a thing for string

Tour de Fleece: Week 1

2009-07-13T16:13:00.003-05:00

Normally I'm not one to join groups, KALs, SALs, etc., but when Kristin of All Spun Up formed an ASU group for the Tour de Fleece (on Ravelry), I was helpless to resist.

We were supposed to set goals, so I set a characteristically nonspecific one: spin down the stash as much as I can. The T4S stash might be visible from space at this point, so I probably won't be able to make much of a dent. (Please don't tell me I should spin thicker. I just can't...for several reasons.) In any case, I have made some progress.

Fiber: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sheep 2 Shoe kit (superwash merino), "Rooster Rock"
3 ply
850 yards (only 400 yards was done during TdF)
234 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up merino, unnamed, but I'm calling it "Orchard"
3 ply
424 yards
114 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up merino, unnamed, but I'm calling it "Prepster"
chain ply (Navajo ply)
434 yards
119 grams

One week: 1248 yards of 3 ply fingering weight yarn. Maybe I should have set a yardage goal.

Flirting with disaster

2009-06-29T17:30:00.003-05:00

The universe seems to be throwing things at me lately. Item #1:

The tree in our front yard was blown down in a wind storm a couple of weeks ago. I was actually home when it happened, and I didn't hear a thing. I didn't find out about it until the Professor came home later that evening and asked me when it had happened.

The tree couldn't have fallen down more considerately. It didn't hurt anybody, and it didn't hit the house. Additionally, it stayed out of the street, our driveway, and our neighbors' yard. All in all, the tree showed admirable deportment. The irony is that we had already made arrangements to have it cut down when this happened. I suppose the tree wanted to go out on its own terms.

Item #2: This morning the universe threw me another curve ball. A small truck ran a red light and struck me while I was walking across the street between a parking lot and my office building. I'm fine—rather sore, slightly bruised, and more than a little freaked out, but otherwise I seem to be completely fine. No one else was injured.

Anyway, now I'm wondering what's next in store for me. Lightning strike? Meteor hit? Locusts? Only time will tell.

Yardage recovered

2009-06-18T17:27:00.002-05:00

Many thanks to those who commented on the last post and suggested—ever so nicely—that I need to get over myself and stop worrying about yardage. Point taken.

However, I seem to be back to my old ways.

Fiber: Fiber Optic superwash merino, OOAK colorway "Golds and Browns"
3 ply
462 yards
113 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up superwash merino top, May/June SAL colorway
3 ply
460 yards
113 grams

Fiber: All Spun Up merino top
3 ply
580 yards
122 grams

Fiber: The Arts at Eagle's Find fine wool blend top, "Cranberry Bog"
chain ply (Navajo ply)
416 yards
118 grams

Sucking yardage

2009-06-01T20:15:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I prefer to spin fine yarns, most often fingering weight. Normally I count on getting at least 400 yards out of 4 ounces of wool. Getting that kind of yardage is something I've come to take for granted. Well, I recently went through a period during which I couldn't hit 400 yards to save my life.

Fiber: All Spun Up merino top
chain ply (Navajo ply)
340 yards
113 grams

Fiber: Sheepish Creations superwash BFL top, "Carmen"
3 ply
376 yards
123 grams

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Gypsy Queen"
3 ply
710 yards
226 grams

They're all good yarns, but really, where did my yardage go? I've thought of things I might be doing differently, blamed my wheel, etc. I still can't figure it out. My current theory is that the yardage was sucked into a parallel universe. It could happen.

Think pink

2009-05-26T17:47:00.003-05:00

Wow, I really didn't mean to be silent for nearly a month. Life gets in the way—work, traveling, etc. The kicker was that my computer died about a week ago. I think the Professor felt vindicated because he has been saying for months that we needed to replace that computer. So now I have a new baby and therefore no excuses for neglecting the blog.

My goal is to do a bunch of make-up posts in the next week or so. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Since I like to be methodical, I'll use this post to highlight some FOs I finished about a month ago. In March I mentioned that I planned to knit two pairs of pink socks for my two young nieces. Well, I accomplished my goal, but barely in time for each of the respective birthdays.

These were for my older niece:

Terrible artificial light photo.

Pattern: Gentleman Socks by Kristi Schueler
Yarn: my own handspun
Needles: 1.75 mm DPNs

What a great pattern for handspun! I had originally planned to do right twists on one sock and left twists on the other, but somehow my left twists didn't seem to mirror my right twists very well. It could be that I just didn't give it enough of a chance before I ripped out the left twists, though. (Hey, I was under a deadline!) And I really love the irony of knitting "Gentleman" socks for my niece who is the girliest of girls.

