Non-matching socks

As I've explained before, I like the socks I knit to match. However, when I tried to pull the yarn out of the center-pull skein, a mess ensued. So I gave up on the idea of matching socks - these are for my SO and he doesn't mind - and just took off with them.

Yarn: Zwerger Garn Opal Harry Potter, in 'Hedwig' (2352) colorway
Pattern: Short-row Toe and Heel Basic Socks, by Wendy D. Johnson
Needles: US1
Modifications: Instead of the short-row toe, I did an easy-toe cast on, starting with 16 stitches to produce a more rounded toe.

The yarn is from the estate sale that occurred over multiple spinning guild meetings. Ordinarily, I shy away from commercial tie-in things (no offense to Harry Potter fans), but I do like the yarn patterns.

These will go to my SO as soon as I've had a chance to share them at the next spin-in and the guild picnic.

At the fair

Saturday was the first ever Fiber Fling at the Allen County Fair. When I organize these knit-weave-spin-tat-whatever events in public, I worry that those who sign up won't show up (half of them did) and/or that no one will come see what we are doing (it was hot, the building we were in was air conditioned, so a good number of families came through). We all had a good time, the home ec club was happy to have us, and they want us back next year.

I learned a few things. We were there from 10am to 2pm, but not very many fair-goers show up until the midway opens at noon. So next year, we will shift to a 12 to 4pm slot. Also, we need signs saying who we are. Hopefully, next time we will have tee shirts advertizing the guilds.

I also want to mix up the fiber arts a bit more. There were four spinners and a spindler, two weavers, a basket weaver, and a tatter. We could use a crocheter, a knitter, and rigid heddle and inkle weavers as well.

A (very) few guild members entered the Open Class competition, and we were basically competing against each other. My sweater won Best in Show! The buttons were purchased and sewed on just in time.

The judges include written comments about each item they rate. In past years, it was obvious that they did not know much about fiber arts. So several of us cobbled together some guidelines, which I delivered just before judging. I included my email and phone number for questions and feedback, but heard nothing. However, I can tell by this year's comments that they used the guidelines.

To get more guild members to enter the Open Class competition, we plan to have a program covering the guidelines and the registration forms. Hopefully, that will prod more fiber artists to enter.

Knitting: The non-matching socks are finished; separate post to follow. The L-Bag is about an inch from the decrease rounds for the bottom.
Sewing: The shorts I used for yardwork lack usable pockets. Using a tutorial from One Hundred Acts of Sewing, I added a patch pocket to each pair so I can at least have my cell phone with me. A learning experience.

Spinning: I got a LOT of spinning done at the fair - hope it is not too kinky, as I tend to spin too fast at spin-ins. I'm almost done with the dark brown roving.

Besides the fair, several of us spun at a local farmers market this past week, in part to raise the profile of the guilds, in part because of a deal the spinning guild has with parks and rec. We were inside a big barn with the vendors, and it was HOT with nary a breeze. On Friday, I tried to purchase some cooling neck gaiters at Dick's Sporting Goods, but they had sold out the day before. You snooze, you lose!

This is not a how-to

A while back I purchased a tie-dye kit with the intention of tie-dyeing some old tee-shirts, not for wearing, but for weaving rag rugs. Time passed (we won't try to guess how much time) until I decided today was the day.

First off, one needs a soda ash solution to soak the tee shirts in. This helps fix the dyes to the cloth (which needs to be 100% cotton). The kit included the correct amount for two gallons of solution.

While the tee shirts soaked, I set up the dyeing station. Outside. On an absolutely lovely summer day. The cooperation of the weather helped motivate me to get this done.

I actually tried to do some tye-dyeing, as the kit included lots of rubber bands.

But I lost interest after a while and just sprayed color on the tees.

The kit says there is enough dye for 15 tees, but it doesn't say what size shirts. Mine are all large, so had I tried to cover all the white, I would have run out of dye after about eight shirts. I did use up all the dye, and all the shirts have at least some color on them. Tomorrow I will rinse and wash them, so tune in next week to see how they turn out.

Knitting: All that remains to knit on the non-matching socks is the cuffs. The L-Bag is within inches of where the tapering starts for the bottom.
Spinning: Still sticking with my morning spinning.

While spinning, I listen to about 20 minutes of this podcast, "Wiser than Me" which is hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Julia interviews women who are older than her, which is very interesting and entertaining. The show is in its second season, which I think is better than the first. But it's all good. Give it a listen!

