Tweedy bits love

13.01.2021 

 I love rustic tweedy yarn.  This past year I have been enjoying using handspun and commercial  tweed yarns for my projects.  The bits of color add texture and interest when viewed up close,  and blend optically at a  distance.  

Small tapestry weaving in progress

 

It was a happy day when beWoolen yarn shop stocked Tahki Donegal Tweed.  The perfect project to highlight the lovely yarn was Doocot, by Kate Davies.  The pattern calls for DK weight yarn (11 WPI).  This yarn is Aran weight (8 WPI).  WPI means wraps per inch, a way to determine the thickness of yarn,  something I did not know about until I learned to spin.  It is also helpful to measure the WPI when a commercial yarn label is missing.  The Craft Yarn Council (a very helpful resource, by the way) has a chart showing the yarn weight system.  

Back to the sweater...to knit the appropriate size for myself, I went up with my needle size and yarn weight and down a pattern size and the numbers and measurements from the pattern were perfect with the correct amount of positive ease.  The only other adjustments I made were to the sleeve decreases, which I did every five rows to the cuff ribbing and to widen the neckband ribbing.  It worked out beautifully.

Tahki Donegal Tweed yarn for a sweater and a mini skein of handspun

Donegal Tweed, Fossil colorway

It helps to have a knitting buddy in the camper.  We were staying at Itasca State Park when the yurt was unveiled in Bemidji

There was enough leftover yarn for a pair of mittens

My second sweater with Donegal Tweed is Dacite.  I knit one for a yarn shop sample in 2014 and then taught a class.  I received an update to the pattern through Ravelry.  Carol Feller, the designer, updated the pattern with extended sizing.  It was a good opportunity to knit this sweater again and teach a class. The pattern is well-written and fun to knit, as there are lots of fun knitting techniques throughout.  In my excitement to take the sample to beWoolen, I did not snap a photo of the sweater when it was done blocking and the buttons added at the neck.   

Hot off the needles

The back has a natural dip (no short rows) because it and the sleeves are worked in stockinette stitch.

C19 Tapestry

21.05.2020  Businesses are opening, spring has sprung and we are still safe and well.  It has been nice to get out for walks and bringing Gus along for a stop at Dairy Queen for Blizzards and a Pup Cup.

On April 16, I began the Explore Tapestry weave-along through Schacht Spindle Company.   The WAL came at the best possible time because I had not used my new tapestry loom and the colorful mini skeins of handspun yarn were the perfect choice for the project.   The course ran for five weeks, from warping the loom to finishing the weaving.  Each week at least two or more techniques were featured by Jane Patrick with written instructions, photos and videos.  Having only made small tapestries on a hand-held loom, I was ready to learn how to use my loom.  When I saw the Arras loom, I thought perhaps I should have waited, but the it was released after I purchased the 25-inch Schacht tapestry loom.  Once I got the hang of warping and using a spacer at the bottom to keep the weaving from slipping, the loom was easy to use.  It is lightweight and moveable, a plus!

Thank you Jane and Schacht Spindle Company for the Explore Tapestry weave-along!

I was pleased with the results using the colorful mini-skeins.

The Ghiordes knots got a trim before moving on to the extra sections.

Weaving the circle was a slow process and had quite a learning curve.
 The sun in the section below came out oval rather than circular. 

Once I finished the circle the weaving was done!

Friday/sheepday

We had a last blast of winter weather this week, which has a way of throwing the best laid plans out of whack.  Wednesday, we cancelled classes at the shop.  Thursday, school districts around Minnesota had a snow day and the shop was closed.  The snowstorm included snow, sleet, peppered with lightning and thunder.   Friday, the weather was a little warmer and snowy.  Mary and I were able to adventure out as planned to help while the shearer was at her son and daughter-in-law's farm.  They have a small flock of Icelandic sheep.  Molly was the first to lamb, so we got to cuddle the twins.  They are sporting black and white spots, which will be beautiful fleeces as the lambs mature.  The shearer would shear a sheep and our job was to bag the fleece and then sweep the mat for the next sheep.  An autumn shearing is typically better than a spring shearing, so it will be fun to see the lambs in a few months.  The other ewes were about ready to pop.  B and A will be busy with lambing soon.

Last to be sheared, Marshmallow, was the largest in the flock.  

