Packing is brutal

My family is traveling to Italy next week. that means we're packing. part of packing means what deciding what to bring. As someone who loves to be crafty this is like torture. I usually take knitting or crocheting for the airline ride and for airport wait... But this time we are traveling with five kids and we're going far, far away. The time that I would normally spend Knitting or crocheting, is going to be spent entertaining and playing and settling. I don't mind that, but I feel I will regret it if I don't take something to do. So! I was thinking about taking some sock yarn. And 1 circular needle to make socks. I'll bring one pattern and two skeins. I can always buy more when I am away if I need to. I will be in Italy after all! So, that's all I am thinking about now -projects are practically forgotten about until I can get everyone packed and the dog delivered, and passports counted! Until then, ciao!

Another chart repeat

For the longest time I was tentative about making anything that had a chart. Not sure what I was worried about: maybe forgetting what all the symbols meant? Or of losing my place? There would be a little square or symbols and the directions would say "repeat this" so many times. How would I keep track? For someone who picks up and puts down her knitting quite often and for periods of time in between , I was Going to have to come up with a plan to keep track of it all. my plan was to use sticky notes and as I finished the row I would cover that row and know that I would have to start from the next number on my next round. the problem with that, is that it would cover the round below and so I couldn't see the whole pattern and I didn't have as much intuition built into my knitting as what I would like. What's the next logical plan? clear sticky notes...that's the next logical plan don't you think? I thought so too. I ended up using those little sticky notes that people use to flag pages to be signed in a document, where there's a little colored tab with a little piece of tape. See-through and coloured - I had it all! But did i? last week I got myself an iPhone and I started to explore all of the applications that you can get for the iPhone, Including knitting apps. There is an app that I got called stitchminder, and I can use the app to keep track of what row I am on and what row of a pattern I am on and which pattern repeat I am on. Good thing, because my sticky notes always fall off eventually!
I love making lace and using charts, it adds a flair and in testing texture to all the other decisions one must make when choosing a project and project supplies!

Waves

I was out wandering around (no, let's be clear, I had a distinct mission - but..I just got sidetracked for 20 minutes) Moncton last Saturday, and I drove past a yarn store that I rarely visit.  Inside, though, they have almost anything you can imagine.  I saw things I couldn't have even imagined.  So i shopped...browsed, really.  I touched everything.  I admired the finished products placed about to give people ideas of what to do with the goods.  Where did I end up?  Where I always end up...the sale and clearance bin.  I found, in that bin, a wool possum blend.  Possum?  I had to get it to try it out, it was very cheap.  Not sure what I will do with it, maybe make a possum hat?

I felt something very soft and squishy.  What was it?  I found yarn made out of sugar cane.  Now, plant fibres are normally not what I am drawn to.  I am typically a wool, or downing fibre kind of knitter and spinner.  I have found myself lately being engaged with them though.  Maybe it's because summer is around the corner?  Now, flax is something I like, and I would love to try spinning 100% linen sometime, to make some thing unique.  I have discovered soybean in blends that I have spun turn out very nicely.  There are some plant fibres that are processed so much that I don't feel comfortable with them.  There are a lot of chemicals involved in turning trees into rayon.  Bamboo also has typically been a heavily processed fibre.  That's why I like flax, hemp and soybean.  So this sugar cane yarn, I am not sure about.  I couldn't find information on how it was processed.  I don't want to contribute to the over use of chemicals in my products. (why i want my own sheep, and grow my own hemp).

Anyway, i brought home some sugar cane yarn just so i can see what it is like.  The yarn is Araucania Ruca.
Right away, I wound one skein into a ball.  It too 8 hours to do it.  The yarn was all tangled on the skein (maybe from being in the clearance bin?) (maybe from people like me touching it all the time?).  I was determined to get it untangled., and I did.  So, after all that, of just doing ONE skein, I had no motivation to do the others.  My plan was to start knitting it, then when I am halfway through one ball I could do the next ball, and alternate balls (the yarn is multi coloured and while they are all the same colourway, these types of hand dyed yarns are never the same, so they should be alternated in the knitting so there is no obvious "blocks" of colour changes). 

