Almost too successful

Today's FW Fiber Arts Club was packed with twenty-five attendees. The program was "gathering dye materials for natural dyeing", which may have been part of the draw, but many present were from the local embroidery guild. Everyone listened to what the speakers had to say and asked questions, then afterwards chatted up a storm amongst themselves. On their way out, several thanked me for organizing the group. If the meetings get any larger, we may need to find an alternative place to meet.

Two books I think my library needs:
This past week my SO and I attended an artist talk at a local gallery. The speaker is a member of the weaving guild, but her fiber career has taken off and we rarely see her anymore. One of her areas of expertise is ice dyeing fabric and yarn. (Now I find myself wondering if there is a way to marry ice dyeing and natural dyeing. Something to meditate on.)

Knitting: Turned the heels on the latest anklets.
Sewing: The practice bag is finished.
Spinning: In the homestretch spinning the Polish merino.
Weaving: Tension problems mount on the houndstooth towels, which may become one towel and a placemat.

Something new for you weavers: a tutorial on how to do Italian hemstitch. I haven't tried this yet, but it is on my fiber bucket list.

This past week I met with the doctor who is going to perform cataract surgery on my tired old eyes later this month. It's not critical, but it would be nice to knit black or navy yarn without wearing a headlamp.

Top-down anklets

Sometimes after a day of wearing handknit wool socks, my lower calves itch. Yet I like to wear wool socks to bed in the winter. My solution to this dilemma is to knit some anklets.

Pattern: Short-Row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Some kind of sock yarn I must have dyed at a dyeing workshop of some kind
Needles: US1
Modifications: Knit top-down

Ordinarily, I knit socks toe-up, but for some reason I just could not get this pair going that way. So I knit them top-down. The heels are still short-row, but the toes are simple decreases, ending with the Kitchener stitch.

Since there was no way to make them match, I knit each one from a different end of the yarn cake. For some reason, they are loose, even the ribbing at the top, so they don't stay on very well. But they suffice for their intended use. If I were to try again (and I am), I would knit toe-up and make the tops longer, especially the ribbing.

Dyeing with amaranth

Amaranth is a good news/bad news kind of dye plant. It's easy to grow, but it will reseed itself rampantly. It can dye beautifully, but the color is reputed to be fugitvie. I tried dyeing with it once before, but I could not help giving it another go.

Inspired by this blog post, I used the cold water method again but this time used just the seed heads, leaves, and twigs (no stalkes), soaked in three gallons of undiluted household vinegar. That was on a Sunday.

I let that steep until the following Tuesday, when I strained the liquor and added unmordanted yarn (one skein of Cascade 220). That soaked for two days, I believe. When I rinsed it, not much color bled out.

Another unmordanted skein of Cascade 220 went into the "exhaust" for two days. Not much difference in color.

Then I dyed a skein of Cascade 220 mordanted with rhubarb leaf and a mini-skein of Cascade 220 mordanted with alum in the second exhaust bath. The rhubarb leaf mordanted skein looks a bit dull compared to the others...

... while the alum mordanted one appears brighter.

These colors are all simply luscious! Worried that they might fade, I am storing them in black cloth bags that I keep inside an opaque plastic bin. I have yet to set up a test for colorfastness.

The instructions for a warm water method using alum may be found at this site. If the amaranth reappears this summer, I may give it a try as well.

A fiber-ish week

One of my ideas for gaining new weaving guild members is to demonstrate weaving at the local yarn stores. As I mentioned before, one is closing (and I still think it would make a great fiber club). I visited another one yesterday, Simply Socks, but Allison wasn't there. I eyeballed the space, and quite frankly, there isn't much room for setting up a loom, even a small one. The place is simply full of yarn (minus four skeins that followed me home).

Above are two skeins of Cascade Cotton Sox I plan to weave into a summer-weight shawl. Below is some Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light + Copper.

If you look closely, you can see the copper glitter. I'm not sure what I will do with this but probably weave it into something. I bought two skeins, so that shoud be enough for something, right?

