Well I did it. I went to Woodland Woolworks, rented a wheel for 30 days and have officially begun my spinning adventure. This is my first handspun. 
Now it’s not glamorous. I just have to think of that first garter stitch scarf I knitted to calm my fears that I am a colossal failure. I am sure this will get easier. My finished product looking less….accidental.
Archive for September, 2007
My first Handspun
Published by September 30th, 2007 in Spinning, Finished Object and Knitting. 0 CommentsTo hem or not to hem?
Published by September 25th, 2007 in Work In Progress and Knitting. 4 CommentsIt’s been a busy couple of weeks for me. I’ve been traveling for work, we’ve been having internet difficulties at home, frackin’ cable modem… but none of this has stopped me from working on my beloved Tilted Duster.
I took it with me on the plane even though it’s way too big for a carry-on project. I just couldn’t stop myself! I wrapped it up carefully and as gently as I could shoved it into my not so large laptop case. It really made me want a very large purse like Brenda on The Closer carries to hold everything I could ever want while I’m on a plane.
The progress has been slower than I had hoped, but it’s getting really, really close to being finished. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with the bottom edge. I’ve already knit a small hem because I think the curling stockinette edge will drive me nuts. I just haven’t decided if I’m ready to bind off and declare that edge the winner. All that’s left after that is to attach the sleeves and a couple of buttons and I’m done!
Unfortunately I can’t work on it tomorrow night, because Annie Modesitt is coming to my LYS and doing a class on lace! I’m really excited about the class. I don’t normally take classes, but I really wanted to hear what she has to say. Her approach to knitting has fascinated me since I saw her on Knitty Gritty last spring. I hope to learn all kinds of useful things that I didn’t even know I should know.
Marina Piccola’s are now on the FO list.
I love these socks. This pattern kicked my butt a few times. It caused me physical pain to tink back. At one point, on the second sock when I realized I had made a mistake 20 rows back I developed a stress rash on my hand while trying to convince myself I could live with the mistake. Fortunatly Sandi saved my hide on that one. * Thank You Sandi. *
Not often, sometimes I find myself unable to disengage emotionally from a project, The Wrap was one of those projects. As were these socks. I suspect I will cast them on again. See if it goes a bit easier for me the second time out.
This was a great learning and confidence building project.
To celebrate this victory I have cast on a pair of Monkey Socks. A sock vacation of sorts.
Not bug spray silly……..Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival.
Husband ans I trek’d to Canby for the festival. I spent time hopping with Sherylswool while he was on a hunt for coffee and a cash machine. I think I may have enjoyed this event more than Black Sheep. Maybe because I was not so overwhelmed by everything I saw. I was better prepared. I also had a goal.
Must. Get. Sock. Yarn.
The event opened at 9:00 am. I was standing in front of the Blue Moon booth at 8:30 am. I may have been drooling. Initially I felt like such a stalker-dork standing there eyeing the yarn, credit card inhand (did I mention Husband was out getting coffee?) checking the time every few minutes. Then people started showing up. I no longer felt like a dork, now I felt like a wild animal, prepeared to kill to protect her territory! I got a nice selection of sock yarn. 
Sherylswool was no slouch herself at the Blue Moon booth. Being a spinner allowed her additional purchasing options. She even got a Sheep to Shoe slipper kit.
That settled it. I am going to learn to spin before Christmas. I am going to rent a wheel, make sure it appeals to me in application as well as idea, and set forth on a spinning adventure. And after seeing this guy
I was reminded of just how vast the fiber options are. I saw a woman spinning chinchilla, the final product was like butter. I could have a chinchilla (blend) coat sans all the dead chinchillas.
Now Madrona Fiber Arts is just over the horizon. I can hardly wait.
I received my first SP11 package. I am pleased.
I am also very impressed, my pal managed to locate healthy milk chocolate? I had no idea such a thing existed.
Stitch Markers, more candy ( I really like my pal). Knit Pick Bare worsted weight and (here is the super clever part) Kool-Aid. 4 flavors/colors. I have done some dyeing with Kool-Aid in the past and wanted to do more, I just had not gotten around to it. She even sent a color sample.
Silly Putty, one of my favorite nostalgia toys. Some pencils for my dyeing notes, beautiful stitch markers. An activity idea book for kids with some yummy recipes. Fuzzy ewe tape measure, will need to keep toddler from trying to adopt that. And a great key ewe key chain. I feel spoiled. This was such a nice treat today.
