Susie's Small Folly

Clapotis

2008-09-22T15:56:00.007-06:00

I started my first clapotis. I'm making it for my mom as kind of a prayer shawl. I'm knitting it out of Schaefer Heather in a one-of-a-kind colorway that I picked up at the Stitches Midwest market.

The colors are a pinky rose, teal and sand. I added one additional row to the increase section to make it a bit bigger and I'm knitting it on size 5 needles. So far I like it a lot. Once I get to the main section of the clapotis and start dropping stitches I'll post another photo.

Catching up

2008-05-01T08:04:00.005-06:00

Wow it has been so long since I've posted. I don't even know where to start. Perhaps with what I'm knitting now.

These socks, called the Sock For All Seasons - Spring Sock by Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio are the 5th mailing of The Yarn Tree sock club. Admittedly, this is the first sock I've knit from the club, I've just been so backlogged on things to knit. The yarn is absolutely gorgeous, in spring colors and very spongy and soft. The pattern is a bit weird, though. It starts out with a lovely lace pattern on top, then has you knit 3 rows of garterstitch and then switches to ribbing on the instep and stockinette on the bottom. Maybe they look o.k. on but I decided to continue the lace pattern on through the instep. So, I eliminated the 3 rows of garterstitch before the heel and switched from a size 2 to a size 1 needle for the base of the foot but will keep knitting with a size 2 for the lace instep, as the lace on top was rather stretchy and maybe too loose to use size 2's for the entire foot. I also picked up 17 stitches vs. 15 on the sides of the heel flap to give me a bit extra room in the instep, since I have a very high instep and most socks tend to bind me there. I haven't really been able to try them on comfortably yet, but so far so good.

Waterfall

2008-02-20T09:22:00.010-06:00

I'm finally starting my first Woolgirl sock club mailing (from October - I'm bad!). The pattern is called Waterfall, designed by Babs Ausherman, aka Miss Babs. The yarn is also Miss Babs, a lovely melding of blues, purples and a hint of aqua. It's sport weight, which is a switch for me, and really makes the sock knitting go quickly. Plus, it is the softest wool and feels lovely on my foot.

Now, I must say, I just love this sock club. Jen, of Woolgirl, is just the best. Her customer service is top notch and she sends each sock club mailing with the cutest little touches, including a custom stitch marker with every one, plus things like soap, lip gloss and even cute bags for toting your sock work around with you (photos to come on that one!). She sells the most beautiful, soft indie dyed yarns and there is always something fun to discover on her website.

I got gauge knitting the sock with size 3 dpns but after knitting the cuff and part of the top of the sock, I quickly realized it was coming out way too loose for my liking, so I frogged back and started over with size 2's. Also, I really had trouble with the cable cast-on being stretchy enough, so I opted for a double-stranded cast-on and I think I like it better functionally, even if the cable cast-on looks neater.

With one sock finished, I must say these are going to be a favorite pair of mine. They're a little slouchy and soft, perfect for wearing when you just want to be comfy!

Finished!

2008-02-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

The extended shrug, adapted from the One-Skein Wonders book (Shrug This) is complete! I ended up frogging the first sleeve after I made it, as it didn't have any shaping and just looked loose and baggy. So, I figured out how much to decrease to get it to the tapered width I wanted and also added a few more inches in the length to make it a 3/4 length. I was nervous I would run out of yarn but I had just enough with a tiny ball of yarn left to spare!

One thing I learned in doing the decreases is that even though I did it on dpns, and decreased one stitch every other row, it would've been better to decrease 2 stitches on either side of my marker every 4th row, so that I had even decreases (The way I did it the decreases tended to work themselves around the sleeve a bit). Still, I am happy with how it turned out. I chose a pearly looking button and made a button closure by crocheting a little chain loop from where I cast on.

Also, the alpaca tends to stretch a bit where it hangs, and if I'd used another yarn that had a bit of wool or other fiber it probably would've retained its shape a bit better. Still, it is soft and warm and, though it is about zero degrees outside right now I am toasty and warm wearing it around the house!

Extended Shrug

2008-02-07T09:21:00.000-06:00

I'm making this extended shrug from Misti Alpaca Chunky yarn in the natural cream colorway (100). The yarn is so soft and warm. The shrug pattern is from the One-Skein Wonders book - Shrug This pattern. I am making the body and sleeves longer, to extend it into a cropped cardigan. I got the idea from Cathy, the owner of Montoya Fiber Studio, a lys near where I live. I made the neck 5 rows of ribbing instead of 3. Also, I added 2 stitches to the body just underneath the armholes and also added 2 stitches when I picked up for the sleeves for more ease so it draped down rather than pinching in like the photo in the book.

This is my first raglan sweater and I just love how you can try it on as you go to be sure it is the right length and you like the fit. I had to keep putting it on scrap yarn so I could try it, which was a pain, but very worth it. I'm done with the body and nearly done with the first sleeve. I am really looking forward to wearing it.

The bad blogger...

2008-02-06T13:05:00.000-06:00

I have been such a bad blogger! I'll try to make up for it though. On the knitting scene I have just finished 2 more moss grid hand towels (from the Mason-Dixon Knitting book) for my son's voice teacher who just got married.

This time I knitted them on size 3's and I really like how the gauge turned out. I even had enough yarn to do all 12 pattern repeats. They are both knit from Euroflax Linen Sport Weight. The colorways are navy blue and sage. The blue one came out a little bit stiffer but I think it's because I partially dried it in the dryer and then blocked it. I threw the green one in the dryer and forgot about it, so when I took it out it wasn't as flat but it was softer than the blue one.

I have at least 3 more of these to make but I have to take a break and knit other things for awhile before I go crazy! Knitting with linen gives me hand cramps.

Winter Loveliness

2008-01-07T16:27:00.000-06:00

Not too many words are needed to describe the beauty of these winter scenes.

They capture the pure loveliness of a snow-dusted path through the woods or a road seldom traveled.

I will keep them with me and gaze at them during the long, dirty city winter and dream of snowshoeing down a snowy path through the trees...

Birthday Goodies

2007-11-29T10:47:00.000-06:00

My mom spoiled me rotten for my birthday (my dad too, but he was unaware!). I went to one of my favorite yarn stores, Colorful Yarns, when we were visiting my parents in Colorado, and picked out the new Cat Bordhi book plus 3 different types of sock yarn. Before I knew what was happening, my mom had paid for the entire thing, before I could even get my wallet out! She is a schemer!