My younger niece got something simpler:

Since I only had a couple of days to knit these, they had to be ankle socks. It's a good thing that handspun looks so great in plain stockinette. Even in this sad unblocked state, they still look pretty good.

However, I doubt whether I will be able to knit with pink yarn for a year or two.

Drastic

2009-04-30T06:17:00.002-05:00

The ponytail formerly known as my hair:

12 inch (30 cm.) ruler added for scale.

It's all for a good cause, though.

A bit of randomness

2009-04-27T17:24:00.003-05:00

Random tidbit #1:

Have you ever noticed how people who are newly in love delight in telling everyone they know about their newfound happiness? Well, I have a new love.

Fiber: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sheep 2 Shoe kit (superwash merino), "Puck's Mischief"
3 ply
860 yards
226 grams

This may be the dreamiest superwash merino I have ever spun. Seriously. I can hardly describe how smoothly it drafted. The only negative comment I have about the stuff is that when I finished spinning it, I only wanted more. (And as luck would have it, I do have more.)

Random tidbit #2:

A while back Dave posted about some "ugly socks" he was knitting. While I don't think his socks are ugly at all, I do have a contribution of my own to the Ugly Socks Brigade.

I knitted these from some yarn I dyed nearly two years ago (my first yarn dyeing experience, in fact). My feelings about these socks are so mixed. Since I dyed the yarn myself, I feel a little guilty about calling the socks ugly. And really, I don't really think they're ugly...but nor do I think they're particularly attractive. I like the colors individually. I like the way the short color repeats knitted up. But there's just something not quite right about the overall effect. I can't even begin to articulate why I feel that way, but there it is.

When I was trying to figure out what to call these socks, all I could think was "Rastafarian camouflage." It's a bit ridiculous, but henceforth these will be my "Rastaflage" socks.

On the upside, I'm pretty happy with the yarn base (Kraemer Yarns Jeannie). The yarn itself is not overly soft, but the longer I knit, the more I appreciate sturdy sock yarns. Jeannie has lovely stitch definition, and I think it will wear like a champ.

Random tidbit #3:

If I'm in love with BMFA superwash merino, it's fair to say that I have more than a mild crush on Fiber Optic's 80% superwash merino 20% nylon pencil roving.

Colorway: "Lazy River"
3 ply
380 yards
110 grams

While pencil roving is never going to be my favorite form of fiber to spin, I'll make an exception for this stuff. It's silky smooth, and the colors are intense. And I really love that it has nylon in it. Commercially prepared wool/nylon blends are surprisingly hard to come by, especially dyed ones.

Random tidbit #4:

I'm off this week to visit my BFF in Washington, DC. Well, the main purpose of the visit is to see my friend, but I will admit to scheduling it this weekend so that I could go to Maryland Sheep & Wool. I'm only human, after all, and my friend is extremely understanding and supportive. I may have to knit her some more socks, though.

All Spun Up

2009-04-13T17:10:00.002-05:00

As I was trying to hammer out some blog material, I realized that a couple of my recent yarns have fallen through the cracks (as far as documentation is concerned, anyway). Please allow me to remedy that situation now.

It's no secret that my favorite indie fiber dyer is Kristin of All Spun Up. I'm sure I go on and on about her fabulous fibers as if she's paying me for advertising, but honestly, I just can't help but gush. For instance, I started out with this:

It was so pretty in fiber form that it almost seemed a shame to spin it up. But I'm a spinner, so I spun it.

Fiber: merino combed top
3 ply
550 yards
110 grams

This is currently my favorite skein of handspun. I can't get over how happy it makes me. (Love those peeks of orange!) Now I just need to come up with a worthy project for it. Socks are my default, of course, but do I really want to put all that loveliness in my shoes?

I also finished up a skein from the most recent installment of the ASU SAL. For this round the fiber was BFL.

3 ply
380 yards
108 grams

Although I'm slightly disappointed with my yardage—my goal was 400 yards—I can hardly hold the yarn responsible for my own shortcomings. The blue is so brilliantly vivid that everyone who sees it in person comments about it. One or two have already tried to make off with it. I suppose that's a success, yes?

Deadlines

2009-03-30T16:53:00.002-05:00

I recently spent two solid weeks working on a knitting deadline (which partially explains my blog inactivity). Normally I work best under a deadline, but this experience was almost frantic. Even worse, it was of my own doing. I really hate it when I have no one to blame but myself.

