lafarrelly

January, where have you gone?

2012-01-25T09:35:00.002-07:00

It may sound bad, but I really have no idea where this past month has gone. It's the 25th already, and I'm still working on my first January sock, have not woven at all, and am not nearly done with my January Aran. What I have been doing, I think, is trying to get back in the groove after the holidays.

I have been swimming 3 times a week, working my way back up to a mile. I have started doing yoga again, adding one more sequence from my favorite dvd each time. I have been teaching my first knitting class in a long long time and thoroughly enjoying it. I have been doing blocking and finishing work for other people, and some knitting on commission. I have been cleaning up in the living room (found 2 fleeces shoved in the corner I completely forgot about, how could I not see them?). I knitted 100+ rounds on the Scheherazade I rescued from the UFO basket. I have knitted 17" of the body of the January Aran. I did knit a tiny doily and start knitting a small doily I've had my eye on for a while. I have been baking regularly, working a little, sleeping well. Not bad, all told, if you look at the proper criteria.

Here's a link that's too cool not to share: Knitting her CoWorkers

Knitter's Almanac - January Aran

2012-01-09T17:11:00.001-07:00

I was thinking about knitting my way through Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac, then saw a friend post on Facebook about the same thing. Well, that decided me! Chris said she was going to knit one thing from the book each month, but not necessarily in order. I decided to start in January with An Aran Sweater and go from there. Finn could use a new sweater (the last one I knit for him was 5 years ago and it barely fits) and I have a lot of stash to use up, so the aran will accomplish two things at once.

Here is the first fishtrap pattern repeat, completed last night:

For an aran, it is a very soothing pattern. The cable needle is only needed every 7th round, and once you establish the stitch patterns and put in markers the chart is only really a reminder. I'm using up some Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool that I bought on clearance at a chain craft store years (like, 7 or 8) ago. I knitted my February Lady with some of this last year, an afghan a couple of years ago, dyed enough of it purple to knit 3 kids sweaters, and there is still enough in the bin for one or two more adult sweaters after pulling out enough for the aran. Yes, I bought all they had, from more than one location. It's pretty good yarn.

I did a swatch in stockingette, but not the gauge hat (he already has several). The smallest size in the "pithy directions" is 38 inches. Mine is coming out 36 inches, but since Finn is a rather slim 12 year old that ought to work out just fine and should fit him for several winters at least. He is looking forward to wearing it and keeps coming to look at it, which makes me want to keep knitting. ;) I may just finish this in January!

Knit Themed Temporary Tattoos

2011-10-04T11:28:00.002-06:00

Saw these on knittyblog and had to share:
knit themed temporary tattoos

Also, if you're a skull fan, check this out:

Arsenic and Old Lace Rectangular Shawl

happy knitting!

ZiggyZag Scarf

2011-07-01T12:34:00.000-06:00

bottom to top: versions 1a, 1b, 2, 3

Yikes! I didn't realize it had been so long since I was last here. All I can say is that things have been happening, a lot. I've had plenty of knitting time, though. In fact, I recently published another pattern, the ZiggyZag Scarf.

I've knitted it in 4 different Noro yarns, but they would look simply smashing in a handspun or hand dyed yarn. It is knitted in one continuous piece so there are just a few ends to weave in at the end. You can get the pattern in my Ravelry shop as an instant download. It's also available by email in my etsy shop, and hard copies can be found in Mew Mews Yarn Shop in Lafayette, CO.

Darn your socks?

2011-03-31T18:36:00.000-06:00

Damn your socks!

Visit BizarroComics.com for the best cartoons on the planet!

Happy Birthday, Dear Knitter

2011-03-25T21:43:00.001-06:00

Another gem from Franklin at The Panopticon.

Celery Green

2011-03-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

The spinning jag continues.....

This is the green wool/silk batt I'm spinning to go with the pink wool/silk I finished last week. I already decided to spin a little yellow for the flower centers, that's all done and I can start on the rose motifs while I spin the leaves.

I finished up the sample wool on the blue spindle and found this hand dyed longwool in a bin I haven't looked through for a while. It's mostly blue and purple with little bits of greenish blue. That's been my jacket pocket carry-around spinning since last weekend. I have no idea what I'll do with this once it's spun, but it might make a nice lace piece. It's got a lovely sheen and a bit of a halo, so maybe a cowl? Don't know, and I'll have plenty of time to think about it.

Ethereal Spinning

2011-03-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

I bought this beautiful roving, colorway Ethereal, from Cantrix last month. I've been looking at it, and decided to card it into rolags.

I started spinning these Saturday morning on my 17 gram top whorl Maggie at dance practice. I think it'll make enough 2 ply fingering to make a small to medium shawl. I haven't carded a lot before this, but I really enjoyed the process, watching the colors blend a little, seeing the luster come up, the fibers getting so airy and luscious. Methinks I'll have to explore this fiber preparation thing a little more in the near future.

Spinning Frenzy

2011-03-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned I've gone on a spinning binge lately? It all started with this little gem I bought from ThreadsThruTime on etsy.

It's a truly tiny Turkish spindle, measuring 4" tall and 2" wide. And yes, it spins very well. Stays spinning for a long time.. If I take the shaft out and leave everything else as is, I can carry it in a cosmetics bag in my purse, along with enough wool to keep me busy for an hour and some 4" long size 2 needles if I want to knit something up once the wool is spun and plied. All that takes up as much space as a checkbook. I spun and plied for the entire 1.5 hours I spent waiting at the DMV last month. I've been spinning up all the fiber samples I have accumulated over the years and knitting them into ornaments for the guild sale. I love my tiny spindle so much I went back and got this one:

This is a medium, 6.25" tall and 4" wide. I've been spinning and walking to the coffee shop with this one, and with the shaft removed it fits into my hoodie's pocket (so I can carry the coffee back). In four days of walking I spun and plied the sample wool that came with it, for a few more ornaments I think. All of this spindle love has inspired me to finish up a project on my 35 gram mid whorl Maggie, some Corriedale and silk batts (colorway Rose Quartz) I bought from LunabudKnits a while back.

The lovely batts (people kept asking if I was spinning cotton candy) turned into 8 skeins of fingering weight singles:

These are destined for a shawl that I've been pondering the whole time I've been finishing up the spinning.Tomorrow I'll show you what's on the spindles right now.

Alpaca Scarf Update

2011-03-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

So, way back in the summer, I wove an alpaca color and weave scarf. Suzanne said she thought it was still a little open and should I maybe wet finish it some more? I liked as it was, so I filed it away for future use and left the scarf as-is. It sold in the sale, and in the early fall I warped another one, the one I finished last weekend. I decided to wet finish this one a little more aggressively, just to see what would happen.

Um, Suzanne, was this what you had in mind? I checked my notes, and it was only in the washer for 2 extra minutes. I checked it at +1 minute and it looked exactly the same as it did at +0. All I can say is, stuff happens FAST in the washer.

And I don't blame Suzanne (so you can come out from behind that big old plant now), she simply did what all of the best fibery friends do, give their opinions. And it was already clear to me this wasn't going to be a scarf. It'll make a dandy bear, though.

Warp of the Month Club

2011-03-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

A week or two ago, while looking at my 4 shaft loom with lovely alpaca yarn all warped up and unwoven since September (I think, not sure anymore), I realized I need some weaving motivation. Since joining a self-imposed sock club on Ravelry, I have knitted 4 socks in 4 months and traded encouragement with other folks who have similar goals. I checked the forums to make sure there wasn't one already and started the Warp of the Month Club on Ravelry. In the last week, more than 70 people have signed up and I wove off my sad, lonely warp before the end of the month. Yay!

It was supposed to be a scarf (or 2, can't remember that either), but I ran out of the dark color partway through. Chose a slightly lighter one, changed to a different color and weave pattern because the color change was going to show anyway. Ran out of the light color later on, so I finished the warp with stripes. Definitely not a scarf, but nice fabric that'll all go together. After I wet finish it I'll start to think what it should be.

Anyway, if you'd like to commit to weaving off a warp of any length, on any weaving equipment (or using an off-loom technique), come on over and join us. Choose your own projects, make your own rules, and weave more. You have nothing to loose but your stash.

Skew 2

2011-02-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

I finished my February socks on Saturday, way early. I am totally in love with the Skew pattern by Lana Holden. In the above pic, you can see the inside part of one sock (left), and the outside part of the other (right). See how the chevron direction is different? It's so easy to knit, but so totally cool. All in all, a very elegant (and elegantly designed) project.


bottom of foot (top), top of foot (bottom)

They look odd and un-anatomical on the needles, but once they are on feet, they fit perfectly.

I really like them in this yarn, too. Soxx Appeal is a great match. The elasticized wool is super-soft, and the elastic makes getting the sock on over the ankle much easier than the pair I knitted in Trekking. I was all set to keep them, but DD#2 claimed them at the last minute.

Dug in Shadow

2011-02-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

I finished a Sonja Esbensen shawl on Monday night, the dug from this free pattern. Instead of cotton and size 1 or 2 needles, I used Knit Picks Shadow in the color Sunset. Kevin bought this yarn for me a year or two ago for my birthday. Knitted on size 9 needles and cast off with size I crochet hook, it is very open and lace, measuring 60 inches across pinned out on the bed. It'll relax to probably 56 or 58 when it's completely dry.

This is a 102 round pattern. If it were any smaller, it wouldn't work well for a shawl unless you used heavier yarn and even larger needles. I love how open it is, and it'll still be warm on my shoulders. Next time you see a doily pattern you like, take a chance and knit it large. You won't be disappointed.

There was only one error in this pattern, a missing yarnover in round 81. There are 3 sets of what should be “yo, twisted stitch, yo”, but the center set omits the second yarn over and if you don't catch it, you'll find you are one stitch short on round 83.

So, round 81 should read:

(ssk, yo)3x, ssk, k5, k2tog, yo, (k2tog, yo)5x, ssk, k1, yo, k1twisted, yo, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k1twisted, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k1, yo, k1twisted, yo, k1, k2tog, yo, (ssk, yo)2x.

I'll take some more drapey pics when it's dry and unpinned.

Teapot Love

2011-02-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite Christmas present from this year, given to me by my son, Finn. Some crazy middle-aged woman showed this teapot to him in the thrift store and told him it. would make a great gift for his mother. She shall remain nameless. ;) Although it is nothing precious or overly fancy (stamped Teleflora on the bottom, so it originally held flower), I just love it. Makes me grin every time I brew a pot, which is now several times a week.

On that same trip to the thrift store, I bought one of those mystery bags of small textile goodies. Inside, hidden from view, was this lovely irish crochet doily with a startlingly similar motif. Was it fate?

Gosh, what a textile geek I am.

I made it!

2011-02-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Yes folks, I finished my Trekking Skew socks at 10:50pm MST. Ends darned in and everything!

I was hoping they would fit Tara or Finn because they both liked the yarn and don't mind wool socks, but they fit me just great. I have a drawer-full of handmade socks, but these are a welcome addition. I don't have any others in these colors, and they look great with my brown corduroy pants.

Not that it would have made much difference to have finished today (or tomorrow for that matter), but I'll take all the little victories that life hands me. I even got to see Craig Fergusen, because I stayed up until midnight darning a hole in my favorite wool socks. I don't usually darn socks, but this time the hole was on the side of the foot, not the bottom, and I noticed it when it was just about 1 stitch gone instead of a gigantic, gaping mess. So now all my socks are finished and in good repair.

I pulled out a new sock bag this morning, but the yarn weight didn't suit the pattern as well as I thought, so I did some rearranging. I decided the yarn in the bag (Soxx Appeal) would look great in Skew, so that'll be my February. The stretchiness will work well, too. I can make this pair smaller so as not to be a sock-hog, too.

