Fiber Arts Fling

Today some members from both the weaving guild and spinning guild demonstrated their fiber arts at the local county fair. We are in the midst of a heat wave, but the building we were in is air conditioned, so many fair-goers stopped in to cool off and drifted over to see what we were up to. I think each guild may have a new member or two from that outing, which is the whole point of raising the guild profiles in the community.

Crochet: The 7-strand rug is nearing its end, but I may lengthen the other dimension, depending on how much cotton yarn remains to be used up.
Knitting: I am ready to split the Lempi sweater at the armpits, but I'd like the stripes on the body to match the stripes on the sleeves; I'm still working that out in my head.
Spinning: Yes, still plowing through the Romney. I had to return Mark Twain even though I was only a third of the way through it, so subsituted The Magician's Nephew, the prequel to the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis and read by Kenneth Branagh.
Weaving: I started a skinny scarf on my SampleIt to have something to work on at the fair, plus warped a little scrap of something on the Mirrix pocket loom for kids to try their hand at.

Another venue where we plan to demonstrate fiber arts is a local farmers market. I stopped by to scope it out a few weeks ago and have been returning ever since, to scoop up strawberries. Today I snagged the last quart of the season. Score!

A heat wave is ice cream weather in my book.

Part-time job

The past year or two, I've become more actively involved in both the fiber guilds I belong to. I'm the "Outreach Coordinator" for the weaving guild and have been serving as such for the spinning guild (without the cachet of a title). I have also been organizing the programs for the spinning guild. Between the two, I feel like I have a job (albeit unpaid).

The program for the most recent spinning guild meeting was about raising silkworms. The two members who did the presentation did a great job, and the audience was riveted. One of the presenters had given me some cocoons a while back, and there would be a photo of them here, except I can't find them. They are probably with my supported spindle, which I also cannot find. One of these days, the fiber studio will get a thorough cleaning.

I have been pushing members of both guilds to enter items in the county fair open class exhibit, and this year some newbies took the plunge. Since the items need to be dropped off tomorrow (Monday) at 8am and many of our members work then, I offered to collect and deliver the items. So more work for me. But I am happy there is growing interest.

Crochet: Still killing my wrists with the 7-strand rug.
Dyeing: I am playing around with easy ice dyeing that kids could do, so I froze some ice cubes of KoolAid. More on this later.

Knitting: Still slaving away on the Lempi sweater.
Spinning: Still working my way through all that Romney; almost done with another 100g.

Except for the dyeing, all my fiber projects are big. That means no reporting on finished objects, unless I get back in gear on the long-standing ones. The weaving guild does not meet again until September, but both guilds are participating in an event next Saturday. Once that is over, maybe I will have some downtime?

New (to me) natural dye sources

Recently the New York Times published an article by Margaret Roach on natural dyeing that actually wasn't too bad. I doubt you will be able to access it without a subscription, so I will list the information from it that was new-to-me.

• Grand Prismatic Seed is a source for seeds and plants if you want to grow yer own 
• The Dogwood Dyer is where you can find how-to information, including workshops 
• Botanical Colors is a for mordants and workshops

I have not done much dyeing lately, but articles like this one make me itchy to get back into it, maybe even grow more dye plants.

Crochet: Still working on the 7-strand monster of a rug; it's not that big, but is becoming rather heavy.
Knitting: It took me four tries to get the Lempi sweater underway, as there were "issues"; I also switched to smaller needles, as the original Lempi I knit is a bit generous. I am enjoying the bright colors.

Spinning: I have three-plied over 400 yards of the Romney so far. I listen to audio books while I spin and ply, currently Ron Chernow's Mark Twain.
Weaving: After a recent guild program, I was inspired to order a Schacht slim closed bottom boat shuttle (and bobbins and some 8/2 cotton), to use with my 24" Ashford rigid heddle loom.

Regarding the Lempi sweater, I learned something about slipping the first stitch purlwise, specifically when to slip with the yarn in back or the yarn in front. Inspecting the original Lempi, I find I managed to get it right intuitively. This time I have to make a conscious effort to do so.

One of my fiber friends turned 98(!) this past week, and she still knits. Something for us all to aspire to.

A new fiber interest

Several months ago, the weaving guild program was about weaving transparencies. This led me to Robbie LaFleur's blog which is about more than just weaving transparencies. I'm more than a little intrigued with the genre of Scandinavian weaving, in part because of my Danish heritage. Not intrigued enough to actually start something, but definitely intrigued. A local heritage group called Settlers is offering a class called "Scandinavians in America" which will include history, cuisine, hand-arts, and wheat-weaving. I will have to put that on my calendar.

