Warm woolies

It's sweater weather.  I am working on three sweaters.  One sample cardigan for the shop, my custom fit cardigan, and  my trapeze pullover.  I think about why I love knitting these sweaters, the patterns are well-written and the shapes are simple and classic.  The yarns for the projects are so beautiful.

In the Pink is a bit longer than the photo shows.  Working to 26.25" in length while increasing takes some time.

I call the trapeze pullover In the Pink because of the color #1029 Hebes.  HiKoo Kenzie is one of my favorite yarns.  It is a blend of 50% New Zealand merino wool, 25% nylon, 10% alpaca, 10% angora, and 5% silk noils.  The knitted fabric has a nice halo and becomes even softer after washing.

Before washing--Yeti mittens

After washing

Nice warm mittens.

A nice surprise was the Plymouth Homestead yarn for a commissioned pair of felted mittens.  It is always funny to see the size of the mittens before felting.  The process took one 16-minute high agitation/high spin cycle on the warm wash/warm rinse cycle and then another 10-minutes on the same cycle setting.  I do not close the lid so the water does not drain and the spin cycle will not engage.  I can check the project during the felting process.  The spin cycle can cause folds in the fabric that are difficult if not downright impossible to remove.  There is a short article about felting and fulling in a 2007 article by Maddy Cranley.  It is a good explanation of fulling, felting, and boiled wool.

Winter is here

Winter is beginning to settle in even though it arrived a little earlier than expected.  We have a blanket of snow on the ground and the temperatures are well below normal.  It surprises me that normal is in the 40s.  I agree that snow can be a pain to drive in, although my car has all wheel drive, which has proven to be a big help. The slop brought in from outside makes the foyer difficult to clean (I brought in the large "slop rug" from the garage.)  Snow boots are lined up and ready to pull on and the baskets of hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves are in a convenient spot in the foyer.  I look at this time of the year as sweater weather.  It is comforting to bundle up in beautiful sweaters, and wooly accessories.

Just in time for the first snow Jim's new bicycle.  He was very proud of the tracks he left in the snow.

Projects on the needles are the continuing Kaffe Fassett KAL squares, Custom Fit Acorn Trail, Top-Down Trapeze Pullover, two shop samples, and a pair of men's felted mittens, a commission from Jim's work colleague.  Yesterday I picked up some cotton yarn to make some small projects for children's gifts.  Needless to say the needles are clicking away.    Tomorrow the Gansey Headband class will wrap up.  On the loom (now named Jemima) is a scarf.  Warped with leftover Malabrigo Finito from the Snow Ghost hat and Berroco yarn from a hat, Fane, I am weaving with a lovely slate blue/gray sock weight yarn I received from Margie.  When I take a break from knitting I can get a few inches done on the scarf.

On the needles--Gansey Legwarmers

Knitting commission--felted mittens

In the Pink

I am using some fingering weight yarns to create a scarf.

The ongoing Kaffe Fassett KAL squares.

Yes, life is good!

Leather closure from JUL designs.

Resin shawl pin from JUL designs.  It looks good with most of my scarves.

An ongoing project is to clean out the old stuff and organize.  Goodwill is reaping the benefits, as is Half Price Books.  As I look around my office/workroom it appears chaotic, but is in fact organized.  It is time to do some paper shredding!

While surfing on Ravelry an ad popped up from JUL designs.  As always, I am on the lookout for unusual and wonderful notions.  I was drawn to the closures made of leather, so I purchased one to see if I would like it.  Yes, I liked it!  There are various styles of closures and even leather buttons with the same metal studs that can be removed for washing.  Also featured on the site were shawl pins in wood and some in resin (there are resin buttons, too).  On the website click on Attach for the closures--buckles, conventional buttons, pedestal buttons, sew-on closures, and screw-on closures.

Projects and Yarn and Matisse

I have a couple of summer classes coming up at Anoka Fiber Works.   One is for the Felted Amulet Bag and the other is a polymer clay topped shawl stick (no photos yet).  I will post more information soon!

The Amulet Bag is wet felted over a smooth, palm-sized river rock.

Layers of colors are revealed when the rock is removed.

During Rastamania at the shop I was asked to design a one-skein scarfette, so the Snowflake was born.  I used one of my favorite stitch patterns--the star stitch and one skein of Malabrigo Rasta.  

Next is a new class addition, Fjord Rose Wrist Warmers.  The original pattern from Drops does not have the thumb.  I added the thumb to make them into mitts, which is practical for Minnesota weather.  This project is nicely done with five balls of Rowan Fine Tweed.  By changing colorways, I might be able to get a second pair out of the yarn!

Bright colors are cheery and chase away the chill.

