Knitting 8 | Through The Yarny Curtain

May 2015 in Review

Since I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks, I thought I’d write a quick post re: finished projects and activities.

Finished Projects

Slytherin Houndstooth Scarf

Draft: Houndstooth
Loom: 15″ Cricket Table Top Loom
Reed: 10 dent
Warp Stats
- Yarn: 150 yards (including loom waste) of Knit Picks Capretta in Platinum and 150 yards (including loom waste) of Cascade Heritage Silk in Pine
- Loom waste: 31 yards
- Total Warp Ends: 110
- Ends Per Inch (EPI): 10
- Warp Length: 100″
Weft Stats
- Yarn: 153.6 yards Knit Picks Capretta in Platinum and 142.8 yards Cascade Heritage Silk in Pine
- Picks Per Inch (PPI): 10 – 12
- Width in the Reed: 11″
Ravelry Project Page

I didn’t write a post about finishing this scarf, though it’s appeared in several WIP Wednesday posts (January 22, February 4, March 25). I had to finish it so that I could weave the Dr. Who scarf on my rigid heddle loom! Since this is the fourth Houndstooth Scarf I finished (see the posts on Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw Houndstooth scarves), I felt like I didn’t necessarily learn anything new on this project. I did apply the lessons learned on the prior Houndstooth scarves, so the Slytherin is the most consistent of the four.

Cotton Candy Corriedale

Wheel: Kromski Fantasia
Spinning Twist: S (clockwise)
Plying Twist: Z (counter-clockwise)
Ratio: 8:1
Singles Yardage: 978 yards
Fiber: Sassy Bee Corriedale in Cotton Candy
Finished skein:
- Ply Structure: 420 yards 2-ply; 46 yards n-ply
- Weight: 4 oz
Ravelry Stash page

This is another project that I’ve been working on for a while and which has appeared in a couple of WIP Wednesday posts (February 4, February 18). As of February 18, I’d finished plying and had wound most of the yarn onto a niddy noddy. It then sat around, still on the niddy noddy, awaiting washing.

Dr. Who Scarf

I did write a blog post about this one!

Felted Cat Bed

Pattern: garter stitch
Yarn: 440 yards Patons SWS in Geranium
Needles: US 13 / 9.0 mm
Pre-felting dimensions: 23″ wide by 40″ long
Post-felting dimensions: 11.5″ wide by 19″ long
Made for: Pepper
Ravelry Project Page

I whipped out a new cat bed to line the bookshelf where Pepper likes to sleep. Although she wasn’t very co-operative re: posing for the picture, she loves the bed. It’s now her favorite sleeping spot.

Semi-finished Projects

These projects are “semi-finished” because I’m making multiple dishcloths from the same patterns, as part of my ongoing Dishcloth Advent Calendar (details in my 2015 Plans post) project. I’ve finished at least one individual item, but am still working on making more. I need to make 18 dishcloths in each pattern, and will write blog posts with all the project details when I finish all 18.

Heart Illusion Dishcloths

I finished 9 of these in May.

Bias Knit, Crochet Cotton Dishcloth

I only finished one of these. Even with two strands held together, it took about 3 hours to knit one of these, and I didn’t even make it as big as the pattern suggests. It’ll take me a while to make all 18 of these, but I do like them.

Activities

I participated in three demos with the Weavers of Orlando. I’ve written blog posts about two of those: St. Johns River Festival of the Arts and Arts at Audubon Elementary. The third demo was just this past Friday, and I’m working on writing a post about it!

I also traveled to New England to attend my cousin’s college graduation. While there, I visited 12 yarn shops, including WEBS! I bought yarn in all the shops, and will be writing multiple blog posts about the experience. I needed to take pix of all the new stash for the posts and to update my Rav stash. I’ve been working on it and I’m just about finished. I will be posting about these shops throughout the month of June; I plan to get all the posts up no later than June 25 since several of the shops I visited are part of the 2015 I-91 Shop Hop which starts that day.

KCBW6, Day 7: Your Time, Your Place

Today’s prompt is to write about my crafting time and space. I realized that every time I attend a special fiber-related event, I write an entire post on this blog. Sometimes I mention going to my regular spinning or knitting group, but I’ve never written posts about the various groups I attend or my day-to-day crafting experience!

Crafting at Home

When I craft at home, it is almost always in my living room, while watching tv. If I’m knitting or crocheting, I sit on the couch, and there’s almost always a cat in my lap.

