August 17th, 2008
It’s finally time to get started on the Christmas knitting. I bought this huge ball of Lily Sugar ‘n Cream cotton in a light mauve a while back, and decided it would be perfect for making a kitchen set of sorts. This will be my sister since she’s living on her own now, and I just whizzed right through these. There’s a dish towel, and a bunch of dish cloths in different sizes and shapes. They’re almost done except for a few finishing touches, so it’s good to get one out of the way.
Then the other day I bought some sock yarn, because this year I think it will be socks for my mom. I’m using Valley Yarns Huntington from Webs, and so far I’m really pleased with this yarn. It’s a fine weight sock yarn which is my preference, and seems like it will make some nice sturdy socks. I do prefer to stay away from nylon and superwash when I can, but that combination really does make hard wearing socks.
I’ve still got to get the yarn to make my grandmother’s shawl, and Corey’s sweater. I’m being a bit ambitious this year, but I think I can do it. If I don’t finish Corey’s sweater that’s OK, because..well we live together and he knows I’m making it for him. I’ll have time, right? I feel like Christmas is almost upon us even though it’s August. I’ve already seen leaves changing for the fall! Mornings have been cool, and I’ve brought my handspun shawl back out. Yeesh time does fly!
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August 6th, 2008
I finally plied this cashmere I’ve been spinning for all this time. It’s a bit underplied for my tastes, but I think it’s mostly balanced. I didn’t think it possible I could have put more twist in the singles!
I really wish my camera would do justice to the natural color in this yarn.
2 Comments | Categories: Spinning |
August 3rd, 2008
I thought I would be incapacitated from knitting for a week, but was only kept from it for a day or two. Since I can comfortably type now, I’ve got some stuff I want to show you. First, a little swatch…
I’m going to knit Corey the [Cobblestone Pullover](http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cobblestone-pullover) by Jared Flood. It’s such a classic simple sweater, and the husband likes it so we picked out some Scottish Tweed DK so I could at least start the swatch. I’ve got until Christmas, and I think I’m being a bit ambitious this year with this plus a shawl plus whatever other stuff I do. As long as I keep up I think I can do it.
Ugh. That’s about a third of what I had done on my Sage Cardigan ripped right out. Apparently as thorough as these directions are, I still can’t follow the pattern. I mentioned how I’d created some abbreviated instructions so I didn’t have to worry about reading line by line, or following the chart. Well, apparently I should have been paying more attention to the chart. I missed some shifts in the garter stitch, because in my overconfidence I didn’t pay any attention to the left hand side of the chart.
You may also notice in that picture a less than ideal hem. I screwed that up too. Another case of not thoroughly paying attention to the chart, and I didn’t even glance at the line by line instructions. That’ll be easy to rip out and knit down though. Ohh, maybe I can rip out to the mistake, knit it separate and graft.
Even with all the trouble, I’m loving this knit. The stitch pattern is simple and beautiful, the garter stitch looks amazing, and it’s just so soft. You may be able to tell, but the garter stitch panel is going to need to be stretched when I block it. As is normal, the garter stitch row gauge is shorter than the stockinette. It’s very unfortunate I’ll have to put this away soon in favor of Christmas knits.
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July 27th, 2008
Before I head off and give this away, I feel I should post some pictures of the finished shawl for my mom. Click on the images to see larger sizes, ’cause you can see the lace much better enlarged. Oh, and ignore the model, not one of my best photos of me 
I love how these Faroese shawls sit on the shoulders. They’re so comfortable, and if it wasn’t in the middle of the summer I’d be wearing this around the house.
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July 20th, 2008
So I’m very nearly finished with my mom’s birthday shawl, and I’ve completed all my deadline knitting for the store. This has gotten me to thinking about the [Sage Cardigan](http://lilygo.blogspot.com/2007/02/sage-cardigan-details.html) pattern that I bought a few months ago. I’ve been itching to start this sweater, and even have the yarn and swatch all ready to go. I just need to get the needles, and go over the pattern a bit.
