It's been too long

Well, we're on the eve of a new year and I am reflective, as often happens at the end of a year/beginning of a new one. It's been too long since I've blogged and not for lack of things to say. We have had a very busy year and, by active decision, I let the blogging lapse to make sure I was taking care of in-shop business. But now it's time to get back to blogging.

This has been a year of transition in lots of ways.

For the shop, we've grown and grown and grown, to the point that I realized I needed more than volunteer help. That led to hiring Carol, who is a gem of a knitter, learner, teacher, beginning spinner and all round wonderful, caring human being. She has made all the difference in my being able to maintain my sanity when the UPS boxes mount up, the phone is ringing off the hook, wonderful customers are needing help and we NEED coffee! God bless her!!

Also, we've started giving lots more lessons in knitting, crochet, spinning and weaving, and renting of weaving and spinning studio space. Each class needs lots of prep and each student brings us new things we need to address, so it's all good. This has led us to think about and plan for a broader range of classes that go beyond the basics and help you all build skills that keep you going, a goal for 2011. Look for loads of skill-building classes this new year.

I've started focusing on building some weaving kits, too, so new and intermediate weavers can have all they need in order to be successful, while learning about a particular weaving structure. As much as I love color, there will be some really awesome handdyed kits to keep the excitement alive.

All the input from you has given me the opportunity to think about publishing more materials that answer all those nagging questions we get asked on a weekly basis. In 2011, look for us to start publishing some 'how to' materials, along with classes that will really help you continue to build your skills.

This all leads me to our most important evolving change, and that is our own online store where we'll sell kits, our handdyed yarns and fibers, including our colorway of the month offerings, and some new, exciting items, coming in Feburary. We'll announce when it's ready and hope your will provide your feedback!

Stay tuned and come love fiber with us!
Happy New Year,
Susan

Stasher or Collector?

I've been thinking about this for a couple of weeks, off and on. Am I a stasher or collector? Who cares? Does it make a difference?

I've decided that a stasher has the intent of using some of the items s/he acquires one day and often feels guilty when the stash grows beyond a certain personal limit, while a collector could really care less if the stuff is ever used, because appreciating the beauty of it in the moment is all important. 

In thinking about this, I realized that I have some true stash, some guilty stash and some collection...

Since I have a thing about having 'no guilt' in my life, I decided to work through the categories to see what was what and maybe clean house a little, so to speak.

For years and years, I've purchased yarns and fibers that I love, with the idea that one day I will make something wonderful out of them. These are items that have a beauty that is indisputable... everyone who sees them feels that intrinsic 'Ohhhhhhhahhhhhh' (you know what I'm talking about, right?). They stand on their own, no project needed. I never get to have enough time to make something out of most of them... truth be told, I rarely find a project worthy of their beauty. They sit on shelves and in cabinets and bins, lovingly fondled from time to time and they always give pleasure to all who partake of them in those flitting moments. These will be with me, remain with me until I find a worthy project or they outlive me. There is no doubt in my mind that I will collect much more in this category over my lifetime.

I've, also, purchased yarns that I found on sale or bargain or other enticement, where the mass excitement of the deal performed it's magic and pulled me into it's web of project possibilities with the idea that I could 'make the yarn work' and transform it into gold, just like Rapunzel. Dang, I always know that the project will never materialize, once I leave the scene of the crime, and I may as well just turn the stuff over to someone who sees it as a beauty to behold, as in my first example. I've purchased tons of yarn in this category... probably thousands of dollars' worth over my lifetime just so far! (Interestingly, I can't think of a single unspun fiber that I have that falls into this category. wondering why...) This yarn just needs to leave my personal living space. Pronto!!

Finally, I've purchased and 'stashed' yarns that I use regularly... I call these 'utility yarns'. those staples that I know I will always need... weaving cottons and wools/blends, linens and blends, and a few oddball things, like mohair boucle. I sit at night and plan projects sometimes, and go to my 'stash of staples' and just am able to get started with something I know will work and I'll be happy with because it's exactly what is required... No guilt, no remorse, just my personal store. Is that a stash? I guess it is, in the truest sense.

So, there I have it...

• I collect and admire beautiful yarns and fibers that stand on their own... for me, they can stay thay way forever, being their final state, without any guilt, just pleasure in fondling them at will
• I stash junk... the gods know I need to stop this and get rid of what I have... (junk being only in the eye of the beholder, as it may be beautiful and admired in it's own right by someone else, or at least viewed as utilitarian)
• I stash utility yarns, those that are workhorse staples... I stash them, then remove them from stash for projects. They are like my personal store of things like salt and pepper. I know I'll use them, just not all at once. My stash rotates.

When I look at who I am, overall, I'm a collector. I will get rid of those yarns I've 'stashed' but can't imagine using in real life, but feel no guilt acquiring my utility yarns or my beauteous array of yarns on which I love and fondle and qet exquisite pleasure in the textures, taking in the colors and harmonies and loving the feel. It feels liberating to be clear so I can get rid of all my 'non-utility stash'.

Are you a stasher or a collector?

Carded Batts to Finished Project

Remember those carded batts from the May Colorway of the Month, "Under the Big Top"? Well, I've been having more fun transforming them into a finished project than I've had in some time.

I began spinning them as a very lofty fine singles with the idea that I would ply them with something else. But then I fell in love with how airy the yarn was as a 2-ply, so created another set of batts following the same progression, from brighter, deeper colors to lighter ones, spun them on a second bobbin and plied the 2 together. Normally, I'd have to split the plied yarns onto two bobbins, but I used my new Schacht Bulky Flyer/bobbin and got the full 8.2 oz onto it, no sweat. 843 yards total of 2-ply. Very cool!! made me sooo happy as I envisioned no extra ends to weave into my project.

