Moz Fiber Fun

PIQF 2011

2011-10-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

My photo album from this year's 2011 Pacific International Quilt Festival

5th Place Ribbon

2011-08-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

This year I competed in a whole new category...not amateur anymore. Lots of competition, so I'm very happy to have garnered a 5th place ribbon...and the yellow looks so nice on her too! This is the quilt I made for my good friend, Jeannie using Australian Aboriginal fabric. It measures 99 x 102".

My champion reserve ribbon!

2011-07-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

This is a little collage of the fiber and fiber sample that took the first place in the fleece to fiber category of the Fiber Show at Black Sheep Gathering this year. This same skein took the Champion Reserve for the Fiber Division. Judge was Judith MacKenzie. I'm tickled pink!

Strippy Maze

2011-06-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is a strip quilt I've been working on for a few months. All of the strips are scraps from my quilting at Quilted Cottage. The little plastic things in the middle are row markers :)

The Aboriginal Quilt

2011-06-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

I designed and quilted this quilt for my dear friend Jeannie.

This is the back...

The quilt measures 92 x 100

Blue Ribbon Sonoma Fair 2010

2010-07-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

My very first Fair entries. Alfred's Quilt brought a blue ribbon! I'm so pleased.

Deb n' My Shawls

2010-07-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is a shot of Debra Emery's shawl (L) and my Rocky Pi Shawl (R). We are first and second place respectively, but we were in different categories, so we're still speaking to one another...teehee. Seriously we're both quite excited to have received accolades in this, our first foray into County Fair entries. To say the least we were tickled pink. I encourage all of my fellow fiber friends to enter next year. It's a blast to see your designs exhibitied, ribbons or no!

My White Dress-2nd Place!

2010-07-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is a dress I designed the pattern for from an old housedress of mine that I love and can't find the pattern for. It was originally just going to be a "muslin" but I decided to finish it off and add some dragonflies with my embroidery machine.

Stonington Shawl

2010-07-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

The brown shawl on the bottom shelf is my first "sheep to shawl" item. I processsed the Shetland fleece, spun the yarn and knitted the shawl. 3rd Place!

Finish Line!

2010-07-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

Swatched from the 3ply sample skein I spun from the Corriedale X singles. From combed top to knitting needles. 4.5 spi on size 7 needles.

Tour de Fleece-Day 22

2010-07-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

Managed to spin the one pound of Corriedale X singles for my planned Aran sweater. The bobbins are stuffed...5oz per. The Yarn sample came out at 14 tpi's for a 3 ply. Maaged to get in a couple of 3 ply sock yarns while I was at it. Watermelon, and Mossy. The yarn sample looks good. Sampling the Corrie X on my spindle provided a lovely 2 ply. I see lace in this fleece's future as well.

Three weeks of spinning fun. I always like to dedicate myself to the TdFleece. I manage to get past some roadblocks in my spinning.

Stonington Completed

2010-07-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

I started this shawl with about 2 #'s of Shetland raw wool.

This is a shot of the shawl from the back before blocking...38" x 38"

These are shots of the shawl after blocking...50" x 50".
I could have stretched it more, but I wanted it to stay close to elbow length.

The pattern can be found in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop and in Knitters Magazine Shawls and Scarves.

Watermelon spinning

2010-07-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Fruity!

Watermelon

2010-07-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

Merino/silk blend drafted into little "nests" for spinning. Maybe a shawlette? The Fiber is from Miss Babs

Day 5 Tour de Fleece

2010-07-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

One pound of Corrie X combed and ready to spin.

Tour de Fleece Day 4

2010-07-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

This is the fiber that I spun on my spindle. It was the most perfectly balanced yarn. I've been reading Abby Franquemont's Respect the Spindle and learing a great deal about working with my spindles. I used her method of winding the 3 balls of yarn together as one before plying and it was so easy to work with it that way. Of course this is just a small sampling, but it's amazing how much control one has over the fiber this way.

Here is my Lendrum wheel sampling for the day. I've been playing with a worsted short forward draw with this combed top and I actually like my point of twist semi-woolen technique, which is my default method, much better. The fiber actually looks more like a worsted yarn with my method.

Corriedale yarn sample

2010-07-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

I spun up a sample on my spiderweb Golding spindle.

Squoosh

2010-07-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Just finished the last bump of Merino/Bamboo batt from Squoosh on Etsy. I'll 3 ply this for socks!

Beginning Tour de Fleece 2010

2010-07-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

Corriedale X sampling

2010-07-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

This is the Corriedale fleece I purchased at Black Sheep Gathering last year.

It's all washed and ready to start combing for my Tour de Fleece challenge=1# combed and spun during the Tour de France.

These little "nests" are pulled off of the combs ready to spin.

Blocking the Rocky Pi Shawl

2010-06-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I've just given the shawl a soak in a mild soap and rinsed, pressed dry rolled in a towel.

