Sky Blue Roving -- It's some generic Louet roving I dye'd a Sky Blue.
Icelandic Wool Skein = ~ 162 yards
Brick Red Corriedale = Worseted
My First 3 ply = ~15 yards
Mohair I'm currently spinning
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Just a few photos
Since the evening's plans fell through, I took some photos before practicing the fiddle. This is especially for those friends *cough* who complain I don't take enough photos :-P And, for those of you on Ravelry, I managed to actually update those projects & photos.
Sky Blue Roving -- It's some generic Louet roving I dye'd a Sky Blue.
Icelandic Wool Skein = ~ 162 yards
Brick Red Corriedale = Worseted
My First 3 ply = ~15 yards
Mohair I'm currently spinning
Sky Blue Roving -- It's some generic Louet roving I dye'd a Sky Blue.
Icelandic Wool Skein = ~ 162 yards
Brick Red Corriedale = Worseted
My First 3 ply = ~15 yards
Mohair I'm currently spinning
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Wrong Wool!
I *finally* finished spinning my wool late Monday night(I had 1/2 oz left, and wanted to finish, dammit!) And, it turns out that what *I* thought was Finn, turns out to be Falkland wool. Oopsie!
I ended up with 264 yards of laceweight yarn from the 2 oz top I had bought, of which I am very very pleased. Once I ply it with itself, I'll (hopefully) end up with about 132 yards of wool of fingering - DK weight, which I think I'll be doing my first 2-color project with it and another yarn.
I'm debating on whether to dye it a nice dark blue or keep it the lovely natural ivory white. Hmm. Decisions, decision.
I also attempted to spin a sampling of mulberry silk on the lighter spindle. I have not had really great experience with the "slippery" fibers as of yet, and this was really no exception. I went through half the sample, then wound what I had onto an empty thread bobbin and put the un-spun half away. Ick.
I might just stick with wool or wool blends.
Tonite, I did try out the new-to-me-crockpot dye technique, while I made dinner.
I had about 1 1/8 oz of generic pencil wool roving I had (unknown sheep). I used a little bit of Jacquard blue, and set the thing to "HIGH". I'm deathly afraid of felting wool during the dye process, so I figured this was a good test run.
By the time dinner was done, the wool was pretty much done, so I let it rest while I ate dinner, then rinsed it out. Now it's hanging, and is just this lovely lovely sky blue. It's got slightly darker blue patches here and there with bits of white and light blue.
I can't wait for it to dry and see how it spins out. I know dye can make something a bit more difficult to spin, so I want to see how this pans out. I know I'll probably have to draft it out more than its previous cousins whom I spun THEN dyed.
Also, I made myself a small distaff from some of the practice spinning I had done a few months earlier. I had a small skein at about 50 or so yards, which makes for a perfect size distaff. I'm hoping that it makes using the drop spindle a wee bit easier.
I ended up with 264 yards of laceweight yarn from the 2 oz top I had bought, of which I am very very pleased. Once I ply it with itself, I'll (hopefully) end up with about 132 yards of wool of fingering - DK weight, which I think I'll be doing my first 2-color project with it and another yarn.
I'm debating on whether to dye it a nice dark blue or keep it the lovely natural ivory white. Hmm. Decisions, decision.
I also attempted to spin a sampling of mulberry silk on the lighter spindle. I have not had really great experience with the "slippery" fibers as of yet, and this was really no exception. I went through half the sample, then wound what I had onto an empty thread bobbin and put the un-spun half away. Ick.
I might just stick with wool or wool blends.
Tonite, I did try out the new-to-me-crockpot dye technique, while I made dinner.
I had about 1 1/8 oz of generic pencil wool roving I had (unknown sheep). I used a little bit of Jacquard blue, and set the thing to "HIGH". I'm deathly afraid of felting wool during the dye process, so I figured this was a good test run.
By the time dinner was done, the wool was pretty much done, so I let it rest while I ate dinner, then rinsed it out. Now it's hanging, and is just this lovely lovely sky blue. It's got slightly darker blue patches here and there with bits of white and light blue.
I can't wait for it to dry and see how it spins out. I know dye can make something a bit more difficult to spin, so I want to see how this pans out. I know I'll probably have to draft it out more than its previous cousins whom I spun THEN dyed.
Also, I made myself a small distaff from some of the practice spinning I had done a few months earlier. I had a small skein at about 50 or so yards, which makes for a perfect size distaff. I'm hoping that it makes using the drop spindle a wee bit easier.
Thrifting!
I *love* thrift store shopping. It's always amazing what you can find. I wanted to get a used crockpot for dye-ing purposes. It was the first time I'd been in this particular thrift shop, although I keep driving by and thinking I needed to go inside.
Yeah, I came out with more than I anticipated and spent > $20.00. LOL
I found a lovely wool fair isle cardigan made in "British Colonial Hong Kong", which fit me, and will be nice for winter. It's only a little bit itchy (heck, it's wool), but won't be so bad with long sleeves. And I found a lovely tweed men's cashmere / mohair sweater made in Italy (SO SOFT!) that I plan to totally unravel and re-use the yarn. Oh, and I did find the crockpot I wanted, which works just fine. The crock pot was the most expensive thing at $8.50.
I had to drag myself out because I still had grocery shopping to do. I love treasure hunting in thrift stores.
Yeah, I came out with more than I anticipated and spent > $20.00. LOL
I found a lovely wool fair isle cardigan made in "British Colonial Hong Kong", which fit me, and will be nice for winter. It's only a little bit itchy (heck, it's wool), but won't be so bad with long sleeves. And I found a lovely tweed men's cashmere / mohair sweater made in Italy (SO SOFT!) that I plan to totally unravel and re-use the yarn. Oh, and I did find the crockpot I wanted, which works just fine. The crock pot was the most expensive thing at $8.50.
I had to drag myself out because I still had grocery shopping to do. I love treasure hunting in thrift stores.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
What I don't Enjoy..
I finally finished knitting my little neckerchief (Lacy Baktus). It's a bit smaller than the sample photo listed on Ravelry, but it's nice because you can make it any size depending on how much yarn you have. The pattern is relatively easy to memorize which makes for good train knitting.
However, I did have to frog several rows because I was screwing up decreases AND because I was running out of yarn and had to be more aggressive in decreasing rows. But, it's my first FO from spun to knit.
And, because I need for something to work on while on the train, I started knitting up my very first cardigan using Cascade Eco Baby Alpaca. OMG, this stuff is amazingly soft and an absolute pleasure to knit up.
Spinning
This past weekend, I actually managed to get a bit of spinning done. I had several small samples of non-wool fibers; I thought to give them a try.
The samples ranged from bamboo, mulberry silk, tussah silk, etc, mixed with nylon or alpaca. And because the samples were relatively small in size (anywhere from 1/8 - 3/8 oz) they spun up relatively quickly on the drop spindle.
The colors aren't what I would have chosen for myself (pink, a pinky salmon, and a pink/blue combo), but three of the samples from different fiber artists actually meshed reallly well together. So, I did my first 3-ply, which actually came out very nicely. I was rather pleased.