I choose to knit a little short sleeve cardi called "Tappan Zee" from the latest Knitty.com patterns. It seemed perfect for this yarn as it's worked all in one piece from the top down. I envisioned the progression working it's way from darker to lighter, which is just what happened. Here is a progress pic:

The color transition worked out really well, I think. The yarn is super soft BFL superwash, light and airy. Knitting was quite the pleasure... so much so that I abandoned nearly all other projects while I worked on this baby.

It was all so worth it in the end. Here she is after being blocked. I added a few extra rows to the sleeves for added length and have made some Sculpey buttons that are curing and will add a little more whimsy to this.

I just love how it turned out and how it looks on, too. I may have to make another of these. I know I will definitely have to do more carding of progression batts! Yet another way to transform the handpainted tops... gotta love it! Oh, and yardage was perfect! I have 2 yards left, so no odd bits to add to my stash. Hooray for that...

When Good Knitting Goes Bad...

I've been working on the Liesl top by Cocoknits. It's cute, it's a tunic style and something I'm sure I'll wear. I'm making it out of Allhemp from Hemp for Knitting, which is a 100% hemp sportsweight yarn, similar in feel to Euroflax linen, in an orangy color I like and it's a fiber that I'm really fond of, too. With all that love, this should be an easy project. But it's not going so well...

This is the second project using this yarn... actually the second project using this very ball of yarn. It started as a shapely tee that called exactly for this yarn. Still, it took me forever to get the right gauge. After I started on the second skein, I realized that I didn't like the feel of the fabric... wayyyyy too still and firm. So, after some confirmation with others, this top was frogged.

I had the Liesl in my queue with some linen in mind for it, and decided that I'd start it with the allhemp. Gauge is good, hand is good, or so I'm hoping if I can ever get past row 5! 3 times, I've miscounted my stitches in my cast on row or dropped a cast on stitch and had to start over. Now, on row 5, dear Finley decided he needed love and pushed my knitting, just enough for a stitch to come off the needle... I set it aside to love him and he sat on the piece. By the time he had wiggled little cat self off of it, the stitch was no more, run all the way to the cast on row again!!

So, this project needs a timeout! or I need a timeout from it.

Spinning, on the other hand, made me happy. I finished spinning up 4 ozs of superfine merino on my new-to-me Rick Reeves wheel. I had painted it in Easter colors and spun it nice and fine, just the way the wheel likes it. Then I navaho plied it on my new-to-me American Traveler, using the bulky flyer and bobbin. What a dream wheel!!

Here is the result: 408 yds, 3.95 oz. Soon to be the Heart-to-Heart Scarf, with beads and all.

Knitting may have gone bad, but the spinning is ohhh, so good!!

Off for some more spinning for me :)

handpainted tops vs. carded batts

Tops or batts, batts or tops... I find myself in a luxury position of getting to choose my favorite fiber prep for any given fiber any day. It's a new experience for me.

I used to seek tops because I felt they were the most versatile. You can create worsted  or semi-wortsted yarns, thick or thin or any combination from them. In the case of handpainted tops, the choices and yarn results can vary even more just based on how the top is separated or spun up.

I've carded some tops and enjoyed the results, though it's lots of work to get a nicely blended product, particularly when I add in other things like silk brick or sparkles. I'm not a fan of the clumped silk or angelina batts, and so spend maybe too much time working to even out the luxury/sparkles so that a little bit shines through throughout the batt. In my mind, there is a difference between art batts where lots of different fibers and textures are thoughtfully blended and combined, and those that are sometimes called that but are merely the result of lack of skill or control over the end product.

For many years, my very favorite workhorse carder has been my Clemes and Clemes. Everything goes through it and blends nicely. From the shop perspective, the batts are wide enough to meet the expectations of most people when they seek a batt. It has been my 'go to' carder when things needed blending.

Then I got to try the Louet roving carder and I've loved the results. The batts are narrower but thicker and the results are spectacular! I have been a happy girl! When I need thick layers of color or a single fiber or fibers blended together well for myself, this is the one I go to. And because I've loved it so much, this past week, I got in the Louet Elite carder, a full-sized carder with more functionality than I've had time to try yet. And, OMG!!! I'm so in love! I wish I had had this available to me years ago.

Truly, I'm not trying to sound like an infomercial and I'm not a drum carder neophyte... I have been to workshops and conferences where I had the opportunity to try several of the leading brands. So I can't put my finger quite on why this carder has me so over the top excited! Except that the tops card with a minimal of effort, the drum carder's large circumference seems to help create large batts with the colors well dispersed, the cleanup is a Breeze, and the batts are so light, airy and without neps that I want to spend all my time spinning them.

I had a couple of COM tops that fell apart out of the dyepot and I would not sell as braids. With the new carder, I decided to divide them and spin them up. Here is how the 'Under the Big Top' looks carded as batts... can you see how light and fluffy they are??

I carded them in a sort of progression, from lighter to more colorful and have already spun one up. All this (plus one more) from one 4oz handpainted braid. The resulting yarn will be heathered, contrasted to the wide expanses of color that happens when spinning directly from the dyed tops. Heathered yarns are so comforting to me. They are so huggable! Why are there not more heathered yarns, huh?

It will be fun to see how they come out. I'm thinking of using a different fiber to ply them, maybe something like a fine bamboo or soy thread.  What do you think I should do?

knitting and spinning and weaving, oh my!

I have always had lots of hobbies, and have fluttered from one to another at whim until I have either outgrown the hobby, getting all I needed from it, or reached a stage with it where the effort to pursue it in more depth was greater than my interest in carrying on with it. When that happens, I move on to another.

Some hobbies have managed to hold my interest throughout my life. In the case of knitting, it is like a true soulmate... I understand it, I can read it's most every move and intention, and my fondness for it just grows deeper with time. What's not to love about making a web of fabric that stretches, can transform whatever it embellishes and molds to become one thing on me, another on you.

Spinning is another love that just deepens and becomes richer with time. There is something so magical about taking a handful of fibers and plant materials and having the ability to transform them into threads and art yarns with a turn of the wrist, a hum of a wheel.

