Fiber Fair!

Here's what I bought at the Midwest Fiber and Folkart Fair:

Not a lot, but I was working on a strictly cash basis, and I stuck to it.

Corriedale/silk, dyed with osage orange and indigo, 8 ounces

Merino/silk top, 4 ounces. I think this might be an Ashland Bay product.

Merino/Tencel, 4 ounces. It's much shinier in real life.

My very first Socks that Rock. Downpour.

Kathrows and I went on Friday, and we met Celtic Coyote. We entertained quite a few bystanders by standing around with yarn on our heads, and actually accosted a completely innocent woman after she waved her arms at her husband standing a few feet away from us. These little doses of humiliation were worth it, however, to spend time with Coyote (whom some call Heather, but I suspect I might not get the hang of it), who is funny and warm and an extremely accomplished shopper.

The fair itself was really excellent. Booth after booth had to be inspected. Hardly any could be passed by without a closer look. Highlights were: The Fold (where I went gaga over the spindles but in the end restrained myself), Interlacements, Brooks Farm, Carolina Homespun (where Coyote got a spindle lesson), and Knitting Notions (excellent handdyes). I definitely plan to return next year.

Knitting Experience

Ever wanted to see statues of people and animals made out of concrete and broken beer bottles?

Visit Wisconsin Concrete County Park south of Phillips, Wisconsin. Stops like these are essential to the summer vacation roadtrip!

I've been knitting for three years. Seems like a lot longer. When I started out, I made a policy that with each project I would learn something new. A new technique, stitch pattern, cast on, cast off, needles, pattern. Aside from a few socks and dish cloths, I think I've followed that policy pretty well. I've learned a lot, but there's still plenty left for me to try. Here's a little meme making the rounds I thought would be good here.



Bold for stuff you’ve done, Italics for stuff you intend to do one day, and Normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.



Afghan/Blanket
I-cord
I-cord edging
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with yarn made of camel, yak, alpaca, synthetic, sheep's wool, recycled,vintage, silk, soy, bamboo, banana, plastic bags, cut up fabric, cashmere, hemp, linen, wire, cotton
Mittens cuff up
Mittens fingers down
Hat
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Slip stitch patterns
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting (vs. continental)
Knitting to make money
Knitting for a living
Button holes
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Darning
Jewelry
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public
Knit a vintage pattern (over 40 yrs old)
Crochet
Cross stitch/Embroidery/Needlepoint
Sew-like on a machine

Exceedingly Spoiled

I got a wonderful package today from my Spinning SP, exSeidingly spoiled, also known on Knitty as one-skein-wonder, and just look what it contained!

Silk top. Yellow and purple, called Buttercups and Lavender. I see this as my first candidate for a Navaho-ply. It's fabulous!

That's not all, though. Look at this:

Four really spectacular batts made of suri alpaca, merino, silk and nylon. Look at the color. Think she's got me pegged, or what?

She also sent some seeds for my garden--daisies and California poppies, two of my favorites--they're so cheerful! Thanks so much OSW!

Is this me?

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I think it's not too far off, especially about the bloody civil war.

Camping

Camping is somewhat of a crap shoot. Can't control the weather, never know what kind of people will be at the park, never know what might go wrong. This last, four night trip is a case in point. Here's some things that went wrong:

• Nephew Brandon, age 6, broke his collar bone the day before the trip, so he camped in a brace and a sling, no bike, no roller blades, no swimming




• First night's supper of hamburgers tumble to the sandy ground when the grill inexplicably collapses, causing us to have crunchy hamburgers




• Heavy downpour on second day collapses camper awning and screen house, breaking four poles and getting a whole lot of crap wet




• Peggy, one of the adult campers, falls victim to a stomach bug and spends a whole day sick in her tent




• Camping coffee pot gets broken, dooming us to--gulp--instant!




• Tripod chain weakens in fire, dumping our stockpot into the ashes

It should have been a disaster of a trip, but it wasn't. It was beautiful and peaceful. Twice we had lakes to ourselves, we saw seven deer, loons, cormorants, woodpeckers and nuthatches, and a white pelican. The fireworks in the little town of Mellen didn't start until after 10 pm, and the fireworks the waiting crowd set off were almost professional quality. The marshmallows were fresh and roasted themselves to perfection, and we didn't run out of food or drink. The stars were bright and crowded the sky, winking among the clearly visible belt of the Milky Way. We were surrounded in Nature and it was beautiful.