I meet so many nice people through knitting.  Becky is one of them.  Sadly, she moved recently and it is nice to be able to stay in touch through social media.  Anyway, while she was downsizing her yarn stash she met me at the coffee shop with a bag full of TWEED!  Lovely yarn in beautiful colors.  What a treat and I will enjoy finding a project to do this yarn justice.

It was fun to arrange the colors on the table.

Recently we had a special visit to the shop.  Sally Melville had classes on Friday and Sunday the end of April.  Bobbi, the shop owner, is on the right.  It was such a treat to meet a knitter I admire and have followed for years.  Her classes were great!

This week I realized that the Matisse exhibit at the MIA was almost over.  I reserved my ticket and made a trip to the museum.  I got a parking spot right in front of the main door.  

The flowers in front were so pretty.

The exhibit was the Cone Collection from Baltimore.  While in Paris, sisters Claribel and Etta Cone visited the studios of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.  They acquired a large collection they displayed in their Baltimore apartments.  The group of Matisse numbers 500.

I think this was my favorite painting.  The pewter jug showed up in a few of his works.  I  particularly like the use of color and pattern in this piece.  

Detail of the Yellow Dress.  Matisse would work and rework some of his paintings.  They look deceptively easy and quickly executed. 

Delicate lines and strong brushstrokes.  The paint on the canvas was more like a wash.

This is a detail of a larger work.  

The last part of the exhibit was the paper collages.  Bold colors and designs.  One cannot help but smile when looking at Matisse!

All that beauty made me hungry.  A cup of hot chocolate and a ginger cookie was the perfect snack.

Felting fun

Here's a look at what we did on Wednesday at the Textile Center. My felt is now dry, and I need to decide what to do with it. Carol's turned out a bit larger and she's making a little purse. I'll probably line mine and make a small DPN holder.

The exquisite little springerle cookies were on the refreshment table. The sister of one of the teachers made them. I was so in love with the images that I found the molds online this morning and ordered some molds. Besides, I love to make cookies! Not only were they lovely, they were very good! When not in use, they can hang in my fiber/art themed office.
Tonight Jim's taking us to the Saints game. Ben's never been to one and it's always a fun evening. I'm on the bottom ribbing of the tweed cardigan and will have to get the sleeves going tonight at the game. I'll take a sock along also...
Good news on the spinning front! I was at the steak fry for Roundtable (BSA) and one of the leaders and I got in a conversation about knitting. Turns out his wife and daughter knit and his wife spins and weaves! This will hopefully lead to a connection. Also, Shepherd's Choice is having spinners meet tomorrow at the shop and I will be there with Louie Louet and some fiber! Baaaa!

First snow

Even though we've had a few flakes this month, this is (by my definition) our first snow. It's so pretty on the trees. Last night the road looked very slick. I'm glad I stayed in!

Well, the little snow ghosts wanted to be outside for a photo. I read their minds because they don't have mouths. Looking at the photo I believe they need another felting session.
I'm still plugging away on St. Brigid. I had to do another chart repeat on the back to get the proper length. With this in mind, I'm sure I'll have to add a bit to the sleeve length, too. My stitch gauge is spot on. It would be nice to see Ms. Starmore's actual sweater. Her gauge is very difficult to achieve. I found another knitter on Ravelry that did the same thing with the chart. I have the extra yarn, why not?
Yesterday I had a go-through-the-closet-and-dresser afternoon and have two big bags for Goodwill in addition to some items in the garage. It feels good to de-clutter...(As she looks around her work room at the fiber stash, photos, art supplies, and paper work.)...of course, everything in here is creatively contained.

Got needles?

We went to Parents' Weekend at Ben's college over the weekend. It was great fun to see Ben and meet some of his friends and their parents. The swim meet was awesome! On Saturday, the two top breaststrokers were out with sickness and a muscle pull sooo the two Freshmen stepped up to the plate for the 200 Breaststroke taking 1st and 2nd. Ben's first place was also a top 25 time! Yea!!! The team won the meet. On casino night, Ben won a case of M&M cookies and a case of Austin crackers and cookies. Jim won a case of microwave popcorn and a Sex and the City DVD. When he went up to claim his prize there were lots of hoots and hollers! It was a very fun weekend!
An hour into the trip, I noticed that I forgot my DPNs for the pumpkins and an extra ball of yarn for St. Brigid! Augh! I solved the DPN challenge with some pencils we got at a Wal-Mart, later I got some at a Michael's. I found a LYS in town, which is nice. I looked around, but resisted the temptation to buy anything. I finished the large pumpkin and two small ones. I felted all three last night, but have to felt them down a bit more today. I'm about 10 rows away from shaping the neckline of St. Brigid. I'll be glad to start the sleeves! It was cold (we ran into snow on the way home) and it would have been nice to wear my sweater! It's nice to be able to wear sweaters, now. I love this time of year.