Here's a better photo of the yarns:

The first one is Dream in Color - Smooshy in the Strange Harvest colorway. I had seen this yarn knitted up recently and thought it was beautiful. Plus it's an extremely generous 450 yards, so it will be great for a pattern with lots of cables or lace, or both!

Here's a closer shot of all the lovely greeny-rusty tones:

Red Rocks Fiber Works created my next selection. The owner, Mary-Kay Tilden, is a local yarn dyer out of Morrison, Colorado. I really fell in love with the combination of fall colors in this selection.

The colorway is called Pueblo and each skein is 185 yards of hand-dyed 100% superwash merino. Mary-Kay doesn't have a website ready yet, but here is her blog. Her colors are amazing and the quality of the yarn is lovely.

The last one was rather unusual as it has different colors plied together, like a hand-spun. It is called multicolor ply sock yarn from Rio de la Plata. The colorway I bought is called evergreen - yellow corn - poinsetta and is incredibly soft. It's 100% superwash merino. It will be interesting to see how it knits up.

After I purchased these yarns it occurred to me that they all have fairly similar fall colorways (although the Rio de la Plata really has pinks too) but I guess that's where I am right now in choosing my latest sock yarns!

Moss Grid

2007-11-28T11:34:00.000-06:00

I finished my first moss grid towel, from the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I knit it using the recommended Louet Euroflax sportweight linen yarn in the Sandalwood colorway. It is a gift for my mom and dad and I had intended to finish it before Thanksgiving so I could surprise them with it upon our arrival. Needless to say, this did not happen, and I didn't finish it during our stay either! It is finished, though, and I am pleased with how it came out.

It was rather wonky and baggy looking before I washed it:

Once it wash washed, though, it really relaxed and looked much nicer.

I knit it on a size 4 (pattern calls for a 5) needle as I got gauge that way, but next time I think I would use a size 3 as I am a rather loose knitter and would've preferred the stitches to be a little tighter together. Now I only have about 8 more to make for other gifts!

Stuck in the slump... and out again!

2007-11-18T12:29:00.000-06:00

These Grasshopper socks took me forEVER to finish! I am very happy with them but I feel like I have been in a slump with my knitting. We've had several things not go well at home lately, which didn't help, but now I feel like I'm off and running again! I have been finding so many things on ravelry that I want to knit, so that has been very motivating. Plus, now that it is getting colder here I feel the urge to start something more substantial than socks, such as a sweater.

I have one in mind in particular, that I saw at my lys. It is an adaptation of the Shrug This from the One Skein Wonders knitting book edited by Judith Durant. It is hard to believe that you end up with the same sweater, because Cathy, the owner, took the pattern and made both the sleeves and the body longer, so it is more like an open cropped sweater with a one-button closure at the top. She knitted it out of Misti Alpaca Chunky, in the cream color. I think it will be a very fast knit, because the yarn is like a super chunky weight, and the pattern is quite small. Just what I need at this point, instant satisfaction!

Roses in November

2007-11-14T17:11:00.000-06:00

This is an example of the amazing fall we are having here in the Midwest. I cannot ever remember roses blooming into the middle of November. What a lovely memory to keep with us during the dreary, cold winter days to come!

Renegade Craft Fair

2007-11-01T09:39:00.000-06:00

In September (yes, I know that was a long time ago but hey, I've been busy!) my friend Heidi asked me to go to the Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park, a neighborhood of Chicago. It was so amazing. We planned to stay for a few hours before heading to our Stitch 'n Bitch and ended up missing SnB altogether! There were over 300 vendors with awesome items they had crafted. Even their business cards were aesthetically beautiful!

Here are some shots of the things I found there:

I was especially happy to find the cute little bag from Rosybird.com.

I had seen this bag on her etsy site and hoped to find something like it. Lo and behold, there it was in her booth, waiting for me to pluck it up! It has a fuzzy fleece liner too. I haven't decided what I'm going to use it for yet. It's too nice for make-up. Perhaps I'll use it for all of my dpns!

The other major purchase was, of course, yarn! I bought a lovely skein of sock yarn from traveling rhinos in a colorway called Go Dutch.

It looks even better after I wound it up on my ball winder. I can't wait to knit up a yummy pair of socks with it.

The other 2 skeins of yarn were from Aisha Celia Designs of St. Paul, MN. Her colors were so tempting. I chose a very colorful skein of sock yarn in blues, purples, greens and yellowy pinky overtones.

I really splurged on the handspun skein in particular.

I want to make a winter hat with it and will have to think carefully which pattern to choose so I don't mask the beauty of the yarn with an overly complicated stitch pattern. I'm thinking of the Foliage hat but don't know if it might be too busy?

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T09:31:00.000-06:00

Our little bumblebee, Fiona, is not very excited but the rest of us are! Happy Halloween!

Grasshopper #1

2007-10-30T18:57:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos of the first Knee High to a Grasshopper sock. They are soooo comfy to wear. I'm nearly 1/2 way to the heel on sock number 2. I can't wait to finish these socks!

distracted...

2007-10-26T21:27:00.000-06:00

O.k., I know I don't have a big excuse for not blogging as regularly lately, but the real reason is ... ravelry! I feel like a little kid who can't stop playing with a new toy - it is amazing! I am a far cry from getting all my stash, projects, etc., entered in but I am so enjoying sharing ideas with others who share similar interests in patterns or other outside interests. And I just keep gathering projects to the point where my head is about to explode from trying to figure out what I should make next!

All that inspiration being said, my knitting progress has been slow. I finally finished my first Knee High to a Grasshopper sock (April sock from Rockin' Sock Club) and I just love the way it fits. I'm so glad I decided to knit the size small with larger needles. I think the next larger size just would've been way too baggy around the ankles and up the calf. Plus, with the smaller needles the fabric was knitting up like cardboard and I really wanted something slightly spongier and prettier.

I decided to go with the addi turbo size 1's. I bought one lace needle this time for the top of the sock and it is working like a charm. They only had a size 32" length at the store, and I was too impatient to order a 24" over the internet, but I still went with it and am so glad I did. It is making the lace knitting go much faster than before.

I plunged into the 2nd sock right away and have started it over 3 times. It just didn't look like the 1st one and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Well, while knitting at my daughter's swim meet tonight I realized that it is because I messed up the initial increases on the first sock! I must've increased every row instead of every other row, so now I have to frog back to the beginning and do it "wrong" again so I will match my first sock! I like it better the way I did it anyway. Somehow It looks less pointy and seems shaped more like my foot. I just don't look forward to starting it over for a 4th time! Urgh!

