Summertime blues

It happens every August: I am DONE with summer. We had a week of hot, humid weather before it finally broke along with some storms. I hope that is the last of the heat. When the temps cool, I hope I can still fit into my jeans.

Knitting: I've been trying to fix my granddaughter's blanket. She checked out what I have done so far and declared it "too fat" - in other words, the patch is bulky. I have some ideas for reducing the bulk, though.
Weaving: Work continues on the sari yarn bags. In the past, I eschewed using a temple, thinking that it was cheating. However, I am now a convert. It not only helps maintain the width of the fabric, it's a nifty design. Just watch out for the VERY sharp teeth!

The fiber arts guilds I belong to are trying to meet up again. There have been Zoom meetings for the spinning guild; I attended one but kept dropping out. Since the weaving guild wants to try Zoom meetings as well, I'll have to figure out a solution. Perhaps I should use a cable between my laptop and router instead of wifi? If anyone has any experience with Zoom and ideas for solutions for me to try, leave a comment please!

Dog days

Clio is laying in the shade of the arborvitae - she looks dead - while Watson is hunkered down in his favorite spot under some shrubs. I spend a couple of hours on the yard most days, but am feeling a bit discouraged at the slow progress. Eventually, the temps will drop and it will rain. Right?

Crochet: The colors in the hat I was crocheting were pooling so badly, the garment was taking on a camo look. I showed it to my granddaughter - the look on her face confirmed just how hideous the results were. When I tried to coach a comment from her, all I got was "I'm not wearing that!" So I frogged it.
Knitting: A pair of socks I knit for a friend developed a hole. I hoped to be able to mend it, but decided to turn the socks into some fingerless mitts instead. The problem? My friend must wear perfume on her feet. I'm sensative to fragrances and could barely stand to work on these. I even tried washing them, to no avail. Maybe I can work on them outside? When it cools down a bit?
Weaving: YES, I actually sat down at my 24" rigid heddle loom and attempted to continue with the sari yarn bag I had started. This is the project I purchased a temple for, so I tried to get that working. Alas, it revealed that I had lost an entire INCH from the width of the weaving from the get-go. That's what happens when one simply eyeballs dimensions instead of measuring them. So I started the project over AGAIN - probably for the third or fourth time. My self talk is along the lines of "Well, now you know...."

A few days ago, my SO and I planned to visit the Decatur (Indiana) Sculpture Tour, which is outside and goes on all year round, with fresh sculptures installed in the early summer. I even dressed up! But just before we left, I suddenly felt unwell. We ended up on his front porch, chatting away. Just as well, as in today's paper I read about a spike in Covid cases in Decatur. Meanwhile, the work can be viewed online.

Royally blue cowl

After crocheting a swatch to prepare for repairing the Taupe Beast, I looked for a simple crochet project. Unable to find something simple enough, I chose to make a cowl using the same stitch pattern as the Taupe Beast. I actually crocheted this cowl at least twice, as I was struggling with getting the turns at the ends of the rows correct. I also struggled a bit with stitching the ends together, using good ol' mattress stitch.

Pattern: Stitch pattern from "Ivory Elegance" in A Year of Afghans Book 5, a Leisure Arts book.
Yarn: Big Twist (acrylic), in 'Royal Blue'
Hook: USG
Modifications: Cast on 101 stitches, executed only two pattern repeats.

I'm not a fan of acrylic, but it is better than it used to be. And it's machine washable/dryable. However, I no longer use it for baby items, since it melts when exposed to a flame whereas wool, even superwash, is naturally fire resistant.

Clean up

I'm so proud of myself for tackling the studio. Not only can I walk across the room, I was able to vacuum and dust in there. The table still needs to be cleared off, but should I feel the urge, I can spin and weave in there again. And having it mostly in order is generating that urge again.

Crochet: I wanted to crochet a simple project, so started a hat that is single crochet in a spiral. Something, either crochet or gardening or something, messed up my shoulder and upper arm, to the point that for a few days I could not crochet a single stitch without experiencing pain. It's better now, but I am not pleased with this latest sign of aging.
Knitting: A blanket I knit for my granddaughter in 2011 tore a bit near one corner. The online pattern is long gone, but it's a simple feather-and-fan stitch with garter borders, so I am working on a patch.

