye stuffs like marigolds, madder root, black walnuts, cochineal, and indigo.

We visited the sheep and Angora rabbits at Martha's farm.

We learned to prepare fiber for spinning.

We had an amazing variety of spinning wheels available to us, and concurrent with our fiber play, we all began our efforts at spinning yarn. Here is Kate, spinning Angora from the rabbit in her lap.

We had a good time and learned much. Some of us are hooked and went home with something like this:

Out in the Snow

2007-02-18T07:40:00.000-05:00

Brrrr.... more snow on the ground than I've seen this winter. And I'm headed out into the great white today for another fun-filled fibery week at the John C. Campbell Folk School for the "Sheep to Shawl" class.

While I'm away, there'll probably be big plans for The Yarn Harlot's big book launch in New York (to which I'm going - yaaaay!). And a huge thank you to New Yorker Liz for sending me information and volunteering to guide me to yarn shops and THE EVENT!

The amaryllis will probably grow a foot.

And the kitty children will miss me.

Yesterday I finished all the boot blocks for a new quilt so I'd be at a convenient stopping point. Sashing when I get back.

See y'all next week!

It's Magic

2007-02-12T15:45:00.000-05:00

Pure and simple, blocking is magic!

The Babies and Bears Sweater for Grownups, before blocking first, then after blocking, for each view.

I didn't get the exact row gauge in the garter stitch portion that I was supposed to. It was close, and in retrospect (hind sight is always 20/20 they say) I would have chosen the #10 needle instead of the #9. But it's wool, and all was OK.

Come to think of it, wool is a bit magical, isn't it?

Clear the Deck!

2007-02-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

Make way, make way, for the return of........

But first: this is what my "knitting area" typically looks like.

A couple of knitting books, a Denise needle set, Ott Lite, yarn, more yarn, knitting gizmo bag, plastic box with spindle and pencil roving (yeah I know plastic isn't good but it'll do for now), pile of magazines and patterns, some of which are for WIPs, old and new, pretty little yellow box that, because of kitten-ish happenings around here, contains these:

and can be closed when not in use.

So, the deck has been cleared (the rest of the stuff is David's - not my problem).

Because it's time for the return of .....

THE GANSEY!!

I need space when I'm working on something like this, with a chart and my notes and directions. Now I must figure out where I left off, but I remember that I'm close, very close to finishing the front and the back is done! That means I should be able to proceed with designing the arms and finishing it.

Do you think this sudden urge to finish it has anything to do with me taking another workshop with Beth Brown-Reinsel soon? This year it's a Nordic Mitten Tour at the Folk School. But I began my gansey as a result of the workshop I took with her last January on 19th Century Sweater Design. I'm pretty motivated to show up in her presence again wearing my gansey.

Yes, I know. Felted clogs.... socks for Scott.... socks for David.... socks for soldiers. But I can't work on just one project! And this was completed today!

Babies and Bears Sweater for Grownups by Cottage Creations. A very fun knit. Now that I've made one, I'm anxious to give it another try. That orange Peace Fleece in the first photo - next Babies and Bears for me!

Post publish PS - The Peace Fleece looks red in the picture. It's actually a very orangish red. And I found my place on the Gansey right away - because I MADE NOTES!! I have a tendency to let projects languish for long periods (it just happens), so I've learned to keep careful records and hope I can decipher them when the time comes.

Interruption

2007-02-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

I must interrupt my regularly scheduled knitting. I must felt again. As in make the wool mat together. Here's why - my boring, but oh-so-warm felted clogs:

In case the problem isn't obvious:

The new ones will be a bit more interesting, because I'll be making them from this:

And because my felted clogs are the warmest and most comfortable house slippers I've ever worn, I feel compelled to make the new ones soon. Besides, I want to see how this yarn looks all mushed and matted!

Fun and No Fun

2007-02-06T22:55:00.000-05:00

The No Fun first::

I'm actually pleased with how the apron turned out, but it's too big for me. I was going to make this one for myself, and then one to give David's mother next Christmas. But the miles and miles of binding were just tedious and annoying. So I'm not going to make this again (even in the smaller size), and this apron is going in the drawer as one of Joy's Christmas gifts next year.

And the fun: David suspended Terry's rattle filled sockie toy and she had lots of exercise trying to get it.

Washing Orchid

2007-02-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

Orchid is a ewe. She's mostly Corriedale. She belongs to Martha Owens. She has lovely golden and gray fleece. I love Orchid's fleece.

We got to spin some of it in the grease over last weekend and I think most of us in the class thought it worked well. We prepared it using the Viking combs. Orchid's fleece was for our class, and we didn't use most of it there, so each class participant came home with her share.

I cruised around the internet and began to realize it would be a good thing not to keep unwashed fleece too long. So I washed it, and now I love it even more.

I prepared little net baggies to enclose the locks.

I submerged the baggie enclosed locks in hot water with Dawn detergent.

I hung them to dry in the vicinity of, but not too close to, the wall heater in the basement bathroom.

I stored the clean, soft wool in a muslin bag, to await further processing. Not sure what that will be.

