Cancelled, but still occupied

04.04.2020  Today is a lovely day.  The sun is shining, currently it is 22-degrees F and the high for today will be 48-degrees.  We are healthy and keeping busy.

Today would have been the first day of the two-day North Artists Studio Crawl, 2020.  This week the powers-that-be cancelled Shepherd's Harvest Festival.  The cancellations are a good idea given the continuing rise of cases locally.  Jim and I get outside for fresh air and venture into a store for groceries and other necessities if we are lucky enough to find what we need.  I have some  cotton masks ready to sew this morning.  The last time I went to Target the social/physical distancing seemed to be better amongst the customers and there were signs notifying patrons that the carts are regularly disinfected in addition to the wipes available as you walk into the store.  The state department of health has a website with news releases, updates and information, which I find more helpful than the national network news programs.

02.05.2020  Best laid plans, I certainly waited long enough to post.  There is quite a difference in the temperature, although it is another nice day--sunny and 72-degrees F.  Jim, Gus and I have been well.  I sewed masks for the local hospital and then last week sewed more for the neighborhood fire department to distribute to assisted living facilities and nursing homes.  Around the cities there were hundreds, if not thousands, delivered to those in need.

Zoom has been a way to connect with my fiber friends and my artist friends.  I host a knitting group on Thursdays and the Rum River Handweavers Guild once a month.  Otherwise, life goes on, we stay busy and enjoy life.  Below are scenes from the past month.  Stay well!

Early into the shut down, Mary and I helped during the spring shearing and were able to cuddle lambs.
This one was a day old.  It was freezing cold in the barn, but the little lambs were nice and warm.

This little girl is Olive.  Her mama, Molly is on the left with Olive's sibling.  She loved to be held and would sneak out of the penned area to follow us around the barn while we waited for the shearer.  She caught sight of me and was running up to get a cuddle.  It was a lovely afternoon!

I managed to finish spinning and plying 4-oz of Romeldale/silk from Ewespun Fiber Mill.

I was preparing for a Lopi sweater class at BeWoolen when everything shut down, and I plan to reschedule the class.  It was cold enough for a few days and I was able to wear my new sweater, which was so nice and warm.  After stash-diving, I came up with some more primary colors and made Katie's Kep, the Shetland Wool Week 2020 hat.  Gus enjoyed stealing the blue ball of yarn multiple times.  I was not amused.

The star on top of the hat is so pretty.  I lightly fulled the hat to improve the fabric and the fit.

Schacht Spindle Company is having an explore tapestry weave along.  It came at the perfect time--I warped the new loom!  There were a few challenges during the warping and initial weaving, but I learned and adapted during that learning curve.

Week 1 was worked to the red and green section (adding the spacer at the bottom before the twining kept the weaving from slipping), week 2 is the color blending/gradient, and week 3 are the rectangles and the shaping.  I used string markers, which made the triangle much easier to shape correctly.

Week 3 completed!  Tapestry slits, interlocking and shaping.  

Hold on, 2018 is here!

Change is constant, particularly when it involves the best-laid plans.  After Thanksgiving, my end-of-the-year plans were set, I was taking time off from Scouts and then plans B, etc came into play.  The virus I caught in November hung on until before Christmas.  Thankfully, Jim and Ben were spared.  We had a lovely, quiet holiday and stayed nice and warm during the long cold snap, which is still hanging on. When Jim came home from the Grey Wolf Senior Staff development, I was asked to be Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop Guides for Jim's week.  Along with a couple more regulars, we're
getting the band back together, so to speak.  At Grey Wolf we talk about living with one foot raised and that's just what I'm doing.  It's shaping up to be a busy year through June!

A new hat for the new year.  I used stash yarn (doubled), which is even better!  

January started out with our Commitment Day 5K run.  It was a beautiful, clear day (although it was -13 degrees).  Toe and hand warmers really helped keep those extremities warm.  Ben came up later and we had our usual New Year's meal.

It was -13 and a bit slippery in spots, but we stayed nice and warm.  We are wearing our Crew 52 mittens.  

Today (January 3) I have the Christmas decorations put away, laundry caught up, and some handwoven wool fabric to steam and brush.  Classes at Anoka Fiber Works are on the schedule, WIPs are lined up to finish, and new projects are in bags ready to be knitted.  There is plenty of work to keep the hands busy.

Fond memories with each ornament.

Last night was the Minnesota Wild game and Jim had put my name in for a Zamboni ride and it was drawn for the pregame ride.  We got there earlier so we could have supper at New Bohemia and settled in our seats before heading downstairs by the ice.

Buckled in and ready to go!  

