Ravelry Mania

I'm home recuperating and just well enough to become absolutely obsessed with getting all my yarns into Ravelry. The problem with my yarn stash is that it mainly consists of one or two skeins per yarn so it's going VERY slowly. I've spent 10 hours today retrieving, organizing, photographing, and putting back about 70 yarns.

And, I'm only about 1/3, if that, done.

Ashland Bay "Columbia"

Have I said how much I dislike this fiber? This is close to the end of what I'd bought when I first started spinning. And, in July 2007 I sold the Bosworth Journey Wheel to someone who really wanted it, with the help of the wonderful Bosworths. It was quite an adventure but I learned my lesson never to use the services of my local so-called shipping store. The Journey Wheel was a beautiful piece of furniture for my small apartment but never versatile enough for me. I needed a wheel that could spin thick to thin. I'm sorry that I had to part with Jonathan's beautiful handiwork.

Coopworth Skein, May 2007

This finishes up one my first rovings. , except for one spindlefull I found just after I spun and plied this. Because I spun the Coopworth is fairly thick and fuzzy (read: woollen), it did not ply well on the Journey Wheel. However, I was able to ply it on my trusty Louet.

Socks with Trekking XXL

Pattern: My own for The D.B., starting with 96 stitches on #1 needles. Gauge is c.9st to 1". Stitch pattern: basket weave rib -- her favorite
Materials: Trekking XXL Color 298, dye lot 4206 ; 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. 2.5 oz (100 g) ; 459 yds (420 m);
Jawoll Superwash Sock Yarn by Lang, Color Dark Moss 75% superwash, 18% nylon and 7% acrylic.
She loves this yarn so much that I bought the only 6 I could find on the web plus 3 more of the Lang Jawoll Dark Moss.

Aren't these pretty? I made them for The D.B. but I gave them to her before I photographed them. I've lost the ball band but do remember that it was a skein of Trekking XXL bought at Woolcott & Company in Cambridge in June 2006. I finished them sometime in early 2007. Meanwhile, the socks are in the semi-dress section of the The D.B.'s sock cabinet.

There's no way to coordinate the colors in both socks but it doesn't matter. The stitch is The D.B.'s favorite -- basket weave rib.

Stoke-On-Trent Knit & Felt Tote by Sarah Bradberry

Phoebe the cat is studying the pre-felted market bag. The photo was taken in early January 2007. I haven't fulled/ felted the bag yet because we've been having septic tank, or rather, the pipe to the septic tank problems in NJ so I don't want to tax the waste water disposal situation.

Finally, in on February 2, 2008 I felted the bag while doing the laundry in the city apartment's basement washroom. It took two go-throughs.

My daughter visited me on February 9 -- a refuah shleymah visit following my surgery on February 5. She is mighty pleased with her birthday present bag in her favorite color combination of pink and brown.
Materials: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted
Pattern: Sara Bradberry. Click title of posting for link to pattern

Hat Emergency solved!

Hat Replacement #1
My DB loves this hat. Actually, she just adored its predecessor, lost in a cab, probably, at the end of January. She was disconsolate! But, not to fear, I always keep skeins of the yarn set aside for possible replacement of the hat and the matching mittens. The DB is a most faithful sort, not one to lust after a new hat style. So, last Monday I started to replace it. Made originally in December 2001 from a Bernat booklet's beret pattern, which I adjusted considerably, this hat had (has) been a great success.

Why are there two photos of what appears to be the same hat? Because yesterday, Sunday, I finished the second, emergency backup hat ...just in case the first gets lost. The differences between the two: I made a couple of mistakes in the decreases in #2 and the pompom is more compact.



Materials: 1 skein each of Lamb's Pride Worsted in Periwinkle and Creme. #3 & #5 circular needles; #5 dps,
cardboard for pompom
Circumference: 21.5" -- women's medium