And then there is weaving, the wondrous taking of spun threads to interlace into what often appears as just gauze and transforms through the process of finishing into integral cloth for garments, household items, art forms and more.

When you participate in these crafts, you learn that the possibilities are endless... in fact, it's often hard to decide on the final project because there just are so many options and creative choices.

For me, when I make some time to work on these endeavors that I love so much, it's often hard to choose which love to honor... will I knit, or spin, or weave or (felt or dye or...)?
So now, I just let the muses tell me where to focus my attention for that time. I no longer fight them or try to second guess which would be the better effort to work on.

Yesterday, then, was weave day. I had this warp measured from handspun for a couple weeks, and it hit me yesterday that I had the perfect yarn for weft to make a scarf. I couldn't wait to get to the loom! Here it is, all finished up.

Once around my neck, it realized it really needs to be part of a jacket...

that's what I mean... one thing just leads to another in an endless stream of possibilities!

Fiber Science is so Cool!

Yesterday, I talked about my scarf that was being made from 2 50-gram skeins of a beaded yarn and how it felt so much heavier than that. The mystery as to why...

So, today, I started working through the questions...

The skeins weigh exactly 50 grams, so the total scarf weights 101 grams. This caused me to scratch my head for awhile...

I took out 2 other 50-gram skeins and held them in my hand, eyes closed and they feel the same, so that pretty much confirmed the results.

Still, the beaded scarf has a weight when it drapes that another 100-gram wool scarf does not have.

So, here's my theory... silk weights much less per volume. 100 grams of silk at this size would have yielded many more than 200 yards of yarn. The bulk of the weight of the yarn, then, comes from the beads. The weight of the beads is greater than the weight of the yarn. As a result, the beads pull the scarf down and make it feel heavy...

Now, this is not a tested theory, but there has got to be something of truth in it. When I put on the scarf, it does not fly away as any other silk scarf I have/know, but it lays against my body like a coat of armor. With or without a closure or tie, this puppy is not going anywhere.

And here she is!

And the detail.

I'm working this up in Jitterbug, too, a really springy machine washable merino. I'll post that soon, and look for the pattern! This is a fun, fun, knit that looks so much more complicated that it is. Will I make this up in a beaded yarn again, probably not. Will I play with beads in knitting? oh yeah, because the theory has not yet been proved...:) and you know how it is with curious minds... we have just got to know!

50 grams is 50 grams, right?

I've been knitting a beaded yarn project, in between other things. It's a scarf made from Artyarns beaded silk that I got on my little roadtrip to Comfort a couple weeks ago. The yarn is a very beautiful 2 ply silk, with one of the plies having little silver seed beads.

The yarn was an exceptional indulgence for me... at only 100 yds per skein at a luxury price. The scarf I'm making takes 2.  Given that I no longer have a disposable income, it was more than over my budget. But I absolutely love the yarn, the color, the feel, the shimmer. and it was an impulse I couldn't resist. To be honest, when I grabbed the yarn, I thought 2 scarves, one for me, one for gifting (can you hear the justification?)... the 100 yd skein did not really hit me full throttle. Once it did, c'est la vie! And I don't really believe in buyer's remorse... if I love it, I love it. So a 2-skein scarf it is.

I have spend time thinking about this, though, as I've been knitting with it. I have thought of every justification that comes to mind for why this scarf makes sense...about all the sale yarn I've purchased that sits in personal bins and baskets and will probably end up being donated to someone else's project or will be just stash that outlives me ... yarn that, over my lifetime, has amounted to many times more than the cost of this scarf . I've thought about how much I envy this scarf for it's sheer beauty and anyone else who might wear it, I've thought about why I feel the need to justify this to myself, especially since I already own it and, finally, how much I embrace this scarf and how I long to wear it.

Which has brought me to thinking about wearing this scarf... I'm about 3/4 done with it now and it has hit me that it is remarkably heavy with all the beads. There are loads of beads. And this little 2 skeins of 50 grams of silk with beads feels so much heavier than that.

Really, think about it... skein of cotton/tencel is 50 grams and feels light and airy. 2 of them feels light, still. Yet 2 skeins of this yarn feels like there are weights on it (aka heavy glass beads). Is the yarn really 50 grams? is it the weight of the fibers without the beads? or is it a perception issue that transcends our norm? I'm so curious, now, I can hardly wait to find the answer, but have my perfecto scale at the shop, so will have to wait until tomorrow to actually weight the scarf and see what's what...

Interesting how a simple scarf out of yarns that I have lusted for, could lead to all kinds of interesting questions about life and science.

I'm hoping I can solve this final scarf mystery tomorrow.

Living in the Imagination

I took a road trip by myself a couple of weeks ago, thanks to Carol, who took care of the shop. It was a gloriously sunny day, and I toured the hill country, visiting yarn shops and eateries along the way. I haven't done that in quite some time and it had the hoped for effect... I came back energized and with renewed excitement for all things fiber.

I love going to shops I haven't visited before and it was fun to get the chance to finally visit The Tinsmith's Wife in Comfort and Stonehill Spinning in Fredericksburg. Of course, I had to buy yarn, and even got some beads for knitting! It was a lovely, refreshing day, enjoying fiber and friends.

End result, I've just been going crazy with project ideas, imaginings of new colorways, spinning of designer yarns and planning weaving projects... so much that I've had virtually nothing to say. I know, it's hard to believe... but I've been so busy talking to myself and living in my own imagination, that my words to you all have been virtually non-existent!

That will not last for much longer, though. Why? I have been designing several projects, including a really cute scarf and hat pattern, and several woven projecs.  Also, I've finally gotten myself set up as a designer on Ravelry under "Susan Fricks" and "Yarnorama", so you can find my patterns there. I've got 3 free patterns and the Love You Sweater available there now, with more to come. And I've finally gotten some ads done in Ravelry which allow you to see the yarns we have in stock. I'll have links to all this on the Yarnorama web site in the next few days, too.