Toward the beginning of February, I received an invitation to a baby shower that was scheduled for the third week of March. "No problem," thought I. It was plenty of time to knit some sweet baby gear. I spent the first week deciding whether to make a blanket or a sweater. Then I spent far too much time obsessing about color and pattern. After much dawdling, I realized that I only had two weeks until the shower, and I absolutely had to make a decision. (Oh, and I had to entertain houseguests the week before the shower.) Ah, procrastination—my old nemesis.

And what did I decide to knit? A toddler-sized fingering weight cardigan with a hood. Egad.

But I did it. I didn't get the buttons sewn on until the morning of the shower, but that is neither here nor there at this point, right?

Pattern: "A Cardigan for Merry," by annypurls
Yarn: Fearless Fibers lightweight superwash merino sock yarn, "Inner Sanctum"
Needles: 2.50 mm.

Very happy with the cable grafting

I have wanted to knit this cardigan ever since I first saw the pattern a couple of years ago. Being mostly stockinette, it really is a fairly simple cardi. The reversible cable is quite intuitive to knit, too. Because I had delayed the decision about what to knit, though, I definitely had to knit it with yarn from my stash. My two favorite colors for baby sweaters are green and orange, and since the last two baby sweaters I knit were green, I wanted to go for orange. Luckily I had two skeins that fit the bill. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn, but I did a bit of number crunching for my fingering weight, and all turned out well.

Before I started on the baby cardi, I managed to finish up some yarn that's related to another deadline.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Touch Me"
3 ply
806 yards
212 grams

My two pink-loving nieces both have birthdays at the end of April. Can I bring myself to knit two pairs of bright pink socks in that time? Stay tuned to watch the ~~disaster~~ progress.

February Gentleman Sweater

2009-03-14T10:17:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all who helped me convince the Professor to pose in his new sweater. The photos I got aren't stellar, but since it was over 80°F outside during the shoot, I took the shots as quickly as possible. It seemed cruel to make him wear a wool sweater in that kind of heat.

Pattern: Cobblestone Pullover, by Jared Flood
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, color 2445, "Shire," 6 skeins
Needles: US size 7 (4.50 mm)

This sweater is easy and fun to knit. Because my gauge was a bit smaller than the pattern called for, I knit a size larger (43.5 inches) than I normally would have. The sweater is a little roomy on him, but I'm glad I didn't knit the smaller size. He does have to roll up the sleeve cuffs, but he tells me that's a common problem for him. I'll have to file that knowledge away for future reference.

The good news is that the Professor really seems to like the sweater. He has worn it quite a bit since his birthday...in public even! And I think he looks quite fetching in it.

First and second

2009-03-02T16:49:00.002-06:00

I recently finished spinning up my first laceweight, and I must admit to being fairly pleased with myself, if only because I proved I still know how to do 2 ply.

This multicolored merino made its way into my stash when I first started spinning, but I could never figure out what I wanted to do with it. When I decided to try my hand at spinning laceweight, this was the first fiber that came to mind. I thought it would make a nice heathery yarn, and so it did.

Fiber: Ashland Bay multicolor merino, "Forest"
2 ply
1600 yards
209 grams

Since I normally spin sock yarn, I'm used to adding a lot of twist when I spin. I wanted this yarn to be softly spun, though, so I had to give it a little thought before I started. In the end I decided to back down one notch from my smallest (fastest) whorl and go for it, and I'll be damned if it didn't work. The yarn is soft and squishy. Is it perfect lace yarn? No, certainly not. Is it good enough for me? Oh yes. I will admit, however, that at certain points I didn't think I'd make it through all the plying. For the first time I wished for an electric spinner to help move things along.

I also got some socks off the needles last week.

Pattern: Thelonious, by Cookie A.
Yarn: Brooks Farm Acero
Needles: 2.00 mm DPNs

This pattern is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, this is the second time I've knit it. Both times I made them for other people, and yet I would still like a pair for myself. Can I bring myself to knit the same pattern three times? The answer is probably "yes."

I'm still trying to get photos of the Professor's his birthday present, but confound the man, he keeps wearing it. (And he normally doesn't come home until well after dark—a terrible time for getting good photos.) I would really like to get shots with him modeling it, but he seems down on the idea. Still, he does read this blog, and if he sees comments from people stating how much they would like to see him wearing his birthday gift, he might succumb to peer pressure. It's an idea, anyway.

Knit like the wind! (I wish)

2009-02-17T17:27:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I checked in here, and ironically, my blog neglect has everything to do with fibery activities. I'll start of with spinning, because you know I always have spinning.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Stand by Me"
3 ply
832 yards
228 grams
Sigh. I think this is my new favorite CMF colorway (until I spin up the next one, at least). I definitely will be knitting something for myself with this yarn.