You can see that I have started to thread the mono-filament through the shawl's points.
This is a close up of how the mono-filament threads through your lace edging points.
If you use the kind for a weed whacker and it has sharp edges, you can do as I did and sand it down which softens the sharp edges.

After the shawl is theaded, I place a large pin in the center of the shawl and measure out to the radius I want. Mine was 28". Then I place pins along the edge of the mono-filament to keep it stretched in the circle shape.

It's a good idea to calculate what circumferance you want for the final blocking to make sure you have enough mono-filament before you start to thread. I always run out :).

In circles the circumference is 3.14 (p) times the Diameter. Always give yourself a few extra feet over this measurement.

I didn't want the shawl to be too long either, so it was ok that it's only 56" across. It would have blocked out at least a 6-8 inches more.
Now it sits to dry. It's warm here today so I figure it will dry out by tomorrow.

Rocky Pi Completed

2010-06-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

Well, here she is, finished. I haven't blocked it yet, I sort of enjoy the bit of ruffling the shawl gives when it's unblocked. This was one of the nicest knitting experiences. The fiber is a millspun from Brookfarm Alpaca , but this particular batch is a Blue Ribbon winning blanket fleece in a natural fawn color. It is so incredibly soft.

I'm planning on entering this gal in the Sonoma Couty Faire in July, so I will block it for that. I'll do comparison photos :). Ain't she a treat?

Spinning that Romney

2010-06-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Pleased with the way the singles are comig out. I'm planning a 3 ply for this fiber for a sweater that I have in mind. In this first picture you can see the roving balled up on the left, the wheel bobbin full of spun singles, and the 3 weavers bobbins I've used to store the singles onto. I'm putting them up in 3's like this so that I can rotate all the bobbins as I spin the final yarn. This distributes the variations throughout the entire yardage. Hopefully that helps with a more even yarn without taking away from the "homespunnyness" of the yarn.

I'm getting 30 wpi (wraps per inch) on the singles which should make a pretty nice worsted weight range 3 ply yarn. The singles are being spun in a semi-woolen manner from roving that I pulled from carded batts.

Volunteer Lobelia

2010-05-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is growing between the house and the cement driveway. Such a lovely little soldier. :)

Irish Soda Bread

2010-03-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

it turned out great! and, yes, this qualifies as a fiber installment :)

Rainbow handspun finished!

2010-02-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

My Ravelympics project is finished!

Rainbow Handspun

2010-02-24T15:53:00.000-08:00

This is my handspun from a Merino/Bamboo blend from Laura Schickli of Handwerks. I'm working it up into the Morning Surf Scarf which uses the "wave" pattern. The scarf design is by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer as seen in the Summer 2008 Spin-Off Magazine or for free right here at Jackie's site.

Bunny vs Romney

2009-09-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well, this fiber is addicting. This is from New Hue Handspuns on Etsy. It is a lovely Merino/Angora blend. I started these socks from cuff down, then panic set in and I knew I wanted to not waste any of the yarn so restarted from toe up.

This is a better shot of the Merino/Bamboo hanks I picked up from New Hue Handspuns. This dyelot (Soloman's Seal) works up so pretty.

This is a shot of all the purchased fiber sitting atop the Romney that I am working somewhat diligently to finish processing.

So...feeling a bit guilty about neglecting the Romney, I put some through my Duncan drum carder ...have I spoken enough on how wonderful I think this drum carder is? And came up with this humungus lovely batt....just twice throught the carder...

Hmmmm, this color fiber reminds me of someone...

Alpaca Pi in Parsley

2009-08-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

The alpaca Pi shawl is ripped back a few rows to start the diamond patterning. That's the parsley and pennyroyal patch in the yard. It's about the only thing besides the tomatoes patch that are green right now. It looks like a top down tam o'shanter at this stage :). This lovely yarn is from Sonoma Yarn run by Tillie Angus, in Sonoma California. The lush alpaca yarn is from Brookfarm Alpacas, and was a Blue Ribbon winning blanket fleece in the color Fawn.....exquisit.

Meg Swansen

2009-08-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Amy Detjen, Me and Meg Swansen, man they grow 'em tall in Wisconsin.

Me and Meg Swansen, Sock Summit, Portland OR 2009.

Head over heels trying on the original Arch Shaped Stocking that Elizabeth knit for her daughter Meg.

Meg, displaying her knitted examples of the Arch Shaped Sock.
More photos of my socks in my Sock Summit Album.

First Combing-Corriedale X

2009-07-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

One of the English combs by Indigo Hound, and one of the nests of sliver from dizing (pulling off) the fiber from the comb.

Fiber nests and washed locks.

Nest of Corriedale ready to spin!

First Batts

2009-07-06T17:21:00.001-07:00

I brought home a Duncan drum carder. What a fabulously engineered machine.
These are the first batts I ran through it.

On the right is the dyed roving I purchased. The center is a first pass through the drum carder, and on the left is the 2nd pass.