After the shearing was finished we had some last cuddles with the twin lambs before heading home.  

Speaking of fleeces, Mary has a cardigan (for her son) in progress with last year's fleeces from the flock.  After Mary washed the fleeces, Deb Peterson of Ewespun Fiber Mill at Old Man Wool Farm, processed them into clouds.  With her handspinning, Mary mimicked the characteristics of bulky Lopi yarn.  She attached some sample Lopi yarn to an index card and then proceeded to spin samples.  It took a bit of time and in the end she managed to spin light and lofty singles, which she plied together.  The result was just beautiful and she duplicated the same yardage and weight of a skein of Alafoss Lopi (100 g/3.5 oz approximately 100 m/109 yds.  The main color is a rich brown and the stranded colorwork is black and white.

Mary has progressed quite a bit since this photo was taken.  She is now ready to knit the sleeves.   Instead of a zipper, she will add front bands and buttons.

Jiminy Crickets, it's a vest!

I finished hand-sewing the hems and the band on the vest.  It certainly was fun to work with Kathryn, Mary, and Carol.  We used the same pattern as a guideline and each have a project that is unique to each of us.  I like the clean edges at the top and bottom, so at this time I may leave them clean with no knitted edging.  The owl shawl pin seems to work well and I like the vest closed rather than open.  I will take a better photo at some time, but was so excited when I finished last night.  We are planning our next group projects!  Right now an accessory looks good for the next project with a focus on the pattern of the weaving.

Hearing the howl

It is time for Grey Wolf NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) week two.  This year all four weeks have ten patrols.  The team building for staff begins in January at monthly staff developments through April, preparing camp during work weekend and then pre-course right before we head up the hill to course.  Working with the dedicated youth and adults is always a pleasure.  Here are a few photos from last year.  We were very fortunate to have good weather and fingers are crossed for this year!

Down the hill during pre-course mama turtle lays her eggs.  We mark the spot in the hopes the eggs will not be disturbed.  

After the opening campfire the staff and participants head to cracker barrel.

The syllabi

Gery is our mascot

On the fibery side of life the Jacob fleece is spinning up nicely and I finished a vest for the shop.  The Rowan Cotton Lustre is beautiful knitting yarn.  It has lovely drape, color and is so soft.

Grayscale

Sample spinning 

I call all of this eye surgery spinning

Suitopi is a simple classic by Sarah Hatton for Rowan

Grayscale

gray·scale/ˈɡrāskāl/

noun a range of gray shades from white to black, as used in a monochrome display or printout.

I finished carding the rest of the fleece and it turned out exactly as I planned.  It is so pretty and the colors remind me of a box of Conté crayons.

  

Sample spinning of each color

I altered the photo of the batts.  I am very happy with the gray scale range.

Each step of the process from fleece to yarn is fun.  

On Sunday the bubble in my eye disappeared.  It did its job to keep the retina in place, I have my vision back and other than a future adjustment in the prescription of my glasses. I have had a rough couple of days with some pain  that feels like sandpaper in my eye, but right now it is not as irritated and feels better.  I made an appointment yesterday to make sure everything was okay and the doctor said everything looked good even though it did not feel like it!  

On the mend and handspun

Tuesday, 26 May
Yesterday was a tough day.  I could not get comfortable and it felt like I had sandpaper in my eye.  Working with fiber I sometimes get something in my eye, but this was really annoying.  This morning when Jim put the drops and salve in I thought I would have another day like yesterday, but right now I'm sitting up (looking down--no tipping the head back unless I am getting the eye drops) and pretty comfortable.  I will be able to finish up a class tonight!  I can see the inside of the eye shield very clearly and a bit more definition beyond.  The vision is still watery, but I can see and that is a wonderful thing!

Thursday, 28 May

Yesterday was a better day and I was able to teach a class, which was enjoyable.  The students finished their projects and had more planned.  It is rewarding to see the pride they have in what they accomplished during our class time together.

Getting ready for class.  I ended up using an eye patch to keep anything from getting in my eye.  A little lipstick and a comb through the hair and I was good to go!

Since the surgery I have been able to knit a little and spin a lot.  I wear the eye shield to keep any flying fiber out and since I look downward it is a nice way to keep up with projects.  

