Do I really need a new hobby?


Probably not, but I just cannot resist the weaving bug. I think it's just a matter of time after you start spinning before you start thinking about weaving. Some hardy souls are able to hold back, but I'm in fiber overdrive. So now what?

I read everything I could find online. There is no way that I would even contemplate buying another piece of fiber related equipment that costs more than my wheel, unless it's a drum carder. Since my wheel was only $250, my options were pretty limited.

I've seen rigid heddle looms popping up everywhere lately and they are relatively affordable, from $120- 250. But extra heddles are $30-40. It's still too much, so guess what? I'm going to make a loom myself. It's just a frame with dowels on two ends.


I found the old dinner tray stand shown above in the garage. I'm using the long rails as the sides, the feet to hold the warp and cloth beams, and the hanging racks to hold the second beams(I don't know what they are called but they raise the warp above the frame.) I'm using hanger bolts and wing nuts to hold the warp and cloth beams so that I can tighten the warp and roll it forward as I work.


I went to the hardware store and bought two dowels and hardware. I still have to attach the last dowel, and the heddle blocks. In the end I think I will be out $10 and a couple of hours or work at most. Here it is in all of its glory.





Now to figure out a way to make a cheap heddle. I'm pretty sure making an 8 dent heddle would be no problem, but any finer is going to be really hard. I've tried string heddles and they are far more trouble than they are worth. I guess I'll keep looking.

Turning over a new leaf...


I've decided that it just can't go on any longer. I can't keep ignoring this blog. I have been knitting and spinning continuously, but this poor baby has been too long ignored.

What have I been up to?



I am currently spinning for two projects. The skein on the left is spun from a Rose Garden rambouillet, silk and angora batt from Crystal Creek Fibers. The single on the bobbin on the left is spun from a Wild Sage rambouillet and silk batt from the same place. They really are lovely to spin. What I like most is the chunkyness of the batts. You can create so many different effects. To see what I mean, here is a sample of the same Rose Garden batt spun into a sportweight 2x2 cabled yarn.





Notice how muted and almost tweedy the yarn is compared to the above skein. I was planning to overdye the yarn, because I really didn't like the peachy tone. By spinning it thicker the chunks of color really stand out and the overall effect is far more to my liking.

The scarf in the photo is the Shredded Scarf from Intertwined by Lexi Boeger. I am really loving this book. Anyone who is interested in spinning novelty yarns should really take a look at it. It is beautifully photographed and produced. Honestly it's a steal at the full price of $29.95. If you know the basic techniques of spinning, the book will show you how to spin thick and thin, coils, fabric yarn, etc.

More than an instruction manual, it gives you a peak into the mind of a fiber artist. I think the biggest impact for me is in the ways I'm thinking about designing yarn. I've been wanting to spin something special for a very good fried of mine. Today I talked to her, and asked her what her favorite things were. One of them was a gingham sundress. Now I'm planning on spinning a fabric yarn with strips of gingham, lace butterflies and some sort of stand in for daisy petals(maybe little pieces of yellow silk). I think it will make a beautiful crocheted cloche.

On the knitting front, I am knitting a pair of socks in a broken rib pattern in Noro Kureyon Sock.



It's really beautiful and rustic. I like the stiff woolyness of the yarn, but people who like squishy and soft yarn just aren't going to get it. It does soften when washed, but not that much. It will probably take a few months of wear to get really soft, but I like it.


I have recently finished several scarves.





Jonna by Norah Gaughan from Norah Gaughan Collection: Volume 1 knit from 2+ skeins of Cascade 220.







And these two scarves. The first is knit with 1 skein of Dream In Color Classy and the second from two skeins of Patons Soy Wool Solids (do not like this yarn). I just made them up as I went along. They are both reversible cable scarves with ladders.

I've been spinning a lot lately, but I don't have that much to show for it, so I'll post this instead.

Way better than anything I can create, huh?

I actually have spun up a couple of nice things. Here is my first attempt at navaho plying. It's 2 oz of merino.

Here is some BFL I handdyed and spun and navaho plied. Its 2.5 oz , 97 yards and about 13 WPI.

I'm currently working on the lovely batts I got from Loop on Etsy. They are bamboo, merino, silk and corriedale. I am spinning them and plying with a wine colored corriedale. I spun up a sample and swatched.

Nice ,now I just have to spin up the rest.

Guess what came in the mail...

I thought I should finally post my fabulous last package from my secret pal Christi. Not only did she send me the most amazing yarn in my favorite colors, but so much more.

