Spinning for Knowledge

Just for the record, I’m only taking the spinning class in pursuit of fiber knowledge.  (Shut up, Jessi.)  I know many of you happy spinners started out in a similar fashion, but I figure if I keep reciting my intentions, it will ward off the accidental wheel purchase  keep me focused   give you more reason to laugh when I confess to my wheel purchase   and perhaps save me from the lure of the wheel.

Rosanne and I had the first of a two-session class on beginning spinning today with Barbara of Stony Mountain Fibers.  There are no “action” shots for you, because we were the only students, so there was only hands-on instruction, which left no time to snap photos.  Barbara began with the fleece and immediately had us pulling and squinting as we learned the basic terms and what to look for in a quality fleece.  We carded and made our own rolags, and then we spent a brief moment with the drop spindle, but I never did make anything that resembled yarn with that before we moved to the wheels.  (Mary, I do remember your advice, but I think that when I can’t remember which way to spin the spindle, it matters not…)

Thanks again Margaret, for your advice on a wheel for me and my back.  Barbara quickly suggested a double treadle, and since none caught my eye, she set me up with (I believe) a Kromski of some sort, which I found hard to start.  I rather randomly selected a Fricke next, and we were happy together.  (Photo from the Fricke website.)  Rosanne started on the Majacraft that caught her eye, but eventually moved to the “twin” to the Fricke I was using.  *IF* I ever decide to buy a wheel, it would be this modest fellow, and due to the fact that they’re downsizing and have eliminated several of their vendors including Barbara… never mind.  I have no intentions of buying a wheel.  Remember?

Barbara sent us off with homework too.  We are to wash and card some more wool this week.  I should have done it tonight while the Knight is away, but instead, I’m washing jeans so I am presentable when we head to the farm tomorrow for Easter dinner.   Really, the fleece was rather clean (and not from one of Barbara’s sheep, if you care), but it was raining when I took this photo, so I rather randomly shoved the camera in the bag and snapped.  Just take my word for it.

Of course, I couldn’t walk out of a yarn shop empty-handed.  So, despite having yarn in my stash for our guild’s upcoming KAL, I purchased some of the bamboo Barbara hadn’t even had a chance to put out yet.  I have no earthly idea how one says “Xie” but it feels like YUM.  It’s a dark sage green, since we get the last clue in the fall and the plan is for us to wear the shawls to our December meeting, or something of the sort.  I have no idea why the Knight’s cotton candy is in the photo, and the needle case was a gift from Rosanne, but I thought that it would help you see something close to a true color on the bamboo.  The awesome case should solve my needle storage problems - all of them.

I must confess that I’ve never been happier with something a friend “handed down” to me.  Rosanne found the case ill-suited to her needs, but that’s what is fun about fiber toys - there’s always something else to try!

This is the crochet case Rosanne found for me.  It’s delightful, and given that I can’t see me ever needing the full assortment of hooks she carries, this is a perfect starter kit that should see me well into my crocheting future.  It’s so small and light that it will travel well too.  I’m slowly learning that I have hook preferences too; Boye.  The head and throat are just a tich smaller, rounder, or something that makes them easier/faster to use than the Susan Bates metals.

I still need to tell you about Sock Wizard, but this post is probably long enough for now. 

To those celebrating Easter, I wish you a joyful day filled with all that makes it special for you. 

Was it *MY* birthday?!

I had a great day yesterday with one of my dearest friends in the whole world.  Firefly  and I have been friends for forever and a day, as the saying goes.  Yesterday, we spent the day stomping around one of the two spots in the world I consider a hometown - Warrenton.  (The other spot is obviously home now…)  The yarn crawl was bookended by two great meals with her OH, starting with lunch at the comfy chic It’s About Thyme, and ending with supper at the very down-home Pig ‘n Steak.  (Sign of the times that each has a website, eh?)

We’ll get to the yarn crawl, but go grab a cuppa’ (I’m having chai this morning, with blueberry bread) and a snack, and tuck in for a long post.