But so cheap!

At our last weaving guild meeting of the year (our meetings run September to June), we have a carry-in meal, share our "challenge" weaving, and sell stuff to each other. One weaver who also spins brought some fiber she wanted to get rid of. So of course, it ALL followed me home. For only $25!

Coopworth wool

Alpaca/merino

Gray pink wool

Camel down

Wenslydale longwool top

Merino/angelina

Merino

Wool roving

Mohair/Border Leicester

I know - I'm hopeless.

Knitting: I've pretty much decided to abandon the basketweave socks and am in the process of picking a cowl pattern to use with that yarn instead. Meanwhile, the L-Bag marches on! And, to a lesser degree, the nonmatching socks.
Spinning: Instead of starting my day with coffee and all the (bad) news that is fit to print, I've been spinning, specifically some dark brown fiber that I think is Polish merino.

Lately, I've been contemplating the difference between habit, ritual, and routine. Maybe we can say habit is what we do, ritual is how we do it, and routine is when we do it. Hence, my new habit of spinning routinely first thing in the morning while watching the birds in the backyard.

Going in circles

At tonight's weaving guild meeting, we are supposed to bring something we have made using a technique that is new to each of us. I posted about twining last time. I decided to finish the circular sample we started at the meeting on circular weaving as well.

My initial reaction was that this is too slow - this coaster took several hours. But after sharing with a fiber friend, I'm wondering if I would like circular weaving better with a heavier yarn. I won't give up on it... yet.

Knitting: I am on the verge of ripping back the basketweave socks. The yarn feels wrong for socks - not durable enough - and I hate knitting the pattern. The unmatched socks, however, are going well... if I didn't keep getting distracted by the latest L-Bag.
Weaving: See above.

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is featuring an exhibit by Rowland Ricketts, textile artist and indigo dyer (with more than a little help from his wife, Chinami). We visited it last week. WOW! If you have the chance to see work by these artists, GO!

Besides getting tee shirts for guild members, another task I have taken on is creating a guideline for the judges at the county fair. From reading their comments on projects entered, they do not know much about fiber arts. I sent out feelers to see if they would be interested in some guidelines, and they said YES PLEASE. So now I am trying to pull that together, with input from various fiber friends.

The days are just packed.

Twining away

The weaving guild I belong to encourages us to meet a particular challenge each year. This time it was to try a new weaving technique. I haven't been weaving lately, but we recently had a program on twining. I decided to work up a sample of that, in a rather lazy way.

I don't have a twining-specific frame, but other frames may be co-opted. I chose to use a potholder frame. One reason is the side pegs help with the selvages. Another reason is to keep my effort small. I also did not want to go to the trouble of creating warp and weft from fabric, so I used potholder loops.

My first attempt was a bit of a disaster, but the second (pictured above and below) turned out okay. The resulting fabric is very thick and dense. Twining is rather addictive, so when I have some free time, I just may make myself a rug from old sheets.

Yes, time. One would think during retirement there would be plenty of time, but somehow the days are just packed. It doesn't help that finishing the quilt has motivated me to tackle some other long-standing projects. This week it was a pair of pajama bottoms. I purchased the pattern from One Hundred Act of Sewing *many* years ago and bought the material about the same time. Now they are done!

My sewing skills are rather basic, and I made several mistakes with this project, but I learned some things. You *can* teach an old dog new tricks.

Knitting: The basketweave socks are s-l-o-w-l-y advancing. The L-Bag has become my TV viewing knitting project for now, so the mismatched socks are on pause.
Weaving: See above on twining.

Another reason I seem to have no time is I keep volunteering for things. I'm the "outreach coordinator" for the weaving guild, and I unofficially do the same for the spinning guild. I want to raise their profiles in the community so that people know we exist and what we do and maybe they will want to join us. The current push is to get tee-shirts made for each group, so we can wear them when we spin and/or weave in public or when we attend fiber fests. There is another group in town where the members are all "aging out". I don't want that to happen to our guilds.

Swatching can be reassuring

Last week I decided to start another L-Bag, this time using the sport-ish weight Kauni yarn I purchased at the estate sale. I wasn't sure what needles to use, and had started a swatch that was not knitting up very well. Fortunately for me, one of my spin-in groups includes the author of this pattern. I mentioned my dilemma to Lorinda, and she reminded me that the pattern included instructions for knitting it with sport weight yarn. Duh!

