Skip to content

Posts from the ‘yarn’ Category

Aug 16

Lizard Feet and Cherries Jubilee

Yesterday, I made a startling discovery. That really cool stitch pattern that was on the socks someone sent me was the reverse side of eye of partridge. How do I know this? I discovered that when I wear the socks with my ankle brace, I have a lovely eye of partridge pattern on my legs and foot when I take my shoes and brace off.
See my lovely lizard foot?

I had a pretty good week last week. I got some contest prizes mailed and took care of a lot of pesky issues that had needed completing. It gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I ended the week by getting some new yarn. This is from an indie dyer called The Crafts Meow.

The red one is called Cherries Jubilee. The color is much richer and redder in person. Apparently, I am incapable of photographing red things.

The darker color is called Blackwatch Swirl. It is a gorgeous blend of teals and deep purples. I already have some ideas about what these two yarns will grow up to be. Only time will tell if the yarn agrees with me.

Feb 13

8 Comments

Tax Time!

To many people in the USA, those words signify paperwork shuffling, headaches, and expense. To me, those words are like music to my ears. Tax time means it’s time for my Annual Serious Stash Enhancement. When Uncle Sam returns the money he has been borrowing from me all year, naturally there is nothing better to do with it than stimulate the economy with yarn purchases. So won’t you join me as we stroll through the 2009 Serious Stash Enhancement Expedition.

My first order was to KnitPicks who kindly scheduled a book sale just for me. The first book is one to get me started in my soon-to-be-newest vice. Spurred on by the gift of roving from my friend Tracy, I have decided to learn hand spinning so naturally I needed a book to help me along. I chose Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning
Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning (Teach Yourself Visually Consumer)

I have the knitting book in this series and found it to be a fantastic reference. This book every bit as good. With lots of large, color photos and clear but concise instructions, it will be a valuable asset to my knitting library.

My next acquisition was one I have been wanting for a long time but just never got around to buying. The Best Of Interweave Knits
The Best of Interweave Knits: Our Favorite Designs from the First Ten Years

I knew there were several patterns in the book that I wanted but I didn’t realize how many of them I truly love. This pattern book will provide me with knitting projects for years to come. The first will probably be the Icarus Shawl from the cover.

I also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to order some yarn and needles. This year I opted for Bare yarn so I could play with dyeing again.

Bare Wool/silk Sock Colorway: Natural

This is Bare wool/silk fingering weight. There is enough for a shawl or quite a few pairs of socks. The silk gives a slight amount of sheen and incredible softness. I want to attempt a kettle-style dyeing. I want a semi-solid with subtle color variations so the color won’t compete with the lace stitch pattern. I also got a few Harmony needles in sock knitting sizes. Can’t wait to try them out.

I decided to share part of my tax refund with WEBS too. They always have such wonderful selection. I have also been very pleased with their Valley Yarns brand. I ordered enough of the VY Northampton for a sweater.

Valley Yarns Northampton Colorway”Merlot Heather

This yarn is lovely, soft, comes in a fabulous selection of colors and is a sheer joy to knit. It is incredibly, reasonably priced too now how often does that happen. The only wools that I have liked this much where twice the price. I am starting to sound like an advertisement but it really is great yarn.

I also ordered Valley Yarns Goshen for Hey Teach

Valley Yarns Goshen Colorway: Sage
This yarn was an incredible surprise. This is the softest, most luxurious cotton blend I have ever felt. It makes me want to order all they have and roll in it. It makes me want to knit ALL my clothing from it – outerwear to skivvies. I seriously love this yarn. Kathy Elkins, the owner, helped me so much when choosing a color. She is positively terrific. But I discovered after viewing the color cards, that I don’t dislike any color in the line which is pretty unusual for me. I will be ordering it in more colors.

And since I was ordering anyway I needed to order a little sock yarn.

Shibui Knits Sock Colorway: Peony
Totally yummy

And a little more sock yarn

Berocco Ultra Alpaca Light Colorway:Prune Mix
Camera doesn’t do justice to the color. It is just filled with little bits of color. This may be a scarf instead of a sock

And a little scarf yarn

Rowan Classic Silk/Wool DK
You will be hearing more about this one in the very near future.

And a little lace yarn

Malabrigo Lace Colorway: 51 Vaa
The color is not accurate in the photo. It is much darker, deeper and richer in person. My camera just didn’t want to cooperate that day and I was too lazy to retake the photo. This may be becoming Icarus Shawl.