Believe it or not, I've been devoting most of my time lately to knitting. Apparently knitting for myself isn't much of a motivation, but knitting for others? That totally gets me in gear.

This pair of socks for a friend started off horribly, but I have since come to love them. The main problem was with the skein of yarn. The yarn itself (Brooks Farm Acero) is lovely, but I got a bum skein. It tangled so horribly as I was winding it that I nearly shed tears of complete frustration. At times I despaired of ever getting it off my swift. It took me more than two hours to wind it completely. As far as I can tell, it was a break in the yarn that caused all my heartache.

In my frustration, I fired off a diplomatically worded (I hope) email to Brooks Farm to let them know about the trouble I was having. Well, they couldn't have been nicer. They offered to refund my money, or if I wanted to keep the yarn, they would pay for the postage to have me send it to them so they could wind it for me. At that point, I had gotten the yarn wound myself, but I so appreciated their reply. Hooray for companies that stand behind their products!

The knitting project that has been eating up the most of my time, though, is the Professor's birthday present. Today is his birthday, but since he hasn't yet opened his gift (and since he reads this blog), I can't show y'all what it is. However, I will show the swatch I did for it.

Happy birthday, my dear, sweet Professor! I'm so grateful that you're my lab partner for life. You can keep me after class any time.

Going quietly about my business

2009-01-22T18:08:00.003-06:00

I finished some socks, and I could not be happier with them.

Yarn: my own handspun (Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "We Are the Champions")
Plain stockinette sock over 64 stitches
2.00 mm needles

I had forgotten how quickly plain socks knit up! At some point I think I convinced myself that I needed lots of patterning in order to keep myself entertained, but these socks have completely quashed that notion. I loved every second of knitting these. My sock mojo seems to be back.

I also plied the bobbin of Targhee from my last post.

Fiber: Sweet Grass Wool Targhee, "Hidden Canyon"
Navajo/chain ply
610 yards
110 grams

Ah Targhee, how I love thee! This wool has serious bounce. It spins up a lot like merino, but it's more elastic. If you've been with me for a while, this colorway might look familiar. I spun up another skein of it last April and subsequently sent the yarn to its new home with Peaknit. This new skein came out a little finer than I had intended, but I'm sure I'll think of something to do with it.

And last but not least, here is round three of the All Spun Up spin-along.

This time the fiber is 70% superwash merino, 30% alpaca. This particular colorway is nearly impossible to photograph accurately. In real life the fiber is a fair bit darker than the above photo. Anyhoo, I have spun up half of the fiber into this:

3 ply
420 yards
111 grams

I really don't think Kristin is capable of producing a bad colorway, and this skein is further evidence in support of my theory. Rest assured, though, that I will continue to subject this theory to rigorous testing.

Progress continues

2009-01-11T09:49:00.003-06:00

I'm still a bit behind, so I have lots to show today. Spinning is back on track after the holiday lull. A while back I signed up for the Fat Cat Knits fiber club. The first shipment arrived in September, and I have only just gotten around to spinning it up.

Fiber: 100% merino
3 ply
486 yards
109 grams

The soft greens and lavender in this yarn remind me of spring. This isn't a colorway I would have chosen for myself, but nevertheless, I'm pleased with the finished yarn.

I'm continuing to attack my pile of Crown Mountain Farms fiber too.

Fiber: Bluefaced Leicester, "Silk Road"
3 ply
818 yards
209 grams

Every time I spin BFL, I wonder why I don't spin it more often. The soft luster and silky hand make me giddy. And this colorway in shades of brown and dusky purple is simply awesome.

Continuing the theme of breaking out of my merino rut (at least temporarily), I also spun up a bobbin of Targhee.

On to knitting... Here's the finished shot my my handspun Morning Surf scarf.
Pattern: Morning Surf scarf by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer (66 stitches)
Yarn: my own handspun (100% superwash merino)

I couldn't be happier with this scarf. It looks shockingly bright against my black wool winter coat, and the contrast pleases me immensely.

My sock knitting mojo seems to be slowly creeping back as well. I started knitting a pair out of the recently spun "We Are the Champions" yarn.

So far so good. I had forgotten how satisfying plain stockinette socks can be.

Catching up

2009-01-04T11:16:00.004-06:00

The holidays sucked away all my blogging time, but that doesn't mean I haven't spinning and knitting away. Now I find that I'm woefully behind on documenting my projects, so it seems easiest to to it in one fell swoop.