Before we look at what moved south to my house, let’s check out what was waiting for me at home.  (Not the Knight; he was also out with friends when I returned, and y’all see enough of Mugsy and Sissy…)

The incredible yarn at the top is “Tulips” by NH Knitting Mama.   I got to help name it!  It reminds me of tulips, and I’m looking forward to seeing mine in another month or so.   The Knight actually planted some that should be the very blue of the yarn, and we debated over a funky purple that would be close to the kinda’ grey in the yarn too.  I’ll have to take photos when they bloom and we’ll compare notes.  Someone remind me, okay? 

So while I’m on the subject, pop over and check out her CONTEST, tell her I sent you, or head straight to her SHOP for some of her to DYE for yarn yourself.  Really folks, it’s incredibly soft, and the colors are soooo vivid… You really do need to see for yourself!

The rest of the photo is my Knitpicks order.  I couldn’t wait for Alison’s book to arrive!  As I predicted, I’m struggling to race through the rest of the Omega Wrap so I can get started on the Bigfoot shawl in there with my Fred yarn.  There are so many great shawls and scarves in there, and I truly adore the history of the inspiration for each one included within.  Each of you NEEDS this book.  Every pattern is rated from beginner to experienced, and the instructions are provided in “words” and charts, whichever you prefer.  Go on, order it, and while you’re waiting for it to arrive, check out the free patterns on her website, which also include the snippets of history behind their designs.

And yes, the cable is to replace the one Sissy ate.  She’s doing much better these days, and has trained me to put my knitting up when I leave the room.  I just wish Knitpicks would sell the silly little ”key” tool thingamabob by itself. 

Still with me?  Good.  Here we go…

First stop in quaint, downtown The Plains (and yes folks, *THE* is part of the name, thanks much), is Hunt Country Yarns.  Friendly and helpful, even with a full shop, they carry some truly primo yarns, which I enjoyed petting and left there.  I nearly bought so many things, but knowing Firefly’s favorite shop was yet to come, I paced myself.

That’s Cascade Sierra Quattro, probably for MJ’s pediwicks, but really, to “test drive” for my Clapotis.  I’ve decided that 800+ yards of cotton just SCREAMS “slog along” to me and would doom the project.  There’s also a sweet little Addi crochet hook, because Addi rocks, right?  I also finally settled on the I wonder what Sissy is doing now I miss her Panda Wool, which I’d not seen before.  (Socks for me, in case you were wondering.)

Then, ventured to My Favorite Yarn Shop, tucked away on a Warrenton side street I hadn’t been on in over 20 years.  It’s not to be missed.  Firefly was sorry I’d missed the owners, but the daughter of one owner holding down the fort was sweet and friendly.  They have the complete line of Bryspuns, which I’ve only seen in such quantities at Knitting Addiction, and just a great variety of yarns of all sorts.  If you’re on Rt 29 anywhere near Warrenton, swing in. 

After fondling just about every yarn in the place, I finally settled on what would come home with me.  It was also here, after carrying around some Ty-Dy for the majority of my visit, that I decided I needed to trust my gut and admit that I didn’t want to knit 800 yards of cotton, much less a dropped stitch pattern.  With that decision behind me, I went a little crazy.

Note the notions.  I’d just finished telling Firefly on the way to The Plains that I try to pick up my notions at Ben Franklin’s or JoAnn’s, because they’re cheaper.  Sigh.  Couldn’t help it.  Y’all know I needed “crochet” stitch markers, and those little rubber disks are my favorites, and I didn’t have the pink and blue set.  I also didn’t have any #10 straights, so now I have ‘em in my favorite straight brand.  That’s Morning Moon wool in the happy, spring colors, and I love the colors so much I very nearly bought two more skeins for the Clapotis, but reminded myself it’s supposed to be my spring/summer wrap…  I couldn’t leave Ocean Breezes there once I had it in my hands, and it was only with some fiscal restraint that Victorian Lace Today stayed behind.  (The patterns within are rather advanced.  I’d need a few more basic lace items under my belt first!)  However, the Ella Rae Palermo was irresistible, so home it came.  I also couldn’t resist more Wick for more pediwicks, and that was all the yarn library enhancements I made. 

Thank you for sticking with me through the whole post.  As a reward, I’ll whisper that yesterday was indeed Firefly’s birthday.  She doesn’t like to make a big deal out of such things for herself, but if you’re inclined to stop in and wish her a good year or something…  It’s not like I did my normal birthday bit of putting her photo up and titling the post accordingly, right?!  Now, I must go hold Sissy and try to knit around her.  I still hope to finish the Omega Wrap tonight!

