Indigo-go

A week or so ago, I attended another workshop on natural dyeing, this one including indigo. I've been a little obsessed with the idea of dyeing with indigo ever since I read Kay Gardner's post on shibori, a.k.a. resistant dyeing. Not so obsessed to actually try it, but obsessed just the same. At this workshop, we worked only with yarn, but I learned how to dye with indigo, so when the itch must be scratched, I am ready (as soon as I accumulate the necessary equipment and ingredients).

In the previous fiber dyeing workshops I have attended, we mordanted the yarn before dyeing. In this one, we learned a one-pot method whereby the mordant was added to the dye pot. Either way, the yarn must be soaked beforehand. The instructor supplied one-ounce skeins, enough for each of us to have five. (That's a lot of niddy-noddying!)

The first dye batches we did were marigold and cochineal. The former produced a golden mustard color. The latter initially resulted in coral rather than red, probably due to the fact the cochineal was wrapped in cheesecloth; when simply added to the dye bath, it produced a rich red.

Then it was time for the indigo. We had two pots going, one for blank yarn, one for overdyeing some of the already dyed yarn. Indigo is fussy, but magical. The dye bath looks greenish yellow, as does the yarn when first pulled out. But contact with oxygen in the air quickly turns the yarn blue, right before your eyes. If you are not satisfied with the shade of blue, the yarn can go back in the pot repeatedly.

I chose to overdye the coral skein and one of the mustard ones, the latter producing a lovely green.

The instructor also tried dyeing with some turmeric root that is now available at the local food co-op. It produced a pale yellow that I like better than the mustard gold.

Here are the class rsults: indigo on the left, then marigold overdyed with indigo, then cochineal overdyed with indigo, then the two shades obtained from the cochineal, and in the back the marigold.

I had to skidaddle at the end of class for grandma duty. While driving the g'daughter to my house, I told her what I had been doing all morning. Of course, she wanted to dye some yarn, too. So I dug out some blank sock yarn and Kool-Aid, and we dyed our own. Being four, she did not quite get what we were doing, but I hope I am planting seeds for the future.

It will be okay

I've been marching along, working on the Easy as Pie blanket, squaring up the circles. Only four more to go! But I was beginning to worry that the squared circles would not lay flat when done. Then I got the bright idea to block one and see how it turned out.

Whew!

Picking up a UFO after such a long time is problematic. I could not remember if I had already switched to the Irish cottage knitting style when I started (I had but had not yet learned to upsize the needle to make up for tighter stitches). While seeing if the pattern specified how to M1 at the points, I realized the slipped stitches were supposed to be slipped knitwise; I'm not sure I did that, but I am now. I want to do my best, but some days my best is not very good. Since this is a blanket for my 4-year-old g'daughter, and it will remain here at my house, I'm not concerned about perfection. Next time I will do better (I hope).

Fixed object

When my SO first brought me his injured Fibonacci vest, I thought he had snagged it on something. On further inspection, I realized that the damage occurred where the individual rounds of the button/neck/bottom band began and ended. Did I do a lazy job of weaving in ends? Did the fact I skipped blocking the vest allow the ends to work their way loose? Was this just too stressful a spot to begin and end the rounds (upper right shoulder)? No one - least of all me - knows.

I was slow to repair this, primarily because I was not sure how without completely removing the band, something I was prepared to do if necessary, but I really did not want it to be necessary. Eventually, I undid the bind off and tinked back two rounds (which saved me from having to remove buttons and redo button holes). Then I tied together the ends of rounds that were still intact, added a "patch" to the mostly still intact round, then reknit two rounds and the bind off. (Fortunately, I had made a note in Ravelry about the bind off, as I had done a yarn-over bind off around the bottom.) I carefully wove in the ends and blocked the thing to help weld those ends to the fabric.

Were I to knit this vest again - or if I had to remove the entire band - I would do one (or more) of the following:

• Knit the band in one color instead of changing colors each round
• Start the rounds at a less stressed spot, like somewhere around the bottom
• BE MORE CAREFUL

It's still cold here (-4 F when I got up this morning), so the vest is now doing its job of keeping my SO warm. He says it feels like a big hug.

Not fashion forward

I guess one could call this a "grandpa vest". Nothing special, just an exercise in top-down knitting. I also used up the last of the Wool-Ease Chunky left over from this project.