The cool thing about living in the imagination for me is that I have a burst of energy that sooner rather than later comes out on the physical, tangible side as real projects and ideas to share with you all. 

I think you will really love the things I've got in the works! At least they are wonderful in my imagination!!

Understanding the Concept

I'm a 'needing to understand the concept' girl, rather than a 'give me the directions so I can be good to go' type. I'd love to be able to just follow directions, and I do follow them lots and lots of the time. But if there is something that nags me, I just can't let it go until I understand the 'why' or the concept.

Case in point, the humble 'slip first stitch' in knitting of some patterns. I've followed this instruction since as long as I can remember following knitting patterns. Sometimes, the pattern says slip the first stitch, sometimes it says to slip the stitch purlwise. I may have even seen it sometimes written to slip knitwise. I'm asked nearly every week if it really makes a difference. I've, generally said to follow the pattern. And if I'm on a knit row, I would slip knitwise, if it didn't say, and slip purlwise on the purl side.

Well, today was my day off and I actually had time to spend doing nothing in particular... quite the novel experience for me these days. What it, also, meant is that I could play with some of these ideas and really see if there was a rhyme or reason as to which way to slip the stitch. And what I discovered was quite illuminating. There is a reason to slip the stitch purlwise, whether on the knit side or the purl side. There is truly a concept, a 'why', that explains why this is often explicitly spelled out and, if it's not, you want to slip purlwise. 

When you slip the stitch purlwise, the stitch remains seated in the right position, front leg in front, when you turn your work for the next row, either a knit or purl row. Who knew, huh? It is, actually, a pretty important concept that keeps the edges or other like stitches from becoming twisted.

So, all these years, I've sometimes done this correctly, sometimes not, but only because I never understood why I was doing it. Now that I know, I can always know how to do it correctly.

I love understanding concepts! It means you just have to learn something once and can then apply it to countless examples. And now that you know the 'why', you, too, will want to slip purlwise, no?

When Yarn Mirrors Our Mind's Picture

I've spent the past couple of evenings spinning a lovely norwegian handdyed fiber. It's been an incredibly easy spin and lent itself to lots of sampling. And sample, I did.

First, I had in my mind that I would spin yarn for socks from the 4.1 oz I had. I thought a 3-ply, actually a navaho/chain ply would be lovely to show off all the colors clearly. So that is how I started.

Not quite accurate... First, I divided my top into 2 equal pieces, each weighing 1.85 oz, leaving mw with .25 oz to play with.

So my n-plied sample was from this, and came to 22 yds. That meant (by doing all the math), that I'd only have 280-300 yds for my socks. I wanted more yardage, so changed plans to a 2-ply of the same thickness.

Here are the results. I love the finished yarn and can't wait to use it! Umm added to my project list...

(oh, and for those who remember my 2010 goal to use up my handspun yarn, I'm not doing so well, as I'm creating more faster than I'm using what I've already spun... ideas for solving this???)

Love how this yarn came out!

Have You Seen the Wildflowers?

It's a new month and time for our new colorway! The original theme was springtime and I couldn't resist taking my inspiration from the amazing colors in the wildflowers. They are absolutely stunning and en masse this year. If you get a chance, take a drive up Hwy 21, where they are coming out everywhere, or along CR1440, between Hwy 21 and 77 in Giddings. I can't recall when I've seen them so abundant and varied!

So, without further ado, here is the fiber and the yarn. Fiber is corriedale cross, $15/4oz braid, and the yarn is 100% merino bulky, 110yds/100 grams, $13.50 (5 skeins make up into one of those "Baby Alpaca Vest" shrugs that we all love to wear.

Enjoy!

Spinning Again

I know it hasn't been as long as it seems, but it feels like it's been forever since I've been spinning... at least a couple, three weeks. So I've set myself out to spin all week to get back into my zen spin groove, which I'm seriously needing.

I have a lovely 4oz of handdyed norwegian wool that I've set my sights on spinning into sock yarn. So, on Monday, I weighed and divided it out into even parcels, one for each sock. I had a little left over for a sample that I spun up immediately, into a 3-ply sock yarn size, about 22 yards. I used my Matchless with the 15:1 whorl and spun the singles into a fine, smaller than lace-weight singles and navaho plied it. And the resulting yarn is lovely. I mean, really lovely, with nice twist and a beautiful sheen.

But I'm a math gal, ... just drawn to figuring out the numbers...so I just had to do the computing to extrapolate the yards and ounces of my sample and figure out if I would have enough yards for my socks if I continued on with the plan. Turns out, if I spun up the 1.85 oz I'd divided for each sock, using the very same technique, I'd end up with less than 300 yds total for both socks. Not quite the weight of socks I had in mind.

So tonight, I changed my wheel whorl to the 17-1/2 ratio, high speed, and began spinning a finer yarn. It's fun because it's been a very long time since I've used my high-speed whorl and I can see how quickly the twist enters the fiber at the same treadling speed, allowing me to spin finer with virtually no extra effort!

I think I'll still do a navaho/chain-ply with this, and am really excited about how it's looking. Of course, it's so easy to amuse me with spinning!!

Once I get this done, I'm going to spin up the April fiber colorway. It is a fiber I think you will like and it's all about spring in central Texas. I love driving through central Texas in Spring... why?  it's all about wildflowers, no??

For you non-spinners, don't worry about all the spinning technicalities... there is spun yarn dyed and ready to go in the colorway of the month.

(psst... take a drive up TxHwy 21 between Bastrop and Paige and you will see the colors bursting!)

Jubilation!!

I made my way through my accounting woes and I am jubilant! So now I'm back and able to focus on fibery things.

First, let me show you what I've talked about having finished...

My 198 Yds of Heaven blocked. Yarn is Mirasol Tupa, a 50/50 merino & silk blend that has a fab sheen.
I'm pleased with the final results.

Next up is my Weekend Jacket. I started this a year ago January and set it aside when spring came. I'm happy that I pulled it back out and finished it. It has become my very favorite sweater jacket! Soft, cuddly and looks great dressed up or down. I use a shawl pin for the closure.