Crochet: Still plugging away on the 7-strand rug.

Knitting: I decided to start a sweater, another Lempi, with the acid-dyed yarn, figuring if it did not work out, I could rip it back.

Spinning: I finished the third 100g of Romney and have been three-plying the results; it's going to be a LOT of yarn!

Last week I mentioned that outliving my pets is on my bucket list. So is using up all my yarn. The 7-strand crocheted rug is going to finish off quite a bit of cotton yarn, and the Lempi sweater will use up 6-7 skeins of worsted weight wool. What to do with all the hand-spun, though? Suggestions welcome!

Stuck

I decided to take a break from sock knitting. What to knit instead? At one point, knitting a sweater from cuff to cuff appealed to me, but someone mentioned they had done this and the sweater stretched a lot. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Adult Surprise Sweater has been on my list for a while and I have some acid dyed yarn I could use for that, but for some reason I am hesitant to start.

Crocheting: Still working on the 7-strand cotton rug.
Knitting: Finished the pinkish socks - see previous post.
Spinning: Almost finished with another 100g of Romney; I spin while listening to Ron Chernow's biography of Mark Twain.

A local art gallery Artlink collects art supplies every year, to use in their classes and to sell to starving artists. They include yarn and fabric in their wish list, so I dropped off some acrylic weaving yarn that I know I will never use - three HUGE spools of it. I'm on a decluttering binge (again) and yarn is hard to part with, but I'm happy to let someone else enjoy it.

These two bozos have been costing me a fortune at the vet's lately. Finn had his teeth cleaned and a growth removed from his mouth (not cancerous) while Clio had an eye problem and a skin problem, necessitating some eye drops and some spray. Finn is 14 years old, but doing well for the most part. Clio is 8 and still rambunctious. The only item on my bucket list is to outlive my pets.

Pinkish socks

I like red. I like pink. So when I saw what looked like sock yarn at The Estate Sale (how the fiber guilds refer to an estate sale we all sampled from), I glommed onto it, despite the missing ball band.

Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Unknown self-striping sock yarn - no ballband, but it looked like sock yarn so assuming a mix of superwash wool and nylon - and some sock yarn I purchased for contrasting toes, heels, cuffs which also is missing its ball band
Needles: US1
Modifications: None to speak of

After dividing the yarn into two cakes, I thought the stripes were too random to match. After knitting with it a bit, however, it became apparent that I was close to the pattern repeat. So I ripped back to the toe and matched the stripes.

And it was a L-O-N-G pattern repeat.

The finished socks feel very soft - maybe the wool is merino? I'm looking forward to wearing these this winter.

Jiggety jog

One of my pet knitting peeves is stripes that have a big jog where the colors change. At least, the color jog looks big to me. There is no way to completely eliminate color jogs, but one can at least try. For tips and tricks, go to the index for the TechKnitting blog and search on "stripes" or "jogless".

I forgot to include in my last post the rug I started to crochet. Like the artisan bag, it has seven strands, all cotton. Two strands are "denim" yarn, one something unknown, another a "tweed" yarn, two strands of 8/4 cotton, and one strand of crochet thread.

One of the most aggravating activies when crocheting with multiple strands is yarn wrangling. Here is my current strategy for dealing with five of the seven strands:

Crochet: See above.
Knitting: I finished the cuff on one pinkish sock and have started the second.
Spinning: Another 100g of the Romney roving has been spun.

One of my new fiber friends is a member of the local bonsai club. My SO and I went to their bonsai show yesterday. We've been to bonsai exhibits before, but this one included species from my own backyard. I checked an ebook out from the library, and after reading about a third of it, realized bonsai is not for me. I don't have a well-defined sense of balance, design, etc. for this kind of art. Just as well - the last thing I need is another hobby.

Bent bento box

I decided to work up the bento box I mentioned in my last post. The first one was with cotton "denim" yarn, but it turned out too floppy. So I made a second one with some light blue acrylic. Despite it being easier to see, I messed up the counts while creating the fold for the sides. Hence, it is warped. I may rip it out and try again.

Crochet: See above.
Knitting: At the cuffs of the pinkish socks.
Spinning: Did I spin at all this week? I can't recall.

