Lovin' the "Love Beret"

Well, the mitts got set aside(and are actually getting frogged-more on that later) for a new project using some handspun from the stash. We're still having some cold spells here, and I'm getting tired of my V. Avery beret, as much as I like it. The new issue of Spindlicityspindlicity.com has a great pattern from Janel Laidman, the "Because of Love" Beret. Janel, I love your "Love" Beret!

It only took 119 yards of A Verb for Keeping Warm Merino, in the shade "Nightengale". It's 12 wpi, and I knit it right up on #5 Clover circs. I have take a shot of the finished and blocked beret, but for now, here it is in progress. I followed her suggestion of blocking it on a dinner plate- fantastic idea!

V's Wine and Roses mitts

I've made these a few times previously, but for some reason these are taking some time. I love the yarn, it's Shibui Sock from the stash. One of it's attributes I adore is the nice tight twist; but I'm wondering if it was a poor choice for these mitts. Perhaps a softer yarn would have been better. I wanted them to wear well, and I thought she'd like the color. Anyway, I'm nearly done with the first one, just have to do the thumb now.

V is my sil, and she spends a lot of time at her home office computer. She and my brother live in N. Florida, in an old house, and when we were there recently, she mentioned how cold her hands get. I hope these help, but I better get my butt in gear and finish them up, or they'll sit til next winter. I'm knitting them up with some Inox 2s- I've given up on bamboo for small needles, I constantly break them!

Finishing the Finn

Whew, I've been working on this for quite a while. This is from A Verb for Keeping Warm Fiber Club, Finn Equilibrium. I'd never spun Finn before, and since I'm not exactly a pink person, I was hesitant to start. It arrived in two strips of roving, one peachy pink, the other a blueish grey. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to try, and I wasn't sure I would like anything. But, I have to say, Kristine has done it again. On first look, I'm kind of not liking the combo, then, as it winds onto the bobbins, it wins me over. Once I plied it all, I was totally sucked in. I'm quite curious now to see how it knits up.

I had just read an article in the recent Spin Off on blending colors while you draft- and since I don't YET have any carders, I decided to give it a shot. I divided each color in half. The first half of the fiber was blended and drafted in a very spontaneous manner. I pulled snippets of one, then more of another, and drafted them up, then spun 'em up. That first bobbin had an overall look of being bluer. The second half was drafted with relatively equal amounts of each color. I just divided the peachy into strips, the blue-grey into strips, and drafted one of each together.

I had one bobbin of each, then plied the two together.

My spinning buddy Kristin, who is also in the Club, spun her Finn first, and reported that it really plumps up. SO, I soaked it all except one little skein, and once it was dry, took a comparison shot. The top strand is right off the bobbin, the lower is the finished Finn. Amazing! Like one of those sponges you buy flat, then as you get it wet, it changes dimensions in a wondrous way.

Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll do with this Finn, but I'm liking it.

more twistin'

Ok, I forgot to add this to the earlier post. Here's the back, while I was working on it. I've got the sleeves, the back, and am getting ready to get started on one of the fronts.

One of the problems is, this yarn is a single. Worked up on the size 4 needles, the fabric seems to be fairly straight. I do like the picots, but those twisted stitches that form the "Ropes" kill my hands. After 3 or 4 hours of twistin', I really do want to shout ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! But they do look nice....

Twists and Shouts

Before the new year, I began a project for a friend. She's an ex-knitter(I know, hard to imagine) and really wanted a black cardigan. She also had yarn in her ancient stash that she really liked, and thought it would work. I found the Ropes and Picots Cardigan, by Laura Grutzeck, in Interweave Knits Winter 2008. I'd give you the link to Ravelry, but I'm still a techno-dolt, and don't know how to do that. Well anyway, the recommended yarn is Rowan Scottish Tweek DK, and while her black tweedy stuff is a single, I got gauge, and she liked how the swatch looked. If you recognize the mystery yarn, please let me know. I am kind of curious.

Daily Fiber is more than a dietary issue

Ok, so last year I had grand intentions to try and document my obsession with fiber. When I see that February posting, it's hard to fathom how much has happened since then. Shortly after posting about my new sweater love, I was diagnosed with cancer. Speedy surgery, hospital stay, a few weeks to recover, then months of chemo. After all that, the climb out of the hole I found myself in... Enough of that, and now, on to the Good Stuff.



One of the ways I made myself feel better was a Visit to the Stash. I was a pretty new spinner, and yes, at the 08 Stitches West, had picked up some lovely little bundles to spin from Tactile Fiber Arts, A Verb for Keeping Warm, and Toots LeBlanc. I couldn't spin for a while since I had abdominal surgery, so I just admired the gorgeous colors, smelled the fiber, you know the game. After a couple chemo treatments, I couldn't knit easily due to the neuropathy in my hands, so I admired some of the yarn stash, waiting for the right project. It all made me feel so much better, even if the relief was temporary.



At some point I needed a fix, and decided to dive in. I screwed up a lot of projects, frogged em, and started another. My attention span was short, which gave me a good excuse to continue on that path for a while. As my hands improved, I started spinning. I truly believe the spinning helped me to find a calm, peaceful place that I sorely needed.



Well, anyway, I'm going to try and start this all over again, and see where it takes me. I've got some FOs to write about and some photos to post, along with some WIP. Back soon.

Not quite sleeping in it

Well, I'm not quite sleeping in it, but I might if it wasn't a turtleneck. I actually finished it in Spring 07, but didn't have cold enough temps to start wearing it til this winter. It's the Evergreen Aran, by Kristen Nicholas. Yarn was the recommended and now not available Classic Elite Evergreen, a recycled wool that is supposed to have cashmere in it. I managed to find it on ebay some time ago, but was one skein short, so, its a bit shorter which I actually like. I'm not a bobble wearer, though they're fun to make, so I didn't add them. Knit up on US 5 and 7s. Fun cables, though they require close attention, at least for me.

I just got back from California, where I was having a "mom" visit- and hmm, what a coincidence- Stitches West just happened to be a 20 minute drive away. I got to the Market on Friday, and had a little splurge. More on that next time. Maybe even some photos.