Thanks Pal!
That was the name of the game this last weekend.
I was able to go away with my friend Sherylswool to the beach. This was my first weekend away from the Toddler. It was bliss.
We knitted, shared a bottle of wine, stayed up until 2:30 am. I was told if wanted that toe to look good I would need to knit tighter, me of all people! She was right.
The following night we were joined by two other knit-nighters. We hit a great bead store, a not so great yarn shop, made stitch markers. Ate at Gracie’s Sea Hag two nights in a row. Namasteknitter taught me the provisional toe cast on. Rocky was like icing on the cake.
I have not been very comfortable making friends with women in the past. Knitting, knit night especially, has really opened me up to listening to the women around me, learning that they have the same issues, insecurities, hopes, blah, blah, blah. I know it sounds a bit like a greeting card, I don’t know how to make it sound any different.
I think we somethimes get so wrapped up, isolated in our own issues that we don’t realize their commonality. Life really is easier with the love of friends.
Tilted Duster Obsession
Published by September 11th, 2007 in Work In Progress and Knitting. 3 Comments
I am obsessed with my Tilted Duster. I think about it all day. I think I can knit the front top today, I can start the sleeves, I can finish the sleeves, maybe I should take the train to work today so I can knit some more….
In the space of 1 week I have knit the 2 front pieces, the back, and both sleeves. This is quite an accomplishment for me. It was easy, until I got to the sleeves. I decided to knit them both at the same time, so when I’m done, I’m done. I was confident I could finish them in a Saturday. So Saturday morning I cast-on. The cuffs went quickly, but the main part of the sleeve took me what seemed like forever! By Saturday night I wasn’t even halfway up the sleeve. Sunday was better, because I made it all the way to the bind-offs for the sleeve cap. Finally, last night I finished the sleeves. whew! But did I stop when I finished the sleeves last night? No, of course not. I started piecing the top.
My hands ached from all of the knitting, but I just couldn’t stop. I just kept thinking “two more rows.” Now I just need to finish piecing the top, pickup and start the body and then knit the collar. I can’t wait! (I’m serious)
Tilted Duster from Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Cascade 220 superwash
Colorway: 868
Needles: Size 10
I’m a regular Gifty McGifterson
Published by September 10th, 2007 in Miscellaneous and Knitting. 2 CommentsMy sister-in-law just turned 40.
She looks 33. Despite that fact I gifted her hand knit socks.
I was suprised at how difficult that was initially.
It took strength not to make her pinky swear that she would take good care of her socks, that she would love them, and most important that she would wear them.
I watched Knitty Gritty today, something I very seldom do. Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee was making a basic sock using her recipe from Knitting Rules. At the end of the episode when they go sit down with the ‘knitsters’ she was asked if she had tons of hand knit socks, she replied that she gifts them, especially to knitters. Then she gets socks back as gifts. Hmmm. . .
I think for my sister-in-law’s 41st birthday I will teach her to knit socks.
Marina Piccola Progress
Published by September 9th, 2007 in Work In Progress, Review and Knitting. 2 Comments
I have finished the first sock…sort of. It turns out the rounded toe is not for me.
I prefer the kitchener join on a standard toe over the gathered closure of the rounded.
Of course to celebrate finishing the first sock I had to cast on another pair.
Another pair of the lace socks this time in the STR colorway Calico. They are my Stitch n Pitch socks. I figured since I bought the pattern at the same time as the yarn they are meant to be together.
I finished my first learning sock from Cat Bordhi’s new book today. New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One
I knitted it with some left over Socks that Rock (lightweight) using size 4 Crystal Palace DPNs. It only took a few hours to complete and was pretty easy. I had to learn a few new techniques for the sock: 2 new increases, LLinc and LRinc; how to wrap and turn short rows; and how to conceal the wraps. Each one is explained clearly in the book.
I only got stumped at one point when I read the pattern wrong. This left me 2 stitches short at the start of the short row heel. It took me about a half an hour to figure out what I did wrong. You need to include the increases on the last partial row of the ankle. I just totally missed it in the pattern. The gauge on size 4’s was a tad smaller than hers, but they were the DPN’s I had on hand.
The size of the sock looks to be perfect for a 6-12 month old child. I’m going to knit up a second one and send them off to my 6 month old niece. She will appreciate them once it starts to get cold in Georgia… sometime around November.
