Bet you can't tell I'm in love with it!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Swept Along by the Momentum
I know a bunch of readers are waiting for me to get Harriet, the jacket, out there as a written pattern, and I want you to know it's happening. There's a sleeve with part of the body attached sitting on my living room sofa right now. This morning, however, I got caught up in the excitement of finishing up a little spinning project. A while back I bought a fleece braid of BFL from Turtlepurl in a turquoise/lime green combo. Now, I don't have a wheel; I spin exclusively with drop spindles. And I don't give much priority to spinning (sorry, Natalie!). I use it as a kind of "filler" activity for times when I don't feel like knitting (yes, that happens), or for when I've finished one project and haven't decided what to start next. (Big confession: I'm pretty much a monogamous knitter--usually only one project on the go at a time.) The bottom line is that I produce spun yarn rather slowly. Eventually, when I get close to two full toilet paper tubes bobbins, I start to feel the momentum building and end up taking part of a day, or perhaps a full day (on and off) to ply. I use a big spindle to do that because I like to spin worsted weight yarn and it takes a large spindle to hold a decent amount. Once that's done I make it into a skein. I have a niddy noddy, but usually here's how I skein my yarn. I apologize for the dark photos. It's a grey day with rain in the offing.
The tall jar acts as a "kate". I use my right hand to turn the swift, using the little handle at the top. It's the reverse of how the swift is normally used. Next up is a close-up of the newly plyed wool.
The way I spin it "off the fold" causes even my singles to barberpole. By the time the yarn is made into two plies, the colours blend quite nicely. I like this effect and don't bother to make yarn with graduated stripes.
After the winding, the skein has a bath and gets hung to dry. A re-purposed music stand helps out.
Notice how the washing makes the wool "fluff out"?
Well, now that that's out of my system, it's back to Harriet.
The tall jar acts as a "kate". I use my right hand to turn the swift, using the little handle at the top. It's the reverse of how the swift is normally used. Next up is a close-up of the newly plyed wool.
The way I spin it "off the fold" causes even my singles to barberpole. By the time the yarn is made into two plies, the colours blend quite nicely. I like this effect and don't bother to make yarn with graduated stripes.
After the winding, the skein has a bath and gets hung to dry. A re-purposed music stand helps out.
Notice how the washing makes the wool "fluff out"?
Well, now that that's out of my system, it's back to Harriet.
P.S. No idea what I'll do with this yet, but I'm sure this skein will speak to me sometime soon.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
A Different Kind of Design
It's been a year since I gave up on our car. I've joined our local car share, Vrtucar, and for long road trips I take out an Avis rental using our bank card points. I had a car last weekend and decided at long last to visit "Unraveled" in Merrickville, about an hour and 15 minutes drive from Kingston.
That's Beckie, the owner, with a customer. We don't have a shop like this in Kingston, so I really spent a lot of money enjoyed myself. There are some Rowan products on my stash shelf that weren't there before. The Felted Tweed DK is, in my view, a good buy, considering the yardage it yields.
Yesterday I made an excursion closer to home to pick up some perennials for the garden. The previous owner of our house was great at hardscape design, but not so great in her plant choice, especially in the shady areas of the garden. The back garden needed more diversity in foliage colour and texture. Come to think of it, garden design isn't all that different from knitting design. I started off by heading east, where I was forced to stop while the bridge was raised at the causeway over the Cataraqui River.
Then I drove along the St. Lawrence, almost all the way to Gananoque to "Made in the Shade", my favourite perennial place.
Laura, the owner, is incredibly helpful. I'll plant this haul over the next few days. Still too early in the season to plant annuals. Lots of people do, but smart gardeners wait until the Victoria Day weekend, to be sure of a frost-free start.
With Zora taken care of, and my knitted sample sent off for a certain fall publication, I'll turn my knitting attention to Harriet. Now, what yarn will I choose from my stash?
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Zora on Ravelry
The idea for "Zora" came about because I wanted to knit a "Wakefield Redux" for Isabel to model. "No way,"she said, "I''m not a hearts and bobbles person". Around the same time, another knitter told me that she didn't feel she could wear Wakefield as she was big-busted and really didn't want bobbles marching down her frontage. Fair enough. Thus Zora was born for knitters who liked the general silhouette of Wakefield but not the sentimental hearts and attention-grabbing bobbles.