Since my old laptop looked like it was going to fail any day now (bad video card), I purchased a new one which I am still getting used to. Today I managed to get that ancient, no-longer-supported workhorse Picasa loaded onto it. I also switched from using Chrome as a browser to using Edge, which involves a learning curve. This old dog isn't beyond learning some new tricks.

So much yarn, so many projects, so little time

Curious, I checked this book out of the library, not understanding that "cafe" meant the projects were all of food. I'm not likely to crochet bacon and eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches, but I may make the container portion of the bento box, to see how it works. One can always use little boxes.

I stopped following Modern Daily Knitting (previously known as Mason-Dixon Knitting) when it seemed like all they did was flog their products. But this waffle sweater popped up in one of my feeds. I'm not interested in knitting a pullover, but I am interested in the waffle stitch used, as it is very waffly. Maybe I can find directions for the stitch without purchasing the "field guide" as I'm not interested in the other patterns therein.

This tin ceiling blanket pattern from Purl Soho showed up on a feed as well. The same stitch pattern is used on this hand towel and washcloth, which is more to my liking than a blanket. I think the stitch would look nice as a scarf as well. These patterns are free.

Knitting: I am approaching the cuffs of the pinkish socks.
Spinning: More progress on the Romney, but not 100g worth.

I was a little concerned about mixing up the white Romney and the white Wensleydale, but when placed side-by-side, the Wensleydale has more of a sheen plus it is not quite as white as the Romney. So no worries there.

Oops

I confess that I can be a bit rough with my handknits when it comes to washing them. The superwash items (think socks but also one sweater) hold up well, but I need to be more careful with the other wool items.

The funny thing is this sweater had so much positive ease that it felt too big on me, although I liked that it hid my fanny. Now it is more form fitting, and a bit felted so it will be warmer. However, it is also much shorter. Not sure what I will do with it going forward.

Knitting: The heels are turned on the pinkish socks.
Spinning: Trying to get back to my daily spinning practice, with the New Zealand Romney; 100g spun, 800g to go.

Pre-blog I attended a fiber festival in Corydon, IN. For some reason, I looked for it online and discovered it is now called the Southern Indiana Fiber and Arts Festival. Clicking on an old blog link about the Fiber Event at Greencastle revealed that it is now the Greencastle Wool Show. Not sure why the names changed, but it may have to do with targeting a particular audience. The Jay County Fiber Arts Festival may be adding "Crafts" to its name, but I know it is to attract more people. Times change.

An additional oddity is how the Corydon and Greencastle festivals have become conflated in my memory. It's hell getting old.

That old cat

Finn is around 14 years old. (He was a stray, found by a friend of a friend of my daughter, initial age a guestimate.) Lately, his mouth has been bothering him. He quit eating his prescription catfood in favor of the old standby my other cat eats, so I thought he was doing okay. However, a trip to the vet revealed a growth in his mouth that looks like it can be snipped out. He has lost weight, too. The procedure is still several weeks out, so I wanted to fatten him up a bit beforehand. But how to do that?

Kitty cheesecake

While looking online for a solution, I came across "toppings" and "soups" that are supplements for cats. Finn won't eat canned food, so I felt skeptic, but picked up a few samples at the local Pet Supply Plus store to try. He *loves* them! So now I am mixing them with his rx food, and he is feeling much better. (The antibiotic shot he received at the vet probably helped, too.) I had no idea these products existed, but we are both happy with them.

Knitting: I'm ready to start the heels on the pinkish socks.

You can tell by the randomish stripes why I was hesitant to try making these socks match. However, once I started them, it became obvious that they were close to matching anyway. I ripped one back to the toe and aligned the colors. Huzzah!

Spin for a project

At the last spinning guild meeting, I chatted up one of my fiber friends who moved here from Texas but is still involved with her weaving guild in Austin (all their meetings are on Zoom - Texas is a big state and traffic in Austin is bad). That group is involved in a project that led my friend to weave a l-o-n-g piece where some of the weft is rolags she made on her blending board. An interesting concept.

Then we started talking about spinning for a project. While I have spun for one project in the past, usually I just spin whatever I have on hand and however it turns out. Now that I have started on that 900g of Romney, I'm thinking that could be for a sweater, one where the yarn is dyed using a walnut hull dye bath and its exhausts, to create an ombre effect. So that is the plan, sort of.

Knitting: I started a new pair of socks; the yarn is shades of pinks, which is making me ridiculously happy.