Copper Falls, Copper Falls State Park, Wisconsin

Day Lake, Chequamegon National Forest

Approaching Madeline Island on the ferry

Wild Iris in Big Bay State Park, Madeline Island, Wisconsin

Loon Lake in the evening, Copper Falls State Park

More Merino

Remember this hand-dyed merino? It became this:

My first 3-ply. 14 wpi, sportweight, about 278 yds.

Yep, it's pretty purpley-pink, all right.

I've been very remiss not to blog this yet:

A wonderful sock bag, made for me by Kathy. It's perfect for grabbing-and-going and having my knitting with me. It's been to a Brewers game, several restaurants, a park, my back yard, and work. Even with all that travelling, I'm still on my first sock of my Tofutsies pair. Note the color of the sock yarn. Sense a theme?

Here's a shot of one of our perennial gardens:

I love the contrast of the cool purple lavender and the fiery gallardia.

Camping this week way Up North. Look for some camping shots next week!

Cashmere-Tussah Handspun

Just look!

Cashmere-Tussah Handspun

Two-Ply Worsted Spun, about 60 yards, 2 ounces, 11 wpi.

Thanks to my Spinning SP, exSeidingly spoiled! I couldn't keep my hands off it, so I spun it up quick! It's so light and soft and shiny. I can't say enough about it. I probably could have done it more justice, it was a little fussy to draft, so I ended up with some uneveness, but I plan to knit this up pronto. I'm thinking a small scarf, because it's so soft I want to wear it around my neck.

BFL, my new BFF

Meet my new BFF (sorry Kirsty, I know I said we would be BFF, but that was 20 years ago now. You had a good run.):

Spinners! Have you treated yourself to Blue Faced Leicester yet? How about some BFL handpainted by Spunky Eclectic? If you do, you will find yourself a new Best Friend Forever. It came looking a little travel-worn, but just fluffing it up a tad did wonders:

And it's a dream to spin! Smooth, even, sproingy. It practically spun itself and this is the result:

I'm so In Love! 4 oz, 130 yards, double-plyed, spun semi-woolen. About worsted weight, 10 wpi.

And now for something completely different:

Recycled Denim and Soda Bottles. Bad Amy sent me this last fall. The fiber feels like dryer lint and it's a bit tricky to spin. It sticks, sticks, sticks, and then pulls apart. I went for yards with a nice even singles and then yards of thick-and-thin Slub City. The texture is definitely cottony. I think I need more cotton-spinning experience to find out if it's just me. I am planning on buying a packet of RIT dye and dyeing this. It'll make a small discloth, I think.

Gratuitous Kitty Pic!

Ain't Nellie ladylike?

Drooooool!

I now present to you, courtesy of my fabulous Knittyboard Spinning Secret Pal, exSeidingly spoiled, some Fiber Pr0n!

Angora! Pet the bunny. Isn't he soft! Just wonderful!

Cashmere/Tussah Silk blend! Oh my god. Beautiful, shiny, SOFT. If only that touch-o-vision had been invented! This is literally the softest thing I've ever touched. I had to put it away because I spent a good half-hour petting it, rubbing it against my face, encouraging family members to do the same. I eagerly await having a free bobbin to start spinning this up.

I also got a cd with songs about Illinois on it, so that gives me a nice clue. I plan on listening to it on my way to work today, in oh, five minutes or so!

Thank you so much, pal! You really hit the Wow Meter on this "little" package! I'm on Cloud 9 (and it's not as soft as that cashmere/tussah)!

DIY Day

Today I made my own hackle! For the none-fiber-processors out there, a hackle is a device used to comb fibers. In my particular case, I am interested in using it to blend already-dyed combed tops to create a custom color blend. First, I saw an article in Spring 2007 Spin-Off about using a hackle to blend colors and different fibers. Then, over at the knittyboard, Clotho42 shared her own home-made hackle. So I went off to the dollar store and the big box craft store and I bought these ingredients:

Two sets of clamps ($2.50), four large dog combs ($5.00), one 24" shelf ($9.99), one pack of wooden disks ($0.99). The truly frugal would make their own shelf with wood scraps, but I decided the saved work was worth the extra payout. I'm a horrible woodworker, so I take shortcuts where I can find them. Total payout: $18.48. Oh yeah, the clamps and the dog combs, although purchased at the DOLLAR store, were actually $1.25 each. Yeah, my dollar store is a big rip-off.