Last day for January socks

2011-01-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

I just might finish in time, if only because of the arctic blast we're now experiencing in the Denver area. Not that I've spent any of my day so far knitting, but I did get some chores out of the way. Last night I grafted the heel of the second Skew sock. That leaves the leg and cuff. Totally doable, I just need to sit down and do it.

School is canceled for tomorrow because of the forecast temps. If I get through the second Skew, I can work on one of the other projects that I have been longing to get back to for the past few weeks. We'll see, won't we?

Lesley's Mittens

2011-01-27T16:17:00.001-07:00

My friend Lesley from Maroon Bells Morris asked me to knit her a pair of big, warm, wool mittens. She likes the colors I used in the cardigan I was wearing (blue, green, purple) and her hands are the same size as mine. We share a birthday too, oddly enough. I dug around in the Cascade 220 yarn stash (3+ totes) and found some blues that work well together. Using a light, a medium light, a medium dark and a dark, I played around for a few days and came up with this:

Easy peasy fair-isle stripes. Big enough that a pair of cheapy stretch gloves fit underneath, but not so big that you can't start the car. I think she's going to like them. I know I'm starting a pair for myself as soon as I take care of a little something for Sallie.

Lots of knitting!

2011-01-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

This past week I got a lot of knitting done, as well as a little weaving. First, I cast on the larger Sonja Esbensen doily from this free pattern as a shawl. I'm knitting it with Knit Picks Shadow and size 9 needles. It's just over 100 rounds, so it aught to be plenty big enough when it's done.

I also worked a lot on my Kureyon zigzag scarf. It's coming right along and I can make a lot of progress when I pay attention to which side I'm knitting so I don't miss the decreases. ;)

Skew is coming right along. Although it is easy to knit, it's a truly bizarre sock. Here's the foot, about halfway I think:

This is what it looks like once you start the heel shaping:

I'm nearly done with the first one, just started the ribbing this morning. I tried it on last night and it's very comfy. In fact, all the kids tried it on, too, just because it looks so funky. They all like how it fit, so there may be more of these in my future.

New Year's Lace

2011-01-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I realized I hadn't knitted any "lace" lace in a while and I really missed it. A few days before I came across a free Sonja Esbensen design I hadn't seen before, so I cast on the smaller piece, as "instant gratification" lace. I cast off and blocked it this afternoon. It's just what the doctor ordered!

The color in the top pic is accurate, but the design show up better against the wood table.

I also got a decent pic of my Fairies and Flowers scarf.

This one drove me a little nuts on the second half, so it sat in time out for a while. There are wrong-side decreases on the flower half that I was sometimes, and sometimes not, in the mood for. The finished product thrills me. Just the right length, lacy and beady all over, soft and warm. It's more teal-ish than the photo shows, though.

Also started my January socks today, Skew.

Rough Weather

2010-12-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe I haven't blogged in almost a month, but it has been a busy one. The high school musical was Sweeney Todd, and we has the pleasure of watching Devi play the long-lost, crazy wife, and got to see Tara do scenery and such in the background. Finn's instrumental ensemble concert and choir concert was a few days later, as was Tara's band concert. All the morris teams danced at Solebration (including the longsword team), and there were also a couple of paying gigs for the border team. Lots of practices. Oh, and the actual holidays and attending rituals and get-togethers, plus a couple of birthdays too. Wonderfully fun, but some thing fell by the wayside.

I finished my December socks on the 20th, in plenty of time to give them to Tara for Christmas. There was much rejoicing. ;) To my immense satisfaction, she proceeded to wear them around the house for the next 3 days. Her colors, her size, great pattern.

I also got a couple of good shots of Finn goofing around in his Ogre Slippers.

I finished my February Lady this month, too. I knitted the cuffs three times, finally deciding the sleeves needed to be full-length and decreased towards the end so the garter stitch cuffs don't flare out. I wear it almost every day.

Myriade Domino

2010-12-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

I volunteered at TACtile Textile Arts Canter today. When I was looking for an simple, no-brain-required project to take along I found that everything on the needles right now is kind of thinky. I'm not even far enough into this month's socks to get very far without looking at the pattern constantly. So I grabbed a tote bag full of Bernat Myriade that I bought a long time ago and have been planning to knit into a ??? I decided that domino squares would be a nice way to show off the gradual color changes, but that's as far as I got. I took a skein and some size 9 needles, threw it into the spindle bag (in case I felt like working on the Rose Quartz batt) and left.

After a few false starts, I'm now 2 squares in on a lovely ??? Probably a blanket of some kind, but not willing to commit yet. We'll see if it suddenly wants to be anything in particular. In the meantime, I'll have something to do.

I finally got Devi to model the Funny and Fancy socks. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. She's been wearing them a lot, much to my immense pleasure. If I'd known all it took was silky sock yarn, I'd have made the switch years ago.

December Round Up

2010-12-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

I've been making progress on my project pile, in one way or another. First, the sad news.

This afternoon, I bid farewell to Heere Be Dragone. I pulled it out to take pictures in hopes that it might motivate me, but when I took the meager 20-odd rows out of the bag, I saw that it had been chewed up all along one edge. Upon closer inspection, I saw a centipede-looking thing crawling around in the bag. Ugh. The skeins got shaken out outside and placed in a ziplock bag in the freezer. I took the chewed up bit off the needles and threw it away outside. Don't know when I'll pick that pattern up again, but it probably won't be anytime soon.

The good news is, of the 15 WIPs I found in October, only 7 remain on the needles. I finished the Noro Silk Garden Sock ZigZag Scarf yesterday. It came out a little shorter than I had hoped, so I "blocked" it by pinning it up to dry by one of the end points. I like the way the corners fold, nice and leafy. I would like to see it with smaller squares (that would make it longer, too). Next time I'm in a domino mood I'll pick up another skein and give it a go.

I did like the yarn, but I would never knit socks with it. It is a loosely twisted single with a very variable diameter. Great for accessories, but seeing "sock" in the name is, I feel, misleading.

On the subject of socks, it is now December so I can start my self-imposed sock club selection for the month. I'm knitting Rough Weather from Think Outside the Sox in a skein of Lion Brand Magic Stripes that I've had sitting around for a really, really long time. Since before I found real yarn shops to buy yarn in. I've made a pair of socks from this yarn before, it's not bad but not my first choice. A little on the thick side, and a bit fuzzy but durable and soft and warm. This pair will be for Tara since she loves the colorway, Lumberjack Black. If I knit fast enough, she may even get them for Christmas.

Self-Imposed Sock Club on Ravelry

2010-11-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, someone on the Yarn Harlot Fans Ravelry group started a Self-Imposed Sock Club Ravelry group. If there are any other Ravelers doing a self-imposed sock club (or wants to start), check it out! 169 members already, each just a sock-crazy as you are.

In other knitting news, I'm almost done with Finn's Ogre Slippers.

I took this pic Monday night. Since then I finished the first one and made it more than halfway through the second one. Bulky yarn and size 10 needles make for fast work. This is my 4th pair.

Bloody Socks

2010-11-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

This month's sock of the month is Bloody Socks from the book Vampire Knits. I'm halfway through the second sock already, mainly because it's a very short sock. The lace pattern on the instep looks like droplets. Shows up better in a solid yarn, but this is what I had and I like the texture. I'm knitting it in Panda Silk, an orphan skein from Shuttles Spindles and Skeins in Boulder. So far, so good. I did a couple of things differently, but for the most part I've followed the pattern.

I used the turkish cast on instead of the one called for in the pattern so I would not have to worry about twisted stitches on the second half of the first round. It's designed to be knit on 2 circular needles, but I had a hard time keeping the tension snug enough to prevent ladders where the purls turn to knits.

Interestingly, the heel on this toe up sock is identical in construction to the October sock, which is knitted cuff down. The bottom of the heel on the toe up socks becomes the back of the heel on the cuff down sock. Pretty groovy! I have done mostly short row heels that are the same in both directions, but I didn't know other heels could be used the same way.

Handweavers Guild Show and Sale

2010-11-03T22:53:00.002-06:00

Today was the first day we were open to the public, and it was a very good day. The highlight for me was being introduced to Margaret Stove. I've learned tons from her lace book. She's in town visiting, so Maggie Casey brought her by. She said Margaret had been admiring some of my lace in the sale. Does it get any better than this?

Funny and Fancy Socks

2010-11-02T23:07:00.000-06:00

I did finish the Funny and Fancy socks, just not until 11pm on November 1st. So I only missed the deadline I set for myself by 23 hours, not even an entire day. Not bad for a month with so many things going on, really. Here they are, in all their splendor:

Although the start was a little fiddly with 10 separate yarn balls to juggle, it was a very enjoyable knit. I'm not usually that crazy about doing intarsia, but since I just had to knit strips and remember whether to connect them or not it wasn't bad. I wasn't tied to a chart, so it was relatively simple to knit in public (so long as I was in a place where I could count to 8 reliably). There was a mistake in the instructions, but it was minor and any experienced knitter would be able to spot it without a problem. On page 119, line 2, it reads "Next round knit". What it should say is something like "Next Round knit needles one and three, work needle 2 in rib"

I gave them to Devi tonight, and someday I'll get a picture of them on her. If we're both home. At the same time. During daylight hours. And one of us thinks of it. When the other on isn't on their way out the door. And we can find the camera.

Lace Ornament #2

2010-10-31T17:55:00.005-06:00

Another one I made last year and liked:

Here’s a fun way to use up all those little bits of beautiful yarn left over from projects.They look great on the tree or in a bowl and, since you can knit one in an evening, they make great gifts. I’ve knitted over a glass ornament, but a nice plastic or satin ornament would be lovely as well!

In addition to the yarn and ornament, you will need 112 size 8 seed beads and a size 10 (1.15mm) steel hook to place them. This ornament only uses a few grams of yarn. An entire skein would make a lot.

Lace patterns are charted, with construction instructions written out.

This listing is for a pdf file emailed to your email address. If you would prefer an instant download, follow this link to Ravelry.

Please make sure the email address associated with your PayPal account is correct, as that is where I will send your pattern. I check mail at least once every weekday and usually, but not always, on weekends and holidays. As soon as I see your order and payment, I will email you the pattern.

I have done my best to make sure the pattern is error-free. However, I am only human. If you find an error or have a question, please leave a comment and I will be happy to assist you.

Price: $3.50

Lace Ornament #1

2010-10-31T17:40:00.003-06:00

I made a few of these last year for the HGB Sale. Finally got around to testing the chart and writing up a pattern a few weeks ago. So, here it is:

These ornaments are a great way to use up leftover yarn. In addition to 1-2 grams of yarn, you will need 30 size 8 seed beads and a size 10 (1.15mm) hook to place them, and a standard size round glass or plastic ornament.

Lace patterns are charted, with construction instructions written out.

This listing is for a pdf file emailed to your email address. If you would prefer an instant download, follow this link to Ravelry.

Please make sure the email address associated with your PayPal account is correct, as that is where I will send your pattern. I check mail at least once every weekday and usually, but not always, on weekends and holidays. As soon as I see your order and payment, I will email you the pattern.

I have done my best to make sure the pattern is error-free. However, I am only human. If you find an error or have a question, please leave a comment and I will be happy to assist you.

Price: $3.50

***Wholesale Inquiries Welcome***

A Bright Idea

2010-10-29T18:34:00.000-06:00

I had a bright idea last night. I had heard of people using bra underwires from old bras for purse handles. I thought it would be neat to try and felt them inside of I-cord. In the washer. With the bag. Yes, I did, and the wires worked themselves out and through the bag, so I pulled out a very odd thing at the end of the cycle. I was able to pull the wires out, but the bag has a very wonky texture in spots. I put the bag back in for a short cycle and the holes went away, but it is still a little oddly shaped with weirs textured spots. Not going in the sale next week, that’s for sure. If it wasn’t for the spot that looks like a man’s nipple, I think I would finish it and try to sell it, but that's a deal-breaker. I’m looking at is a raw material for something else at this point.

one side

the other side

I should have taken a picture when I took it out of the washer the first time, but I was too appalled.

