Coolio

Contrary to popular opinion of black being THE best color for a cool hat for boys, my son picked this iridescent yarn by Caper sock yarn called Didgeridoo. I worked the Windschief pattern using two strands  held together which gave me a smooshy fabric with out any of the pooling typical to a sock yarn. Instead, it bended together into this:

And the result? The boy loves the hat! He wore it to school and when I asked him how his hat was he said "Fine." Which is high praise from a 15 and a half year old boy. He even modeled it for me for pictures

Cute eh? Except his brother and best friend both told him he looked like a hipster. Alex didn't seem to mind that much. Also, notice the sweater vest? He got that for Christmas and hasn't stopped wearing it since.  I see a possible opening to put a knit vest on this kid....

In other news, I spun some beautiful yarn. A merino silk blend, this was the yarn I was planning to make up into a cool hat, but Alex choose the other yarn. I'm not disappointed, because I get to keep this for myself.

It's a three ply with lots of loft and softness. I was aiming for a worsted weight and I think I may have hit the mark, though I'd have to swatch to know for sure.

And, I also picked up some light reading at Cotton-by-Post:

I pre-ordered the book, so I only paid 35 bucks which I think is a steal. It has the heft of a university tome, but the writing is not nearly so heavy. June writes in a clear and light manner. I was sifting through it and found myself sucked in, learning this and that. Perfect reading material for a snow February Sunday.

Reporting on the backlog

Hello bloggies! It's been too long. Work has been keeping me at the computer and so in my down time, I stay away from it. But this weekend was me-time. I've been to a knit group, a spin group and just now finished updating my Ravelry projects. Whew! Was I ever behind.

Some things will never be documented I'm afraid. A couple pairs of socks and two scarves have been released into the wild and are not likely to be photographed. But I've rounded up some of the more interesting knits for you to see.

Luke requested another pair of fingerless gloves to replace his worn out pair. He wears these constantly as you can see from the rumpled fingers and pilling on the hands:

We both love the colored cuff, a design from More Sensational Socks, and the bright yarn is Cascade Heritage. But next time, I'll find a really durable yarn for the hands. This cheap black sock yarn shouldn't have pilled up so soon.

I'm also on the hunt for a hat for Alex. He never wears the hand knits but this winter he has permitted me the honour of knitting him a "cool" hat. My first attempt was Kittiwake, also in cheap sock yarn:

Yes, that's Jim doing the modeling. Apparently it wasn't cool enough. Windschief will be my next attempt and I'm currently spinning a silk/wool blend for it. I may be investing too much effort in this project. Can you imagine if he rejects a handspun, handknit hat? Or worse yet, LOOSES it?! Still, I'll carry on. This is the first time in a long time the boy has let me show my love with handknits.

Most recently off the wheel was this 3-ply sock yarn:

I love it lots. Oh, it has it's faults, but I'm really curious to see how the colors knit up. But I hid it away from myself for a while so I could get my Christmas sweater finished off.

Yep, I'm that happy with it and I wear it all the time. It's just a comfy pullover in lovely colors. What more do you want?

Apparently what I want is a challenge. Small gauge, more color, and the niggling doubt in the back of my head that I'm really knitting a clown suit.

My Mind is Blown

Do you know who is teaching in London Ontario this weekend? My local yarn store, Cotton-By-Post, is hosting the Yarn Harlot for the whole weekend.

Friday she gave a speech and did a book signing. The speech was on how knitting alters the brain and not only was it funny (in true YH style) it was educational. Several things I knew instinctively, Stephanie backed up with scientific research, giving me more ammo to use against muggles who may try to deride our noble craft.

Here she is preaching the gospel of the knit.