First, spinning.

This is some gorgeous merino top I got from Kristin at All Spun Up. It seemed almost too pretty to spin, but spin it up I did.

3 ply
404 yards
108 grams

I love love love how this yarn came out. It was always meant to be a gift for a friend, but I will admit that I gave it away with a certain amount of reluctance.

Then I finished up the twin of the handspun yarn that was one of the prizes in my birthday giveaway.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Crocodile Walk"
3 ply
420 yards
118 grams

This yarn met with a sad fate while I was reskeining it. Somehow I managed to turn part of it into an enormous tangle. After spending nearly two hours trying to sort out the mess—it's handspun after all—I decided I would have to cut out the worst of it (about five yards of irretrievably tangled mess). So this skein has something that no other skein of my handspun has ever had—a knot. Sigh. Oh well, it' s still pretty.

Crown Mountain Farms has had some great sales in the past few months, and as a result, my bin of CMF fiber is overflowing. In an attempt to make room, I've been spinning up a lot of it.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "We Are the Champions"
3 ply
908 yards
233 grams

And believe it or not, I have been doing a fair amount of knitting too. When I finished my my Christmas knitting a week before the big day, I decided that was enough time to knit one or two things to put in the Professor's stocking. I made him a hat first.

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood
Yarn: Cascade 220 superwash, color 865

Since the hat only took a couple of evenings, I cast on for a pair of socks as well.

Yarn: Rio de la Plata superwash sock yarn, color SC46 (port royal, bison, topiary)
Pattern: improvised

I really like how these socks came out, although they are quite fraternal in color. One sock leans more red, and the other more green. Really though, who is going to be looking that closely at his feet?

And finally, I've been working on a little something for myself.

To be completely honest, this scarf is now finished and blocked. I just liked this photo of it in its unblocked state.

Holidays = Crazy Woman

2008-12-17T17:30:00.002-06:00

This year has been all about spinning for me. As a result, I've neglected my knitting most shamefully. In fact, I had only planned to knit one holiday gift—the ankle socks my mom requested long ago. So I dutifully spun up the yarn and knit the socks.

These are just plain ankle socks with a bit of alternating 2 x 2 ribbing on the instep just to keep me interested. That should have been it. Holiday knitting done!

But then something happened inside me last week. A little voice said, "You're a knitter! You must knit more gifts." And like a fool, I decided to heed that voice. Does this happen to the rest of you around the holidays? Because now I'm wondering why I do this to myself year in and year out. When I posed that question to the Professor, he just looked at me gravely. I think he was implying that no sane woman would cause herself so much stress.

Anyway, since time was limited, I decided to see how many hats I could crank out in a week. The answer for me on this particular week was four. (And during that week, I did not spin at all. No. Spinning. At. All.)

Pattern: A Hat Fit for a Boyfriend
Yarn: my own handspun, 70% superwash merino 30% alpaca, "Stormy Weather"

Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish worsted, Wisteria (left) and Clematis Heather (right)

Pattern: Habitat by Jared Flood
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride superwash, gray heather

And now I will observe a moment of silence in gratitude to Jared Flood's incredible hat mojo.

You're all winners

2008-12-01T16:29:00.002-06:00

All right, I chose a wistful title for this post. I do not actually have 55 prizes...only three. And without further ado, the winners are:

Jodi, whose first choice prize (only choice, actually) was the skein of handspun yarn;
Aisling, who will be getting her second choice prize, the Japanese stitch pattern book; and
Lori, who will receive the skein of Wollmeise, which was actually her first choice!

I've sent emails to all the winners, so if you are one of those three, please send me your address so I can get your prizes in the mail. (Except you, Aisling. I'll bring your prize to the next knit night you can make.)

Many thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway! It took me a while to sit down and draw the winners, so your patience is much appreciated.

Knitting and spinning posts to follow as soon as I can get some decent photos.

Spinning along

2008-11-24T19:24:00.003-06:00

I have never been much of a joiner. In fact, I'm downright unsociable in many ways. However, sometimes I can't resist following the crowd. Case in point: the second All Spun Up spin along. I had such a lovely time spinning up the fiber in the first round that I absolutely could not miss the second. This time the fiber was superfine merino, and the colorway perfectly captures the beauty of autumn.

Naturally I signed up for a double dose (8 oz.), and I planned to spin it up as 3 ply (because apparently that's the only trick in my bag these days). However, a number of the SAL participants were Navajo plying theirs, and I was charmed by the results they were getting. What's a girl to do? Spin it up both ways, of course.