At least I was able to knock another project off my list. Down to 13 projects on the needles, and now I have an empty tote bag...

Anyway, I checked out Rita Buchanan's new video from the guild library a couple of weeks ago and finally had a chance to watch it yesterday. Two dvds of technique and she has a sense of humor too! I'm enthralled. Wish I has time to get the wheel out, and the wool combs. The part where she shows how to use wool combs is the clearest, most reasonable explanation I've seen so far. I bought some used combs a year or two ago and have been putting off trying them, but now I can't wait. Have to, though, at least until I get everything tagged for the sale. Better go!

Dance of the Butterflies

2010-10-27T16:44:00.002-06:00

Surround yourself with lacy butterflies of all sizes. Version 1 is knitted in Dream in Color Baby, a superwash wool yarn, for a warm scarf.

Version 2 is knitted in Infinity Soy Silk for a dressy, drapey scarf.

Lace patterns are charted, with construction instructions written out.

Patterns sold through the blog are pdf files sent via email, not instant downloads. If you would like to purchase an instant download, visit me on Ravelry. Please make sure the email address associated with your PayPal account is correct, as that is where I will send your pattern. I check mail at least once every weekday and usually, but not always, on weekends and holidays. As soon as I see your order and payment, I will email you the pattern.

I have done my best to make sure the pattern is error-free. However, I am only human. If you find an error or have a question, please leave a comment and I will be happy to assist you.

Price: $7.00

***Wholesale Inquiries Welcome***

and one more...

2010-10-24T15:38:00.001-06:00

...but only because I was rooting through everything, looking for things that need to be tagged for the HGB Annual Sale. It was in a tote in the hall bathroom (long story) in a basket with a couple of totes containing just yarn. So, what I feel (almost) sure is the last project on the needles:

15) Heere Be Dragone, cast on several years ago. I knitted 20 or so rows and got distracted.

Scary how that phrase keeps popping up. I feel like I almost always finish what I start, or at least officially give up and frog it, but apparently that's not the case. I did , however, finish #12 on my list last night, the red Morgana fingerless gloves. I did the cuff on Friday night while we were watching Weird US Volume 3. Grafted the cuff and knitted the hand last night during Octopussy (good Bond movie, creepy title). So now I have 7 pairs in various colors to go into the sale on November 1. Yay!

The color is off, it's been cloudy here and I've had to rely on flash. They are a nice clear red, not the pumpkin color you see here. Even though I put this down at the end of the summer, I've knitted so many pairs of these that I didn't need to look at the pattern. I think it's permanently burned into my brain. ;) But I now have a pair to go with each jacket or sweater, and my kids all have a pair, and they keep selling. Not bad for a couple of evenings and one ball of yarn.

About the whole yarn in the bathroom thing...over the summer, our plastic (not fiberglass, but PLASTIC) bathtub started to crack in several places, leaking water to the underside of the tub and out into the room. We hired Robin to remove the tub and see if the subfloor needed to be replaced. Luckily it does not, but we don't have the funds to put a new tub in yet. So there is this large, rectangular space where the tub used to be, sitting there serving no purpose.

At the same time, Milly wound up with 26 totes of yarn from a friend of a friend who decided she's not going to knit anymore. One thing led to another and I wound up bringing 5 totes home. I sorted them and repacked them, putting some of the yarn I already had into the mix, and then I needed somewhere to put them. Well. Unless I want to move around this stack of totes all the time, or have to move it to do laundry, the only sensible place was the bathroom. It's only temporary, but for now it works. There's even room to move them around and look for yarn.

Kevin really misses taking tub baths so we will be getting a new tub soon, but I think I have time to at least begin knitting through some of this yarn. After a bit I'll know which ones I won't ever use and I can weed those out too.

I found another one!

2010-10-21T15:07:00.002-06:00

Since yesterday's post, I unearthed two more projects that I'd forgotten about .

13) Anarchist sweater from my friend Stephanie's handspun I cast on about a year ago. I knitted 1-1/2 strips and got distracted.

14) A knitted handbag of my own devising that only needs to be felted and given a strap. Not sure why I put this one aside, there don't appear to be any problems. Once I get to that point, I'm usually pretty jazzed to see it all done.

And a box of yarn arrived today. I ordered EZ's Green Sweater kit last week, so that will be stirred into the mix soon. I wonder what I'll uncover tomorrow.

Startitis!

2010-10-20T15:38:00.001-06:00

I know I already have plenty on the needles, but this past week I've cast on more. Spent the entire weekend (for all practical purposes) knitting an hour or two on this, then doing a fast, easy chore and knitting an hour or two on something else.

Off the top of my head, here's the list:

1) Scheherazade stole, a little more than halfway done but currently buried under
2) Knitted lace ornaments, with the glass balls and the charts from last year and the yarn and everything in a big plastic box.
3) February Lady, knitted to a bit below the armholes
4) Fairies and Flowers is more than halfway done, but I only ever knit one chart repeat at a time.
5) Funny and Fancy from Think Outside the Sox, halfway through the second cuff
6) Noro zigzag scarf I'm knitting off the top of my head. Have about 8 squares, need about 20.
7) Lace Mohair baby blanket I'm knitting for community knitting at Mew Mews. I only knit on it at community knitting, though, so it's slow going.
8) Sojourner in purple! Just got the yarn last week and have about 1-1/2" so far. Did I mention it's purple?
9) Cable Luxe Tunic for Tara. Bought the pattern and yarn at least a year ago, maybe 2. Cast on over the weekend.
10) black Ogre Slippers for Finn. I've made 3 pairs so far. Knitted past the heel of one over the weekend
11) Tara's brown cable vest, a special request. She picked out some cables she likes, actually all of the cables in St Brigid from Aran Knitting, and I did the math and swatched for a vest that would fit tiny her. Almost halfway through the ribbing.
12) red Morgana fingerless mittens that I started over the summer. Made one and haven't touched the bag since.

Well, that's not as bad as I'd feared, actually. A dozen projects, I can live with that! I was thinking there were about 20. It does seem like more when the bags are piled up by my knitting spot in the living room. Seemed like I saw the word "half" a lot, though. Pics tomorrow if all goes well.

Funny and Fancy

2010-10-15T12:37:00.000-06:00

Finished the first Funny and Fancy sock yesterday. I don't usually knit socks cuff-down, so I started the toe shaping sooner than I should have. When I tried it on my toes felt all squished. I did have Devi try it on and it fits her like a dream. The staccato has enough silk that she said she would love to wear them. She has a firm dislike of wool socks, so I stopped knitting them for her years ago. We'll see how it goes after she actually wears them for a whole day, but the ooh! I heard as she slipped it on bodes well.

Sweater Quest

2010-10-07T16:35:00.000-06:00

I've had it on hold for a while, and yesterday it finally came in. Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini kept me up way past my bedtime, and kept me from laundry and dishes this morning. Not that housework gets me all excited, but today at least I had a better excuse than usual. Adrienne has a very companionable writing style. It's like sitting and the kitchen table with her and talking about knitting. The book is about her 1 year process of knitting Alice Starmore's Mary Tudor cardigan. Sometime around 1am I snuck out of bed and got my copy of Tudor Roses so I could see what she was describing. Made me want to cast on right then. A Henry VII for my DH? Elizabeth I for myself or one of the girls? Anne of Cleves, maybe?

But it's not just that. The questions she asks are interesting questions, and the process of answering them is like a mini journey inside of the larger journey. Parenting without losing yourself, copyright, creative control, the process of knitting and learning, dealing with a delightful and sometimes frustrating obsession are all there. I hope the second half is as good as the first half was. At this rate I'll be done by morning.

Funny and Fancy

2010-10-05T17:13:00.000-06:00

Inspired by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, I decided to do my own self-imposed sock club. I spent much of the past week finding all my sock yarn and interesting patterns to go with them. I have not counted, but I'm confident that there's more than 2 years' worth bagged up on the bookshelf. Shameful amount of sock yarn, I know, but it kind of snuck up on me, 2 balls at a time. You know how it goes.

The first one I picked is Funny and Fancy from Think Outside the Sox. I haven't done much intarsia because I tend to find it irritating, but these sock intrigue me. Starting out with 10 yarn balls tried my patience, but once there were a few rows it was easier to manage all those yarn balls and I could see the payoff.

I knitted the first crossing this afternoon. Could it be love?

Eco Vest

2010-10-04T17:36:00.000-06:00

Red Eco Vest

Sometime in July, I lost my mind and decided that the blistering heat would end sooner if I cast on a sweater, so I cast on 3 in 2 weeks. In all fairness one was this vest and one was a baby sweater so I didn't totally lose it.

I finished the Eco Vest from Knitting Green last week. It was a fun knit, even if I did have a scare during the mid-construction blocking. The whole idea of mid-construction blocking is alien to me, but I figured there might be a reason for it so I played along. Anyway, I think the person who entered the measurements into the schematic mixed things up so that a 6-repeat section should be 7.5" across when the gauge specs say 2 repeats should equal 7". It also indicated that the whole piece should be 21" wide. After my initial heart attack I realized that someone put a number in the wrong spot and did the math on my own. I blocked it to 21" across the back, 34.5" wide in total.

The back and part of the fronts are knitted in one piece from the bottom up, then you pick up stitches and knit the fronts/shawl collar in one piece towards the center front. Easy peasy! Both sections have nice, rhythmic stitch patterns that are easy to memorize. This one got knitted in many places, mostly out and about.

With worsted weight and fairly large needles, it looks boxy on the blocking board but nice and curvy on me. I put the button a little higher than pattern says so it looks more like an empire waist. It drapes nicely and I think I'll be wearing it a lot once the weather cools down.

Hexagon Socks

2010-10-03T20:28:00.000-06:00

Hexagon Socks

I decided a while back that I had to try the Hexagon socks in Think Outside the Sox. They are so cool! I should have thought it out a bit more, though, before I decided to change the hexagon size to better fit my narrow feet. The result? One lovely, colorful sock that won't go over my heel. Or the heel of my teenage daughter. Or the heel of my 11 year old son. I'm so bummed!

I know, looking and leaping and all that. Nobody's fault but my own. I was over joyed when the first band of hexes fit around my foot so well, and after I knitted the heel I tried them on and they fit fine, but were going to too short in the toe, but I thought that I could just add a few more rows of knitting before the toe decreases and Bob's your uncle. Never thought about the heel until I tried it on in the yarn shop after I had finished all the hexagons and the cuff and was ready to knit the toe.

Still, it is a lovely sock. I'm not going to knit another one just like it since it doesn't fit anyone, but filled with glass marbles it should stand up on the bookshelf just fine. I'm glad I knitted it. The heel is pure genius, and the knitting was interesting and fun. Not ready to tackle a differently-sized pair right now, but in the future who knows?

Some Summer Knitting

2010-09-10T13:37:00.000-06:00

Sometime in July, I decided that fall would come sooner if I started knitting sweaters. I wound up casting on 3 in 2 weeks. To be fair, one of them is a baby sweater, EZ's February Baby. And one of them is a vest, the Eco Vest from Knitting Green. The third one is February Lady. So far, the baby sweater is done, the main section of the Eco Vest vest is done, and I'm down to the armholes for February Lady. Is it any cooler out yet?

Cricket Fever

2010-09-09T09:57:00.001-06:00

Last May, I won a Cricket rigid heddle loom (donated by Schacht, thanks!) as a door prize at Colorado Weavers Day. I tried the scarf pattern with the yarn it came with and really struggled. Took a lot of getting used to since the heddle isn't attached to anything. I had a hard time getting an even beat, and a hard time keeping the fell line parallel to the cloth beam. Took a while to get a feel for what amount of tension gave a good shed and still allowed me to lift or lower the heddle. Finished the scarf and the loom sat empty for a couple of months while I glared at it.