I looked through my magazines and found a tunic that I thought I might have enough yarn for.  It is called Waves Tunic by Brooke Nico.  I liked that the magazine said that the tunic was worked from the neck down, so I could make it as long or short as I wanted...I am on a tight meterage with this project, so I thought that was a perfect fit, I just knit until I run out!  As I cast on, I realized, it started from the bottom up.  Ugh.  Oh well, I made a commitment!...I decided to start in the middle and make it short, so I started after the first decrease, and cast on 196, in the small size (I have some small sized people in my house).  Here it is so far:

The yarn is very silky, kind of has a glorious sheen to it and is very drapey.  not so sure about what the finished product will be like, but with the project a quick knit, I won't feel bad if it is a fail.

Happy Waves!

Second sock syndrome CAN be beat!

I have great intentions when knitting socks,but sometimes my intentions don't result in having two matching socks. The quest for pair of socks that match takes a great deal of commitment. For someone who gets bored easily with projects, that commitment is double. I am ok with that! I have 4 pairs of socks on the go, and for the first time ever, I have finished a pair: a matching pair! Ok, so the ends are not woven in yet, and I haven't blocked them yet. But the knitting is complete, and the fit!

So, onto my new "new" project: another pair of socks. I mentioned this in my last post. This is paraphernalia. It is a fun and quick knit. I have had to change the directions for using circular needles instead of double pointed needles, but other than that, the directions are well written, with only one confusing part so far, that an intuitive knitted would see right away. If you are a new knitter, check for explanation on setting up the heel flap. I am going to finish these socks and others, as socks are very portable and am going to be spending a lot of time in airports soon. My mission, beat this second sock syndrome.

Decisions...desicions...

I am thrilled to report that I have finished two UFOs!  You know what that means!  I get to start something new!  i am so excited!  This is always an exciting time for me, I have a lot of projects queued up on Ravelry (the place I document my projects and what I am working on).  You can check it out if you are a member of ravelry: it's free to join.  Check out ravelry, it's fun! appleomyeye is my user name, if you come across me, you can see what I am working on!  With ravelry you have access to a listing of all the knitting patterns ever created, some free, some you pay for, and some you have to buy the book to have access to them.  It is like a head-rush looking at all the inventive ways people use knitting and crocheting to create garments and accessories and home decor.  One can I get lost in it! 

It is on Ravelry that I found the next sock pattern I want to make.  But, here's the thing...I can't decide between two.  I know what yarn i would use if I made either one.  Both are in my stash.  PrObLeM (red lights blinking, loud sound of honking from the periphery)...I must only start one until I get two more UFOs done.

Let me introduce to you my options:

first pattern:  Paraphernalia  by Taina Anttila
It is a gorgeous looking sock that would look great with a sock yarn by Heidi Wulfraat that I have: Heidi's by Hand.  Heidi is a fibre artist and has a shop close to where I live.  If you ever get the chance to see her shop or take a class, do it. check out London Wul's website

second pattern:  Crystal Socklet by Lynn DT Hershberger
I like the shape and look of this two colour socklet.  Since summer is coming (please?), it would be nice to have a shorter sock to go with my sneakers...The yarn I have for this is Heritage Paints by Cascade Yarns and a solid color in red.

How will I decide?  childhood game of selecting?  pick a hand?  close my eyes, spin around and point?  (in an impish squint, eyebrow raised, and a smirk unfolding- just on one side) do both?

Yep, that might be my only option.

Strung out

When one has so many projects and hobbies, things are bound to get a little jumbled up and "forgotten" about.  I had to organize my stuff a few weeks ago, and I decided to use the vertical space to store some of the things that really didn't have an appropriate home. 

To make this, I used some hand-painted Lismore Sheep Farm Wool (one of my favorite places to stop on my way to visit my family), and crocheted it, using a large hook, so there would be plenty of space to hang or tie things to, inside the loop, so the things wouldn't slide down.

It is a great place to store my sample spinning, when I am trying to decide how I want a yarn to look while before I go ahead and spin 100g of it, and realize I am not happy with the result...do i want 2 ply, 3 ply, Navajo ply?  Do I want bulky, thick and thin, etc.  So there are swatches of yarns knit and still in the skein.  Next step is to start writing it down.  Right now I rely on my memory...it seems to be...wait, what did I just say?


This is a cashmere - merino blend, then a test on psuedo rolag spinning which is what I will post about soon, and some gotland, and another merino silk blend, plied with a thin single of alpaca.  These are baby skeins and barely weigh a gram each. 



inspiration and reminders

Here is a little weaving project , reminding me of the weather, the rain, the snow, the wind...the crisp sunrise...and some angora-merino on the spindle.  And some test knits of hand-spun yarns.



you call it blecky dust bunnies, i call it art-in-waiting

I don't throw anything out.  I save the scragglies that won't spin neatly, and put them in this bag for weaving, or felting, or making art yarns using a core-spinning technique.  Whatevs, there is a purpose for it (but I may be the only one who sees it like that).