The superimposed double wave cable pattern is adapted from Barbara Walker's first Treasury. I say adapted, because I made it grow a little wider to suit my needs. You'd think that having done that, all I'd need to do would be to plug it into the Wakefield directions. Alas, life is never that simple. The new panel was 20 stitches wide as opposed to the old 21-stitch panel, and this necessitated a lot of number changes. The most important thing for you to know is that the finished widths for Zora are all one inch smaller than the measurements for Wakefield. Anyone who has made Wakefield and wants now to add Zora to their collection needs to keep this in mind when choosing a size. The version you see below is knitted in Elann's Sierra, which has some alpaca in it for drape, but this design can work well in any wool blend yarn that works up at 4 1/2 sts per inch. Think Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter, Quince & Co's Lark, or Diamond's Galway.
The superimposed double wave cable pattern is adapted from Barbara Walker's first Treasury. I say adapted, because I made it grow a little wider to suit my needs. You'd think that having done that, all I'd need to do would be to plug it into the Wakefield directions. Alas, life is never that simple. The new panel was 20 stitches wide as opposed to the old 21-stitch panel, and this necessitated a lot of number changes. The most important thing for you to know is that the finished widths for Zora are all one inch smaller than the measurements for Wakefield. Anyone who has made Wakefield and wants now to add Zora to their collection needs to keep this in mind when choosing a size. The version you see below is knitted in Elann's Sierra, which has some alpaca in it for drape, but this design can work well in any wool blend yarn that works up at 4 1/2 sts per inch. Think Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter, Quince & Co's Lark, or Diamond's Galway.
ZORA
To purchase this pattern, click here.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Transitional
Spring is often described by weather forecasters as a "transitional" season. You see this term in the fashion industry too. I think it's the most difficult season to dress for. The day can start out at 5C and end at 25C. If you go out the door at 9 a.m. wearing socks, by 3:00 in the afternoon you wish you were wearing sandals. What to do? Layers, of course, and lightweight, airy little knits. I like to wear loose knit trousers in the spring (and fall). My favourites are from Cut Loose. Jeans are good at this time of year too (really, they're terrible in the heat of summer and the freezing temps of January). I start the day with clogs and socks, then remove the socks as the day warms up. For tops, I like Cut Loose's sleeveless linen V-necks. Not dressy, but not sloppy either. I pair them with Buttonbox and a big loose linen shirt worn as a jacket, or with my Perth Cardi. I chuck the knits when it starts to heat up.
The desire for lightweight warmth is probably what's driven me to experiment today with this--
come the not so good.
We're inundated with mayflies. They're so small they get through the screens on the windows, collecting in ugly puddles in the window wells. Disgusting!
They'll be over in another week and I'll vacuum them up until next year. Down by the lake, where they hatch before their short lives are done (less than a day each), they make life miserable, even though they don't bite. Joggers and cyclists have been seen with scarves wrapped over their faces, and knitting models have to brave annoying swarms.
I took Isabel down to the water yesterday after dinner to take advantage of the evening light, but it turned out to be next to impossible to get a decent photo. See how the photographer couldn't seem to get the horizon straight because she was so busy swatting at flies?
And the model couldn't seem to keep her hands from doing the same.
Apart from the flies, it was a lovely evening, the lake glassy smooth and the distant wind turbines barely moving.
I hope to bring out "Zora" on Ravelry early next week.
It's Friday, so that means recipe day. This week it's really a component for a recipe--homemade pizza sauce. This couldn't be easier, and it's beyond me why anyone purchases the pre-packaged stuff, especially given its sodium content.
I small can tomato paste, about 1/3 c
1/2 c water
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt (remember, the cheese you're going to put on your pizza is full of salt)
Mix together, then spread on pizza dough.
That's it! Next week, pizza dough and some topping ideas. I'm sure you have your faves.
The desire for lightweight warmth is probably what's driven me to experiment today with this--
a bit of mohair fluff and fern lace combine to make a top-down spring cardigan in grass green.
Along with the good things about the season,
We're inundated with mayflies. They're so small they get through the screens on the windows, collecting in ugly puddles in the window wells. Disgusting!
They'll be over in another week and I'll vacuum them up until next year. Down by the lake, where they hatch before their short lives are done (less than a day each), they make life miserable, even though they don't bite. Joggers and cyclists have been seen with scarves wrapped over their faces, and knitting models have to brave annoying swarms.