Pattern: Cast on 106 stitches on #3 20" circ. needle using periwinkle. Complete 10 rounds in k1p1 rib. In next round increase to 120 stitches every in alternating 7th and 8th stitch (k in front and back of stitch). This increase avoids the holes of "make 1, using the horizontal thread between stitches" in the original pattern. Thus: increase in first stitch, then in 8th, then in the 7th and so on.
Change to white yarn and begin pattern: k11, p1. This creates 10 sections in the hat, separated by a purl "ditch" which helps hide the increases and gives the hat structure and shape.
Change color every two rows. The first row of the new color is the increase row until 220 stitches have been reached for a wonderfully full tam-like beret. For a more modest, less outrageous beret, increase only to 190 stitches.
Increases: After some experimenting I found the perfect increase for this hat. Knit all the k stitches in the section and only then pick up the horizontal yarn between the last knit stitch and the purl stitch. Place it on the needle with the yarn on the front of the needle slanting from the bottom left side of the last knit stitch to the top of the needle (up and left). Increase by knitting a stitch into the back of the loop on the needle. This avoids holes.
When you reach the desired outer width of the tam/beret, in the next color change begin decreases, knitting together the last two knit stitches before the purl in each of the twelve sections. As with the increases, decrease in the first row of the color change. Continue to decrease until 24 sts remain. Last decrease: knit together the last k and p stitch in each section. Thread yarn through stitches and pull together tightly through bottom of hat to avoid that silly bump which sometimes results.
Pompom, optional but mighty -- use any method you like. I wrapped a lot of yarn around a 3" wide piece of cardboard, tied the middle of each side together firmly with matching thread, slipped it off the cardboard, wrapped the thread around the two little "waists" to make 1 pompom, cut the loops and trimmed it until it was round. Very simple. No tools are ever needed for pompoms.

This is a thick, warm hat.

Hat & Scarf for Stitch'n'Time's Sunday Lunch Program Project

Here's the hat and scarf I finished on February 10 during the first days following surgery on February 5. Let me recommend this as a great recovery activity. I chose something that wouldn't be too much of a challenge and would also be very forgiving. Instead of knitting either the hat or the scarf as the directions advised, I decided to knit both.

At work we have a charity knitting program called Stich 'n' Time, chaired by the lovely and most capable Charlene W. They are planning to give out hand-made scarves and hats to the people who come to The Sunday Lunch Program on February 24. Claire Brenner, President of the Big Apple Knitters Guild, created the patterns for Stich 'n' Time , who also provided the yarn to willing knitters.

I used 6.5 oz of a 7 oz / 187 g. skein of Bernat SuperValue Acrylic, 382 yds / 350 m. in worsted weight. The hat weighed 2.5 oz, the scarf 4 oz.

Because I knit loosely I used #7 needles instead of the recommended #8 and cast on 34 stitches instead of the recommended 32. The edge stitch is a chain edge. It's 14" of garter stitch, 14" of k2p2 rib and 14" of garter. I made the hat on a 16" #7 circular needle instead of the recommended 2 needles, ending, of course, with #7 dp's. Cast on 88 sts, k2p2 for 5"; stockingette st for an additional 5" then decrease every other row , evenly 11 times in the round. It works out to k6, k2tog in the first dec.row; k5, k2tog in 2 dec.row, etc. until there are 11 stitches, then pull these together tightly.

Thank you, Charlene and Claire, for the chance to participate in this project.

Tofutsies Tried

Here is my D.B., sporting socks finished in mid-August, 2007. I used Tofutsies by Southwest Trading Company and #1 needles, using a pattern I designed for her very own legs and feet! And, she loved the cheerful colorway.

I wish the socks looked as good now. In just four months of wearing they've become rather drab. Luckily my D.B. still likes how they feel and doesn't seem perturbed by the change. I did not enjoy knitting with this yarn at all. Not only did it smell of shrimp peels during the humid summer when I was knitting with it, but it split more than any yarn I've ever used. I grew to loathe it. Unfortunately, I have two more skeins.

Present For My Sister

Materials: Ritratto by Filatura Di Crossa, color red #44 dye lot 2091. 3 balls, each 198 yds/1.75 oz.; fiber content: 28% mohair; 53% viscose (rayon); 10% polyamide and 9% p0lyester. I'm not certain which of these fibers adds the subtle metallic glittery element. Knit on #2 needles (wooden), 70 sts in k1p1 rib to give it structure. It's about 60" long and about 10" wide.

Above you can see my sister A. , sitting in the architecturally exciting lobby of the building in which she works. There is so much light and space, both luxuries in the middle of Manhattan Island. I love the way she looks in the scarf and was so pleased that she likes it.

I worked with a number of sizes of needles before deciding that the rich yarn needed the simple structure of k1p1 to show off the beauty of this yarn. It took a long time, actually, to knit it, and confess that I almost kept it for myself.

