Recent FOs

Last month I had finished up a few things and was plugging away at my Ashburn for the the Big Bad Berg-along KAL. I’m happy to report that I finished mine in time for the extended deadline. The knitting took forever and I don’t really care for the shape but I love how the middle texture part came out and I’m pleased with the bind off.

My only real issue was that both the Red and the Brown yarns bled dye. I had suspected that the red might so I had pre-soaked the skein and it wasn’t less an issue when I went to finish the garment. The bigger issue was the brown, which released a lot of yellow but they were both a problem in the end.

I was already half done with the brown section and had several of the white stripes completed when I had realized the dye issue. I was loath to start over and I didn’t think that washing it on the needles would be a good idea, plus I’d have to skein and rewind the remaining yarn and, silly me, I thought that would be too much of a pain.

So I left it alone, knit the shawl and then tried washing just that end to test the problem. Sure enough, it bled like crazy and the edge that touched the white section ended up a little stained. Same thing happened to the edge touching the red so at a certain point I just put it all in to even up the staining. I’m a little disappointed since the white textured section was my favorite but it’s not too obvious unless you do a direct comparison like above and the discoloration is at least even and faded so when worn as modeled by Tigger below, you cant even tell. The good news is that if I ever get the desire to do something wintery neutral and textured, I know I’ll order up some of the Birch colorway again and know to keep it away from darks.

On the spinning front, I’m playing along with the Ghost Story Art Challenge SAL for Spindlemania, another Ravelry group focused on spindle spinning. The challenge is to complete a project based on an idea from a ghost story that you love, starting from fiber processing, making batts or rolags, spinning an “art yarn” and then weaving/knitting or crochet a project from a minimum of 2oz of fiber. I choose the Ghost of Christmas Past, from Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, which I know many people think of this as a Christmas story but when you read it it is most definitely a ghost story. This ghost appears to Scrooge as a white-robed, androgynous figure of indeterminate age. It has on its head a blazing light, reminiscent of a candle flame, and carries a metal cap, made in the shape of a candle extinguisher.

I made two yarns that incorporated three colors and fiber types which gave me the chance to continue my fiber study using the geeky fun Chemistry sets from Elemental Fiberworks.

I played with a number of combinations but ultimately I decided to blend the yellow Sulfur colorway in Masham and the peachy Neon colorway in SW Merino/Merino/Silk together in small rolags first and spin from those, trapping the fluffy orange up in the long Masham staple. I spun a second single from just the merino/silk and plied those together for 100 yds of “candle light”.

This combination gave a nice softness to the harsh scratchy yellow and almost looked like candle flames flickering throughout the skein. I washed it fairly aggressively to lightly felt it and it puffed up wonderfully.

Then I took the remaining Sulfur fibers and lightly carded the with the grey Carbon in Cheviot to get a yellowed gray and Andean Plied it get 50 yds of “candle extinguisher”.

Now that the yarn was processed and spun I still needed to knit it into something. I searched for a worsted hat pattern with 2 colors, originally thinking I’d do something striped but when I came across the Algonquin Hat I new it was the right one. It calls for 100 yards of MC and 50 yards of CC which is right on the line but with handspun you never now. Thankfully it has a solid section at the crown so if I run short I still have .5 oz of the Carbon left over that could be spun by itself for the last bit and not look out of place with the design.

November Spindlers SAL: Take flight

Spindlers is a group on Ravelry that is focused on spindle spinning. They have great information on spinning technique, showcase spindle spun finished objects and WIPs, and host a monthly Spin-a-Long (SAL). Each month has a theme and participants just have to use a spindle to spin, start to finish, 1 oz of fiber that is tied in some way to the theme. The themes are chosen by previous “winners” of the random drawing FO contest and offer a lot of latitude in how you tie your color, fiber content, finished yarn or intentions to the theme.

November’s theme was Take Flight. There were several sky inspired spins, some tied to birds and winged fantasy creatures but when I looked at my fiber and the theme I was drawn to a 1oz of Rambouillet I bought as part of a Fiber Chemistry Sampler set offered by Elemental Fiberworks in the colorway Helium. It had pale purples and peachy pinks in the braid and the way it looked made me think of balloons.

