2014

Holy cow, has it really been more than two years since I blogged?  Yeah.  Bad Blogger.

Let me explain . . . no. there is to much.  Let me sum up.

Festival.  Stress.  Betrayal. Anger. Lies. Forgiveness. Repair.  Festival. Regret. Lies. Anger. Forgiveness. Lies.  Anger.  Freedom.     Separation.     Searching.     Self.  

Happy.    New.

Happy.  Me.

Yeah.  That about sums it up.  Throw in a ton of knitting, spinning, time with friends, and time alone and you have the past two years.  I've started and completed somewhere around 100 projects in the past two years, and that doesn't count all of the spinning (only some of the bigger projects).

I've quit working at my old job when work became tight (which started back in 2010), and started working for a fabulous company, where I have the room to move up and learn new things.  Plus a huge raise that certainly doesn't hurt!

Here's to me, and here's to new paths!

Thrums!

As it turns out, Thrums are fun!  These super warm socks were not as challenging as I thought, and took about 12 - 14 hours to complete.  The thrumming process was more fiddly than anything, but using the Louet Norhern Lights pencil roving certainly did help make the thrums even.  I think I may make another pair with my alpaca roving for myself.

I didn't try them on, since they're for someone else, but my hand was HOT when I was kitchenering the toes!

The best part?  How cool they look when turned inside-out!

Like deranged muppet parts!

Harried

It's less than 30 days until the opening of our Festival, and the stress is building.  We're having some issues with our liquor license, and we're counting on a bunch from our alcohol sales in revenue.  We will at least have mead, but no beer?  It's not a festival without beer!

So, I try to stay calm, and try to keep knitting.

I'm knitting socks with faeries on them.  It helps. 

Killer Mead

A while back we bought a gallon jug of Killer Bee honey, and I've been waiting for the inspiration for what to do with it.  We came across a final bottle of our homebrewed Pom-Apple mead and I was inspired.  So I bought apple juice, pomegranate juice, and this time, HOPS!  to add to it  The recipe is as follows:

1 gal killer bee honey
2 gal Apple Juice
32 oz (1/2 gal) Pomegranate juice
Water to bring it to ~5 gal
2 oz Mount Hood American Brewmaster Leaf Hops

2.5 tsp yeast nutrient
4 tsp high alcohol yeast nutrient
1 package dry mead yeast

Man.  Who knew how hard stuffing leafy hops into a tiny bottle neck could be!

Can't wait to taste this.  The current alcohol potential is 17%  I'm hoping it'll stop with a residual ~3-5% sugar which will make it about 12-14% alcohol

Yum

WIP Wednesday

Ahhh Wednesday.  Halfway through a workweek.  My workweeks have actually been pretty full, a far cry from the crappy summer of data entry and begging for more work.

Of course, the biggest WIP is still the festival of legends, and with it, our Kickstarter Campaign.  It is pretty seriously hilarious and you should check it out.

In the world of knitting however, my only WIP that isn't in time-out is a pair of socks.  Broadripple patterned stripey socks.  Broadripple works super well with long-repeat yarns, and it tends to be my go-to pattern.  Easy to memorize, only two rows of lace, and it makes a pretty comfy sock without too much of a decrease in its stretchiness because of the decreases (I'm looking at you Jaywalker!)

Bad Blogger, again!

Wow, was it really September the last time I blogged?  Wow.  I stink at this.  Then I just post a pattern for sale and nothing more?  What a bad, bad blogger

So, new developments!  Jeff and I are organizing a fariy festival, the Festival of Legends!  That is a fun and stressful venture.

I have just published my first pattern in Ravelry, and a "buy now" button is there on your right!

I have knit and crocheted a ton of stuff (more than what's pictured here), so here is a picture dump!

Whew!  I feel better now, don't you?  I clearly need to take more pictures of things I've knit, too.

Twisted Linen Sun Hat

My first designed hat!  Available for just $1.00!