A few years ago I'd knit a scarf for my aunt, using the now discontinued and impossible to find -- and perfectly lovely -- lavender shade of Ritratto. However, because it was knit in stockingette with only a few stitches on either side on garter, it did curl. Even though I'm an experienced knitter, I failed to avoid the dreaded stockingette curled-up scarf.

Neck Hugger

Last year my sister Angela gave me a very generous gift certificate to String, http://www.stringyarns.com/ my favorite yarn store -- at least before it moved. (Now it's up a flight of brownstone steps which are very hard for me to manouevre on all but my best days. ) Anyway, I treated myself to some qiviuk yarn. Lydia, the brilliant knitter at String, had created a wonderful pattern for a neck hugger I fell in love with. Rather than experimenting with the expensive qiviuk, I made a trial version with some KPPPM Koigu I had in my copious stash. [Color 435 dye lot 34; 100% merino wool, 50 g/ 175 yds.] KPPPM is a tightly plied 2ply and can make a stiff fabric.

This is double knitting at its best and I was eager to try Lydia's beautiful pattern. Because I believe this might be a proprietary pattern, despite it's not having any copyright on it, I will only tell you about the changes I made.

With the recommended #3 needles I used a provisional cast-on to start which made a very clean tubular beginning. The pattern promised a dimension of 5.5" x 27" but no gauge was mentioned. The dimensions after washing, which relaxed the yarn, are 4.75" x 29". This is better for me. Instead of 11 ridges noted in the pattern, to achieve almost the desired width I had to make 14 ridges. I decided not to use Lydia's cast off of * ssk, pass 1st st over* . I painstakingly divided the two sides of the tubular knitting onto two #1 needles and kitchener-stitched the entire 118 sts on each side -- yes a vast total of 236. I wanted to match the tubular cast-on edge. It worked out beautifully, actually. For the side borders, I picked up what worked, not the recommended 42 sts.

To finish I stitched the two layered button hole together.

Because I really like both sides and can't really decide which is the right and which is the wrong side, I decided to make it reversible and bought special buttons for each side. My favorite is the darker silver rounded one which reminds me of the buttons on loden felted coats, jackets and capes I'd had as a child.

The side border is thick so I made certain to buy buttons with posts and sewed them on firmly with a little extra height, wrapping the thread around the extra height. The button is probably supposed to be at the edge of the opposite side border but I didn't quite understand the directions. It works quite nicely with the button in the middle.

So, now I'm ready for the qiviuk.

Afghan for Jeanne: A Work In Progress

The 8 colors in the afghan

The very first square, about 16" x 16". You can see the vestige of the original log cabin plan, although to be consistent, the lavender and olive green would be switched.

The current and 2nd sqare, a variation on the first. Thus far I really like this one as the greens really complement the lavender. But, you never know how the whole will look until it's all put together.

Jeanne knows only too well that I don' t happily take to process, preferring definite decisions or, ideally, solutions. This afghan will be an opportunity to engage in process as I make this afghan for my dear friend. Jeanne is always so supportive of my knitting and most appreciative of anything I make.

Again, I'm being inspired by the techniques in Mason Dixon Knitting (see earlier blog entries for further details). First I began to make a classic log cabin, with the large lavender center as the center of the entire afghan. I chose the llog cabin design as a metaphor for Jeanne's newly-built house in the wild, wild West (brave soul that she is!). That's why the center much bigger than the usual center of a log cabin block. I now think of the llarge centers as evoking the wide open space and large sky of her new home. And, her large heart.

As I knit the first block, I had three thoughts about my original plan. Cotton yarn is quite heavy, doesn't hold its shape well and would benefit greatly from the structure provided by smaller blocks. Secondly, the variation in the size and color of strips around the center of each block would add great visual interest. And, finally, the large centers could be a unifying element depending on how I arrange them.

Planned: 16 blocks. The center four will be blocks with purple and lavender centers. Because Jeanne's feng shui calls for purples and greens, these colors will predominate. I'll see what happens and if I have enough to make four each of the dark purple and lavender center blocks. I have a lot of this yarn and part of the challenge (and fun) is working within the constraints of what there is in the stash.

Next installment: Yarn brand and colors, needle size and progress.

