Totally Autumn Throw and Mystery Blanket

Totally Autumn Throw by Anne Hanson of Knitspot
Fall Knitty 2007
Interlacements Merino Worsted, 2 sk (560 yd, 4 oz @)-- large size
US 9 (5.5mm), Knit Picks Harmony Options 48"
Started: 17 November 2007
Finished: 2x December 2007

If you remember from last year, I decided to try and make my grandma an afghan for Christmas every year (last year was Lizard Ridge)... perhaps I'll get lucky and find another knitty afghan pattern catching my eye this year :) Anne has such an eye for beautiful stitch patterns and I was lucky she thought to put this one into a blanket. I was also lucky to have a simple, easycare yarn in the stash.

The yarn is Interlacements' Merino Worsted (superwash), I can't find it on their website and it may be a one-off for shows only (I bought these at Stitches West 2006, a steal @ $15 each-- their dyers' choice sale bin is always worth checking out if you have a show they're attending in your neck of the woods). To be honest I don't know how much use Lizard Ridge is getting (I know gma loves it), but wanted to make a throw this time that her Boston Terrier could curl up on without fear of not being able to wash it every time.



The 2 skeins of Merino Worsted were not dyelotted, so I alternated the skeins every pattern repeat for a slightly striped effect. You can't really tell when it's in use, but prone on a table is another thing ;) It's large enough for a person to cuddle under and have their feet covered; my gma may not even break 5' so it may cover her even more :) It's the larger size-- 8 pattern repeats (just shy of a full 8th), and slightly shorter garter st borders @ the bottom and top.

I was lucky enough to see my family during this month, but didn't have gma's throw done yet-- I did knit on it in front of her and she loved watching without knowing it was for her. She told me she "had to give me credit for knitting something so patterned," that she preferred simple things because she lost track of patterns too easily. Then I showed her my simple universal row counter and she was blown away; I could see how useful she would have found it, knitting all those years ago.



She said they looked like pineapples, and one of the best gifts of the season was her telling me how much she loved it.

Yay :)

Malabrigo afghan next year for gma... need to find a pattern sooner rather than later! Why Malabrigo?

Cos I've been enjoying snuggling with my son's Malabrigo Mystery Blanket myself.


Mystery Blanket by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Knitter's Almanac, April
Malabrigo/HandpaintedYarn.com merino worsted-- "pollen" (3 skeins)
US 10 (6.0mm), various circular lengths
Started: September 2007
Finished: November 2007

Secret time: I sleep with a baby blanket. Not just any, but the one the hospital sent me home with after I was born. A yellow thermal waffle pattern that was edged with satin-- loved off sometime around year seven, that I slept with throughout my childhood and was one of the non-essentials I stuffed into garbage bags and dragged behind me once I left my childhood home and went on to college, that has been in every bed I spent any goodly amount of time in for my entire life.

That I swaddled my son in when I brought him home for the first time, whispering that it was his now-- one of the few things that was truly mine to give away.

And it means the world to me, and kinda eh for him :) Which is fine! But I kinda wanted him to have something special, the chance to fall in love with something tangible... he isn't really attached to anything like a favorite toy and thought maybe a blanket of his own would be the ticket.

So far? Eh. :) Soft, cuddly, but not... It. Perhaps it's just me, perhaps I didn't get attached to mine til I was old enough to understand attachment and look at it from a distance, appreciate something I could hold away and bring back.



Zimmermann's Msytery Blanket is meant to be knit into several squares and grafted together using Kitchener stitch... mine is just one perfect mindless knitting square :) Being stst, it curls at the edges, but I don't care. I'm also in the minority about all kids' knits being machine washable-- I handwash infrequently, but the fine things I make for my kid I just don't mind handwashing. I don't dress him up to roughhouse at the playground-- handknits or not. He wears and uses my knitting far and between, mostly as occasion knits, and even though this blanket's getting much more wear and tear than a special mom's-showing-me-off sweater, I haven't needed to wash it (yet). It was a pleasure for me to make, and a pleasure to curl up with, so mmmalabrigo it'll be for grandma's next year.

...Which is almost here! Happy new year yall!

etsy friday

I missed sharing etsy fridays! :)


Merino/cashmere/nylon sock yarn from PigeonroofStudios.etsy.com
Harvest colorway

I've had this Pigeonroof Studios yarn for a while (relatively!) now... I loved it before both in skein and knit up, and Krista's new batches have more cashmere than before! Her etsy updates can still be hard to jump on but she does maintain a mailing list-- you may want to contact her thru etsy to get on it and get a jump on being ready in front of your computer when she updates. (Or, subscribe to her shop's rss feed!)