I finished the Jacob/silk noil blend from Ewespun Fiber Mill.  Deb blended the two together the day of our field trip to her farm.  During the spinning of the pound of this fiber I really got a feel for the Ashford Country Spinner.  Reginald is nice.  I like the whoosh-whoosh sound of the large bobbin going around.  I took a couple of pieces of yarn off and kept one a single and one I let ply on itself.  I decided I liked the look of the single, as it reminded me of Lopi something between the Lett Lopi and the heavier Lopi yarn.  I used the swift to make a large skein and tied it off in six places, soaked it for a bit in Euclan Wool Wash and hung it in the basement under a little tension to dry.  The next step will be to measure yardage and knit up a swatch.

A nice big skein of continuous yarn after a soak.  What will it be after I measure the yardage?

The Baa-ble Hat--finished!

I finished the Baa-ble Hat last night and I am pleased with the end result.  Knitting with handspun yarn can be a challenge.  Originally the original green yarn I spun looked like a worsted weight.  I carded the blue-green Finnsheep with the yellow-green wool from Sue Ross and did not spin quite fine enough to obtain the gauge I wanted.  The other yarns in the stash were thinner and more even, so I quickly spun some more of the Finnsheep and was happier with the result.  There is a tiny hint of the bright green and I like the cool blue cast in the yarn.

I love how the Finnsheep blends into the other wool and changes the color.

Late last night I was so excited to be finished in time for Shepherd's Harvest.

A bit of steam worked nicely to smooth the crown

Add caption

Inside I tied the pompom to a button.  I use a strand of dental floss doubled to tie pompoms.  It is strong and stays tight around the core of the pompom.  

The sheep color changed three times.  I started out with white, changed to gray and then back to white.  Digging deeper into the stash I found a nice white that matched the thickness of the other yarns and used the fluffier tweed white for the snow and in the pompom. At first I thought the white would not stand out enough from the pale indigo used in the crown, but I liked it so much better than the gray and I did not have any darker blue in the stash.  The rustic texture adds to the charm of the design.  This morning I put the hat on the form and used the steam iron to give it a few blasts of steam and smoothed and patted the crown with my hands.  Rather than attaching the pompom permanently I tied in on the inside to a button, which will make washing the hat easier and keep the pompom looking good.  There was enough blue left to make a small pompom.

The final color choices.  I had just enough of the sheep white to use for the sheep section.  I think that some mittens or fingerless mitts may be in order for later.

Tomorrow is Shepherd's Harvest and I was happy to see my short bio on the website.  I have to get my stuff together today.  I kept the demo to top whorl drop spindling.  I have the Shetland roving from last year's trip to Jamieson & Smith to finish, BFL cloud and linen.  That should be enough variety to keep me busy.  Everything will fit nicely into a basket, so I will not have a lot to tote from the car.  Rain and warm temperatures are expected tomorrow, which does not affect the festival because fiber-folk love  all things woolly and soft along with meeting old and new friends.  Classes begin today.  I did not sign up for any this year, but next year I want to take the felted fleece taught by Becky Utecht if she offers it again.  I can take my time to find the perfect skirted fleece!

Newsflash! WIPs turn into FOs! Making my way through the projects.

More finished objects.  Slowly but surely I am working through all the projects on the needles and not starting anything new, which is difficult.  I also finished spinning the Icelandic/Shetland blend and whatever I knit will be called Rollo after Andrea's sweet puppy.

The yarn is made from Black Cat Farmstead's Icelandic/Shetland blend.  

I finished the Beaded Beret.  It stayed on the needles far too long, but I enjoyed finishing it.  The project is perfect for trying out adding beads to knitting.  It is a shop sample so I may have to dig into the stash after I finish other projects to make one for spring.

Beaded Beret--The stippled colorway, Twyla Brae, of the Richard Devries yarn is named after a remote village in Scotland.  The beads can remind me of raindrops.

The Kaffecushion is sewn together and is at the shop.  The colors are so pretty and it is a good project to show off both the color and yarn.  Rowan Pure Wool Worsted is very nice to work with and the colors are just beautiful.

The cushion is 24" x 24" and propped against the little cupboard my father made for my sister the year I was born.  It is a piece of furniture I treasure.

Next is Greta, the fingering weight cardigan.  I joined the sleeves and the body last night.  It is a good thing the cable on the circular needle is long to
accommodate the 457 stitches!  I will scout out some buttons next time I am at the shop.  Photos will be posted when the yoke has progressed.