In pottery class, I actually threw a couple of pieces on the wheel. My ortho surgeon did not think crouching over a pottery wheel would be a good thing for my new hip, but the new instructor dug out a countertop wheel for us to try. Two of my hand built projects are not turning out well, so I'm glad to have something to show for my efforts.

Latest Blogger glitch: I thought some of the labels were missing from my list, but it turns out they are in two groups, one where the labels are capitalized (like for yarn brands), one where they are not. Very odd.

Agnes Martin swatch

Agnes Martin was an abstract artist whose work frequently featured grids. When I view these paintings (in books or online, alas), I can't help but think, I could weave that. I wasn't sure how, so I made a swatch as a practice piece.

There is more than one way to weave a grid in tapestry. The horizontal lines are easy - two passes with one color of the weft - but vertical lines are created by alternating colors with each pass. It is not so much a vertical line as a vertical line of dots. In this grid, the vertical lines are spaced apart, so I carried the line color across the back. Some weavers want the back of their tapestry to be as tidy as the front, but that is impossible using this technique.

Another way to create a vertical line in tapestry is to use a particular soumak stitch, so I may try that next, although I fear that will create vertical slits that I may have to sew up. Ugh. I'll have to meditate on that for a while.

(I pretty much HATE the new Blogger interface, but at least I figured out how to resize the photos so that they fit on my template.)

Focus on finishing

I have a bad habit of starting projects with great enthusiasm, powering through them to a certain point, then abandoning them, often just inches from being complete. Then I feel bad about myself and the state of my house because it is cluttered with these almost finished objects. So this past week, I spent an afternoon actually wrapping up a couple three things.

Crochet: I had to start the cowl over from stitch one because of that row-turning thing I mentioned before - the fabric was growing - but now the cowl is complete, even the mattress stitching. Separate post to follow. I also finished the repairs to the Taupe Beast. They are not pretty but hopefully will hold together at least as long as the rest of the afghan does.

Weaving: I hemmed and steamed the latest pocket weaving; separate post to follow.

There are more repairs/finishes to do, of course, plus other projects at a standstill (for example, those old family letters). At some point, I would like to rescue the fiber studio, because once again, I can barely cross the room. However, the weather continues to be amenable to gardening, so I have been expending a lot of energy on that. Rain is in the forecast, so maybe, just maybe, a few more things will get done around here.

(Blogger has a new interface, one that I have yet to master, especially the sizing of photos. Please bear with me while I adjust.)

Behind the times

My new found interest in crochet led me to Ravelry. OMG! The interface is completely new! I stumbled on some broken links - as a ex-software developer, I know there are always bugs to fix - but I am (sort of) eager to explore and see what else is new. One issue I have is photos - mine are in Flickr but they raised their "professional" rates. I'm not a pro by any means, but it was an easy and (formerly) economical way to store photos online, plus I linked my Ravelry projects to those photos. I'll have to see what the alternatives are now.

I cruised around the crochet patterns for something small and easy to make. That provided a second jolt - there are new (to me) stitches with new acronyms. I decided to make a cowl using the stitch pattern from the Taupe Beast I am repairing, since I already know how to do that. I also checked out The Happy Hooker from the local library's online collection - I always have trouble with turning and starting a new row in the right place. This book has great drawings and helpful hints. (I used to own a copy but it disappeared during a round of decluttering.)

Crochet: Still wrestling with the Taupe Beast repairs, although I think I have a strategy. It won't be pretty but it should work. I'm either a third or a half done with the cowl, depending on how tall I decide to make it.

My interest in pottery is growing in fits and starts. The instructor for the class I am enrolled in is ill (not Covid), and so far the substitute has not been able to make it to class, either. Hopefully, tomorrow. Meanwhile, I purchased some "Mexican pottery clay" (made by AMACO) to play with at home. I'm not sure what it is made of, but it feels very clay-like. Instead of firing pieces, one just lets them air dry, after which they can be painted and decorated or left as is. No kiln needed, nor a wheel as I prefer hand building. I bought a couple of scrapers too, but otherwise am using homemade tools like a fat dowel to roll slabs, a paper clip to cut, etc. I have invested so much money in equipment and tools for fabric arts that I feel like I don't make full use of, I am a little leery of making a similar investment in what may be a passing fancy.