Saturday was a six hour class on Knitting for Speed and Efficiency. I'm already a pretty fast knitter, but I figured Stephanie is such an interesting person, who has rubbed shoulders with many other interesting people, that I was sure to learn a thing or two. Ah, hell ya!  I learned:

• lever knitting
• norwegian purl
• a super fast and neat kind of ssk that Stephanie invented (well possibly, most likely)
• a toolbox of techniques to make my knitting more efficient
• sources for some really good needles
• and that I'm a fast knitter for my area, but slow in terms of the world.

I started the class with a knitting speed of 33.3 sts per minute. I finished with a speed of 38.6. But that's a snail's pace compared to the world's fastest knitter who goes along at a clip of 118 sts per min. Stephanie says that a product knitter's average speed is 100 sts per min.

And I'd like to get my speed up, mostly for socks. I have more loved ones whose feet I'd like to cover in wooly goodness than I have time or patience to knit for. A sock knitting machine is one idea, but too pricey. Learning to knit faster sounds like the answer.

Well, actually, the answer is a whole new way of knitting. Lever knitting, which is killing my brain to learn. None the less, I do hereby solemnly swear to pursue my homework, which is to make a K1 P1 scarf using the new technique for some amount of time every day, for 21 days. I have Noro Silk Garden, 15 inch needles, and I will prevail!

Irish folklore holds that if a master knitter puts needles into the hands of a newborn, the child will have a talent for knitting. Do you think the skill can be passed on in utero?


Tomorrow's class is called Liking Lace. A whole 'nother day to blow my mind.

Doing Double Time on Sleeve Island

My Silk Garden pullover has grown into a lovely rectangle of both front and back:

I'm now on the sleeves. I've already had to knit the first one twice, what fun. The pattern is an old Paton's design featuring the snug ribbing at the bottom and cuffs, once so popular. To tweak this design feature, I just cast on the correct number of stitches to start for the body. For the cuffs, I wanted a bit of pull in. My first attempt was too snug through the forearm, so I ripped and re-knit. It hurt, but I'm much happier with the result and I think it was worth the effort. I want to love and wear this sweater for a long time to come.

And speaking of loving for a long time to come....

My mother-in-law, who is 87, feels herself to be fading. Moving to a new apartment from her beloved house has taken a lot out of her and she's been feeling blue. Knitting teddy bears has helped. So have her family who are all rallying around her. Her grandson Evan calls from out west on Monday nights. Granddaughter Stephanie brings great-granddaughter Samantha to visit on Thursday nights. Jim and I come over on Saturday nights for a visit.

On these visits we share news, she shows us her momentos, the latest teddy bear and she makes these little requests of us. A special purchase to make, or a thing to look up. Well, a couple of weeks ago came a big request: "Laurie, would you knit me a sweater?"

Oh! this was not the easy yes I wished it could be. For one, she wants acrylic. For another, I've already got a queue of knitting lined up that it would hurt to give up.

I asked if she could wait till next year and she replied that she didn't know if she'd be around next year.

Now gentle reader, please remember that I love my mother-in-law very much, but I couldn't help but laugh at this one! All that work to knit her a sweater and she won't be around to wear it!

So, upon the wise advice of Paula, I offered to knit a sweater together with her. If she could work the plain knitting sections, no shaping, I'd work all the shaping and finishing parts. She tried to wiggle out of it. "Oh, my eye sight isn't so good." "But I knit so slow." But I persisted and last night brought her the yarn.

She was very pleased. She liked the feel of it, she liked the color. We measured up a favourite sweater, she picked a design (v-neck cardigan with a zip) and I wrote out some simple instructions. Just gauge and how many stitches to cast on for the back. And wouldn't you know it, just like any knitter with an exciting new project before her, she cast on that night. Yes!

Here's my hope for this sweater:

• that it gives her something interesting to take her mind off her troubles
• that she enjoys a feeling of pride in making a garment for herself
• that she feels a sense of connection and being loved because we are working it together
• that she'll be around to wear it for a long time to come

But you know, after I finish the sleeves of my pullover I've got to work the sleeves of her sweater. In acrylic. Yeah, that's why I say I'll be doing double time on sleeve island.