I love these SALs because with only 1 oz of fiber to ”lose” and the license to be creative I don’t have to be afraid of trying new ideas and failing. If it end’s up being unusable I’ve only lost a little time and fiber and so far I’ve been thrilled with the results of every experiment and have really expanded my boundaries. This month I decided to try out spinning thick and thin. While it was something that came naturally due to inexperience in my first spin it’s much harder to do deliberately now that I’ve learned how to control my drafting. It was a challenge at first but then I realized that the variations didn’t have to be perfectly even or consistent and I had a ton of fun just playing with the twist, seeing how thin I could go between the thick parts and varying the length of the segments. I used my red day of the dead Turtle Made 3-D printed spindle.

Once I had almost finished the single I was at a loss of how to finish it. I didn’t think it’d hold up to n-ply, it was too short in length to do much, and I’d lose the thick and thin I’d created anyway. Last month, someone finished their spin as a 2-thread cabled single which got me thinking about all the boucle I’d seen in The Spinners Book of Yarn Design. I tried spinning the last little bit as a thin single thinking I’d use it as the second ply but I really didn’t like the look. I.After flipping through the book to learn more about the technique and how it was done I went to my sewing box, pulled out some pale pink all-purpose sewing thread and decided to give thread plying a try.

I think it’d be a bit easier to control the way the single twisted around the thread (or vise versa) with more experience or on a wheel vs. a spindle but I got the hang of it after a while and was able to mostly get the look I was going for. I ended up with 80 yards of thread plied think and think yarn. The end result was really bouncy and soft. I did a bit of mild felting during the wash and I’m really happy with how this turned out. It was an extremely quick way to spin 1 oz of fiber and made for a very satisfying project but I’m not sure what to do with it now.

Favorite Things

I love how fiber artists find inspiration and share their love of all the things through creative and enabling ways. I find great joy in sharing in the enthusiasm and in the interest of supporting others in our community I will share my enthusiasm with you and highlight some of my favorite things.
One of these things is fiber from HipStrings. Ever since I found her fiber I’ve been in love with the wonderful blends and colors. Recently I was browsing her site and saw she had a sampler of six fiber blends she was calling My Favorite Things Collection, each of them inspired by a line in that Sound of Music song. I was instantly charmed and curious to try out the luxury fibers before she put the full versions up for order.
When it arrived I can tell you I was absolutely smitten with this box from beginning to end and the presentation was unbeatable. In my hurry to unwrap it I didn’t get a picture but the brown box was tied with string. The inside lid is lined with the Lyrics and a printed note and in the box is six luxurious and beautiful bumps of fiber. Hidden underneath each bump was the colorway name and fiber content. Each blend is full of luxury and whimsy.

First was Cream Colored Ponies which has 66% Shetland Wool, 17% Tussah Silk, 17% Flax. The flax makes it feel a little course in the hand but it has a soft warmth and the silk lends it a subtle luster.

Next was Wild Geese that blends 37.5% Blue Faced Leicester, 37.5% Shetland Wool, 12.5% Manx Loaghtan Wool, 12.5% Flax. This is more substantial heartier blend with a richness to it. I love how the natural colors come together with such body and remind me of our beloved Canada Goose who invade our town twice a year on their commute between north and south.

This one is possibly my favorite favorite thing in this box. Blue Satin Sashes is 50% Superfine Merino Wool (18.5 micron), 25% Tussah Silk, 25% Mulberry Silk..The fiber is the ultimate of silky softness and the color is both vivid and subtle. Shades of disparate but complementary blues swirl with purples, blacks and neutrals. I can’t wait to see how this spins up.

Then came Warm Woolen Mittens, a 100% Corriedale Wool. Bouncy and squishy this fun brightly colored blend gets your attention and stands out among the more sophisticated colors. The shades are all over the place and I can see so many things that you could do with this fiber.