If I am spinning or weaving, I can’t sit on the couch because it is too low and I can’t sit all the way back. Instead, I grab a “kitchen” chair and sit in that while I spin or weave. “Kitchen” is in quotes because these chairs are part of a table & chairs set that I bought for maybe $60 many years ago (at least 20), but they are no longer used in the kitchen. The table is an extension of my desk and the chairs are totally beat up because of the cats. The chairs float around the house, pressed into service as cat beds, cat stair steps (so poor arthritic Pepper can get to her favorite sleep spots), step stools for me, etc.

Travel Knitting

Since I’ve traveled so much the last few years, travel knitting is a regular part of my crafting time. If I’m on a plane, I am almost always knitting. If I’m a passenger in a car, and we are traveling a distance, I’m knitting.

I took this picture on my recent flight to Hartford, CT. I often put my ball of yarn in the cup holder on the tray to keep it from getting away from me.

Crafting Groups

I regularly attend 3 groups that meet monthly as well as one weekly group. I’m thinking of adding a fourth monthly group; they used to meet on Wednesdays, conflicting with my regular weekly group, but they moved their meetings to the second Saturday of the month. I haven’t been home on the second Saturday since they changed the meeting. I’m planning to attend that group in June and see if I can make it a regular part of my schedule.

Wednesday Knit Nights

The weekly group meets from whenever people arrive until 8 pm at my local yarn store (LYS), Knit!, located 3 miles from my house. I’ve lived close to Knit! for 12 years, and ever since I picked up my knitting in 2006 after a hiatus of several years, it’s been my LYS. Marney’s had knitting nights before, usually during the fall and winter, but I’ve never attended because of my schedule. Last fall, she started up knit nights again and I plan to go every week, though of course I don’t always make it. Most Wednesdays, there’s at least 6 or 8 people there. On busy evenings, there’s been as many as 20 and no room to walk in the shop. On the occasional slow night, there’s 3 people there. I am excited that Marney decided to continue the knit nights through the summer this year!

l to r: Susan, me, Dawn, and Lisa. We're all regulars on Wednesday night. — l to r: Susan, me, Dawn, and Lisa. We’re all regulars on Wednesday night.

Drunken Monkey Spinners

Drunken Monkey is a coffee shop in Orlando. The spinning group meets on the first Saturday of the month from 8 am to 11ish am. Most months, we have at least 8 people in attendance. The most we’ve had is about 12, counting the 5-year old son of the group’s finder and the non-fiber-crafting husband of one member. I joined this group in June last year, a few weeks after I got my spinning wheel. I always bring my wheel because I can’t spindle spin! Other members bring wheels or spindles or knitting or crocheting and we spend a lovely morning chatting over fiber. Other coffee-house guests often stop and ask what we are doing, and we explain to them a little about how spinning works. If you are ever in Orlando on the first Saturday of the month, you are welcome to join us!

Weavers of Orlando

The Weavers of Orlando guild meets on the 3rd Saturday of the month in Winter Park, Florida from 10 am until noonish. Sometimes there’s also presentations in the early afternoon. The Weavers of Orlando has about 100 members and most meetings have 40 to 50 people in attendance. Visitors are always welcome at these meetings, if you find yourself in the Orlando area on the 3rd Saturday of the month.

We have a number of members who live in Florida for the winter and elsewhere for the summer. This is the lowest attendance I've seen since I started attending the Guild last fall, probably because some of the snow birds have flown off to their winter homes. — We have a number of members who live in Florida for the winter and elsewhere for the summer. This is the lowest attendance I’ve seen since I started attending the Guild last fall, probably because some of the snow birds have flown off to their winter homes.

Wekiva Knitters

The area I live in is called Wekiva, after the nearby river. One of the librarians at the local branch organizes Wekiva Knitters; the group meets at that branch on the 3rd Saturday of the month, 1 pm to 3 pm. Since the library is a polling station, including for early voting, during elections the group is cancelled or rescheduled. The attendance varies dramatically from one month to the next. Sometimes there’s only one or two people there. The largest group I’ve ever personally seen is about 10. My own attendance at this group is erratic. I first went in August of 2012, then didn’t make it there again until June 2013 due to travel and other obligations. I really enjoy this group, though, and try to get there as often as I can. It’s only a mile from my house (shorter, as the crow flies), so if I’m home there’s no excuse for missing it!

