P U L S H

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Pocket Spinner! Plus a New Adoption

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:25:50 GMT

My Pocket Wheel finally arrived - and I picked it up yesterday. It's so little! The opening of basket to the right of the wheel measures at 10", and the measurement from orifice metal opening to where the pocket wheel sits is 18". I'm already on my second bobbin. Fun!

Then guess what followed me home? Big Bertha! You can't quite tell that it's BIG, but to give you an idea, the trim on the wall is at 36", and the floor-to-top-of-wheel measures 45".

And for entertainment's sake, see the two together!

Sweater = Done! Top Down, Set In Sleeve, & Seamless

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:21:21 GMT

The top-down-set-in-sleeve-sweater I started last month is complete! It was a dream to knit and fits Carol to a tee. You can see how the colors work with her palette. View Carol's artwork here.

The Stats:
Pattern: Top Down Set in Sleeve Method by Tuulia Salmela (no pattern yet, send Tuulia an email saying how much you want it!)
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 6
Started: 3 November 2008
Finished: 28 Dec 2008 (and that is with knitting the sleeves twice to get them to my liking.)
I love love love making a sweater this way. The set in sleeve fits nicely on the shoulders, the faux seams provide structure to the entire sweater. Best of all, you can try-on-as-you knit, to ensure it works!

Hat from the yarn leftovers:

Hat pattern: A modification of my own "Folk Art For Your Head" - but I used the "Lifestyle Top Down Hat" method.
Yarn: Same as the sweater above.
Needle: US 6

Happy Solstice!

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:58:29 GMT

May you be surrounded with light and love this holiday season!

Training Wheels

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:23:18 GMT

I am bound and determined to get lace right. I have waged a battle with lace for over 20+ years. Friends tell me to give it up, be happy to do texture, two color. But no, I want to get it right.

So, I'm using training wheels to figure out where I am. And they are:

Highlighter tape on the knit chart so I only work the row I mean to work.
Row counter at the beginning of the round, so I remember what row I am on.
Stitch markers, placed at each repeat so I double check that I have the correct number of stitches per repeat.

This is Anne Hanson's Spiralucious.
Yarn: Frog Tree 100% Alpaca, Type 2310; Fingering Weight; Made in Bolivia
Needles: Lovely Fixed Harmony Wood, size 3US, from KnitPicks

I'm 50% done. Wish me luck.

Art Imitates Life Imitates Art

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:24:12 GMT

The Knitting Mama, aka Katie Kent, shows off her perfect timing with her tilted blocks scarf (from Lynne Barr's book, Knitting New Scarves) in October 2008. Mother Nature supplied the same colorway as the scarf Katie dyed, spun and knit. MN's tree was sitting in Bellingham, WA.

Apologies for the less than perfect photo -- this was a serendipitious moment on the street when tree and scarf aligned, and only a point-and-shoot camera was at hand.

In other news, progress on current projects:

Spinning - Ain't for the Faint of Heart

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:49:33 GMT

Made at bighugelabs, click on the image, and save the big one for computer desktop wallpaper.

Pick 'em up beautifully - Tuulia shows you how

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:10:40 GMT

Tuulia walks us through the simplest of ways to pick up stitches and make sure it's beautiful. Take a look at this video:

Thanks Tuulia!

Note: this video is available on Youtube too.

This pick up method is specific to continuing kntting in the opposite direction. In this particular instance, Tuulia is demonstrating picking up stitches at the underarm of the sweater I'm currently knitting using her top-down-set-in-sleeve-seamless sweater method. (Link to previous blog entry about this method.)

Whole Lotta Catching You Up to Do

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:02:04 GMT

Work in Progress: Full Sized Top Down Set-in Sleeve Sweater (Women's medium, 40")
The neck will be picked up and knit with a rolled-edge. The sweater starts at the shoulders, then is picked up all the way round, including the sleeve caps and knit in the round, increasing every other row for the sleeve cap. (Link to previous entry about this method.)

Detail:

Finally, getting a Shawl posted that I have let sit in the "to be photographed" pile for too long:

Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau (click for pattern)
Needles: US 7
Wool: Mixture of Cascade 220 and Paton Classic Merino
Finish: Single crocheted edge with hand dyed Cascade 220. Despite the many many colors available in both these brands, I ended up needing something slightly different and handdyed the edge wool myself.
Notes: Fast mindless knit, blocks beautifully, and certainly there will be more to come. I discovered that if I add buttons, I can wrap the points around my arms and button it up for mock sleeves, they don't get in the way when I'm working and it becomes a shrug.