At home, I had: a saw, sandpaper, a power drill, assorted drill bits, and eight screws that were long enough to join the combs to the shelf, but not long enough to poke out the back. I had to mix and match, because I'm not that picky. Oh, and I had some safety goggles. Safety is very important, especially when working with power tools.

First, I trimmed the combs. I stuck them in the vise and sawed the ends off, then I sanded the rough edges with the sandpaper. Next, I positioned the combs along the bottom edge of the shelf. I tried to align the comb tines as well as I could, but I didn't stress too much over it. A few pilot holes drilled, a few screws screwed in, and a couple of clamps later and I have this:

And here it is loaded with some combed Corriedale:

I drilled some different-sized holes in the wooden disks and pulled the fiber off through the diz:

This small sample yielded three little rovings and some waste. I can't spin it up for the final step yet because I have to wait for my bobbin to dry. Because the other thing I did today was paint my wheel:

Yep, a real DIY kind of day!

As rare as a day in June....

"And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days..." -- James Russell Lowell

That's what my blogposts have become. Although what did James Russell Lowell mean, anyway? June days account for roughly one twelfth of all days when you think about it. Now if you want to talk rare days, well, how about Leap Day? June day, well you get 30 of them a year. But I digress. On to the post:

Here's some of this Corriedale/silk spun up:

Corriedale Wool/Silk Blend 2-ply

Spun from a carded roving

Dyed with indigo, osage and madder

2.75 oz, 230 yards, about 12 wpi

I still have another 4 oz or so to spin up. This spun so easily, thanks to the corriedale. After all the merino top I've been spinning, it's nice to spin something a little less fussy. I experimented a bit with the long draw on this, but mostly used a short backward draw. It's definitely a woolen, nice and fuzzy and light.

The World's Slowest Growing Sweater, the Bamboo Lace T has gained a few repeats:

I decided to incorporate some waist shaping and have been learning a lot about decreasing and lace. I finally have the pattern memorized and can figure out where I am and what row I'm on by sight. Hopefully that means this will start going faster.

I needed a mindless knitting project so I cast on a new pair of Tofutsies socks:

I'm just doing a standard K2P2 rib for the cuff, and a short row heel and toe. I might carry the rib down the top of the sock.

Oh, and I've become enthralled with LOLcatz. I even made one and submitted it to I Can Has Cheezburger? It amuses me.

Quickie

Just a quick post to say it's been two whole days since I played Fate. I think I will soon return to knitting, and thus, blogging.

Oh, and I spun some fabulous yarn, but it's too dark for pictures. It's good. Real good.

(Still) Very Little Progress

Well, I got a few more repeats done:


Here's a close-up of the pretty lace:

And is it just me, or is this slightly unsettling?

Very Little Progress

I've been making very little progress in the fiber area. I wish I could say it was because I've been busy planting my garden, or busy making money, or even busy updating my blog, but it's none of that. You see, I bought a new computer.

My old computer, purchased in February 2000, was still running Windows 98, had a 4 GB hard drive, and dial-up internet access. Surfing the web was more like slogging through a swamp and I periodically had to remove unused programs to make way for a new file. In the last few days of its life, the old computer would freeze up every time I closed a browser window that was still loading, making it extremely annoying to blog stalk. And then, $600 fell in to my lap in the form of work reimbursements I almost forgot to submit and which I had not budgeted for. So, clearly, it was time for a new computer.

Well, the new computer came with Windows Vista (the jury's still out on whether I like it or not) with some amusing gadgets such as a desktop side bar with a clock and post-it note memo pad, and other fun stuff. And I was able to get rid of the dial-up and get a DSL line, so now I can listen to podcasts and watch You Tube and all those great knitting and spinning videos out there. And it also came with some new games. Which is what all this is leading up to. It's mostly one game in particular, see. It's called Fate, and it's one of those role-playing games. You know, you start out with a dog and a knife, you go down into the dungeon, kill some monsters, find some gold and some weapons and some armor, get quests, get killed and brought back to life, learn magic spells, the whole nine yards. And I've played 72 hours already. My character, a spear-carrying Magician, turned her dog into a Dire Unicorn by feeding him a fish, and had made it to the 77th level of the dungeon. I am such a geek!

