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.

Listening and fiber

Do you listen to audio books while knitting or spinning or whatever? Sometimes I do, as long as I'm not at a tricky part of the project that involves thinking (counting is usually okay). Lately I've been marching though the George Smiley series of novels by John Le Carre. I've tried reading this author before (without success), but listening is another matter. Thank goodness for Hoopla (check your local library apps).

Knitting: I started a Window Cat, in what I think is acrylic; I'll have to give it the "burn test".

Spinning: The yarn I skeined last week was the Tasman comeback, and yes, some was three-plied, some chain-plied. This week I started chain-plying the maroon merino top.

You may be wondering what the "burn test" is. Light a small piece of mystery yarn on fire (CAREFULLY!) If it burns slowly and smells like burnt hair, it is wool; if it melts and smells like burnt plastic, it is acrylic.

At our last weaving guild meeting (which was by Zoom), I showed off my ice dyed yarn that is becoming socks. A member asked how to prevent laddering when knitting with double-pointed needles. What I learned from Stitch n Bitch is this: Knit the first stitch on a needle, insert the needle to knit the second stitch but before completing it, give the yarn a little tug; this tightens up the first stitch and helps prevent laddering.

TUG!

And that's all I have for today.

Double crochet cowl

While looking for an easy project for my granddaughter to crochet, I happened upon this pattern. I tested it, then paused while I finished the log cabin scarf, as both used the same yarn and I wanted to make sure I had enough for the scarf. Consequently, the cowl is not as long as specified in the pattern, but long enough for me.

Pattern: Long Double Crochet Cowl, by Stephanie Jessica Lau
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, naturally dyed with henna
Hook: H (5.0 mm)
Modifications: The pattern calls for super chunky yarn and a hook size of N/P, but I ignored all that.

This cowl is worked in turned rows. I chose to seam the two ends together using a slip stitch, which worked well but is obvious.

Knit cowls are usually worked in the round, and I found myself wondering about how one would do that with crochet. Well, while I used the free version of this pattern, the $5 version includes instructions for crocheting one in the round.

Lamb's Pride is a very warm wool, thanks to the mohair in it, but I'm not sure this cowl would provide much protections from the cold due to the open fabric. A polar vortex is on its way, so maybe I'll give it a try.

Bigfoot socks

Believe it or not, I am still wrapping up posts about xmas knitting projects. I have only one photo of the pair of socks I knit for my son because I forgot to take any beforehand. He kindly sent this one post-holiday:

Pattern: Short row toe and heel basic socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit, colorway 4720, and Opal Uni Solid, colorway 3081 (natural) for the toes, heels, and cuffs
Needles: US1
Modifications: I knit these from the top down, so the toe is a 'wedge' toe, not the short row

I used an alternating 2x2 longtail cast on, casting on 80 stitches. The 20 rows of 2x2 ribbing felt a bit much, but ended up matching the toe length well. The foot is about 80 rounds and the leg is about 80 rounds. They fit my son's size 13 feet well.

While I love my son and love knitting him socks, the 80-stitch rounds get to be a bit much. For the next pair, I may use a DK weight sock yarn, just to give myself a break.

I pledged

My first spinning wheel was an Ashford Kiwi 2.0. I chose it primarily because of the double treadle (and I didn't know enough to make a more refined decision). It has two ratios (3.0 has been upgraded to three) and I added a super flyer to it for bulky or "art" yarns. It doesn't get used very much.

That version of the Kiwi was not portable, so I purchased an Ashford Joy 2.0. It has the double treadle, plus four ratios ( I rarely deviate from whatever I am currently using), and is portable... or luggable. Schlepping it around is a bit awkward despite the carrying bag.

This past week, Knitty.com sent out an email about a new e-spinner that is relying on Kickstarter for funding. This one is called the EEW Fold. Not only does the e-spinner fold for easy transport, the bobbins fold as well. And it weighs about two pounds.

Photo borrowed from Kickstarter

After watching the video, I debated with myself over whether a needed a THIRD spinning wheel. Several of my fiber friends have e-spinners and *love* them. An advantage of a motor-driven wheel (with an rpm display) is consistency, plus there are unlimited speeds. Since I would not need to treadle, I would not have to quarter-twist my back when plying, either.

So I pledged. And then I worried that I would need a traveling table to set it on, but the inventor is publishing (for free!) files for 3-D printing a platform that can be attached to a tripod (which I already have).

The Kickstarter goal was $20k and already over $300k has been pledged, so the product looks like a GO. The deadline for pledging is February 5, 2025, if you are interested. They expect to be shipping in May. With over 1300 backers, it may be a while before I get mine.

Crochet: For my UFO-to-FO project this month, I wrapped up the double crochet cowl; separate post to follow.
Knitting: I started and finished a Kittyville hat; separate post to follow. Now besides the ice dyed socks, I'm knitting a "window cat".
Spinning: I emptied two bobbins of some tan yarn; I think one bobbin was three-plied, the other chain-plied (I'll have to comb my blog to figure out exactly what is what).