Just one more celebration...

Yesterday was Roc Day, the last of the Christmas season festivities, so my spinning buddy Alica and I headed out to the Little Red Mitten to celebrate with the other spinsters.

Here's a mother-daughter team in the foreground with a brand-spankin new spinner in the background:

And the drop-spindlers:

Joan was there, owner of the Little Red Mitten, with our local master spinner in training, Janice. Janice is in the fourth year of the Master Spinners program. Joan on the left in the picture below, and Janice, spindling, on the right.

And here's Alica and I. We're both wearing bracelets of our spinning samples as we were taught to do by Wendy of Gemini Fibers. How do you like our twin Lendrums? We can tell them apart because mine has the beauty mark (that's what I call it, Jim calls it a smear).

 

Joan has a beautiful store, chock full of beautiful and tempting yarns. I managed to only walk a way with some Tuffy sock yarn, which I consider a bread and milk sort of staple in my stash, and some local fiber. But that's a story for another day...

Take a break

Okay, so it's not knitting, but we're all grown ups here. We can apprecate good fiber art when we see it:

Crochetdermy.

Pattern Quest

Guess what I got for Christmas? Yarn!!

Okay, true confession time. I've always wanted a Silk Garden sweater, so I told Jim that was what I wanted for Christmas this year. I've been going to knit and chat on Friday nights at Cotton By Post (first time I've ever felt like I truly had a LYS) and Suzanne carries Noro, so that's where I bought it from. She even wrapped up my purchase so I could open it Christmas morning. (Thanks Suzanne for the extra love.)

Once I had a quiet moment on Christmas day, I swatched it up using a 4.5mm needle and also with a 4mm needle. I washed it, left it to dry and later measured the gauge to be 4.5 stitches to the inch on 4.5mm needles and 5 stitches to the inch on 4mm needles. I liked the firmer gauge on the smaller needle. Silk Garden has oodles of drape, and the looser gauge feels floppy to me. My stitches also seemed neater on the smaller needle.

I chose color 84 - reds, which is understandably very popular. 

I had planned to make the Banstead Pullover, but it calls for 4 stitches to the inch, so that pattern was right out for this yarn. I really love the Knitting Plus book, so I pored over it, hoping to match my yarn to a pattern. I considered the Passayunk Pullover, it looked like the gauge would match, but then these words in the pattern description brought me up short:

"The Yoke is fairly shallow... If you know this shallow yoke will not work for you because you are tall or have broad shoulders..."

Oh me! I am tall, I do have broad shoulders. Then I remembered that Lisa Shroyer covers this topic at the beginning of her book:

"...I found that drop-shoulder sweaters fit some women - those with broad, high shoulders - beautifully. The sweaters weren't oversized or disproportionate. In fact, they fit these women much better than the set-in sweaters (my assumed best-fit style for all plus-sized women). Women, and especially tall women, with broad shoulders and a large frame benefit greatly from the wider shoulder and wider cross-back of the drop-shoulder construction."

For me, this is a lightening bolt of truth. The sweater I wear the most is a drop-shoulder design, but I use it for walking the dog because it always seemed wrong. Yes, the sweater was comfortable and fit well, but everything we read these days talks about "fit to flatter", with words like "body skimming" and all sorts of shaping techniques like darts and short rows. Making an old eighties-style boxy design seems so out-dated.

I've worked the yoke sweaters. One creeps up my neck and chokes me, the other is the opposite extreme with a neck far to wide to be warm and an awkward fit. I know raglans are absolutely no good, I look like a ball player.

But now I understand, I have a large boned, tall frame and I'm not the only one. So I'm going to embrace my shape and knit what works for me. This yarn is beautiful and I deserve to have it knit into a sweater that I will want to wear all the time.