Pattern: Sleeveless Sweater by Barbara G. Walker
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky, colorway 115 'Bay Harbor'
Needles: US11
Modifications: Stuck with a plain vanilla design, for simplicity's sake and to avoid running out of yarn.

This project was quite the learning experience. For one thing, I started with a different pattern and different needles before settling on the final ones. I struggled with gauge. I learned how to do an invisible cast on (eventually) and how to get the arm hole borders to lay flat by the armpits. Using a store-bought vest to help me with things like width, arm hole size, etc., I sized the knitted vest to the external dimensions of the store-bought vest, forgetting that the chunky yarn would subtract from the internal dimensions, so the fit is a bit snug. I redid the bind off for the neck and arms multiple times, finally settling on EZ's sewn bind off, and the arms are still a bit binding.

BUT. It is comfortable and warm, if rather plain and dowdy, perfect for wearing around the house or under a jacket.

Mystery hat solved

In an incredible stroke of foresight, I actually wrote down the name of the pattern for the hat project that was languishing in the car: Graham. It's a slouchy hat that has already been claimed by my daughter, since for some reason she has been hatless this winter.

Pattern: Graham, by Jennifer Adams
Yarn: Plymouth Encore, colorway 520 (dark gray)
Needles: US7 and US9
Modifications: none

Graham is a super easy knit with easy to follow instructions. And instead of abandoning the knitter to "continue in pattern", Ms. Adams provides explicit directions for the crown. If you need a quick, stylish hat, this is the one to knit.

What a diva

It looks like I forgot to post about Tuckernuck, probably because this sweater just about killed me provided me with many learning opportunities. Cascade 220 Superwash is a perfectly serviceable yarn, but almost every time I picked up the project, I found myself wishing I had held out for the recommended Karabella. Getting gauge was nearly impossible, and going up needles sizes resulted in a rather loose fabric. The instructions definitely could have been more detailed, especially regarding the sleeves, which was compounded by this being my first time with capped set-in sleeves. In the end, I had to block it twice, to get the width to work, then also had to reinforce the buttonholes to keep the buttons from sliding out. I am extremely happy... to see the last of this sweater.

Pattern: Tuckernuck, by Elinor Brown
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, colorway 1949
Needles: US7 and US9
Modifications: None that I can think of

My g'daughter is frequently contrary when it comes to modeling knitwear, but today she put on a show.

Looks like handknit

Being a knitter, I am not shy about asking perfect strangers if they knit the scarf, hat, mittens they are wearing. Were I to run into Wendell Berry, I would ask him point blank, Who knit your sweater? Doesn't it look comfortable and warm?

Source: Inside Higher Ed

I don't know Berry personally, but sometimes I feel like I do, having witnessed a debate in the '70's between him and Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, plus I am a fan of his writing and his causes. I first spotted him with this sweater in the author photo on the jacket of his latest release, A Place in Time: Twenty Stories of the Port William Membership. If you are so inclined, I recommend this book as one to savor for the lyrical prose, the depth of characterization, and the portraits of the residents so lovingly described.

FO - boot socks for me

After knitting "boot" socks for everyone else who is "sock-worthy" in my family, I finally knit a pair for myself. What makes these boot socks is the yarn is DK weight and I make the tops taller than usual.

Pattern: None to speak of, just your basic toe-up socks.
Yarn: Online Supersocke 6-fach Milano color, colorway 1620
Needles: US3
Details: Turkish cast on (12 stitches, increased to 56 stitches), stockinette for foot, gusset heel, stockinette for leg, 1x1 ribbing for cuff, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

I have one more skein of this DK yarn, and my crystal ball says they will become another pair for ME. The only question is, will that be sooner or later? Since we still have the month of February to get through, I'm thinking sooner.

Getting a head

I finally purchased a Styrofoam head, at Joann, for about $2.50 (with coupon). It's not quite adult size, but will suit my purposes.

I'm guessing someday my g'daughter will get hold of it and apply "makeup".

Handknits in 30 Rock

While binge watching "30 Rock" (it started when I was laid low by a nasty cold), by season six I was spotting a lot of what looked like hand knit items. Most were worn by Tina Fey, a.k.a. Liz Lemon, but not always.