You can't really see how streaked the color variations are in the middle batt, but they are far more blended in the left one. It's a lovely turquoise now from what was a green and blue dyed roving.

Shetland Batts

2009-07-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Shots of my Shetland through the drum carder. The rough looking one is what I was getting out of my old 72 tpi drum carder. The smooth one is what is now coming out of the Duncan. That is one pass of fiber that was combed. I took the little 'nests' and put them through the carder. What a difference!

Cormo, mmmmmm

2009-06-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

I picked up this delicious fiber from Sue Reuser's booth today at Spinners Day at the Farm in Healdsburg, CA.
It is a Cormo sheep roving blended with some soysilk fiber (Made from the by-products from processed soy beans).
It is delicious! I'm striving for laceweight for the Melon scarf in Victorian Lace Today.

This is the bag of roving. The color is a bit deeper but not by much. Sooooo soft.

Shetland Cleaning

2009-05-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

On this batch I decided to tray the locks to help maintain the lock formation.
I sorted them by grade.

This fleece had some yellow tips, it came cleaner with the Suint Soak that it did with soap and heat. Combed in it's not noticable but I believe it is Canary Stain.

This tray was some of the finer wool with better tips.

Stacked the trays...

Shetland Cleaning 2

2009-05-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

Put the trays into zippered laundry bags.

After the Suint Bath and after rinsing. Admittedly I didn't think the smell would come out of the wool. But it does. Even after you rinse it you will smell some of the fermented mix still on the fiber. This means you really haven't rinsed it enough, but if you let it dry that odor does disappear entirely.

Forsythe Mini combs just aren't enough for this long wool.
"Gonna need a bigger boat!"

Cleaning Wool Fleece-Fermented Suint Mix

2009-05-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

I picked up an issue of Spin Off magazine wherein Judith MacKenzie McCuin gives a basic description of the Fermented Suint Cleanser method of cleaning fleece of excess lanolin. A method developed in New Zealand it is a very smelly process. But the environmental impact is low, no soap is needed or heat to heat the water.

You start out the mix by soaking a heavy grease wool in soft water. I used the rainwater Dale had gathered from the last rains and a Rambouillet fleece. The suint (sheep sweat) that is on the fleece creates a natural cleanser made up mostly of potassium salts.

This is a shot of the Romeny fleece before it becomes submerged in the suint mix.

It is a beautifully clean fleece. There was hardly andy VM (vegetable matter) in this fleece at all. I looked and couldn't find a bug! :)

Lovely lock formation.

Fermented Suint Mix Method 2

2009-05-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is a shot of the suint mix. The more you use it the better it cleans, but it smells pretty strongly. The top can form a milky scum at the top. This batch has had too much agitation to see that.

I used the zippered laundry bags to help keep the fleece intact. This also makes it easier to rinse and move about from Suint Mix to rinse water.

I start by draining the FSM off of the fiber into another bin....save the runoff and pour it back into the original bin. Don't add any tap water to the FSM. Rinse by running water over the fiber until the water runs clear. This takes a few rinses. But it's good for the garden! I've stopped when the fiber is milky and it still comes free of the eau de Ferment after it dries.

The Churro batch drying on screens in the dappled shade.

The Romney batch Before....

After :) This method of scouring leaves just enough lanolin to work the wool nicely. No greasy gunky fiber here!

Fermented Suint Mix Method 3

2009-05-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

Delicious

Ready to spin.

This is a shot of one of the suint mixes that didn't ferment properly. You can see there is algae growing on the surface rather than the milky white film that forms when it has fermented properly. I tried to start this mix with a fleece that already had been washed. If there is no suint and any soap residue exists your mix won't ferment properly...this get's tossed out.

Shetland

2009-05-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to wash all of the locks in the bathtub, so I separated the locks, laid them between layers of tule and then hand basted across the locks with a very long basting stitch and a very long needle just to hold them in place.
These are the locks out of the tule. I'm using a flick carder. The leather is to protect my lap from the sharp tines.
I get about this much fiber in the flicker from two large locks. I've been combing these remnants and pulling them into a roving. I believe this is actually a second undercoat, it is very soft and the combing pulls any noils VM (veggie matter) out of it.
Tried to capture the color variations in this fleece. It has a very lovely light brown and the root fibers are a silvery white. Nummy.

My Alfred working on my Traddy

2009-04-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is my Ashford Traditional, a 1975 model. I picked her up at a second hand store about 8 years ago. just had the wheel spokes tightened by Pinoccio Woodworks here in Sonoma.

We've been having problems with the wheel not rotating smoothly, so we're figuring there is something amiss with the way the crank shaft is bolted to the pitman. I think the bolts holding it on are tightening as it spins. Alfred has the concept down now and is on his way to the hardware store to find options. Problem with the Ashford site is that they don't have specs for this older model that has a different crank shaft than the newer models.