A few weeks ago Jeanne Marie brought 2 scarves she wove on her rigid heddle to evening weavers group. They were lovely! She warped it with a solid color of wool, then alternated the wool and recycled sari silk in the weft. I thought maybe I should try again.

Wendy gave me some lovely yarn several years ago that I couldn't figure out what to knit out of it. I warped the cricket and started to weave, keeping in mind that it's not a shaft loom and just going with it. The next day it was finished and I was one happy camper!

Then I thought about this alpaca boucle yarn I've had for way too long and never did anything with. I also have a good-sized stash of sport weight alpaca in lots of natural colors. Random stripes of boucle in the warp this time, and a similarly colored sport weight to fill in the gaps. I chose a sport weight weft that was a little darker and browner and wove it all while my bathroom was being de-leaked. Even got it hemmed before the handyman left. ;)

This one shrank up quite a bit in the wash, but it feels just yummy. I put on another warp with sport weight alpaca for a color and weave scarf that I'll be starting today.

And that, my friends, is why I always try something new at least twice before I decide I don't like it.

Loom For Sale- SOLD!

2010-09-08T14:01:00.004-06:00

This loom has been sold.
Posted in several places simultaneously, the most activity (and the person who bought it) came from the Warped Weavers Marketplace on Ravelry. If you have weaving equipment to sell, try there!

I just upgraded from a 4 shaft table loom to a 4 shaft floor loom courtesy of Sue from Mew Mews Yarn Shop, who is moving (her house, not her store) and selling all kinds of things. Thanks, Sue!

So, in order to preserve domestic harmony, I now have a loom for sale. It's a 15" wide 4 shaft Nilus LeClerc Dorothy, with lots of extra heddles. I'm asking $250. It comes with a storage bag the previous owner made. Local sale only, I'm not willing to pack this up and ship it. If you're interested and live somewhere between Ft Collins and Colorado Springs, leave a comment.

Dimensions: open for use- 22W (includes crank) x 21D x 18H
folded for storage- 22W x 28D x 9.5H

BCW Towel Exchange towels

2010-09-07T19:15:00.000-06:00

We finally had our exchange last Monday, after postponing several times. Here's the ones I wove on my 8 shaft table loom. My first warp with random stripes, and my first attempt at plaid (also random). I brought the plaid one in to exchange, but the striped one stayed at home because the bad weaving didn't improve in the wash. ;)

That's too bad, because I really liked the pattern of the striped one. I noticed that my friend Jane's blanket had a cool weave structure, so I charted it one day. It would take 12 shafts to weave as it is, but I shrank it down to 8 shafts and added color. I love the pinwheel effect! I'm going to try that again in thicker yarn for a baby blanket or something similar.

The plaid one was the first towel picked. I really like it and I'm very pleased someone else did, too. It just came together.

I chose one of my favorite twill drafts from the past study topic and reversed it every now and then, changing colors as I felt the need to.

Looking Forward to Fall

2010-08-31T16:25:00.001-06:00

I truly do not know where the summer went. All I do know is, instead of having lots of goals and trying to fit everything in, this summer I just went with it. I figured out where the kids needed to be and when, reserved a few small bits of time for things I enjoy, and just relaxed. Usually I have a plan at the end of the school year, thinking once school is out I'll have time for XYZ. Never happens, and I get frustrated.

School started a couple of weeks ago and I've been easing back into my school year routine, swimming and walking in the morning, chores and fiber art after that. The guild year starts soon, and the guild sale is getting here fast. I'm really glad I took the summer to just be. I got about the same amount of stuff done and feel good about it.

Chris

2010-06-27T18:44:00.001-06:00

I started Chris by Sonja Esbensen way back in March and finished it about 2 weeks ago. I blocked it out to 74" diameter and it relaxed down to 68" diameter, just right for my 5'8" frame.;) I had to block it folded in half so it would fit on the bed. I have never done that before, but it worked out well and wasn't as much of a pain as I thought it might be.

I LOVE the yarn, Dream in Color Baby, and I LOVE the color, Black Parade. It's mostly black with bits of blueish green here and there to jazz it up a bit. Not enough value contrast to make the pattern look funny, but enough to give it richness and depth.

Errata- The only problem I found with this chart is that they do not list rounds 105-110, which normally means you should knit that round. In this case, the photo makes it obvious that this is not the case. Purl rounds 100-104 then proceed diractly to round 111 (do not pass go, do not collect $200).

I cast on for Bent 1 last week. Ellen gave away a bunch of fine alpaca yarn last year at the HGB knitters group, and I snagged a cone of chocolate brown. It's knitting up a little skimpy on size 2 needles, but I'm hoping it will bloom nicely when it's washed and blocked.

Felted Slippers at Last!

2010-06-24T10:47:00.000-06:00

I got the first pair of slippers felted ages ago, but never got pics. Here you go:

This pair is for Kevin. He wants them for Christmas, so that's one thing to cross off the list (yeah!). I also made a pair in variegated teal for the Midwest Morris Ale Scholarship Fund silent auction, and a blue pair for myself (see below).

My son wants a pair in black, those are next on the list. I also have plans for a few more holiday gifts in various colors and sizes, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. ;)

Ogre slippers #1

2010-04-22T14:06:00.000-06:00

I've been knitting Cheryl Andrew's Bigfoot / Ogre Slippers pattern, the first pair just came out of the washer. They are for Kevin. My pair is next. ;) Here's what they looked like before they were felted:

I'll try and get a pic of them finished tomorrow. It's overcast here today, hence pretty dark in the house.

Read Lost Horizon by James Hilton over the past few days. It was a lovely book and still has a lot to say, even though it was written almost 80 years ago.

Gotta get the clothed pff the line before it starts to rain, see you soon!

A surprisingly great read

2010-03-25T14:36:00.000-06:00

I went to the new library about a month ago and just wandered around for a while. I walked by a display and saw How to build your own spaceship : the science of personal space travel by Piers Bizony. I checked it out and found it was a very good book. I suspected it might be dry or overly technical, but it was not any of those things. It spent a month in my purse as my "walking around" book, and I was always glad to have a few minutes to read more.

There was lots of information about the science of space flight, the physics of getting large things into space, kinds of businesses you could start in order to get into space. But there are also great stories about the history of spaceflight, both manned and unmanned, from around the world. Tales of success and of failure, Of grand ideas and practical alternatives. As a kid who watched the Apollo take offs, I was enchanted. Bizony never talks down, but he manages to convey the information in everyday language, explaining technical terms simply as he goes.

While I have no plans for a backyard rocket, I'm very glad I read this book and would recommend it to anyone interested at all in space.

Not bad, not bad

2010-03-22T17:15:00.001-06:00

I met many of my goals last week, and came close on the rest. Not bad, I think, considering I was sick for a couple of days since my older DD brought home a hostile microbe from school.

I did, in fact, finish Finn's other sock, and he has declared them a perfect fit and just what he wanted.Since they're so short, I may have enough yarn for another pair. There is at least enough for a third sock, not a bad idea knowing what becomes of socks around here.

I made it through chart 4 the 16 times I thought I would need in order to have the scarf long enough, but the row gauge is different with this yarn/needle combo, so I'll need to do 20 instead.

I did get the towel warp wound, and sleyed the reed. Still need to thread the heddles and beam the warp. So not quite, but not bad. ;)

I started pulling threads on the silk shibori scarves at the evening weavers meeting Wednesday, and a bit more during scrabble last night. Still tons to go, but that was a bonus goal so I'm not counting it. ;)

We had some gorgeous spring-like days last week and I found the nicest place to wind a warp is on the front porch. Sunny in the morning, shady in the afternoon, house cuts the breeze. The warping board leaned up against the porch railing is just the right height. It might be nice to take the loom out there sometime.

So, for the coming week, I'd like to finish warping the loom for towels. I'd like to get one towel woven, as well. I need to finish 4 more repeats of chart 4, and knit chart 5 and 6. Also need to clarify the directions for part of the ReSoleAble Sock pattern where folks keep getting stuck. I think that should keep me out of trouble until next week.

Shibori warp finished!

2010-03-18T13:18:00.001-06:00

I finished weaving this over the weekend, started to pull the pattern threads last night. There are 3 scarves worth there, 2 with silk noil in both the warp and the weft, and one with a polyester/metallic blend that I hope will pleat when I steam it. That's the dark part. It's black yarn with a metallic thread plyed in. My plan is to leave it all in one piece, dye it changing colors every so often, steam it to set the dyes and make (hopefully) permanent pleats in the dark scarf, then cut them into scarf lengths and hem them. We'll see how long it takes to pull all those threads...

Fruitful weekend

2010-03-15T17:45:00.000-06:00

No photos today, but progress!

* Finished the first of 2 socks for Finn, the other one only needs ribbing.

* Knitted Poul Erik from Kunststrik 2 over the weekend, a 40 round little gem that will get blocked tonight.

* Wove off the magical silk noil warp that I was beginning to believe was getting longer the more I wove. It did actually have an end, after all.

* Counted heddles as I moved them around for my next warp. I'll need 600 for the towels that are due April 5th. I have: (drum roll, please)

607!

which means I don't have to drop $20 on another hundred heddles (yet).

I've been kicking around the idea of weaving a warp per month this year, but I'm still undecided. I had been weaving for an hour every weekday for quite a while, but for the past year or so that just doesn't happen. Goals rally do help me get things done, but I don't want to wind up feeling oppressed be deadlines.

For this week, I'd like to finish Finn's other sock, make it through chart 4 of the butterfly scarf, wind the towel warp, and dress the loom. If I get the silk noil gathering threads pulled, that'll be extra credit.

Noro Zig Zig Scarf

2010-03-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

I bought a lovely skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn at Mew Mews a few weeks ago to make another zig zag scarf, this time a little more grown-up looking. I even figured out how to make it totally reversible, and using a continuous strand instead of breaking off and joining on every 2 blocks. I really dislike weaving in ends, especially if there's not a wrong side to hide them on.

I really like the color changes and the way it feels so far, but I decided to rip it out and try to knit it with built-in I-cord edging. I think that would be a fabulous edge treatment, and if I knit it as I go I won't have to worry about having enough yarn left to do applied I-cord at the end. I can always do that if the built-in I-cord gives me a headache. I think I'll be ok, though, if I sketch it out ahead of time and take really good notes.

Blocked Veronika

2010-02-27T22:48:00.001-07:00

I forgot the one thing I did get done this week. I finished knitting Veronika last weekend and got it blocked last night. Ta da!

There are some errata and clarifications, plus I made a change to the design. Elizabeth from the NieblingLaceKnitters yahoo group was kind enough to share what the blurry symbols are, as well as the "move marker" symbols seem to go the wrong way. She figured it out from trial and error, saving the rest of us some time and effort. Thanks, Elizabeth! Here are her clarifications and corrections:

Round 1- (one) make 4 from 1
R13- (one) k4tog
R15- move marker forward 1 stitch
R35- (six) make 3 from 1
R37- move marker backwards one stitch
R45- (two) k9tog
R47- (six) make 3 from 1
R57- (three) make 3 from 1, (two) k9tog, (three) make 3 from 1
R67- (two) k9tog.

For the Make 4 from 1's I decided to do (k1, yo)2x instead of alternating knits and purls. It made the start MUCH faster and easier. Did the Make 3 from 1's as k1, yo, k1. Don't think it made much difference visually, but the ease of it sure helped my attitude, especially since I had to start over after 60-someodd rounds the first time. I decided to do all the k9tog's as slip 6 individually, k3tog, pass slipped stitches over. Very do-able.