This scarf reminds me of a Brooklyn Tweed design

Pattern at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/liz-lemons-slouchy-hat

Mitts with fingerless gloves probably not hand knit

Good ol' granny square

FO - Sockhead hat

If I were to design a hat and call it "Sockhead", I would make it like a sock, complete with heel turn and Kitchener toe. This Sockhead hat was much easier than that - four inches of ribbing, nine inches of stockinette, crown - but felt interminable. HOWEVER. It was excellent brainless knitting, the yarn is pretty and soft, and I was able to binge watch "30 Rock" for much of it.

Pattern: Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure
Yarn: Vermont Farmhouse Yarns fingering, colorway "Frosted Berries" (love the name!)
Needles: US2
Modifications: none.

I really need to get a mannequin head for hat shots. Trying to showcase the slouchiness of this hat by taking a "selfie" in the bathroom mirror just does not cut it.

Nary a resolution but many goals

Sometimes I post an end-of-year recap of everything I knit in the past 12 months. With the way I procrastinate and have WIPs/UFOs with project lives that cross years (decades?), this exercise seems more and more pointless. Besides, I didn't finish all that much this year: two pairs of preschooler socks, two scarves, one vest, five pairs of adult socks, two preschooler sweaters (neither of which g'daughter will wear), three hats, one pair of preschooler mittens, and a doll's cape. My excuse is that I was, in spite of retiring mid-year, very busy.

So let's looks forward instead. Here are some WIPs that I plan to turn into FOs in 2015:

• Sockhead Hat - this is my brainless knitting project
• Chunky Sleeveless Sweater - my goal is to master top-down sweater knitting
• Orangy Boot Socks - because everyone has a pair of boot socks except me
• The Gray and the Black Mittens - all that remains is a thumb. ONE THUMB.
• Easy as Pie Blanket - My g'daughter has probably given up on this project.
• EZ Suspender Cardigan - All this needs are buttons. BUTTONS.
• Minimalist Cardigan - All this needs is seaming. SEAMING. NO BUTTONS.

There is a hat in the car that I work on while waiting for one thing or another, a project that I did not enter into Ravelry and whose pattern completely escapes me. Hopefully, there is a note somewhere, to remind me what it is supposed to look like.

There are also some unfinished projects I plan to frog: toddler wear that the g'daughter outgrew already, schmattas that no one I know will wear, etc. I am also eyeing a couple of FOs that languish and give no joy - maybe they will be repurposed somehow.

As far as new projects go, I have a few:

• Stephen Colbert Socks
• Errant Socks
• Danish pullover
• Knit Your Family sweater - My own design, inspired by Ann Shayne's Knit Your Life sweater.

And then there will be the usual xmas knitting. Maybe this is the year I knit felted slippers for all. And I'd like to learn to darn socks. I even purchased the egg for it a while back.

But what about the spinning? you may well ask. Somehow, some way, that has fallen completely by the boards. The woman I purchased by wheel from holds a "spin in" once a month at her shop, and there is a spin in at Teasel Hill Angora Farm whenever a month has a fifth Saturday. Attending these events is part of my get-out-and-about-more resolution, and hopefully they will help jump start the wheel.

Any New Year resolutions or goals for you this year?

Emergency hat

My g'daughter lost her primary winter hat, so g'ma to the rescue with a quick pink knit. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it before gifting it. If I someday do get a pic, I will post it, just for reference. (Editor's note: added photo.)

Pattern: Basic Hat Pattern, by Ann Budd
Yarn: Cascade 220, colorway 9478 (pink)
Needles: US8
Modifications: I didn't follow the pattern directions very closely - details are here on Ravelry

Which brings me to a dilemma. I try to keep track of project details on Ravelry, then use those notes to create a blog post. It feels like a duplication of effort, so I am contemplating just using Ravelry in the future instead of blogging about my FOs. Still contemplating this issue. Any thoughts on the subject?

3 days until xmas

This is the LAST handknit xmas gift for 2014. It is blocking as I write. I need to give the xmas socks a good soak to plump up the stitches, but otherwise I am DONE (unless I decide to whip up something extra for the g'daughter, like a hat, as she lost one).

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf, by Jared Flood
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, colorway 357
Needles: US9
Modifications: I used only one colorway but knit from two skeins at a time, staggering the color shifts. Also, I used a provisional cast on and joined the ends to make it a moebius. Grafting instructions for ribbing may be found at Techknitting.