Each of the samples was spun to laceweight (yaay!), and I managed to pull about 15-20 yards out of each one (depending on weight). The 3-ply after the twist had been set came out to a fingering/DK weight (Yaay) @ 20 yards. For now, it'll just act as a sample skein for a 3-ply.
I'm rather pleased with the whole experiment that I can attempt to do a nice sock yarn and knit that up. :-)
I tried two other samples, including one that uses a combination of bamboo, mulberry silk, and sea cel, and I had to put it away because I ended up fighting with it and did *not* enjoy it at all. I think partially because each different fiber was just 'laid' ontop of each other and not blended well.
Note to self:
I did not enjoy a straight mulberry silk, straight bamboo, or straight tussah silk.
AND I do not enjoy roving where different colored fibers are just "laid" ontop of each other ESPECIALLY if each of the colored fibers are actually different fibers. It makes drafting a PITA. However, I did enjoy a really good blended roving (like the alpaca/silk/bamboo combination)
However, I did have to frog several rows because I was screwing up decreases AND because I was running out of yarn and had to be more aggressive in decreasing rows. But, it's my first FO from spun to knit.
And, because I need for something to work on while on the train, I started knitting up my very first cardigan using Cascade Eco Baby Alpaca. OMG, this stuff is amazingly soft and an absolute pleasure to knit up.
Spinning
This past weekend, I actually managed to get a bit of spinning done. I had several small samples of non-wool fibers; I thought to give them a try.
The samples ranged from bamboo, mulberry silk, tussah silk, etc, mixed with nylon or alpaca. And because the samples were relatively small in size (anywhere from 1/8 - 3/8 oz) they spun up relatively quickly on the drop spindle.
The colors aren't what I would have chosen for myself (pink, a pinky salmon, and a pink/blue combo), but three of the samples from different fiber artists actually meshed reallly well together. So, I did my first 3-ply, which actually came out very nicely. I was rather pleased.
Each of the samples was spun to laceweight (yaay!), and I managed to pull about 15-20 yards out of each one (depending on weight). The 3-ply after the twist had been set came out to a fingering/DK weight (Yaay) @ 20 yards. For now, it'll just act as a sample skein for a 3-ply.
I'm rather pleased with the whole experiment that I can attempt to do a nice sock yarn and knit that up. :-)
I tried two other samples, including one that uses a combination of bamboo, mulberry silk, and sea cel, and I had to put it away because I ended up fighting with it and did *not* enjoy it at all. I think partially because each different fiber was just 'laid' ontop of each other and not blended well.
Note to self:
I did not enjoy a straight mulberry silk, straight bamboo, or straight tussah silk.
AND I do not enjoy roving where different colored fibers are just "laid" ontop of each other ESPECIALLY if each of the colored fibers are actually different fibers. It makes drafting a PITA. However, I did enjoy a really good blended roving (like the alpaca/silk/bamboo combination)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Knitting & Spinning
However, today, while waiting at the doctor's, I had to frog to the half-way point, because I totally messed up my decrease rows. I was trying to work through the mistakes I had made, but realized that blocking was not going to hide them. Ah well. Luckily, it's a quick knit.
I finished spinning up the Icelandic wool, which was absolutely fun to spin up, but now that it's on the niddy noddy, it's going to be a very scratchy wool to anyone who has the slightest sensitivity. I would like to spin more of it up, but am pretty sure that it's going to be too scratchy for something close to the skin -- it'd have to be a bulky sweater of some sort.
Regardless, I managed to spin up about 132 yards out of 2 ounces @ fingering weight.
This is still a steady improvement of overall yardage from last month. I'm getting the hang of spinning 'thinner'. Right now, my 'fingering' weight STILL plumps up to about a worseted weight or heavier once I set the twist with washing. *sigh* I really want it to remain within the sport/DK weight range. I don't know if I need to add more twist or just draft thinner in order to keep it at that fingering weight so I can ply later.
Also, I am debating what to do with the yarn I dyed this weekend. The skeins plumped up considerably after the dye. I'm thinking I'm going to make a handbag then felt it. One came out a beautiful blood red, and the last skein put in came out a faded red -- like a red shirt left too long out in the hot sun after too many washings. I might overdye it to see what it turns into.
I am finding myself reaching for the spindle a lot more frequently than the knitting needles as of late. I'm still knitting more than I am spinning, but I find myself mediating more with the spindle.
Monday, August 17, 2009
A bit of Sewing & Dye'ing
I had gotten some scrap leather from a very good friend--scrap for him, but *more* than enough to do things with for me. So, I took the strips of leather (gold & red) and started making a waist cincher for myself.
The cincher is an easy project; I've already got a complete and fitted pattern. Plus there was *just* enough leather for the cincher, as the leather came in strips and scraps.
I pieced together the strips of leather to be able to cut out some of the the pattern pieces and used some of the scraps for others. This is the *first* time I've actually worked with leather for anything. the scraps allowed me not to worry about "ruining" a whole hide of leather. I was "winging" the overall look of the cincher with the scraps, but it managed to pull itself together really well. I had enough left over red pieces to even make little decorative buckles.
I had fun putting that together. I went through two leather needles making the whole of the project. It's done, except I still have to do the bindings and the grommets. The leather binding is going to be a pain since I'm going to have to hand-sew the inside of the binding. UGH! THAT might take me a bit of time and effort.
While I was busily sewing the leather, I had a pot of blood red dye on the stove on low heat and dye'ing up some of the handspun I had finished at least 1-2 weeks before that were sitting resting. (I *really* need to get some used thrift-store crockpots for this!)
There was some generic long wool (unknown sheep), one skein of fawn BFL, and one skein of tawny Corriedale. I added the long wool and BFL first, then several hours later added the Corriedale. After about 5 hours, it absorbed all of the dye, and is now hanging drying in the spare bathroom.
The then-wet colors looked absolutely brilliant although I know that they'll dry a bit lighter, so I'm waiting to see how it looks when finishing the drying process.
In between all of it, I got a bit of spinning done. I started on some dark grey Icelandic wool, which, while feels a little scratchy as the roving, feels really nice spinning. Of course, it'll might knit up a bit itchy.
The cincher is an easy project; I've already got a complete and fitted pattern. Plus there was *just* enough leather for the cincher, as the leather came in strips and scraps.
I pieced together the strips of leather to be able to cut out some of the the pattern pieces and used some of the scraps for others. This is the *first* time I've actually worked with leather for anything. the scraps allowed me not to worry about "ruining" a whole hide of leather. I was "winging" the overall look of the cincher with the scraps, but it managed to pull itself together really well. I had enough left over red pieces to even make little decorative buckles.
I had fun putting that together. I went through two leather needles making the whole of the project. It's done, except I still have to do the bindings and the grommets. The leather binding is going to be a pain since I'm going to have to hand-sew the inside of the binding. UGH! THAT might take me a bit of time and effort.
