Knit and crochet, and a little spinning

My sister and I went to the Knitting and Crochet Show in Manchester, NH this past weekend. Even though it was only 40 minutes from my house, we got a hotel room for two nights. We had a great time. I took two classes. I took an all day class with Jenny King on Crocheted Australian Wild Flowers. I am not a strong crocheter and it was a challenge to do these flowers but I think I did a pretty good job. I definitely understand crochet stitches better now. I even bought a pattern to crochet a market bag at the market place. We’ll see. The second day I took an Intarsia class with Edie Eckman. She went through the details of how to do intarsia (It was called Intarsia without fear!). I am not sure I will ever do much intarsia, but I have some information and some myths were dispelled for me. I could add a motif to something if I wanted to.

The other news this week is I treated myself and bought a Kromski Sonata. I wanted a portable wheel to take to fiber festivals and to Harrisville next week for the class with Lynn Vogal (Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook). It is a nice wheel, easy to carry and to put up. I need to practice with it this week so I don’t look like a fool next week. The class is Dye, Spin, Knit and is five days. I am looking forward to learning more about dying yarn and roving.

I have been doing some spinning this week. I finally finished the batt I have been working on forever and it is almost completely plyed:

 

 

I have also been busy finishing up my Laguna Blouse. I just need to do the side seams and work in ends. I think it even fits! Here is a pic:

 

One last photo tonight. Here is a visitor to my garden this weekend:

 

“Paradise is where I am.” Voltaire

Peace

Cynthia

Respinning or making new out of old

Several years ago I bought some alpaca yarn to make a lap throw. This was before I really knew what an alpaca was. I never made the lap throw and I came across the yarn recently. It is actually an alpaca-merino mix (80-20) in a natural gray color. In looking at it closely now, with some spinning knowlege, the yarn is a single. I thought it was overspun looking at it in the hank, but although it is an unbalanced yarn (it twists when I hang the hank open) it is probably not overspun. I don’t feel it is a great yarn, or at least a yarn that I would use, so I got some advise on Ravelry and this is what I did:

Here is a before picture:

I then “spun” two skeins onto bobbin on my spinning wheel. I went fast with little tension on the yarn, sometimes adding a little where the single was not spun as much.

I then plyed them together

 

When I washed the “new” skein, it was dirty which may have added to the issue with the original skeins, if they had been washed they may be more balanced and fluff up a bit, which is what the new skein did. I could not fit the whole new skein on my Ashford Traditional bobbin so I will have to get out my jumbo flyer to do the rest. But here is the final product:

I think it came out okay, the yarn averages 8-9 wpi. I have eleven more skeins to do. I will need the bigger bobbins so I can do the complete skeins which are about 160 yards each. Since I have an odd number I am not sure what I will do with the odd skein. Maybe I’ll wash it and use it as is or Navajo ply to see how that works. Of split the skein and make one smaller one.

This was an interesting process, I learned a lot about the construction of yarn and what the spinner can do to influence the final outcome. I am so glad I finally decided to learn to spin, now almost 2 years ago. I had resisted it for awhile, but I am getting so much enjoyment out of it.

Funny, I said that about dying yarn, too. And now what am I doing? DYING YARN. In fact, I am taking a week long class at Harrisville Designs August 4-8 with Lynne Vogel called  “Dye, Spin, Knit”. I got the supply list yesterday, I’ll need a suitcase to carry it all. I am looking forward to this class to learn more about the process of dying and how to design the yarns.

 

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” Goethe

Have a great day

Cynthia

Garden and knitting

My day today was bittersweet. On Saturdays, I usually go to Weight Watchers and then go grocery shopping. This morning I got up and went for a walk (I have been trying to walk the mornings I do not go to work) then went to WW. I have not weighed in in a couple of weeks because of the company we had, I gained so I was pretty bummed. I tried to remember there was a reason but I do not feel this is a good excuse. I should have tried harder to eat more sensibly.But going out to eat every night makes it hard to eat low fat and healthy. After I went to the meeting I did errands and went grocery shopping.

When I got home and put the groceries away I decided to get out into the yard to work on things I feel I have been neglecting. Right behind the house we have a deck, a brook and then the rest of the yard. On the banking on the other side of the brook there is a ground cover the deer used it as dinner last winter, so it is looking a little ratty. And the weeds have gotten the best of the area. I pulled the weeds today, cut away dead stems and cleaned up the whole area. It still looks a little straggly but I think it will look better with time. I pulled out small newly rooting plants and put them in small pots, I will replant them in areas that need to be filled in.

I love working in the garden. I did not listen to any music or podcasts, I just pulled weeds and tried to be in the moment. This is something I do not often have an oportunity to do. It is comforting to clear my mind of the clutter that is life. I hope to do the same tomorrow. I have not had much time to spend in the garden this year because I have been working extra time, but I think I will just try to get something accomplished every time I get out to work in the yard. I cannot do everything I think needs to be done this summer, but I know I can get some projects done.