So I jumped right in and started knitting the bag with US10 needles, but I still wasn't very happy with how things were going. So I knit up a new swatch. Initially, I put it in a small lingerie bag and threw it in with my regular wash, but that did not do the job. I finished the felting by hand and am quite pleased with the results.

Still, I restarted the bag because, after using a knitted cast on, I had neglected to knit through the back on the first row and the top was rather floppy. Now I am on my way.

Knitting: Started an L-Bag - see aboe. The heels are turned on the basketweave socks, but now I am bogged down on them. Progress is being made on the non-matching socks, as they have been my traveling project.

I have not been spinning much lately. When I spin at spin-ins, I tend to go too fast and the yarn gets kinky (can't talk and spin at the same time), so I've been knitting instead.

In the better-late-than-never department, a quilt top that I hand-pieced over 45 years ago finally got quilted. One of my fiber friends has a free-arm sewing machine, and she uses it to generate a bit of extra cash by quilting for others. I was ecstatic with the results (and the price - a pittance compared to what others charge - it pays to have fiber friends).

For some reason, I made the quilt top too long. So I asked Beth to cut off two rows of blocks and make them into a wall hanging, for over the bed. Now I need to find a rod to hang it from, one that won't kill me if it falls off the wall.

Another Lozenge Cowl

In an attempt to use up the rest of the yarn from the Wabash Woollen Works natural dye workshop, I knit another Lozenge Cowl. Mission almost accomplished. All that remains is some madder.

Pattern: Lozenge Cowl (free Ravelry download), by Raging Wool
Yarn: merino sport weight (about 100g), MC = hollyhock, walnut, eucalyptus, marigold, onion skin, madder, CC = sumac, Queen Anne's lace, madder (acid modifier)
Needle: US5
Modifications: Used Old Norwegian cast on and suspended bind off

A black and white version of the above photo reveals that the contrast in values between the onion skin dyed yarn and the acid modified madder is not as deep as I would have liked, but not too bad.

The main color is knit in garter stitch. If I had paid attention, I would have avoided this bit where the change in colors is not very smooth. (Is there a name for this knitting result?)

The back is not as tidy as the previous Lozenge Cowl. I have a tendency to knit stranded colorwork too tightly, but I overcompensated too much in this version. I would not enter this project in the county fair.

I showed this to my spinning peeps, and they declared it good. Their opinion is all that matters, right?

Inspiration from guild meetings and books

The past two weaving guild meetings have been about new-to-me methods of weaving: twining and circular weaving. Sometimes when I am thinking I am not much of a weaver, I see a new technique and think, Maybe this is my path forward. I haven't tried twining yet, but at the circular weaving meeting we each received a cardboard loom (already warped) that we could practice on.


At an informal spin/knit-in/gab-fest, someone mentioned a book called The Joy of Yarn: Your Stash Solution for Curating, Organizing, and Using Your Yarn, by Marie Greene. One of her organizing methods is to group yarns by color. I once visited a yarn shop that did just that, and I found it to be a rather ridiculous but beautiful way to organize yarn. The author's other method is my method - by yarn weight. After all, how often does one mix yarn weights in a project?

I found the following charts from the book to be very useful, though.

I am really disliking the Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock yarn - it is very soft and feels like it won't hold up well for socks. However, if I double it, I think it would make a nice next-to-the-skin garment like a hat, scarf, or cowl.

Knitting: I have turned the heels on the non-matching socks. One of the basketweave socks is ready for a heel turn, the other close.
Spinning: I finished spinning the Tasman comeback singles. I also plied the latest merino/silk blend that I spun at spin-ins; I'm not very happy with it, would not enter it in the county fair, but I'm sure it will knit up into something nice.

Speaking of spin-ins, yesterday I planned to attend one. I packed up the wheel and some fiber, then decided maybe I would just knit. But after backing the car out of the garage, I realized just how tired I was. So back into the house I went, where I spent most of the day on the couch, reading (and crying through) The Women, by Kristin Hannah. If you lived through the Vietnam era, this is a must read.

A trick with colors

I've been looking at the yarn that remains from the natural dyeing workshop at Wabash Woollen Works, contemplating what to make with it. From weighing the Lozenge Cowl that I made from it, I decided there was enough for another cowl. But I wasn't sure about the colors. So I did a little trick: took a photo of the remaining balls, then converted the pic to black and white.

This allows me to see the differences in value between the colors. I want enough contrast between the colors in the cowl to accent the lozenges. And so far, it is working out just fine. (There was enough of a dark green to cast on with.)