KCBW6, Day 4: Bags of Fun

Today’s prompt is to share the contents of our knitting bag, crafting caddy, or other tool organization system with you. I don’t usually use a knitting bag and I don’t have a bag dedicated to that purpose. I keep each WIP in its own gallon-sized Ziploc bag which contains the yarn, needles, pattern, embellishments (like beads) or unusual tools needed for the project. When I will be crafting out of the house, I might just grab one of the WIP Ziplocs and toss it in my purse. If I will be working on multiple projects or the project is large, I’ll put everything into an appropriately sized bag to make it easier to carry. While I have a pretty impressive stash of yarn and fiber, I don’t have an extensive tool collection. I like my tools streamlined and multifunctional. It’s fun to dig through my stash, looking for just the right fiber. Once I find it, I want to get to work with as little fuss as possible!

I’m writing this post a few days after the St. Johns River Festival of the Arts (see my blog post about that), when I spent two entire days in the Weavers of Orlando booth, doing demos. On Saturday, I mostly spun and on Sunday I mostly wove. I also brought a knitting project with me. This is the most stuff I ever carry at a time, so I figured I would take pictures of everything in the bag. It’ll give you a good sense of the scope of my tools.

My Knit Kit

I love my Knit Kit. It’s the one thing I carry with me wherever I’m crafting. It fits in my purse and it’s got all the everyday tools I might need in a pinch. I had a Knit Kit, but left it at my sister’s when I was helping her move, so I just bought a new one at Distaff Day in January.

It’s got a row counter, double-ended crochet hook, tape measure, and blade built into it. The cover on the bag is a needle / hook sizer. The interior compartment holds a pair of folding scissors, stitch markers, and tip protectors. I never use tip protectors and don’t like the rubber stitch markers, so I removed them and stocked the back with my own preferred tools:

Two tapestry needles, a sewing needling, a key for KnitPicks interchangeable needles, lobster claw clasps, gourd safety pins, and jump rings with interior dimensions of 3mm, 5 mm, 8 mm, and 10 mm.

I use the jump rings as stitch markers. I use the lobster claw clasps and the gourd safety pins (available on Amazon (affiliate link)) as row markers.

Spinning Supplies

Of course, I had the Cormo that I’m currently spinning.

I had extra bobbins, just in case I filled the one on the wheel.

I had the two metal posts for my built-in lazy Kate, the ball of yarn I’m using for leaders, and spinning wheel oil. I take the metal posts of the lazy Kate out of the wheel when I’m transporting it so that they don’t damage my car.

Weaving Supplies

I had a pile of warping sticks. I brought some with me to place around the knots as I wound the beginning part of the weaving on the cloth beam. The rest of these came out of the weaving. They’re dirty because they fell out of the weaving on to the pavement or floor as I wove and because the llama yarn that is my current warp is pretty hairy and shedding a lot. Fortunately, they are easy to clean since they are vinyl.

Bobbins with the yarns for the current project and empty ones that I already used.

The balls of yarns for the current project, for when I need to wind more yarn on the bobbins.

The card telling me how many inches of each color to weave, and a pen to cross off when I’ve finished that section. (If you want to weave a Dr. Who scarf, don’t bother trying to copy this down from here. Next week, I’ll have a blog post with a link to the Google spreadsheet that has all the information you need).

Miscellaneous Bag Contents

The Super Secret Shawl in its project bag, in case I wanted to knit rather than spin or weave. I ended up not knitting at all during the weekend.

A finished Summit shawl, knit by a friend. She asked me to block it for her and gave it to me while we were at the Festival.

The apron I was wearing while doing demos on Sunday.

Not in the Bag

I have a few tools that I really like, but didn’t need to carry over this weekend.

My fiber scale. I have a kitchen scale that I use only for cooking, and this scale which I use only for fiber-related purposes. I weigh dye on it. I weigh leftover skeins of yarn to calculate the yardage in a finished object. I weigh loom waste to calculate how much yardage I lost in the waste. I weigh bags of fiber to see how much I have left to spin. I love this scale. It weighs in either grams (down to 0.1 gram) or ounces. It has a tare function so I can put a bowl on top, reset the weight to zero and put larger items in the bowl for easier weighing. It weighs up to 2000 g (about 5 pounds), which is sufficient for my fibery purposes.