Aren't they both cute! :) hehehe

My First Rib Warmer ala EZimmermann

2009-03-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is the first rib warmer I've ever made. Love the corner turns. I am almost finished with the first side. I'm working my way up the back now.

I turned the first corner down to 5 stitches , the second corner down to 2 for a sharper turn.

After the collar tab I cast on about 5 stitches more than was called for because I started the Butterfly Vest version first. Then decided to change to EZ's basic recipe in Knitting Workshop.

I think it's going to be a bit too wide, but it's for warmth not fashion. I plan on trying the Butterfly Vest version next.

Oxalis Corniculata in the Dyepot

2009-03-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Commonly known as sour grass...

Granddaughter and I decided to try to dye some of the singles we'd plied that afternoon.
So out into the garden we go to collect and chew on some sour grass. I picked a small basket of the flowers and after simmering the yarn in some alum from the kitchen herb shelf, we put the two together into a tin can and simmered it on the stove for 30 mins.

The wool sat in the dyepot "ooze" for 24 hours and came out just the brightest yellow. It glows just like the flowers.

I'll post some photos when the yarn is dry. A fun and tasty, if somewhat sour, adventure.

Field of Calendulas

2009-03-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

These lovely calendulae have not stopped blooming all year long. They are out in force however to welcome in the Spring Equinox with their bright golden faces.
We even have a busy bee visitor enjoying view.

2ply Rambouilet

2009-03-20T16:10:00.001-07:00

The final product...so soft!

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2971185406671229472&postID=1933464126861670806#

Rambouilet Prep

2009-03-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

I've learned a lot from this fleece. It was a very basic off the sheep fleece. Well skirted, but not covered, and these gals had their fun in the sage, sand and alfalfa. But I persevered because I realised that this is really the way most of our ancestors dealt with the fleece..right off the sheep. The finished fiber is extremely soft, and in the end is worth all the work. I found that using hand cards was much better than using my primitive drum carder. The first 2 pictures shows you what I get off my carder.
The fleece is short and has a tight crimp. Much like a merino in that way. I went back to using my hand cards to get these rolags which are much nicer to spin.

It was hard to get the rolags to come out without any neps at all. This was after a lot of picking.I like them a lot more than the drum carded batts.
I used the long draw for this wool, and I like how it turned out. There are some slubby parts, and those were usually caused by a nep or two in the rolag. The less fiber that I put in the rolag the thinner the singles turned out. I wanted a fairly bulky 2 ply to spin up and the slubbiness of the final yarn works the Monmouth caps up very nicely. Most of the Monmouth's I've been knitting I knit with the dark brown/black fleece. It is amazingly soft fiber. I've picked up some grey and morrit color and the next year "the girls" are getting blankets, so cleaning out VM should be less of an issue.

This procedure has taught me patience. I started purchasing prepared roving and got a bit spoiled. I realised that if part of what I love about working with wool is the process of scouring and combing the wool right off the sheep, then going back to the basics is where I want to be, so I'm using the hand cards and working with the wool just as it is.

Thanks for any feedback on how you think the drum carding could be improved. The reason I took these photos was to record the various steps so you could see what I was working with with this old style drum carder I have. I think that it would work a lot better with a wool of less crimp, like a Romney. I have put some Romney through it and it doesn't appear to nep up nearly as much. Not all of the neps in there are from "bits", it's mostly the teeth just not combing out the ends enough, and I do a lot of picking before putting it through the carder. Also I have tried putting the batts through the carder more than once. I'm not exactly sure it makes it any better the second or even third time around.

Monmouth Cap

2009-01-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

My daughter is modeling one of the many Monmouth Caps I've been knitting lately.
History and pattern by Jennifer Carleson.

The little tab on the side is a signature of the Monmouth, it's a loop that historically they aren't sure what the use for it was. Either to hang it when you took it off, or attach it to a tab on a helmet so it stayed put when removed.

Made one for my sweetie out of some Rambouillet that I spun last year and it looks very authentic, not to mention the wool is exceptionally soft! More of that is on the way.

Helga Hat

2009-01-23T18:31:00.000-08:00

I saw a cap like this in The Golden Compass and thought I'd try to knit one up. I love how it fits. My dear little Granddaughter is patiently modeling for me. I made one for myself and I just love it. My Granddaughter says it looks like a gnome and my husband calls me Helga when I wear it...thus the name.

Mananita

2009-01-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

More Netherpants

2009-01-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

As you can see in previous pics--these pants have been completely redone. We got her a pair of rainboots, and it seemed more sensible to make the cuffs tight to fit inside the boots. Then she mentioned she'd like to be able to pull them over her feet when when she wears them to bed. What started the re-knit was the fact that they fit too tightly. She is growing like a weed! :)

Here you can see where I once again knit her name into the waistband of the pants. When frogged the flared version back (these are knit from the bottom up) she asked where her name had gone to? I had contemplated not knitting it in the second time...good thing she mentioned it :).