Well, that's it for now. Sorry no pics but I will post some of the first finished sock soon.

Knee High to a Grasshopper

2007-10-14T11:26:00.000-06:00

I started the Knee High to a Grasshopper sock - the April 2007 mailing of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts - Rockin' Sock Club. I opted to make the size small sock. The pattern offers 2 options - a knee-high sock (which requires purchasing an extra skein of yarn) or a shorter sock. I chose the shorter sock, primarily because I didn't want to have to buy more yarn, but also because many others who have knit the knee highs say that they don't stay up, etc.

I swatched and ended up getting gauge using size 0's. So I went out and bought addi turbo circulars and got to work. The toe box immediately looked tremendously small but I kept going. I could get it on my toe but admittedly it was a little tight.

I followed the directions and started increasing for the gusset when I was about 3" from where I wanted the end of the sock to be. It was still a bit snug, but many people said that they liked it that way so I kept going.

Well, by the time I finished the heel, I was pretty disappointed with the fit, so I decided to frog the entire thing and start over. A week of knitting down the drain! But at least that's better than being unhappy with a pair of lovely socks that don't fit. I wish they'd listed in the pattern instructions the suggested dimensions of the sizes but I think I'm going to knit the same size small over again using the next larger size needles.

Ta, Da!

2007-10-05T16:15:00.000-06:00

I finished the Petals Collection Bird of Paradise Socks! I only made one noticeable mistake (that I have found, anyway!). I was knitting at a very exciting part of my daughter's swim meet and dropped a few gusset stitches off my needle when I wasn't paying attention! When I picked them back up I somehow overlapped one over the other but didn't notice until I had knitted several more rows and thus decreased several more stitches, so I would've had to frog back quite far to fix it. Usually, I go back and fix such a mistake, but in a way I kind of liked having a reminder in the sock of that moment in time! So, I left it in! Otherwise, knitting them was fairly uneventful and now they are done.

Once again, like my first pair of Sundara's socks (which I will try to post about sometime soon) they turned out a little tight in the instep eventhough I picked up one extra stitch on each side of the heel flap. So, next time I knit one of Sundara's patterns I think I will pick up a few more stitches along the side of the heel to allow more ease (I think she likes a nice tight sock). But they are rather comfy and I think I will get a lot of use out of them.

Now I am off to start the Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Rockin' Sock Club Knee High to a Grasshopper sock!

What I did for my summer vacation

2007-09-27T11:09:00.001-06:00

I meant to post this earlier. We had such fun making these videos. Does my hair look like Sting's or what?!?

Dyeing with goldenrod and overdyeing with kool-aid

2007-09-23T12:09:00.000-06:00

As we drove home from our summer vacation in northern Michigan several weeks ago, I stared forlornly at all of the blooming goldenrod in the fields we passed. I was just aching to pick some and take it home and try dyeing with it. But our car was already so full of junk and so I hoped that I'd just find some when we got home.

So, when we drove down our alley at home I discovered that it grows almost everywhere! I tried it out on some superwash yarn I bought at my lys (I was too impatient to wait for undyed sock yarn to come in the mail so I just bought 2 skeins of Dale of Norway Baby Ull in the off white shade). I think it will make fine sock yarn.

I first mordanted the yarn using an alum mordant. I then made the dyebath by soaking the blossoms in a pot of water overnight and then steeping them for about an hour or so. I put the blossoms in bags made from panty hose so I didn't have to filter out the dye bath very much. The dyeing directions I followed said that for the lighter, less "dirty" shades of yellow to steam the yarn in the dye bath for only about 10 minutes or so. Even still, the color was awfully bright (sorry, no pics this time). It seemed like a repeat of the mullein dyeing but at least this time I was equipped with some packets of kool-aid from the pantry (and some food coloring too).

I was very happy with the results this time. I overdyed the goldenrod dyed yarn with 3 shades of kool-aid/wylers/food coloring. I overdyed with blue food coloring to get the deep aqua color. For the orange I overdyed using a cherry lemonade flavor (or maybe it was watermelon strawberry - I just can't remember!). And I got the lime green colorway just from using lemon-lime kool-aid. The skein on the right was how it looked after dyeing and I rewound the skein on the left to see what the colors would look like mingled together. I need to think of a fun sock pattern to knit to bring out the colors.

My other thoughts are that it might look lovely to dye with goldenrod and then overdye with indigo. So, I made another batch of dye and stuck it in the freezer. It will be a good project for when the endless winter starts to get to me.

Bird of Paradise Socks Started

2007-09-19T12:15:00.000-06:00

I am so utterly behind in my sock club socks! This is the beginning of the Bird of Paradise Socks from Sundara's Petals Collection. This is the FEBRUARY 2007 mailing! How will I ever catch up? Anyway, the colors are pretty and the pattern is very basic - which is nice because I don't have to think too much! I hope to have it done soon, so I can move on to the Socks That Rock April 2007 mailing! Eek!

New Sock Stash Goodies

2007-09-12T13:53:00.001-06:00

This summer I heard about a new yarn shop, Thistledown Shoppe, that opened in Suttons Bay, Michigan. We were in Suttons Bay for an art show (wonderful show - always takes place the first weekend in August) and I made sure to stop in. The woman who owns it (so sorry - can't remember her name!) was extremely nice. She made it really inviting to want to be there.

I tried to control myself and managed to escape without major damage. I really wanted to find some sock yarn to make my husband some socks but everything I showed him was "too colorful." So, I had to just buy for myself - darn! I bought 2 skeins of Shi Bui 100% superwash merino sock yarn in the Pebble colorway (each skein is 50 g - 191 yards). I just love the mixture of all the natural tones with pale blue. I also bought a honkin' big 100 g - skein of Opal ZwergerGarn sock yarn (75% Schurwolle, 25% Polyamid). I have no idea exactly what it is, as the label is in German, but the color number is 211. It is a lovely mixture of pastels and grey. I tried to figure out just what it is called but couldn't really find it anywhere on the internet. Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing how it knits up. If anyone knows what this yarn is called, please let me know!

Le bikini est fini!