And, some photos of previously posted items, modeled by Marie:

Pictures, top to bottom (left to right as you go) - links to previous blog entries on these items:

Dew Rag (eggplant hat); Kauni Beret (blue green colorwork hat); Dew Rag, back view; Kauni Beret view 2; Verdant Scarf (green hand spun); Transition Gloves - Wow, guess I never posted about these!

Pattern: Transition Gloves by Kerin Dimeler
Wool: GGH Merino Soft, 1 skein each color

Photos continued:
My So Called Scarf (warm colors); Shadow Tam (warm color shadow stitching)

Autumn

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:06:23 GMT

From the Allspunup fiber challenge Oct - Nov 2008 (on Ravelry, consolidated photo page here.)

Finished fiber stats: Wraps per inch: 18-20 | 8 ounces | ~ 800-900 yards | thinnest I’ve spun thus far

The sample on the notecard is navajo-plied, but the skein is 2 ply. I plan to knit a wrap with this beautiful stuff.

If you spin, run-don't-walk to Kristin's shop and get some of the goodness from her hands. You can afford it, yes you can.

Recent Additions to the House of Hats

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:37:41 GMT

Above:
Pattern: Lifestyle Top Down Hats, Pillbox hat; Fingerless mitts: I made up the design as I went
Yarn: Dyed Romney fiber, colors combined by the Knitting Mama (who also happens to be a spinning mama), then sold to me; I spun it into a thick/thin single, then plied it with an almost lace weight single, black mystery wool (probaby Romney too.).
Needles: 7 US
Notes: This is my favorite hat shape to knit. I love knitting from the top down. It just works!

Above:
Pattern: Vivian Hoxbro Rainbow Tam
Yarn: Jamieson's Spindrift, 4 skeins: Madder, Poppy, Ginger, and I think the last one was Curry
Needle: US 1
Notes: This required a lot of attention, but developed a rhythm as I got into it. I did it to see if I could work with Jamieson's for long (Shetland is not terribly soft, but it is hard wearing), and to see if I could meet the requirement of constant attention to a chart. I want to make the Rainbow cardigan by Vivian Hoxbro. I have all the wool, now I just need the will.

You can never have too many....

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:23:03 GMT

One more hat and scarf.

Hat pattern: Just Like a Peasant Cap by Amber Daniels-Cook (click for pattern - this is an Adobe PDF file.)
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, 2 skeins
Needle: Size 6 US
Notes: Very easy to knit. Note, VERY warm in alpaca!

Scarf notes:
Merino roving. I dyed it with Jacquard dyes in blues and browns. (It was beautiful.)
Spinning: I spun thick/thin singles, then set the yarn in hot water. When I went to pull the skein out, the color was gone.
So, back to the drawing board. All blue was gone. I had an striated oatmeal/brown skein. I dunked it in a chartruese dyebath. And, presto, I have a verdant woodland skein.
Knitting pattern: K1P1. The front and back of the scarf are the same. Slip the first stitch, purl the last stitch, every row.
Size needles: US 4
It's so lovely. Soft. Green. Yum.

A Brilliant way to knit a sweater - make it fit, make it seamless.

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:18:42 GMT

Last weekend I spent it with the YaYa sisterhood and we had a good time.

We laughed and we knit:

We were bandits and we knit:

We were daughters and we knit:

And we were amazed at the method that Tuulia Salmela has come up with to make a sweater from the top down, that fits, that has a set in sleeve, and WORKS!

Yes, Martha, this REALLY is knit in one piece and you can try it on as you go. Look for a pattern from Tuulia in the near future.

We also did a bit of enjoying of the Fall, and went to a Northwest Regional Spinner's Annual Spin-In and, of course, visited all the local yarn shops!

Update 7 November 2008 | Finished the Sweater Sample from this class

I've already knit a swatch to get an adult sweater going with this method. I'm jazzed!

My ever-present Ben

Got a Dragon by the Tail

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:21:34 GMT

Tuulia Salmela, an incredible knitwear designer from Finland, dyed, spun, designed, then knit this incredible shawl. Then, for some completely unfathomable reason, GAVE it to me. The least I could do was photograph it in all it's glory. Tuulia is the model. Read more about Tuulia's adventures in knitting at: http://tuulia.blogspot.com. She calls it the Red Dragon. (More photos of the Dragon here.)