They are extra long, giving her room to grow and she can pull them down over her feet. She said she likes to keep her toes out because she get's too warm ;). These were pretty much designed by SG. All the alterations were her suggestion, and it worked!

Faire Isle Sweater stash

2008-11-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is the stash from Schoolhouse Press. It is their Shetland Jumperweight 2 ply deliciouness. I'm going to knit meself a Faire Isle Sweater with this batch. The pattern is in the yoke only so I'm not too indimidated by it ;) Not too....

Sarazeta's Mananita Shawl

2008-10-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

I couldn't take enough pictures of this shawl!

These are all photos of the shawl before it is blocked out to it's full size.

It knits up pretty fast, I put it aside for a bit when I went on my road trip, and when I pulled out the lifeline I had failed to knit some of the shawl edges together. This results in the border stitches coming undone like a run in a stocking, very scary. Be very careful about knitting on a border and make sure that you don't drop a shawl edge stitch!

The next step is to knit up the stitches around the neckline and finish that with a bound off I-cord edging. That will bring the neck opening in quite a bit as well.

On some of the close up pics you can see the fine alpaca fibers.
This is an alpaca/silk blend, also from Knit Picks.
The pattern is from Meg Swansen's Lace DVD.

SG's Blue knit pants

2008-10-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

While I haven't been blogging as much as I should be I have been busy knitting and quilting. Here's some shots of SeraGita's knit pants. She wanted another pair that weren't "scratchy". So this is a cotton/poly blend from Knit Picks. I'm just at the point where the two legs join and the hip area is knit in the round.

The second picture you can see the diamond and heart motif I knit into the stocking stitch with purl stitches. The original pattern by Elizabeth Zimmerman may be found in Knitter's Almanac.

Sarazeta's Mananita

2008-07-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Transitioning from the Shawl collared vest (seen below the Shimmer Alpaca/silk/wool yarn by Knit Picks in "Turquoise Splendor")
is the Mananita shawl.
I have the first 11 rows on the needles.
This fiber is has a delicious hand to it and the hand dyed colorway is going to work fabulously in this pattern design by Meg Swansen. I'm working out of her Knitting Lace DVD as well as her instructions in Shawls and Scarves from the Best of Knitters Magazine pattern book.

I've pined open one of the "holes" made by increasing 18 stitches into 3 yo's in one fell swoop.

Steeking the Vest

2008-07-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

These two shots are before and after steeking. The area between the cables is cut then turned inside for a facing (steeked).The area above the two pouches on the side of the vest are also cut and steeked. Then those areas are picked up and the garter stitch edgings are attached and the shawl collar knitted in. The picture on the plaid blanket is of the finished sweater being blocked. The loops and buttons go on next. :)

2008-07-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

back view.

Elf's Shawl Collar Vest

2008-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is the front of the sweater vest I'm making for Alfred. It is a Schoolhouse Press pattern by
Meg Swansen. The color in this shot is the one that is more true to the real thing.

Catherine's Shawl

2008-07-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Pi R Square shawl by Elizabeth Zimmerman
featured in Knitting Around
~~~before blocking~~~

~~~after blocking~~~

I used Knit Picks "Shadow" in a discontinued color Campfire Heather

Faroese ala Meg Swansen

2008-06-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is the finished faroese sampler from Meg's new lace DVD, Kniting Lace with Meg Swansen.
It's a fun and easy knit. There are a variety of places to find this pattern. One of which is in the Oberle's Folk Shawls book and A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen. The back is knitted to fit rounded over the shoulders so it doesn't slip off. The front ends are wing shaped and the larger versions will wrap around at the waist and tie in back.

2008-06-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is a back view. You can see the simple lacework here. This color reminded me of my Gramie. She loved this color. I want to make one of these shawls for each of her granddaughters. We're all old enough to enjoy a warm shoulder warmer on a cold night :).

We must give credit here to Dale for the lovely first Sunflower's of our season.

Blocking the Qiviut Scarf

2008-06-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is the scarf blocked to 16 x 40. It was 1, one oz. skein of the LARS qiviut. You can see the left fringe pattern is a few rows short :) I reblocked this today, because I felt that it should have been longer. I pulled it out to another 5". It drapes a alot better and looks great on. I must however advise against doing a slip the first stitch on a scarf because it doesn't have the give that knitting the first stitch does.

Skeleton Scarf

2008-06-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

....but it's still lovely nonetheless. And sooo soft. I would definitely say this fiber is worth the money. Not only to work with but the final product is soft and warm beyond compare.
This pattern is from Arctic Lace by Druchunas.

The Best Fun

2008-06-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

The bestest ever. At 4 years old she sat down next to me and picked up a rollag and started air treadling with her little foot. She's five now and has spun her first rollag into a single. She wants me to teach her how to knit it into something, hehe. Maybe it's time to learn to crochet a chain stitch? :)

MizGita;s First Shawl

2008-06-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

Ran into pics of the first shalw I knitted for Seragita. It was an easy knit. You just did some increases and enlarged the needle for the different rounds.