Finally!

The number of new Covid cases is climbing in Indiana, so tomorrow (Monday) masks become mandatory indoors. It's about time. When I see non-wearers of masks out and about, I almost feel assaulted, as though they are pointing at me and saying, I don't care about YOU! What a selfish culture we have cultivated.

I am a little embarrassed to say I did nothing fiber related this past week except try to repair the Taupe Beast. It took me a while to find a copy of the pattern (thank you, Inter Library Loan!) Then I had to learn how to crochet again; fortunately, that is like riding a bike, one never really forgets. I worked up a sample of the pattern, then spent HOURS trying to actually repair the afghan. Talk about a cognitive test! I will keep at it, though, as this thing is a favorite winter warmer for my daughter, her family, and her dogs. (No wonder it needs repair!)

One happy result of my efforts was coming to the conclusion that I kind of miss crochet. My mother taught me how when I was about 14 (I wonder what happened to that vest?) I inundated friends and family with afghans and baby blankets, then got bitten by the knitting bug. Lately, knitting has taken a toll on my shoulders, so maybe I'll return to my hooking roots, at least for a while.

Four suns tapestry

Reminder to self: Do not weave in black or dark blue because your eyes are too old to see what you are doing.

That is not completely true. With pocket weaving, one can create four-selvage pieces. The problem is that once one is in the homestretch, it is really difficult to keep the warp covered with weft. An argument for matching the color of the warp to the color of the end weaving.

I really like "kindergarten colors" - primary and secondary on the color wheel. Hatching comes in handy for blending the colors. Cartoons (what weavers call the paper guides behind the weaving) help with shapes and such. I'm still perfecting my circles.

I kind of pooped out by the time I reached the fourth sun. Then I struggled with the final rows. Then this piece sat around for a long time, waiting to be hemmed. What should have been a quickie project languished quite a bit.

I consider my pocket weaving to be samples or swatches, a way to try out an idea or some colors. And when I'm done, I have a nice rug mug to add to the pile.

Pink and purple and some sparkle

I had this grand plan to blend half the angelina into half the purple merino, blend the rest of the angelina into half the pink merino, spin those into singles, then spin the rest of the purple and pink into singles, finishing up with a 4-ply yarn. I think I could have skipped all the fooling around. Were I to do this again, I would mix all the angelina with all the purple merino and two-ply it with the pink.

Fiber: merino in purple and pink, angelina in sapphire(?)
Wheel: Ashford Joy 2
Technique: nothing special
Spun: worsted, Z-twist at an 8:1 ratio
Plied: 4-plied, S-twist at an 11:1 ratio

I used a drum carder to blend the merino and angelina. Fiber that starts out as top turns into roving on the drum carder. After a few trips through the carder, it turns into roving with nupps. It took me a while to figure out I did not need to send each batch through the carder three times, once was enough. I think I was hung up on the number three because if I had been blending colors, yes, three or more trips would be required. (Some people blend angelina into fiber as they spin, but I'm too anal to risk running out of one or the other before I was done.)

Spinning the blend was a challenge. Merino top spins up so easily! Merino blended with angelina - not so much. The angelina doesn't slip like wool; it stiffens the fiber and removes some of the bounce that merino is known for. I found it more difficult to keep the singles thin, too.

As would be expected, when 4-plying, I ran out of one ply before the others. So I 3-plied until I ran out another spool, then 2-plied the rest, ending up with one sample that was not a mixture.

4-ply: 1 ply purple merino, 1 ply purple merino/angelina blend, 1 ply pink merino, 1 ply pink merino/angelina blend
WPI: 8-9 (between Aran and worsted weights)
Amount: 286 yards, 204 grams

3-ply: 1 ply purple merino/anglina blend, 1 ply purple merino, 1 ply pink merino
WPI: 10
Amount: 5.5 yards, 7 grams

2-ply: 1 ply purple merino/angelina blend, 1 ply purple merino
WPI: 12
Amount: 24 yards, 8 grams

2-ply: both plies purple merino/angelina blend
WPI: 12
Amount: 38 yards, 13 grams

I like the color combination of pink and purple, but I have no idea what I will make with this. Suggestions welcome!