While I was busily sewing the leather, I had a pot of blood red dye on the stove on low heat and dye'ing up some of the handspun I had finished at least 1-2 weeks before that were sitting resting. (I *really* need to get some used thrift-store crockpots for this!)
There was some generic long wool (unknown sheep), one skein of fawn BFL, and one skein of tawny Corriedale. I added the long wool and BFL first, then several hours later added the Corriedale. After about 5 hours, it absorbed all of the dye, and is now hanging drying in the spare bathroom.
The then-wet colors looked absolutely brilliant although I know that they'll dry a bit lighter, so I'm waiting to see how it looks when finishing the drying process.
In between all of it, I got a bit of spinning done. I started on some dark grey Icelandic wool, which, while feels a little scratchy as the roving, feels really nice spinning. Of course, it'll might knit up a bit itchy.
Friday, August 14, 2009
A Bit of Everything Thrown Together
I finished my Purple Smooshy socks on Wednesday night. It's my 2nd cuff-down sock, and I have to say, I am probably going to stick with toe-up socks onward. I *hate* the kitchener's stitch and I can never tell where I am in the foot rounds. Two toe-up socks at the same time is *easier* LOL.
The cuff is very cute as they are just ribbed rings and looked like a scrunched sock. And the Dreams in Color Smooshy yarn is just lovely; it's a kettle-dyed purple.
So, now I am sockless in terms of train projects, so I started bringing my hemlock ring blanket (still small) with me on the train. It makes for mindless knitting once I get past the increase lace repeats. I'm on the 5th set of increase repeats on the chart, so I'm not even *close* to finishing (there are a total of 11 increase rounds). I really need to get farther along on this project, since I started it nearly a month ago (7/13). But I realized that this project is very warm (the start of a blanket made out of wool) as it sat on my lap on the train ride home.
Luckily, I have a project that should be relatively light and let me use the the superwash BFL I finished spinning last week. It's a small neck shawl...basically something larger than a neckerchief but not so long as a scarf.
Now that the yarn has been twist set & dry, it's fluffed up nicely (after good thwackings). I checked the gauge of yarn, and it's a worseted weight. There's not much (about 100+ yards) hence the small project. The colors spun up *gorgeously* of different jewel-tones.
I put away the tussah silk I was practicing with on the drop spindle, because, it's driving me nuts with its spidery-web consistency (as in strands of it get *everywhere*). I can see why it's blended with other things. It spins up very very fine and very very very soft. And it's driving me *crazy* I am going to try and tackle it at a later date when I'm actually *better* at this sort of stuff. Either that or a different spindle.
So, instead, I started spinning up the Coopsworth that I bought from Spunky Eclectic, and this stuff is *awesome* and spins really really well. I bought two types, 2 oz each -- a white & a natural color.
My plans for this batch: spin up the rest, dye both skeins variations of red (one a little more "black" than red), then ply the two together. I suspect that the natural wool will take the red color a little better and be a little darker than the white. If this knits up well and I can wear it without wool issues, I'm going to have to get more.
Of course, I have no idea what I want to knit it *into*, but that's another topic.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Attacking the Needles
Well, last night I attacked my knitting needles. Actually, I was trying to fix a problem on one of them, but ended up buggering up in one of those "Oh, Noes! -- must laugh calamities."
I was trying to gauge some of my handspun with US 11 needles (as the 2ply yarn is a heavy worseted weight), and realized that the wood bit was coming out of the metal bit. So I got my handy-dandy super glue (coz what girl doesn't have 5-6 types of glue for any given occassion) and added a touch of glue, then wiped off the excess.
Except, the needle was still attached to the cable (I have the Knitpicks Options wood needles that can detach from the cables), and when I wiped off the excess, it was down towards the cable. As such, the cable is now glued to the needle! (Luckily, I didn't do this to the OTHER needle)
Unfortunately, I didn't have any acetone or nail polish in the house. So, I will have to purchase some and see if I can't soak that little metal part in the acetone without destroying the wood or the plastic of the cable. *sigh* I'm glad I didn't use another type of glue that needs somethign stronger. However, I wish I had used my special glue for my fencing weapons as that can be removed with alcohol.
Later that night, I went to try and spin about an ounce of tussah silk that I had for practice. Using my super light spindle, I went to work. OMG, this stuff is so soft and is so fine.....and is completely like spider silk. The fine silky strands get EVERYWHERE. However, the strands are amazingly long (not surprisingly) and it's a little hard to gauge how much to draft it. This is one of those projects that's going to take a bit of time, even though it's only 1 oz of silk. And considering how FINE it's spinning, I'm going to end up with probably a bit of yardage than I first expected.
My knitting for the trip is pretty much packed. FIVE hours on the plane, each way. I should be able to get a lot of reading & knitting done. I'm going to actually play with some of my handspun and make little ditty bags that I'll felt when I get back home. Luckily, my handspun is only about 60 yards so they should be relatively quick in the making.
I was trying to gauge some of my handspun with US 11 needles (as the 2ply yarn is a heavy worseted weight), and realized that the wood bit was coming out of the metal bit. So I got my handy-dandy super glue (coz what girl doesn't have 5-6 types of glue for any given occassion) and added a touch of glue, then wiped off the excess.
Except, the needle was still attached to the cable (I have the Knitpicks Options wood needles that can detach from the cables), and when I wiped off the excess, it was down towards the cable. As such, the cable is now glued to the needle! (Luckily, I didn't do this to the OTHER needle)
Unfortunately, I didn't have any acetone or nail polish in the house. So, I will have to purchase some and see if I can't soak that little metal part in the acetone without destroying the wood or the plastic of the cable. *sigh* I'm glad I didn't use another type of glue that needs somethign stronger. However, I wish I had used my special glue for my fencing weapons as that can be removed with alcohol.
Later that night, I went to try and spin about an ounce of tussah silk that I had for practice. Using my super light spindle, I went to work. OMG, this stuff is so soft and is so fine.....and is completely like spider silk. The fine silky strands get EVERYWHERE. However, the strands are amazingly long (not surprisingly) and it's a little hard to gauge how much to draft it. This is one of those projects that's going to take a bit of time, even though it's only 1 oz of silk. And considering how FINE it's spinning, I'm going to end up with probably a bit of yardage than I first expected.
My knitting for the trip is pretty much packed. FIVE hours on the plane, each way. I should be able to get a lot of reading & knitting done. I'm going to actually play with some of my handspun and make little ditty bags that I'll felt when I get back home. Luckily, my handspun is only about 60 yards so they should be relatively quick in the making.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Levels of Insanity
Every so often, I have an insane costume idea (yes -- every so often) that involves a lot of work, but would be REALLY COOL if I could pull it off.
Now, it's nothing as insane as say, the recreated Worth Oak leaf dress that harmanhay recreated (sewing 4 hours a night!), nor as insane as the woman who made a dress from the sheep (as in spun the cotton, wove the fabric, THEN sewed her outfit), but it's on a MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller scale of insanity.