Last week I got an email from Blue Sky to do some sample work--not knitted--and I am excited to work on it.

Saturday was spin-in at Anoka Fiber Works.  We had a pretty big crowd and had to move the circle bigger.  I may not be buying yarn, but when I saw the gorgeous clouds from Linda, I could not resist.  I have the light art yarn spun from the batt I made while visiting Joanne in Texas and the colors would look good with the blue and white cloud.

Dark Side of the Moon, a blend of Cormo wool and ink blue silk noil.  It is not  finished yet, but I made good progress.

A soft, fluffy cloud of BFL.

Winter's icy grip

We are experiencing winter's last icy grip for the next couple of days.  Rain and sleet for today and possibly snow tomorrow.  The slop rugs and boots will be in the foyer a bit longer!  Maybe if I change the flag on the porch from the snowman to the butterfly I can think it is April when I am at the kitchen sink.

I have been busy with samples.  The Vertical Lace Scarf is finished and at the shop.  The Silken Straw top is progressing even though I must stop and check for wayward threads on the reverse side--very annoying and time-consuming.  The color is lovely and the yarn softens as I knit.  I hope that when I block the finished project the stitches will even out and the yarn will bloom a bit, which seems to be the consensus on Ravelry.

Mindful knitting.  The more I knit, the fewer the stray strands.  Whew!

The Upcycled Elegance scarf from http://www.pagewoodfarm.com/upcycled-elegance.htm is ready to be needle-felted.  I cut the sweater pieces smaller and left the woven silk pieces as I first cut them.  The silk scarf is delicate and I do not want to weigh down the fabric.

First layer--silk scarf

Second layer--wool sweater fabric

Third layer--woven silk fabric

Final layers--silk ribbons, yarn, and sparkle

Planning stage

My poor UFOs are beginning to whine about being neglected, but Louie is quite happy.  He has been given my full attention lately.  I spun up the two packages of Three Feet of Sheep and plied them together.  That is one big honkin' hank of yarn.  I was winding it onto the swift and had just a few inches to go when the swift collapsed and the yarn went into a tangled heap.  It took me a couple of evenings to clean up the yarn barf and I hand wound the yarn again using the backs of three dining room chairs.  To keep the behemoth from tangling again, I tied it off in five places.  The colors are gorgeous and now I need a neutral background color for what I have in mind...humm...what to do...what to do.

Big honkin' hank of handspun!

The Groupon/Deal Chicken classes are going well.  I had a student come back to the second session with a scarf!  I really enjoy teaching other how to knit.  Some will stick to it, some will not but everyone has been great and I enjoy teaching the classes and the students.

Jim is excited for cycling season.  Ben and Jim went on their first ride of the season on Sunday to prepare for the Ironman ride later this month.  With the weather the way it has been they are not going to register early!  I was the sag driver the first year Jim rode and it was freezing cold and raining.  No fun for the riders!

Jim finished up as Round Table Commissioner.  I will continue to make goodies and have ideas on how to change things up for next season.  Jamboree is less than 100 days away.  Jim is busy as Scoutmaster.  I have to mail my health form in and order my nameplate.  We had our first development weekend for the Fall Wood Badge Course.  The church kitchen was wonderful.  It will be a bit more of a challenge on course at Stearns.  My friend, Kristi, gave me a notebook with her notes from last year.  Kristi and I will be teaching Cooking With Cub Scouts at University of Scouting.  I have my fingers and toes crossed for good weather, as we will be outside.  Cold is tolerable--rain is a pain.

10.04.2013  I got my newsletter from Rowan and clicked on the link for Sarah Hatton.  She has photos of her US tour and Amazing Threads.  The first sample I knit for the shop is the checkered shrug on the Rowan wall.  I loved the Classic Cardigan she wore the day of class and it is available on the site.  Now on the quest to find the Liberty of London binding!

"Cock your hat--angles are attitudes." ~Frank Sinatra

I finally found the perfect project for my handspun recycled jeans, Urchin, by Ysolda Teague.  I love the look and the fit.  I would love to find more of this roving, but alas, I bought it during the Texas years and I did not see anything comparable online.  What a great hat for the warmer weather!

I layered a couple of buttons on the top.