As I was going over the pattern, and deciding if I could follow the instructions straight or neede to adjust to my size, I had a few thoughts about the pattern itself. This is a very unique pattern in that it’s about 30 some pages including line by line instructions and charted graphs for each piece. I think (especially for me) this is a bit excessive, but the charts make it really easy to write up simpler instructions. When I’m knitting a simple sweater piece, all I need to know is the stitch pattern I’m following, and when I need to do the decreases and increases. I’ve translated these very thorough instructions into something for me more like this…
Decreases = 15th, 6th 2x, 4th 9x, etc, etc
Since the front and back follow the same decrease and increase pattern, that makes my instructions even more condensed. However, I would have found the charts very handy if I had decided to mesh two different sizes together. My bust and hip measurement fit the large size nearly exactly, but my waist (as is usual) is a bit smaller than the schematics for the large. I could have altered things very visually to decrease down to the medium for the waist and increase back up to the large for my bust. I figured I didn’t mind having 1″ positive ease in the waist, so I’ll be knitting the one size.
There is one thing I will be changing in this pattern, and that is the length. I tend to prefer longer shirts for style reasons and my bust tends to lift the hem of my shirts a bit higher. Since every size has the same length measurement, I figured this choice would fit me better. It helped a lot that the designer put in a fairly detailed measurement schematic for the whole pattern so I could easily figure these measurements out. Also fairly helpful is that she has included instructions for lengthening the body. I did mention this pattern was thorough, right?
Next to the construction methods of the sweater. The body is done in 3 pieces (2 fronts and a back) and seamed up. My general preference with everything is to go seamless as much as possible, and make extensive use of circular needles. However, when looking at the photos of this sweater I think I like the seams. They add a nice line down the sides, probably add some structural integrity, and will make transporting the sweater with me as I work on it much easier. I think I can deal with my dislike of purling for this piece just so I can get it right.
Also, the sleeve and shoulder pieces are attached in a way that I highly approve. I don’t like seaming when it’s not necessary, and I will do something the long way (well, in knitting anyway) if it means getting it just right. This is exactly why I love grafting. I enjoy the process some, but I especially love it because the finished piece looks so wonderful when done. I was very happy to see that the sleeves and shoulder areas involve a lot of (oh so wonderfully seamless) grafting. It just seems silly to me to bind off two pieces only to sew them together when you can take a bit more time and do it right.
I am so excited to start this sweater, and will have to fight with myself to take my time so I do it right from the very first. The yarn is one of my favorites (Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk), the color is perfectly suiting me (light leafy green), and the sweater just looks lovely. Now I just need to sit on my hands and wait until I can get the right needles for this.
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July 13th, 2008
For those of you that knit for gift giving, you know the minor stress of that deadline. I know a lot of gift giving knitters create a list of gifts they want to knit for Christmas, often find they’ve overestimated what they can do, stress close to Christmas, and probably get less done because of that stress. Well, that’s what I do anyways. I find that deadline stress gets me really anxious to do my own knitting instead of the gift knitting. I’ve learned that Christmas knitting must start in July/August in order to maintain my sanity and stock up before winter.
I know that there are others of you who have done real deadline knitting where you are beholden to someone else. You may even receive some sort of compensation, which adds its own sort of stress. Well, for the past month I’ve been doing some of that kind of knitting, and have learned a lot about myself in the process. Real deadline knitting where I have more than just myself to disappoint is a lot easier. I almost treat it like work, and set goals for myself in stages. Although it doesn’t hurt that this has been an easy knit. This weekend my goal is to get the ends woven in so that Monday and Tuesday I can work on the last bit of knitting (which I don’t yet have instructions for).
I’ve even managed to get a little personal knitting in without taking time out of my “work” knitting. I have another personal deadline soon for July 26, and it doesn’t matter that I set the deadline for myself. I have no choice but to finish *this* birthday gift because last year I forgot Mom’s birthday. Bad idea! This one I can actually show you, and I’m really excited with its progress.