I'm using Paton's Back to Basics pattern book for Canadiana, which fit my preferred gauge. I'm leaning towards doing a v-neck, but I haven't ruled out a round neck either. I'm also working this flat because Lisa suggested it for another singles yarn in her book, in order to counteract the tendency of a single to bias. She's smart, that Lisa Shroyer, isn't she?

Oh! And you know what that cutie-patootie husband of mine did? He utterly spoilt me, that's what. Look at this lovely new project bag he gave me for Christmas, also from Cotton-By-Post, art by Laurel Burch:

It was a very good Christmas.

Merry Christmas - the chaos and the aftermath

Christmas Eve we hosted Jim's family for the annual clan gathering. Our house was warmed with 24 souls. A fraction of our group:

What a pleasure it was to see them all, to catch up and offer them a wonderful Christmas dinner. And also, what a pleasure when they all went home and we could enjoy the peace of our small family.

I hope all my friends near and far are also enjoying friends, family and some quiet Christmas moments.

A Christmas Sacrifice

If you were asked to make a gawd-awful ugly Christmas sweater for a teenager, what would you do?

London knitter Lisa decided to go all out. Her cousin asked for a sweater to help him win a contest at his school. Here's what she came up with:

As you can tell, she's not done yet, but already we have intarsia, embroidered snowflakes, snowman buttons on the tree and a fuzzy beard on Santa.  Here's the back:

Yep, that's Santa's butt coming out the back. I think the kid's a shoo-in for the contest.

Demon Santa and his Stoner Monkey Pal

Found these two criminals hanging out in the hall at the Vintage Green. I don't think my mother-in-law knows that they let such riff-raff in the building. Then again, they let us in there.

We couldn't resist this pair. But if you get too close...

Jim didn't know that Demon Santa was a zombie...

Road Trip

This past Saturday a local spinning pal and I went on a road trip to Mount Albert to take the intermediate spinning class at Gemini Fibers with Wendy Walen . If you are ever up that way and get a chance to stop in to the store, it's well worth it. The place is jammed to the rafters and I've never seen so many knitting books in one place. 

It was a three-hour trip, both ways, and so I just didn't have the time for the blog. You understand. However, here are my notes for your edification and enjoyment.

• Slow down. Your singles will be more even. Take time to enjoy the process.
• For a ply-back test, let the single wind all the way onto the bobbin (move your hand pinching the single up to the orifice), then pull out the single and do the ply back. This is because you want even twist in the whole single and twist is still being added to the yarn as it winds on to the bobbin.
• Make a sample bracelet. Using freshly spun singles that are of the type of yarn you want to make, do a ply back and tie the resulting yarn around your wrist. When you do a ply-back for sampling, you can compare your bracelet to the sample, by touch as well as sight.
• Commercial rovings are compacted by shipping, and storage, so it's worth while to do some pre-drafting to get air back into the fibers.
• Always test your staple length before you start. It will tell you how far apart to hold your hands, and a lot about the qualities of the fiber (crimp, fiber directions, how "grabby" is it?)
• Crimpy wool needs more twist. This I didn't see demonstrated, so I'll have to do a bit of a test for myself with some sampling.
• To join smoothly, consider the length of the fiber and the type of spinning you are doing. For the Blue Faced Leicester that we were spinning, Wendy recommended you feather out both ends finely, overlap them and then begin to spin. The join happens as the twist enters the fiber.
• Sample lots, sample often. Sampling is not waste. Sample different grist, sample different ratios, sample in the skein and knitted up. While you are learning, buy extra fiber for each project so you can work up many samples to see what works best for the fiber you have.
• You can always go back to the single or the plied-yarn and add or remove twist. (Can't believe I forgot this one.)
• Worsted yarns need lest ply twist, more single twist. Woolen yarns have more ply twist to compensate for their low single twist.
• To fine tune my chain ply:
• I need to make smaller loops. I didn't have control over the very large loops I was making.
• No tension necessary on the lazy kate. Keep tension in the singles between my two hands.
• Must have good integrity in the singles for a successful chain ply.