2007-09-06T14:03:00.000-06:00

Well, I finally finished the bikini. Needless to say, it was challenging since I had to just do my own thing. Luckily I have this watergirl bikini that fits pretty well and I just used it as a model to follow. The bottom started out pretty well but I got to the end of the pattern and the bikini wasn't nearly big enough, so I just kept knitting until I had the height and width I needed. Fortunately the relationship between height and width was o.k. as I kept knitting, so I ended up knitting and increasing until I had 106 stitches for the size 6 bottom instead of the 82 stitches required by the pattern. It's a little late to wear it this year since the beach-going days are about over, but at least it's done!

Bikini details:
Pattern from Knitty Gritty
Yarn: Cascade Fixation in Magenta (6185), Chartreuse (5806) & Turquoise (2706). Pattern calls for 1 skein of each but I needed 2 for the Magenta
Sizes Made: Top - B cup; Bottom - size 6

Last-minute birthday gift

2007-08-30T07:32:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we were invited to a friend's surprise birthday party and at the last minute I decided to make her a little something to include in the gift. This pattern for a bath mitt was up on my pattern-a-day calendar and so I decided to make one for her! I just went to our local hobby shop and bought 2 skeins of Lily Sugar 'n Cream as the pattern directed. I chose the Painted Desert colorway. Because I knit sooo loose, I had to go down from a size 5 to a size 2! As I got into the thick of it, I remembered how much I hate knitting with cotton. I'm guessing it's because I have such a tension problem and so I feel like I constantly have to pull the yarn tight. It gives me sore hands and wrists after awhile. The pattern calls for size 5 needles but I didn't feel like gauge-swatching for a bath mitt, so I dropped a size and started out with a 4. After several rows it just looked so wide, so I dropped to a 3. It was still way too wide, so I then dropped to a size 2. I thought maybe I'd get away with it this way but it looked weird so I decided to rip out the entire thing and start over using the size 2 needles. I ended up finishing the mitt about an hour before the party! It turned out pretty cute and I really liked the colors. I bundled it up with a soft hand towel and a few bars of nice soap.

I only ended up needing one skein of the yarn, so I'll save it to make a dishcloth or something. I have had my eye on the ballband dishcloth highlighted in the Mason Dixon knitting book. It's actually a free pattern from the Peaches & Creme yarn website. It would be good to make a few and squirrel them away for hostess gifts or something. I'll have to wait until I'm ready to knit with cotton again!

Dyeing with Mullein ... and food coloring... and Crystal Light!

2007-08-28T13:06:00.000-06:00

I wanted to try some more natural dyeing and saw all this mullein plant growing everywhere. I did some research and found out that it dyes a shade of yellowish gold so I thought I'd give it a try.

Well, as you can see from the photo, it came out rather blah and unappealing. I dyed with 2 different types of natural colored yarn, a Henry's Attic Kona superwash DK weight from my lys and a soft worsted weight merino from Stonehedge Fiber Mill. The superwash was a little more interesting looking because it took more of the dye but I was pretty disappointed with both of them. So, I decided to see what an ammonia dip would do to the yarn. It made it brighter looking but I was still not thrilled with the color. Plus, the yarn from Stonehedge got a little matted up in the dye pot, between mordanting and dyeing. So, I decided to just let the yarn dry and think about what to do with it.

We were still up in northern Michigan, so my options for other dyes were somewhat limited. I decided to try overdyeing it with food coloring. I bought some basic McCormick food coloring at the local grocery store and started mixing. After a lot of experimenting, I came up with a color I liked. I think I used the following proportions in a solution of 8 C water and 3/4 C vinegar: 1 1/4 t yellow, 1/4 t green, 1/2 t blue and 7 drops red. I added the red last so it wasn't mixed in perfectly. I did this intentionally so that the color would be a little mottled. I used this concoction to overdye the superwash yarn and I was very pleased with how it turned out:

So, next I wanted to overdye the other skein. By now, I had used up all of the yellow food coloring so my options were more limited. I played around with the colors but wasn't happy at all with what I came up with. Finally, in desperation, I saw a box of raspberry ice flavored Crystal Light on the shelf. Now, I had no idea if it would even work, dyeing with artificial sugar. I dumped in 7 of the individual packets and really liked the color. It wasn't quite red and wasn't quite pink. My only concern was that it looked like I had burned the yarn when I took it out of the dyepot but it was only a heavy concentration of dye that rinsed out. Here is how the color came out:

This skein really took a beating after all the dyeing and overdyeing, and I was admittedly feeling bad that it had started to felt up a bit, especially given how lovely it was before I started dyeing with it. It still feels soft, it is just more nubby and has almost a handspun look to it. I'm sure I will still use it but I have decided that from now on I'm only going to dye with superwash yarn if it has to be mordanted - it is just not worth it to me to ruin the yarn's texture.

Lovely Alpaca

2007-08-21T21:13:00.000-06:00

Every summer it is a tradition in our family to go to the Northwestern Michigan Fair in Traverse City. There is everything from carnival rides and gut buster food to tractor pull competitions and amazing exhibits of produce, handmade goods and 4-H animals of every variety. While the kids make themselves nauseous on the carnival rides and eating greasy elephant ears, the adults head over to see the animals. My favorite of course are the alpacas and llamas. They are so beautiful, graceful and intelligent! This year I was very fortunate to meet Kathy Easter of Northern Dreams Alpaca Farm in Empire, Michigan. I talked to her at great length about her animals - she has about 40 that she raises. She happened to have some alpaca yarn for sale (spun by the same mill where I bought the antique rose yarn at the fiber fair in Charlevoix!). The yarn came from Kathy's alpaca, Daisy. I can't wait to make something from it - perhaps some warm cozy socks if the alpaca will hold up o.k.!

Quilt Hog

2007-08-13T20:12:00.001-06:00

I was at a wonderful yard sale recently. This yard sale takes place every summer, and the people who put it on spend the year collecting antiques that they then put out for sale in their yard. I can always manage to find a few interesting things to buy and the prices are very reasonable. This year I came across a fairly large quilt, pieced from vintage fabrics. There is admittedly a lot of purple in the quilt, which is probably why it wasn't snatched up earlier. I liked it though because I am a sucker for vintage fabric and the purple isn't overwhelming to me. I brought it home and my dog, Fiona, thinks it belongs to her! What is she thinking? Notice that her quilt is conveniently positioned beneath! Huh!