It’s the faroese shawl I’m making for Mom’s birthday. It’s a simple garter stitch shawl with a bit of lace on the edges. I chose a lace pattern from Vol. 1 of the Barbara Walker treasuries and knit it in garter stitch instead of stockinette. It took me a while to find just the right lace for this, but I think this will suit my mom and the shawl perfectly. I really can’t wait to finish this and see it blocked and laid out, which makes it so much easier to get done by the 26th.
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June 24th, 2008
This is a very unexciting spinning project in a very unexciting color. However, I’m plodding through fairly well because it’s an easy quick spin. I bought this Romney fiber a few months back to give this new fiber a try, and I have a feeling this isn’t what Romney is generally like. It’s not smooth to spin, but it seems like the roving is just not prepped very well. Things are coming off in clumps sometimes, and it’s not drafting smoothly. I’m willing to give this fiber the benefit of the doubt, but if this is what it’s always like I don’t like it so much.
I’m still practically drowning in merino, which is unfortunate because I’ve learned it’s not the type of yarn I want to have spun. I love spinning merino, but there are only a few uses for it. I’m trying to branch out into other fibers that are useful for other stuff, and this Romney doesn’t have me enthusiastic about the process.
Cashmere, on the other hand, is something I can get excited about. I prefer to avoid this fiber because of how harsh raising the goats is on the land, and it’s just too expensive buuut…I had to try it just this once. I was spinning it more thick on a heavier spindle before I decided to switch to something more suitable (my Bosworth!). This is one single, which will be 2-plied with the other single when I’m done to give me an oh so soft and squooshy yarn. Ohh, what will I make with it?
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June 21st, 2008
I’ve been really busy lately, and I’ve learned that my old method of posting just isn’t going to work. Instead of taking photos and posting when I’m completed or sufficiently excited about a new project, I’m going to have to batch process photos on the weekend, and slowly post about each throughout the week.
The main reason I’ve been so busy is that I got a new job that requires me to commute an hour each way every day. I know it sounds crazy, but when you learn where I’m working you might not think me so crazy. About a month ago I got a job at [Webs](http://www.yarn.com) yarn store in customer service! It’s totally bizarre being among fiber lovers like me, and discussions about spinning wheels, knitting projects, weaving with knitting yarn, etc, etc are not uncommon at all. Since I get home at 6pm every night, it’s hard to get the motivation in the little time I have to post. I’ve been opting for a little Battlestar Galactica instead (almost done season 3!).
What does this have to do with “Ply-as-you-go”? It doesn’t, so let’s move on to what I actually wanted to write about today.
I saw a reference to a really cool technique on the Ravelry Spindlers group today. I’d seen it mentioned before, but this time I actually took the time to check it out. Basically, with this technique you spin your yarn then navajo ply the length you’ve spun before winding it onto your spindle. I find it really fun, and it makes plying not nearly so tedious as it normally is for me. I get to do a little drafting in between the plying, which is my favorite part of the spinning.
You may want to read the explanation, and see a video tutorial of it [here](http://rosemaryknits.blogspot.com/2008/06/tammy-rizzos-navajo-ply-on-fly.html) before reading the rest of this post. It will make a lot more sense, and I don’t think it’s necessary for me to explain it when someone else already has.
I have some green and red merino roving in my stash, and had a fun idea today of spinning some sock yarn out of it. Now I really want to stay away from merino sock yarn, but I think part of the problem is that commercial sock yarn in merino tends to be too softly spun. I’m going to attempt my own 3-ply fine fingering weight high twist sock yarn, and thought this new technique would be perfect for it. It took me some time to feel comfortable with it, and I learned a few things in the process.
1. Practice before you give up. It seems fiddly, and your fingers may feel in the way at first. Give yourself some time to get accustomed to what you’re supposed to be doing, and you’ll have it smooth and efficient in no time.
2. Don’t try to get the loop to be snug on the shaft. At first I was sliding the loop over, then winding the yarn so it was taught against the shaft. It’s much easier to take off and deal with if you just loop it over and leave it loose.
3. Use a spindle with a notch if you can. Since you’ll end up with 3 strands over the whorl at any given time, it just makes things much less fiddly.