Opening the online store has been a learning experience. I really did not know the work involved in maintaining a web site. Adding products, changing text, looking for new products, checking out the competition, and planning ahead takes time. I am also planning for festivals and fairs coming up. It really is a lot of work. But I do love it. I hope I am able to grow the business to a point of being profitable

 

I finally did the three needle bind off on the shoulders of the Laguna Blouse last night. I was not happy the first time I did it, I thought there was something wrong with what I was doing, but I looked on Ravelry to see what others had done and found the technique was an important feature. The picture on the pattern shows the blouse on a hanger so the shoulders look bunched up. I thought it was the way it was hanging, but the finishing technique on the shoulders is a knit three together and then a three needle bind off which makes the seem “bunched”. I am going to steam it tomorrow before picking up for the neck finishing tomorrow. I am hopeful it will be a finished object I will wear! I’ll post pictures.

I listened to PixiePurls podcast this week (she is back after having a baby) and she talked about a tank top she made, Pretty in Pink. I bought some Peaches ’n Cream cotton today at Walmart to make one. That will be my next project.

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. if we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.” Gail Sheehy

Cynthia

Alpacas and Turkeys?

I had hoped to write a post sooner but I seem to have less time to do anything extra these days.David’s brother and his wife were here last week, they own several alpacas here (they plan to transport them to Texas this fall when the ranch is ready) and had some business to attend to. It was great to have them here. LaNell and I went to the alpaca seminar at Kilblaan Farm on Saturday. It was fun and informative. The speaker is a alpaca farmer and an AOBA judge. There was a lot of information about how judging is done, I especially liked the part where we had hands on alpaca fleeces and looked at them like the judges look at them. I definitely have a better understanding about what to look for in the fleece. It is interesting though, the features we and the judges look at when looking at an alpaca are not necessarily important when making yarn (in my opinion). Staple length, crimp, bundling of locks, uniformity of color and fineness do not necessarily indicate what type of yarn it turns into. The alpaca blanket (back and sides) is generally the softest and has the most crimp and generally thought to makes the best yarn. The flip side is it may be too fine to be of value as a 100% alpaca yarn.  Seconds (legs, bellies, and sometimes the neck) is not “prime” fiber and is often sent to a fiber pool to be made into socks or, I guess, rug yarn. I find this fiber mixed with merino wool makes a beautiful soft yarn.

I have been doing more dying of alpaca yarn. It is fun. I have not been doing any “scientific” dying, just mixing and having fun. I think I have gotten some great results. The skeins are up on my website, so take a look. I am now planning to dye more than one skein in a color way, and keeping records. I am working on getting more white (or light colored) yarn and fleeces to work with.

I got a surprise this past weekend. I was gifted a large white fleece. Legend is a Herd Sire, co-owned by Paris Hill Farm and Spring Pond Farm. He is a big, beautiful animal. I am excited to have his fleece mill spun to make a yarn I can dye. His blanket will be 100% alpaca and his legs and belly will probably be mixed with merino wool. I hope I have time soon to ready this and other fleeces for the mill. I would like to set up a booth at the Wool Arts Tour in October so I need to have more product.

Not much knitting or spinning has been getting done the past few weeks. I have worked a little on the socks but not much else. I was listening to StitchIt pod cast on my way home from work this afternoon, Mehgan has started a new job and was talking about finding time to do everything she needs and wants to do. I could so relate to her. I don’t think there are enough hours in the day to do the things we are required to do (work, clean house, cook, have quality time with family) and the things we want to do (knit, spin, dye, garden). She was setting up a sort of schedule, pick up and clean a room in the morning before she goes to work, set aside evenings (after the little man goes to sleep) to knit or spin. I wonder if I could pull that off. I think I need to get up earlier so I can have an hour to do something constructive before I leave for work. And, honestly, I need to spend less time on Ravelry! I waste time just looking around. I think Ravelry is a great resource, but it is also a great time waster. I went on at lunch today and realized I could be knitting instead – so that is what I did. I even read a little from a professional journal while I knitted. That was a better use of my time.

David and I like to sit on the deck or in the gazebo in the evening when we get home in the evening before dinner. I am sitting here writing this post in our gazebo talking (or listening) to David. Does this count for quality time with family? Is this what is called multitasking? And is this healthy? I don’t know.

I love where I live and the opportunities I have on a daily basis. This time of year there are a lot of baby turkeys around. I see mothers and babies everyday. Here are a couple of pictures I took the other evening. LaNell and I jumped out of the car to check these babies out, the boys just followed us slowly with the car doors flung open The babies were running across the road to join mama.

Did you know, turkeys have day care? When you see a flock it is not uncommon to see one or two females with a bunch of babies while the rest of the flock is foraging for food. It is fascinating.

 

“I’ve always wanted to be somebody, but now I see I should have been more specific.” Lily Tomlin

Cynthia