2007 Fiber Arts Festival - Part 2

2007-08-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

I also bought some sock yarn at the fiber festival. Now, I know I really need another skein of sock yarn like a hole in the head at this point, but this vendor, Happy Hands, had such vibrantly hand dyed yarns I couldn't pass it up. Here is a photo of some of the yarns from their booth:

The owners are Kim Ogle and Kim Leach, and they are based in Palmyra, Wisconsin. One of the Kims dyes the yarn and the other Kim designs patterns. The sock yarn I bought is on the left, below. It is 75% wool and 25% nylon, and the colorway is called "End of the Day."

My other major yarn purchase of the day was the yarn on the right, above, from Stonehedge Fiber Mill in East Jordan, Michigan (just a few miles from the show).

Now, I have had my eye on this yarn for awhile. I discovered the yarn in the Yarn Shop in Glen Arbor, Michigan a few months ago. Debbie McDermott, the owner and operator of Stonehedge Fiber Mill, mills yarn for many breeders and also sells her own yarn. The yarn I bought is a worsted weight merino and is so unbelievably soft that I have been planning this purchase for several months now. I chose a color called Antique Rose, a heathered coral color. I am planning to use it to make the Bpt hoody from Knitty.

There was another booth that was very interesting called Elizabeth's Designs. Elizabeth Koeppen, of Traverse City, Michigan, sells handpainted yarns and roving.

She wasn't in the booth when I went by, so I don't have much information about her, and I didn't buy any of her yarn, but her friend, who was manning the booth, said that some of her yarns are available in the Traverse City area, including the Inish Knits yarn shop in Cedar, Michigan.

There were also a few animal breeders at the festival. High Tower Farm, breeders of rabbits and pigs, had some angora rabbits and showed how they collect the angora fiber for spinning.

I was hoping to be able to buy some angora yarn but she only had fiber available, and since I am a beginning spinner, I passed on it.

One of the most well-known vendors was Briar Rose Fibers. I had always wanted to see what their yarn looks like. Well, the booth was just crawling with people, so it was a little frustrating getting in to see. Admittedly, they had some pretty yarns but I didn't see anything that really captivated me and the yarns were rather pricey so I didn't buy any yarn.

As we were leaving, I lingered a bit at a booth that sold a lot of lavender products. They were lovely, and smelled lovely too, but we were out of time. I'll have to come back next year!

2007 Fiber Arts Festival - Part 1

2007-08-08T08:07:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Frauke, and I went to a fiber festival at Castle Farms, just outside Charlevoix, Michigan. There were over 50 vendors there, selling yarn, fiber for spinning and felting, as well as other fiber-related handmade goods. There were also demonstrations of animals, including sheep shearing and llama driving, as well as spinning, weaving, and even dyeing with natural dyes, to name a few of the activities.

I have never seen so much alpaca yarn in one place. Many of the alpaca vendors raise their own animals and even spin their own yarn. It was so lovely, and I wanted to buy some, but I'm now trying to buy yarn only if I have a specific purpose for it marked out in my mind, so I didn't end up buying any.

I loved the natural dyeing demonstration booth, in particular. When I saw it they hadn't started the demonstrations yet, so I tracked down the woman who was going to make the presentation and just picked her brain for a few minutes. I think her name was Susan and she was very helpful to talk to, since she has been dyeing with natural dyes for several years now. She had a card with several samples of yarn using the same dye source, but different mordants and "after-dips," which was so helpful to see.

I did buy some yarn while I was at the festival. One vendor imports a New Zealand yarn called Touch Yarns. These were the softest, most beautiful yarns I have seen in a long time.
I fell in love with several of the merinos, but the one I chose was 65% merino and 35% possum! It was so unusual I couldn't pass it up and extremely soft. The colorway I chose was a varigated combination of deep reds and greens. The vendor showed the yarn knitted up in a cute hat. I tried the hat on and it was very soft and comfortable, so I bought the pattern too.

Favorite Finds

2007-08-04T06:20:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite finds this summer is this little ikebana frog that I found at an art show earlier in the summer. Here it is filled with meadow flowers growing wild behind our cabin. I liked it so much I bought several, including one for my mom's birthday. I think that what I like best about it is that I can just go out in the garden, or the field, and find a few blossoms and I have an instant arrangement that looks nice on the counter, or the table, and they last for days.

Jill Tortorella is the woman who creates them, along with a multitude of other lovely glazed pottery at her studio, Antioch Pottery.

Success at last

2007-07-31T06:52:00.000-06:00

After 4 attempts to knit the bikini top, (pattern shown on Knitty Gritty) I have finally knit something that I think will work! I had to rip out the 3rd attempt, when I knit the c size cup, because it was turning out too large. So, I went back and knit the b size cup again, but I increased as for the c size cup, so I would have enough height. And it worked! I have never really made adustments to a pattern with shaping before, and I was glad that I stuck with it and tried this on my own. It gives me confidence that I can make alterations to other patterns when necessary. It also made me realize that sometimes you have to try several different things before you can get an item to fit you personally, and not to give up!

Black Walnut Dyeing - the Result

2007-07-27T07:57:00.001-06:00

I was pretty happy with how the yarn turned out. The color is a lovely chocolatey brown with reddish undertones. There is also a slight variation through it, with some areas more intense than others, which I was hoping for. It took forever for the dye to rinse out. After I had rinsed it, I saw some other suggestions, such as rinsing it in a baking soda solution. I'm not sure if that is to rinse it out better or make the color different somehow.

I didn't love the smell that wafted through my kitchen as I was simmering the dye but I was so pleased with the result that I would definitely use it again, especially since black walnuts are so readily available to me and economical. I also read that you can use the leaves to get an olive green color. I would love to try that! Here is a link for various recipes using black walnut dye - I found it very helpful.

Heaven on Earth

2007-07-25T06:49:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite spots. To me, it looks like heaven on earth, or a shot from the Wizard of Oz. Every time I see it I think it can't be real. I took the photo in the woods in northern Michigan. Love it!

Black Walnut Dyeing Continued

2007-07-17T15:33:00.000-06:00

I let the murky black walnuts sit in their water for at least 3 days, some were even longer. I put them in a big pot and added water to fill it up. I simmered the black walnut goo for about an hour. Then I strained it off, to remove the pieces of black walnut. While the walnuts were simmering, I wound up my yarn (Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool - 12 oz) into 3 - 4 oz skeins and wet it in the sink with some synthrapol, rinsed it and squeezed it out gently.

I then put the yarn in the pot with the black walnut dye liquid and simmered it for about an hour. Now I will let it sit and cool off until tomorrow morning.