4. Don’t let the loop go when it’s off the shaft, because it will twist in the plying direction and weaken the yarn at that spot when you make your next loop. If it does let go and twist, untwist it as much as you can until it’s in its original state.
I don’t have any pictures yet because there’s not enough light, and the yarn I’m spinning is pretty fine. At some point I do want to show the coolness that is a cop full of plied yarn and just spun singles coming off the spindle hook. When I’m done this yarn, all I have to do is wind it off the spindle, soak it, and let it dry. One thing I haven’t figured out is how to splice on new yarn so I don’t end up with a ton of little skeins of spindle spun.
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May 25th, 2008
I’ve been meaning to post about this for a while, but what with the new job I have less time in the evenings to take photos. Plus, the light isn’t very good except during the very middle of the day. This is about the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool festival I went to Mother’s Day weekend, and I thought I’d show you some of what I got. My main goal was to focus on spindles, and I think I did a pretty good job meeting that goal…
This first one is actually the last one I picked up before leaving the festival. It’s made by [Tom Forrester](http://www.the-wheel-thing.com/) out of gonicalo alves(?) and wild cherry wood and is as I would expect quite a good spinner. He makes a lot of really cool [spindles](http://www.the-wheel-thing.com/products/Spindles/forrester.html) with some really unique double whorls. This one is fairly simple but I like it.
It’s quite a light spindle at 0.84oz, but that seems to be how I like them nowadays.
The next one is made by [Jonathan Bosworth](http://www.journeywheel.com/) out of tulipwood at .84oz as well. He makes all his spindles in the same whorl style, but uses all kinds of different woods and has a couple of sizes that change the weight of the spindles. They’re all beautiful in their simplicity and the finish adds a nice shine.
I have one very small problem with this spindle, and that’s the shape of the hook. Only the most picky spindler would notice, and with the way this spindle likes to spin it generally wouldn’t be a problem. The hook is shaped in such a way that the part where the yarn leaves the hook is flat, so there isn’t as much guidance for the yarn to stay in line with the shaft. It comes out just slightly crooked which tends to eat up some of the spin. Give it a good thigh spin though, and I generally don’t notice the difference.
The last spindle I got (which was actually the second I bought) has already become one of my favorites. It’s made by the [Spindlewood Co.](http://www.spindlewoodco.com/) which have some really great looking spindles. I had offhandedly decided some day to try one out at the recommendation of someone in the Ravelry Spindlers group who raved about their square whorl spindle. It seemed like kind of a cool idea, but I picked this one up because as soon as I tried it I knew there was just *something* about it.
It’s a purpleheart shaft and the whorl base is purpleheart, with yellowheart accents. I have no clue how much it weighs because the tag where I bought it was missing, but it’s fairly light. This thing just spins, and spins, and spins like it was made for it. I love the turned detailing on the bottom of the shaft, and the hook is just per-fect. I’ve got some nice romeldale(?) wool spinning up on it that I think I will eventually 3-ply.
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May 9th, 2008
After having finished the scarves for this pattern quite a while ago, I’ve finally formalized the pattern and am ready to post it. I’m really happy with how these came out. They’re really simple garter stitch scarves, but the border adds a little detail that keeps them from being boring. I will definitely be knitting more of these in the future for gifts.
I’m publishing this as a free pattern on the blog. You can download it from the link at the bottom. There is no gauge or yarn requirement, which makes this a very flexible pattern. You can make the scarves as long or as wide as you want, and the instructions are very simple to memorize.
Scarf 1 was knit in Rowan Felted Tweed, and has become my default winter scarf. It’s incredibly warm and comfortable.
Scarf 2 was knit with Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool, and given to my mother in law for her birthday.
You can download the PDF of the pattern from this link. The pattern is copyrighted, but I’ve given permission to print and distribute it, as long as you don’t make any alterations. I hope you like it! It’s a simple idea but I really enjoy the scarves.
5 Comments | Categories: Knitting |
Entry: Quietly Knitting
Author: Hishandmaid
Time: February 27, 2010, 10:57 am
Comment: Very adorable!
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