Schedule change

My usual MO is to work in the garden early and late in the day because, OMG, the heat! The humidity! Ugh! However, I also like to relax with a couple of hours of TV each day. Watching in the evening was interfering with the gardening, so I switched to matinee viewing - I watch in the afternoon, in the heat of the day, when I am feeling rather sluggish anyway. Fiber fits in here and there.

Needle felting: I forgot that the week before this past one I spent some time repairing Dill. Poor thing.
Spinning: I finished plying the merino/angelina blend. Separate post to follow on that effort.
Weaving: The 4-sun piece that languished for many weeks is hemmed. I'm almost done with the piece that is currently on the pocket loom.

I'm taking a pottery class at the community center. One project is a bunch of bone-shaped items. The plan is to only bisque them, not glaze them. When I am dyeing yarn, I'll throw some in the dye pot, then wrap some yarn samples around them to display in a print tray that hangs in my dining room. Another project is to weave something in clay. Toward that end, today I practiced with pie dough.

Not too shabby!

Second verse, same as the first

Like last week's report, I am trying to get something, anything done in the yard. The heat is giving us a brief reprieve, but the ground is still bone dry. Occasionally, a pop up storm drops a few sprinkles, but nothing significant. I'm still wading through the old letters, too, ruminating on what to do with some of them that lack a "next of kin". Maybe a historical society would be interested? Reading them is like traveling back in time, which is distracting.

Spinning: I finished spinning the pink merino/angelina blend singles and started 4-plying everything. I'm beginning to think my efforts will not produce anything all that interesting. Also, I don't seem to have enough fingers for 4-plying.

Indiana is experiencing an uptick in Covid cases. I see more people wearing masks, although still not all unless the store (like Barnes & Noble) requires it. Kroger now "recommends" masks. I feel like getting a t-shirt made that says, "If you want your children to go back to school this fall, WEAR A MASK."

Shifting priorities

Not much fiber activity occurred this past week. For one thing, despite the heat, the yard calls. I spend some time out there every morning before it gets too hot, then do some watering in the evening because it is not only hot but dry. Also, after the death of a cousin of my mother's a few weeks ago (not from covid), I feel a pressing need to go through all the old letters and photographs I've been sitting on for far too long.

Spinning: I finished spinning the purple merino/angelina blend singles and am halfway through the pink merino/angelina blend.

Today is Independence Day, a holiday I'm not too fond of. The dogs are even less fond of it, especially Clio. In Indiana, personal fireworks are legal. In our municipality, their use is limited to certain times of the year, like the week leading up to today. This constraint is ignored by a few, but to my knowledge, no one is ever caught, let alone fined. I've had to move the dog crates into my bedroom, as Clio is relatively calm if I am nearby. I have also been sitting out in the yard with them in the late evening, hopefully to inure them to the noise. My efforts help but I will be glad when this holiday is over.

Do you Pomodoro?

I recently learned of a time management technique known as Pomodoro, which is Italian for tomato. (The inventer is Italian and originally used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer.) Basically, one works for 25 minutes, rests for 5, then repeats three more times, rests for 30 minutes, then starts all over again. There are lots of apps to help with the timing, but I have found that for me, the work/rest ratio depends on what I'm doing, how much sleep I got the night before, how hot it is (for outside labors), etc. The most important lesson learned, though, is I need to sit less and do more. Once I sit, I tend to stay seated for much longer than necessary. I also need to pay attention to my energy level. On day one, I overdid it in the morning, then spent the afternoon in recovery mode. I am getting more done, though, mostly outside.

Spinning: I am almost finished spinning the purple merino/angelina blend into singles. The pink and remaining angelina is all blended. It took me until the last ounce to figure out how best to do the blending.
Weaving: I'm almost done with the experimental grid on the pocket loom.

I took my granddaughter to her gem and mineral society meeting last week. It was outside, in an open park pavilion, but I still wore a mask and maintained as much distance as was reasonable, as did most adults. The granddaughter - not so much but not too bad. There were a few other kids there, so a certain amount of firefly catching went on. The meeting was my first group encounter since March. So far, Indiana is holding steady with new Covid cases, so there is a balance between public health and the economy... so far.