The other change I made was in the number of repeats for rounds 77 through the end. The pattern calls for 20 repeats of a 16 stitch sequence. Since there are 8 repeats in the rest of the pattern, I changed it to 16 repeats of a 20 stitch sequence. To do that, I added one unit of hex mesh (k2tog, yo, yo, ssk) to the repeat. I wound up knitting 2 extra rounds, but I really prefer the look of it. Cleaner and more intentional, I think.

Blocked out to 20" in circumference, and it looks smashing on the dark wood table. Victory!

A Frustrating Week

2010-02-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

Monday night I spent the evening in the emergency room getting my right pinkie and ring fingers stitched up. I was washing a glass and it broke with my hand inside. I'll spare you the pics. ;) Kevin was standing right next to me and grabbed a (handwoven by me) towel as soon as he saw what I did. I almost told him to grab a different one, but thought better of it (for those of you who are interested, I soaked it in cold water as soon as we got home and the blood came out completely!).

The folks at North Suburban Medical Center ER are wonderful! They are friendly, enthusiastic professionals who aren't afraid to act like real human beings. Got 6 stitches in all and they're all wrapped up in gauze, splinted. No dishes for a week, I can live with that. Not until I get the stitches out. And here's the rub: no handwork for 7 days. No knitting, no spinning, no weaving. Bah!

So, I've been running errands. I've been reading A LOT. I've been catching up on movies. Went to dance practice Wednesday and Thursday and did all the dances that don't involve sticks. Danced in a gig Friday afternoon. And it's all been pretty ok until today. I'm tired of reading. I'm tired of being out and about. I want to stay home and WORK ON SOMETHING. Instead I parked on the couch and watched a Bill Maher comedy dvd and then the Olympics. Total couch potato. I don't feel like doing anything if I can't do what I want to do. I want to finish Mary's gloves. I want to spin that multicolored laceweight I started Monday morning. I want to weave off the silk noil warp and start on the towels for the guild challenge. I want to wind the towel warp. I have a fleece to wash. I have a pattern to test-knit.

I'll need a better plan for tomorrow and Monday. I just have to make it until 4pm Monday when the stitches come out.

Take 5!

2010-02-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Our local Border Morris team, Breathless in Berthoud, spent the better part of the last year learning to dance in 5/4 time. Took a while before we stopped feeling like we were tripping over our own feet. ;) Anyway, we did it and premiered a dance done to Dave Brubeck's Take 5 in December at Solabration. We believe we are the first American team to do this dance, originally done by Seven Champions.

Since everyone was in the dance, there was no one left to film it. We finally filmed it at practice a couple of weeks ago. Great fun to dance, now that we can step in 5/4 time. Maybe we should try Brubeck's Unsquare Dance next, that's in 7/8.

Short Row Heel Tutorials

2010-02-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Someone was knitting my ReSoleAble Sock pattern and had some trouble with the short row heel. In the course of trying to help her, I found this great tutorial on 2 parts.

Mohair Baby Blanket

2010-02-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is my new project for community knitting at Mew Mews Yarn Shop. There were 6 skeins of Phentex Mohair in the donation bin that wanted to be a baby blanket. I heard them loud and clear, you'll just have to trust me on that. ;)

I dug out Knitting Lace by Susanna Lewis and chose pattern 4 for the main part of the blanket. This one will take me a while, but I like knitting this lace pattern so that won't be a problem. It has a nice rhythm to it.

If I have enough of this yarn left, I'll do the lace border in mohair, but I may have to choose something else. We'll see how it all turns out.

The Holes and Knots show opened today at TACtile Textile Arts Center. It's all lace! I was in heaven. Any kind of lace you can think of was there, and maybe a few you had not yet considered. I have some knitted lace in the show. I think there was only 1 other knitter. Anyway, if you're in the area between now and March 20th it's worth a peek.

Blocking a Rectangular Lace Scarf

2010-02-11T17:14:00.001-07:00

I took a few pics when I blocked Dance of the Butterflies. You can do it with pins only, but you'd need hundreds of them to get a smooth, straight edge. It's much easier (and faster) with blocking wires.

First, soak your scarf. I usually put a dab of wool wash in a bowl of lukewarm water and let it soak for at least 30 minutes. You want the water to penetrate the yarn thoroughly. Squeeze it gently when you take it out of the bowl, then roll it up in a towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

You'll need a large, flat surface to pin it to. I used our bed, but you could also use a carpeted floor or those interlocking foam squares. Starting from one end, take one of the longer wires and thread it though the stitches along one long edge. Make sure there are at least a few inches of wire left at each end. It will probably take more than one wire to do each long edge (this scarf took 3 for each side). Do the same for the other long edge.

Now take one of the short wires and thread it through the points of a short end. Do the same for the other side. If the short ends are straight too, thread it through the stitches like you did for the long edges.

Now get your pins out. Splurge for some heavy-duty T-pins. They are long enough that you can pin into the bed through a blanket, and strong enough they won't bend. Spread one end of the scarf out to the width you want and pin that end wire to the bed. Do the same for the other end, then pin the side wires every so often. There needs to be enough pins to keep the sides parallel, but you don't need to go crazy. I wound up doing every 8-12 inches or so.

If it's a nice day, open the windows so it will dry faster. If you have pets, you may want to close the door to that room for a few hours. Otherwise, just wait until it is completely dry. This one took about 4 hours on a 45 degree day with the windows closed. Once it's dry, remove the pins, then remove the wires. Voila!

Rainbow ZigZag Scarf

2010-02-09T17:13:00.001-07:00

This is another domino scarf for community knitting at Mew Mews Yarn Shop. All the kid stuff goes to Clinica Campesina, and all the adult stuff is distributed to the homeless folks of Longmont. The yarn is from her donation bin, not sure exactly how much there was to start with and didn't think to weigh it before I dropped it off. It's Regia something, I saw the same yarn for sale on the shop.

Community knitting, for me, is a chance to play for free. Last time I made a domino scarf with the blocks all lined up in a row. This time I wanted to see what a zigzag looked like. This was the perfect yarn, with its bright colors and long repeat. Some kid is going to be happy. ;)

I liked knitting it and kept thinking it would be nice to finish it off with applied I-cord to gove the edges more body. Not enough yarn, though. I bought a skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock so I can try it again, perhaps knitting the i-cord as I go.

Veronika Redux

2010-02-08T15:08:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I cast on Verokia again, this time with larger needles and thread (yes, size 20 thread and size 0 needles count as larger this time). The lighter color also helped, as did the method of increase used. I decided all the make 3's would be knit1, yo, knit1, and all the make 4's would be (knit1, yo)2x. Way easier, and way faster, than alternating knits and purls in the same stitch. Especially since the big increases start on round 1 of the chart!

I've knitted through round 36 so far. There is errata for this pattern, but I think I'm going to post it all at once when I'm done.

Bertel

2010-02-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

This one was a joy to knit! Very regular, no weird increases or decreases. If it was larger than it was, I would no doubt have gotten bored, but this was fine. I like how it looks, too.

There was one mistake in the chart. On round 59, you need to slip 2 stitches from the left needle to the right needle in order for everything to line up.

Dance of the Butterflies finished

2010-02-04T13:35:00.002-07:00

I finished this one a while ago,but just recently got around to photographing it. The Dream in Color Baby was lovely to work with, and the finished scarf is light and warm. I blocked it out to 9" wide x 74" long this time (I had blocked it more severely once before, turned out 13" x 84" that time).

Now I need to test-knit the pattern in another yarn. I'm thinking either Infinity Soy Silk or a Knit Picks laceweight.

Pumpernickel

2010-02-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the second loaf of pumpernickel from the current batch of dough. It's a little on the light side color-wise because I didn't have the caramel color called for in the recipe. I really like this toasted with butter, but cold and plain it doesn't quite do it for me. Still, time well spent.

I cast on Bertel from Kunststrik 2 last week, knitted through round 52 last night. This one is a cutie!

Bent 2

2010-02-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is Bent 2 by Sonja Esbensen. I used size 10 DMC cebelia and size 1 needles. It's about 12" across. There was an error in round 43. The last knit 3 in the repeat should be a double decrease. So, it should read: (yo, double decrease, yo, knit 1, double decrease, knit 1)3x, yo, double decrease, yo, double decrease.

The sequence for grouping stitches didn't make sense, and didn't match up to the repeat length at all, corrected or not. This is what I did- knit 2 stitches, then group stitches as follows: 4-3-3-3-4-5 with 7 chain stitches between them.

Stefan, bread

2010-01-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here's the second Esbensen doily, Stefan. No trouble with the charts, a nice quick knit!

I picked up a great book at the library over the holidays, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. Lots of great reciped for bread that doesn't require kneading or living by a lengthy schedule dictated by rising times. It's nice to have fresh, real bread every day. We've had a different type of bread every week since Christmas and there are plenty more recipes left to try.

Veronika Ripped, Lars

2010-01-30T13:43:00.001-07:00

I had a streak of bad luck once I got around 62+ rounds in on this one. I dropped a stitch that ran down about 4 rounds, started tinking back and dropped another one after about a round and half, then dropped a third one right over (and down into) one of the k9togethers. So I ripped it! I'll probably start again sometime soon, but for now I need to work on something simpler with larger thread.

I started knitting a few of the doilies from Sonja Esbensen's book Kunststrik 2. Lars had a couple of errors, but it was easy to spot them and easy to fix them.

Corrections:
The cast on instructions tell you to cast on 12 and knit 1 round. To get the look in the picture, though you need to knit 3 rounds before you start the chart.

In round 36, omit the last yarn over to get the correct stitch count and maintain the pattern lines. It should read “yo, knit 1, yo, double decrease, yo, knit 4, yo, double decrease, yo, knit 1, yo, knit 1, double decrease, knit 1”

Veronika

2010-01-06T11:02:00.001-07:00

Just had to cast on a lace piece! I've been knitting simple things (socks, domino scarves, JMS) over the holidays, now I'm ready for some complexity. Someone in the Niebling Lace Knitters yahoo group mentioned this free pattern Veronika and we decided to do it a knit-along. I cast on last night with size 80 tatting thread and size 0000 needles. The first round was tricky, increasing every stitch to 4 stitches right off the bat with nothing to hold on to. Took me 45 minutes. The third round was a bit fiddly, too, establishing the twisted stitches that form the central flower. The rest wasn't bad at all. I made it through round 17 before I decided it was bedtime.

Listening to The Specials lately, need a little ska to get me going. Finn starts dancing every time I have it on in the kitchen. Gotta start 'em young........

Back to work!

2010-01-05T10:46:00.001-07:00

Truth be told, I did get a lot of knitting and planning done over the holidays, but not a lot of documenting. Plus the internet has been fickle, only letting us on for a while at (very) odd hours. So, no pictures, no blog. But lots or fun, and lots of rest.

It was great spending big chunks of time with Kevin and the kids. It's quite rare for everyone to be home at the same time any more. Over break, we all went to Solabration and danced, all went to the movies, all went to Christmas Eve dinner with Kevin's parents. We even hung around the house all day more than once. I must say that the kids are shaping up to be very interesting human beings. It was nice to have the time to talk with them at length about what they're up to, what they're thinking about. Now that the girls are in high school, it doesn't happen much.

Kevin has another few days before he goes back to work, so I'll have him all to myself, at least in the daytime. When we're all running around doing stuff, sometimes I forget how much I enjoy his company. Since he's been working less, and been off work for 3 weeks, he is much more rested and relaxed. I am too.

This week I'd like to finish weaving the silk noil shibori warp and wind a warp for the towel exchange that's coming up. I'd like to block a few things that I finished in December, but that may not happen until next week. I do need to cast on some lace for a show I'd like to enter at the end of the month, a Niebling design called Veronika. If I have time before the deadline, I'll do a smaller one as well.