I love Orchid's fleece. Wool is miraculous stuff!

Viking Spinner

2007-02-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

That was the theme for our spinning weekend workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School. And what a fun and informative weekend it was! Instructor extraordinaire Noel Thurner set about teaching a group of rank beginner to very novice spindle spinners the art of a top whorl spindle, stressing the actions to get into our "muscle memory."

Noel is high energy, highly experienced, and best of all adept at teaching; the right progression, the right amount of information, made learning fun and relaxed. In addition, she made the whole experience more fun by placing our tasks within the historical context of the Vikings as they traveled the globe with their hand spun, wool sails (yes they were!! - all 374 pounds of each one). We had the opportunity to try our hands at several different wool rovings, washing and combing wool (wow - those Viking combs could be lethal as weapons), and even spinning in the grease.

I'm hooked! Or maybe I should say spun?

Here's Noel helping Patricia prepare Wensleydale fleece for washing.

Missy and Kate making great yarn.

Karen, my roommate, at the end of the weekend having successfully spun the dog fur that prompted her to participate in the workshop.

So what did I actually DO over the weekend? I learned to use these tools and made all these little balls of yarn.

Various colored pencil roving back left, greasy Corriedale is the golden brown in the middle (I love the color), and various breeds' roving and top in front: Spelsau, Icelandic, Finn and Wensleydale.

Too much fun! I'll tell you tomorrow about washing my share of the Corriedale fleece that came home with me. It's from Orchid, a ewe owned by Martha Owens of The Yarn Circle (see side bar) and fiber artist in residence at the Folk School.

Green Diamonds and Mitts

2007-01-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

Make that mitt - only one (anyone see a pattern here?). Seriously, now that we have some serious winter weather, my hands get cold around the house from time to time, and my right hand gets cold a lot when I'm mousing around on the computer. Carol made mitts, I've seen patterns for them, and a light bulb went off - "Aha, I need mitts!" I found Anns' Delicato pattern, which is pretty and would give me a chance to try out more lace knitting skills, a yarn that I haven't used yet, AND get warm hands. So I've done it. Here's the mouse hand mitt:

And NO, this time I did not copy the Yarn Harlot. I had purchased and downloaded my pattern, pulled the yarn out of stash, gotten the needles at the ready. It was only then that I saw Stephanie's post with her tale of knitting her alpaca Delicato mitt.

On to green diamonds. They're done. All 16 of them. Now to combine them with the blue ones and move onward to get this quilt top completed.

Tomorrow I must spin more of this:

in order to unload the spindle so I can take it with me for the weekend. I'm going again to the John C. Campbell Folk School for this fun weekend class on hand spindling.

And then a quick visit with Denise. I have Christmas treats for Sadie, Lucas and Oreo but due to a last minute change of plans, I wasn't able to see them at Christmas.

Some quick notes about the mitt. I think on the second one I'm going to use a plain K2P2 rib on the thumb, and not the fancy rib. Also at the top of the body, I'll use the fancy rib only on the top, and plain rib on the palm side. I got 8.5 stitches per inch instead of 8, but it fits perfectly, as I wanted it snug. I used Lucy Neatby's modified conventional bind off, which is comfortable enough, but if I want to spread my hand, it's slightly binding. I think I will try a different bind off on the second mitt, too.

Weekend's Work

2007-01-22T17:16:00.000-05:00

I finished Joy's quilt:

I had it quilted by our friend and neighbor Maggie Porter. I made and sewed the binding on over the weekend, and it's ready to mail to David's mother by the end of this week. Her birthday is Feb. 7th.

I also got half of a very fun cardigan completed:

It's Babies and Bears Sweater for Grownups (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page if you follow the link) and this is my left half. This pattern from Cottage Creations is fun because of the unusual shaping - it begins at the garter stitch cuff, knit in the round. Then the sleeve is stockinette in the round, and the body is worked mostly in garter stitch. I saw Jane's version of this at The Yarn Patch last week and just had to make it, being the garter stitch fan that I am. I think I should have used one size larger needle for the garter - this may be a tad on the small side (re width), but the sleeves fit perfectly! It's wool and rather than rip, I'm going to hope for the miracle of blocking if it's necessary. And I'll definitely make this again.

Tagged, Too!

2007-01-19T17:57:00.000-05:00

Carol tagged me.

Now I have to : Open the nearest book to page 123, type 6-8 lines of the book, tag three others. Here goes:

"The Nhambiquara intrigued Roosevelt, and he enjoyed their company, but he would not let his guard down around them. He had heard vivid tales of their brutality toward the Pareci in Utiarity, and he had spent a night watching them dance in Jurena....."

It's from The River of Doubt by Candice Millard. And it wasn't the closest book, but it was the closest one that had 123 pages and wasn't a craft or quilt book. So I cheated a bit. Makes me want to find out what Teddy saw that makes him wary of those people!

And now I'm tagging HollyMay, Kari, and Nan.

And in keeping with something or other, here's a kitty photo for Friday:

Terry helps with the laundry.