Pick and choose

In early August, after summer events and activities are over but before school starts, many people in this city leave town, a lot of them for "the lake". (There isn't one big lake here that everyone visits but many small ones that are referred to collectively as "the lake".) Traffic lightens, crowds lessen, noise diminishes. That what it feels like right now, in mid June. Businesses are opening, groups are meeting, but there just aren't a lot of folks around to enjoy them. My SO and I went to the local art museum and were the only ones there. We stopped at a DQ for sundaes and were one of only two couples there. My granddaughter is taking tennis lessons and has only one other classmate; the class previous to theirs also has only two students. I'm still being careful about where I go - I skipped last week's weaving guild meeting even though it was outdoors, politely declined a luncheon and a (masks optional) wedding - and I always wear a mask, but some think masks are now unnecessary. We'll see how that goes.

Spinning: I finished blending the purple merino with angelina on my drum carder and learned a few things about how that works. I'm about halfway through spinning it, which is another learning experience.
Weaving: I added the row of soumak to the previous piece but have yet to do the finishing work. Meanwhile, I started another piece on the pocket loom, to test out how to make a grid when weaving tapestry.

If you are interested in resilience during these trying times, the NY Times is running a series on this topic. I think there will be five articles in all; so far, two have been published.

Discomfort

I've been thinking about discomfort recently. Buddhism and Stoicism (and probably other philosphies and religions) suggest we develop resilience by exposing ourselves to discomfort, starting with little things and working our way up. I find it difficult to manufacture uncomfortable situations, be they physical or mental or emotional. For one thing, everyday life seems to offer up plenty of opportunities for experiencing discomfort, especially lately. How we respond to those opportunities reveals our character. Being reactive or fearful rarely helps; having empathy for others and listening does. Not only must we learn to sit with our own pain but with the pain of others as well. I need more practice at that.

Knitting: I finished the Ivy socks. Time for a break from knitting.
Spinning: I blended some of the purple merino with the angelina, using a drum carder. I plan to spin it up before continuing, in case I don't like how it spins.
Weaving: I took the current piece off the pocket loom but could not figure out why there was a ridge near the bottom. A day later it occurred to me that that was a row of soumak, to aid in turning the edge. Duh. Now I need to repeat that at the top.

This past week I participated in my first Zoom meeting, with the spinning guild. Or tried to participate. There was something lacking in my connection - it kept cutting out with the message that the connection was unstable. It was particularly bad when I said anything. So I just sat there and listened to everyone else. Not a bad practice. ;-)

The Ivy socks are finished!

Once upon a time, I would try to knit a pair of socks in a month. One year, I think I knit a pair almost every month. I started this pair March 20 and despite being (mostly) diligent, I didn't finish them until yesterday.

Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Simply Socks Yarn Co Poste Yarn Striping, colorway 'Ivy, VA' and Simply Socks Yarn Co Simply Sock, colorway 'Golden'
Needles: US1
Modifications: Not enough 'Golden' yarn for the cuffs, so I used the self-striping yarn until the last five rows or so

If you read this blog regularly, you might have noticed that I knit most socks in yarn from Simply Socks Yarn Co. Although SSYC is mostly an online business, it is local to me. Also, the Poste Yarn is made with Corriedale instead of Merino, which I think lasts longer.

It's not the knitting that bothers my shoulders but the purling. I must do something hinky with the purl stitch. I am going to take a break from knitting altogether for a while - plenty of other stuff to do - but I still have a fair amount of sock yarn in my stash that I don't want to abandon.

Wanted: a few rainy days

If the weather weren't so nice, I would have accomplished more fiber things this week. Instead, I have been out in the yard, trying to make up for all that remained undone last summer. Some of that make-up work involves sitting on the deck, listening to the birds while I read or draw. Not very productive but definitely enjoyable. Some rainy weather would force me back inside, where fiber projects await.

Knitting: It seems like I am never going to finish those socks. I'm about a third of the way up the cuff. One problem is that with the temps in the house higher than usual (trying to reduce the electric bill), my hands get a little sweaty, which does not work well with wool.
Spinning: I finished spinning one 2-oz. ball of pink. Next up is to blend the angelina into the the remaining balls. Most of it is going into the purple, a lighter amount into the pink. I hope my plan works.
Weaving: The temple arrived on Monday, I read up on how to use it on Tuesday, and that is all the farther I have gotten.