The other day I saw a woman in the grocery store who was wearing thigh-high leg warmers over her leggings. Is that a new style? Many years ago, I knit leg warmers, but got rid of them because they would not stay up. Over leggings, however....

Thanks to the weather, our recent spinners guild meeting was held virtually, which worked out okay except it was difficult to see the show-and-tell projects. The "theme" was using leftovers, so now I am collecting links to the patterns so they can be shared with everyone, including those who declined to attend (Luddites).

Fisherman's balaclava

I keep getting balaclava and baklava mixed up. The words, that is, not the objects. When it is cold and windy out, the former may be more useful than the latter.

Pattern: A combination of Hunter's Orange by Kaeleigh Geddes and Copy Cat C.C. Beanie by Emily Ingrid
Yarn: Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool, in natural
Needles: US7 and US8
Modifications: Quite a few - see below

Starting with the Hunter's Orange pattern, I increased the needle sizes, as my head is big. Then I cast on 88 stitches using the alternating long-tail cast on. I followed the instructions until the cast on for the top of the face opening, where I used the slip knot cast on (which as very tricky to get tight enough). Then I continued with the instructions until I reached the "Head" section, where I switched to the Copy Cat C.C. Beanie instructions, starting above the ribbing. After two pattern repeats (using 2x2 ribbing instead of 1x1), I followed the instructions to finish off the crown (for which 88 stitches worked better than the 86 stitches in the C.C. pattern).

I was a little nervous about how it would turn out, but one of the great things about knitting is anything knit can be unknit. But I like it, despite the fact it reminds me of one of several one-eyed cartoon characters.

Bring on the windy cold weather!

Mended

That damaged gray sock I displayed a week or so ago is all fixed. It helps that I not only had notes in Ravelry about these socks, but also a blog post. While not exactly a twin to its sibling, certainly functional.

One issue was this pair of socks was knit from the toe up, using a Turkish cast on. The repaired toe had to be done in the opposite direction. I supposed I could have worked harder to make the toe rounder, but after some use, I'm sure my SO won't be able to feel the difference.

While I was able to duplicate the colors on the toe, I didn't make the effort on the cuff, as it would have meant breaking up the remaining yarn to get at the correct shade of gray. Anyway, challenge met!

Knitting: Besides fixing the above socks, I finished the balaclava; separate post to follow. The ice dyed socks continue to be my portable project.

When I arrived at last week's spin-in, I asked how many handknits one could wear at one time. I had on a sweater, a scarf, a hat, mittens, and socks, all made by me. I guess I won.

More

After last week's post, I thought of yet another sweater I want to knit: a cuff-to-cuff one (pattern in Ashford's Wheel publication) using handspun. Then this colorful one showed up in my FB feed and looks like one that would use up a lot of this and that.

I don't want to buy this sweater, I want to knit it!

Suddenly granny squares are in, so now I am also looking at crocheted sweaters. A fiber friend created the following (she called it a "hexagon" sweater):

Photo courtesy Lorinda Browning

When I shared the above photo with another fiber friend, she responded with this one:

Borrowed from FB

As if that is not enough, Knitty featured a cuff-to-cuff crocheted sweater recently. There are a LOT of possibilies out there for handknit sweaters!

Knitting: It's cold outside, so I started knitting a balaclava to protect my (facial) cheeks. Still working on the ice dyed socks.

My SO presented me with a handknit sock that had become damaged.

Challenge accepted!

Gisella hat

I noticed that my son's girl friend had a hat that allowed her to pull her pony tail through the top. Then I recalled that one of my fiber friends had made such a hat. It turns out the pattern is from another of my fiber friends. So I knit one.

Pattern: Gisella, by Lorinda Browning
Yarn: Jamieson & Smith Aran Worsted, in 'Flugga White', 'Light Grey', and 'Shetland Black'
Needles: US8
Modifications: Old Norwegian caston, Icelandic bindoff, down one needle size, mimicked colors in photo instead of instructions

The result is something that can be worn as a cowl or a hat or an earband. I'm not very adept at stranded colorwork, so the non-stranded bits are snugger (almost too snug) than the stranded middle (hence the shape). Were I to knit this pattern again, I would try to rectify that.

I offered up the hat at xmas, but no takers. Today was rather windy, so I wore it - the brim kept slipping down until it rested on my glasses, which was actually a good thing. Coupled with a stand-up cowl, I almost felt like I was wearing a balaclava. Almost. My cheeks still stung from the cold.

The pattern calls for "chunky" yarn, although its summary page on Ravelry says "aran", which is what I used. The three colors in the pattern photo don't match the two-color instructions. "Cast on loosely" and "bind off loosely" are two phrases I have come to dislike in knitting patterns, since there are so many better alternatives. I'm not sure how I feel about rolled brims, either. It is very warm, though.