How to make a spinner crazy

Here's how I spin yarn:

1. Spin the singles. Critically evaluate every inch for consistency, but fail to take a sample to check against. Tell yourself you're doing it by instinct.
2. Pause in single spinning because you're sure it's going badly.
3. Ply the singles. Briefly admire the resulting yarn.
4. Ply the second half of the singles. Get bummed out because the second half looks different than the first half.
5. Pause in plying because your sure it's not going to be any good.
6. Grumpily finish the plying.
7. Compare the two skeins. Marvel how remarkably similar they are.
8. Put the wheel away before you drive your self crazy.

This project started as 19oz of Shetland roving, color blueberry.

I divided it up into 6 portions of approximately 85 grams each, which worked with my plan to spin all the singles first as I own 6 bobbins. That was a long haul.

I intended to spin a DK weight, but I think the result is more of a heavy fingering. I may need to find a new pattern to work this yarn up. Still, it is moderately pretty...

And even better, the two skeins are remarkably consistent, considering my earlier trepidation. I think the lighter weight may be a bonus, becuase I'm sure to have a good yardage out of the fiber I started with.

However, don't expect me to start a project out of this real soon. I think I need a break from blueberry for a while. Still, anyone know of a good pattern for a plus size vest or shrug in fingering weight?

Afternoon mystery, solved?

In the waiting room at the doctor's office this afternoon, I was knitting a sock which was noticed by my cohabitants. A woman older than me was there with her mother, who commented that her mother knit all the family's socks. This was after the war she said, and everyone in the community knit socks. In fact, the neighbours used to bring their socks to her mother for her to turn the heel. She turned the heels for everyone in the area.

I was puzzled by this. Why not just teach the other knitters how to turn a heel? It's tricky the first time, but after that, it's almost the best part of working a sock.  Aha! That must be it. I'll bet she was keeping the best part of the knitting for her self.

Weekend Away with Eadon

Jim and I went away this weekend to celebrate our mutual November birthdays. It was sunny and peaceful up until we got home to find that the boys hadn't done their chores.

The weather was just perfect for hand knits. Jim wore his Kiloran and I wore Eadon.

Christmas was creeping up on us all weekend. Even Jim and I were broadcasting the holiday vibe with him in a bright red sweater and me in my green. Plus, I got some Christmas shopping done for those undeserving offspring of ours. 

I loved wearing my new sweater this weekend. Eadon is cozy like a bathrobe, but once I found the perfect pin for it, I can wear it closed at the top and wear it like a jacket. This pin I found at Close Knit in Stratford:

It kinda mimics the cables which is a nice touch, and it cost about as much as the zipper I was thinking about adding to this sweater, except I can wear it on other things too. Can't do that with a zipper.

I did make some modifications to this pattern. For starters, I shortened the length by one pattern repeat. Being wide of girth, I felt the sweater would be too heavy at full length. When it came time to do the collar, the pattern has you bind off and sew the ends together. I chose to graft it instead, which worked just fine:

And I don't have an annoying seam on my neck. The shoulders came together beautifully too, and support the weight of the sweater comfortably:

I expect to be wearing this sweater proudly for a long time to come.

Happy Halloween!

Tonight the sheep specters will descent upon the hills of heathered hanks to give fine fibers to all the knitters who believe in gauge swatches and blocking before sewing up.

I've got my sweater all ready. Have you?

Gettin' ready for the paaartay!

Oh yeah! It's time for another teenaged house party. This time for Halloween. Preparations consist of cleaning house and stocking up on pop and chips. Not much else is needed as these kids bring their own sense of fun and plenty of noise. (Oh the noise, Noise, NOISE!)

But there are also other preparations going on for a much quieter party.  A blocking party:

Oh yes! I have entirely finished knitting my Eadon cardigan. And this blocking party is to be shortly followed by a sewing party.What fun! I love me a nice straight mattress stitch seam.