Weaving: I spent the good part of a day working on the leno curtains, including an insane amount of fringe twisting; I'm still not done.

The yarn bowl in the photo above is the best yarn bowl I have encountered. A cake of yarn spins inside it perfectly, thereby not adding or subtracting twist as one knits. I bought it at a pottery fair, so can't tell you where to get your own. Too bad - it really is the bee's knees.

Ice dyed socks

Even though I have plenty of sock yarn, sometimes I buy more. After a weaving guild program on ice dyeing, I had to buy some ice dyed sock yarn I came across at Three Moon Fiberworks. I was afraid it might look "camo" but it turned out fine.

Pattern: Short-row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Happy Days Fiber Arts Sock Weight in 'End of Harvest' for foot and leg; Zwerger Garn Opal 4-Fach in 'Natural' for toes, heels, cuffs
Needles: US1
Modifications: None I can think of

Since these were for my SO, I cast on for a 72-stitch round. My go-to recipe is then to knit 72 rounds from toe to heel and 72 rounds from heel to cuff. This ratio seems to work well.

I'm not a fan of merino for sock yarn, as I think it doesn't hold up as well as other wools, but it is very soft. I think I'll enter these in the county fair.

Losing my mind

After the last panel of the buffalo plaid blanket rolled off the SampleIt loom, I thought it might be nice to try something new, something that required two heddles. Before purchasing another heddle, though, I checked to make sure I didn't already have an extra. Well, I do have an extra, two of them, in fact, but they are for my 24" loom. I even have a double heddle kit for that loom. That transaction completely slipped my mind.

While updating projects on Ravelry, I started checking to make sure I had added blog posts to other finished objects. I had not, not for a long time. Why not? I certainly updated the status of each of those projects and created a blog post about them - why not marry the two?

Oh, wait. There is no final post of the Lempi sweater, a project that was near and dear to my heart, one that I am supremely proud of. How did I miss trumpeting the completion of that sweater?

Knitting: Wove in the ends of the simple cowl, so now it is done; see previous post. Finished the ice dyed socks; separate post to follow (really!)
Spinning: I took a sample of the Wensleydale roving to a spin-in yesterday, to get some advice about how to handle it, and now I have a way forward: spritz the fiber with a weak solution of fiber rinse. For some reason, I have over 900g of Romney (why - and where - did I buy this stuff?!?), so I started spinning it (and it is *much* nicer than the Wensleydale).
Weaving: I checked out a book, Compendium of Finishing Techniques, from the library, plus I've done some online research regarding how to join the buffalo plaid blanket panels; I think I have a plan.

I don't have a knitting project on the needles, so I thought I would dig out an unfinished project: the leno curtains I wove so long ago (2022). What stymied me then was the two panels did not match - they still don't - but I've decided that will be an asymetric feature.

If Lenore Tawney can get away with it, why can't I?

Easy ribbed cowl

Lately I have been a little obsessed with using up yarn. Consequently, I was looking for a simple project to finish up the Jamieson and Smith Shetland I used on several other projects. Hence, this cowl.

Pattern: 2x2 Easy Ribbed Cowl, by Rachel Steinbock.
Yarn: Jamieson and Smith Shetland Aran Worsted, in 'Flugga White', 'Light Grey', and 'Shetland Black'; 94g total
Needles: US8 (cast on and bind off using US9)
Modifications: I used a 2x2 alternating long tail cast on and bound off in pattern; continued until I ran out of yarn, at 8.5"

This yarn is one of those "sheepy" smelling ones. I used some Eucalan Wool Wash when I soaked it before blocking, but not enough. I don't mind the smell, but it's not something everyone likes.

Overly optimistic

This weekend my oldest brother (who turns 80 next month) married for the third(!) time. I thought I would have some down time and be able to finish the simple cowl *and* the socks, but no knitting occurred as there was no down time. A very busy weekend!

Knitting: I finished one cuff on the ice dyed socks (except for the bind off) at my granddaughter's academic bowl competition, but when I picked up the other sock, I discovered I had dropped a stitch several rows back; not the right venue for fixing that at the time, but it is fixed now; maybe I'll finish them this week?
Weaving: All seven panels of the buffalo check blanket are off the loom; time to figure out how to sew them together.

After six panels

Believe it or not, I received a summons for jury duty. Would they let me knit during a trial? It might look like I'm not paying attention when actually the opposite is true - knitting helps me concentrate on what is going on around me - but it may become grounds for an appeal. Legal opinion from any of you?