Made out of worsted weight linen yarn, this hat is comfortable and breezy.  IT will keep the sun off your face without making your head hot.  The twisted little hurricane type stitches are ones that I *think* I made up ( I at least didn't find them anywhere), although I know that there are no original thoughts.

Buy it here, or from the link on the right!

Sweaters

Again, a long hiatus, but I've been busy knitting!

Two sweaters completed (with the exception of buttons on one).

The first one is from A Fine Fleece, with a couple of modifications.  The original picture had very poorly set-in sleeves, which I don't particularly care for anyway.  So instead, I turned it into a raglan style sweater with the decreases hidden on the wrong side next to some c2f cables.  No button band either, I'm planning on just wearing it open or using a shawl pin to close it. 

This one is made from the Knitpicks Capra yarn, which is a lovely cashmere blend yarn.  It cabled beautifully and was wonderful to knit with.  I can't wait for fall to wear this one. I just need to find the perfect buttons for it!

Tour de Fleece, Fin

Today ends the Tour de France, and therefore the Tour de Fleece.  My goal was to spin the first bit of merino and tencel, which I did.  I then decide I wanted to also spin up the Island of Misfit Toys roving as well.  I am nearly done, but still plying since it decided it wanted to be a fine fingering weight 2- ply.  I couldn't be happier with the way this yarn is coming out though!  Nice and even, and it comes across as a striped tweed.

  So would I consider this TDF a success?  Absolutely.  My goals were to improve my spindling and to spindle every day.  I worked on a new technique (pseudorolagging) and then simply enjoyed the process of spindling.  I got a lot of interesting looks and had the chance to educate people on the process of making yarn by hand.  So yes, absolutely a success and I look forward to next year!

Tour de Fleece, Days 18 and 19

I didn't get a whole lot of spinning done yesterday (day 18), but I did get my full cop wound off onto a storage bobbin.  I've only just started spinning today on the last of the "Island of Misfit Toys" roving, and since we're in Ohio for my cousin's wedding, I should have time tonight for more spinning.

Tour de Fleece, Days 16 and 17

The actual spinning content of Days 16 and 17 are more of the same.  The cop gets bigger, but I haven't wound off onto a bobbin yet.  So instead of more similar pictures, here's the other project I've been working on!

This is the egg bird.

Kinda angry looking, isn't she.

 But the best part about her? 

Give her sides a little squeeze:

 And out pops an egg!

I swear, this never gets old!

I'm working through the entire set for Ben, Ally and Nick, my niece and nephews.  I hope they like them (and can share, since I"m only making one of each!)

Tour de Fleece, Days 14 and 15

Since I spent most of yesterday at the Doctor's office (first patient visit and a physical - I check out fine!) I didn't get a ton of spindling done, but I did get my cop wound off onto a storage bobbin.  I decided to use some old Ashford bobbins for storage since they'll allow me to actually tension my lazy kate while I'm plying.  Here's the bobbin plus what I've spun so far this morning!








I also was greatly enjoying the hummingbirds this morning on the back porch.  Their wings buzzing and their cute little "deek deek" chirp.  I was able to catch this one at the feeder.  There's also a gorgeous ruby throated fellow who comes by every so often, but I wasn't  able to nab him on the camera.

Tour de Fleece, Day 13

Spindling laceweight merino is taking a bit, but I am spindling every day.  I'm greatly enjoying the yarn this is making though!  It will be well worth all of the work when I am finished!

I also made up a few spindles for the Yarn Tree Studio

Including some rather unique designs!

Day 12

Tour De Fleece day 12 was more spindling, and the second class with my spindling students.  They did wonderfully.  They were so proud (and rightly so) of their yarn.  I also made good progress on my spinning, despite a busy day at Yarn Tree Studio. 

I love that store, and have a great time working there.  The customers are friendly and it's a great chance to continue to spread the love of kniting and spinning.  We're getting in some new spinning stuff, including new drop spindles made by yours truly!  Pictures of those will be coming shortly.