I took Isabel down to the water yesterday after dinner to take advantage of the evening light, but it turned out to be next to impossible to get a decent photo. See how the photographer couldn't seem to get the horizon straight because she was so busy swatting at flies?
And the model couldn't seem to keep her hands from doing the same.
Apart from the flies, it was a lovely evening, the lake glassy smooth and the distant wind turbines barely moving.
I hope to bring out "Zora" on Ravelry early next week.
It's Friday, so that means recipe day. This week it's really a component for a recipe--homemade pizza sauce. This couldn't be easier, and it's beyond me why anyone purchases the pre-packaged stuff, especially given its sodium content.
Pizza Sauce
I small can tomato paste, about 1/3 c
1/2 c water
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt (remember, the cheese you're going to put on your pizza is full of salt)
Mix together, then spread on pizza dough.
That's it! Next week, pizza dough and some topping ideas. I'm sure you have your faves.
Monday, April 29, 2013
What Makes a Great Yarn Shop?
My conversation with a fellow knitter on the bus in TO generated this post. I started the conversation rolling by asking her where she likes to shop in the city. (So many yarn shops, so little time and money!) Her response was "Romni Wools", but here are the points she made:
1. A good shop doesn't have a clubby or clique-y feel to it. Ever felt like an outsider at a "knit night" or while wandering around a shop where a group of shop regulars is socializing (and ignoring other customers)? In a good shop, everyone is welcomed warmly, perhaps offered a cup of tea, and engaged in conversation. The staff make you feel that they are genuinely interested in you and what you're doing.
2. A good shop carries lines of yarn in their entirety. Unfortunately, more shops than I would like to mention carry just three or four colours of a type of yarn, and they're usually based on the owner's idiosyncratic tastes. Don't care for 3 shades of orange? Go somewhere else!
3. Good sales people never lie or mislead. You want a double knitting weight of cotton? "Here," says the young woman behind the counter, "this skein is labelled worsted weight, but it'll be just fine for your project." Or, " this ball is a different dye lot, but you'd never be able to tell." This behaviour is even worse when the misleading occurs over the telephone, resulting in a wasted trip to the shop.
4. Great yarn shops carry classic, reasonably priced yarns in sweater quantities. I don't know if it is the trend toward making socks and shawls, but more and more shops seem to specialize in $28 skeins of hand-dyed precious fibre and fewer and fewer carry complete lines of "workhorse" yarns. If you knit a lot of sweaters, there's no way you can feed your habit with super-expensive fibre, not to mention the fact that classic yarns just wear better over time. My personal limit is around $100 for a good sweater, and I rarely come close to spending that.
5. This last point is my own addition. I prefer yarn shops run by owners who are interested in knitting design and designers. You'd be surprised at the number of owners who have absolutely no interest in anything beyond selling pattern books from the big distributors and the yarn specified in those patterns. If a customer shows up with a pattern off the internet, woe betide them. Smart shop owners understand that there's more money to be made from selling yarn than patterns. They may even provide access to a computer to check on yarn requirements or view other knitters' projects on Ravelry. A really smart shop owner supports local designers, with sweater samples labelled with suggested yarns from the shop. Hey owners, we're a great resource!
Thoughts?
1. A good shop doesn't have a clubby or clique-y feel to it. Ever felt like an outsider at a "knit night" or while wandering around a shop where a group of shop regulars is socializing (and ignoring other customers)? In a good shop, everyone is welcomed warmly, perhaps offered a cup of tea, and engaged in conversation. The staff make you feel that they are genuinely interested in you and what you're doing.
2. A good shop carries lines of yarn in their entirety. Unfortunately, more shops than I would like to mention carry just three or four colours of a type of yarn, and they're usually based on the owner's idiosyncratic tastes. Don't care for 3 shades of orange? Go somewhere else!
3. Good sales people never lie or mislead. You want a double knitting weight of cotton? "Here," says the young woman behind the counter, "this skein is labelled worsted weight, but it'll be just fine for your project." Or, " this ball is a different dye lot, but you'd never be able to tell." This behaviour is even worse when the misleading occurs over the telephone, resulting in a wasted trip to the shop.