3 ply
458 yards
119 grams

Navajo (chain) plied
388 yards
120 grams

Since I had no immediate plans for the yarn, it didn't bother me in the least that the skeins would not match. What does have me perplexed is the difference in yardages. I thought I had spun the singles at the same thickness, but clearly I did not. Oh well. It's all a learning experience.

Thanks to all who left comments and sent emails full of good birthday wishes. It was a lovely birthday. The Professor surprised me with a wonderful fiber-related gift.

I have a skein winder at last! This one is the 2-yard manual version from Crazy Monkey. It's quite sturdy and thoughtfully designed. The only thing it's lacking is a rotation counter, but the Professor has procured one for me. What a nice man he is. Of course, it may be that he simply was tired of listening to me curse at my niddy noddy.

There are still a few hours left to enter my birthday giveaway! See the previous post.

A palindromic age

2008-11-17T17:31:00.002-06:00

Today is my 33rd birthday. Somehow I think that 33 must be an auspicious age, although I don't have a rational explanation for why I feel that way. Birthdays that are also palindromes just seem special. Good things are bound to happen. After all, I met the Professor when I was 22, and as it happens, he met me when he was 33. See what I mean? Good things. (Those of you who really know me may be wondering where this optimism is coming from. Again, I can't explain it.)

Anyway, I have always been of the opinion that it is far more fun to give than to receive, so I have some birthday gifts for you all—three birthday gifts, to be exact. Apropos, no? And since I believe in giving 'til it hurts, I have chosen three extra-special gifts.

First up is a skein of my handspun 3 ply fingering weight yarn. The fiber is Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino in the "Crocodile Walk" colorway. The skein weighs 118 grams (4.125 oz.) and is 420 yards. I hope the shades of green and russet will appeal to a wide range of tastes.

Next is a brand new (unused, that is) Japanese stitch dictionary. This one contains 500 different stitch patterns. If you've never perused a Japanese stitch book, you're in for a treat. There's lots of scope for the imagination in this between these pages. The book is in Japanese, but every stitch pattern is charted, so knitters of all linguistic bacgrounds should be able to use it.

Last, and certainly not least, is a skein of Wollmeise 100% superwash merino sock yarn in "Veilchen" (the strong/dark version). Yes, I'm breaking into my precious but neglected stash of Wollmeise. (Let it not be said that I won't sacrifice for all of you!) You can't really tell from the photo, but there's a rich, vibrant purple in addition to the deep blue.

That's it—three prizes for three winners. Now, I really can't decide what should be first, second, and third prize, so I'm leaving it up to you. To enter, just leave a comment on this post listing your first, second, and third choice for prizes. I'll randomly select three entries. The first winner selected will get his or her first choice of prize. The second winner selected will receive the highest remaining prize in her/his ranking. The third winner will get, well, whatever is left; however, the last prize may well be that person's first or second ranking.

Got it? I'll leave the contest open until midnight (Central Standard Time) next Monday, November 24, and I'll announce the winners shortly thereafter. Anyone with a mailing address on Planet Earth is welcome to enter. Oh, but only one entry per person, please. Thanks, everyone! I'm off in search of birthday cake...

Just Kid 'n Ewe

2008-11-15T15:15:00.003-06:00

Last weekend five of us from the Sisters of the Wool made our way down to Boerne, Texas (north of San Antonio) for the Kid 'N Ewe fiber festival. Considering the name of the festival, alpacas seemed to be overrepresented.

Cuervo (left) and Masquerade (right)

These cuties were at the festival two of the three days we were there. This was the only shot I managed to get with both of them in the frame. Cuervo seemed to be a little stressed out about all the people and the unusual surroundings, so he kept making a sweet little humming noise. I just wanted to hug him and take him home with me. Oh, and did you know how dangerous alpacas are?

It's true. They will.

The only other livestock we saw were the cashmere goats. (Alas, I got no photos of them.) We happened upon the barn in the middle of judging, and the judge was kind enough to turn the event into a sort of workshop about what qualities they look for in the animals.

The folks form Wyatt Spinning Wheels were at the festival. Here's one of Bill Wyatt's apprentices demonstrating their Great Wheel. It was really mesmerizing to watch.

I was hesitant to sit down at one of the Wyatt wheels myself since I was fairly certain I would want one if I tried it. It wasn't until the second day that I couldn't resist any longer, and I parked myself in front of his Pegasus wheel. Oh my, I really have no words. OK, I do have one word: love! I may have put my name on the 2-year waiting list for one. Sigh.