Thus concludes my Annual Serious Stash Enhancement Excursion. You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled life.

Jan 16

10 Comments

In with the New

Now that all that pesky Christmas knitting is done. I can think about knitting for pleasure rather than obligation. At least for a few months. So what do you knit when you are knitting totally for yourself.

First, I have to find a project for this lovely yarn that the Knit Together gals sent me.

Shown here being snuggled by KT my new little pal that I also got from the KT gals.

I am thinking that I might use it to test knit a pattern that I designed a while back but didn’t publish.

Or I might go with something like Woodland Shawl.

I have also been wanting to finish my wool Bell Curve skirt.

It is still just a little too short for me.

I am also finally going to knit my Firestarter socks which currently look a lot like this

It is the project that keeps getting pushed aside for knitting for others. It is also getting pushed back because I am going to have to adjust the math slightly because this is a thinner yarn than the designer used.

Then I have this yarn that is begging to become a shawl

If I can only make up my mind which one.
I am thinking about this, this, or this.

I have also been itching to make this, this and this.

Then I have this yarn

this yarn

this yarn

and this yarn all waiting for just the right project.

What is a knitter to do?

Jan 2

4 Comments

Lessons Learned


This time of year, it is not uncommon to find oneself reflecting back on the previous year and taking note of mistakes made and lessons learned. I am a visual/kinesthetic learner. Which is the educators fancy way of saying that I learn best by seeing and fouling it up doing it myself. The lessons that I have best learned are the ones that I have messed up the worst. With my knitting, I didn’t fully appreciate the value of gauge/tension until I made a Goliath-sized sweater for my tall-but-by-no-means-a-giant husband. I learned that 100% cotton doesn’t make good socks when the ones I made slouched down my ankles and into my shoes. Lessons learned the hard way stay with me for longer. That is not to say that I can’t learn anything by observation. For instance, I did learn by watching my college roommate shower a bottle of cheap wine all over our bathroom, that was obviously not a fun way to spend an evening. But for many things, I don’t really “get it” until I do it myself. Accidentally, touching that oven rack will forever remind you to use oven mitts. Trying to pick up dropped stitches in lace is a very effective way to learn the value of a lifeline.

Likewise, I learned that yarn has a personality the hard way. I had read various articles about yarn personality (i.e. what the yarn likes and doesn’t like) throughout the knitting blogosphere but I didn’t take it too seriously. But that was before I met lace weight yarns. I had done a couple of small lace projects here and there – socks, dishcloths and the like. I knew how to read a chart. So I thought I was completely and totally prepared to venture into the world of “real” lace knitting. After all, lace knitting is only knitting with holes!

So I signed up for one of those Lace-Alongs and ordered some lace weight yarn and the needles that everyone said were the best and I started knitting. I hadn’t made it very far into my project when I started having problems. The yarn was splitting and fraying and fuzzing and was really not much fun to knit. When I made a mistake, it was darn near impossible to tink. With lace, I shudder at the thought of full scale ripping. If you could actually separate the stitches in a decrease (which was quite a challenge) they were usually frayed so badly that they looked horrid. I was frustrated beyond belief, nearly in tears and ready to give up lace knitting before I had even gotten started. Fortunately, upon the advice of one of the other lovely knitters on the group, I ended up changing to a different yarn for that project and found that I had better results.

That would have been the end of the story except for two of my major character flaws traits. First, my frugal nature couldn’t bring itself to throw away something on which I had spent good money (and it is highly doubtful that anyone would pay very much for a partially knitted skein of yarn). Secondly, my stubborn streak hated to admit that I had been defeated by a skein of yarn. As an added complication, the yarn was really soft and really liked how it felt. So on a lark, I picked up the yarn and gave it a test drive on my newest needles – birch needles. I discovered that on birch needles this yarn behaved quite differently and had a completely different personality. It didn’t split or fray or fuzz so much. The difference in the results was astonishing.

At first, I thought that this was probably just because I was better at lace knitting now than I had been when I started that project. So to test this theory, I tried knitting the yarn onto that same metal needle that I have used the first time. After a few rows, I discovered that it was still a pain to knit on that needle – splitting and fraying again. So I knitted it back onto the birch needle and again the yarn was amazingly cooperative. As a final test, I deliberately tinked a few rows (even though I hadn’t made a mistake). With the birch needle, there was little problem un-knitting the stitches, even the ones that had been decreases or the dreaded double decreases. No fraying, no splitting and not dropped stitches. Unbelievable!