Pi R Squared

2008-05-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

This is the back view of Catherine's shawl. Once it is blocked it will be 1/3 larger than it already is. You can see the lace edging is finished along the back of the shawl. I laid this out along the back of my couch on one of those fluffy blankets. It worked great in stretching the shawl out so the design would show. It will be more evident once the whole thing is finished, dampened blocked and dried :). Almost there, Lotus! whoooot!

Pi-R-squared front

2008-05-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

This is the front of the Pi R Squared shawl. You cans see at the bottom left I am almost finished with the outter lace edge border. I've since turned the mitered corners on the bottom left half of the shawl. Where oh where will I block this baby when it 's done!

Lace Edging

2008-05-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is the lace edging that I'm just finishing up knitting on. The edging is from Knitting Around by Elizabeth Zimmerman top of page 114.
Once the shawl is blocked it will be at least 1/3 larger than it is now.

SG's Hat and Pants C'est Fini

2007-11-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

Gnomey Hat

2007-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

This is Zimmerman's Ganomy Hat, from Knitters Almanac.
Fun knit up, ridiculous looking thing to wear on your head. Two of the best reasons to wear it. :)

Seragita's Tam

2007-10-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

This is the matching tam to the netherpant tights. I added in that eyelash to match the cuffs of the pants. The band is a knitted hem. Usually I start the hem at the bottom, turn with a purl row and then continue the hem till it's time to increase stitches. This time I did the bottom of the band and when the hat was finished, picked up the stitches along the cast on edge and knit up the inside of the tam doing the name with a little two color stranded knitting.

The mittens are next and then her ice skating outfit will be done.

Solei's Medalion Quilt

2007-10-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is the front of the quilt. The print in the middle is a mudcloth panel from Africa.

2007-10-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is the back of the quilt. I appliqued a stylized sun.
and of course a label...from Aunti Moz

New Cast On Techy

2007-10-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

I just found the greatest little video on loose casting on. This is especially good when you're casting on for a shawl that has lots of lacey bits and needs to have a loose cast on. It's not too complicated if you're familiar with a long tail cast-on, but Rosemary has great pics and a vid on her blog. So go check it out!

Hether's Tam finished.

2007-10-16T12:54:00.001-07:00

This is the finished tam knit with EZ's Tam pattern. I spun the wool, Hether dyed it with Kool Aid! The hem is a wide rolled stocking net. Fabulous!

C'est Fini!

2007-10-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Finally it is finished. It looks good on too, and should be just the right size. I'm hoping CeCe takes a pic of herself wearing it for the blog~!

CeCe's hat

2007-10-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is the "too big" version. But when I was unraveling it I disovered I really liked the drape of the fabric these combined fibers make with the size 15 needles. I'm still going to unravel this and work it up as a hat with a middle sized needle. But I think this would make a lovely cape or a sweater if one wanted to get into sleeves! Nice discovery.

He Loves them!

2007-09-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

It's cold and rainy here in Forks, WA today. Alfred who usually runs around in thongs when he's not in his hiking shoes asked me to get his socks out for him. I put them on him and rubbed his little toes
He says he's in heaven! This is the basic Woodsman Sock pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann in Knitting Around. A fun, easy knit.

PiR2 Growing.

2007-09-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

The colors in this shawl match much of the colors the leaves are starting to turn now. It will be a perfect Fall Shawl.

Knit On!

2007-09-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

The only real way to get a perfect fit in your hat
......knit it on!

Hether models while I try to see if CeCe's hat is big enough. I think we have some tinK-ing to do.

CeCe's Hat

2007-09-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, poor Cecelia has been waiting paitiently for this summer hat. I'll probably get it finished just as it's starting to cool off. But it will still be usable and she can wear it through the winter and again next summer.

I started with another fiber and it just wasn't working out. The pattern is EZ's tam which works up so simply in wool, but try to find a cool weather fiber and you're going to have trouble. I was at a LYS last week and saw these divine fibers. I couldn't decide which so I am using a combination of both. The green is slubby and cotton and the copper is 3 strands of linen. The linen softens up like silk. It is still not working up like wool does, but I am designing as I go trying to keep the basic tam pattern intact. The rim here is a garter stitch rim which is flexible. You can't get cottons to function in ribbing, so this seems to be doing the trick. I'm ready to increase the stitches for the fuller part of the tam now. More as it develops.

Fini !

2007-09-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

I was putting so many projects on needles that I decided I was going to finish a few. The Woodsman's Socks (pattern by EZ Knitting Around) are finished. I even wove in every last little end. This is a four ply so I split the ends and wove them in ever so nicely on the back. You can tell that this wool will full a little and all the ends will stay nicely put. I want to wash and block them just to feel how soft the wool turns when I've done so. We'll see how that goes. :) DH loves them as is.

Possibilities!