Normally I don't ball my wool til I'm ready to knit with it, and have tipped my hand here. I've been knitting with this new formulation, the dread secret knitting, and it's wonderful stuff and really does look great worked up-- no pooling. I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to make my next pattern for sale (one of the samples is knit in this yarn) thru Ravelry's pdf pattern delivery service when it goes live. A good friend, Jen from piddleloop, has a secret identity as a pdf pattern designer extraordinaire and I'm trying to convince her to make her services widely available to other designers like me who are all thumbs when it comes to things like that... I'm sure you'll hear more in the coming weeks on all points :)

Speaking of designing, a lot of my holiday gifts were handmade (purchased)-- including this beauty from a famous designer:


Designs By Romi sterling silver shawl pin

You guys know the giant brain behind Muir and Ice Queen (and an upcoming BOOK about beads and fiber and yarn oh my!) also has a shop selling handmade shawl pins, yeah? (Just checking!) Rosemary's not an etsy vendor but I can't keep this one hidden for any longer :) It was a gift for mom along with the Hanami stole and the red glass shawl pin from TexturedTurtle-- and I had a *hard* time giving it away!

It is supercool though-- the spiral is slightly raised so you can actually draw your knitted fabric in without having to dig down with the stickpin to secure the knitting; a really spectacular detail only a knitter could think of. It's also heavier/sturdier than I thought it would be, but in a good way-- not heavy enough to drag down your knitting, but enough so you don't feel like you're going to bend it out of shape using it.

It really is breathtaking.

(And I really did give it away!)

:)

Another holiday gift...


Handdipped incense from FooberryIncense.etsy.com

My mom has been on a huge incense kick lately, which is funny since she always accused me of ulterior motives when I burned it as a teenager :) Water under the bridge, I'm all about the watching the gap-- which is the reason I chose to buy a grip of incense from Fooberry Incense for mom this year.

This is the freshest incense I've ever experienced, leaning more to the blue boxed dry as a bone Nag Champa for my fix. Since Julie makes your order when you place it, the sticks are just heavy with scent. Not only heavy but varied-- Fooberry has over 200 items/scents for sale including unusual ones like BACON and TOMATO as well as standards like dragon's blood and patchouli. Being made to order, it does take a bit to receive but FooberryIncense was sure to let me know each step from creation to shipping so I didn't worry about it arriving in time.

One other custom holiday gift from an etsy vendor was for my son...


Child's vinyl and fabric apron from DesignsByNanaHome.etsy.com

My blurry child :) Seriously though, he WANTED this-- he's been on a "helping" kick in the kitchen lately, washing dishes and "cooking" alongside me, and we have had a throwdown or two over who got to wear (MY) red apron... so I searched etsy for his own. I knew exactly what I wanted (vinyl coated, for wipedowns-- we're messy round here!; not feminine looking; something size and age appropriate) and DesignsByNanaHome had this perfect one! :) Actually, she custom makes these aprons from several different fabrics, all sandwiched with vinyl-- I picked the perfect surfer one for my crazy haired kid :)

I have to say how impressed I was not only with the apron (it has a toggle at the neck so it'll fit as he gets older and taller, the pockets are a really nice touch), but with the packaging. I don't really go for a lot of fancy packing stuff since it just hits the recycle bin, but DesignsByNanaHome *flatpacked* this so the vinyl wouldn't get creased during transit-- and I was just thrilled with that minor detail. The fact I don't have to share my apron anymore is a plus, too :)

Good to be back :) I'll be back next week with new FOs and some pics of dyed rovings I'll list in my etsy shop (I have a new blend of superwash merino/cashmere/nylon, along with sw merino/seacell and my standard superwash merino to dye... wish me luck!)

holiday knitting

Handspun Blue Faced Leicester (superwash) socks
roving from pigeonroofstudios.etsy.com -- blackthorn
more woolen than not-spun, 2 ply dk weight
Started: 23 October 2007, walkaround
Finished: in time for Xmas 2007
US 3 dpns, 4

I did a lot of holiday knitting (for me) this time around, everything having a special place in my heart. These socks I carried around with me for months, sneaking in rounds standing in long lines at the grocery store, waiting at the broadway curb, fighting sleep on the red couch in the living room... wherever I could sneak in the reified prayers of love and longing onto my needles I would. At this point, knitting's a reaction of my hands; the thoughts while knitting these instead were love, wishes of warm feet and a good year ahead and behind.



They're so simple though... but just between you and me? After conquering lots of technique, yarns and FOs it feels the best to just knit... round around round, left alone in the circularity of silence and reaction, reflex. I love learning and trying new things but it's the home of stockinette, the simplicity of things, the calm after the storm in one's arms that I find true solace and joy in. It is the simple pieces that shine in my heart because I'm not thinking of patterns when I knit, but the loved ones they're intended for.