Knitting: Besides working on the Lozenge cowl, I am making headway on both pairs of socks. I'm ready to turn the heels on the non-matching pair.
Spinning: Still working on the Tasman comeback.

I'm reading a book called Get the Picture, by Bianca Bosker. The author is exploring the New York art world in an attempt to develop an "eye" for art. One artist she talks with has several paintings going on at the same time and describes her feelings toward them as "relationships". Some of them are in "time out" and face the wall. I'm beginning to think of my weaving as being in "time out" while I figure out how to move forward with it. I've made several attempts, but so far, nothing clicks. Maybe I'm not a weaver?

Spindle cuteness

As I mentioned before, I sat next to a new weaving guild member who was spinning silk on a supported spindle. Hers was very pretty, purchased on Etsy. So I went there and ended up with this one.

I know next to nothing about supported spindling, but this baby feels very balanced. The online pix gave me the impression a bowl came with it, but what I thought was a bowl was just a prop. So now I need a bowl, which I can make from clay or I can make do with a small dish I have already made. I also need some online videos for learning how to get started. I think I'll start with some yak fiber I came across in my stash recently.

Knitting: Still working on both pairs of socks. The nonmatching ones are nearing the heel.
Spinning: Still working on the beige Tasman Comeback.

Yesterday Blogger was misbehaving and I wasn't sure I would be able to post ever again. Today it seems fine. If I ever just drop off the face of blogdom, know that it is probably from technical difficulties. Technology is great, until it isn't.

More purchases

I didn't go overboard at the (final) showing of the remaining fiber goodies from the estate sale. Focusing on sock yarn, I purchased a couple of skeins and their accompanying patterns (although I doubt I will use the patterns), plus a lonely single skein. Having taken a break from knitting socks, I am now back on board and have plenty of yarn now.

Superwash BFL & nylon

Then there was a kit of yarn that last time I picked up, then put down. I picked it up again, along with its pattern. This isn't enough for the sweater or hat (maybe those projects were finished?), so I think this batch was intended for the muff. I'm not a muff person, but I can probably convert the muff pattern to a cowl.

THEN this past weekend, my SO and I attended the West Michigan Potters Guild's show in Grand Rapids, MI, where the Woodland Weavers and Spinners Guild shared the space. Most of their products were finished projects - rugs, blankets, runners, placemats, towels, silk scarves, etc. which I was not interested in. The hand-dyed roving was another matter.

Rambouillet

Falkland

Merino

I would feel worse about breaking my self-imposed promise to not buy any fiber this year, but I have fiber friends who are older than me who *really* loaded up from the estate sale, including some tools and equipment they absolutely do NOT need. But as we all know, there is a big difference between need and want.

Knitting: Cruising along on the two pairs of socks. I took the brainless ones with me on our trip, but did no knitting.
Spinning: Still working on the tan roving. While hanging up the braid I purchased last weekend, I realized I have *another* whole braid of the tan. Gah!

I had a great chat with one of the workers at the fiber sale. I recently came up with the idea of tee-shirts to help raise the profiles of our local guilds. Now I have even more ideas of things we could do along those lines. We shall see if I can sell those ideas to the guild memberships.

Supported spindling

This past week we had a new member join us for weaving guild (and besides becoming a member, she also volunteered to help with our social media!) She sat next to me and spun silk on a pretty supported spindle. Before I got a wheel, I tried spinning with a spindle, but it was just too slow for me then. Now, when I may want to spin up a few yards of something for a tapestry, a spindle sounds like the perfect tool. Alas, I gave away all my spindles, so now I am shopping for replacements.

Knitting: The basket weave socks are coming along slowly - I'm not very adept at purling on double pointed needles. The mindless socks are underway, perfect for knitting during commercials and at meetings. Needless to say, they do not match.

Spinning: Still working on the beige singles and the merino/silk blend singles.

Yesterday was the first Saturday spin-in at the Little Shop of Spinning. A subgroup of us meet up for lunch ahead of time, which extends our chat session. Our discussions are not limited to fiber, sometimes we really get going about subjects like joint replacements, but the talk is always lively. I eyed the spindles in the shop, but I think the style I want is called tahkli. Since I didn't buy a spindle, I bought a(nother) hand-dyed braid.

Spinning guild is this Tuesday, and the estate sale goodies are supposed to be there. It was a bit overwhelming the first time I saw all that fiberlicious goodness, but now I have a clearer idea of what I am interested in. We'll see how out-of-control I get.