Our new front door has a lovely, large window in it that's just begging for a lace curtain. I do need to dig out the linen yarn I put in the shed to make room for the Christmas tree and see what kind of pattern to use for the design. It's supposed to get very cold and snow again in the next few days, so I guess the trip to the shed is a "today" thing.

Back soon, with pics!

New Addition to the Family

2009-12-12T15:32:00.001-07:00

Perish the though! No babies or other new pets around here. I'm pleased to present:

Lady MacBess

She followed me home from the guild sale. Due to her advanced age and abundance of character, Ms. MacBess was slated for the bin so I suppose I'm really he Knight in Shining Armor. ;) Now that Devi and Tara are in high school I need a model that's home every now and then. So far, it's working out just fine.

Lady MacBess modeling the Citrus Punch scarf

This is the scarf I started for community knitting at MewMew's Yarn Shop in Lafayette, CO. Tara's shirt fits her very well. Yes, I see the Lady and I spending a lot of time together from here on out!

Joan's Woven Shibori Samples

2009-12-11T09:42:00.002-07:00

Joan Torgow took the woven shibori workshop also and was kind enough to send pics so we can all share in the fibery goodness. ;)

sample 1- free form pickup

sample 1- paint with unthickened dyes, gather, immersion dye

sample2- Taiten

sample 2- gather, then paint one side with thin dye wash in blue/green grays, the other side with thickened red/yellows

sample 3- Free form pickup on open shed

sample 3- remove some gathering threads to create negative space, gather, immersion dye

sample 4- Traditional Monks belt

sample 4- gather, then paint with thickened dyes: red/yellow on one side, greens on the other

sample 5- Monks belt on open shed

sample 5- paint with unthickened dyes (pale yellow?), gather, immersion dye

sample 6- Traditional Monks belt and Monks belt on open shed, filament polyester weft

sample 6- paint with thin dyes, gather, then immersion dye, steam to set permanent pleats

sample 7- linen weft, traditional monks belt and monks belt on open shed (no "after" pic for this one yet)

sample 8- weft is ecospun polyester in the same shed with various colors of 8/2 cotton, monks belt on open shed and taiten

sample 8- gather, immersion dye with steam to set permanent pleats, press on disburse dye (not very visible), remove gathering threads

Thanks, Joan!

Free Pattern: Toe Up Sock Ornaments

2009-12-08T16:45:00.005-07:00

As promised, a free pattern for the socks in the last post. You can use fingering weight or sportweight for this one. Worsted weight works as well if you switch to size 3 needles. Only uses a little bit, 10-15 grams per pair, great for using up leftovers!

Update: Turns out they are too small for an actual baby (sorry, Lori) so I changed the name. Might fit a preemie, though. Great for ornaments!

Toe-Up Sock Ornaments

Using eastern cast-on and size 2 dpns, wrap 2 double-pointed needles 6 times (6 sts on each needle). Knit top needle stitches onto another needle, then turn and knit first three stitches onto one needle and last three stitches onto a different needle. Place a marker (I use a coilless pin).

Round 1: (k1, m1, k4, m1, k1) 2 times
Round 2: knit
Round 3: (K1, m1, k6, m1, k1) 2 times
Round 4: knit
Round 5: (K1, m1, k8, m1, k1) 2 times

There are now 24 stitches. Knit 20 rounds.

Rearrange the stitches onto 4 double points, 6 stitches on each one.
For the short row heel, work as follows:

Row 1: k11, turn
Row 2: backwards yo, p10, turn
Row 3: yo, k9, turn
Row 4: backwards yo, p8, turn
Row 5: yo, k7, turn
Row 6: backwards yo, p6, turn
Row 7: yo, k5, turn
Row 8: backwards yo, p4, turn

Row 9: yo, k4, rev mount of yo, knit together with next stitch (k2tog). Turn.
Row 10: backwards yo, p5, slip yo as if to knit, slip next stitch as if to knit, purl yo and     slipped stitch together through the back loops (p2togtbl). Turn.
Row 11: regular yo, knit 6, rev mount of yo, slip next yo as if to knit, knit together with     next stitch (k3tog). Turn.
Row 12: backwards yo, purl 7, slip yo as if to knit, slip next yo as if to knit, slip next     stitch as if to knit, purl both yo's and slipped stitch together through the back loops     (p3togtbl). Turn.
Row 13: regular yo, knit 8, k3tog as in row 11. Turn.
Row 14: backwards yo, purl 9, p3togtbl as in row 12. Turn.
Row 15: regular yo, knit 10, k3tog as in row 11. Turn.
Row 16: backwards yo, purl 11, p3togtbl as in row 12. Turn.

Next round: regular yo, knit 12. reverse mount of yo, make 1 stitch between yo and next     stitch. Knit yo, make 1 and next stitch together (k3tog). knit 10. Slip next stitch as     if to knit. Make 1 between slipped stitch and next yo. Slip yo as if to purl. Knit     slipped stitch, make 1 and yo together through the back loops.

Knit 4 rounds. Switch to knit 1, purl 1 rib and knit 20 rounds. Cast off as you like. I     usually use a tubular bind off.

Pattern Key:

k                            knit
p                      purl
m1                         make 1 stitch by lifting the yarn between the
                              stitch you just worked and the next stitch
      onto the left needle and knitting it.
yo                          yarn over with leading leg in front of needle.
backwards yo         yarn over with leading leg behind needle.
rev mount               reverse mount of stitch so the leading leg is in front of needle.
slip                         move from left needle to right needle without working stitch.
k2tog       knit 2 stitches together
p3togtbl                 purl 3 together through the back loops.

Teeny Tiny Socks

2009-12-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

After the guild sale, getting ready for TACtile, Thanksgiving, and the last couple of baby showers, I think I'm rested up. The loom is warped (again) with the silk noil that I removed so I could take the woven shibori class. This time I used an advancing twill threading that Catharine gave us as one of the choices for the class. We'll see what kind of patterns I get with that!

Liam's socks

Kaite and Eric had a housewarming/baby shower last weekend in their new home. They got one of the huck towels I posted a while back and a couple of pairs of baby socks for little Liam-to-be.

Liam's other socks

I knitted a sweater for my friend Lori's baby-to-be a few months ago and gave it to her before it got lost in the mess of my pre- guild sale house. The shower was this past Sunday, so I knitted up a few pairs of socks to bring along. The dark red pair (below left) is the same yarn as the sweater. It'll be cute, if the socks and the sweater actually fit at the same time. ;) The other yarns were some leftover sock yarn that Lynne brought to knitting group and gave away. These are a smaller version of the socks I usually knit for myself on a bigger needle (because babies don't need as firm a fabric....yet).

Lori's baby's socks

Next post I'll have the pattern for you, free.

Woven Shibori: The Last 2 Samples

2009-11-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

I suppose if I make some more samples at home, the post will have to be called "Woven Shibori Returns." ;) Anyway, for these last 2 samples I tried a couple of things just to see what happens.

sample 7: before

Sample 7: 3/5 twill, weaving only every 3rd pick (123, 456,781, 234, etc.). Wefts are 6/2 green cotton, 7/2 green cotton, 10/2 white cotton, handspun paper yarn. Removed sections of some threads, pulled and immersion dyed in dark blue.

sample 7: after

This one was fun. I used some cottons that I had partial bobbins of to make stripes, interspersed with some handspun paper yarn I made in a class with Jennifer Falck Linnsen last spring. It felt a little stiff when I was weaving, but the finished cloth is very flexible and maintains a nice texture. It took the dye well, too. The dye penetrated the cloth more where the paper was so lines aren't as clean, but I'm not sure whether that has to so with the nature of the paper yarn or the fact that its stiffness made it harder to gather up tightly.

The thinner cotton definitely made a cleaner pattern. With the twill reclining to this degree the diagonals still show up but they are broken up into sections instead of making long lines. All in all, a nice texture and lots to think about as far as materials and pattern.

sample 8: before

Sample 8: 4/4 twill. Wefts are 10/2 cotton, ecospun polyester, and poly/cotton, with 10/2 cotton alternating with one or the other of the polyesters. Pulled, immersed in dark blue dye, steamed to set pleats.

sample 8: relaxed

I wanted to see what ratio of poly to cotton is needed to maintain pleats, even though the cotton does not heat set. The 1/2" stripe of cotton does not seem to be affected at all. The 3/4" stripe seems looser but doesn't really bubble out much. The 1" stripe of cotton dies try to flatten itself out between the poly stripes and creates a nice contrast.

sample 8: pinned open

It was also interesting to see how the 2 polys dye differently. The pure poly does not dye at all in the fiber reactive dye, but the cotton/poly takes up some of the dye (although not nearly as much as the pure cotton). Now I need to search out some polyester yarn of my very own to experiment with. This whole permanent pleat business is very exciting.

Woven Shibori Part 3

2009-11-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

sample 5: before

Catharine mentioned that of you use a 3/5 twill instead of a 4/4 twill, the 2 sides of the fabric will be patterned differently if you dye each side a different color. Had to try that! Also, if you would skip pick of twill, the lines would be less vertical and more horizontal. Since the gathering threads are only places every 4th pick (or more) the twill lines can be quite steep. So.............

sample 5: blue side

Sample 5: 10/2 white cotton weft with stripes of silk noil, reversing reclining twill (skipping all the picks that start with even numbers), pulled and direct dyed with thickened dyes.

sample 5: pink side

The fuschia is VERY fuschia, would have mixed a color if I had it to do over. ;) But it's a sample. I really like the effect. There are 3 stripes of silk noil in it, it's a creamier white than the cotton and took the dye differently. A little more vibrant, and more of the color from the opposite side shows though in those stripes.

sample 6: before

Sample 6: poly/cotton weft, 3/5 twill blocks, cut out some thread segments, pulled, direct dyed.

sample 6: relaxed

On this one, I left some narrow bands of cloth with no gathering threads between patterns. Since all of the weft has polyester, the pleats are permanent but those bands are more organic-looking. Not nearly as rigid and formal in its geometry as sample 4. The section where I pulled out partial threads bubbled up nicely. It should make a great effect on something, just don't know what yet.

sample 6: pinned open

More Woven Shibori

2009-11-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

I guess I should say a little bit about what woven shibori is. In traditional Japanese shibori, a woven cloth has threads sewn into it with a running stitch. The threads are then gathered tightly to form a resist, a place in the cloth where the dye cannot penetrate. The cloth is then dyed and the gathering threads removed. In woven shibori, your are weaving the cloth yourself and using a supplemental weft (a different thread) to put the gathering threads in the cloth as you weave it. A very cool trick, if you ask me. The hand sewing of traditional shibori takes many hours. Woven shibori only maked the weaving take a little bit longer than it would anyway, nowhere near as time-consuming as sewing each thread, stitch by stitch, individually by hand.

taiten: before

The way you get patterns dyed into the cloth is to thread your loom to a certain pattern, like a twill, overshot, bronson lace, monk's belt, etc. You can also use plain old pickup, as in samples 1 and 2 from yesterday's post. Instead of weaving the ground cloth (what will be left after the gathering threads are removed) in that weave structure, you usually weave the ground cloth in plain weave and use the pattern shafts to place the gathering threads in the cloth.

taiten: after

Sample 3: mock Taiten. 10/2 white weft, then stripes of 8/2 unmercerized blue, lavender and green. Pulled and immersion dyed in dark blue.