Basically, it started at Costume College at the 18th c. pocket's class, where the teacher passed around a merino/silk hand-embroidered pocket she had made. It was so soft and so pet-able. I was in love. Then in the Embroidery for Stomacher's class (with the same teacher), she was showing off some of the thread that you can use for embroidery, INCLUDING some thinner handspun yarn she had purchased. My mind kinda did a double-take.
After I started taking the crewel yarn apart, my mind kept thinking: What if?
What if I got some delicious merino/silk combo, or maybe just a tussah silk, and spun that to about the right thickness for crewel embroidery? I wouldn't need much, and if i was really insane, I could buy the natural stuff, and dye it myself.
I have plenty of the detailed costume books for the 18th century where I can thereby scan-in a given pattern, make that into a line drawing, etc. Then that just needs to be transferred to linen or a period muslin (lawn) fabric.
Then, I could do a basic embroidery stitches to create said pocket.
That is...if I were insane. I mean, it'd be very very small final project, except, obviously, for the steps along the way. I mean, a pocket's relatively small, right? *ahem*
OR I could be just a sane person, and scan in the pattern, have it digitized, and have the embroidery machine do it for me (although, it might take just as long a time to get the pattern digitized properly!)
Or be even more sane, and take my already existing embroidery patterns, put something 18th century like, and have the machine do all the work. (I plan on doing this one anyways.)
Whether or not I do this from scratch, is dependent on my level of sanity. Currently, I'm trying to judge where that level is currently at.... :-)
Now, it's nothing as insane as say, the recreated Worth Oak leaf dress that harmanhay recreated (sewing 4 hours a night!), nor as insane as the woman who made a dress from the sheep (as in spun the cotton, wove the fabric, THEN sewed her outfit), but it's on a MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller scale of insanity.
Basically, it started at Costume College at the 18th c. pocket's class, where the teacher passed around a merino/silk hand-embroidered pocket she had made. It was so soft and so pet-able. I was in love. Then in the Embroidery for Stomacher's class (with the same teacher), she was showing off some of the thread that you can use for embroidery, INCLUDING some thinner handspun yarn she had purchased. My mind kinda did a double-take.
After I started taking the crewel yarn apart, my mind kept thinking: What if?
What if I got some delicious merino/silk combo, or maybe just a tussah silk, and spun that to about the right thickness for crewel embroidery? I wouldn't need much, and if i was really insane, I could buy the natural stuff, and dye it myself.
I have plenty of the detailed costume books for the 18th century where I can thereby scan-in a given pattern, make that into a line drawing, etc. Then that just needs to be transferred to linen or a period muslin (lawn) fabric.
Then, I could do a basic embroidery stitches to create said pocket.
That is...if I were insane. I mean, it'd be very very small final project, except, obviously, for the steps along the way. I mean, a pocket's relatively small, right? *ahem*
OR I could be just a sane person, and scan in the pattern, have it digitized, and have the embroidery machine do it for me (although, it might take just as long a time to get the pattern digitized properly!)
Or be even more sane, and take my already existing embroidery patterns, put something 18th century like, and have the machine do all the work. (I plan on doing this one anyways.)
Whether or not I do this from scratch, is dependent on my level of sanity. Currently, I'm trying to judge where that level is currently at.... :-)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A Bit of Everything Thrown Together
Last week, I finished my pair of socks (dubbed Blueberry River socks) because I used a "waffle/woven" knit stitch for the cuff but used a specific guidelines* for the "Riverbed Architecture" sock. And the color is variegated with varies blues and purples.
And since those socks were my "train knitting", I started a brand new pair of socks using the same Riverbed Architecture guidelines, because
a) I have the same exact yarn but a different color
b) I only have one skein of that color and I know that I need only one skein for a pair of socks using the Riverbed Architecture.
I'm not sure what to call it since the colorway are purples and yellows.
As a costumer, I find it fascinating that as part of the knitting process, you're building the fabric (from the ground up) to wrap succinctly around a 3D object, instead of taking a flat piece of fabric and manipulating it to fit around a 3-D object.
Drop Spindle:
I'm getting better at the drop spindle. I've been keeping a notebook of progress for each set of rovings/top spun. I've more than tripled my first attempt of the measly 12 yards. I'm only using the drop spindle about 10 minutes a day, but it's helped. My hands are getting a better 'feel' for what they're supposed to be doing.
So my experiment is thusly: 1/2 lb (8 oz) of a wool top. I've separated them into 4 piles of 2oz.
I've been getting about 10-15 yards more each subsequent set spun, which isn't too bad,
My last attempt (#5) netted about ~80 yards of yarn at about a sport/DK weight.
My current attempt is probably going to double that as it's more of a sock weight yarn.
The experiments are mostly for me to get better because I picked up some beautiful tussah (wild) silk rovings, and it's like petting a soft downy kitten, and I want to make it into something.
Dyeing
I dyed the 3rd/4th set of yarn I spun up using Kool-Aid of all things. I had some Jacquard acid dyes on order for overdying some fabric, so I'll make use of it for the yarn as well. I think I stretched out the yarn a bit much during the drying process, but I'll rewash them to put the crimp back into it.
*Guidelines because the "pattern" involves *you* figuring out the actual size of the foot, your gauge, and looking up numbers to see what you *should* be knitting for the toe, heel, gusset, and cuff.
And since those socks were my "train knitting", I started a brand new pair of socks using the same Riverbed Architecture guidelines, because
a) I have the same exact yarn but a different color
b) I only have one skein of that color and I know that I need only one skein for a pair of socks using the Riverbed Architecture.
I'm not sure what to call it since the colorway are purples and yellows.
As a costumer, I find it fascinating that as part of the knitting process, you're building the fabric (from the ground up) to wrap succinctly around a 3D object, instead of taking a flat piece of fabric and manipulating it to fit around a 3-D object.
Drop Spindle:
I'm getting better at the drop spindle. I've been keeping a notebook of progress for each set of rovings/top spun. I've more than tripled my first attempt of the measly 12 yards. I'm only using the drop spindle about 10 minutes a day, but it's helped. My hands are getting a better 'feel' for what they're supposed to be doing.
So my experiment is thusly: 1/2 lb (8 oz) of a wool top. I've separated them into 4 piles of 2oz.
I've been getting about 10-15 yards more each subsequent set spun, which isn't too bad,
My last attempt (#5) netted about ~80 yards of yarn at about a sport/DK weight.
My current attempt is probably going to double that as it's more of a sock weight yarn.
The experiments are mostly for me to get better because I picked up some beautiful tussah (wild) silk rovings, and it's like petting a soft downy kitten, and I want to make it into something.
Dyeing
I dyed the 3rd/4th set of yarn I spun up using Kool-Aid of all things. I had some Jacquard acid dyes on order for overdying some fabric, so I'll make use of it for the yarn as well. I think I stretched out the yarn a bit much during the drying process, but I'll rewash them to put the crimp back into it.
*Guidelines because the "pattern" involves *you* figuring out the actual size of the foot, your gauge, and looking up numbers to see what you *should* be knitting for the toe, heel, gusset, and cuff.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Kool Aid Dye
Today was a bit of dye-ing. I had some very white yarn from the drop spindle that needed more coloration. I read that kool-aid is a very appropriate dye for wool, requiring nothing more than packages of regular kool-aid and water (and much much cheaper!)