It’s Tea Time Somewhere

Mugsy and I are having tea.  (Sissy’s napping.  Gotta’ love those puppy evening naps.)  It’s probably not technically afternoon here anymore, but who cares?!  Are these not the cutest tea tins EVER?!  Straight from London, courtesy of my WordPress coach Monica, come the bus and its traveler’s pal, the map.  Joy! 

They didn’t travel across the pond alone.  They brought along these beauties.  I cannot WAIT to turn this made for me colorway into socks.  (The ones for my mother’s birthday just got bumped down the queue…)  Many, MANY thanks Monica.  They did indeed arrive on a bleak and blustery winter’s day and I am most assuredly cheered by your thoughtful generosity!

I was rewarded for sending out several packages myself by having a two parcel day at home.  This wad of cotton is Knit One Crochet Too’s Ty-Dy, in the very colorway that is in the lead for my Clapotis yarn.  A vendor in my Yahoo Group knits was kind enough to send it to me to try before I buy.  You know I love that kind of customer service, so if it knits like it feels to the touch, I’ll have to make a color choice very soon!

Daylight was fading, so it’s not the best shot, but I quickly tossed out the Oh My! blankie for you to see.  Kiss, kiss, love, love…  this is my baby yarn of choice now.  The static electricity it creates with me is a small concern though.  (Comments?!  I am always shocking Sissy and Mugsy when I wear my Crocs…  Is this a concern for babies?) 

Details:  7 skeins of Plymouth’s Oh My!, 6 for blankie, one (almost to the centimeter) for the shell trim.  I had feared I’d need more for the trim, so I have one ball left over.  That’s ten sets of 35 stitches there, thank you.  The shells were crocheted, and I’m soooo pleased with this whole project, done on #8 Knitpick Metal Options.  I did cast on with the Bryspun DPNs, and I can promise you that the next trip to Knitting Addiction  will find more of those and the Oh My in other colors in my basket.   I think I used a J hook, but maybe not.  I can’t wait to present this to my friend; I very nearly took it to her last night, but then I’d have to whip up another shower gift!  The Knight is demanding a baby hat with the remainder.  What say you?

Look ma, I got gauge!  Me, the loose knitter (or so I thought?), I’m getting 3 stitches per inch on the #10.5 Harmony Options.  Whoda’ thunkit?  So, the Omega Wrap is underway, and I moved up to the Large size too.  I’d rather have to fidget to keep it on my shoulders than have parts smashed or yarn stretched a bit below the shoulders, ya’ know?!  Oh - and Firefly? - it’s a mohair blend.  I won’t make it back to the beach before your birthday, but maybe I’ll find a few skeins for you there…  I saw more of the same yarn there last visit. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go play with the Ty-Dy and make a decision, and I really want to make serious progress on the Omega tonight too.  Last night was long and tedious, so I think I’ll make another pot of tea and settle in. 

I’m a Blocker!

Warning: LONG post ahead, with lots of photos.  Grab a cuppa’, and a snack too, and read on.   

It’s been a great weekend here at Haddon Wood.  Friday night, I blocked.  I mean, I REALLY blocked.  (And for the record, how cool is cool water?  Should my hands turn red from the chill?)  Unfortunately, there’s no photo of Sissy standing in the midst of it all, with me screaming “get down!”  so a word to Anne and any other houseguests, this gal is agile and athletic.  You’ve been warned.  For the other basset-savvy folks, I did come to my senses and gently place her in the floor rather than encouraging another wild leap, but…

(Yeah, if you look hard you can see the wrapping paper box there under the bed, or rather, not quite under the bed…)  The blocking wasn’t scary at all, thanks to Mr. Puffy’s mom and the Yarn Harlot’s great instructions (scroll down for the blocking post).  The results were SOOOO worth it. 

So, the scoop:

 

The blue wrap was done in Debbie Bliss alpaca silk on #8 Bryspun straights.  Sigh.  I’m glad there’s some left over, because I might have to make myself a hat out of this.  Yum!!  The only complain is that if I’m gonna’ fork over my money for a premo yarn, should there really be two joins - knots, at that - in several of the 8 balls I used?  I loved the The Princess Lace Wrap pattern (see Ravelry; my desktop isn’t cooperating with the PDF file link), and would do it again, but I might make it a 3-5 stitch border, because even after blocking, I think it’s not as “flat” as I’d like. 