So I started paying attention to the combination of yarn and needle on my subsequent projects. I discovered that “sticky” yarns like cotton tend to knit better on very slick needles – nickel, for example. “Splitty” yarns tend to split less with blunt needles. And very slippery yarns work really well with wood or bamboo needles that have a little “stick” to them. So now when I have problems with a yarn, the first thing I do is try it with a different needle. It is amazing the difference it makes if the yarn likes actually the needle. I have not found yarn to be terribly brand specific but the material of which the needle is composed (metal, plastic, wood) does make a dramatic difference with some yarns. This also applies to and the shape of the point of the needle with some yarns.

So the moral of the story is this.
When you think the problem is the yarn, it might just be the needle.

Jul 30

17 Comments

What a Difference A Yarn Makes

Or How I got my knitting mojo back.

I have spent the last four weeks failing miserablytrying diligently to complete Clue 1 of MS3 but for some reason I could never get passed Row 87 – I have spent two weeks on rows 85 – 87 alone. I have tinked and frogged until my hands were numb and I wore the finish off my needles (okay, an exaggeration but you get the idea). Last week, someone on the group said that she had changed yarn and her knitting results had improved dramatically. So I started wondering if perhaps my yarn could be causing my problems too. The Lana Borgosesia Cashwool I was using is beautiful, very soft and a great price but it is also really splitty – especially if it had to be ripped and reknit – and it was so thin that it really made reading my knitting difficult. I thought this was just the nature of the lace weight beast. Inspired by Suzan’s post, I pulled out two other lace weights that I had in my stash. I compared them to the Lana. I noticed that while the size of the strand was not a great amount different, there was a dramatic difference in the twist of the yarn. I chose the more tightly twisted of the two yarns and wound it into balls (facilitated by the yarn swift that my hubby – muggle though he is – made for me and the ball winder that he bought for me).

I noticed a huge difference in my knitting immediately. I knitted the first 25 rows in no time. I even tinked a row just to see if it was easier with the new yarn – it was. I thought about knitting my stole without beads since I didn’t have any to match the new yarn but I just couldn’t – simply HAD to have the beads. A quick call to Joan-the-Amazing-LYS-owner located the beads that I wanted and another call to Muggle Hubby askingbegging him to pick them up on his way home from work insured that I would have beads by Thursday evening. When my dear sweet Muggle Hubby arrived home, I snatched politely took the beads from him and, as a thank you for his efforts, I made his supper wait until I had knitted the first few rows to make sure the bead color was just right. I am happy to report that the new yarn/bead combo is simply smashing. I am zipping through the chart this time. I am not a complete knitting failure after all, it was the yarn – maybe I owe Muggle Hubby an apology. I am happy to report that on Saturday, after four weeks of trying, I finally completed Clue 1!!! Theoretically, I had only been trying for three days on this particular yarn but I have been working on Clue 1 for that long.

Here is the new stole in all its glory.

This is a photo at the end of Clue 1. As of this morning, I am about a third of the way through Clue 2.

Here is a photo that shows off the stitches a bit better. The flash made the color all wonky -this really is a terrible photo – but you can actually see the beads in this photo. The color is truer in the first photo. For this stole, I am using Knit Picks Shadow yarn in Vineyard Heather with Mill Hill beads in Iridescent Black. I am still making mistakes – which is inevitable – but this time I am able to repair the mistakes and move on. My knitting has definite room for improvement but it’s not TOO bad for a first attempt at lace knitting by someone who hasn’t been knitting a year yet.

So what have I learned from the MS3 experience???

  1. All lace weight yarns are NOT created equally.
  2. The phone never rings when you are on the purl side of your lace.
  3. Children, husbands and lace knitting do not mix.
  4. Even though I learned how in first grade, counting to 99 can be challenging when you are being yelled at by three people simultaneously.
  5. Your family only needs you when you are at the most difficult part of the row.
  6. Tinking double decreases causes premature aging.
  7. The same family that causes you to lose count and drop stitches can also be amazingly supportive when the need arises.
  8. Dropped stitches can be a real booger to pick up in lace.
  9. Reading your lace “road map” can prevent a multitude of wrong turns.
  10. Count twice, knit once.
  11. All lace weight yarns are not created equally.
  12. And finally, OH MY GRANDMOTHER, I think I can actually knit lace.

The Lana stole is in semi-retirement until such time as I can knit lace without making mistakes. I will probably eventually finish it simply because the yarn is so soft but not until I am much more proficient at lace knitting.