So, out popped an old pot, added very hot water, kool-aid, & yarn, then let that boil (10 minutes) and cool (hours). Colors aren't so bad, although it didn't compeletely dye everything (I have some small white spots), but I didn't want to stir it too much, lest all of it FELTS.
The colors aren't too bad (Black Cherry & Grape), although I did end up with Kool-aid stains over my hands at one point. Sticky, but washes quickly away with warm water & a bit of soap. The yarn vaguely smelled like Kool-aid for a bit, until I rinsed it out and hung it. Kool-aid smell is now gone.
Although, if I do that again, I'll have to do it right with some actual acid dyes. Plus, I've been meaning to actually dye some fabric anyways, so that's two birds with one stone. I took a dye classese while back, and really enjoyed it. The silk scarf that I dyed with a red ombre was *lovely*, and I have a wish to do that again. Plus, as our teacher told us, almost *anything* can be overdyed, provided you like the fabric.
OOOH, and Dharma Trading company has BLANK SILK fans! I could make a new fan to match every costume....Hmmm.....
So, out popped an old pot, added very hot water, kool-aid, & yarn, then let that boil (10 minutes) and cool (hours). Colors aren't so bad, although it didn't compeletely dye everything (I have some small white spots), but I didn't want to stir it too much, lest all of it FELTS.
The colors aren't too bad (Black Cherry & Grape), although I did end up with Kool-aid stains over my hands at one point. Sticky, but washes quickly away with warm water & a bit of soap. The yarn vaguely smelled like Kool-aid for a bit, until I rinsed it out and hung it. Kool-aid smell is now gone.
Although, if I do that again, I'll have to do it right with some actual acid dyes. Plus, I've been meaning to actually dye some fabric anyways, so that's two birds with one stone. I took a dye classese while back, and really enjoyed it. The silk scarf that I dyed with a red ombre was *lovely*, and I have a wish to do that again. Plus, as our teacher told us, almost *anything* can be overdyed, provided you like the fabric.
OOOH, and Dharma Trading company has BLANK SILK fans! I could make a new fan to match every costume....Hmmm.....
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Knitting
I'm close to actually finishing the Clapotis -- that IS if I don't run out of yarn. I'm on the last skein of yarn, and I'm HOPING that I have enough.
The pattern comes in five parts:
1) set up rows 2) increase rows 3) straight rows 4) decrease rows 5) finishing rows
I'm 50% done through the 4th part - decrease rows - and I just started the last skein. Hopefully, I did the math totally right in finding the correct area with the right amount of rows per area. *HOPE* Because the LYS is NO longer carrying this particular yarn -- it was all on clearance. *crosses fingers*
Otherwise, I'm going to have to rip back and see about decreasing faster without ruining the look of the thing. Oofda.
The Hemlock blanket is going slowly, mostly because there's so many stitches and I'm not even halfway through the chart repeats. Ugh. Luckily, the Eco wool is such a bulky yarn (3-4 stitches per inch) that it goes by "relatively" fast. However, this is my next-to-the-computer knitting/
The Clapotis is my train knitting, so it's going by a lot faster. Unfortunately, I can't take the Hemlock blanket on the train, because the yarn cake is too big, and the blanket's going to be sizeable past a certain point to efficiently carry on the train.
Consequently, a small draw-string bag & socks are on the next to-do list after the Clapotis.
The pattern comes in five parts:
1) set up rows 2) increase rows 3) straight rows 4) decrease rows 5) finishing rows
I'm 50% done through the 4th part - decrease rows - and I just started the last skein. Hopefully, I did the math totally right in finding the correct area with the right amount of rows per area. *HOPE* Because the LYS is NO longer carrying this particular yarn -- it was all on clearance. *crosses fingers*
Otherwise, I'm going to have to rip back and see about decreasing faster without ruining the look of the thing. Oofda.
The Hemlock blanket is going slowly, mostly because there's so many stitches and I'm not even halfway through the chart repeats. Ugh. Luckily, the Eco wool is such a bulky yarn (3-4 stitches per inch) that it goes by "relatively" fast. However, this is my next-to-the-computer knitting/
The Clapotis is my train knitting, so it's going by a lot faster. Unfortunately, I can't take the Hemlock blanket on the train, because the yarn cake is too big, and the blanket's going to be sizeable past a certain point to efficiently carry on the train.
Consequently, a small draw-string bag & socks are on the next to-do list after the Clapotis.
Drop Spindling...
I acquired some additional roving from ImagiKnit, and spun that up relatively quickly. It's pretty bulky, like the last one. I think I shall knit that one into a small drawstring bag, then FELT the crap out of it -- it's got thin and thick bits all over the places.
After reading up a bit more on the various forums, and picking up a book over at the Library, I have (more or less) figured out how to do it better. And the practice rovings look better. The first two skeins ended up being a bulky worseted weight, and now, it's more Aran weight.
This is one of those skills are really taught better in-person, because it's so "kinetic" in nature.
There are lot of things I've learned on my own, from reading, watching videos, or whatnought, then just figuring things out, and I'm pretty good at this type of learning....but sometimes, there are things that are done by "feel", and is much better conveyed in person by a good teacher that can help you understand how something should "feel" when doing X.
Drop spindling is definitely a very kinetic practice....
After reading up a bit more on the various forums, and picking up a book over at the Library, I have (more or less) figured out how to do it better. And the practice rovings look better. The first two skeins ended up being a bulky worseted weight, and now, it's more Aran weight.
This is one of those skills are really taught better in-person, because it's so "kinetic" in nature.
There are lot of things I've learned on my own, from reading, watching videos, or whatnought, then just figuring things out, and I'm pretty good at this type of learning....but sometimes, there are things that are done by "feel", and is much better conveyed in person by a good teacher that can help you understand how something should "feel" when doing X.
Drop spindling is definitely a very kinetic practice....
Sewing + Knitting = Math
So, given a 3-day weekend, what do costumers do?
They sew. What do knitters do? They knit.
Being as I do both, guess what I did? LOL. And I re-discovered that I have a love - hate relationship with costuming. I love the final product, I love the actual 'making' of stuff, but boy, when it goes wrong, it make me want to tear my hair out.....
In the case of sewing, and armscye needed to be completely reworked (actually it was reworked 2x over) and I had to readjust several seams. And this is on a SIMPLE pattern that I already made (sans sleeves). Because apparently, when you add sleeves, it changes the WHOLE fricking geometry of the armscye and the back panels. Ugh. (I hate seam ripping, even basted stitches!)
And apparently, I have the same relationship with knitting. Apparently, I am incapable of looking at simple mathematical formulas and charts to discover the appropriate numbers I need to knit up a sock. You don't really need a pattern to knit up a pair of vanilla socks -- just the appropriate numbers for your foot, the stitch gauge for the yarn, and viola....finished sock! Geometry in all of its finest.
I frogged several inches of my sock project TWICE over because I was incapable of looking at a simple matrix to find out how many stitches I needed to actually knit.