2007-09-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Why is it that we have to try the stuff we're knitting on....everywhere? I could have leggings, a jacket. Just finish the other leg, Maureen and put it on your Granddaughter! (BTW, those toes could have used some nail polish.)

Round 4-PiR2

2007-09-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've started on the 4th increase. I'm keeping the same pattern throughout. I can see that it doesn't line up with the original pattern, but I"m not going to fret about it. Catherine saw me looking over an area where I'd noticed a mistake in the pattern and she looked at me crosswise as if to say....NOBODY is going to see that! :) She's right. Just me. HA! I knitted this section onto a pair of Knit Picks needles so I could leave the cable in as a "lifeline". I had the opportunity to compare the KP needles with the Inox. I have to say I like the Inox much better for lace knitting. (see my note on knitting the DK Swish with the KP Options below)
The fine lace yarn slips too easily for me on the Options needles and drags a bit on the cables. The Inox work just the opposite with the needles giving you just enough drag to feel like you don't have to grip the needles to keep the stitches from falling off and the Inox cables slide very nicely. That being said, I still like the Options a lot for Magic Loop and general knitting as the heavier weight yarns aren't impeded by the Options cables (which are very nice and flexible, not to mention the color is going so well with my Petal yarn.

It Grows

2007-09-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is the cuff of the pants I'm making with the Elizabeth's Year yahoo group. We're knitting the September nether garments. I'm adapting the pattern to make a pair of pants for my granddaughter SeraGita. Look at that crazy cuff!

Knit Picks

2007-09-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

More fiber! This is the Swish "Petal" DK that arrived in the mail today. I had the eyelash stuff in my stash. I'm working on the nethergarments chapter of EZ's Knitters Almanac. I've decided to knit SeraGita a pair of winter pants. The eyelash stuff will be on the cuff only. I purchased a few KP circulars too. I got 3 different sized cables and size #6 needles. The neat thing about these is that on the pink swatch you can see that I've been able to leave the cables in the work and take the needles off. I'm using them in what you can see on the right is the start of the cuff of the pants. I'm using the magic loop method and it works great with the size #31 cable. Not to mention these needles really work great! I love 'em. The Swish is a nice fiber too. Really knits up easy.

Quilting Time--Alfred's Quilt

2007-08-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

I'm loving my knitting, but it's time to put some quilting time in. This is a quilt that I've been working on for over 2 years. I finally finished the top this Spring and vowed I'd get it onto the longarm for topstitching. I've loaded some pictures of the quilt on the longarm so you can get an idea of what this machine set up is like.

This first picture shows a side view of the quilt on the machine. You can see the backing is red. The white stuff behind the quilt top is the batting, and of course the black & grey design on the top there is the quilt. The pattern is from the book Strips and Strings.

This is a close up of some of the stitch work I'm doing on this particular quilt. I'm using the Circle Lord to get those nice accurate spirals. It works much like a Spirograph (if you remember playing with those as a kid). You plug a stylus that is attached to the machine into a template and it maintains the arches while you move the machine. Great ingenious device.

These spirals are all over the place. There is no pattern involved, I'm just stitching and turning the quilt a few feet and adding another spiral here and there. I love the way it's coming out. I'm using a red thread, which you can't see here. It's really hard to get any relief shots on this dark fabric.

Socks and Fiddle Faddle

2007-08-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been working on in between the lace. The stars and trees are from EZ's Knitters Almanac August projects. Fiddle Faddle is what she calls it. I kind of feel like Sam's friend in Green Eggs and Ham about it, I don't like it Sam-I-Am, but in the end I like it, I like it Sam-I-Am.

This is an almost completed Woodsman's Sock from EZ's Knitting Around. I'm using the SHP Sheepswool which is the bulkiest yarn I've ever knit with. And it seems so after the lace weight I've been working with. The little spool in the middle is the nylon reinforcement that I'm knitting in to the heel (and the toe when I get there). I've never knit a sock fast in my life! The best part is that Alfred loves it and says it makes his foot fell all hugged. Isn't that the sweetest thing!

The Real Deal

2007-08-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

My package arrived from Schoolhouse Press. I bought some bulky Sheepswool for socks and a skein of Unspun Icelandic. What I bought that for I don't remember. I think I just wanted to feel it. I'd read so much about it in Elizabeth Zimmermann's knitting books that I just needed to fondle it. I need to keep notes! Hmm, maybe it was a knit mobeus! Yeah, I think that might have been it. I was figuring I'd just to a simple lace pattern and when it ran out end it and graft it together. More like a wimple size. The dark brownish black is for Shean's winter Tam. Those are the Inox needles (regulars-grey enamel over steel) that I've fallen in love with.

Now this is what I call Sock Yarn!

2007-08-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it's August and time to start the Winter gift projects if I plan to get anything finished before the Solstice or New Year! This is the Sheepswool from Schoolhouse Press. EZ recommended it for socks, and I'm planning on knitting Alfred a pair of winter socks with this stuff. Can you believe the size of that ball! This will be so much faster than sportweight or sock weight yarn! Talk about a relaxing knit.