A pattern will be available shortly! Check out her blog or her Designer page on Ravelry. Click a photo to see it big.

And for fun, another kind of tale-- Ben, one of my cats is VERY social. See him hanging all over Tuulia as she spins. Hilarious!

More than one, REALLY? A review of a very different color.

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:41:22 GMT

I've been thinking about why I have more than one spinning wheel. I can really make all the yarn I want with only one wheel. One could argue that I reallly needn't even bother. I can buy all the yarn I want. There are shops full of skeins and skeins of beautiful yarns. There is no necessity to make it.

But I have found myself with more than one. Several more than one. And I find that I am drawn to each one, compelled to spin, on each one for very different reasons.

Lendrum is a workhorse. It will spin at my bidding. Thick and thin, lace, spiral yarn, more. It keeps going, needs no maintenance, is beautifully plain and just keeps on giving. Really, it is all I should ever need.

But the sirens sang, and there I was - enchanted, drawn to the elegance of Schacht. Beautiful, stands heads above others. Insistent on elegance, quietly whispers in my ear. Never pulls hard or drags, smoothly executes and dances with me. The yarn we create together sings. All I should ever ever need.

And yet.

Suzie gave me a glance, called my name. Said she could travel, was flippant. Dared me to try her, to play. Came home with me. What to do? She has joined the household. She is finicky. She wants tension here, release of tension there. She wants adjustment over there. Oil now. Well, she is entertaining, she is engaging. I keep coming back to her, despite my queen Schacht. Despite my sweet hard-working Lendrum. I am afraid that Suzie will be the death of me.

And still....

There is a new gal coming to town. I walk to the end of the drive everyday in anticipation, looking for her. She'll be here soon. Lithe, athletic, limber. She promises to slip into places no other can. She fits in a pocket. I await her arrival.

Gearing up for Cold Nights

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:59:40 GMT

Summer is near the end, evenings are cool enough to require a wrap or scarf. I'm gearing up for the Winter with hand-dyed roving, ready for spinning. Click the image to see notes on it with fiber info.

Are you ready with plans for winter projects?

And now for something completely different

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:30:49 GMT

Chalk it up as inspiration.

Normally this blog is focused on knitting and spinning and all topics related. However, today, I just have to share with you some photos I shot this summer. They are straight out of the camera with the exception of some noise reduction. No color added. Where did I have to go to get these loverlies? I stepped out my front door.

Two different sunsets in August 2008; Pacific Northwest/Washington State. Image on left with Canon 20d pro camera, image on right, point-and-shoot Canon Powershot.

Scarves, Scarves, Scarves and...a Drop Stitch Scarf

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:25:13 GMT

I admit it, unabashedly, undeniably, I love knitting scarves. And hats. And socks. But, you already knew that.
I live in the Pacific Northwest where those accessories are something that can be worn almost year round. Even today, 24 August 2008, it has poured rain all day and it's cool enough to throw a scarf around your neck if you head outside.

Knitting small things means I can do lots of them, try lots of colors, and textures.

Finished a few months ago - the Christine Vogel drop stitch scarf that 488 people on Ravelry have made (and another 1645 people have it queued up to do).
Yarn: Rayon Metallic by Blue Heron Yarns (Ravelry link)
Needle: Size 6 or 7, US (cannot exactly remember!)

Up close:

Tracking Your Spinning - Spinning Template Cards

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:30:30 GMT

In an effort to get organized and hopefully see improvement of my spinning, I created some spinning project cards. Help yourself to them.

Creating a simple 4x6 index card with some info about how you got to where you got to on a finished project and putting a few inches of the spun yarn on the card helps if you ever hope to repeat it.

Download the template here.

A basket of my handspun of the past couple of years below. You can kind of see (in the index card box) that I stapled locks of the unspun wool on the cards, as well as any knit samples from the yarn.

Calico Yarn finished

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:16:22 GMT

Started with Allspunup roving, 8.55 ounces, Alpaca and Wool (Merino I think) blend
Spun singles at about worsted weight for a total of 290 yards.

Before, courtesy of Allspunp:

During (on then off the niddy-noddy):

After a sit in water brought to about 190 degrees, then whirled in a salad spinner, yanked at a bit and hung to dry:

After After - So in love with this colorway, that I went out into my dye studio and duplicated it while my yarn was drying:

Back to basics: Spinning singles, mostly

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:12:10 GMT

Gallery of recently finished yarns that I've spun and/or handdyed and spun. Destined to become hats, scarves, gloves. As always, click the photo for big.