When I actually did a small try-on, the toe of the sock was too big. Luckily, I didn't actually get any farther than 4" on the sock, so I ripped back two inches, which might not seem like a lot, but that's about 18 rows of stitches AND I'm knitting two at the same time, so ....well, let's just say it was doubly painful.
Why am I knitting up a pair of socks? Because I finally finished the "Viral Clap" shawl/scarf/stole, based off of Clapotis on Knitty.com. Named, because it's a viral pattern (i.e. almost all knitters seems to be doing it) and it's smaller than than the prescribed pattern, hence "clap" from "clapotis"
Yeah, I know why mathematicians knit. Because it involes a lot of fricking math & geometry. The socks are only one example.
For this project, because I didn't have the required yardage for the original pattern, I had to figure out patterns finished area & yardage per inch, then make adjustments based on my given yardage and make adjustments to the finished area. I actuallly got paranoid at one point, because I wasn't sure if my calculations were even correct to begin with! Luckily, they were and I had plenty of yardage to spare.
Yes, I've been doing a lot of math for knitting. Kinda like sewing, except even MORE SO, because with sewing, you have to take account funky body types, including mine that don't conform to standard "pattern measurements" off a "standard" body type. Hmph.
Anyways, here's the finished shawl/stole/scarf...whatever. It can be worn several ways.
Dude, and I'm not even FOND of math ...so says the girl who double-majored in math & CompSci in college....(Yeah, I'm all over theoretical calculus and mathematics to a certain extent. Geometry, not so much, except when it comes to pool & knitting. I really should have paid more attention in class.....Oh, and don't even ask me to figure out the tip amount for a waiter/waitress!
They sew. What do knitters do? They knit.
Being as I do both, guess what I did? LOL. And I re-discovered that I have a love - hate relationship with costuming. I love the final product, I love the actual 'making' of stuff, but boy, when it goes wrong, it make me want to tear my hair out.....
In the case of sewing, and armscye needed to be completely reworked (actually it was reworked 2x over) and I had to readjust several seams. And this is on a SIMPLE pattern that I already made (sans sleeves). Because apparently, when you add sleeves, it changes the WHOLE fricking geometry of the armscye and the back panels. Ugh. (I hate seam ripping, even basted stitches!)
And apparently, I have the same relationship with knitting. Apparently, I am incapable of looking at simple mathematical formulas and charts to discover the appropriate numbers I need to knit up a sock. You don't really need a pattern to knit up a pair of vanilla socks -- just the appropriate numbers for your foot, the stitch gauge for the yarn, and viola....finished sock! Geometry in all of its finest.
I frogged several inches of my sock project TWICE over because I was incapable of looking at a simple matrix to find out how many stitches I needed to actually knit.
When I actually did a small try-on, the toe of the sock was too big. Luckily, I didn't actually get any farther than 4" on the sock, so I ripped back two inches, which might not seem like a lot, but that's about 18 rows of stitches AND I'm knitting two at the same time, so ....well, let's just say it was doubly painful.
Why am I knitting up a pair of socks? Because I finally finished the "Viral Clap" shawl/scarf/stole, based off of Clapotis on Knitty.com. Named, because it's a viral pattern (i.e. almost all knitters seems to be doing it) and it's smaller than than the prescribed pattern, hence "clap" from "clapotis"
Yeah, I know why mathematicians knit. Because it involes a lot of fricking math & geometry. The socks are only one example.
For this project, because I didn't have the required yardage for the original pattern, I had to figure out patterns finished area & yardage per inch, then make adjustments based on my given yardage and make adjustments to the finished area. I actuallly got paranoid at one point, because I wasn't sure if my calculations were even correct to begin with! Luckily, they were and I had plenty of yardage to spare.
Yes, I've been doing a lot of math for knitting. Kinda like sewing, except even MORE SO, because with sewing, you have to take account funky body types, including mine that don't conform to standard "pattern measurements" off a "standard" body type. Hmph.
Anyways, here's the finished shawl/stole/scarf...whatever. It can be worn several ways.
Dude, and I'm not even FOND of math ...so says the girl who double-majored in math & CompSci in college....(Yeah, I'm all over theoretical calculus and mathematics to a certain extent. Geometry, not so much, except when it comes to pool & knitting. I really should have paid more attention in class.....Oh, and don't even ask me to figure out the tip amount for a waiter/waitress!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Knitting & the Art of Zen......
Last night's train ride was...eventful in a totally uneventful way. The baby bullet had engine problems and had to stop 2-3 stops down from SF(at a non-baby-bullet stop). We sat for about 20 minutes before the engineers gave up and the conductors announced that we had to get off the train, but that the train behind us was going to stop and pick us all up.
So, about 100+ people got off the train into the nice warm day (most of us having to travel back to the last train car in order to get off on the actual platform), and waited and waited.
Because of the baby bullet delay, the train behind us was 38 minutes late, which we didn't find out until about 15 minutes into actually getting off the train. *joy* Gotta love Caltrain service!
I had placed several calls to DH who was picking me up AND who claims he was actually ON TIME to pick me up at the train station and cites that's why the delay occurred. I had him just go home and wait for my call since I didn't know how long it was going to take to actually get home.
Most people were a bit frantic at being delayed so long, and many were on the phone either complaining or passing the time away, and there were many small congregated groups also bitterly complaining about said delay. There was also a lot of people who started reading email, the web, or whatnought on their phones. (I wonder what would have happened if we had been in an area with little signal??) Or just standing there and sulking for the train to arrive.
And, while I was somewhat miffed at the delay (I was eager to get home, PLUS I was starving), I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed a bit of sun. I took out my knitting and just worked away at my stole.
One person even commented at how lucky I was to have brought it, but I've started carrying around a knitting project because I find myself waiting a lot. It's something I don't think I've noticed until I STARTED carrying around the knitting.
There's waiting in lines, waiting for the next bus, waiting on the bus, waiting in a waiting room, waiting for food to arrive....just a lot of waiting, waiting, waiting....Five minutes here, 10 minutes there, a couple of minutes here, 20 minutes there.
That's lot of time wasted just waiting around.
However, I'm finding myself 'zen'-ing out with the knitting during these waiting times. It gives my hands something to do, it allows my brain to go into a meditative state, and I find myself less hurried and frazzled during those waiting periods. Especially, yesterday, I found myself relaxing versus most of the very frazzled people waiting around for the next train
Plus, when everything is said and done, I end up with a finished product. THAT alone delights me to no end.
Of course, I could also be reading a book during these waiting periods, but I find that I require a good chunk of interuppted time in order to get into the flow of a book (at least 10 minutes); any time shorter than that is unproductive for reading. However, I do find that if I've got two minutes, I can easily whip out the knitting and get a few stitches done without any issue.
But, with the audio books, I am definitely getting a bit of 'reading' done while knitting, so I'm quite pleased with the setup.
Yesterday, it took over two hours to get home (Left work at 5; got home around 7:30), and I got a lot of work done on the stole.