Taiten is a traditional Japanese shibori method, but they put the gathering threads in the warp. In this version of taiten, all of the gathering threads are part of the plain weave ground cloth, woven into the weft. When the gathering threads are removed after dying, there are rows of holes where those threads used to be.

sample 4: before dying

Sample 4: 3/5 twill, ecospun polyester weft. disperse dye heat transfer while flat, pulled and immersion dyed in dark green, steamed to permanantly set pleats.

sample 4: relaxed

I've never woven with a ployester yarn before. This was a singles yarn, so it twisted back on itself a bit while I wove but it was totally worth it to get this result. Polyester is a thermoplastic fiber, which means that when you apply intense heat (like steam) to it, it changes shape and stays that way unless you apply intense heat again. So, the pleats are permanent and washable. The pleats follow the lines of the twill, as do the green lines of dye. The fabric was compressed to such a degree that the dye only penetrated the outer edges.

sample 4: pinned open

You can see the diamond in the middle, that's the heat transfer dye. You take thickened disperse dye, paint it on paper, let that dry, then iron it onto a fabric with polyester yarns and the dye adheres only to the polyester. The immersion dye, in contrast, only dyes the cotton yarns. Pretty great effect for not that much more work than weaving!

Woven Shibori Class

2009-11-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Catharine, Helen and Dotty

The class was a blast! I made 8 samples over the course of 3 days. The loom was warped with 10/2 white mercerized cotton at 24epi, 12" wide and threaded to an extended point twill. We used cotton embroidery floss for the pulling threads. I think I'll post a sample or 2 a day so as not to have one monster post.

fresh off the loom: samples 2 and 1

So, here is Sample 1 (on the right side of above pic): pickup on a closed shed, threads pulled tight and dyes applied directly to the cloth. The weft is 10/2 white mercerized cotton. I wanted to try a variety of spacings and patterns, so I wound up with some small, organic patterns and a few big bubbles of color (below). I painted one side with watered down blue, and the other one with less diluted fuschia. Might be a nice way to try for a landscape sometime.

sample 1

Sample 2 (left side of undyed pic): pickup on an open tabby shed, direct dyed, the pulled tight and immersion dyed. This one has the same 10/2 cotton weft. You wind up with more half-tones because some of the pulling threads are in the tabby shed.

sample 2: after the direct dying

I hand-painted yellow and fuschia dyes randomly. The immersion dye was dark green. The 2 sides look so different that I'm posting both.

sample 2: side 1

sample 2: side 2

HGB sale, Woven Shibori Workshop

2009-11-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

The HGB sale went very well. I sold a 44" diameter knitted lace tablecloth for a very nice price, so I'm pretty jazzed. I've caught up on laundry and sleep, and got my loom warped for the Woven Shibori workshop with Catharine Ellis that I'm taking this weekend.

Catharine is great! Very open, kind and knowledgeable. I'm going to bring my camera tomorrow so I'll have some pics to show you. ;) She gave 2 talks at the guild meetings earlier this week, one on how she came to figure out woven shibori, and the other on contemporary lace. We were all inspired afterwards, and I was doubly glad I hadn't given up my spot in the workshop when I had second thoughts last month.
If you have never heard of woven shibori or want more information, check out Catharine's website

Handweavers Guild of Boulder Annual Show and Sale

2009-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Check in for the sale is tomorrow, the opening in Tuesday night, and the sale itself runs from Wednesday through Sunday. If you like textiles or art at all, this is the place to be. 100-150 members of the guild offer their handwoven, hand knitted, handspun, pieced, dyed, painted, hand crocheted, hand beaded, and handmade paper items for sale. It's free to get in, but only you can decide whether it's free to get out. ;) More info at http://www.handweaversofboulder.org/annualsale.html.

Over the past few days, I've tagged, logged and packed up 77 items for the sale plus 3 items for the Member's Showcase, a juried show within the sale. This will be my 5th year in the sale and my 2nd in the showcase. Wish me luck!

Dance of the Butterflies 2

2009-10-29T13:22:00.000-06:00

I'm making progress on the new scarf after a bit of a wrong turn on chart 3. It looked great on graph paper, but knitted up the motifs looked too squished together. I think this is the first time my DH noticed that I did a serious amount of ripping. He seemed quite alarmed. ;) I fixed the chart, spreading the motifs out in both direction. Now it looks much better! It's also good to know that the Dream In Color rips well. I'm liking this yarn very much!

Chart 4 is the central bit of the pattern, 16 repeats of it makes up the bulk of the chart. I'm about halfway done with the blue scarf as of today. I wasn't sure how the pattern in the edging would look, but I'm liking it! Really frames the knitting nicely.

As for the Infinity scarf, I've knitted through chart 2 so far. I'll get back to it soon. The soysilk is a little fussier to knit. It's very slippery. I think it will look gorgeous when it's done, but right now I'm not in the mood to pay that much attention.

Blocking Lace- Part 2

2009-10-25T21:28:00.000-06:00

Looked all over, bought new pins, found the old ones. ;) Now I have lots. All the loops have been pinned out and I can get the other stuff out. I have done all of this dry. Now I need to wet it and starch it.

I have a plant mister that works really well for wetting it down. I mist it pretty thoroughly, then let the cotton absorb the water for a bit. You don't want it dripping wet, but the whole surface should be damp.

The little bottle has a 50/50 mixture of liquid starch and water. Spray pretty thoroughly with this one, too, but don't go overboard. A 50/50 mix is on the strong side, but the water already in the cotton dilutes it a bit. What I look for is even coverage. Make sure you spray the whole surface so you don't get limp spots. I usually go over the whole thing once in horizontal lines, then again vertically. Go around the edge once for good measure. Set the board up against something and let it dry thoroughly. When it's totally dry, unpin it and find somplace for it to live where you can enjoy it.

Blocking Lace- Part 1

2009-10-22T14:38:00.000-06:00

I finished knitting the snowflake doily last week and thought I would take this opportunity to take pictures as I block it. No matter how many times I knit lace and block it, I'm still amazed at the transformation a little water and tension cause.

Everybody seems to have their own favorite way to block lace. This is how I do it lately.

My blocking board is a piece of foamcore. You can get it cheaply and easily in 20x30" sheets or 32x40" sheets. This is a small one. Since this doily had 6 repeats, I used a board divided into 6, then 12 sections. If you use a sharpie the marks won't rub off. I made a mark every inch along each line (the center point is zero, 1" mark is 1" from center, etc.) so I can stretch it out evenly. I mark each 5th inch mark with the number of inches so I don't have to count too much. You can put marks for different numbers of repeats on either size, so for instance on this particular board I can block things with 6 or 12 sections on one side and 5 or 10 sections on the other. I just make them as I need them, then use them over and over.

So you get a bunch of t-pins (a big bunch, you'll need one for every cast-off loop), find the center of the doily, put a pin through it and stick the pin through the center point on the board, where all the lines come together. This keeps it centered as you stretch the doily and add pins. Also lets you know if you've gotten it a bit wonky. I've tried the flower pins, but they are a bit on the wimpy side and tend to bend. T-pins are much sturdier.

This doily has 6 main sections so I found the same point on all 6 sections and pinned them out. For this one I used the center of the edge frill right at the corners of the lacy part. Eachone is different and you can pick any spot you like, but it's easier if you choose the center of something. You want to put a pin througha bit of knitting right on the edge, or a chain stitch loop, and pull it towards you a comfortable amount. No need to pull it very tight, just get the slack out of it plus a little. Check which inch mark you are near and try to keep them all the same distance from the center. If you start out too tight (while there is only tension in one direction) it will be hard to keep the tension even as you pin out the rest of it (when there will be tension in several directions). Angle the pins a little bit away from the center so they hold tight and the knitting doesn't slip towards the t section.

Next pin out a point halfway between the first points. In this design there was another edge frill on the center of the straight edge, so I used that. This set of pins doesn't need to be pinned at the same distance from the center as the first set, but all of the pins in this set need to be at the same distance as the others in this set. For a round or square doily, anyway.

Next you pin out a spot between the first set and the second set, right in between them if you can. This doily has sticking stitch points, so that choice is easy. This set doesn't have to be the same distance out as the other sets, but they should be the same distance as each other.

Now it's time to pin out the individual loops. Start next to the points you have pinned out and work out towards the others. Once the 2 loops in either side of an original pin are placed you can remove the original pin if you like. You can pull the lace a bit farther out or release a little tension at this point to enhance the over all effect, or if you are not happy with the choice you nade earlier. You can decide, based on the design and what you see in it, to make the edges curvy or straight, or ?. This one had such a geometric feel to it that I've decided to reinforce that by pinning out the edge frill to make an angle.

At this point, I've gone through the first box of pins and need to find the other one before I can proceed any further.

Dance of the Butterflies

2009-10-17T00:04:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, someone bought a Butterfly Pi shawl pattern and asked me if I could convert it into a scarf pattern. I said I'd give it a go, so that's what I've been working on for the past few weeks. I had to do a lot more recharting than I thought, but I really like the design and have started knitting a couple to see what it looks like. I bought a skein of Dream in Color Baby in the color Some Summer Sky for one of them, and a cone of lilac South West Trading Company Infinity for the other.

The Dream in Color is a bit on the heavy side for laceweight, but it knits up really nicely. I'm using size 5 needles and knitting this scarf from the handwritten charts. So far I've knitted through chart 2. It'll be a nice warm scarf when it's done.

The Infinity soysilk is much thinner, so I'm knitting it on size 2 needles. It'll be better suited to a warm climate or indoor wear, and I can tell already that it'll drape beautifully. I'm proofing the spreadsheet chart with this one, to make sure everything got entered correctly. I finished the edging chart a few days ago.

Japanese Mystery Scarf

2009-10-15T12:51:00.000-06:00

I cast on another Japanese Mystery Scarf this weekend. This fulfills 2 goals: I need to knit more things for the HGB Sale, and I needed something I could knit and not pay much attention to. I bought a couple more skeins of Mini Mochi and cast on Saturday. I love the autumn colors!

When it's done, it should look something like this:

If you'd like a copy of the pattern to make your own scarf, use the PayPal button at right and I'll email you a copy.

Community Knitting Score!

2009-10-14T09:59:00.000-06:00

I went to Community Knitting yesterday morning at Mew Mew's Yarn Shop for the first time. In the bin of donated yarn was a gorgeous skein of hand spun yarn, hand dyed with Kool-Aid. Sue, the shop owner, spun and dyed it herself. I know I don't get to keep it, but I do get to play with it for a while. ;) I love the colors! Just the thing to cheer someone up on the dead of winter.

I cast on 31 stitches on size 10.5 needles for a domino scarf. I'll just keep making squares until I run out of yarn.

Snowflake Doily

2009-10-12T15:29:00.000-06:00

This weekend I decided to take a break from "should" knitting and do some "want to" knitting. Yay! I needed a break. On Friday night I cast on the lovely Niebling doily from the spring issue of Anna magazine. It isn't named, but it reminds me of a snowflake. I'm using the leftover thread from the Piecework doily and size 0 needles. I made it to round 50 last night. About 20 rounds to go, give or take. This one has pattern on almost every round, making stitch markers and counting very important. It's been challenging so far, but it makes sense the way the pattern emerges. No chart errors so far!

For those of you who don't knit much lace, this is the "before" picture. It's lumpy and weird looking now, but when it's been cast off and blocked it'll be magically transformed. Just wait a few days and you'll see.

Finn's Birthday Boxers

2009-10-05T08:40:00.000-06:00

Finn turned 10 last Thursday, so I made him some boxers, too. I used a plain old Simplicity pattern (9958) because I couldn't find a kids pattern without a seam up the back. He picked out this fabric last spring, but he doesn't remember that and was, frankly, underwhelmed. I like 'em, but they won't fit me. He did like the Crobots book, though, and has asked for a crochet lesson so he can crochet some robots.

This weekend we danced a lot! Friday night at Jane's, Tommy practice on Saturday morning, dancing out with Maroon Bells and Breathless at the Westminster Rec Center and Promenade all afternoon, medieval dance practice last night. Now it's Monday morning and I feel great! No more dancing until Thursday, though.

Playing with a Straight Threading

2009-09-29T16:09:00.000-06:00

In the Handweaver's Guild of Boulder, there is a Complex Weavers interest group. I decided to join when it started up even though I was a pretty new weaver. Nothing wrong with having the most to learn, especially when many of the others have been weaving for decades.