I've been reading At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life, by Fenton Johnson. Part memoir, part survey of some famous solitaries from Thoreau and Emily Dickinson to Nina Simone and Bill Cunningham, this book gives voice to something I had no vocabulary for before now. With the pandemic, solitude is a hot topic. There is a difference between being lonely and being alone. Some of us crave the latter, need it to recharge and to dig deep. Being solitary does not mean being a hermit, either, although some days I may act like one. Reading about solitude feels like finally getting a diagnosis that validates my reality.

Hell in a handbasket

I try to keep politics and social issues out of my blogs - that is not why I write - but there are times when I wonder just what the hell is going on, and why, and how to fix things. I try to stay optimistic - something will save us from ourselves, a new leader, a technology breakthrough, SOMETHING - but instead things just seem to get worse. It's not just here in the US, either, but worldwide. We've reached some kind of tipping point. Where do we go from here? Where is Elizabeth McCord when we need her?

Knitting: My sock-knitting MO is to knit toes, heels, and cuffs in a contrasting color, but after completing about six rounds of the cuff in 'Golden', I could tell there would not be enough yarn to finish. Instead of 2" cuffs, do I resign myself to less than 1"? Do I purchase a whole new skein of yarn? Oops, the colorway is not available and the store is currently online only, no curbside pickup, so I'd have to pay for shipping too even though Simply Socks is less than ten miles away. I decided to knit the cuff in the self-striping yarn, which meant tinking back.
Spinning: I finished spinning one 2-oz ball of the purple merino and started the pink. The current plan is to blend the angelina into the remaining two balls, then FOUR-ply the finished yarn.
Weaving: I am still struggling with the rigid heddle weaving. The temple should arrive tomorrow, so maybe that will help. Re the pocket loom weaving, I stopped one night because I was tired and getting confused about the colors, then blithely carried on a few days later, continuing the confusion. I had to unweave, then reweave the thprird sun (which is hard to see in this pic).

On an almost-unrelated topic, I have been trying my hand at drawing with colored pencils. For one thing, it is a MUCH simpler method for creating art than weaving is.

Drawings can provide inspiration for weaving and other fiber arts. It is also surprisingly engaging. For example, how does one make a sphere look three dimensional? What color are shadows? How can there be so many shades of white? And who stole my Prisma colored pencils?

Becoming a germaphobe

Indiana has been slowly emerging from the shelter-in-place order, leaving me a bit confused over what is allowed now and what is not. I'm also concerned about scofflaws, people who think they can do whatever, wherever, regardless of the circumstances. I don't like crowds in the best of times, but now I have a legitimate reason to avoid all those germ-ridden people - I'm over 65, supposedly in a high risk group (although no underlying health issues). I also don't want to become a second-wave statistic, so thanks, but no thanks, I'm wearing my mask.

Knitting: I did reach my goal of completing the legs on the Ivy socks. Tomorrow I start the cuffs.
Spinning: I finished plying the navy blue and burnt orange merino (see post here) and started spinning some more Timbre Ridge merino, in purple and pink. There is also a package of angelina with this batch, something I have played with before. Not sure how I am going to use that. BTW, visit this link to see where the Timbre Ridge merino came from.
Weaving: I finally made some forward progress on the latest pocket loom weaving:

I also started, then completely unwove a piece on my 24" rigid heddle loom. It's warped in black 8/4 carpet warp, which is fine, but despite all my care, by the time I had woven 3" the sides had pulled in 1/2". And it was just beginning! I decided to start over. I also decided to invest in a temple, to see if that will help me maintain even selveges.

I grew up in houses without central air, something I would never consider these days - I like my comfort. My electric company sends out a monthly energy usage report. In the past, I consistantly used less than the most efficient homes in my area, but since I retired, my summer usage runs high. That's because I am home all day, so the thermostat never gets reset. The most recent report pointed out that ceiling fans consume less energy than AC units, so I am experimenting with using them more this year. This is going to be a warmish week, so we'll see how that works. Wish my shade trees were bigger.