Right now it is a luscious chocolatey brown, just the way I'd hoped it would turn out! I hope it looks the same after I rinse it out!

Bikini from Hell

2007-07-16T21:12:00.000-06:00

I watched the episode on Knitty Gritty recently that showed a very cute bikini made out of 3 colors of Cascade Fixation. I thought it would be fun to knit a bikini, and with the elastic content of the yarn, it might actually be functional. So, I ordered the yarn in the colors shown (Magenta, Chartreuse and Turquoise) and started knitting my gauge swatches.

Now the pattern calls for a size 5 needle, but I am a notoriously loose knitter, so I started with a 4 and kept downsizing, because each time the swatch was just too wide. I finally got gauge with a size 1! Unbelievable! So, I plunged in and knitted up the first bikini triangle. Well, I guess I should've paid closer attention to how it was turning out, but given that I have never used this yarn before I thought, well, it's got elastic, it will stretch! O.k., with the first triangle finished it looked like it would fit a preteenager! It would've been obscene on me and I am not that busty! Urgh!

So, I started over and I was a bit p.o.ed because I had already cut the yarn. The pattern says that if you plan to make both top and bottom in the larger sizes that you might need a second skein of the main color. So, now I am already short on the Magenta, since I would prefer not to use a cut piece if I don't have to.

So, the big question was, what size do I use now? I started with the size 4 (ridiculous but I wanted to see how it looked) and after several rows I ripped it out because it just looked too loose. I took up the size 3's and knit up the 1st triangle again. Amazingly, the gauge was not that far off (just a smidge too big) so I thought it was going to work out with the 3's. I put a little drawstring through the bottom and tried it. Too small! Now, I am generally a size B cup (which is what I made) and it is just way too narrow and short. So, what is the deal with this pattern?

I am going to try this ONE more time, and will knit the size C cup with the 3's. Here's a sketch of what it is supposed to look like.

If it still doesn't work out, I'm giving up!

Dyeing with Coreopsis and Black Walnut

2007-07-15T10:14:00.000-06:00

I have been collecting coreopsis blossoms from my garden all summer long. As soon as they look a little droopy I have been plucking them off and storing them in a bag in the freezer. I gathered enough to finally dye some yarn with them. I sewed a little drawstring bag out of cheesecloth and then soaked the blossoms in some water overnight.

I chose 2 types of yarn to dye:
1) Henry's Attic fingering weight superwash - from my LYS (4 oz);
2) Lion Brand Yarn - Fishermen's Wool worsted weight yarn (4 oz).

I used a mordant of alum and cream of tartar and then simmered the yarn for about an hour. After it had cooled to room temperature, I washed and rinsed the yarn. I simmered the coreposis flowers in a large pot for about 75 minutes, threw away the cheesecloth bag and then strained off all of the dye liquid to remove any residual plant matter. I then simmered the yarn in the dye bath for about an hour and left it overnight to cool. I had to rinse it out quite a bit until the water ran clear. I washed it in a bit of Ivory Snow and hung the yarn to dry.

Well, after looking at others' photos of coreopsis-dyed yarn I was expecting the color to be yellow. But mine came out an amazing golden orange.

Once I got over the shock I was actually quite pleased with the result. The superwash absorbed more of the dye, as I'd expected, and turned out darker than the Fisherman's Wool, which is more of a pumpkin color.

Next I plan to dye the rest of the Fishermen's Wool (about 12 oz) with black walnuts from my neighbor's tree. If the yarn turns out as I hope, the chocolate brown of the yarn should look nice with the pumpkin color to make a hat and some heavy-weight socks! I have been letting the dye liquid sit for a few days to get dark and murky and I hope to try it out in a few days.

Dyeing With Lichen

2007-07-12T17:15:00.000-06:00

I saw in a book that you can dye yarn with lichen. It comes out a lovely lavender color. I was entranced by the photo, so when my husband was in northern Michigan recently I asked him to bring me a little lichen.

Before the yarn can be dyed, the lichen needs to ferment in a solution of ammonia and water, and you need to stir it several times a day. In the olden days they used stale urine instead of ammonia, so that's an improvement! It starts out a murky brown and eventually is supposed to turn red. Well, it's been nearly 3 weeks now and it is still brown!

I am hoping that it will turn red soon so I can dye my yarn!

Inside Outs are Done!

2007-07-10T06:17:00.000-06:00

I finally finished my STR Inside Out socks. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. The first one really pooled a lot on the top of the foot while the 2nd one striped fairly nicely - weird! I don't mind, though, because they're so funky anyway. One disappointment was encountering a knot at the top of the instep when I was knitting sock #2. I tried splicing the 2 yarns together, but I don't think it works very well with superwash yarn. So, then I tried knitting the 2 strands together for several stitches and it looked horrible. I ripped it out and then just knit one stitch with the 2 strands, then alternated the strands for a stitch and wove in the ends when I was done. I was just disappointed since they are reversible and wasn't happy to have 4 strands to weave in instead of 2. But I think they will work out fine. I'm going to block them, since I dragged them everywhere, including my daughter's swim meet this past weekend, where it was nearly 100 degrees, so they need a nice wash to rinse out all the dirt and whatnot I picked up!

My knitting journal

2007-07-06T11:25:00.000-06:00

I have been wanting to start keeping a knitting journal for awhile now. It seems like once I've finished a project and started another I can't remember the details of what I did - what size needle I used, what adjustments to the pattern I made, etc. So, I went to the book store and looked around at what was available. I liked a few I saw but they had limited pages that could not be expanded, so I decided to create my own. I just bought a small 3-ring binder from the office supply store and covered it in some heavy upholstry fabric I had laying around. I copied a vintage note card onto some fabric, and made a little border out of some raw silk I had left over from my millinery days and stitched it onto the cover.

Inside the front cover of the journal, I made a little pocket for temporary storage of ball bands, etc., until I have time to put them on the page.

I made separate sections of the journal, with some types of things that I make frequently having their own section, such as socks, hats, sweaters, etc. Here is what the looks like.

Now I just have to start using it!

Domiknitrix - L'il Red Riding Hoodie

2007-07-01T13:44:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking of making the Domiknitrix L'il Red Riding Hoodie with my Modadea Cartwheel yarn. It's a thick & thin, though, and I wonder if it would work out? I'll continue to explore the idea before I dive right in. Does anybody have thoughts about this?