I feel spoiled being able to not only knit gifts, but to use yarn I've spun myself for it. Relatively, this is one of the older yarns from my handspun sock yarn stash and lately I'm spinning a long draw that has more tension in the singles, less soft and poufy, much less fuzzy/woolen looking than this one was. As much as I like the look of smoother/worsted spun yarns, both in pictures and in that nagging sense in the back of my mind that my yarns like these are less "professional" than the slick examples across blogland... lord they are warm. And fuzzy soft. And a joy to squish your toes around in. Perfect for colder weather than the one I'm enjoying (pray no rain today for me-- my son's getting a shiny new red bike that I didn't handmake ;)), for those times one needs to feel held and warm and loved.



I only worry they're too similar to a better photographed pair, despite being dk to the fine fingering of the previous. Too much purple, too easily influenced, too eager to please. Doesn't matter, doesn't matter since both come from the same place in me, that same reaction that has become reflex with time, deeper seated in my heart and hands.

Merry Christmas. Miss you.

:)

Noro Kureyon sock yarn

...or, how Article Pract rocks all yall's socks.


New Noro Kureyon Sock yarn

I went to the monthly Article Pract yarn tasting yesterday against my better mindset... it was sock yarn, can you blame me? In addition to being laden down with lots of sample sized skeins and a 25% off coupon (!!), Christina gave the attendees who were there in person each a mini-sample of the new Noro Kureyon Sock yarn that she had hooked up from her Noro rep. Knowing so many were interested in it and thinking about placing a pre-order, I thought I'd share a few pics and quick observations.

The yarn is a very tightly spun single with no bounce-- it's finer than any sock yarn I had on hand when not under tension. It still had a lot of twist energy in it as a single like this likely will; I'm usually not concerned about knitting (particularly socks) biasing but if you were working a pattern that needed to lay absolutely straight, it may be important to you to swatch and make sure it will. It is not soft like so many mass marketed sock yarns-- the combination of no bounce/squish in the yarn, being tightly spun, and being spun from a coarser wool than most (merino) sock yarns is likely a factor. I didn't get thru much of knitting it, but didn't see any "hay" or VM in what I did knit :) It was very, very slightly thick and thin (more like occasional slubs/thicker parts in the yarn)... very much in line with my worsted Noro experiences, but nothing that would throw your gauge off wildly or would even be noticeable when viewed as a whole knitted piece.

I'd guess that it'd do best (plain stst) on US 0's... I prefer knitting finer sock yarns like Lorna's and Schaefer Anne on US 0's, so it does depend on personal preference. I probably wouldn't go over a US 1 with it though for stockinette socks-- I think the fabric would be too open. I haven't knit it up in plain stst and washed the swatch though; it may plump up and be appropriate for larger needles, but unwashed like this I would reach for my finer sock knitting needles.




Left to right:
Noro Kureyon sock yarn, Lisa Souza Sock! yarn, Schaefer Anne, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Louet Gems Pearl (fingering), Trekking XXL, Koigu PPM, Socks that Rock lightweight

One gauge to its fineness is the yardage to weight-- the Noro Kureyon sock yarn is 462 yd/100 gm. To compare, Lisa Souza Sock! would be 398 yd/100gm, Schaefer Anne would be 495 yd/100gm, Lorna's Laces would be 430 yd/100gm, Louet Gems fingering would be 370yd/100gm, Trekking XXL is 462yd/100gm, Koigu PPM would be 370yd/100gm, and Socks that Rock lightweight would be 283yd/100gm. Keep in mind that the Noro Kureyon sock yarn is more dense than the other yarns it's pictured with-- it may look thinner than the Trekking where they are the same weight/yardage, but it's much more solid.

When I first heard about the Noro Kureyon Sock-- both seeing the pics of knit up socks and samples and knowing it was a 70/30 wool/nylon blend, I was convinced that it must be a dyed yarn and not one that was semi-handspun in blocks of color. Now, seeing it and knitting with it I don't think it's a yarn dyed into stripes but one prepared/spun like Noro Kureyon (separate colors of wool spun together into a striping yarn)... but I can't be sure. The pics of the knitted up socks show the yarn has definite repeats (like a dyed or printed yarn), where Noro yarns with their semi-handspun qualities are not so consistent with their colors matching up... but from what I knit, it doesn't look dyed and has definite color gradation/transition between color blocks more in line with traditional Noro yarns. Then again, I thought I read someone on Ravelry saying that her Noro rep had only *undyed* Noro Kureyon sock yarn to show off (of course I can't find that now)... so, I guess time will tell! :)

Speaking of knitting, where I don't know if I'll jump at the first chance to knit up socks with the yarn (I'm just really averse to US 0's lately, but I'm sure I will sometime), Christina and I both had the same thought about other potential Noro Kureyon Sock projects...