As far as my yarn and fiber purchases, I think I was reasonably restrained. (Hey, I can hear all of you snorting.)

Jojoland Melody superwash yarn and Swirl Shawl pattern

Plain & Fancy Texas wool singles yarns, sport and fingering weights

Brooks Farm Primero, Acero, and Mas Acero

Cibolo Creek prepared alpaca fiber

This alpaca fiber was the softest I came across at the festival, and I love the light fawn color. It came from a Huacaya female named Tapatia (or "Tia" for short). We talked to Suzanne, the owner, for several minutes, and she was kind enough to show us adorable photos of Tia. Suzanne was so enthusiastic about Tia and her fiber that she was practically bubbling. How could I not buy some? I plan to spin it up into laceweight and knit myself a stole from it. It'll be the perfect souvenir of a glorious weekend.

Hallowe'en

2008-10-31T12:00:00.002-05:00

Wishing you all a very scary (scary in a safe way, of course) Halloween!

No, I am not crazy enough to give homemade caramels to the trick-or-treaters. These are for my coworkers. The trick-or-treaters will get mass produced, individually wrapped gobs of sugar and chocolate that have never been touched by human hands. It's sad, really. Here's a thought: anyone who shows up on my doorstep tonight and yells "merino!" instead of "trick or treat!" should get a caramel. If I have any left, that is.

Sock yarn forever

2008-10-30T17:30:00.002-05:00

I love spinning fingering weight yarn, although I rarely spin with socks specifically in mind. My latest yarns, though, are all about socks.

A while back, my mom told me she would like some purple ankle socks. With the holidays and her December birthday quickly approaching, I realized I'd better get to it. Alas, I had no purple handspun that would fit the bill, so I picked something appropriate from the stash and got started.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
3 ply
880 yards total

Purple ankle socks—that's what Mom asked for—yet somehow I translated that request into nearly 900 yards of sock yarn. Hmm. I blame Crown Mountain Farms for selling their superwash merino in 8.5 oz. lots. The yarn spun up so nicely, I just couldn't stop at half the fiber.

I'm about halfway through knitting the socks, and not surprisingly, there's still a lot of yarn left. Mom might also get some coordinating mitts and/or a scarf to go with her socks.

I had such a great time spinning up the purple yarn that I pulled some more CMF out of the stash. This time I had no real purpose in mind; I just wanted to see how the crazy colors would look in 3 ply sock yarn.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Born to Be Wild"
3 ply
860 yards total

I was a little worried that spinning this yarn as 3 ply would muddy the bright colors too much, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results I got. It's true that the colors are probably less distinct than they would have been in 2 ply, but I'm utterly charmed by the 3 ply effect.

One of these skeins has already gone to a new home, but I'm not sure what I want to do with the other. The colors aren't really me. However, I suspect the yarn might appeal to one or both of my nieces.

Shine

2008-10-12T09:32:00.003-05:00

I've always been something of a plain Jane. Although I always try to be presentable, I don't actually like to draw attention to myself. And stereotypical feminine interests like clothes, makeup, jewelry, accessories, and shopping have never held much appeal for me. My no-frills sensibilities also transfer over to my yarn choices. I tend to like traditional plied yarns; no novelty yarns for me, thank you very much. (However, I do like color, so I don't think I'm a complete fuddy-duddy.)

Recently though, I spun a couple of yarns that made even me say, "Ooh, shiny!"

Over the past year, I've stashed a few merino/tencel blends, but until now I had been a bit hesitant to try spinning one of them. I had read a few comments about tencel being tricky to spin, so I thought it best to wait until my spinning skills were a bit more developed. Now I can't help thinking, "What was I waiting for?"

Fiber: Squoosh 50% superwash merino 50% tencel, "Fraises"
3 ply
390 yards
105 grams

I'll admit it, I've never been a fan of pink. It's far too girly for me. But pink and brown? That's a color combination I can get behind. As for this fiber blend, I can sum up the spinning experience in one word: smooooooth. The fiber just slipped through my fingers, and there were really no neps to speak of. My only complaint is that the fiber tended to drift apart. After each spinning session, I had to wipe up wisps of tencel from the furniture and from myself. Everything the fiber touched ended up looking as though it were covered in cobwebs.

I consider the yarn itself to be an unqualified success, though. The tencel adds a lot of shine and drape. I know a lot of tencel blend yarns are marketed for socks, but I'm not so sure that's the best application for this fiber. Tencel really has no elasticity, so I think it's better for things like scarves and shawls. In fact, I'll probably aim for laceweight the next time I spin this blend. This skein has already gone to its new home with my friend Edith, and I can't wait to see what she makes with it.