I almost bought this issue of Interweave Crochet, but I stopped myself because I crochet like a monkey. As you can see I had to get into the yarn. I just couldn't wait until I got more batteries for my camera. Your eyes ain't lying, that's 2 skeins of Malabrigo laceweight (in my favorite color, no less) and one skein of the worsted. Plus she sent Burt's balms and a key chain and a knitting calender.

Christi has been an amazing secret pal. Not only because of the great things she sent me, but also because she started me off in a new hobby, spinning. Guess what came last week?

Lot's of pieces of wood and a picture? That jumble of lumber is my brand new Louet S17 spinning wheel. I got it from Adrian at Hello Yarn. I would definitely recommend anyone looking for a Louet to buy from her. Not only does she have the best prices I've found online, but she also sent extra instructions on assembly that she wrote herself. I really did need both sets of instructions to figure out a couple of things. Here she is finished.

I think her name might be Mavis. I've always loved the name and it just seems to fit. I didn't get the exact color I wanted, because the varnish I used had a slight amber color which really toned down her chartreuseness.

I really thought the biggest challenge in spinning was drafting. That was before I started using a wheel. I've been using a spindle for several months and I do a pretty good short draw, but there is so much more to think about with a wheel.

I should add a little background. Before I got my wheel, I had seen exactly two spinning wheels in person, both Ashfords neither in use. I had absolutely no idea how to start. I tried using my wits to figure out how to get the leader on and get the wheel to spin while actually adding twist and all hell broke loose. The drive band flew off, it was a mess.

Then I remembered that my secret pal sent me Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning by Judith MacKenzie McCuin in August. What a life saver. Even though I am pretty skeptical about any book series that has as its motto "read less-learn more", it was just what I needed. I quickly found a better way to attach the leader and even more important I learned to adjust the tension while the wheel is spinning.

I would show you my first spun fiber (that's right fiber not yarn), but I had read so much online about beginners over spinning that I under spun it so bad I could get it of the bobbin without it falling apart. I then threw caution to the wind and made this.

It's not very even and it's seriously over plied, but it's yarn. I used the Finn that comes with the wheel. It doesn't feel very nice, but it is very easy to draft. I got bored with all the white and it's so hard to see how much twist you are adding so I got out my food color and vinegar and dyed some of the roving. I folded it in half and painted it and dyed it in the microwave.

I then broke it in half. I spun each half from a different end.

I hoped to have two colors plied together in each section, but somehow the yellow lined up together.

The swatch looks lovely, doesn't it.

I made a really big swatch because I have no intention of using this for any garment. It is really scratchy. I kind of like that it's not a yarn I intend to use, because it takes all of the pressure off me while I learn. I have amassed a small stash of fiber that I would actually feel bad about ruining.

That is 8oz of undyed Bluefaced Leicester top , 8oz of wine Corriedale top, 2 oz of Dijon Merino top , 3.5 oz of Zitron Merino Pencil Roving, 4 oz of hand dyed lemon-lime Merino, and 8 oz of carded Romney roving ( a little less, because I had a nightmarish attempt at the long draw). I'm hoping that by the time I work my way through the Finn, I won't be so afraid of playing with the nicer stuff.

Ode to Garter Stitch

I have long shared the opinion of many knitters, that garter stitch is ugly and tedious, best left to beginner's bulky scarves and size 15 needles. I've even looked at the many graphic designs of Hanne Falkenberg and thought: Wow that's nice, but all that garter stitch would drive me crazy. Well, everyone, I've been converted.

This past month I've been working on two projects that rely on garter stitch as their main design element. The first is the Scarf with open and solid diamond lace edging from Weldons, 1904 from Victorian Lace Today (Don't you just love those pithy titles. It's on page 90). I wanted a simple pattern to show of the beauty of the skein of Wagtail 4ply Kid Mohair I picked up at Hill Country Weavers in Austin. I think it was the perfect choice.

This would be a great pattern for someone relatively new to lace knitting. It would be a good introduction to adding a knitted on border, because each border is added differently. You knit the first border, then pick up stitches along the side and knit the body of the scarf. Then you knit on the second border. Fun and beautiful.

I'm using the Modern Quilt Wrap pattern from Folk Style by Mags Kandis to knit a throw using Vanna's Choice (I can't believe it either). I'm actually finding the 100% acrylic yarn nice to work with. It comes in lots of colors, it was on sale, and I was itching to start. I'm glad I took a risk. I'm not sure whether it will be a gift or not and I've decided if I'm not giving the gift to a knitter then it has to be machine washable. Modular knitting really does make long stretches of garter stitch more enjoyable, and it's pretty, see.