I draped this around my neck while preparing to soak it - MMM! Very soft and warm and cuddly. I may have to make one of these for myself. When I am done with my fiber diet. Which right now appears to be NEVER. Many stash-busting projects are lined up for 2015.

Stuck

Do you get stuck at certain points of knitting projects? I certainly do, which is where I am right now. Most of these sticking points are repeat offenders: seams on sweaters, thumbs on mittens, grafting ribbing or garter stitch, buttons.

I have a sweater that I started in 2008, finished knitting and blocking, that has yet to be pieced together. There are three sweaters I wear despite having no closures; I recently purchased a zipper for one and buttons for another, but the third defies a definitive solution. My granddaughter's belated birthday sweater lacks only buttons, which I have but have not sewn on. My first colorwork, a pair of mittens, lacks one thumb. Another pair has not gotten past the first mitten, which also awaits a thumb. Then there is a ribbed moebius scarf that has yet to become an endless loop.

I hit snags when knitting socks - casting on toes, turning heels, binding off ribbing - but with a little peace and quiet, I can get past these. Projects that require a lot of counting can also grind to a halt, but eventually they move on. Anything fiddly, however, is my Waterloo.

What are your UFO hangups?

13 days until xmas

Sometimes the finishing is the hardest part. I use Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off for toe up socks, but for some reason I could not get into the rhythm right away. Eventually it came, but struggles like this make me feel like I am getting dumber and dumber.

Pattern: none to speak of
Yarn: ONLine Supersocke 6-fach Milano Color, colorway 1616 (grays)
Needles: US3
Details: Turkish cast on (12 stitches, increased to 56 stitches), stockinette for foot, gusset heel, stockinette for leg, 1x1 ribbing for cuff, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

I refer to socks knit in DK as "boot socks" and made the legs a bit longer than usual. The foot came out a bit long, and the toes have "bunny ears". Not perfect but perfectly wearable by the intended recipient.

14 days until xmas

We are coming down the homestretch now for homemade/handmade xmas gifts. I didn't so much as plan ahead as simply start early. Consequently, things are looking good on this home front.

Pattern: Slouch 0-906 Hat by Drops
Yarn: Colinette Cadenza, colorway 72 Tapis
Needles: US7
Modifications: I knit until I had seven garter stitch ridges, then performed the decreases over stockinette only

I was hoping to get my granddaughter to model this hat to show how it slouches at the top, but she has been very contrary lately. You will have to use your imagination or check out the other photos on Ravelry.

Finishing an already finished object

Last March I deemed the Fibonacci Vest as complete, even though it lacked buttons. Not that we didn't search for buttons, but finding the perfect buttons proved elusive. Then summer came and meh, who cares about buttons on wool vests? With winter pressing down upon us, though, buttons once again seemed imperative. And we found some at Joann that satisfied that need.

Meanwhile, I *still* have not completed Tuckernuck. I got stuck on the set-in sleeves, then on the button band, and now on the button hole band. Plus a severe case of startitis hit (coinciding with the creeping crud - two weeks of misery) which led to some WIPs: a scarf, a pair of socks, and a hat, all requiring next to no brain power. I'm finally feeling better, so it's time to tuck Tuckernuck into bed.

Free yarn!

Three years ago I knit a couple of Schmattas, then never got around to sewing buttons on them. Yesterday I pulled them out of the WIP pile with every intention of adding the buttons, when I wondered, "Why bother?"

No offense to Mason-Dixon Knitting, but no one I know would want to wear one of these, including me. Do I go ahead and sew on the buttons, then tuck the neckerchiefs into the gift drawer, never to be gifted? Or do I salvage the yarn and make something someone would actually wear, like felted slippers?

Do you have items in your gift drawer that you knit reflexively but that will never see the light of day? Or items that served their usefulness in a few short weeks, never to be worn again? In the latter category are some infant outfits I knit my g'daughter. Seriously, knitting infantwear other than booties and hats is a bit of a waste because babies grow so fast; better to make a blanket that will be used for years to come.

So I'm thinking of recycling the yarn from some of those ungiftable knitted objects. The baby outfits were knit from fingering, but since it is 100% merino (no nylon), I don't want to make socks with it. Maybe gloves? Or a fine gauge scarf? If this frigid weather keeps up, underwear is definitely an option.