Toddler mitten* in Noro Kureyon sock and Louet Fingering yarn, inspired by Kauni Cardigan
US 1.5/2.5mm 4" glove needles

We both thought it'd probably be a good stand-in for the super popular Ruth Sorenson Kauni cardigan (pdf!) and other colorwork applications. I think the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn has a shorter color striping than the Kauni, but for someone like me who wants to knit the Sorenson cardi in a toddler size, it'd definitely work. These mittens were knit over 54 sts, and you can see that the purple, while changing slightly from grey to deep purple, is a very long repeat. (I had no idea how much mitten I'd be able to get from this little ball of yarn! I expect to see lots of toddler mitts with it in my future...) The above mitts were knit on US 1.5's since that's the smallest 4" needle I have, and the Louet is heavier than the Noro but it was the only scrap I had enough of to make a set of mittens with... worked okay :)

The Noro Sock would also be easier care than the original Kauni yarn for colorwork cardis, I don't think it'll felt as readily as the 100% wool of Kauni and should be easier to find stateside once it's shipped to retailers... I washed/abused/rubbed/smacked/shocked the above toddler mitten by trying to felt it (the white/green yarn was leftover Louet Gems Pearl) and it didn't felt or bleed. That was all done by hand in very hot tap water and Kookaburra, the real test will be machine washing... but the yarn withstood my immediate felting test well imo. Sue from littleknits has a scan of the label and it says handwash only, so the real test will come with a real sock in a washing machine :)

I know Article Pract has ordered every color (!!) of the Noro Kureyon sock, so you can always call and ask them to hold onto a colorway (or five!) you need to have when it makes its way into the store :) As you can see, Article Pract *rocks* and it's where I'll be shopping for my Noro sock yarn :) (It'll be pretty much the same price everywhere, so support your local LYS!!) I'm definitely going to use some for colorwork knitting in my near (post-holiday knitting) future, either for myself or my son. Can you wrap your mind around how striking Pomatomus would be in this yarn?! :)

Okay, NOW I'm off into the vacation sunset. See yall, miss you already!


* No real pattern for the toddler mitten. Fits my almost 4 year old, mods easy as far as length (continuing/reducing patt repeats) and width (either remove patt repeats or use smaller needles.) Assumes knitting on 5 needles, 4 holding sts & 1 working-- with an even # of sts over n1&n2 and n3&n4.

RH mitten: CO 52 sts, k2p2 for 2". Using chart from Kauni cardigan above, start chart and inc 2 sts evenly across rnd for 54 sts. Follow chart, knitting til 2" of colorwork is completed (or, where thumb separates from toddler's hand). K1, k8 onto waste yarn, replace waste yarn back onto lh needle and continue knitting in pattern. Knit in patt til desired length (tip will add approx 1" in length), break colorwork yarns and k1 rnd in cuff color. K1, ssk, k to last 3 sts on n2, k2tog, k1 across 1st 2 needles (repeat for n3 & n4-- 4 sts dec each rnd.) Work dec rnd until desired length reached (mine was 6-7 sts?) cut yarn, draw thru remaining sts & weave in. Pick out waste yarn for thumb and divide onto needles, picking up 1 st at each "turn" for a total of 18 sts. Knit in stst until 1/4" shy of length desired, k2tog around for 2 rnds. Cut yarn and draw thru rem sts & weave in.

For lh mitten, you can place the waste yarn thumb by knitting to last 9 sts of thumb placement rnd, k8 onto waste yarn and replace sts onto lh needle, k9 in patt and create thumb as above. (This'll keep the rnd change/stripe jog on the inside palm of the hand.)

etsy friday

I missed last week, and there won't be one next week*, so etsy friday's a little heavy today, k?

:)

When I said I signed the Buy Handmade pledge, I didn't take it to mean that everything I bought was going to be handmade... Hillary was right that there are no handmade Wiis to be found anywhere, and goodness help me if my son doesn't get one of those lightweight r/c helicopters (that he'll destroy in like, 3 minutes... one minute for each of his years!). I really have made an effort to buy handmade when I can though.

For my immediate (adult) family, there are three women and two men to buy (and knit!) for. I made them up each a small box of etsy body goodies in addition to my (still in progress) holiday knitting. Buying-wise for the ladies...