After that was Snowflakes that Stay which mixes 33% Superfine Merino Wool, 26% Merino Wool, 16.5% Tussah Silk, 16.5% Mulberry Silk, 7.5% Stellina.  It gleams, the Stellina adding a rainbow of barley there sparkles while the silk shines like pearls. Its a regal color that could adorn the classiest outfit but is not above having fun and playing princess dress up.

Finally is my other favorite Whiskers on Kittens the blend 75% Superfine Merino Wool (18.5 micron), 12.5% Tussah Silk, 12.5% Cashmere. Imagine snuggling with kittens and you don’t even come close to how soft and luxurious this blend is.Grey, white, black with subtle hits of brown are well blended but distinguishable throughout and create a complex depth of neutral color. It’s so hard to put this down.

To top it off she also included intricately crafted die-cut tags with the colorway names names and types printed and included a set of six black safety pin stich markers, each with a dainty sleigh bell attached. This set couldn’t get any better and I’m looking forward to trying out each one.

Whatcha workin’ on this week

This week I’ve got a few active things on the needles and spindles.

I already mentioned them but much of my focus was on finishing up the structured cowl for my daughters birthday and the Hansel baby blanket . I also finished up the Helium handspun and plied the Lithium handspun.

Then I moved on to become a mostly-monogamous knitter. I’m participating in the Big Bad Berg-along, a KAL to knit any pattern by Melanie Berg, that is hosted across multiple podcasters including Boston Jen from the Down Cellar Studio Podcast and Gigi and Jasmine from the Kintmore Girls Podcast. I picked up a kit with three colors of Dragon Sock yarn for Melanie’s Ashburn Shawl from the Dragonfly Fibers booth at this years Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. I cast on with the brown in October and got through most of the color stripes but had let other things take over my knitting time and hadn’t even gotten to the 2nd color. Then this week I realized that the deadline for getting Interception points in the DCS Pigskin Party was coming up quickly on the 15th and I needed to get moving. So I’ve spent the rest of the week and weekend working to get the textured middle part done so I can finish the Red in time to claim my bonus point.

Recent FOs

I listen to a number of podcasts about knitting, spinning and other things. They frequently inspire me to try do more, try new things, join in on create-a-longs, and share their world for a short time. One of the podcasts I’ve listen to on and off for the last year is the Down Cellar Studio Podcast by Boston Jen. She just hit episode 100, which is so cool, and one of the things she does is run a thing during the NFL football season called the DCS Pigskin Party KAL.From her site:

“It is an annual knit, crochet, weaving and spin along hosted in the Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group that runs during the NFL football season. The more you finish, the more touchdowns and field goals you’ll score and the more points you earn. You can also increase your score by using products from our awesome sponsors or meeting other challenges and by recruiting new team members. The more points you have, the more entries you get for the prize drawings.”

Projects have to be started after September 8th, 2016 and finished before February 6th, 2017 to count toward earn points but there are a number of optional mini games to play to earn even more points, including one to finish WIPs.  I watched last year but decided to join in this year because I know I work better with external deadlines, especially ones that might win me prizes and it looks like fun. Since the start on September 8th I’ve completed 4 knitting and 4 spinning projects.

To get me started I knit a quick jar cozy in commercial yarn I had on hand in very Raiders colors. This also earned Team Color Interception points

My next project was spinning 2.2oz of Edgewood Garden Studios mixed fiber batts into 128 yards of 2 ply on my Turtle Made 3D printed Danger Zone drop spindle. I love how this turned out as a lofty worsted weight.

I had won some Knit Circus Lavish yarn in the Twisted Stripes colorway from the monthly Gorgeous Gradients Ravelry group FO contest. It was 350 yards of wonderfully soft Merino Cashmere Nylon blend (MCN) divided into two cakes of matching crazy stripes that was just calling for socks. I knit up some oversized loose weave house socks on US 2.5s with an afterthought heel for myself and they turned out great.