These ladies are amazing! They know their way around rules I haven't even learned yet.

Anyway, we've been working our way through Bonnie Inouye's book Exploring Multishaft Design this year. The first 6 chapters deal with what you can do design wise on a straight threading. So I put on a long warp and made mugrugs for chapter 1, twills. Some of the liftplans I made looked pretty good, so I wound a 7 yard warp pf 6/2 cotton and wove some towels. The fringe turned out to be a bad idea with that particular yarn, but overall I'm quite pleased. I got to play with pattern, and color too. I'm still figuring out how color works in weaving, mostly by imitation and my own trial and error.

I wove these in the spring but didn't get them out of the camera until last week.

Morgana Fingerless Gloves Knitting Pattern

2009-09-25T11:23:00.001-06:00

Here's my latest, hot off the presses:

Morgana Fingerless Gloves Knitting Pattern

Cascade Fixation Solids #6388

For the past couple of years I’ve been trying to come up with a glove pattern that will fit both my teenage daughters and myself. These fit the bill. Because the yarn had elastic spun into it, I can knit a glove small enough for my petite younger daughter (Morgana is her middle name) that still fit me without being too tight. The cuff is knitted sideways, back and forth on 2 needles and grafted into a tube. Then the hand stitches are picked up and knitted on the round. While you may decide to knit the hand on shorter dpns, the cuff needs to knitted on long ones or circular needles. These gloves use either one ball of Cascade Fixation (98.3% cotton/ 1.7% elastic, 50g) or one ball of K1C2 Soxx Appeal (96% super- wash merino wool, 3%nylon, 1% elastic, 50g)

Finished size: hand circumference 6” (easily stretches to 8.5”). Total length 7”

Soxx Appeal #9627

Some folks have been asking if this would work with yarns that aren't so stretchy. I think it would work without alteration if you have small hands. If your hands are significantly larger around than the gloves, you would need to alter the gauge or add cuff repeats and hand stitches. Both could be done without much fuss. I would encourage you, however, to try one of these soft, wonderful yarns.

Cascade Fixation Effect #9967

I've used the Fixation for socks before, they are very comfortable and never sag. I really like the way the colors stripe and pool with the effects and spray dyed colors. After wearing the gloves for a few days, I can tell you they are nice for cool weather knitting and driving (thought I wouldn't recommend doing them at the same time!) No trouble getting things out of my pockets, and there was no gap between my gloves and my sleeves.

Cascade Fixation Spray Dyed #9816

Soxx Appeal is a new yarn for me, and I like it a lot! It is softer than it looks, very supple and, since it is mostly wool, toasty warm and soft. The colors pool more than stripe because the color changes every inch or so. I already bought a ball of solid navy to make myself another pair.

Kevin's Birthday Boxers

2009-09-24T10:24:00.000-06:00

Today is my dear Kevin's birthday. He is 52, and I told him he is now playing with a full deck (probably for the first time). Good thing he gets my sense of humor. ;) I made him 3 pairs of boxers as a gift, out of fabric he went gaga over about 9 months ago and promptly forgot. It was Christmas clearance, $1/yd quilting cotton. Grande Pattern Company has a great pattern for boxers, without a seam going straight up the back. They're called the Back Panel Boxer Shorts, #7222. I'm not sure they're in business anymore, so if you find a copy somewhere, grab it. He loves them, says they're the most comfy boxers he's ever had.

He opened his gift this morning before work, was very surprised and so happy that changed into them before he left for work (yes, he's a geek, but he's MY geek). I was kind of tired of them by the time I finished 3 in a row, but with a reaction like that, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Happy birthday, baby!

Silk Noil Woven Shibori Scarves

2009-09-23T09:09:00.001-06:00

I wound this warp a while ago and just started weaving on it last week. The silk noil was an ebay find from several years ago. I thought it might make nice scarves, so I would a 10 yard warp, sett it at 16epi and started weaving. It's threaded to 8 shaft point huck. The plan is to weave a slowly changing pattern over the whole length of the warp, dye it in one piece, then divide it into scarves at the end. I usually measure and separate scarves and towels as I go, but I thought it might be nice to skip that part and see what happens.

Miniature Lace Tablecloth 2

2009-09-17T11:34:00.000-06:00

I finished it this weekend. It's a nice new addition to the collection on the kitchen table. It blocked out to 12" across. Quite a bit larger than the one in the magazine, but I knew it would be. I knitted it on size 1 needles with size 10 thread. If I had it to do over, I would use size 0 needles instead. It's a little more open than I would like. A very fun knit, though! I'm thinking about starting something from Sonja Esbensen's Kunststrick II, maybe Bertel, Lars, Miki or Mikkel. I'd dearly love to knit Valde but that's more of a commitment than I feel comfortable with now.

There will be much dancing this weekend, yeah! Maroon Bells Morris will be dancing at Oktoberfest at 22nd and Larimer in Denver at noon and 1:30pm, then on to English Country Dancing at Berkeley Church after dinner. Sunday night is SCA Medieval dance practice at Berkeley Church again. I'm going for tired but happy. ;)

Handspun Handwoven Alpaca Scarves

2009-09-13T18:05:00.000-06:00

I started spinning this luscious alpaca roving into yarn about a year ago, I think. I had bought it from someone on the Spinners and Weavers Housecleaning Pages a few years ago and finally got around to it. I originally thought I would knit it, but after an experience I had last year at TACtile Textile Arts Center, I decided to weave it into scarves.

I was working my volunteer shift for a the Holiday Gift Show when a lovely older gentleman came in looking for a scarf. For himself. There were any number of gorgeous hand knitted, hand dyed and handwoven scarves, but not one was suitable for a man (besides, perhaps, Eddie Izzard). The man had the means and desire to purchase a handwoven scarf for himself, and he understood all the work and skill that went into making one. But we had nothing to offer him. I felt awful.

So, my 15 ounces of dark chocolate handspun alpaca became 7.5 yards of warp, and the 12 ounces of fawn handspun pictured above became the weft. I used a 4 shaft Swedish Rosepath threading from Davidson's book and chose a different treadling for each of 3 scarves. A little rustic, but not bad and definitely something a man would feel comfortable wearing.

Have you woven something manly lately? Guild show season is coming up, and there are educated, fashion-forward men of all ages , shapes and sizes with ready cash shopping for themselves and their loved ones of both genders. Don't send them home empty-handed.

Miniature Lace Tablecloth

2009-09-11T16:53:00.004-06:00

I've been knitting this little gem lately, A Miniature Lace Tablecloth to Knit for Titania's Tea Table by Mary Francis Wogec, It's in the September/October issue of Piecework magazine. I'm knitting it with size 1 needles and size 10 dmc cebelia in a lovely spring green (wondering what it is about green lately), but anyway.....

There was an error in the pattern, but Mary Francis came to the rescue! Here's the errata, straight off the presses for anyone else working on this one:

"Here is the correct correction (with profuse apologies):

Row 39 is correct as published.

Row 41 needs 2 added knit stitches in the second to last cluster. This means that row 41, reading from left to right, should look like this:
O | | \ O | O | | | | | | | O | O / | | O / O / O | | /|\ | | O \ O \

(I've just proof knitted the piece, and this works out the way it should.)

Row 43 is correct as published."

I have a few epsides of Farscape on DVD and some free time, so I hope to finish it tonight.

8 Shaft Huck Towels

2009-09-10T13:52:00.000-06:00

This past March, I took a class on weaving towels from Susan Wilson. It was a round robin where each of us threaded a different weave structure and /or fiber that's good for towels, then wove a sample from each one. There were also several lectures peppered throughout where she talked about the design tools you would use for each type of weave structure. I was very interested in working some more with 8 shaft huck, so I wound a 15 yard warp of 6/2 unmercerized cotton, got out my graph paper and notes, and went to town. I came up with about 12 drawdowns and converted them to liftplans (I weave on a table loom, no treadles).

I had such a good time playing around with the liftplans and weaving each one several ways, by the time I made it through 15 yards of warp I had only used the first 5 designs. I have another 15 yard warp ready to go so I can weave some of the rest of them.

I used the same 6/2 cotton for the weft on about half of the towels. For the rest, I used 7/2 inmercerized cotton in a slightly darker, duller green. I love the brightness of the 1 color towels, but I also love the depth of the 2 color towels. It makes the huck spots "pop" a bit, too.

I also learned to double-check the liftplan after transcribing from the drawdown. I had a few "surprise" patterns where I had missed a shaft on a particular pattern row. I still liked the pattern I wound up with, but I did have to look at what I had done and compare it to the graph to figure out where I had gone astray. Good learning opportunity, but If I had been weaving somthing that was supposed to be a certain way it would have been frustrating. I also found that all of my designs had been symmetrical. The ones with missing shafts were not, and I both liked them and found them interesting. So, next time I'm going to try drawing patterns that are deliberately asymmetrical just to see if I can. ;)

All in all, I wound up with 21 towels each about 12x22", except for one that came out much shorter (I must have mismeasured). They are all different. I can hardly wait to see what the next warp will reveal!

Morgana Fingerless Gloves

2009-09-08T15:57:00.000-06:00

I'm almost done with my third pair of these gloves, I think I have the pattern written down as clearly as possible by now. I could probably knit the next pair with my eyes closed!

The first pair of socks I ever knitted were Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Dresser Scarf socks. I made about 8 pairs, they were so comfy. I took the cuff pattern and added a hand onto it instead of a foot, but they were a little too bulky, especially around the wrist. After some thought I decided to make the cuff shorter and use short rows to cinch in the wrist a little. That also made fewer stitches to pick up for the hand and voila! They fit my younger daughter (Morgana is her middle name) and, since the yarn is so stretchy they fit me without being too tight.

All I have left to do is finish the last pair, take some photos, and the pattern will be ready to go. The photos will eb the tricky part, as the teenagers will need to be home during daylight hours for that to happen. Wish me luck!

Take 5 border morris dance

2009-09-05T21:32:00.000-06:00

After the kid's practice today, the members of Breathless in Berthoud Border Morris worked on a dance we've been learning, Dave Brubeck's Take 5. It's in 5/4 time, so we've had to really stretch to get the rhythm right, but it's really starting to come together!

Happy holiday weekend!

2009-09-04T13:25:00.000-06:00

We're going to take it easy and enjoy. The only thing we have planned is dance practice on Saturday morning. Two of my kids are on a children's morris dancing team, the Tommyknockers. The kids meet once a month in Berthoud so they can practice and learn new dances. If you're in the area and are curious,check it out. The kids have a blast!

I've also started sewing pillows out of worn out rugs for Oriental and Navajo Rugs Co . I just finished the first batch and will be delivering them next week. They have a gorgeous showroom! I was delighted by the variety.

Next weekend, the Maroon Bells morris dancers will be performing at the English Village Fete
at the House of Windsor Tea Room in Lakewood, CO. This is the first time they are having the event. We're all pretty excited about it!

I'm almost ready to publish my next knitting pattern, Morgana fingerless gloves. A little editing, a few pictures and we should be good to go!

happy dancing!

Good Morning!

2009-08-27T08:37:00.001-06:00

This morning I have a lot going on, so I'll be brief. I'm Linda, and I'm nuts for lace knitting. My family and I live in the northern suburbs of Denver, CO. I also love to spin, weave, bead, bind books, make paper, and make dolls. I sell patterns on my website, lafarrelly.com, as well as on Ravelry and etsy, where you can find me as lafarrelly.

I am really enjoying being creative with knitted lace lately. I'm working on a fingerless glove pattern with a lace cuff that should be ready to go in a couple of weeks, as well as a lacy wristlet pattern that may take a little longer. I'll post some pics in the next few days for the curious.
So what bits of lacy loveliness have you been knitting lately?