What's for dinner?

It's Arnold Shwartzenchicken.

We're here to plump you up!

Productive Weekend

We had a major milestone this weekend as Jim ripped up the old flooring in our living room and installed new laminate. Our old floor was an engineered hardwood floor that was scratched by Dexter's toe nails and had suffered water damage in multiple locations. We also had carpet in the main living area that used to be an off white but had graduated to an indescribable level of filth. Not that we didn't try at first, but at some point I think we gave up, knowing that the flooring had to be replaced.

Jim started with the landing, so I snapped a shot showing both the old and new.

And here's the whole room finished.

I think it looks very cozy. While Jim was working hard, I went shopping and bought the area rug and the drapes. I know, I've got it rough... :p

There's still go the kitchen-dining room left to go. Jim worked all day to get the one room done on Saturday (assisted by both of his sons, who made very little complaint and were actually helpful (small miracle)), and figures that the next room will be even harder. I know he'll get it done before Christmas though, and that makes me very happy.

So now I have a new background for knitting pictures. First up the project I bought the yarn for on Wednesday and then finished up on Monday.... it's a Curly Horse Hat. (Details on Ravelry, follow the link.)

And also finished is another pair of handspun, hand knit socks.

These will be for my Mom and Dad, so yeah, I am rockin' the early Christmas knits. Winner!

Rosie

The weather this Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada is just incredible. The sun is shining as though it were June. The quality of the light is so clear, it has saturated the colors in my photos. Here is Rosie, my latest Fiber Fish mitten to be a store sample for Cotton by Post:

The colors are really not so harsh, but are a pleasant rosie pinky-red. This mitten was a pleasure to knit because of the beautiful yarn. I've also been talked in to giving classes based on the pattern. I'm thankful that won't start until the new year because right now I'm so terribly busy with work.

This week my knitting was a comedy of errors. I needed to be at Waterloo for three days this week instead of my usual two. That meant two knit nights with Paula and so I packed accordingly; that is, my Eadon right front, almost ready for the collar, and two pairs of socks-in-progress, just in case. And predictably I forgot my knitting bag in London.

I needed something to work on, so I planned to make a trip in to Shall We Knit? for yarn and needles. My co-worker Kate told me I had a problem, if I couldn't go 48 hours without some knitting. Gentle readers, I know you understand. I told her I didn't have a problem and she replied that all the addicts say that. Well. 

I left work a bit early to get to Shall We Knit? before the store closed and picked out what I needed for a new project. When I got to Cambridge I found that Andy was heading out for knit night at All Strung Out in Guelph and I was welcome to come along! If I hadn't left work early to buy yarn, I would have got his email informing me of this and would have been able to buy yarn at All Strung Out.

I tell you, yarn store owners are a gracious bunch and deserve all the support and care we can give them. Paula didn't mind me knitting Shall We Knit yarn in her store, and Karen at Shall We Knit? said, "Oh we like them at All Strung Out." when I pulled the wrong business card out of my wallet as I made my purchase.

So for this Thanking I'm grateful to live near such fabulous yarn shops, for an abundance of choice and a good job that lets me indulge my addiction. Fishy kisses to all the yarn store owners!

Connecting the Generations

My mother-in-law Cynthia is now 87 and has reduced her knitting output. She finds it difficult to hold a pattern in her head she told me, but felt that she had one more teddy bear left in her. So I gave her some of my handspun and asked her if she would make that last teddy bear for me and that I would save it aside for any future grandchildren that I might have.

She must have really liked that idea because in short order there was this:

Doesn't she look pleased with herself?! And it turns out that this will not be the last of the bears coming from her needles. She asked me for more yarn because her therapist has requested four more bears for the therapist's grandchildren. Jim said "Smart therapist."

I'm happy to keep my mother-in-law in yarn for as long as she wants. Even if her preferred type is acrylic.