STR Inside Out

2007-06-24T15:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I've finally started knitting the first Rockin' Sock Club sock pattern using the Monsoon medium weight yarn sent with the first sock kit back in February. In a way, I'm glad for the delay since it gave me a chance to read others' posts and see what size of needles others used to make the socks. I knit rather loosely, so I always have to drop a few sizes, but I also have a high instep. So, when I read that others had to frog their socks because of a tight instep, I had a bit of a dilemma on my hands. I finally opted to use a size 0 for the toe and heel, drop down to a 00 for the foot, then up to a size 1 for the leg. And when I knit the foot, I started out trying to knit rather tightly (it hurt my hands because I was using metal needles!), then I loosened up a bit as I reached the instep. Crazy! It actually worked! I am loving how these socks are turning out. My hubby is even envying these socks, saying, "I'd wear a pair of those!" My only issue is how the striping worked out on the foot. Mine seem to be pooling weirdly instead of striping, compared to other photos I've seen, especially with the grey color. It will be interesting to see how the second sock turns out!

Dollar Store Treasure

2007-06-22T12:04:00.000-06:00

I was killing time the other day, when I took my teenaged daughter shopping, and found some amazing deals at the dollar store. I didn't expect to see 100% wool yarn there but came across a multitude of Moda Dea Cartwheel yarn, mixed in with the acrylics that made up most of what they had. Twenty minutes later, after digging through several bins, I managed to find enough of 3 colors to make several things (hats, socks, scarves, purses?) and enough of another color (hazey, a mix of white, beige, grey and blue) to make a sweater! I couldn't pass it up at a dollar a skein!

I've been wanting to make a jacket type sweater for a long time now, and so maybe the hazey yarn will work out. I have in mind an old Knitty pattern I found the other day. It's called Bpt from the Fall 2003 issue. The hoody sweater zips up the front and has these really cool cables that go up both sides of the zipper and also up the sides of the sweater and arms. I just don't know if the yarn will be good for it as it's a thick and thin yarn, so it might look weird or camouflage the cables. Does anybody have any feedback on this pattern or thoughts on using the Cartwheel yarn?

The other pattern I thought of using was the Point Five Raglan Jacket by Liz Tekus (from the Knitter's Stash book). I'd have to alter the pattern somewhat to knit a smaller size (by eliminating some of the increases in the raglan part) but it might be a better match for the Cartwheel yarn than the Bpt. Has anyone had success with this pattern, especially in adapting it to make a smaller jacket?

Goodies for baby Naiya

2007-06-18T13:33:00.000-06:00

This is Naiya - my niece and "nephew-in-law" gave birth to this little sweetie in April. We can't wait to meet her this summer!

I had a lot of fun knitting the heritage blanket for Naiya. I made it from art yarns supermerino in color 127. It was so soft and lovely to work with and I was pleased how it washed up. The pattern was a nice one, fairly simple to work, although in retrospect I wonder if the varigated coloring of the yarn detracts from the pattern of the blanket. If I were to knit it again I would use a solid color.

I made Naiya a little bear to go with her blankie. Sweet dreams, Naiya!

afghans for Afghans socks

2007-06-14T08:29:00.000-06:00

I've been so busy these past few months, trying to get various knitting projects done, that I've gotten behind on my posts and had wanted to mention the children's socks I made for the afghans for Afghans sock project back in March. I used the Paton's Classic yarn that I'd dyed with koolaid (see March 3 post).

The first pair I made for a little girl using the handpainted yarn. It was my first attempt at making a short-row heel. The pattern is a free one, for charity knitting, listed as Socks For Children In Common. I was a little disappointed with my efforts, as I got holes in the heel from not properly knitting the wraps. Admittedly, I was pretty confused when I did it the first time. I looked at several online tutorials, and that helped considerably. The second sock went a lot better but I still want to try more short-row heels so I can practice knitting the wraps the right way, etc. All in all, I think they turned out pretty well and I liked the way that the handpainted yarn looked when it was knitted up.

For the second pair, I used the other yarn I'd made. When I dyed this yarn I thought the colors were rather blah looking, but when I knitted it up I came to like the way it looked. The "liver" color from the grape koolaid actually looked o.k. when mixed with the other colors. The pattern I used for this one was a traditional top-down with a standard slipped-stitch heel. Since I was getting rather close to the due date for getting them to afghans for Afghans, I opted for a sock I could just crank out the second time around. I adapted the pattern a little, so that there was less ribbing at the top of the sock. They came out kind of squatty but will probably fit someone with a wider foot. It was fun trying some different sock patterns and using the koolaid-dyed wool.

In the nick of time...

2007-06-12T09:36:00.000-06:00

Phew! It was close, but I finished the shawl for my son's teacher the day before graduation! I really enjoyed making this shawlette, from the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Knits (see June 3 post for links). I was a little worried when I was knitting it, as it was a little wonky but when I blocked it the shawl really relaxed and flattened out beautifully. The combination of the alpaca and silk made it quite drapey and soft. The only part that gave me a little anxiety was when I had to kitchener stitch the 2 halves together at the end. I barely had any yarn left at all, and so I was nervous about running out of yarn before I finished, but I had just enough left to graft it together plus a few more yards. I wasn't sure how much to leave extra to kitchener stitch, but I went with the rule of thumb of 4 times the width. I added several inches just in case, and it was a bit cumbersome having to pull that much yardage through each time, but I muscled through it o.k. And even with a few phone calls interrupting me (was I knitting through the back or pearling through the front on that last stitch, urgh!) I managed to get through it.

Here it is, modeled by my daughter, and I think my son's teacher really appreciated it. It almost makes me want to knit one for myself, perhaps in the Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk - Ginger or the new Peapod colorway?

My mom's socks are finished!

2007-06-10T09:29:00.000-06:00

My mom's socks are finished! Actually I finished them a few weeks ago but have been so busy with other projects (posts coming soon!). I really liked how they turned out but there is one aspect of the Jaywalker pattern that bothered me. It is when you slip the stitches on the instep portion to mimic the pattern used on the leg. I don't know if I was too tight when I slipped the stitches, but it turned out just a bit puckery, although after blocking it was better. I wonder how it would look if you didn't slip those stitches - has anybody tried this? At any rate, they turned out fine and my mom says they fit her perfectly! My fear is that she'll just stick them in her drawer and look at them instead of wearing them. So, please wear the Jaywalkers, Mom!