This was one big project off my list of WIP's... hooray!

Then, just tonight, I finished the Cabled Sleeveless Shell, the first of my spring and summer tops. I used the new Cotton Twirl, a variegated cotton & elastic yarn. The yarn is tightly twisted, which I really love, so knitting with it was non-splitty and totally pleasureable. I'm going to have to make another top out of this yarn, as it's super comfy and stretchy in just the right amount. Tomorrow this gets blocked and then it's ready for prime time.  Btw, the color is called BBQ Sauce. Don't you just love that?

Finally, for those of you who may think that nothing much exciting ever happens in Paige, here's the turkey that ran up our street and up over the railroad tracks a few days ago. He certainly has some place to go, other turkeys to see, by the look on his face!

When Life Gets in the Way

My blogs have been few and far between for the past couple of weeks because life has gotten in the way...

Every day, I think about posting pictures and describing what I'm doing. The pictures of my lovely blocked 198 Yards of Heaven shawlette are still on my camera, as are the pictures of my FINALLY finished Weekend Jacket (that I absolutely Love, love!, btw), and that I've worn a couple of times this past week. Even on my camera is a picture of the absolutely huge wild turkey that gobbled his way up the street and up over the railroad tracks, just as Rebecca's grandson, Kaleb, was looking out the window. It was quite the spectacle, amid all the WOW's!!

Why am I delinquent? It's my accounting woes... I've some software issues, some human errors, some lack of understanding and learnings with my POS/financial software integration that has taken over ever waking moment that I'm not with customers for the past few weeks. Deadline for getting this all done is Monday.

If you don't hear from me by Tuesday, send in the chocolate, wine and bandages!! I'm hoping for a good outcome, though... so close

Things finished

I've been hunkering down this last week and finishing projects. First done, the 198 yards of heaven shawlette. I even blocked her and she is quite lovely, with a finished measurement of 45" x 21". I would definitely add another repeat if I do another because I had lots of yarn left over and it could use being just a tad bigger.

Next up, the Weekend Jacket. This is one I started in Jan 2009, but put aside when spring came, pulled it back out again this winter and have had it ready to put together for at least a couple weeks or so. Finally sewed it together... don't know what I was avoiding as it was really easy and only took a couple hours to get it all done. I love how this jacket came out! it's longer than I expected and I like that about it, too.

Finally, I'm nearly finished with the cabled shell out of Cotton Twirl. I should get the front done tonight, and maybe even sew it together so I can work on the armhole and neck finishing.

Aren't they lovely? don't you just love the colors and styles??

ok, I've once again left the finished pieces at the shop, while the camera is with me at home. Pictures of these beauties will come, I promise!

I do have one more little nugget that you will enjoy... I know I did!
Remember that lovely SOAR yarn I spun and finished last week? that gorgeous black blue-faced leicester/tussah blend that Morgan, our little cali cat was obsessed about? Well, I was diligent about putting the fiber up after that so she couldn't get at it any more before it had it spun up. And that worked swimmingly. After I finished the plying and photoed it and posted for you all, I set the skeins next to my bag that I take with me to the shop so I wouldn't forget.

The next morning, one skein was on the floor and we just assumed that the cats knocked it down when they were playing/tumblng. Silly me...  Once at the shop, I started to steam set the skeins and one skein had this funny 'wobble' area where the threads seemed out of whack. Yeah, they were out of whack, alright! Morgan (I feel confident accusing her!) had chewed right through the skein! Not all of it, but enough that she had to have worked that puppy for some time, only stopping when the threads were cleanly broken, with sections out of the middle. yum, yum... I can just hear her...

I haven't checked to see how much of it I've lost... I guess I should just let it go... easy come, easy go, and she must have relished her fiber dessert.

So productive week, overall. Sorry you can't see it!

Maybe I'll wear the jacket tomorrow at the shop's 2nd anniversary so you can drool over it!

I'm a Magnet

Ever feel like you are a magnet for the very things that drive you crazy? Like you can't stand the toilet paper roll paper unrolling over rather than under and you find a mate who puts it on the holder exactly the way that makes you want to bite your nails?

Well, thankfully, John and I both put the roll on the same way, but I'm finding I'm not so lucky with my knitting patterns of choice lately. I've written about the intuitive knitter/wannabe pattern designer and how they make me crazy when they write patterns as if the following of them doesn't matter. I thought I had it out of my system, but I was overly optimistic. And now I'm finding myself a magnet for them.

My latest misadventure is with the "198 Yards of Heaven", improperly named, but I don't want to get ugly. Actually, the finished product from this effort by the designer is quite pretty, and is what prompted me to attempt it in the first place. It is more than pretty!

Here's my finished piece... lovely isn't she?

She still needs to be blocked and will grow quite a bit in width and length, but I'm really fond of her.

But.... for all who want to do this and create their own very lovely version, DO NOT follow the written instructions!!! just Do not... You don't know how much it pains me to say that I have encountered yet another intuitive knitter who has written a pattern following the successful completion of her own project, but it's true. In this case, it's even documented how the pattern was tested by Ravelry test knitters. Alas, that can only be part of the story... they could not have used the written instructions as part of their test, only the charts. The charts are correct, with some adjustments following tester comments. The written pattern should just be deleted.

So I won't rant about how intuitive knitters need to write patterns that are correct and can be followed explicitly by someone coming behind them. I won't moan about how it cost me 2 evenings doing and undoing the 22-row repeat to figure out where the problems were arising, and I won't even comment on the fact that the pattern has this goofy switch  from a 2-stitch rib to a knit pattern in the edging, which can only be interpreted as not paying attention to pattern. Why? Because, at the end of the day, this is a lovely piece when you go with the fabric flow that I'm thrilled to have worked through.

Want to make one? Follow the chart only, do not follow the written row instructions, change the lace edge stitches to follow the pattern as in 'continue in pattern', and well....
Maybe you want to forget this one, unless you like reinventing the wheel... because, you will need to do and undo many times to get this to look right. Now that I've done one, though, the second should be a piece of cake!