One More Afghan by the Stettenheim Stitchers

The Stettenheim Stitchers finished their third afghan since 2005 for the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services' Sanctuary Stitchers Project. This worthy organization gives these blankets to children entering the foster care system. At the moment, a fourth afghan is being put together and we have enough completed blocks for one more. I've ordered 15 skeins from Yarn Forward, in Canada, which offers a wide variety of Paton's Canadiana acrylic yarn. On January 16 the JBFCS will hold its blanket ceremony where I work so we'll be able to attend.

From left to right in the photo above: L.S., D.M., and W.H.; D.M. and W.H., along with H, who is D.M.'s sister and W.H.'s aunt, made many of the blocks that make up this afghan. Look for their interesting stitch and color patterns. H.L. is our designer who decides how the blocks will be assembled into an afghan. She also does a a big share of the knitting. R.L. cheerfully and efficiently crochets the blocks into strips and then joins the strips to create a whole new afghan, as though by magic. To finish off the project, L.S. sews in the yarn ends and crochets the border. See previous posts for H.L.'s andR.L.'s photos and that of J.R., who'd made a few blocks when she had time in the past. Photo credit: R.W., another Stettenheim Volunteer!

Favorite Washcloth Pattern

Eeek!!! I can't remember which knitting book this came from but I do have several photocopies I made. If anyone recognizes the pattern, please let me know so I can ascribe it properly. My notes say it came from a sock pattern book but the fabric doesn't seem right for socks.

After trying lacy and loose washcloths, I finally realized that because cotton stretches out when its wet, a firm fabric that has texture and is fairly thick makes the best washcloths.

Notes:
Pattern name: III.10 -- a slipped stitch pattern.
Special stitches: C4 (Cross 4) plus slipped stitches.
Pattern is knitted in multiples of 7 plus one.
Better not to have a garter border for this pattern.
Materials: various but at least one with an old skein that's been in the stash for at least 20 years. Bernat "Gloucester Sport", 100% cotton, 1.75 oz / 50 yards; #4 needles. This was finished in June, 2007. I've made several others, including one from a white mystery yarn -- probably acrylic or worse. The D.B. is happy to use it as a dishcloth.

Felted Flower Pin

A couple of years ago I bought two of these kits, one in pinks & purples and this one in earthier tones. Made by KnitWhits, the kit includes directions, about 1 oz total of 4 colors of alpaca / angora yarn and a flimsy pin back. I knit it with #7 needles and felted it by hand, using a glass washboard. To sew it together I tacked down all the loose bits so gravity wouldn't make the petals and leaves flop down. After felting the dimensions are c. 6" wide by 5.25" high. ( 'spose I could have felted it even more but the alpaca/angora blend was a little fragile.

The colors are perfect for M., my friend, mentor and yes, boss. I admire her sense of style and was so pleased she put it right on her coat! I made it to thank her for asking my D.B. and me to a special birthday celebratory lunch -- twol months ago, I'm afraid.

Footlet Socks for a wide foot

I bought this lovely yarn in Las Cruces, NM, visiting my dear friend Jeanne. I loved the shop, Unravel Yarn Shop & Gallery . The very helpful shop owner was happy to point me to yarn manufactured in the region and probably hard to find in the East. There was plenty in the skein for at least a 6" leg at the width knitted, 8" for a narrower leg and ankle. There's enough left over for booties.

Materials: 1 skein LoneSome Stone's Mountain Feat in "Shades of Lavender" 100% superwash Merino in the company's "Premier Color Collection." 400 yards. (no weight on yarn band)
Needles: Addi Turbo #1 because they are at the top range of the #1 size, probably closer to #1.5
Gauge 7 st / 1"
Ease: 12% or 1.42"
Ankle circumference: 12"

I need socks that will fit wide feet and swollen ankles so I designed my own pattern. Next time I'll try Lucy Neatby's double knitting to the method I used, just in case it's easier. My method resulted in a very tidy cuff but was a little painstaking.

Cast on 66 + 1 stitch to allow for the round jog. You may use a provisional cast-on if you like.
Folded-over cuff: knit in k1p1 (using whatever needles or method you like) for 1" or 14 rounds. Purl next round, knit another 14 rounds in p1k1 ribbing. On next round fold over the cuff and pick up one stitch from the live stitches and 1 from cast-on edge. Knit 2 rounds. Next round, increase 6 sts evenly (*knit 10 sts, inc 1 in next stitch* six times). Continue on 72 sts until 3/4" from bottom of cuff.
Heel: used traditional heel with heel stitch ribbing.
Gusset: continue on until 60 sts. Knit until 6" (or desired length -- my food is short).
Toe: decrease 2 sts. at each half of round (4 sts) every other row. When there are 8 sts left, graft sts with kitchener st.