I'm knitting the pattern twice as wide as the original, just repeating the pattern twice before I start the next row of blocks.

I made myself a scale drawing of the pattern on graph paper which is much easier to follow then the written list of colors. There is a drawing with the pattern, but it's not exactly to scale so it can't be followed without the instructions. It doesn't take long to make the drawing and it will give you an excuse to play with markers. I'd show you mine, but even though its a free pattern available at the Knitting Daily website, I'm not sure that would be kosher.

I've also completed the Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughan from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. I finished the body of the sweater a while ago, but I ran out of yarn and had to order more. Fortunately it was a perfect match. Check it out.

Pattern: Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughan from Interweave Knits, Fall 2007

Yarn: Berkshire by Valley Yarns, 11 skeins

Needles: size 8 circular Susan Bates

I enjoyed knitting this pattern immensely, but I'm not sure about the yarn. I used a yarn that knits up at a larger gauge than the pattern calls for and while I got gauge it's a little heavier than I would like. Also the alpaca in the blend really stand out to much for my taste. Alpaca always takes up less dye in blends, but against the dark teal of the wool it kind of looks as if I've been rolling around in cat hair. My mother and sister really like it. I may let one of them have it. Of course this goes against the rule I stated earlier of only machine washables for non-knitters. Who says I have to be consistent?

Wow, it's been a long time, but...

My hard drive died. I am still trying to fix an old laptop and get back online regularly. I have been knitting, but I have no pictures to show because I can't load them onto the computer that I am borrowing.

Stay tuned. I will be back with photos of a finished Tilted Duster, a beautiful scarf from Victorian Lace Today done in yummy Wagtail Mohair, and the beginning of my very first afghan.

Well I'm back from vacation. Okay, so I got back about a week ago, but this trip took a lot out of me. I went to Sacramento to visit my oldest and dearest friend to help her move into her new house. It was really a working vacation. In the process of painting every room in her house and moving her things, I re injured my right arm. I haven't been able to knit much as a consequence.



I did receive a fabulous package from my Knitty Secret Pal. Just check out all of the goodies.




Habu Geelong Lamb, and every knitting notion known to human kind, and glow in the dark Silly Putty! By the time I took a photograph I was using the darning needles and the stitch markers. How could she have possibly known that my last needle that I usually keep somewhere in the dark crevices of my couch had gone missing? I've obviously got the best Secret Pal ever.



I know I'm supposed to be resting my arm, but I couldn't help casting on for the Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughan in the new Interweave Knits. I am using Valley Yarns Berkshire in Dark Teal. It's a great pattern. I probably won't finish it for a while, because I have promised myself (and my mother) that I will not knit for a least a week, maybe two.




I've had the yarn for a long time. I was using it to knit a fitted cable sweater of my own design. Once I had knit up the body I realized that it was ludicrous. I live in Texas. The only reasonable way for me to use wool yarn bigger than DK weight is in a garment that can be easily taken off, like a cardigan or jacket, but it does look kind of nice, see.






My only other news is that I finally got on Ravelry. I'm loving it. It has made me pull out all of my FOs and WIPS, even some very old and neglected ones. I also finally figured out how to turn off the flash on my camera. I know that it's ridiculous that I've been struggling with it for over a year without figuring it out. I have a problem finding easy solutions to simple problems. But at least now I will have better photographs.

Look what the Post Office drug in...





I received an amazing package from my secret pal last week. I had hinted that I was interested in learning to spin. So what did she send me?

A super glitzy spindle, a book on spinning, and lovely yellow and green merino roving, yum.

I am so happy. I don't know why I never bought myself a spindle before this. I am now trying desperately to draft evenly. Here's the first yarn from my brand new sparkly spindle.

Not very even so far, but you know what, it's actual yarn. I can't describe the pleasure of taking that lumpy mass and knitting up something. Check out the swatch from my first yarn. If you look closely you can see that it's pretty regular at the bottom and bumpy lumpy at the top.

Have you ever noticed that the first time you try something new it goes incredibly smoothly, you think "wow, that's not as hard as I thought", and then you try it the second time and realize you have no idea what you are doing.



I think it went a little better with the beautiful handpainted merino roving. Check out swatch number two.