An accidentally free book

I ordered a copy of Tommye Scanlin's new book Marking Time with Fabric and Thread from Thriftbooks. (Amazon and I had a falling out several years ago.) I chose the free shipping option, which relies on the USPS for transport and delivery. By tracking the book's progress, I saw that it landed in Indianapolis. And that was it. No updates for a week. So I contacted Thriftbooks, they refunded my money AND told me if the book arrived, to not send it back. So of course the book arrived several days later. Whoo-hoo!

I'm really excited about the idea of journaling using fiber arts. The book is full of profiles and examples and how-to's. Even the reverse side of the book jacket helps, with its display of prompts.

Now I just need to figure out what I want to journal via fiber. My interest in inkle weaving is perking up again, so maybe that is the path forward. Or my little Mirrix Saffron pocket loom for little tapestries.

Knitting: I started one cuff of the ice dyed socks, then got distracted; however, my granddaughter is participating in the local Academic Bowl this week, which will give me an opportunity to sit and knit. The three-color simple cowl is done except for the weaving in of the ends.
Weaving: I have finished five panels of the buffalo plaid blanket, plan to do seven; started number six today.

I missed another local-ish fiber festival this weekend: the Black Swamp Spinners Guild Market Day, in Bowling Green, OH. I've been there a couple of times, thought I might give it another try, but the past week has been rough. It's a good weekend to just stay home.

That went well

I confess that I took over the programming for the spinning guild because I thought we could do better (and no one objected). The program for this week's meeting was sock knitting. A lot of spinners also knit (gotta use up that yarn somehow), and this topic was well-received.

The person who served as the "main event" went over how to knit top-down socks; the next person presented a one-page "cheat sheet" she has assembled for knitting socks on the go; and I offered up my tips and tricks, as the "Opinionated Sock Knitter". During the Q&A, others added their two cents worth, so it was an interesting and lively time.

The next program will be hands-on chain-plying, for wheels and spindles. I hope it goes as well.

Knitting: Ready to start the cuffs on the ice dyed socks. I decided how to use the three colors for the cowl of leftovers, divided up the yarn, and am ready to proceed.

Weaving: Finished panel number three on the buffalo plaid blanket; started panel four.

The next meeting of the weaving guild is to be about rigid heddle weaving. I'm hoping to have my blanket finished by then, as an example of just what one can do with a simple loom, because multi-shaft loom weavers can be a bit snotty about rigid heddle weaving.

I've been accompanying my daughter while she checks out senior living residences for her dad (I'm the moral support). Not having to cook or clean anymore certainly looks enticing - think of all the fiber stuff I could get done! But it's expensive and I'm not quite ready for that... yet.

Not this time

Due to some family obligations, I did not make it to the Jay County Fiber Arts Fest this weekend. Not that I need any more fiber or fiber tools or yarn bowls. However, I was looking forward to some pie. Oh, well, maybe next year.

Knitting: Finished Cora the Emotional Support Chicken; see previous post. Nearing the cuffs on the ice dyed socks. Started a 2x2 ribbed cowl just to use up the rest of the Jamieson & Smith yarn.

Spinning: I think I did a little spinning, but I am not enjoying the Wensleydale fiber, may abandon it for something more fun.
Weaving: Finished panel #2 of the buffalo plaid blanket and started panel #3.

The program in this past week's weaving guild meeting was about weaving transparencies. My interest in this topic is not great. However, one of the presenters spoke of Norwegian transparency weaving. *That* caught my interest. If it sounds like fun to you, check out Robbie LaFleur's website.

This week's spinning guild program is about sock knitting, which is one reason I paused my current socks, as I want to use them as an example of toe-up, knitted-on-DPNs socks. I'm not the main event, so I'm not too concerned about what I have to say, but I do need to print some handouts.

Cora the Emotional Support Chicken

Cora was abandoned in October, in favor of holiday knitting. With the next spinning guild meeting breathing down my neck, I felt motivated to finish *something* since I've been nagging other guild members to do the same.

Pattern: Emotional Support Chicken by Annette Corsino
Yarn: Cascade 220, naturally dyed with dyers coreopsis and onion skins
Needles: US7
Modifications: none

Cora is knitted, so came out a little smaller than her sister Sunny Tutu. I've toyed with the idea of creating a pattern for a stockinette ESC, but I have plenty of other things to work on.