My mini scissors. When I travel, I take the foldable scissors out of the Knit Kit and put them in my checked luggage. Technically, I should be able to take them in carry on because they are less than 4″ long, but I hate to take the chance. If I don’t have checked luggage, I leave the foldable scissors at home and toss these mini ones into my carry on. Unfortunately, they are a little too fat to fit in the Knit Kit scissors section, but I love them anyway.

My needle notebook. My entire collection of knitting needles and crochet hooks lives in one zip up binder notebook. The entire collection. If I wanted to, I could carry all my needles with me all the time. I rarely take the notebook with me, though. I just don’t need to have all my needles with me. I probably will bring the binder with me to the TKGA Conference in July, and think it’s awesome that it is so easy for me to do so. I purchased this binder from KnitPicks, back when I first bought my interchangeable needle set in 2005 or 2006. A few of the interior zipper pockets came with the binder, and I bought more pages separately. Unfortunately, KnitPicks discontinued the binder several years ago. I think it’s the best item they’ve ever sold for needle storage and don’t know why they discontinued it!

At some point, one or the other of my cats sharpened their claws on the front :-( — At some point, one or the other of my cats sharpened their claws on the front 🙁

Each pouch zips shut. This one, in the very front, has the extra keys and cord end caps.

Each size cord has its own pouch. I made the labels; the pouches did not come labeled.

US size 3 and smaller aren't available as interchangeables and are the only needles I have as fixed circulars. — US size 3 and smaller aren’t available as interchangeables and are the only needles I have as fixed circulars.

There's usually two sizes of needle tips per section. In the mid-range of sizes (US 4-9), I have at least two tips in each size. I only use larger sizes infrequently, so only have one pair of tips per size from US size 10 through US size 17. — There’s usually two sizes of needle tips per section. In the mid-range of sizes (US 4-9), I have at least two pairs of tips in each size. I use larger sizes infrequently, so only have one pair of tips per size from US size 10 through US size 17.

I keep a KnitPicks needle sizer in the front pocket of the binder. KnitPicks has two different size needles (2.25 mm and 2.5 mm) marked as US 1s and two sizes (2.75 mm and 3.0 mm) marked as US 2s. I have needles in all 4 sizes, and only KnitPicks branded sizers have slots to differentiate between them.

The binder lives on a bookshelf in my office, tucked in with the fiber library.

KCBW6, Day 3: Experimental Photography

The prompt for today is to take creative pictures. On this blog, I usually use straightforward pictures. However, I often take creative pictures of the pieces for fun or to include in homework submissions for the Harry Potter Knitting / Crochet House Cup. Professors often give bonus points for creative pictures! I decided to pull out some of my favorite pictures and share them with you today.

In 2010, I knit a crown in Ravenclaw colors. Since Tiger believes himself to be king of the house, I thought him an appropriate model. I love the look of disdain on his face.

This skein of yarn was a present from my friend, Stacy. She collaborated with Christa of Nerd Girl Yarns to plan a custom colorway, based on the colors of the frog in my Ravatar at that time, and named after my imaginary magical beastie (this is a thing in Ravenclaw Tower). Here, I've posed my Frogman statue with the yarn. — My friend Stacy gave me this skein of yarn. She collaborated with Christa of Nerd Girl Yarns to plan a custom colorway, based on the colors of the frog in my Ravatar at that time, and named after my imaginary magical beastie (this is a thing in Ravenclaw Tower). Here, I’ve posed my Frogman statue with the yarn.

While its not a fibery picture, I love this photo of Pepper stalking the Christmas village. — While it’s not a fibery picture, I love this photo of Pepper stalking the Christmas village.

On my recent trip to India, I took this photo of goats lounging on the steps of a temple.

The Weasel of Wrath

In the fall of 2013, the Weasel of Wrath became a thing in Ravenclaw Tower. Every project I turned in that term included a picture of him and told a piece of a continuing story. The Headmistress Challenge that term was to write your own lyrics for a wrock song, with bonus points for recording it. I wrote lyrics, another member of Ravenclaw Tower recorded the vocals and instruments for me, and I put together a music video. The photos below are my favorites from that term.

Searching in the jungle (aka our hydroponic system) for the Raspberry Monster.

The wrock video included two different sets. The lyrics are about basilisks, so I went to the home of a friend who has snakes and shot stills and video there.

The other set was the Weasel's burrow. This behind the scenes shot shows the burrow set up on my dining room table. — The other set was the Weasel’s burrow. This behind the scenes shot shows the burrow set up on my dining room table.