The shawl (and special thanks to my assistant there…) is the Forest Canopy Shawl in Mirasol Hacho on #7 Knitpick Options.  I used the steel tips because that’s what I had, but I’m ordering the Harmony set VERY soon, as lace has *PERHAPS* eclipsed socks in my knitting passions.  There were no problems with the sharp metal points only because Hacho is such a tightly spun, sproingy merino.  Had I been using something like the alpaca silk mentioned above, I’m quite certain there would have been problems.  (And Bryspun, why must you make such weird [read: awful] circs?  I don’t like that flat join you and Susan Bates Quickslivers use, but I love nothing better than Bryspun straights…)  I’ve already commented on this, but a pattern that is well-publicized as perfect for lace beginners should have said in bold print somewhere that the shawl was coming together from the neck down.  I would have thought I was just a dolt, but I know Jeanne is no slouch, and she had similar problems with another shawl, her first neck down…  As for the yarn, while I love the colors, there are so many soft and wonderful merinos out there, so I’ll only come back to Hacho again if the colorway is the only one that will do.  It was just a bit rough for me after Malabrigo and the alpaca silk, plus the skeins are a little short at 137 yards.

Next we have the zippy quick Dog’s Paw Lace Scarf.  Ravelry says the pattern is available HERE, but it’s not there at the moment.  Nice little garter stitch lace here.  I went out on a limb and changed things up on this one.  The pattern calls for a mohair blend laceweight, but I wanted something a little bigger and bulkier for the nameless owner to be. (Note to those thinking I’m knitting for them - don’t be too sure of yourself.  My intent is to surprise and delight you, even though you MAY see your gift on the blog first.)  I used #10.5 bamboo straights and Bernat’s Soy blend yarn.  Sadly, it doesn’t block worth a hoot, and it specifically says no iron, so I’m at a loss for shaping those yarnovers into perfect paw prints.  I did like the yarn; it has a bit of fuzz to it, as all soy yarns seem to, but I considered that a plus with this pattern.  I could have stopped with ten repeats and used just one skein, but I went for 12.

While this isn’t a FO, I wanted to go ahead and get a good shot while the sun was out.  It’s my first crocheted scarf, and I adore it!  It’s quick, and I cannot tell you how delighted I am to be able to make shells.  You see, my favorite baby blanket (deserving of his own post, which lives in draft form, but I digress) has a shell border.  I’ve decided that since I remember rubbing the shells as a little girl drifting off to sleep, they’re going to be the border for my Oh My blanket, which will end on the current round, to assure that I have enough yarn for five double crochets per shell all the way around said blanket.  It’s done in Bernat’s cashmere blend, and I wasn’t as impressed with this one.  It’s soft enough, but the pretty, rich brown has some very obvious flecks of white here and there.  (See above - third shell on the right section.)  No, it’s nowhere near the price of cashmere, but geeze…  I don’t know that I could gift it, it’s that obvious.  But, since it’s for me and I have so little time invested, even after adding another row in the center, it’s fine.  I chained with a J hook and the rest is done with an H hook.  We’re into the second ball, and the third might be needed to finish the shells… dunno.

Wow, that’s a lot to read!  I’ll save the post about my sweet package for tonight or tomorrow.  I have to go get ready for a meeting, but it’s at Starbucks, so if I haven’t finished the scarf, it will go with me.  If I have, I’ll drag something along to start, because Mommy to be of the Oh My is going to be at the same meeting… 

Hope you’re having a great weekend too!

What a Difference a V Makes…

This post is for the crochet crowd.  Wow.  Thanks to Debbie Stoller, I think I’ve finally gotten the FDDC & BDDC!  No, they weren’t in the book, and most assuredly, dear Mary deserves an award for her patience while tutoring the dunce, but because Ms. Stoller INSISTED that I pick up BOTH sides of the “V”, suddenly the planets aligned and I learned to crochet well enough to follow Mary’s perfect instructions.  Duh? 