Sample sized bath salts and sugar scrubs from SweetSpice.etsy.com

Shannon from SweetSpice sells lots and lots of good body things, and I couldn't resist picking up this "sample" pack of 3 sets with sugar scrubs and bath salts. Each is about 3 oz, and came beautifully packaged like you see (gift wrapping, not one of my strong points so I appreciate all the help I can get!) You get to choose your scents, so this is also a nice treat for yourself if you're looking to sample scents and don't want to dive headon into a full purchase all at once.

And of course for both the men and women, a favorite standby...


Guest sized soaps (one pound) from FrostFishCoveSoaps.etsy.com


2 lbs of soap from FrostFishCoveSoaps.etsy.com

Then men are each getting a pound of soap from Frost Fish Cove Soaps, while I'll split up the pound of smaller guest soaps among the ladies' boxes. I hope they love handmade cold-process soaps as much as I do... I'm a bit (!!) of a Frost Fish junkie, and have some more ordered for myself on their way to me :)

You may have guessed by now that I can't possibly use all of the things I buy (except fiber! :)) and you'd be right-- lots of things go as gifts for my loved ones. I've been holding onto these for part of this year's giftboxes as well...


Clever Girl shea skin spread by clevergirl.etsy.com

I'm kind of bummed to see that Bek from CleverGirl has put her skin spreads and facial scrubs on hiatus... the shea spreads are so good smelling and I fell for the sample face mask scrubs she included with this order so long ago. BUT! checking out her vintage bakelite + modern metalwork jewelry (ooh, her Sunny Side Up series is SO my favorite!!) makes me feel better. And covetous :)

I have two "male" scents for the guys' boxes-- vetiver and moroccan mint, and the ladies will get more of the fruitier, female scents that I prefer. (I think I'll convo Bek and ask if she's bringing her body care stuff back... I have lots of skin spread, but really mean it when I said I liked her Best You Ever convertible facial scrub/mask/cleanser samples she sent...)

I also really, really like some body stuff I kept for myself...


2 - 8 oz sugar body scrubs from SweetSpice.etsy.com

These are awesome. A girlfriend gave me some handmade sugar scrub last holiday season and while I loved it, it was a bit too oily and a bit too "scrubby" for everyday use. The scrubs from SweetSpice I'm using every day in the shower, and they're not too hard or oily AND I end up smelling good, too :)

I also really appreciate that the scrubs (both these and the sample sizes, above) are plastic shrink wrapped closed-- it not only looks more "professional" in the gift giving sense, but it also feels more assuring that they won't leak or get on anything else if I were to ship them.

And now for things I'm not shipping to ANYONE... :)


"Sari" -- superwash merino, glitz, sari silk, and silk batts from EnchantedKnoll.etsy.com

EnchantedKnoll was so kind to make these up for me custom-- one of my favorite things about etsy is having the artist right there, and that so many are willing to do custom work. Josette had 4 oz of these batts for sale but I wanted eight... I'm thinking I'll spin them up and ply them with freshwater pearls and garnets like I did with the last wonderful batch of batts from her shop. She so kindly made them up for me, and they're beautiful!



There are just too many beautiful fiber things out there, and too many kind etsy sellers :) Just like Rachel and Lori... they BOTH swapped with me, stitch markers for fiber! Can you believe it, cos I obviously got the better end of the deal ;)


Sylthering Sheep, superwash merino by DyeabolicalYarns.etsy.com

I usually never take pics with flash, but there was NO other way for me to capture the bright neon fantabulosity of this colorway by DyeabolicalYarns. Oh, don't see it on her sold items list? That's cos she gave her blog readers first crack at her new dyework, and this was my choice. Awesome, eh? (Really is though! I never buy superwash merino from anyone... I have enough undyed here to choke a chicken and can't bring myself to buy more dyed or undyed-- but HAD to have this one!)

Another had to have by Lori...


"Jam" 70/30 superwash merino/alpaca by FromTheWoolRoom.etsy.com

Oh yes. I didn't even capture how saturated these colors are-- and you read right, it's sw merino/ALPACA. Yes, for socks. Awesome, awesome socks. (Alpaca felts less readily than wool so I'm hoping they'll hold up to a gentle wash in the machine and line dry.) From The Wool Room used a grey base fiber for this dyed braid, so the colors are just so intense without being dark. I think the choice of the grey colored base fiber will be really interesting to spin; for me, sometimes I've been disappointed to see white remnants of base fiber pastel-up colors in handdyed roving (mine included) esp. when spun finely, so this'll be a treat to watch and see.

One more treat before I head off into the sunset...