I love my kids!

 Above, two of my favorite things...The spindle on the left was made by my eldest daughter for her 4-H demonstration on spinning wool.  She made the spindle and then used it to spin in front of her captive audience.  My middle girl spun two singles and plied them using one of these spindles.  It was a great first effort, and I hope she continues!  The spindle on the right is the spindle I made for my youngest daughter, and on it is her spinning.  I used most of what she spun in the weaving project:

So, there you go.  Inspiration from my kids, inspiration from the endless possibilities that is fibre art, and just a bit of organization.
Have a great day dreaming!

Sweater Fretter

A completed sweater eludes me. I can feel the need to make a sweater, I want to make a sweater! I like to sew and knit and create things to wear. My body does not fit into a lot of clothes in the store (because I'm tall...yeah, because I'm tall), and sweaters are one of those things that is hard to find, and I *should* make myself.  It's to do with the length and shaping. Everything that fits around is too short. Arms too short, waist shaping does not sit on my waist, the sweater isn't long enough. I have, therefore, been dreaming about making a sweater.

What has prevented this from happening all these years?

Fear of a large project: I work full time and have 5 kids at home, and frankly, I don't have a lot of time to be crafty, and I think I should be able to dedicate enough spare time in a row to making a sweater. Otherwise, it would go out of style by the time I get it done.

Finding the perfect yarn: Look, if I am going to dish out $$ to buy enough yarn to make a sweater, I want it to be suitable and nice and "me". What is "me"? I like colour, but not in an overbearing way. Sometimes I repress my love of colour and wear black, or brown, or grey. So, why not a black sweater? Because I would be completely bored.  In my knitting, there is always colour!

First project charm fail:  OK, I do know enough about knitting that I can follow any pattern and have the results turn out OK.  But I usually make "enhancements" or modifications so that I am most comfortable.  This means that the second time I make something, the object turns out better than the first.  Can I commit to making TWO sweaters, just so I can have a sweater that I like?

OK.

How can I change my thinking to be more positive?  Here's my self talk:

"Quit your job, you fool.  You will have way more time for knitting and spinning and being who you really are!"
"Spin the yarn you want to have for the project, then it will be exactly like you want it"
"Pay attention, this is your sweater, don't screw up!"

Alright, alright, I am not going to quit my job...(eyes to the left and up, index finger tapping chin, a barely audible "hmmm" coming from my throat).  But!  I did start to spin the yarn for my sweater.  It is mostly neutral with hints of colour coming from it.  I did a few swatches of different weights and different plying techniques and I found exactly what I am imagining.

Here is the first skein I spun for my sweater.  It is worsted drawn, 2 ply wool blend with mohair and soybean.  One single is a natural wool with a hint of a turquoisey colour and and the second is crazy greens and yellow with some natural undyed wool. 

Here is what is in my bag right now, I am spinning the turquoise.

I am so excited that I am actually going to do this!  I still have a lot more spinning to do, but it goes by quickly. 

All of my ducks are in a row...
Now...what to choose as my pattern?

UFO rehab

I have a skill. A talent that is incomparable to other gifts one can be bestowed.

I don't finish what I start.

Yes, I am really good at "trying new things", or seeing a knitting pattern that I MUST do becasue "ohhh, look at how pretty it is! I want one just like this, just in different colours".

While I joke about this affliction skill, it actually does help me to learn all the techniques I should know in my spinning, knitting, crochet, etc etc. And while this seems like I have millions of unfinished objects (what I tenderly refer to as UFOs), I am also structured enough to actually finish them all...eventually. I have second sock syndrome. I have large-item completion complex. I have boredome-overtook-me disorder. To counter all these ailments though, I do have a scheduling obsession. Strict rehab. I allow myself to start a new project whenever i want...But I always schedule myself time to work on two UFOs with one "newbie". AT ALL TIMES.

This allows to to try something new (sometimes even finish it),and work on "old" stuff (sometimes even finish it).

Right now, in my bag, I have a vest I started 2 years ago that is now 50% complete (it was at 10% complete on Monday), a mitten for my sister (did I mention that second sock syndrome is closely disagnosed with half warm mitten malady?), and I am spinning wool on my "pretty sister" spindle for a sweater I want to make. I imagine next week I will switch up my bag...and maybe there will be something new in there!