Finished: early November 2007

Third Scarf for the Women's Auxiliary Charity Project

Judy B. is once again my model for a lovely (if I say so myself) dropped stitch scarf, about 6' long, made from Manetto Hill Yarnery's "Awaken", 60 yards / 50g; 100% nylon. I cast on 16 stitches and used #11 needles and 2 1/2 balls The colors on this are hard to see in the photo, which is slightly blurred. It's lovely space dyed ribbon yarn, mainly fuschias to purples. The pattern was to have 2 or 3 garter bumps on each side before a dropped stitch row.

Luckily, the wonderful, generous Phyllis H. who organized the charity project fell in love with the scarf. Phyllis' close friend has bought it for her birthday as a surprise. That's good because Manetto Hill Yarnery seems to be out of business. Oh well.

Spinning Guild Paper Bag Project for 2007

Last spring each North Country Spinners Guild member received a bag with 4 colors of Romney roving, 2 dyed and 2 natural. When I opened my bag I almost cried; one of my colors was school bus yellow . Luckily a very sweet guild member traded me for either the blue or the green - I can't remember now which one.

First I carded each into into about 17 combinations, trying to get as many colors as possible. I didn't photograph the rolags with all their variations. I did get very involved n making sure that each of the four colors was combined with each, sometimes 4 colors altogether.

For the spinning I carefully, albeit totally intuitively, arranged the rolags so that they would alternate dark to medium to light and then spun it woolen.

I began with 4 unmixed colors which you can see in the center of the upside-down bowl. To maintain the colors' distinctiveness I Navajo plied the single and ended up with about 34 yds.

My D.B. loves containers in various places for loose change and sundries. I decided to knit a bowl, using 4 wooden #13 dp's, beginning from the center. I fulled the finished bowl in the washing machine.

Originally I had not looked forward to this project and tried to finish it as soon as possible. These photos were taken on August 3. In the end, however, I really enjoyed the color blending. The little bowl reminds me of the North American Indian baskets which lined the walls of our Anthropology lab at Bryn Mawr. A small version, that is. The subtle differences in color add to the interest, along with the big, thick stitches which look like basketry. And, the D.B. loves it, which is what matters.

More Mats for the Cats or....Whatever

2007 was definitely the Year of the Mat, floor and other. My D.B. has been delighted by the myriad mats. Not being as categorically compulsive as I, she uses them how and wherever she needs them. Unlike me, she is constrained one iota by whether this or that mat was knit for a cat to sit on, humans to stand on while washing dishes or for a kitty placemat.

Materials: the last of the Sugar 'n' Creme by Lily in
Method: Mason Dixon Knitting log cabin technique. 2 strands of worsted weight on #9 needles. Finished 2007 .

Rhinebeck, My Daughter Learns to Spin and I Give Myself a Present

My New Golding Spindle -- "Vintage Sterling Silver" Ring Spindle bought directly from the artist himself. Wow! It's 1.21 oz and works like a dream. It was my present to myself for my 60th birthday. A work of art -- and an indulgence.











Top: Caroline waits in line at Toni's The Fold for Socks That Rock Yarn.
Bottom: Caroline learns to spin on a spinning wheel -- in about 5 minutes she had it down. The vendor, of The Wool Room, Brewster, NY, was a very good teacher and very patient. And, she's off and running! I mean, spinning.

Mermaid for Maria

My friend Maria is a glittery kind of girl (yes, she's a woman and proud of it but it just isn't alliterative, is it?)

For some reason Blogger hasn't uploaded the photos I have in this message. Click on the title to see the mermaid kit and completed project.

About 4 years ago -- maybe longer, our friends from Australia, Joan and Di, gave me this great little kit by a well-known woman artist from New Zealand , Jennifer Pudney. I just couldn't leave well enough alone, could I? So, I removed the gentleman from the lighthouse, fixed the architecture somewhat and added glitz to the mermaid with beads and glittery embroidery yarn. I'd never worked with the shiny embroidery thread I used for the hair and fishtail and will not use it again. It split, ravelled and was awful to use but feasible for a small project. And, it turned out just as I wanted, which is the important thing.

Now I just have to sign it where the signature will be seen when Maria frames it.