Nope, I'm not really a Slug!

Sometimes, I feel like a slug... I get others, like my DH, to make meals and clean around us, and generally hold up the fort. He doesn't mind, really. In fact, he likes that he is so appreciated doing things he, at best, totally enjoys (cooking), and at worst, knows needs to be done and that he's supporting our larger goals. Still, I oftentimes feel a tad guilty that I really should be 'doing my part' around the place. 

John is a dear and assures me, when I show him what I'm getting done instead, that it's totally worthwhile. I love him madly for that! Here's what I've been working on over the last few days with his support. 

I spun up the SOAR comemorative fiber (black blue-faced leicester and tussah silk, 75%, 25%). I managed to spin up 806 yds of 2-ply out of my 4 ozs and so have enough for a shawl. The finished color and sheen is amazing. Now that it's done, I'm fantasizing about overdyeing it for a woven shawl. It's so beautiful, I can hardly keep from petting it.

Then there is the Cotton Twirl Shell I started a couple of weeks ago. See how lovely it is with it's soft cable? I'm nearly through the front (and the back), so should be done in just a few more hours.

Next comes the Spunky Eclectic fiber for February, a Superwash BFL in a colorway that is totally not my colors, yellow, orange, burgundy and turquoise. It's sort of a southwest colorway, though she calls it "oh la, la, tropical". I decided to go outside my norm and comfort zone with this, since there was really nothing to lose... I divided up the fiber into long strips and wound them into cakes for spinning, each in sequence, keeping the colors intact. I married the yellows up with the burgundies, the oranges with the turquoise. 

I am spinning the singles as a somewhat uneven yarn, with the idea that it will result in a worsted weight, uneven 2-ply. Here is the yarn as a singles. More to come on how it will look plied up!

You Know I Couldn't Resist!!

I have  been hearing about the shawl called "198 Yards of Heaven" for a few weeks now and finally relented (that's my excuse, and I'm stickin to it!). What is so wonderful about this shawl/shawlette is that it's made using a worsted weight luxury blend of your choosing, doesn't use much of it, and produces a nice-sized shawl/shawlette. From all accounts, it's a speedy knit, too. So I started one... yes, I did! Mine is in Tupa, the lovely Mirasol merino/silk worsted weight yarn and I'm so loving knitting with it and how it's coming out. I've finished one repeat of 22 rows and set it aside for tonight so I could work on another project. I think this is probably just a 3 or 4 evening effort at a nice, casual pace. I'm loving how the leaf pattern shows up and will post pics to show you mine, maybe tomorrow!

My other project for the evening? Spinning!!! Have I told you how I love to spin?? I'm finishing up the last of my SOAR commemorative fiber, the black blue-faced leicester/silk blend that was made specially for the participants. I'm hurrying to get it done because Fischer and Morgan, 2 of our family cats, have declared their passion for this fiber, too, and plan, plot and excute how to chomp on it every waking moment when I don't have my eye on them, which is most of the time. They are fascinated by the smell of it and I can only hope I can get it to a safe place, as I have visions of the resulting shawl being eaten up by them... what's so up with that??

See Morgan's razon-focus as she watches me spin that fiber? "I want it!!" And Fischer, below, is just waiting for his moment to pounce.

March Colorway of the Month

Yes, it's ready... the March colorway, "The Ah Ha Moment!". The fiber is a soft falkland top, 4oz and the yarn is a squishy, tight-twist sock yarn. Here it is:

Purples and pinks, a bit of coral and sometimes a green where the yellow meet the dark blues. I can't wait to see your spinning and finished objects in this!

I haven't been busy, oh no... not me! :)

More on Organizing Life through Cubies

I spent much of my free microcycles today thinking about compartments and fitting life's projects/to do's into them. The more I think about compartmentalization, the more I know that I must be an expert at it. Case in point, house cleaning is necessary and done by most rational, 21st century woman beings. I have managed to put that into a cube that doesn't apply to me. When the vacuuming needs to be done, I am always surprised, because it can't be ME, can it that needs to do it? John, DH, accepts this about me and he, magically, vacuums when the need arises. This allows me to avoid the subject altogether.

What that does for me is it allows me time to work on my other cubie projects... spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting (less crocheting, but I do have a couple projects on my list for 2010). If DH loves me, why would he not want me to work on these things, and he loves me more than I deserve!

So he's cleaned the house in a manner beyond anything I can comprehend today, and I'm sitting looking at my spinning, weaving and knitting... actually admiring it, if truth be told. It's  liberating, sinfully freeing to work on projects in exquisitely clean and lovely surroundings. Tomorrow, I will proceed to fill the space with fiber dust balls again as I fill bobbins, and shuttles and needles with all I do... happiness for me and smiles from John as he gets pleasure knowing he's enabled me yet again. Life is grand!

Letting it Go

I always have lots of projects going at a time, and I am really good at compartmentalizing... I mean, if truth be told, I only have 4 knitting projects in the works - socks, my hoodie, my shell and my weekender jacket that just needs sewing up and final blocking.
Of spinning projects, I have 3 wheels going (and my charkha with my home-grown cotton), but these are my stress-relief time chunks and when I get an 'I love to spin' energy burst. I just have 5 weaving projects in the works... my Cricket washcloths, my bamboo warp, gifted Noro weft scarf project, my handpaint ikat-like fabric I'm set to weave for a jacket, my pomagranite shetland handspun warp for the ultimate scarf that will also use up some of my handspun stash (one of my three 2010 fiber goals), and my towel warp, yet to be completed... I won't even add the handpainted warp scarf that I'm hoping to become a kit, my silk and vicuna scarf... Let's not forget my crocheted wrap or the socks I have as another 2010 goal.