The colors are a bit too blue, but I hope that shot is good enough for Mary to confirm that I’ve FINALLY gotten it right.  I won’t drag up any of the old photos, but what I was doing was TRYING to hook the actual little “ladder” thingee double crochet makes, rather than picking up the “V” below.  Don’t ask.  I can’t explain why that made sense.  Obviously, it makes no sense, but I insisted on doing it anyway, thus making the whole thing about a million more times complicated than it needed to be.

The Knight and Chinese are home.  Don’t you just love it when the elusive stitch “clicks?!” 

Purple Strain

Remember “Purple Rain”??  (Then you weren’t a teen in the ’80s, were you?)  Come to think of it, that might be why I wasn’t crazy about purple until the Knight announced that Princess Sissy would wear it.  Anyhooo, I’m sure straining with this purple stitch eater of a snuggle.  So, here’s a photo for Mary to review and tell me if it looks ANYTHING like it should…

The yarn isn’t blue at all.  It’s a purple, purple.  If anything, a touch of plum, but not blue.  So much for natural light, huh?  I fear I’m doing my FDDCs and my BDDCs too much alike, somehow, but we’ll wait to see what the hooker say.  (SNOL…  I have always worked in a predominantly male workplace.  I love being able to use hooker in polite company!)

Meanwhile, I think I’ll return to my sweet sock.  I don’t want to hook more and hear that I’m doing it all wrong.

All Around the Mulberry Bush…

Okay, Sissy’s no monkey, my yarn’s hardly a weasel, and the coffee table isn’t even wooden, but it’s either laugh, cry, or have myself committed, because when one repeats an action destined for disaster over and over, it’s insanity. 

See the depth of the “wrapped” section, around the commercially wound skein?  See the hook, so deeply shoved under all of that yarn?  THAT is what three times around my coffee table looks like when re-wound, in a fashion.  I thought Sissy was with me in the kitchen, but I guess she got tired of hearing, “No.  Get down.  Sissy, no” as she tried to stand on the dishwasher door, so she could pre-wash the dishes on the bottom rack.  Sure, it’s cute now, when she only weighs about 20 lbs., but do you want to chip in for the new dishwasher when her full-grown 45 lb. self snaps the door off its hinges?

Quiet isn’t a good thing with awake toddlers or puppies.  Sigh.  The one thing  I will say is that crochet seems a little sturdier for puppy gallops with yarn.  The hook holds up to her teeth better than my circular needle cables too.  Guess I won’t be ordering a wooden or bamboo hook to try for a while.  Not a stitch dropped, thank goodness, because you wouldn’t believe how hard it is for me to count to 102 with the initial chain.  Seriously.  That dark yarn, and I still have no eye for those little chainermuhdoodles…  Go ahead.  Laugh.  Snort, shake your head.  Calculus and trig I can do, but counting is painful.  The first of my Etsy friends who stops laughing long enough to make me crochet stitch markers AND includes the remedial guide on their use will be paid in gold, yarn, or something fantastic.  I have yarn ADD, and I live with a puppy with ADD, so don’t laugh unless you are laughing WITH me.

It’s no wonder the girl does what she pleases.  She - and her Dadaw - think she’s a celebrity AND a princess.  Please, don’t y’all tell him about doggles.  I’m afraid he’d buy her a pair, and this is a man with skills; he somehow used “peer pressure” to lure his then 84 year old grandfather into buying a pair of BLUE - electric, cobalt blue - DESIGNER sunglasses at the beach one year.  I wish I’d gotten a photo of the two idiots in their matching, designer shades.  Oh, and in case you’re wondering, neither of the spendthrifts ever wore them again after that week.  And you were wondering how I got away with building a stash without borders in just one year?? 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go do lots more FDDC, SC, BDDC, SC… before I forget how to do the BDDC again.  Oh - thanks to Firefly and the others who explained to pick up both loops.  I do like the way it looks, and perhaps it will withstand the wild woman’s wear and tear for a while.

Admitting It…

… is half the battle with an addiction, right?  Today, Comcast and a slow Monday at work made me face my problem, head on.  I am addicted to blogging - meaning posting here and reading your blogs - and to Ravelry.  Heck with my personal email accounts; they serve only to deliver my “you have a comment” emails and other stuff that isn’t so important, like reminders that I have minutes to type up and a marketing plan to develop for my assorted volunteer efforts.  Please Comcast, I want my Hi-speed, but I NEED a connection of any sort if I must sit in that office for 8 hours tomorrow!!