Knitting: I planned to do about two hours of knitting during an online natural dyeing presentation, but it was canceled at the last minute. Oh, well.
Sewing: Stymied by the tote made from handwoven cloth, I decided the best thing to do would be make a practice one out of regular cloth. This helped me get the directions straight in my head. Neither bag is finished, but I feel more confident going forward.
Spinning: Deligently spinning the Polish merino (at least, I think that is what it is).
Weaving: Still slaving away at the houndstooth towels; one is done. The practice bag needed a handle, so I wove one on the inkle loom, lickety split.

While I was complaining to my SO about the missing supported spindle, I said something like, "I even bought silk roving to spin on it" - and a light bulb went off. I knew *exactly* where the spindle was - with that fiber. And I was right. End of mystery.

Headband in blues

Last summer a vendor at a farmers market was selling (among other things) handknit headbands. They looked like they were knit from worsted (or maybe handspun) yarn and seemed bulky to me. So I went home and started knitting one from some leftover sock yarn.

Pattern: None
Yarn: Unknown sock yarn from an estate sale
Needles: US1

I started with 3-stitch i-cord. After about 9 inches of that, I increased the stitch count at either end of the row using kfb, purling back. Once there were 24 stitches, I switched to knitting in the round. When the middle bit seemed long enough, it was back to flat knitting, decreasing the stitches (k2tog at one end, ssk at the other) every other row, purling back. With only 3 stitches remaining, more i-cord to match the beginning.

The end result is a bit stretchy, so I probably could have made the whole thing shorter. This was an experiment that may or may not be repeated. We'll see if I feel the urge for more.

Melt the ICE hat

I bought the pattern on Ravelry and figured that was what was important, as the money goes to charity. Since I have SABLE (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy), I did not want to buy red yarn just for this hat. But when I checked the stash, I found some red yarn. So I knit the hat.

Pattern: Melt the ICE Hat, by Paul S. Neary
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in 893 Ruby
Needles: US8
Modifications: Increased the ribbing from 6 inches to 7

Once I was beyond the 1x1 ribbing, the instructions puzzled me. Instead of decreasing at four places like a beanie, the decreases were in only two places, creating a different shape. I double checked this anomoly with a fiber friend who has knit several of these.

An alternative to the braided tassel could be a fat i-cord, but I like the braid because it is different. Were I to knit this hat again with this yarn, I would shift down a needle size, as it feels a bit loose on me (and I have a big head).

A pause - sort of

The first half of the month is very busy for me, with fiber meetings and fiber meet-ups of one sort or another. The second half is usually calmer, but stuff keeps cropping up. I don't suffer from FOMO, but....

And yet I am contemplating starting a rigid heddle weaving study group. Thinking there might be three or four interested parties, I was surprised to have about eight would-be weavers interested... and I haven't even asked at the weaving guild meeting yet. I'm glad the interest is there, though. (This is part of my agenda to get more members for the weaving guild.)

It also would be easier if I did not belong to a couple of non-local guilds. Yesterday I attended a two-hour meeting (remotely) about transitioning from using commercial yarn to handspun for weaving. It was very interesting, informative, and inspiritng. The chitchat was running into a third hour, though, so I bailed.

Knitting: I forgot to mention before that I finished the headband several weeks ago. The Melt the ICE hat is done as well. I made a lot of progress on the anklets during that online meeting.

Spinning: Finished chain-plying the last of the merino/alpaca fiber and skeined it. I forgot to mention that I started spinning the Polish merino about a month ago - I can't keep up.
Weaving: Working on the houndstooth towels; the tension is really messed up, so it is slow going.

I decided to put my new spindle with the supported spindle and its spinning dish, for safekeeping. But I can't find the latter. I have a set of drawers with each drawer dedicated to a different fiber activity, so I put the spindle in the spinning drawer. I hope I remember that it is there come March, and I hope I can find the missing supported spindle by then as well, as the March spinning guild meeting is about spindling. It is hell getting old.

Setting boundaries

I did not attend the quilt guild sale last week. After checking out an e-book on quilting and a quilt magazine from the local library and perusing them, I decided my interest in quilting is minimal, in the area of maybe making some placemats and that is about it. No need to purchase anything, so no trip to the sale.

Some of my fiber friends have become "craftivists" (as in "activists") and hosted a knit-along for the Melt the ICE hat. I contemplated attending, but decided my presence was not necessary. My time and energy has its limits.