 

My next spinning project was a spin-a-long (SAL) with the Spindlers Ravelry group’s October theme ‘Our Known Universe’.  I was inspired by a Hubble picture of a Red Dwarf Star to pull out HipStrings Merino Yak Silk in the Obsession colorway. I used my Danger Zone and my new Day of the Dead Turtle Made drop spindle. I tried it as n-ply but did like it so I ended up doing 243 yards in a 2 ply fingering.

I also finished my spin for the November Spindlers SAL for the ‘Take Flight’ theme. I spun 1 oz of Rambouillet fiber from Elemental Fiberworks in the Helium colorway from one of her mini Chemistry sampler sets. I spun it bulky thick and thin on the Danger Zone drop spindle and then thread plied it with light pink sewing thread to get 80 yards.

For the WIP finishing Interception I pulled out a single that I had spun this summer  during Tour de Fleece but hadn’t ever plied because I only had 1 oz and couldn’t decide what to do with it. The fiber was another sample from the Chemistry sampler, this one Falkland in the Lithium colorway. I finally decided to use it to practice my chain plying since it was a relatively strong single and got 75 yards that looked like fingering weight but after washing it looks like it puffed up thicker.

My daughter went to the 2016 Shenandoah Fiber Festival with me and at the Unplanned Peacock booth picked out some Aran Superwash Merino in the bright and cheery Citrus colorway and requested a cowl. I managed to finish this Purl Soho Structured Cowl by her birthday with only 160 yards. I still have another 200 yards to make her mitts and/or a hat for her later.

And just a few days ago I used the WIP Interception to finish up the 2nd giant baby blanket I had on the needles for my niece. Her twin brother’s was finished first but now that they are 5 month old I finally bound off the last stich. I used the Hansel hap shawl pattern and 1,065 yards of Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply fingering Merino in Slate and 4 coordinating colors.

Welcome to my Fiber Scrapbook

A place to share my fiber adventures.

First, let me share a bit about my self. I’m an avid knitter, beginner spinner, lazy seamstress and long time fiber enthusiast. I was lucky enough to have two grandmothers who tried to teach me to knit, a mother and grandmother who were always sewing, an excellent 4-H club in my youth where I learned all things sheep, rabbits, sewing, basket weaving, etc., and I found Ravelry and the fantastic community of fellow fiber friend that live there. I’m a mom to one daughter, K, and partner to my supportive and loving significant other, both of whom are extremely craft-worth and appreciate my hand-crafted wears.

I remember learning knitting early but I don’t think I completed anything and had to re-learn the basics in college. I still don’t think I completed any garments but I picked up a bunch of acrylic from my grandma thats still in my stash. I totally forgot what I learned for 6 years until I was pregnant with my daughter and picked it back up. I’ve been knitting regularly for 6 of the last 11 years.

I started getting interested in spinning after several years of watching the reenactors at a local event demonstrate drop spinning. I picked up a top whorl drop spindle kit there then got some fiber at the 2009 Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. I gave it try but it didn’t really click and now I know the combo of cheap fiber and heavy top whorl which is now my least favorite spindle type, really set me up for failure. I kept trying on and off for a few weeks and then put it away. 6 month ago, enabled by multiple podcasters who talked lovingly about their spinning and the desire to create my own yarn, I ordered a bottom whorl drop spindle kit and suddenly everything clicked. I went crazy spinning, learned a lot in a short time and now have 5 tubs of fiber and spin as much as I knit on a daily basis. Last week I started knitting my first shawl out of my own handspun and I couldn’t be happier.

I have always been around home-sewn cloths and even made some of my own cloths in high school, including one incredibly tacky prom dress, and continue to sew clothes, practical items, Halloween costumes when I get the space and energy. I’m not hugely proficient since I don’t sew often enough to keep things current but my grandmother was amazing and I picked up a lot of technique from her and my mom that, when I make time to do it right, I remember I know how to do.  Otherwise, when sewing, I tend to break a lot of the “rules” and just go my own way, making things up as I go.

My plan is to use this space to record and share my various fiber adventures, things I love, and resources I find useful. I’ll post finished objects (FOs) and works in progress (WIPs) as I find time.  Thanks for reading and see you soon!