Not so bad. Sorry I don't have pictures of the yarn to post, but I couldn't wait to start knitting it up as soon as it dried. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to blow dry yarn, but for your information, it worked just fine.

The Fall 2007 Interweave Knits preview is up. I just have to say, "Wow." It looks to be the best issue I've seen in the last couple of years. I have never seen so many items that I want to knit in a single magazine.



Here are some of my favorites:


Eunny Jang's Tangled Yoke Cardigan









Her attention to detail is incredible. The ribbed neckline hem is the sort of touch that elevates her designs beyond the standard fare.

The Dickinson Pullover by Kathy Zimmerman








It is classic and beautiful. All of those cables will make a fun and challenging knit for anyone who likes traditional elegance.

The Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughan








This looks modern, clean, and very flattering.





Kate Gilbert's Cinnabar Pullover






I really like the simplicity of this garment. I think it would look great with a contrasting color at the hem and at the collar. How about a colorwork pattern for the body with a solid contrast at the hems and collar. My mind is churning with possibilities.





The Cobblestone Pullover by Jared Flood.






Jared, otherwise known as Brooklyn Tweed, sure does know his way around garter stitch. He seems to have an unlimited ability to turn that simple stitch into a thing of beauty.





The Mirapoix Bodice by Mary Jane Mucklestone







Yay, another chance to delve into fairisle in a modern way. Very nice.





Bryant's Slipover by Jennifer Lang






Flattering and feminine in a sleek and contemporary way.





What's especially good about this issue is that it has such a variety of patterns. It has 5 cardigans, 7 pullovers, 3 vests, 3 hats, 2 scarves, 2 dresses, one pair of mitts, and 7 socks.


5 of the patterns have cablework (not including the socks), 4 fairisle, 3 lace, and one looks like a slipstitch pattern. There is something for everyone.

In the last week I have broken up at least ten fights, wrangled a wild animal, and repeatedly used that hackneyed phrase "because I said so". In other words I have been babysitting my nieces and nephew.

Of course that means no knitting. But it doesn't mean no knitting disaster stories. A couple of days ago I woke up around 7:30 and groggily made my way to the living room. I could hear more than one television going, but I was expecting it. My sister brings her kids over very early, while I am still asleep. They are supposed to lay down and go back to sleep for a few more hours. In reality they watch every television in the house and get on the computer, while playing Gameboys and listening to music. It's quite soothing.

I entered the room and spied my nephew sitting on the couch watching sitcoms. I was still half asleep, so it took me a while to realize that the small blurry object running circles around the room was my sister's lovable but untrained new puppy. And the jumble of crap lying in the middle of the floor was my unfinished Venezia, several balls of yarn and a big steaming pile of dog poop.

Now remember, I was still half asleep. I was completely incapable of conscious thought. By the time I came to, I found myself screaming, "Get him out of here get him out of here get him out of here!"
I was using a voice down at the bottom of my register that I had never heard before. I sounded as if I were possessed by the devil. My throat hurt for hours afterwards.

My nephew grabbed the puppy and ran out of the room. I felt kind of bad. I didn't say anything inappropriate, but I have never spoken to him in that tone. That's not to say I have never yelled at him. I have, but I have never yelled at anyone like that.

It's true. There was something about seeing this piece of knitting, which I have already invested hours in, looking as if it might be ruined that just brought out roaring lion in me. In that brief moment I screamed as if it were my baby under a car instead of some very colorful string interlaced in a pretty pattern. I guess I am a confirmed knitting addict after all.

Everything turned out fine. My sweater didn't actually have any poop on it. My nephew was convinced that I was a maniac for a couple of hours, during which he was very well behaved. It wore off after a couple of hugs, and it was back to complete and utter chaos.

In other words, all was well in the end.

Because I can.... new FPS pictures





Okay I can't resist posting this really cute picture of my niece wearing the Forest Path Stole.

I think this shows the color better than the previous ones, and look it floats in the wind.

I've just started a series of baby sweaters which will hopefully exhaust all of the machine washable yarn in my stash. Here's the first one in progress.

I started last night. It's Guernsey Frock by Kim Hargreaves from "A Treasury of Rowan Knits."



I just picked it up on remainder. It's a book worth having, especially if you live in the south. Almost all of the patterns are knit with cotton or cotton blend yarns like Rowan Denim, Wool Cotton, or Cotton Glace. There are a lot of drop shoulders, but I am no longer convinced that drop shoulders in themselves are evil. I think it's the combination of drop shoulders and eight to ten inches of ease that's the real nightmare. Anyway check it out.