Another watch cap

Last spring, while visiting Massachusetts, I shopped at Webs in Northampton and grabbed a few skeins of Encore for knitting hats. I like to have a few extras around because sometimes people forget theirs or (ahem) some people lose theirs. I've knit this pattern before, so no surprises there. It's easy and quick and produces a perfectly serviceable winter hat.

Pattern: Watch Cap, by Judith Durant
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted
Needles: US8
Modifications: none

Hand knit hats always seem much warmer than store bought. Some would say it's because they are knit with love, but, as my stepmother once pointed out to me, you can buy hats with love. I think it is because the process of hand knitting traps more air in the fabric. What do you think?

Who needs needles?

I was in some store like Walmart or Meijer when out of the corner of my eye I saw something about "arm knitting". Have you ever heard of this? I had not, so of course I Googled it.



Are you going to try this? I might. Someday. When I don't have anything else to do.

Warm hands, warm feet

That should be the new motto for knitters. Mittens and socks for little ones are fairly quick projects, and since little ones grow, mittens and socks are in frequent demand.

Pattern: Basic Mitten Pattern, by Ann Budd
Yarn: Cascade 220, colorway 9478 (I'm on a fiber diet, so I stole the yarn from a UFO)
Needles: US7
Modifications: None

Question: When a pattern says to do something like "increase every x rows until stitch count reaches y", what do you do when you reach the stitch count? Do you knit the extra rows before continuing or do you just carry on with the next instruction? Inquiring minds want to know.

Deja vu

These socks are not the same as these socks. I used the leftover yarn to make g'daughter a pair. These have been finished for a while, but I forgot to take photos until just recently.

Pattern: None to speak of, just Turkish cast on, 40 stitches around, gusset heel, taller than usual for wearing with boots, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off.
Yarn: ONline Supersocke 6-ply, colorway 1617
Needles: US3
Modifications: I did the toes on two circs, then switched to DPNs for the rest.

I thought about saving these for xmas, but after repeated "fittings" to make sure they were sized correctly, it seemed unfair to hold onto them until then.

Laura Ricketts came to town

Indiana is a state most travelers pass through on their way somewhere else. Fort Wayne is even more so. Consequently, when someone worth seeing hits town, you go, because unless it is B.B. King, the opportunity might not come this way again.

Even though I had never heard of Laura Ricketts, her encounters with the Sámi people and her efforts to collect their mitten patterns sounded interesting. Last night I attended the talk sponsored by Knitting Off Broadway.

Laura's presentation included a slide show, a description of her recent journey through Sápmi (a.k.a. Lapland), and a pile of mittens she had knitted using the designs she collected along the way. As intriguing as the mittens were, after a while my eyes glazed over. I wish I could take the class she is offering tomorrow, to learn more about the actual techniques, but it's full. Maybe next time.

As she talked, Laura mentioned this knitting museum and that folk art museum, which gave me pause. When I travel, I frequently check out local yarn stores, but it hasn't occur to me to look for museums that specialize in fiber arts. I don't need more yarn or roving, but I could certainly learn something new by visiting these places, especially if my trip can coincide with a class or workshop. Must make note to self.

In the mean time

While Tuckernuck has been drying after a good soak (sweaters are easier to assemble after the pieces are blocked), I've been experimenting. Pre-retirement, I didn't have much time to just play with knitting, so this is something new for me.

So is colorwork. My goal for the winter to to learn to knit with more than one color at a time. The easiest first step is to knit a check pattern, one stitch per color, across an odd number of stitches.

Since I now know how to knit with either hand (Continental with the left, Irish cottage with the right), it's not too difficult to hold one color in each. The stranding on the back is manageable with single stitches. Next I'll graduate to two stitches of color at a time.

Serendipitously, TECHknitting is publishing a series of posts on color knitting. Check it out!

Back on track

I have a slight reprieve on the Tuckernuck sweater, as g'daughter's birthday will be celebrated several days after the fact. Still, I know how these projects go: you get the bulk of the knitting completed and think you are nearly done, but the finishing almost finishes you off.

Body

Sleeves

Coming together

There will be blocking, of course. And buttons! I hate sewing on buttons!

Another detour

My daughter put out a call for doll clothes, so I could not resist whipping up this poncho out of leftover yarn.

Pattern: 18 Inch Doll Poncho
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, colorways 340027 (blue) and 340202 (light blue)
Needles: US4
Modifications: None. Instructions for a jogless color change found here.

Now back to our regularly scheduled knitting.