AND, random piece of trivia -- In some Southern American countries, such as Costa Rica and Peru, a person who doesn't know how to spin (or tend sheep or weave or something "practical") by the age of 5 is considered useless.......
So, about 100+ people got off the train into the nice warm day (most of us having to travel back to the last train car in order to get off on the actual platform), and waited and waited.
Because of the baby bullet delay, the train behind us was 38 minutes late, which we didn't find out until about 15 minutes into actually getting off the train. *joy* Gotta love Caltrain service!
I had placed several calls to DH who was picking me up AND who claims he was actually ON TIME to pick me up at the train station and cites that's why the delay occurred. I had him just go home and wait for my call since I didn't know how long it was going to take to actually get home.
Most people were a bit frantic at being delayed so long, and many were on the phone either complaining or passing the time away, and there were many small congregated groups also bitterly complaining about said delay. There was also a lot of people who started reading email, the web, or whatnought on their phones. (I wonder what would have happened if we had been in an area with little signal??) Or just standing there and sulking for the train to arrive.
And, while I was somewhat miffed at the delay (I was eager to get home, PLUS I was starving), I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed a bit of sun. I took out my knitting and just worked away at my stole.
One person even commented at how lucky I was to have brought it, but I've started carrying around a knitting project because I find myself waiting a lot. It's something I don't think I've noticed until I STARTED carrying around the knitting.
There's waiting in lines, waiting for the next bus, waiting on the bus, waiting in a waiting room, waiting for food to arrive....just a lot of waiting, waiting, waiting....Five minutes here, 10 minutes there, a couple of minutes here, 20 minutes there.
That's lot of time wasted just waiting around.
However, I'm finding myself 'zen'-ing out with the knitting during these waiting times. It gives my hands something to do, it allows my brain to go into a meditative state, and I find myself less hurried and frazzled during those waiting periods. Especially, yesterday, I found myself relaxing versus most of the very frazzled people waiting around for the next train
Plus, when everything is said and done, I end up with a finished product. THAT alone delights me to no end.
Of course, I could also be reading a book during these waiting periods, but I find that I require a good chunk of interuppted time in order to get into the flow of a book (at least 10 minutes); any time shorter than that is unproductive for reading. However, I do find that if I've got two minutes, I can easily whip out the knitting and get a few stitches done without any issue.
But, with the audio books, I am definitely getting a bit of 'reading' done while knitting, so I'm quite pleased with the setup.
Yesterday, it took over two hours to get home (Left work at 5; got home around 7:30), and I got a lot of work done on the stole.
AND, random piece of trivia -- In some Southern American countries, such as Costa Rica and Peru, a person who doesn't know how to spin (or tend sheep or weave or something "practical") by the age of 5 is considered useless.......
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
First Skein
After letting the skein for a while, the yarn I made is actually starting to look like yarn instead of a gnarly tangled mess. A majority of the twisted kinks have stretched out. Actually, the whole of the skein has really stretched out. I'm definitely going to get a lot more yardage than the initial measurement.
However, I am thinking about dye-ing it some color; Now, I've dyed fabric & taken a few dye workshops, but never worked yarn. But I don't think the process differs that much. But I have a few websites bookmarked just in case. I'm going to start simple and use Koolaid to do some variagation on this skein.
However, I am thinking about dye-ing it some color; Now, I've dyed fabric & taken a few dye workshops, but never worked yarn. But I don't think the process differs that much. But I have a few websites bookmarked just in case. I'm going to start simple and use Koolaid to do some variagation on this skein.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Spinning
Egads. I've done it to myself again, and picked up a new hobby. This weekend, I started using a drop spindle.
I started at S's craft day at her apartment. I picked up a drop spindle and some fiber over at Purlescence in Sunnyvale.
I've just finished the skein I started at S's apartment. I've set the twist, wrapped it around a make-shift niddy-noddy (amazing what extra PVC pieces will make with the right connectors), and then set the twist. It's currently hanging to dry. It's about a worsted or DK weight yarn.
I initially measured about ~432 inches (~12 yards) of yarn around the niddy-noddy. However, I think I overtwisted the yarn, so I'll probably end up more...if it's not too overly twisted to use (I hope).
We'll see how it turns out. Not sure how much I enjoy it yet, altho', I do have to say it is a bit of fun. :-)
I started at S's craft day at her apartment. I picked up a drop spindle and some fiber over at Purlescence in Sunnyvale.
I've just finished the skein I started at S's apartment. I've set the twist, wrapped it around a make-shift niddy-noddy (amazing what extra PVC pieces will make with the right connectors), and then set the twist. It's currently hanging to dry. It's about a worsted or DK weight yarn.
I initially measured about ~432 inches (~12 yards) of yarn around the niddy-noddy. However, I think I overtwisted the yarn, so I'll probably end up more...if it's not too overly twisted to use (I hope).
We'll see how it turns out. Not sure how much I enjoy it yet, altho', I do have to say it is a bit of fun. :-)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
On the Needles
Because the entrelac scarf was finished, the 'Viral Clap' stole is now my train commuting knitting. It's working up relatively slow. I'm only getting about 2 rows per train ride, and it's only going to get slower as I increase the stitch count.
This past weekened, I cast on the Jared Flood's Hemlock Doily Ring blanket/throw, which is a free pattern; you can find more on Ravelry. The yarn used is amazingly inexpensive (considering how much yardage you get PER skein) and is knitting up relatively quickly on US 10.5 needles (as it's a bulky worseted yarn). HOWEVER, the throw does go up to about 500 or so stitches (I'm only on about 136 right now), and it's already taking a long time to finish a single round. It'll be FOREVER to finish a round when it's bigger.
A friend, L, already made this project, and warned me that casting off is also going to take "forever". This is actually my first "lace" project, as the blanket was adapted from a vintage doily pattern.
I'm "itching" to make a pair of socks, for which I have the yarn, but I'm holding off because I have two project on the needles, and do I really need any more? (Don't answer that....)
Of course, I might end up casting a pair on later, but I digress.
------------
Project Ideas: Something I heard on a podcast that made me say, Hmmmm......
- Felted wool blanket from Thrift store sweaters -- basically: felt the sweaters, cut out squares, then quilt the whole of it together.
(http://www.blackbirdsf.org/diy/blanket/)
- Use the sleeves of said sweaters for leg warmers or the cuffs as wrist warms.
This past weekened, I cast on the Jared Flood's Hemlock Doily Ring blanket/throw, which is a free pattern; you can find more on Ravelry. The yarn used is amazingly inexpensive (considering how much yardage you get PER skein) and is knitting up relatively quickly on US 10.5 needles (as it's a bulky worseted yarn). HOWEVER, the throw does go up to about 500 or so stitches (I'm only on about 136 right now), and it's already taking a long time to finish a single round. It'll be FOREVER to finish a round when it's bigger.
A friend, L, already made this project, and warned me that casting off is also going to take "forever". This is actually my first "lace" project, as the blanket was adapted from a vintage doily pattern.
I'm "itching" to make a pair of socks, for which I have the yarn, but I'm holding off because I have two project on the needles, and do I really need any more? (Don't answer that....)