Compartmentalizing is so useful... it means that we never have to look at the whole at any one time and can rationalize why the compartment (3 or 4 things at a time) is the only thing that is important (vs. saying that I have 20+ projects going on simultaneously, all needing my attention). This is a mental health issue. It's how to cope with an imagination gone wild and a desire to try everything one can get his/her hands on without any reasoning on time bounds or responsibilities.

But every now and then, we find that this justification bites us in the behinds. And today was one of those for me. After a long day at the shop working non-stop on random, but important projects, I came home to work on something to get it done or approaching done. I sat, and pondered, and sat, and had a glass of white wine and looked around me at all of these things to be done with the idea that I would just reach for one and begin knitting, or spinning, or weaving, or crocheting... and here I sit. The more I think 'outside the box/compartment' the more overwhelmed I've become. I'm exhausted just thinking about which thing to work on next. Know what I mean?

Usually, when I feel this way, I start something new, but I've decided to give myself permission to just accept my project overload and let it all be... I acknowledge that I'm a frantic fiber project freak. But I'm holding back starting anything new. Tomorrow, I'll figure out which 2 or 3 things I'll focus on til completion. Which compartment shall I focus on?

Finished Project!

I finished my stealth project this evening, a submission for the Handwoven contest, 'Not Just for Socks'. As usual, I was at the 11th hour working on it to get it done in time... last night I completed the weaving, late afternoon today I finished twisting the fringe and then washing, drying... nearly... (if truth be told, it's still slightly damp, but it was dry enough to do the photos). It took me nearly an hour to submit it through the contest form because the pics from my camera created files too big for their requirements. Geez I wish there were some standard sizes that people wanted that would make that part easier... what a time sucker to resize images, test, upload, find they are not right, repeat ad nauseum...

Anyway, here is a brief glimpse of my Antigua Bay Shawl... all out of sock yarns. Even if it's not accepted as an entry, I love, love, love this shawl. The drape is luscious! I can really see this a a wonderful wearable.

Now back to working on my shell, my hoodie, my socks, my 2nd bobbin of SOAR fiber spinning, my remaining 3/4lb of other SOAR fiber I'm spinning, my mittens... there are more. If I think about them all, I won't be able to work on anything!!

Mum's the Word

Well, no surprise to you, I've been quieter than usual lately. That's because I have a couple stealth projects I'm working on, both to deadlines. But tomorrow, I should have my weaving project done and, on Monday, I'll have the March Colorway of the Month ready for unveiling. The weaving is one of the nicest I've done, unless I mess it up at the final hour, and I'm really happy with the colorway for the month and just chompin on the bit to share... but that wouldn't be fair.

More on Monday!

Intuitive Knitters Make Lousy Pattern Writers

Ok, talk about a wild generalization, I admit it... But here's why I say this.

Intuitive knitters design wonderful pieces based on their experience and what they feel in the moment. They 'go with the flow' and modify existing designs or create new ones on the fly. If they look at their sweater, or cap, or scarf and think, 'gee, this really needs a color change, or a cable, or ___________", they just do it. They tell themselves that they'll write it down later (if they remember) because they don't want to break the wonderful rhythm and creative flow they are feeling. Why do I know this? I am one of those, by nature. Before I opened the shop, this is how I worked most all of the time.

Fast forward to today, when I follow patterns to the letter in order to be able to teach others and share important tidbits to make the designs successfully. I find that I understand more and more the challenge that newer knitters or knitters that prefer explicit directions have with so many patterns. Example: A few months ago, I started a cute little cardi by one of our vendors. I got about 2/3 done with it when I noticed that the lace charts did not reflect the armhole decreases and the pattern just said, "Continue in pattern." This required some rather unintuitive counting backwards to figure out what the first stitch of each row needed to be and where it was on the chart. I called the designer, who told me in no uncertain terms, that she is an intuitive knitter, writes the pattern after the design is done and assumes that others will just be able to figure out what she is intending because it's all "pretty obvious based on the pattern". I consider myself to be pretty darn good at recognizing patterns, but dang, this just seemed harder than it needed to be. She was very nice about it... that's just what she believes is the approach to design she chooses to embrace. I ripped out the cardi and made something else with the yarn. Why? because, while I knew I could figure it out for myself, I no longer knit just for myself and could not reasonably pass this confusion on to others.

I had nearly forgotten about that episode until today, when I began the decreases for my very lovely Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat. It has a really simple 8 stitch, 6 row diamond fair isle pattern that is repeated throughout. When the decrease rows began for the crown, I was expecting some clear directions about how to maintain pattern while working on fewer stitches. But there it was... "maintaining diamond pattern, do thus and such decreases!" Ok, I admit that I thought, no problem, I'll just count and figure it out. After a row or so, I realized that I had no idea what the designer had in mind regarding maintaining the diamond pattern. I mean, it was morphing down to nothing with each row, so what part of the pattern did she want me to maintain?  Then it dawned on me... ahh, yes, another intuitive knitter who made the hat, then wrote the pattern!

I decided to proceed without the diamond fair isle pattern. How bad could it be? And the hat turned out just fine!

Here it is in it's unblocked state. Tomorrow, I'll block it, which will only make it nicer.

So, lesson learned? When you find directions that suggest that you just continue on 'in pattern' while making numerous alterations and expect that you figure it out, assume it is not you that is lacking. Think that you may have encountered an intuitive knitter that has written a pattern from an already-produced design. Don't give up, don't give yourself 30 lashes and throw it in the wip basket.  It can be worked through or modified so that you will love it and it will be just your own! It's just that the pattern doesn't have the roadmap to get that done.

Note to self... make sure all of my written patterns give step-by-step directions...

What to Do with Odd Lots

Today, I spent a bit of time talking to Dawn and Judy about what to make out of Judy's special beaded stash yarn. It is a gorgeous multi-stranded luxury yarn that just begs to be wrapped around the neck over a black simple top, but there was not enough for a scarf or shawlette, or so they thought.  What to do, oh what to do...