4. Great yarn shops carry classic, reasonably priced yarns in sweater quantities. I don't know if it is the trend toward making socks and shawls, but more and more shops seem to specialize in $28 skeins of hand-dyed precious fibre and fewer and fewer carry complete lines of "workhorse" yarns. If you knit a lot of sweaters, there's no way you can feed your habit with super-expensive fibre, not to mention the fact that classic yarns just wear better over time. My personal limit is around $100 for a good sweater, and I rarely come close to spending that.
5. This last point is my own addition. I prefer yarn shops run by owners who are interested in knitting design and designers. You'd be surprised at the number of owners who have absolutely no interest in anything beyond selling pattern books from the big distributors and the yarn specified in those patterns. If a customer shows up with a pattern off the internet, woe betide them. Smart shop owners understand that there's more money to be made from selling yarn than patterns. They may even provide access to a computer to check on yarn requirements or view other knitters' projects on Ravelry. A really smart shop owner supports local designers, with sweater samples labelled with suggested yarns from the shop. Hey owners, we're a great resource!
Thoughts?
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Frolicking
Took the early train to Toronto yesterday to attend the annual Knitters' Frolic at the Japanese Cultural Centre. Great day, as always, with exposure to yarns and fibre not available locally, and also to knitters, spinners, designers, teachers, etc. It was so much fun, in fact, that the only photo I took all day was of the view of the lake from the train somewhere just west of Port Hope.
There are rules to follow for a successful Frolic:
1. Wear comfortable shoes,
2. Resist the urge to wear your most beautiful knits; it's hot in there with all those knitters milling around,
3. Bring only cash; the temptation to overspend is strong and urgent,
4. When your shopping bag is full, it's time to quit, especially if you want VIA Rail to let you back on board without going over your carry-on limit.
It appeared to me that everyone this year had jumped onto the hand-dyed superwash merino sock yarn bandwagon. It was slightly disappointing that so many booths were devoted to this product. Variety is the spice of life and all that. I would like to have seen more non-superwash interesting sweater yarns spun in Canada. Wellington Fibres stood out for me as a company with rather more interesting offerings. I bought this mohair/wool blend from them.
I enjoyed the Sheep's Ahoy booth with its display of Kate Davies' finished knits and kits. (I might have purchased a tiny one.) Also, I bought a little package of BFL/silk for spinning from Turtlepurl. After some tea with Deb Gemmell, when her teaching was done, I headed out on the bus bound for the Eglinton subway station and eventually the train station. Back home before 10:00 p.m.
One of the best things about such days is simply meeting up with other enthusiastic knitters. On the bus just referred to I sat next to two ladies also returning from the Frolic, only to discover that we have very similar yarn tastes. A discussion of yarn shops ensued, which will result in tomorrow's blog post (what makes a great yarn store). We have since friended each other on Ravelry. Isn't the internet great?
No recipe this week, for obvious reasons. (What, you expect me to take a train, attend the Frolic, chat with knitters, buy yarn AND think about food, let alone cooking?)
There are rules to follow for a successful Frolic:
1. Wear comfortable shoes,
2. Resist the urge to wear your most beautiful knits; it's hot in there with all those knitters milling around,
3. Bring only cash; the temptation to overspend is strong and urgent,
4. When your shopping bag is full, it's time to quit, especially if you want VIA Rail to let you back on board without going over your carry-on limit.
It appeared to me that everyone this year had jumped onto the hand-dyed superwash merino sock yarn bandwagon. It was slightly disappointing that so many booths were devoted to this product. Variety is the spice of life and all that. I would like to have seen more non-superwash interesting sweater yarns spun in Canada. Wellington Fibres stood out for me as a company with rather more interesting offerings. I bought this mohair/wool blend from them.
I enjoyed the Sheep's Ahoy booth with its display of Kate Davies' finished knits and kits. (I might have purchased a tiny one.) Also, I bought a little package of BFL/silk for spinning from Turtlepurl. After some tea with Deb Gemmell, when her teaching was done, I headed out on the bus bound for the Eglinton subway station and eventually the train station. Back home before 10:00 p.m.
One of the best things about such days is simply meeting up with other enthusiastic knitters. On the bus just referred to I sat next to two ladies also returning from the Frolic, only to discover that we have very similar yarn tastes. A discussion of yarn shops ensued, which will result in tomorrow's blog post (what makes a great yarn store). We have since friended each other on Ravelry. Isn't the internet great?
No recipe this week, for obvious reasons. (What, you expect me to take a train, attend the Frolic, chat with knitters, buy yarn AND think about food, let alone cooking?)
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