Which is what I had to remind myself when I learned that a local yarn store is selling its business. Once upon a time (like 20 years ago), I contemplated starting a yarn cafe and/or online yarn business (inspired by Simply Socks). That didn't happen, obviously, but yesterday I contemplated selling my house to purchase the local yarn store... until I reminded myself that I am on the downward slope of my life. I need to cut back, not add more.

I have a few regrets in my life, but one can't do everything.

Knitting: I started a Melt the ICE hat, plus knit a bit on the anklets.

The tapestry techniques program went well at the weaving guild meeting this past week. Today's spin-in was fun, per usual. The program for the March meeting of the spinning guild is about spindling, so I purchased a spindle.

The dumb thing is I used to have several spindles, but gave them away. Now, when I see someone spindling, I wish I could too. I'm easily swayed when it comes to fiber.

McDonald Dishcloths

I dyed some cotton yarn with the leftovers from the tie-dye program I presented at the spinning guild. The colors remind me of the corporate colors for McDonald's, hence the name. I am in no way encouraging anyone to actually eat there.

Pattern: none
Yarn: Peaches & Creme Original Solids, hand-dyed
Needles: US7

For the diagonal one, I cast on three stitches, knit a row, then K1, YO, K to last stitch, YO, K1, turn and knit back. When the stitch count reached 47, I knit two rows, then begain the decreases: K2tog, YO, K2tog, K to last 4 stitches, K2tog, YO, K2tog, turn and knit back. When back to three stitches left, bind off.

For the second one, I cast on 32 stitches (long tail), knit back and forth until I was almost out of yarn (which happened to coincide with where the dishcloth formed a square), then bound off.

My kids claim they need no more dishcloths, but I still like to have a couple on hand, just in case.

It's a bit much

Saturday I (remotely) attended a Guild Development Retreat hosted by the Handweavers Guild of America (which is about more than weaving). Four sessions on various topics, plus chat rooms. I picked up a LOT of ideas for building both of the guilds I belong to.

Today I led the latest fiber gathering which now has a name: the Fort Wayne Fiber Arts Club. The other organizer could not be there, so it fell on me. Fortunately, I had help: some spinning guild members demonstrated prepping fiber using flickers, combs, cards, and a blending board, plus spindling. We also listened to a mini-lecture about historical undergarments.

Tuesday evening the local quilt guild is having a sale, which I feel compelled to attend. And on Wednesday I am one of the program presenters at the weaving guild. Then there is a spin-in next Saturday and the spinning guild meeting next week. Whew!

Knitting: Progress on the anklets, mostly achieved during one of the retreat sessions that didn't really apply to my guilds. Purchased the pattern for the Melt the Ice hat (available on Ravelry).
Spinning: Chain-plying the merino-alpaca yarn, which keeps breaking.
Weaving: Some progress on the houndstooth towels.

I was going to write a post about dyeing with Indian hemp, but the results were so disappointing, plus my notes kind of petered out after a while. The yarn is some mystery handspun singles, so the type of wool may have contributed to this failure. I plan to overdye it this summer, with something, *anything*.

One of my other hobbies is pottery, which has fallen by the wayside. And you can see why.

Thrifting

My granddaughter wanted to go "thrifting" today. We hit up the three thrift stores closest to my house. She found a couple of tops. I found a "new" sewing machine.

Finding a manual for it is another thing. Hopefully, Singer's customer support will be able to help me.

I also found a mug I could not resist.

Knitting: A while back I knit a dishcloth from some yarn I dyed with the dye left over from the tie-dye program at the spinning guild; I finished a second one from the same skein, so now I consider that project finished. Some knitting occurred on the second pair of anklets.
Spinning: Some of the merino/alpaca is three-plied; I plan to chainply the rest.
Weaving: The 24" Ashford rigid heddle loom is warped with red and black 8/4 cotton warp, for a pair of houndstooth dish towels. I continue to prep for the next weaving guild program - tapestry techniques.

Speaking of dyeing, I recently learned of the Maiwa School of Textiles which offers some online classes, one of which is titled "The Natural Dye Workshop". Yes, I have taken some natural dye workshops from local teachers, but this is at a different level. The price of the class itself is reasonable, but the (optional) supply kit is a bit expensive. I'm tempted, but don't have the time right now. Maybe this summer?