So the knitting progress has stalled. But I have finished a few things:

Mother's Day Tofutsies

Anklet socks with a lace rib cuff and short-row heel and toe on size 1 needles

A little more than half of one 100g ball of SWTC Tofutsies, 50% superwash wool, 25% Soysilk, 22.5% cotton, and 2.5% chitin (fiber made from crab and shrimp shells, supposed to be antibacterial, and stop the socks from stinking the joint up)

As the name implies, made for my Mother, who has nice small feet and loves the color combo. Don't tell her they're 50% wool or she'll go on and on about how they're too hot. What she doesn't know won't hurt her!

I absolutely love Tofutsies and went right out and bought another ball for me when I finished these.

Ziggy's Elephant

From Last Minute Knitted Gifts

One 50 g ball of Plymouth Dream Baby, a dark dusty green, and one 50 g ball of Koigu, multicolor. Yellow Koigu for kerchief.

Double stranded on size 6 needles.

My SP8 downstream, the charming Stick Chick, had a gorgeous baby boy earlier this year, so of course he needed an elephant. It's cute, but not nearly as cute as Ziggy!

And I do have something on the needles:

I bought a cone this fingering-weight 100% bamboo last year from Woodland Woolworks.

It's silky smooth, shiny and soft, soft, soft. It has been swatched a million times in a million stitch patterns. It's very loosely plied and splitty as the dickens. It's also very teeny, working up to about 9 st/inch in stockinette. Thus my decision to make a lace something with it. I've decided on a lace t-shirt. The lace pattern is English Mesh Lace from Barbara Walker's First Treasury of Knitted Patterns. It's an eight-row repeat, all wrong-side rows are purled and the second pair of right-side rows are the same as the first pair, but offset, so it's a very easy lace. Well, I suppose it's a very easy lace, but, dammit, I have to frog constantly. I keep getting into a rhythm and then throwing in an extra yarn-over or something and before I know it, I'm off a half-repeat and have to frog half the row. And how many stitches in the row? Only 195. Am I crazy? The above progress is two night's worth of knitting. On a normal sweater, I would have about 1/3 the back done by now. I might be crazy, yes. Or, by October, I might have a finished lace t-shirt.

And of course, an obligatory kitty shot:

Here we have my 2 1/2 cats. That's Nellie on the left, Chester in the middle, and the 1/2 cat, Theo on the pillow. Theo stays with us when his owners travel, about twice a year. He's a giant, fluffy thing whose meow sounds like a bell. Here they are in typical knitting positions. When I put on the audibooks and settle into my knitting chair (not pictured, but off to the left), they all come in and settle down on the bed. They especially like the Harry Potter audiobooks. They must find Jim Dale's voice soothing. Well, so do I.

Don't notice the messy bedroom. This is an older shot, and the tiny yarn stash in the green bin has more than doubled in size, and this was before I had any fiber, whose stash is now stacked up along my bedside cabinet. Yeah, that stash-busting not exactly making progress.

Snow in April

When I came home from work yesterday, I found that my nephews (who are staying with us this weekend) had been busy: If you're going to get 4 inches of heavy wet snow in April, you might as well make use of it.

Sadly, Snowmen born in April have a shockingly short life span. Here's what we found when we got up this morning:
Poor, poor thing. I can't believe Howard, the wild rabbit who lives nearby, hasn't found that carrot yet.

Flashing my stash (well, some of it anyway)

Well, I'm a day late, but I thought I'd flash my stash anyway. Here it is, or about 50% of it, actually. I didn't include any leftovers or acrylics, and I completely forgot about my Knit Picks Palette sampler box, which is a shame, because that was the whole point of the color wheel layout: Can you spot the problem with this stash? (Besides the fact that it is about five years' worth of solid knitting, that is. Try looking in the lower right. That's right. I have practically no green or yellow yarn. What's up with that? I look best in green. Yellow is my favorite color. Clearly, I must now go on a mission. It's for the good of my stash!

Here's a couple of stash highlights:
Sock yarn. 18 or so pairs' worth. I like knitting socks, but probably not enough to justify a stash like this. I make maybe four pairs a year. Very odd of me.

100% Bamboo. I'm swatching this right now for a short-sleeve sweater. Here's the thing. It is making up best on Size 1 needles at 9 stitches per inch. Am I crazy to consider trying to knit a sweater on this fine of a gauge? It has a really wonderful drape and sheen. And another funny thing about this yarn. I bought it in a cone, and then wound it into cakes. I can't imagine why the hell I didn't just leave the stuff on the cone. Dope.

Three different worsted weight alpaca yarns. Bought months apart for different purposes. They seem to want to be used together. We'll see if some dark purple alpaca makes its way into the stash. Then we'll know for sure!