Clementine Shawl

2007-06-03T15:53:00.000-06:00

I just started this lovely shawl for my son's teacher at school. It is from the spring 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. It is made from Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk and I decided to use the Mandarin color shown in the pattern. It is a lovely muted pumpkin shade and the yarn is so soft and drapey! Unfortunately, I started the project a little late and now I am scrambling to finish it before the end of school!

Dyeing with Pennies

2007-05-22T19:30:00.000-06:00

I tried an experiment a few months ago. I read that you can actually dye yarn using pennies! It turns the yarn a mottled grey, and the longer you leave the yarn in the solution, a mixture of water, ammonia and pennies, the darker it gets.

I used 2 balls of Patons Classic 100% merino yarn in the Aran color. I wrapped them into skeins and placed them in the solution. Twice a day you are supposed to mix the solution. I wanted a fairly dark color, so I had to leave the yarn soaking for about 3 weeks! I think when I stirred the yarn I over-agitated it a little because when I took it out to rinse it the yarn was slightly felted together! It worked out o.k., though, because I was able to get the strands apart and the consistency of the yarn is more like a nubby spun yarn. I think it will be fun to make some thick socks with.

Here is a bit of a swatch I knit up and I'm pleased with the mix of the mottled greys.

My puppy, Fiona, thinks it makes a good spot to lounge. She has good taste!

Mother's Day Wishes

2007-05-11T15:28:00.000-06:00

I'm finally trying out Grumperina's Jaywalker pattern. I decided to make my mom a pair of socks for Mother's Day. I bought this lovely skein of sock yarn earlier this year - Seacoast in the Reef color, and so far I'm pretty happy with how they're turning out. Unfortunately, they won't be done in time for Mother's Day - sorry, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!

Dyeing with Superwash Wool

2007-03-09T16:45:00.000-06:00

My next experiment was to repeat what I had done with the 4 colors of Kool-Aid but this time I followed the Twisted Sisters' directions and used superwash wool. The yarn I used was called Cleckheaton Merino Supreme superwash wool. I found it at my lys. It is a heavy worsted weight yarn and luxuriously soft! I was very pleased with the results. I improvised a bit, after I was done, and soaked the green in a bit of watermelon cherry to get a blush effect in the middle of the green. I am not sure what I will make with it - can there be sock patterns for heavy worsted weight yarn?

Dyeing With Kool-Aid - Continued

2007-03-09T13:22:00.000-06:00

The second skein of yarn I dyed using the method found in the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook for dip-dyeing with Kool-Aid for superwash wool. The book warned of mixed results if you don't use superwash wool, and lo and behold, my results weren't quite what I wanted. The colors were a bit too muted for me, with the orange looking more like mustard color and the grape coming out a bit liver-colored. Still, when I knitted up the yarn it worked out o.k., the colors just weren't as bright as I'd wanted.

First you dunk the skein in a solution of Kool-Aid that is a mixture of lemonade and lemon lime, with vinegar and water added similar to what I did with my first skein. You keep the yarn in the solution until it has absorbed all of the color. Then you overdye parts of the yarn in a lemon-lime solution. You repeat the process by dyeing a section of the skein in orange, strawberry and grape, leaving part of the skein the greenish color. See the book for the exact measurements. Once you are done, you heat-set it. Once again, I put the skein in my dyepot, filled with steaming water, and steamed it on low for about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the yarn started to felt a bit, but I was able to pull it apart without any problems, it just made some of the strands a little nubby. When the skein was cool I rinsed it out and let it dry.

Since I was a bit disappointed with how the colors turned out, I decided to try it with some superwash wool and I was much happier with the results. More on that coming in my next post!

Dyeing With Kool-Aid

2007-03-03T16:18:00.000-06:00

I tried my hand at Kool-Aid dyeing recently. It was very easy (so much easier than dyeing with acid dyes!). I took ideas from many different sources, including The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook, Kool-Aid Dyeing, and even the Dyed in the Wool article on Knitty! There are many others available if you just google around.

I had somewhat mixed results but was ultimately I was pretty happy with the dyed yarn. Here is a sampling of what I created.

The yarn I used was Paton's Classic in the Aran color (off white). I used 2 skeins and tried 2 different processes with each skein. First I wrapped the skeins around the back of a kitchen chair and then tied them off loosely, using cotton string in 3 different places to secure them. I then soaked them in the sink for about 30 minutes in tepid water with 1 teaspoon of synthrapol to wet them. I let the sink drain and gently squeezed out the yarn so that it was still wet but not too wet.

I usually prefer to dye outside but given that it is winter in Chicago I opted for my kitchen table. The first skein I dyed using a hand-painted method. I mixed up various colors of Kool-Aid in different paper cups, adding 1 Tablespoon white vinegar and 3 Tablespoons hot water to each cup along with one packet of Kool-Aid. I also tried mixing a few colors together to get different looks, but mostly I used the colors straight from the packet. I then used an eye dropper to drop bits of dye on the skein. I didn't have any blue flavor, so for the blue color I just used some food coloring I had around, using 1 teaspoon of color with the same amounts of water and vinegar. I was pretty pleased with the result, although I went a bit overboard with the pinks and reds. Next time I would leave more of the skein white, as the colors tend to bleed together when you are done. I left the skein to sit for a bit, mashing it in places with my fingers to get the dye to spread, and then I heat set it in my dye pot, steaming it for about 30 minutes on the stove. Once the skein was cool, I rinsed it out and let it dry for a day or so. I used it to knit some children's socks for the afghans for Afghans project (post coming soon!). I especially loved how fruity it smelled when it was dry!

Mother Bear Project

2007-03-03T15:55:00.000-06:00

This worthy cause, creating huggable bears for children in Africa and other emerging countries, many of whom are suffering from HIV/AIDS, is one of the charity knitting projects I've been involved in lately. See the link to their website in the "Links" section of the blog. Here is the first bear I created, using Lion Brand Wool-Ease. They suggested a soft-feeling yarn, but next time I think I would use 100% wool, as there are so many soft ones available and I didn't really like the feel of this yarn as I knitted with it. The bear is a quick knit and there is also a crochet pattern available. It's also a great way to use up leftover yarn!

My First Pair of Socks

2007-01-25T12:00:00.000-06:00

For the longest time I avoided trying to knit socks. I am a very loose knitter, so I thought I'd never be able to get the right gauge. Little did I know, I was wrong! The yarn I used was Regia superwash sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% polyamide. I used the basic adult sock pattern by Ann Norling for the fingering weight yarn. They turned out a little big but I love them!

2007-01-11T20:16:00.000-06:00