Felt fruit googly eyes cards from peasoup.etsy.com

I can never catch up to the huge amount of cool cards I buy on etsy, and have slowed down on purchasing cards recently to try... but couldn't resist these. PeaSoup makes handsewn felt cards that she stamps with kitschy phrases (the banana? "i like you a whole bunch...") that just, yeah. Too cute. Nicole also helped me out with a custom order; I saw a card that was in her sold items but not for sale, and she reproduced it for me.

I love etsy.

And etsyians!

:)

Have a good holiday season, all. Miss you!


* I'm heading off into the sunset, visiting family over the next few weeks and trying to get my head and life in order in the process. I don't expect to blog for a while, and have put my etsy zeromarkers shop on "holiday" status for the time being to give myself some breathing room. Have a good season if I'm not back by then, and feel free to browse my old etsy friday posts if you need a handmade fix/inspiration for your holidays :)

And for those of you in the Bay Area (California)? This weekend has a few local treats in store. A Verb for Keeping Warm is co-hosting an open studio "Winter Fiber and Yarn Show" Dec 1st & 2nd... Kristine dyes and sells beautiful fibers and yarns, handspun and commercial, many of which have been dyed with natural dyes. (She has an etsy shop too!) I'll be unable to make it, since I'll be at the Article Pract yarn tasting on Sunday... there's still time to sign up! The sampling this time?

SOCK YARN.

Expect me to come back with a slew of tiny socks modelled by The Bellwether's keychain sock blocker, k?

:)

spinny bitty

Time flies when... well.
Or, how I spent my Thanksgiving vacation.

:)


Handspun superwash merino, 2-ply
110gm, approx 360 yd
fingering weight
roving dyed by zero.etsy.com

I take it all back from before-- saying I couldn't spin a plump, squishy, full of life fingering weight yarn. Don't get me wrong, I love the slightly dk handspuns of mine (so warm! so fast!)... but I felt I was kind of missing out on a whole range if I didn't start trying to spin a fingering weight that I was happy with.

And I am happy with this one :)



When I dyed this, it was pretty out of character for me-- I usually like to dye (and spin) not too contrasty fibers... but this one! Green, purple, orange, blue... probably others I'm forgetting there were so many :) Even so it definitely has a purple overcast to it... for some reason it reminds me of Mardi Gras. Or Mardi Gras beads. :)



As lovely as it is, I am setting it loose on the world :) You may have read about Alyson's pup needing some emergency surgery over the holiday weekend and her subsequent stash sale (dude, check it out-- good stuff!)... I wanted to help so I've listed this yarn for sale in my etsy shop with all proceeds going to Alyson directly, and I'll ship it for free to the buyer once payment's cleared Alyson's pp account. I've tagged it "bittyfund" for easy finding on etsy -- I know Jen (Piddleloop) is going to be listing a few of her adorable 4x6 pouches specially for Bitty fundage too.

Speaking of etsy, I did manage to dye up some of the new seacell/superwash merino roving for my shop as well, inspired by "Love in the Time of Cholera." I recently bought 4 oz each of alpaca and merino in the Sangria colorway from SpunkyEclectic and plan to spin it into a 2-ply (a ply of each), so couldn't resist dyeing the seacell/sw merino with of some of my favorite superwash merino at the same time... the effect of dye on the two different fibers is fun but will look great if plied together.


"Leona Cassiani"

(The rest of the flickr sets are here, the rovings for sale are here.)

I do have one unlisted set of these fibers I need to try and take pics of (again)-- "Miss Lynch" in emerald and deep greens that wouldn't photograph true. If you're interested in the greens lmk, otherwise hopefully I'll have them photographed later today or tomorrow :)

I did dye several samples of the seacell blend to spin up myself. I spun all of the solids together thinly and navajo plied them...


wooden keychain sock blocker from thebellwether.biz

The seacell seems to be more of a sheen, not so much shine. I love spinning the tencel blend rovings, but they always look so shiny that I don't really gravitate towards knitting them once spun. It may be that there is less plant fiber in the seacell blend than the tencel blends I've spun (30% seacell), but I like it. The seacell doesn't dye (you can see the white streaks in the individual pics in my shop), but spun up you don't really see the white-- just sort of an iridescent quality left in the yarn. I can't help but think how awesome the fiber would be dyed up in black and brown (thinking of splityarn's Hanami stole in seasilk-- 70/30 silk/seacell.)

I also abused the 7734 put of my navajo plied sample yarn-- the hot set rinse water was clear, and despite me agitating, thwacking, and just being mean to the yarn :) it held up quite well.

Me, not so much :) This is too long... miss you, have a good one.

long grey weekend ahead

I was filling out Carol's questionnaire for her Black Bunny Fiber Club (the first club i've ever joined! can't wait...) and she asked about favorite colors in fiber. I looked over my new fiber storage area (took over a few shelves in the utility closet) and realized that a lot of the fiber I choose is dark... or at least brights tempered with blacks and grey. Then I can't help but notice the project in my lap...