Friday FOs and a WIP off the loom

This year is starting off well for the WIP wipeout!  I finished a hat that I started in class.  It will be a shop sample so I do not have to leave my beret there.  I like the beanie version of Dreaming of Provence by Tori.  The Unicorn Tails are beautiful, but I prefer woolly wool for color work.  Super wash wool tends to behave like cotton and so I took a chance and put the damp hat in the dryer with a towel and checked it often.  Perfect!  The yarn bloomed and filled in the spaces.  I caution anyone not to do this with every super wash wool.  I know how this particular yarn behaves, so it was not a problem.

Lavender, sunflowers, poppies and almond flowers adorn the hat.

I topped it off with a sunflower.

The beginning of the weave-along journey, picking out warp and weft yarns.

The first armhole slit.

The string is used for measuring.  The knot marks 17-inches for the front past the second armhole slit .

Kathryn, Mary and I meet once a week at Anoka Fiber Works to weave and for support.

Kathryn's project is off the loom and she is doing a quick size check.

My project fresh off the loom.  The orange and turquoise yarn is waste yarn to be removed later.

I was pleased that I managed to make armhole slits, although I began the second one on the wrong side.  Kathryn noticed and I fixed it.  That is why working as a group is good.  We take care of each other through the process!

This morning I used the sewing machine to zigzag the edge above the waste yarn.  I will let it heal before I cut anything...because I am chicken...

Meanwhile...

Last weekend we had a fun time at an event by Ft. Snelling sponsored by REI.  It was a glorious day, very cold and we saw this beautiful sun dog over the lake.  

The wall o' wool

I finished carding the four pounds of Jacob wool Jim got me from The Kerry Woolen Mill in Ireland.  Mikey, Jim's colleague from Ireland,  brought it over when he came over on a business trip.  I have two more pounds of wool from him!  The wool came as roving of sorts, but I wanted to loosen the fibers and make it manageable to spin so I sent it through my Wild Carder to make small batts.  Test spinning, plying and knitting swatches from each color will reveal how the wool looks as fabric and the goal is to use some of it for slippers and filled mittens.  

A nice surprise prize from Spinzilla was a $25.00 gift certificate from Akerworks, based out of Tennessee.  I used it for a portable Trillium spindle in neon green.  The spindles can be found under Hand Crafts on their website.

The black piece attached to the tag fits over the hook and protects it from bending.
The shaft is carbon fiber, which is very lightweight.

Between spinning and teaching there has been some knitting of WIPs and UFOs.  I resurrected the Round Dance hat on Halloween night.  The skeletons remind me of the first Disney Silly Symphony, The Skeleton Dance from 1929.

The Lopi cardigan is getting a band makeover.  I was never really happy with the bands and will re-do the bottom, fronts and neckband/collar as I did on the Shwook hat band.  

Next is the first project from the Seven Skeins Club.  I passed on the slippers in favor of Cohal, a slip-stitch cowl.  It was an easy knit, instant gratification!

Cochal (Scottish Gaelic word for hood)

We have enjoyed a beautiful and unseasonably warm Autumn.  The small burning bush in front is pretty.

...and finally, Jim was at the Minnesota Wild (hockey) game last week and got a selfie stick.  I like the photo.

Spinnin' cotton

My dear friend, Joanne, gifted me some of her precious denim cotton roving, white cotton and cotton denim together.  My :^( Urchin hat that I lost while in Shetland needs to be replaced. I really loved it because it was handspun, cotton, I could wear it almost any time of year and it went with everything.  I remember well spinning that cotton, too.  It was my first and a real bugger, but so pretty--it was all denim and the most wonderful blue!  Cotton staple is short and it takes a bit of practice to get it going in a nice single.  While living in Texas I spun cotton and cotton blends often, but moving to Minnesota changed that.  Recycled cotton denim roving is impossible to find because the denim of today contains spandex.  I have found a bit used as an add-in and I bought some when I was last in Texas.  It will be used in something special.  The yarn in the photo is from that wonderful shop (now gone) called Woolenworks.  I have been using bits and bobs of those early skeins of handspun for all sorts of projects lately--the woven table runner, which I gave to Ben yesterday.  

Anyway, the first skein is finished and I have a bit more to spin on Hortense.  She is the perfect little wheel for spinning cotton.  

A happy photo when I finished the hat.

A well-traveled chapeau.  "Cock your hat--angles are attitudes," as Frank Sinatra said.

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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

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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!