A successful meetup

I am the "outreach coordinator" for the weaving guild and have been acting like one for the spinning guild. Hence all our demonstrating in public to raise the awareness of both guilds. This seems to have helped the spinning guild - there were 30 people present at our last meeting - but the weaving guild? Not so much. It seems to be withering away.

So I decided to try something different, form a fiber arts group at a local gallery called Artlink. This happened to coincide with another person's desire to do the same thing, so we have been working on it together. Today was our first meeting.

There were 18 of us, representing all kinds of hand working skills - knitting, crochet, embroidery, sewing, quilting, weaving, etc. I wore my weaving guild tee shirt even though I brought only knitting to work on as I anticipated being busy with organizing things. Only one other guild member showed up, which I found disappointing, but the group is great, all ages, all interested in learning new things. The topic at our next meeting will be spinning, so I'll bring my wheel and wear my spinning guild tee shirt and try to convince some other spinners to show up.

Knitting: Started a second pair of anklets, from the same yarn.
Weaving: Preparing for the next weaving guild meeting where another member and I will teach some tapestry techniques.

Refreshing my tapestry skills

Yesterday I also participated in a Zoom session out of the Austin guild I belong to, on natural dyeing. I have done a fair bit of that myself but am always interested in learning more... and I did pick up some tips and ideas. For example, I have a LOT of gray handspun which I now plan to overdye with marigold or goldenrod this summer.

I'm still recovering from my cold, but almost there. I'm also becoming a bit resentful that I am involved in lots of fiber activities without having time to DO much fiber work myself. Hopefully, that will change as winter is the perfect time to hunker down with some wool.

That was the week that wasn't

This past week I have been suffering from the ugliest cold I have had in years. Covid test negative, no body aches, all in my sinuses, so definitely a cold. After a while, I can't tell if I feel worse from the cold symptoms or from the cold meds.

Barbara Walker, a giant in the knitting community, passed away last month. The Yarn Harlot wrote a lovely tribute in IG, but darned if I can figure out how to link to it (the December 26, 2025 post). So here is the text in its entirety. (Sorry, Steph!)

"In 2008 I called Barbara G. Walker and I asked her if she would come and teach for me at the first Sock Summit. I didn’t know her, but I had all her books (knitting and not) and it felt like calling Paul McCartney and asking if he’d want to hang out and jam. It took a conversation, but she agreed and I had the privilege of getting to know her and knitters, she was wonderful. Humble, impossibly clever, irrepressibly funny and wonderfully ingenious. She knit me this little fish and I’ve had it on my corkboard forever - a very Barbara knit. Even if you never knew her, I guarantee she touched your life, even if you never read one of her books, even if you don’t own one of her stitch dictionaries, even if you’ve never heard of her- there are two reasons that make her legend. Barbara was responsible for the first charted patterns coming into North America, and gentle knitters - one lovely day in the 70s, Barbara Walker invented the SSK -something you do everyday on your needles sprang from the sparkling mind of this person. Barbara died this past Sunday and we should all hoist a glass in her honour. Barbara Walker, hero to knitters everywhere whether they know it or not."

Knitting: All I accomplished this past week was finishing the anklets and working on the headband I started oh, so long ago.

My SO has several pairs of handmade socks with holes in them. Not worn areas, but out-and-out holes. I can't figure out how he did this. Since I recently purchased some books on creative mending, I am going to take a stab at fixing them.

I checked the entries for the holey socks on Ravelry, and they were all made with sock yarn, not something delicate and prone to wear and tear. The stockinette areas should be relatively simply, the ribbed areas not so simple, but the baby cables? Not so sure I can duplicate that. We shall see!

That's MADAME President

I agreed to be the president for the spinning guild for 2026, and already I am regretting it a bit. Getting everything organized has been a lot of work! I'm hoping once I get the committee chairs named, things will fall into place and everything will just glide along. (HAHAHAHA)

Actually, we have a great group of officers who are young (as in younger than me) and enthusiastic. I am hopeful that it will be a great year for the guild.

Knitting: The anklets are ready for the Kitchener stitch to close the toes (tonight's goal); there is enough yarn to make another pair.

Spinning: At yesterday's spin-in, I finished spinning the merino/alpaca.

I'm still planning to catch up on outstanding blog posts. Hopefully, you don't feel overly inundated with what I have managed so far. They just might be a little slower coming.