In saner, happier times, since you know I wasn’t reading your blogs or doing much writing here over the weekend (I do know I owe a couple of memes back attcha’, and Comcast willing, tomorrow will be a better day!), I did finally cast on for socks I knew wouldn’t fail me, with a favorite yarn.  They’re for someone who reads here, so shhhh…

Whew.  Wick love.  It’s the Pedicure Sock.  It’s more stockinette than I favor, but it’s a safe, happy way to channel that sock zen back into my fingers!

However, the bulk of Sunday was spent hooking frogs.  I mean, crocheting and frogging.  I started out with a pattern I found that required interpretations via Mary.  First, I tried CottonTots.  Icky.  Don’t know that I’ll like knitting with it either.  I can’t stand yarns with that kinda’ funky thread plied in with the yarn.  It surely doesn’t lend itself to multiple frogs, so I can’t see it being ideal for a baby blankie.  Here’s a shot more for Mary than the rest of you.  I then moved to the Honeysuckle Cotton, but it seems I’m crocheting WAY too loosely, which isn’t practical for a dishcloth.  So, I’ve already frogged and have pulled out the J hook and the Sissy yarn to make the girl a big snuggle for the back seat, now that she’s graduated to her seatbelt harness.  (She must like the yarn; she gnawed the label off both skeins on the night of her escape.) 

So, critique away.  Fireflytook a crochet class recently, and she said the instructor said to crochet through both loops on the foundation.  Makes sense, but I SWARE I ain’t read that in nond of my learn to crochet booklets. 

Now, to try to make this a little tighter with Sissy’s yarn…

Crochet, Anyone?

All the Knight has ever REALLY wanted since I first picked up the sticks and yarn over a year ago, was another hotpad.  I quickly realized the average knitted cloth wouldn’t do even when sewn together with another average knitted cloth, but as the regular reader knows, I had ZERO interest in crochet.  Well, the secret project required a bit of single crochet, and it was so quick and easy…

Yeah.  That’s the single side.  Scrap cotton, per the Knight’s request.  He wanted it made out of leftovers, so there are FOUR different colorways in there.  I ran out of color #3 about halfway through the seaming together stuff.

 

I had a little trouble with the double crochet.  I increased every once in a while, but it all worked out in a homely, functional way when I stuck the two cloths together.  I had to turn one sideways to make them match up, so Mary or one of the other “hookers” will have to tell me how to cast on the right amount to make a double “swatch” match a similar single “swatch.”  All that matters is that the Knight is happy.

I was going to show you photos of my two socks on two circs.  Forget it.  I was too stressed (yeah, me, the Sock Lady!) to do anything other than pull the needles out and immediately wind the yarn back on the two balls.  And no you Magic Loop lovers, I don’t think that will help.  I have the same problem with any type of color work; I simply cannot manage more than one strand of yarn at a time.  Period.  The end.  (Locals… know of a color work class?  Can  you tutor your idiot friend?)  My sock mojo was so deflated I couldn’t even find a pattern I wanted to attack, one sock at a time.  Of course, it helped not that I was without an internet connection, as our computer dude (who works for Pampered Chef products; how cool is that?!) was overhauling things last night, so no Ravlery.  Oh, the horrors!

So, I headed to Mason-Dixon’s bib pattern, but fell for the burp cloth on the adjoining page.  Cast on, knitted to nearly the end of my ball of cotton, and KNEW I was going to be way short.  Went to bed.  In the morning light, I thought to measure.  Du-oh.  50 stitches = 10 inches, *NOT* the “about 7″ the pattern suggested.  Crap.  In another fit of frustation, I pulled out the needles, and frogged.  Cast on with my trusty Bryspuns.  8.5″.  Frogged, but only the three rows I’d so wisely stopped at for a “gauge” check.  Dropped down to 40 stitches, and voila!  So, we’re about a quarter of the way into it again and I hope you’ll see an FO tomorrow or later tonight.  Oh -and because I always seem to knit loosely with cotton, I began on #6s in the first place.  I don’t have #5 straights, and I don’t think the stitches needed to be any tighter!!  I’m off to Ravelry to see what others say…