I dyed, then spun this BFL roving into a bulky single: 130 yards total, about 4 ounces.

I purchased this 70% wool/ 30% seacell blend from Fleece Artist in the form of pencil roving (2 hanks at 100 grams and $12.75 USD each). All I did was spin and ply it. 400 yards total, two ply, about 6.5 ounces. I had a small hank of navajo ply from the same lot at 97 yards, making the total spin at just under 500 yards for the full 200 grams. I was not fond of spinning the pencil roving -- nothing really to hold in your hand. I named the colorway "Forest Floor" for all the browns and greens with occasional blue.

Wool/Seacell is very expensive - so I'm playing with wool/tencel to see if I can get a similar feel. It too is expensive, but not so bad. This I hand dyed and spun into medium-bulky singles: 175 yards for about 4 ounces. The superwash version seems to take the dye much more readily than the non-superwash version of the same fiber blend. I can't wait to knit with it to see how it works up. This is a sunny colorway with intense orange, yellow and shades inbetween.

Allspunup Fiber Challenge: First to post!

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:54:07 GMT

Probably due to me reading the instructions wrong rather than being johnny-on-the-spot, I was the first to post my spun fiber in the Allspunup Fiber Challenge. (link to Ravelry entry). See the many ways spinners spun up this wonderful fiber.

[click photo for big]

So fanstastic was the roving that it almost spun itself. Amazing colorway (a hallmark of Kristin's of Allspunup on Etsy.) I started spinning this fiber at noon yesterday, and it was set and hanging to dry by 5pm. Sweet!

Stat:
80% Merino, 20% Silk
230 yards, single ply
12 wraps per inch

I tagged it with the name "Ocean Seaweed" as it looks like something from the sea - most certainly a reflection of the fact that I live near water.

Scarf Heads for the Hills

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:15:25 GMT

Photo taken on 22 July 2008, an hour after my daughter told me that she was heading out to do a bicycle tour of the Western United States in less than 48 hours. Surprised by the news, I found myself gathering whatever I could to send her off. I pulled a scarf from my recently finished works-in-progress, and a camera out of my purse, gave her a hug and a kiss and off she went.

Oh, to be 24 again!

Fiber: 80% Merino, 20% Silk; kettle dyed and spun into singles by me (this fiber is a DREAM to spin.)
Scarf pattern: Lynne Barr "Tilted Blocks" from the book: "Knitting New Scarves"

As of 3 August 2008, Aden has made it to Boise Idaho (origin: Seattle, WA - a total of over 500 miles), and has uploaded some photos of her trip. Here is one of her shots along the road:

Think good thoughts for Aden as she makes her way South to Colorado on her bike!

24 August update: Aden decided that one mountain pass in a month was enough. In Idaho she caught a bus and went to Reno. Then she cycled out to Gerlach, NV to take a job working at Burning Man for a month or so. She put on about 1,000 miles on her bicycle in a month. Go Aden!

Knit 'em, Two at a time, Toe Up. No Problem.

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:41:37 GMT

I figured out how to solve the problem of knitting two toe-up socks at a time, using two circulars. (Phew, that's a lot of the letter "t".)

1. Wind off your skein of yarn so you have it divided equally into two balls.
2. Stick them in a zip lock bag.
3. Zip it shut except for the corners on each side. Leave those un-zipped.
4. Knit to your heart's content.
5. Flip the bag as you go from front to back to keep strands always uncrossed.
Easy, peasy. Click this link to get the Lifestyle Toe Up socks guide. Then, get knitting.

Follow up: 9 August 2008
Finished these socks at the end of July. This method knits up really well - and I loved having a pair of socks at the end of the project. No second-sock-syndrome here.

When I got to the heel, I took one sock off the needles and put it one of the circular needles to hold it. I then knit the heel for each sock, and when I was ready to start knitting in the round again, I put them both back on the needles as illustrated above and finished up. This is the only way to do socks!

Sock Stats
Yarn: Fortissima Colori Socka Color, 1 skein, 100 grams, abour $20 USD
Color: 11/Lot 420025
Needle: Size 1

Judith Mackenzie McCuin's Novelty Wolf Yarn

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:28:48 GMT

Poor Miss Finch, aka Laura, demos how to spin "wolf" yarn - and tells the startling genesis of the name.