I think there is some cold barbecue I should be eating right now. I'll be back when the leftovers run out.

The Forest Path Stole... is finished!

Forest Path Stole by Faina Latoutchaia

Measurements: 77"x32"
Yarn: Coulourmart 2/28 Cashmere in Lemongrass (less than a 150 gm cone)
Needles: US #3 (3.25mm) Crystal Palace Bamboo 40 " circulars



Can you believe it? I have finally finished this monsterpiece. I thought I loved it while I was knitting it, but I knew I did when I finished blocking.


It is as light as a cloud. Unfortunately it's raining outside so I can't take the best pictures, but here we go.

Blocking:



I don't know what I would have done without blocking wires. It would have taken three times as long, and I doubt I would have gotten such straight edges.

After blocking on the floor:

It's 32"x77". I'm sure I could have blocked it longer, but not at 4 a.m.

On a table:

I think I will leave it here while I try to find a home for it. I can't quite bear the thought of putting it away. I've got to spend a few weeks just looking at it first.

Just a quick shot of Venezia...





I am making great progress. I have to say that so far this is the most enjoyable knitting experience I've ever had. Knitting fair isle two handed is also much less tiring. When I knit for a long time I tend to get soreness in my left hand, even though that hand just stays still (maybe because that hand stays still). That has not been a problem at all. I think having both hands equally engaged keeps them from tensing up.

I can't wait to experiment with more of KnitPicks new heathered Palette. I'm thinking fair isle hats and gloves, by the boatload. I'm letting everyone who knows me know now, that is what you are getting for Christmas, whether you like it or not.


I am definitely knitting this this fall (check out pictures 2 and 3)

The first time I saw this sweater on Eunny Jang's blog I was bowled over, but that shot is even more incredible. I love the colors, the fit, the neckline. I am going to save up so that I can splurge for the required yarn. If there ever was a sweater worth $150, this is it.

I have got to make myself take a break from the sweater so I can finish the border of the Forest Path Stole, but it is very, very hard to tear myself away.

So I cast on for Venezia. It's a lot of fun. I am just loving this combination of yarn, pattern and needles. I recreated the charts in a larger, more readable form so following them has been a breeze. Here's my progress so far.

Anyone who has been afraid of fair isle please just jump in. This is my first fair isle done in the traditional fingering gauge. It's both faster and easier than I thought it would be. The pattern is interesting enough that it makes up for the relatively slow progress.

If you are knitting Venezia do watch out. I quickly read through the instructions and started knitting. I knew I would have to decrease, but it didn't occur to me to check until I had knit eleven rows. I was supposed to start decreasing after 2 rows. Oh well, I guess my sweater is just going to be an inch and a half longer than the original.

At Last....

I have returned. I was postless because of a short vacation plus a long stretch of severe back pain. What better project is there for someone who can hardly move their arms than the Forest Path Stole. Just Kidding. I have finished all 23 tiers. I am currently working on the border.

Reading the directions for the border I thought it would be very tedious, but it knits up rather fast.

Guess what I got in the mail a couple of days ago.

All of the yarn and needles for Eunny Jang's Venezia Pullover from Interweave Knits Winter 2006. Yes, I know I made a pledge to knit no sweaters in 2007, but Knitpicks Palette comes in great new heathered colors that are just perfect for this project. A large fair isle sweater for $30. How could I resist.

These are my first Knitpicks needles and I am in love. I got the classic circulars, so I still don't know how good the Options are, but if they anywhere as nice as these I may have to buy a set.
The points are perfect and not nearly as sharp as I had heard. I once stabbed myself in the arm with no.5 Susan Bates needles as I sat down while holding them in a bag points up. I just don't think the Knitpicks needles would draw blood.

I have already swatched.

Sand = Cream
Mooskit /White = Tan
Mooskit = Twig
Yellow Ochre - Golden Heather
Pine Forest = Navy (there is no really dark green in Palette)
Peacock = Marine Heather
Rosemary = Rainforest Heather
Turf = Tidepool Heather
Old Gold = Brindle Heather

Pretty good, eh? The Brindle is a little dark, but I like it.

I would show you my progress, but I have had to frog the hem, because of five additional stitches that snuck in even though I counted twice and used stitch markers. It's really hard not to make a mistake when you are casting on 324 stitches. I'll post a picture of the finished hem soon. I promise it be another month until I post again.