The Weasel of Wrath, with his friends Foxy and Jewel.

KCBW6, Day 1: If You Were Yarn

Today’s prompt is to write about what yarn you would be if you were yarn. I was mentally writing a detailed blog post about this, with the premise that I am yarn in all its glorious diversity , when I received the following e-mail, forwarded from the Weavers of Orlando Guild to all members (names edited out for privacy):

Hi, I am R, S’s husband.

Before she died, S told me to get in contact with WoO and offer up her
substantial yarn stash to the WoO members. Since this is mostly knitting
yarn I contacted one of S’s friend and knitter ( Also a WoO member).

There is a lot of high quality yarn, plus many knitting projects in various
stages of completion. Each in its own container with pattern and check
off sheet showing the progress of the project. Also many knitting books. I
have everything organized and available to be looked at transported.

I would like to get this valuable material the right person(s), and am
asking for advice and help from you. S, although not a weaver, did so
enjoy your organization, and wanted to share her yarn with the group.

Many Thanks,

R

I did not personally know S; I only joined the Weavers guild last fall, and there’s many members I have yet to meet. Nevertheless, this e-mail hit me right in the heart. When you make something with your hands, you use not just materials and tools but also the most precious resources any of us have — our time and energy. Inevitably, something of ourselves is left in our work. A stash is personal because it reflects our plans and dreams and wishes and hopes and possibilities, an investment of our future time and energy. S’s yarns and books and half-finished projects aren’t just objects; they are a part of and reflection of her.

Nancy and me sorting through S's yarn and projects. — Nancy and me sorting through S’s yarn and projects.

S was a talented and organized knitter. Her projects were mostly sweaters: pieced together, knit in the round, colorwork, cardigans. She wasn’t stuck in any kind of color rut. Her projects spanned every hue of the rainbow. Most of her yarns were high-end, but she wasn’t afraid of novelty yarns. She had a wonderful sense for combining colors and textures into her work. Like many of us, she didn’t like finishing work.

I came home with 10 WIPs; Nancy took home many more than that. Since I’ve never made a sweater before, I came home with the projects that only needed blocking or minimal seaming. Nancy took home projects that still need collars and cuffs or that were knitted in pieces. In addition to the WIPs, we left with a medium-sized packing box of kits. These were projects that had pattern, needles, and yarn packaged together but S had not yet started knitting. We had another, slightly smaller box, of WIPs that need substantial knitting. We also left with three large boxes of yarn and a milk crate of books and magazines.

One of the WIPs I brought home is a particularly special project. It is a shawl which E, S’s best friend, was knitting for S & R’s daughter. E passed away two years ago, and the half-finished project came to S. S finished the knitting, but hadn’t blocked it yet. I will block it and return it to R so he can give it to his daughter.

Over the next several months, Nancy and I (and anyone else we can press into service) will be finishing the rest of the WIPs. In January, we will bring them to Distaff Day and donate them to Project Warmies, a local charity that distributes warm items to several local shelters. R gave us bookmarks, leftover from the funeral service, with a picture of S and a short obituary. Project Warmies likes to have a little information about each donated item they receive, so we will include those bookmarks with each project.

The Guild will use the less expensive, big box yarns to make Kumihimo disks or other giveaway demos. The Guild does many demos throughout the year, often at schools. We estimate that we will go through 1,000 homemade Kumihimo disks this year! The kits, WIPs that need substantial knitting, remaining yarn, and books will all go into the Weavers of Orlando auction held in August.

R seemed happy with the plans for the yarn and projects. S wanted everything to benefit the Weavers of Orlando or to go to a good home, where the items would be appreciated. We will do our best to honor those wishes.

As I read the e-mail then sorted through S’s yarn, I realized this: there is no “if.” We are all yarn. Every time we buy a skein for our stash, or spend time knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, dyeing or otherwise crafting with fiber, we incorporate the yarn into ourselves. We eschew other possibilities and become a yarn crafter, a yarny, a fiberista, a maker. Time drips through our fingers in the form of stitches, warp and weft, roving smoothed into yarns. As often as we talk about SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy), we know, somewhere deep down, that someday when we are gone (hopefully many years from now) our loved ones will be crafting an e-mail like the one above. Someone who never knew us will be looking through our stash and our half-finished projects. What will she learn about us?