Progressing Pi R

2007-08-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Another section completed. I really like this simple lace design, but I can't figure out how to center it with the first one after the increases. It is simple math, but my brain won't wrap itself around it.

Gauge Swatch

2007-08-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Pi R 2
This is the gauge swatch I started with the Inox needles from Schoolhouse Press.
I love these needles they are very lightweight and they have just a bit of drag to them which helps to keep the fiber from slipping off too easily. The tips pick up the yarn easier than any other needles I've used in the past, including bamboo.
The bottom pic: I've pulled out the stitching to see how it will look when it's blocked or dressed as they say.
This is the size #8 needle, but I'm working it not as loosly as I usually do. I'm thinking a size #6 might be just the ticket.

Swift, Dude!

2007-08-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

This is the new oak yarn swift I bought on Ebay from TheKnitStore . Simple design, good craftsmanship and...it works like a charm. That cashmere/silk knit tank I recycled the yarn from went on this first. I put the ball of yarn I'd wound into a large jar and then attached one end of the yarn to one of the pegs and started winding. Here is the swift with a hank of Campfire laceweight on it. You can see the ball winder in the distance.

Campfire

2007-08-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

This is the Shadow lace weight yarn in "Camfire". It's luscious and lovely! This is going to be an EZimmerman Pi R Square Shawl. On the left is the skein as it comes from Knit Picks, the right is after I've made it into a ball with my ball winder. Click on the pic to enlarge.

Favorite Lace Knitting Needles

2007-07-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

I asked at Schoolhouse Press which needles Meg enjoys since she's been knitting lace for a loooong time now :) and she replied:

My fave needles are the regular Inox (grey enamel over steel).

The nickel plated ones are great for tight knitters -- but I knit loosely and they are too slippery for me (and when the sun glints off them, they blind me temporarily!).

Meg Swansen

www.schoolhousepress.com

I keep putting off putting in another order at Schoolhouse because I can't decide which yarn to start with. A best friend, hello Jeannie, has a grandbaby coming soon, so I think it will be their new alpaca! I want to make EZ's baby blanket from her Knitters Almanac. This baby is due in November so I'm going to have to knit it out of order for Kelley's KA KAL.

Pi R Square at Knit Picks

2007-07-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

We have finally decided on Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi R Square shawl from EZ's book, Knitting Around. My dear friend, Catherine saw it when she was perusing the Knit Picks site, which is perfect since I am playing in Kelley Petkun’s (pictured here) Elizabeth’s Year Knitalong and have always wanted to try this shawl. Catherine chose Shadow laceweight yarn in Campfire Heather colorway from Knit Picks.

My Letter from EZ 1981

2007-07-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

She was asking me about my nomiker "Silverfeather". I used that name because I loved silver jewelry and always found feathers on my hikes.

On the back of the letter is an illustration she drew to help me understand what she was saying. Now if I could just decipher which project I was asking about :)

Meg informs me:

"You were knitting the garter-stitch Katmandu Cap; the mid-section on top -- which joins the sides.

Onward!

Meg"

It is in Spun Out #8

PiShawl

2007-07-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

This is my Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi Shawl. I used Frog Tree alpaca.
You can see that the outer edges wave a lot. I haven't blocked this shawl, because I kind of like that wave effect.

Photographer Too!

2007-07-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

SeraGita is becoming quite the photographer too. Here is a shot of my pink yarn stash. You can see her blue Mickey Mouse Croc in the lower left there.

Here is a picture she took of me searching for just one more piece of that fabric from my vintage fiber stash.

Budding Quilt Designer

2007-07-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

I put up a design wall for MizGita to experiment with Grammie's quilt scraps. She took the picture below.

Silly Things

2007-07-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, now I'm just trying to kill time, or avoid starting another project or finishing one. So I was cleaning out my closets and drawers and was about to toss this tank top sweater when I saw that the fiber was silk/cashmere! Hmmm, says I remembering there was a "how to recycle sweater yarn" site. Sure enough the sweater qualified. I figured since the yarn was cobweb weight it would make a nice lace scarf. It also had a cowl neckline which added on more yardage. I've got a nice almost 3 oz ball from the unraveling. Nice color and sooo soft.

Oh, I Can Make One Of Those

I've needed a holder for my circular needles forever, and found this while looking up the above site. The holder is made out of a pair of jeans. The longer the better (thank you, Dale!) to hold all the sizes. I hadn't filled all the slots when I took these pics. I used my embroidery machine to do the numbers. (as always: click on the pics to enlarge.)

I took the front leg jeans fabric and made a double pointed needle holder. It's much like a tool roll. I got both of these 'Oh, I can make one of those', projects done in one day, and cleaned closets while I did it. Well, you have to do something while the embroidery machine is running!