The second fiber blend has a shine that's a bit more subtle than the tencel blend, and I think I like it all the better for it.

Fiber: All Spun Up 60% merino 40% bamboo
3 ply
410 yards
107 grams

The white bamboo fibers in this make the yarn look almost like it has a frost on it. The effect really is lovely. And the fiber itself was dreamy to spin. I'll definitely be treating myself to more of it in the future.

Compared to the sw merino/tencel blend, this yarn has quite a bit more bounce. I attribute it to the slightly higher percentage of wool and the fact that the merino is not superwash. The yarn has enough elasticity that I would consider making socks out of it. It would also make a lovely scarf, cowl, hat, or pair of mitts. Hmm...

Brace yourselves for actual knitting

2008-09-30T16:52:00.003-05:00

Although I claim to be a knitter and crocheter, lately this has turned into a complete spinning blog. (Actually, I'm not sure I've ever blogged about crocheting, except for my infamous knitting vs. crochet yarn consumption experiment. Hmm, maybe I need to start a crochet project...) Apparently I'm not much of a multi-tasker.

In any case, I come to you today with actual proof that I do still knit. I give you Exhibit A:

Pattern: Undulating Rib Socks by Ann Budd (from IK's Favorite Socks)
Yarn: my own handspun (100% merino)
Needles: 1.50 mm DPNs (US 000)

Even though I've spun approximately 35 skeins of yarn, this is only the second time I've actually knit with my own handspun. I really need to slow down with the spinning slightly, because knitting with handspun is just plain awesome. Awesome, I tell you!

And yes, I did knit these on 1.5 mm needles at approximately 11 stitches per inch. Why? Well, the yarn was fairly fine to begin with, although still very much a fingering weight. Also, this wool is not superwash, and I figure tightly knit socks are less likely to felt than loosely knit socks. Most importantly, though, is that I want these socks to last. After all, I took all the trouble to spin and knit them, so I want the Professor to get lots of good wear out of them. (I've warned him repeatedly about the washing machine too.)

This is actually the second time I've knit this pattern (well, sort of), but I think this pattern is really fantastic for self-striping handspun yarns. My friend Angeluna knitted a pair from Sock Hop last year, and I have admired them ever since. So when I was trying to decide on a suitable sock pattern for handspun, this one immediately came to mind.

The other thing I like about this pattern? It looks good on both sides. The photo above shows the wrong side, and the following photo gives a side-by-side view of the right and wrong sides. Both look great, and it's a good thing too. The Professor sometimes can't tell whether his handknit socks are inside out.

With this project complete, I've been fantasizing about bigger knitting projects—namely, sweaters. Even though I haven't knit many sweaters, I do have sweater quantities of yarn in the stash. Time to dig in, I think.

Goodbye summer, hello autumn

2008-09-21T13:49:00.003-05:00

The weather here in Texas is still decidedly summer-like, but I'm more than ready for autumn. Before moving here I had always lived in places where September meant the beginning of cooler weather, so being this warm at this time of year feels downright unnatural. My most recent spinning seems to reflect my desire for a change in season.

This first yarn is definitely summery. It makes me think of ripe peaches and raspberries. However, the orange tones definitely hint of coming autumn.

Fiber: All Spun Up 100% merino
3 ply
476 yards
118 grams
I love how this yarn turned out. The colors came together quite nicely, and the yarn itself has an enormous amount of bounce. It's an all-around happy yarn.

The next yarn is spun from a more autumnal palette, although I can't help thinking of Mardi Gras when I see these colors together. (A friend looked at the yarn and called it, "Mardi Gras in the forest." Very apropos.)

Fiber: Copperpot Woolies 100% merino, "Mulled Cider"
3 ply
376 yards
115 grams

I do love the colors, but I'm not completely happy with this yarn. Somehow I managed to overspin it. Thinking about it now, I'm not quite sure how I did it. After all, I've spun a boatload of merino, and I spun this using the same ratios I normally use for fine wool. Perhaps the fact that this wool is a carded prep rather than my usual combed top made the difference. It's good to have these reminders about how much I have yet to learn about spinning.

The yarn itself is perfectly usable, but it doesn't quite have the soft loftiness and bounce I'm used to from merino. It's rather sturdy. Still, it would probably make a reasonably hard-wearing pair of socks.

Believe it or not, I have started picking up my knitting needles more frequently of late. I should actually have some finished knitting to show within a week. Yes, I'm rather shocked about it myself.