Totally Autumn throw by Anne Hanson of knitspot
Knitty Fall 2007
Started: 17 November 2007
Interlacements Merino Worsted (superwash)-- 2 greys
US 9 (5.5mm), 48" Knitpicks Harmony circular
garnet and freshwater pearl knitting stitch markers from zero.etsy.com

...and my self-styled Imogen Jacket "kit"...


Noro Silver Thaw color 11
(a gift, thank you sis!!)

...and think it'll be a long grey weekend ahead for sure.

I shouldn't even be thinking about starting Imogen yet, but had one of those nites that called out for a little mindless me knitting so swatched and now I can't stop worrying about it. The swatch looks fine and I got gauge on US 8 (14 sts/4", middle sample):



...but I'm just not used to knitting garments. The gauge is on, but how "open" is knitted fabric supposed to look in a garment?



I mean, it looks fine to me when not held up against a window, but I'm just way too used to supertight knitting for socks and small projects that need no drape and this freaks me out. I don't expect to start knitting Imogen til holiday knitting is over, anyway. I do have another project to think about in my immediate future...


Superwash merino and *seacell* spinning fiber to be dyed for my etsy shop

Maybe I'll put some color in my weekend this way :)

Have a good one, miss you!

the trouble with garterlac

Garterlac washcloths (dishcloths), six
Pakucho organic naturally colored cotton
Started: ? November 2007
Finished: 16 November 2007
US 9 (5.5mm), 32" circular Knitpicks Harmony

Last year I knit my dad a pair of (wool) socks for the holidays, maybe not the best choice for desert wear but hey-- I thought they were cool :) This year, it's washcloths and bath stuff. We'll see how they're received... as for me, I really like them!

I haven't seen too many solid garterlac dishcloths, but the effect of garter stitch entrelac on a solid yarn is really fun and textural-- quite like damask knitting shifting in the light. The garterlac pattern is just so satisfying to knit-- I'm also the oddball who loves picking up heel stitches, so grains of salt abound, but Dave has a truly addictive pattern here. (Just ask trek!)



I've been really fascinated by Pakucho organic cotton ever since Clara wrote about it-- if you're not familiar with it, it's a naturally colored cotton-- no dyes are used to achieve the color of the yarn. The green you see (as well as the shades of brown and cream it also comes in) occur naturally and are farmed using pre-Columbian techniques; a cottage industry of color, history and fair trade. Seeing it at elann for less than $3 a skein (one skein = one cloth, plus leftovers) was the clincher for me.

The yarn is cabled-- made up of 5 plies of 2-ply yarn. (The above pic is of a woven in end, the yarn is more plied together than that but not very tightly overall.) I started the washcloths on (blunt tipped) Addis but just couldn't get all the plies when knitting by touch, and even after switching to the super sharp Knitpicks Harmonies I still would miss one on occassion...



No matter though, not for this project. The look of the cabled yarn in garter stitch is just beautiful, and the washcloths are crazy soft and supple. I knit at a slightly looser gauge than I'd normally choose to give the fabric even more drape and account for any tightening up/shrinkage in the wash... these are all unwashed/unblocked, though I think I will give them a hot wash and tumble dry before wrapping up as a gift. The cotton will shrink (10-15% I've read), but I want to give them the same kind of treatment they'll receive by a non-knitting, machine washing recipient to see the effect beforehand. The colors are also supposed to intensify with each wash, and I'm excited to see if it's true.

I'm also thinking about knitting the scrubby and soap pouch from One Skein, but reviews on Ravelry of the aloo nettle yarn in the project weren't too positive. Maybe Euroflax Linen? We'll see, I have some bright red euroflax but think a more "natural" color would be a better compliment to the green washcloths. (Anyone want to swap?)

They do look good by on their own though...



...but my new piddleloop bag is staying with me :)


eta!! threadless is having a $10 tee sale thru dec 16th... woo!

etsy friday

Today's the day of the etsyFAST trunk show in NYC (you can join the fun in the etsy virtual labs starting at 6pm est today here), and this was my last purchase from the etsyFAST sale...


Brass and glass shawl pin from texturedturtle.etsy.com

I love this pin, and at 25% off...!! (Even though the etsyFAST sale ran thru Nov 15th, texturedturtle still has her sale prices valid in her listings today!) I bought this to compliment my mom's holiday gift, but it's a bit heavy for lightweight lace-- I'm toying with the idea of keeping it for Imogen and picking up a lighter beauty from Romi or rubyvegas. We'll see, I'm burying my head in the sand for this holiday thing the past few days-- just indulging in... myself instead :)

While MaryLou from time2cre8 always indulges me...