So the completion of this gal brings my completed UFOs to two for the year. What shall I work on next?

Stuff

I edited my previous post to include the link to the article about Heritage Spinning and Weaving. If you don't want to look back, the link is here.

Which brings me to the topic of the source: Farm & Fiber Knits, another subscription from Long Thread Media. I'm not a subscriber, but if you are interested in local farms, natural fibers, shepherds, and unique designers, this is one source. It's not that I am not interested in those things; I am feeling overwhelmed by email and online information at the present moment. Even fiber can be too much sometimes.

Knitting: Still slogging away on the ice dyed socks.
Spinning: Still working on the Wensleydale top; I've read that this fiber felts well, but it seems very wispy, so I slather up with hand lotion when spinning it, to try to tame it a bit.
Weaving: The first panel of the buffalo plaid blanket is woven; started the second one.

For a while there, I was not feeling the weaving. After finishing the log cabin scarf for my SO, my interest perked up, probably because the scarf turned out so nice. Maybe I just needed a boost in confidence to get going again at a loom. I have several new weaving projects in mind, so stay tuned!

Local (and not so local) fiber stores

I came across an interview with Joan Sheridan, owner of Heritage Spinning and Weaving, somewhere. (Of course, I cannot find the interview now. EDITED: The link is here.) It led me to her store, and I am in love. We were in the neighborhood when we visited the Cranbrook Art Museum; too bad I didn't know about the store at the time. They will be at the Michigan Fiber Festival, though, so now I have an excuse to go to that.

We have several local fiber stores in the Fort Wayne area. One is Simply Socks Yarn Co which does most of its business online, but the storefront is open alternating Saturdays and Tuesdays. Another is Knitting Off Broadway, which of late has few hours, but is full of luscious yarn. And then there is Little Shop of Spinning, which hosts monthly spin-ins that I usually attend. While I have attended classes at all three, post-pandemic not much is happening in that area. Maybe I need to put a bug in someone's ear.

Knitting: Still plugging along on the ice dyed socks.
Spinning: Back to spinning the Wensleydale top; it's... unusual, so I am pre-drafting it.
Weaving: The buffalo plaid blanket is off to a slow start - the yarn is sticky - but I feel like I am on the way.

Now I am feeling dumb. I could not figure out why Joan Sheridan's name sounded so familiar. It's because I took a class from her in 2021 over Zoom; there is even a link to the store on my post. She has published several articles in Little Looms as well. Duh!

Box hat in Shetland

When I saw this pattern on Purl Soho, I had to give it a try. Instead of the usual round top, the hat has a boxy shape. I also liked the deep ribbing.

Pattern: Box Hat by Purl Soho
Yarn: Jamieson & Smith Shetland Aran Worsted, in 'Flugga White' and 'Light Grey'
Needles: US8
Modifications: None except I didn't use bulky yarn as suggested in the pattern; also, I cast on using the alternating long tail method and US9 needle

This hat is very comfortable and very warm. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do the Kitchener stitch without forming "ears".

If you are looking for an easy and quick hat to knit, I highly recommend this one.

(An aside: Purl Soho started as a brick-and-mortar shop in New York Ciy. I was there once! It was early days of my return to knitting and, even though the shop was relatively tiny, I found it a bit overwhelming and intimidating. Plus I am shy. In 2023, the owners made the decision to go online only, sad for the neighborhood, but their website is amazing. Check them out!)

Why wool?

One online knitting source for me is the Woolly Thistle. They have a blog that frequently flogs one of their products, but a recent post championed wool. I'm a bit of a fiber snob, so yes, I favor wool over other fibers and yarn.

Why wool? you may ask. I'll summarize the blog post (with some commentary by me), then add (more of) my two cents worth.

• Wool and the environment: Wool is biodegradable, renewable, and its processing (usually) has a low-impact on the environment.
• Misconceptions: Yes, some wool is scratchy, but there are many breeds that are not; wool items don't require frequent washing (I wash my handknit socks once a year); wool is warm in winter and cool in summer (I can't vouch for that last bit, as I have not given it a try... yet).
• Wool supports small: small farms, small mills, small businesses (most of the time).

I believe that all yarn has its place, but I favor the more natural fibers over some made from petroleum. And I'm getting pickier all the time. Neither merino nor alpaca are favorites of mine; instead, I gravitate toward fibers like Shetland and Corriedale. I used to favor superwash (and still do for socks and baby items and gifts to those most likely to felt the item), but it's not the same, a little too slick.