Spinning yarns to make a hat

It is a damp day and perfect for sitting by the window, carding and spindling.  Now, as much as I would LOVE to be back in Shetland this year for Wool Week, it just is not possible.  The next best thing is making this year's Wool Week hat out of my handspun.  Donna Smith's design is so cute, and is the perfect wearable for those of us that love sheep.  I loved knitting the shop sample out of Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, and the minute I finished it seemed appropriate that the next version be made out of handspun yarn.  This morning I dug through the stash and spinning fiber to find the colors.  There was some lovely spindle spun yarn in pale blue from Anoka Fiber Works.  The color is from the remains of an indigo dyeing session.  Sky--check.  The jury is still out on the color of the sheep.  They will be brown or white depending upon how much of each color is on hand and if the thickness is compatible with the other yarns.  Sheep--check.  The grass color must be green and it just so happens that there was some beautiful spring green wool in a small bag from our field trip to Sue Ross' farm a couple of years ago.  The yellow green is going well, but I went back to the wool stash and found the bag of dyed blue-green Finnsheep wool I received as part of a prize package from Interweave Press in 1999.  I re-carded the yellow-green and added the blue-green together and I like the color much better.  The grass will look much better with the sky color, a bit more washed out.  Grass--check.

The yellow-green wool has nice crimp and color.

The blue-green Finnsheep wool blends beautifully to tone down the yellow of the other wool.  

 This coming weekend is Shepherd's Harvest Festival at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Lake Elmo.  It has grown since I first visited with Kathy some years ago.  This year I volunteered to demonstrate top whorl spindle spinning.  This seemed like a good choice, as the materials are very portable!  I have plenty of fiber to spin and may card together an art batt or two to take along.  It would be particularly nice to finish the handspun Baa-ble Hat in time for the festival.

The project on my needles at the moment is Uluru, a little capelet to wear over something sleeveless.  I was using the Juniper Moon Sophie for another project and was not feeling the love of lace knitting, so I promptly looked for another project.  This fit the bill perfectly for the linen and cotton blend yarn.  If I need some extra to fill in, there are a couple of skeins of Ito cotton.  The stitching is simple stockinette with a row of wrapped stitches in which one wrap is dropped when purled.  The loose row of stitches adds interest with a change in texture.  To work a wrapped stitch:  On a knit row, wrap the yarn twice around the needle when knitting each stitch.  On the purl row, purl the stitch as usual while allowing one of the two wraps to drop, which results in an elongated stitch.

The wrapped stitches on the left needle become elongated when one of the two wrapped stitches is dropped on the purl row.

The elongated row of stitches adds interest and a change of texture to the knitted fabric.  

Welcome to the flock Reginald

Reginald is the newest member of the spinning wheel family.  I was at spin-in on Saturday and noticed him in Mary's space at Anoka Fiber Works.  He was a little dusty and needed his screws tightened, and I thought he was amazing!  On Tuesday, armed with tools and a dust cloth I set to work on him.  Mary had some oil and in no time he was in his element.  I brought the pound of Jacob/silk noil roving with me added a long leader to the bobbin and now have a nice single in the works.  Reginald is an Ashford Country Spinner.  Knitsinclass (Kate) is his former owner.  Joanne was helpful today in helping me track down the instructions.  Naturally we started looking at the internet together, which led us from the Ashford website to Ravelry, and then we looked at patterns, and so on and so forth.

The Ashford Country Spinner Double Treadle was made between 1999-2012 according to the website.  I did not notice a date stamp on Reginald, but I did find a date stamp on Louie (8088) making his birthday in 1988.

Reginald in all his glory.  The fiber is Jacob/silk noil Deb Peterson carded at Ewespun Woolen Mill the day of our field trip to her farm recently.

Now I know Louie's age!  On the bobbin is more of the Dark Side of the Moon.  I will have a sweater's worth when I am finished.  

I finished Dreaming of Provence by Tori.  It is a lovely pattern and the Madeline Tosh Unicorn Tails were the perfect choice of yarn for this project.  It is the perfect hat to wear on a cool spring day.

From bottom to top: poppies, lavender, sunflowers and almond flowers.

I recently had a class at Anoka Fiber Works using the Harrisville rug hooking kits.  Everything was included, but I encouraged the students to bring bits and bobs of their handspun yarn to use in addition to the yarn in the kit.  Deb Peterson carries the kits in her Anoka Fiber Works space.

Mine is on the left and Dawn's on the right.  Adding our own bits and bobs of handspun yarn made each picture unique.

Last but surely not least is Monkey Jacobus.  I finished him during the latest monkey class.  It is a challenging project to knit, but the result is so darned cute and always brings makes me smile.  He got into the leftover blue yarn and is making himself some pants.  Annita Wildshut's toy patterns are delightfully charming.  One of my students started the Vera Bear and it is adorable.  She said that after knitting the monkey the bear  is very easy.  

Monkey pants in the making!