Beware, when you ask me for ideas, you will get at least one, and today was no exception. In fact, I was pretty proud of myself because not only did I have an idea but I had a pattern ready and waiting. It was the Marvelous Mobius Scarf.

Believe me, if you have never tried one of these, you need to. They are truly a marvel. Why? because, apart from the novelty of making a scarf that is circular (with a twist) and lays perfectly flat and never goes flying off your body because of wind or other mishap, you can use up all those lovely odd ends of handspun or handpainted yarns to their best effect.

Case in point, here is the one I made today to demonstrate the process and overall coolness of this technique... (did I also mention that they are fast, fast, fast to do?)

Look at how the colors shift due to it's being worked from the center out. I would venture to say that there is really no other knitting technique that will give this kind of look. Wish you could see a closeup of the stitch, too, as I was able to build in a chevron pattern that is really attractive. All in all, this took maybe 100 yds on a size 4, 26" circular needle. A perfect way to show off small amounts of special yarns, no?

Coco says, "Oh my... that looks good enough to eat! kissy, kissy!"

Fair Isle... why do I love thee?

Have you noticed how many magazine and book patterns are done using stranded colorwork or intarsia these days? So, it did not surprise me when, a couple or so weeks ago, the Wednesday morning intarsia class said they wanted to learn more colorwork techniques, as in fair isle. And being one who is ever ready with ideas that I never have time to execute, I thought this might be just the opportunity to make a fair isle hat using a Crystal Palace pattern I had seen out of mini mochi. So we set the class date for this coming Tuesday and I made a note that I better get on it...

Today, I realized that the clock was ticking and I better get a head start on this to make sure I was at the top of my game with all the techniques. As luck would have it, this morning we got the first copies of the reprint of Alice Starmore's Fair Isle knitting book, the classic that was used eons ago to make those fabulous ski sweaters and such that were popular back so long ago. But, leafing through it again, it was all fresh and new!

Tonight, I turned on the Olympics on the tely and began the hat. It has a corrugated ribbing, which is a marvel. I had forgotten how much I LOVE this ribbing. It's not the stretchiest, but is it ever beautiful!

Using one ball for the knits, one for the purls, it creates a very impactful edge. In this case, what is even more fun is that the yarn is variegated, so each set of knits and purls unfold the colors in different sequences. What a pleasure!

One of the things that this project has driven home is how wonderful fair isle is when done with finer yarns. The fabrics are soft, supple, drapeable and artwear like. 

This project has reminded me of so many reasons why I love fair isle. Maybe by the time I'm done with it, I will list and count all the ways!

The Best Spinning Gadget Ever

Some of you may know that I'm a gadget girl. A serious gadget girl. I think I have tried nearly every spinning, weaving, knitting tool or gadget out there. So when Sherri came into the shop yesterday talking about her desire to spin a more consistent yarn and asking for help in understanding her new iPhone spinning app, I was excited. What in the world could a spinning app do for you on the phone?

To my surprise, the app is fantastic! It's called iSpinToolkit and has a wraps per inch gauge where you just lay your yarn over the screen and you can size it exactly to determine the wpi, there's a twists per inch gauge, too, and a tool for determining your twist angle exactly, Z or S twist. And there's more that I haven't had time to play with yet, including explanations of how these are all used. What does this mean? You can spin your yarn and recreate it exactly for a large project or just because all with one tool on your phone that you are already always carrying around. Pure genius!! I downloaded it as quickly as I could! You spinners will want to try this out. Now I'm imagining a weaving app that would show you the sett of cloth based on different threads you lay over the screen. Wouldn't that be the greatest?

When the Yarn Knows Your Name

I finished my Weekend Jacket... well, not exactly -- it's not blocked or sewn together. I remind myself of my corp life when I used to admonish my team members who said their software programs were finished when they hadn't been tested or through quality control. I can't call it finished, dang it, until it's really FINISHED, as in ready for prime time wearing.

Still, I can now understand why they wanted to call their work finished... it means you can give yourself permission to move on to start the next shiny, exciting thing that calls us. And for me, it's been a lovely yarn called Cotton Twirl in a color called BBQ Sauce. Ever since it arrived, it's been calling out to me. So, with the jacket project off the needles, and the new project needing just those same needles, I used the lame excuse that it makes more sense to start the new project than put the needles back in their case. I'd only have to take them out again in another day or two for the very same project, so why not just try them out, right?... nothing serious... just a swatch!

Here's my 'swatch' with the needles and the Cotton Twirl...  looks like the start of a shell to me... 10" done just in sitting watching the opening Olympics ceremonies. This one might get done under the radar!!

The yarn is even nicer than I imagined it would be. No splitting, colors are pretty without pooling. I even found myself plotting the making of something else with it as I worked on this, and that's rare for me...

We won't talk about the Central Park Hoodie... we don't want her to get jealous!

Simple Can Be Wonderful!

I love to weave (don't tell spinning...), as I adore the wonder of making cloth - all aspects of it! So you would imagine that I, also, enjoy all those intricate patterns, drafts, treadlings and threadings that make up remarkable fabrics that make us all oh and ah...overshot, crackle, all kinds of lace, doubleweave fabrics and more. And I do, most days.

Still, when I want to calm my heart and soul with the making of cloth, I am drawn, seriously drawn, to simple, simple weaves in beautiful yarns and organic designs. This scarf that I just finished is one of those pieces. Started some weeks ago on a simple rigid heddle loom, then set aside for more pressing projects, I returned to it this week and found that feeling of serenity once again through simplicity. On one end, I wove a two-pick stripe, on the other end, a 4-pick stripe... no symmetry at all, which was part of the beauty and joy of working on this. I love how it turned out!

It's made from the wonderful Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, plain weave, threaded as 'color and weave'. When finished, it's soft, amazingly wrinkle resistent and comfy. For those who have said they want to make one, too, I'm making up kits with the draft and yarn so you can make one just like it, or in a different colorway and striping, following your own organic vision.

Did I say that I seriously love this scarf? (as does every man who has seen and felt it!)