Of course, I might end up casting a pair on later, but I digress.
------------
Project Ideas: Something I heard on a podcast that made me say, Hmmmm......
- Felted wool blanket from Thrift store sweaters -- basically: felt the sweaters, cut out squares, then quilt the whole of it together.
(http://www.blackbirdsf.org/diy/blanket/)
- Use the sleeves of said sweaters for leg warmers or the cuffs as wrist warms.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Finished Entrelac Scarf
On Thursday's train ride home, I finally finished the Entrelac Scarf. I still had a little bit left over to crochet an edge to it. I wasn't too pleased with it just having that straight boring cast-on/cast-off edge.
So later that night, before bed, I took a quick glance at different crochet edgings online. First, I tried a picot edge, but that didn't look right, so I frogged the several I had made as a trial. Then I settled on a scalloped edge instead, which looked much much nicer.
I had just enough yarn left over to scallop both ends, and still have a good foot of yarn left over. (Yaay for winging yardages!)
On Friday, I wore it (prior to washing or blocking) because I very much wanted to do so. Friday night, I washed it & blocked it, which made it about 6" longer on either side than I anticipated. Now, it's *very* long.
And, I'm debating whether I want to line the wrong side. I should have enough of the gold lining fabric from the Mandarain Collared Robe to do so, but am not sure if the color will work.
So later that night, before bed, I took a quick glance at different crochet edgings online. First, I tried a picot edge, but that didn't look right, so I frogged the several I had made as a trial. Then I settled on a scalloped edge instead, which looked much much nicer.
I had just enough yarn left over to scallop both ends, and still have a good foot of yarn left over. (Yaay for winging yardages!)
On Friday, I wore it (prior to washing or blocking) because I very much wanted to do so. Friday night, I washed it & blocked it, which made it about 6" longer on either side than I anticipated. Now, it's *very* long.
And, I'm debating whether I want to line the wrong side. I should have enough of the gold lining fabric from the Mandarain Collared Robe to do so, but am not sure if the color will work.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Out with the Old; In with the New
The Cigar Gloves are pretty much done. I have to bind off the last finger covering, and then it's over. They're pretty darn comfy, and I'll have to make another set of just actual fingerless gloves. I might have enough of this particular yarn to make another set. I'm absolutely amazed at the yardage that comes with the Socks that Rock Yarn by Blue moon.
In the meantime, the Entrelac scarf is almost done with the last fricking skein. Although this is my train knitting, I've felt like I'm in a project black hole with this one. I heard this term from someone else, and I've been in this situation before, so I thought to appropriate it.
A project black hole is that project, where despite all of your efforts or amount of time spent on it, seems to get *nowhere*.
In this instance, because I like long scarfs, this seems to go on *forever* and it doesn't seem like I'm making any headway, except that the skein is getting smaller. Luckily, I started the very last row today...much to my absolute relief! This will probably be finished by this afternoon's train ride.
New Project:
I've also cast-on a new project, which is "Clapotis", using a 100% Italian merino wool I got on clearance sale on my birthday. It was the last 6 skeins in a gorgeous burgandy red. It's an Aran weight wool and is soo super soft.
However, as I realized upon starting the project, that the yarn has a tendency to split if I'm not careful, despite using my sharpest needles. And the ends of the projects (both on the needles and not on the needles) are curling. However, i think this is in part how the pattern lays out. Subsequent Ravelry.com checks on other people's projects using this pattern show the curling at the ends.
The pattern is one of those really pretty, but it seems to be a viral knitting patterns -- almost everyone seems to have done this pattern after it came out -- so I've decided to call it the Viral Clap on Ravelry. LOL.
It's knit "on the bias"....as I am referring to it. It's an elongated parrallelogram, starting at one point, knitting increases every single round, until you reach the farthest point. The finished product reminds me of a bias cut fabric; and supposedly, the finished knitted piece is super stretch too.
However, this project, too, also seems like a project black hole. Right now, I'm only knitting on it in the evening for a few rows -- so I only have gotten about 4-5 inches since starting it last weekend. The stitch count increases every row, so by the time I'm at the widest part, there should be 100+ stitches & 18 stitch markers separating every 6 stitches. With the aran yarn, this should end up pretty darn warm.
As it is, I'm not making it as long as the actual recommended pattern (820 yards with a finished size of 55 x 21 inches). I have 570 yards (6 skeins), so it'll be just somewhat shorter (40 x 19 inches).
Of course, this required much of my rusty math skills. I had to figure out the area of the original pattern versus yardage used, with the stitch gauge....then apply that to the yardage I do have to keep the same yarn yardage per square inch. OY!
No wonder there's a bunch of mathematicians who have taken to knitting!
In the meantime, the Entrelac scarf is almost done with the last fricking skein. Although this is my train knitting, I've felt like I'm in a project black hole with this one. I heard this term from someone else, and I've been in this situation before, so I thought to appropriate it.
A project black hole is that project, where despite all of your efforts or amount of time spent on it, seems to get *nowhere*.
In this instance, because I like long scarfs, this seems to go on *forever* and it doesn't seem like I'm making any headway, except that the skein is getting smaller. Luckily, I started the very last row today...much to my absolute relief! This will probably be finished by this afternoon's train ride.
New Project:
I've also cast-on a new project, which is "Clapotis", using a 100% Italian merino wool I got on clearance sale on my birthday. It was the last 6 skeins in a gorgeous burgandy red. It's an Aran weight wool and is soo super soft.
However, as I realized upon starting the project, that the yarn has a tendency to split if I'm not careful, despite using my sharpest needles. And the ends of the projects (both on the needles and not on the needles) are curling. However, i think this is in part how the pattern lays out. Subsequent Ravelry.com checks on other people's projects using this pattern show the curling at the ends.
The pattern is one of those really pretty, but it seems to be a viral knitting patterns -- almost everyone seems to have done this pattern after it came out -- so I've decided to call it the Viral Clap on Ravelry. LOL.
It's knit "on the bias"....as I am referring to it. It's an elongated parrallelogram, starting at one point, knitting increases every single round, until you reach the farthest point. The finished product reminds me of a bias cut fabric; and supposedly, the finished knitted piece is super stretch too.
However, this project, too, also seems like a project black hole. Right now, I'm only knitting on it in the evening for a few rows -- so I only have gotten about 4-5 inches since starting it last weekend. The stitch count increases every row, so by the time I'm at the widest part, there should be 100+ stitches & 18 stitch markers separating every 6 stitches. With the aran yarn, this should end up pretty darn warm.
As it is, I'm not making it as long as the actual recommended pattern (820 yards with a finished size of 55 x 21 inches). I have 570 yards (6 skeins), so it'll be just somewhat shorter (40 x 19 inches).
Of course, this required much of my rusty math skills. I had to figure out the area of the original pattern versus yardage used, with the stitch gauge....then apply that to the yardage I do have to keep the same yarn yardage per square inch. OY!
No wonder there's a bunch of mathematicians who have taken to knitting!
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