Three Sweaters -or- Why I Spin and Knit

A short story about three sweaters and how they came to be.
By me :-)



The First Sweater

I went to my favorite department store today, and folded neatly on the table was the most beautiful sweater! The colors were exactly to my liking, the fit was perfect, the design was gorgeous and the fabric was so soft. I immediately purchased it, took it home and wore it the next day. Family, friends and coworkers were impressed by how nice the sweater looked.

The end.

The Second Sweater.

I went to my favorite yarn shop today. Amongst the walls and shelves of beautiful yarns I saw it. My color. My fiber content. The exact weight of yarn I like to knit with. The yarn was luxurious. I spoke to the store owner and together we pored over books and patterns to find one to my liking. Pattern, yarn and needles in hand I made a small gauge swatch to see that the fabric was going to be as nice as I'd imagined, and that the measurements of the sweater were going to come out right. I cast on for the sweater and the rest of my knitting friends admired the color choice, the pattern, and how even my stitches were. I so enjoyed the feeling of the yarn through my hands, petting the unwound skeins, smoothing out the growing sweater and imagining what it would look like finished. Finished, the sweater blocked exactly to my measurements and I pieced it together with care. I decided to name my sweater the same as the designer had called the pattern.

I paraded around in my beautiful new sweater; my knitting friends admired my stitches, how well the sweater fit, what care I'd taken in finishing it. To my family and coworkers I proudly told the tale of how I knit the sweater myself. Some of them were impressed; some asked why I didn't just buy it from the store.

The End

The Third Sweater


My friends and I went to the local fiber festival this weekend. We ate the delicious junk food at the vendor stands, talked to the sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas in the barn, and watched the sheep to shawl competition. Between all of that we shopped (and shopped and shopped) for yarn, needles, notions and fiber for upcoming and newly inspired projects. While I was shopping the fleeces from that years' fleece competition I came across this beautiful brown fleece. The sheep's name was Evangeline and she was a Romeldale. That breed of sheep is known for producing a very soft fleece which spins well, and her fleece had won first place in the competition. The fleece had been well cared for, and it smelled heavenly; like a clean barn. I purchased the fleece and added it to the growing collection of stash which I had been amassing.

Once home, I opened the bag of Evangeline's wool and the barnyard smell reminded me of that day at the fiber festival. I petted and sorted the fleece, removing the few bits that the farmer hadn't removed. My hands were soft from the lanolin. I carefully washed the lanolin and dirt out of her fleece and laid it to dry. Then I started carding. I blended in all of the different shades of brown in Evangeline's fleece so that my final yarn would be a tweedy heathered brown. The fleece was soft and airy and pulling the carded fiber off of the drum carder yielded fluffy batts that I often couldn't help but bury my hands in. When done, I had plenty of carded fiber to make a full sweater with some left over to sample. So sample I did. With my favorite spinning wheel I spun and plied 5 mini skeins of Evangeline's wool to see what kind of yarn I wanted to knit with. I kept the notes of the favorite sample and spent the next couple of months spinning the rest of the fiber. I handled every inch of Evangeline's wool, and then her yarn. I made skein after skein of soft beautiful brown wool. My friends at my spinning nights enjoyed petting and smelling the carded wool and the finished yarn. The friends who had come with me asked if that was Evangeline, and commented on what a good job I'd done preparing her wool and spinning it.

With the yarn completed, washed and in fluffy brown hanks I petted the yarn and pondered what pattern to make. I took a skein to my favorite yarn shop and with the owner we picked out the perfect pattern. I decided that instead of naming the sweater after the pattern's name, I would call it Evangeline. I swatched and knitted a sweater exactly to my liking, in that perfect shade of tweedy brown. I blocked and finished it with care and paraded around in my beautiful new sweater; my knitting friends admired my knitting. When I told them I'd made the yarn myself, some were impressed; some asked why I'd gone through the trouble, why I hadn't just bought the yarn at the yarn shop. To my family and coworkers I proudly told the tale of how I knit the sweater myself and had made the yarn from a beautiful fleece. Some of them were impressed; some asked why I didn't just buy it from the store.

The End