Business card envelopes from recycled books by time2cre8.etsy.com

Time2cre8 is one of my favorite shops on etsy-- I've bought my recycled business card envelopes from the beginning from MaryLou, and lately she's been picking up books for envies for me and I've been buying them sight unseen since I know they'll be rad... and they are! These are from children's dictionaries and are just really fun. I'm sure the buyers from my shop will enjoy receiving these stuffed with my "specially treated" business cards :)

I'm also hoping they'll dig these...


Custom monogrammed gifttags from time2cre8.etsy.com

When I dye roving for sale for the shop (I think I'll do it this weekend again... i've got some new color combinations inspired from characters from my reread of Love in the Time of Cholera), I use a simple hangtag to mark the fiber and weight like these. Time2cre8 sells custom hangtags with any letter you choose, and you get 25 different fonts on the 25 tags! I opted for just one, boring bee that I am, but they're still cool :)

Seriously though, if you're in need of tags or print or paper media (custom or not), not just etsy sellers but for anything (holidays?!), time2cre8 is a great place to start. I know a few etsy sellers use her services for yarn bands, and I've never been disappointed with anything I've bought here.

Have a good one, miss you :) Enjoy these three cool things til then--

1) This honorable mention photo for the knitty calendar contest, a space invaders baby sweater and tiny bmp socks (like april sez, makes mah ovaries cramp!)

2) Lime and Violet's Daily Chum were too kind choosing my shop for their etsy site of the day today :)

3) 10,000 sheep drawn by online workers

I can only think of one better way to kick off my weekend...

sweet 16

Since hurting my back two weeks ago, I haven't really felt up to sitting in front of my spinning wheel. I did manage to finish a quick handspun project though...


sweet 16 scarf
handspun superwash merino, spun thick and thin -- 4 oz
roving dyed by me for my shop, zero.etsy.com
started: october 2007
finished: 13 november 2007
US 15 (10mm) 24" Addi
16 st CO, knit in garter stitch til the yarn ran out

I absolutely fell in love with the lumpy bumpy of urchin in the the current knitty, but hats + me != yes and I didn't have anything like the yarn on hand... so that crisis was averted. Then I saw yarnstorm's churning out of colinette point five garter stitch scarves and figured I could make one, both yarn and scarf, pretty painlessly.

I had a 4 oz braid of roving from my last dye session that would.just.not.photograph.true, and I didn't feel okay selling something that looked that coloroff in my etsy store. So I kept it, though I really am not a fan of green, teal, turquoise... and spun it up into a truly thin (lace) to thick (trouble on my US 15's) yarn very very quickly-- yall, it was SO fun to spin! It took me an afternoon of my son's play outside to pinch pull push this slubby yarn into submission; I had no idea what Colinette Point Five looks like (am i missing out?) which was probably a good thing, would have run on my fun.



I just love the truly odd nature of the yarn-- I've knit with some "thick/thin" commercial yarn (one of the handpaintedyarn.com rougher ones), but it wasn't nearly as wildly thick and thin as mine is. I really liked the knitting with this handspun though, because you can really see the construction of knitting stitches knit up in this yarn.

The wildly varying gauge of the yarn means that the edge is imperfect looking...



...but doesn't bother me, which is surprising! As you can see above, it's not really that odd looking worn, but certainly not perfect :)

The stretches of thin and thick widths worked up like this almost reminds me of scribble lace, and knitting this up kept me thinking about spinning up an intentional "scribble lace" yarn with a predetermined yard stretch of thin yarn, followed by a predetermined length of thick yarn. All in one colorway (either a solid or a variegated) would be really cool without being way over the top... and mixing up two different fibers/colors would be way out there in one of those good ways :)


best pic of colorway

I was also shocked at how much scarf I was able to get out of the yarn-- I've been eyeing the painfully cool teenagers with scarves to their knees with lust in my heart, and I had no idea I could achieve that length with only 4 oz of roving. It's definitely a combination of big needles and the nature of the yarn, but even as "open" as the scarf is, it's super warm wrapped around (and around and around!) me. I still don't know the proper ways to wear a scarf (growing up in the desert will do that to you), but still it's fun.

Segueing from fun to fun (yall know how much I love my segues)... the etsyFAST street team is holding a scavenger hunt contest! (No, not for used *anythings,* thanks!) Search for our team flyer thru etsyFAST shop listings and win fabulous knitting and fiber prizes! More details here-- the contest runs only thru Nov 15th, so you have a good chance to win if you have some time to kill :)