Feel free to disagree with me, but keep on practicing your fiber art!

Knitting: I finished the hat I started last week; separate post to follow. The heels have been turned on the ice dyed socks.
Spinning: I uncovered another bobbin of the Tazman comeback I spun, so that is skeined and soaked and hung to dry.
Weaving: Yes, I started a weaving project: a lap blanket from some yarn I purchased in Wisconsin in 2012; the Ashford Sampleit is (almost) warped with the 'Garnet Heather'.

I started this blog in November, 2006, almost twenty(!) years ago. The archive makes it look like I quit for about a year, but what happened was I tried to combine all the blogs I was keeping at the time into one, without success. Sometimes I consider abandoning this blog, but it provides a handy reference for my fiber life. I've been transcribing personal journals, and just may fold these many posts into that missive. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

I said, Be careful!

While testing the yarn from the Window Cat to determine whether it is acrylic (it is), I shook the bit of yarn to put out the flame, as one would do with a match. Bad idea. A drop of the melting fiber landed on my finger, where it stuck and burned. This is why I don't knit baby things from acrylic.

Knitting: The knitting is done for the Window Cat and the pieces are stuffed; I just need to sew the parts together. I made good progress on the ice dyed socks since this past week's weaving guild meeting happened over zoom - almost up to the heels. Started a new hat (maybe because I keep looking for a hat that looks halfway decent on me).

Spinning: The maroon merino is skeined and soaked, the twist is set, and it is hanging from the shower rod to dry.

My SO gets lots of compliments on the log cabin scarf I knit recently. The other day, I left the house without a scarf, so I wore his - it went well with the coat I was wearing. So now I am thinking I need a scarf of similar colors. Alas, there is no more in my natural dyed stash. I may need to dye some more, in walnut, henna, and onion skins.

Sunny Tutu the (crocheted) Emotional Support Chicken

Sunny was abandoned in November to make way for holiday knitting. She is one of my UFO's that is now an FO (per my New Year's resolution). I know she hasn't been a UFO for long, but it made sense to work backwards through my UFO list.

Pattern: Emotional Support Chicken (crochet) by Annette Corsino
Yarn: Mostly Cascade 220 (maybe some Valley Yarn) naturally dyed with sunflower and turmeric (and a little onion skin and dyers coreopsis)
Hook: G
Modifications: The summary page on Ravelry specifies an F hook, but the written pattern calls for a 4.5mm, which is between G and H, so I used G

The bottom makes this softie fairly stable, so she sits pretty just about anywhere she nests.

Turmeric is not very colorfast, so I will not be surprised if Sunny fades a bit. I'll keep her out of the light as much as possible, without hiding her away in a closet.

Winter ponderings

While I have not been weaving, I have been *thinking* about weaving. Tea towels are a popular item for weavers to make. One member bemoaned the fact that she has never woven one, but maybe someday she would. Another member piped up, "Or not." Just because everyone else is weaving something doesn't mean YOU (or I) need to follow the herd. So my thoughts about weaving are going in the direction of what do *I* want to weave.

(For the record, I have woven some hand towels - three different sets - and I think that is all I need to do.)

Crochet: I finished the crocheted Emotional Support Chickens; separate post to follow.
Knitting: The Window Cat is almost done. I made a little progress on the ice dyed socks while waiting in the pick-up line at my granddaughter's school.

Spinning: The maroon merino is all plied; now I just need to skein it and set the twist on all of it.

Yesterday I wore the many-colored "coatigan" to a spin-in. I think I have not posted a pic of it on me. So here it is, in all its glory.

I plan to wear it to this week's weaving guild meeting and next week's spinning guild. Before you know it, spring will be here and the winter woolens will have to be put away for another season.

Kittyville hat (without kitty ears)

Once upon a time, I knit a couple of Kittyville hats, one in black and one in pink, for others. I tried one on and thought it looked pretty good. Now that "bonnets" are in, I thought I'd knit myself one. Meh - not a good look on me, but maybe on someone else.

Pattern: Kittyville (listed as Adults-Only Devil Hat on Ravelry), by Kitty Schmidt (published in Stitch n Bitch)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, in black
Needles: US7
Modifications: Left off the kitty ears

I would still like a hat with earflaps. Maybe I can modify a pattern that suits me better, although I don't look good in hats in general.