In other knitting news, during time outs for the Lana stole, I have added another couple of inches of lace to the bottom of the Indigo Ripples skirt. And I also completed another pair of socks.

I call this pair Roses and Ivy. They are a modification of the Hedera pattern by Cookie A featured in Knitty. I knit them toe up instead of cuff down, I shortened the cuff and substituted a short row heel for the heel flap that Cookie used. They are knit from Panda Cotton Roses colorway – hence the name Roses and Ivy. The pattern is a very fun pattern to knit that I will probably reknit in a solid color some time. The stitches do not show up as well in the variegated yarn but I am still pleased with the results.

Here is another photo – this time with the sock on blockers. You can see the lace part of the pattern a little better in this pair.

Until next time, happy knitting.

May 5

28 Comments

I have an LYS!!


I am doing the happy dance because a yarn shop opened up near me – a real yarn shop, not just the craft section at Walmart!!!! It isn’t actually in the town where I live (which is probably a good thing) but it is the first time since I started knitting that I have had a place to go and shop for yarn that didn’t require an hours drive.


I actually got to touch and hold hundreds of different yarns. She had wool and cotton and alpaca and cashmere and linen and bamboo and soybean and corn yarns – oddly no acrylic. With more yarns still to come. I got to see the real color of these yarns without the interference of a computer monitor. I think I petted every yarn in the store. They even have SOCK YARN!!!!!!! They also have needles – tons of needles. Addi, Brittany Birch, Rosewood, Lantern Moon Ebony. She even has a nice selection of crochet hooks in case you drop a stitch.

This is Joan – the owner. She is a true gem. She opened the shop because she couldn’t find the yarns she wanted in the stores near her.

She doesn’t actually like to have her photo taken but I thought the photo came out quite nice – she liked it too or I would have deleted it. She is a very, very, very nice lady who actually knits socks. She has a ball winder and swift set up and will let you wind your yarn – even yarn you did not purchase from her. She has a section in the corner of the store where she has cushy chairs set up so you can sit and knit. She holds a Knit Night once a month. She is even going to start carrying Louet Gems because of me – I took some of mine in and she agrees that it is simply fabulous yarn! Joan is my new best friend.

I splurged and bought myself this.

Schaefer Anne – the color reminds me of stormy weather. Joan laughed at me when I said that the yarn hadn’t told me what sock it wanted to be yet. I am still torn on the pattern to use for it. Such scrumptious yarn deserved a simply fabulous pattern to go with it. So what do you think, what would my Stormy Weather like to be when it grows up??
Thelonius
Gothic Spire
Clessidra
Queen of Cups
or
Bayerische

Apr 20

16 Comments

Dyeing for Spring Part 2


Here is my hand dyed yarn all wound into a ball with the beginning of a new sock. This is – or will eventually be – a sock that I am test knitting. It promises to be a challenging and fun knit. I will keep you posted. The yarn has a few very light spots in it where the yarn didn’t dye very darkly. I am not certain that I like this but I decided to go ahead and knit and it. If I still don’t like it when I am finished, I will re-dye the completed socks. Mistakes and all, I am still pleased with my first attempt at dyeing.

I bought myself this great “Nostepinde” at Hobby Lobby yesterday.

They called it a mini-baseball bat but it works great as a nostepinde and hopefully my youngest will not swipe it to use for craft projects like he does with the paper towel tubes. I was going to buy a wooden dowel and then I spied the bat and decided that it was about the right size so it wouldn’t require cutting and it was already sanded smooth. I also like the thinner handle. It makes ball winding more comfortable to me. And best of all it was cheap!! I know it isn’t as nice as a real nostepinde but I decided that I would rather save my money for a ball winder.

In other Hobby Lobby news, I got More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch with my 40% off internet coupon. This book was not what I was expecting. The sock patterns are great – just like I was expecting – and ones that I will use over and over. But what I wasn’t expecting was for there to be instructions for all the major types of sock knitting – 4 dpn, 5 dpn, toe up, top down, 2 circs, Magic loop – as well as an extensive stitch library and sock construction techniques – heels, toes, cast ons, grafting, bind offs, etc. This is an incredible resource. It certainly lives up to the hype. I highly recommend it if you do not already own it. Now I simply must have Sensational Knitted Socks.

Mar 31

Yummy Yarn


Here is my latest Stash Enhancement. Cherry Tree Hill in Cherry which is destined to become Twisted Flower and and Louet Gems in Burgundy, destined to be Thelonius
This is my first time to use either yarn. I like both yarns and can’t wait to see how they knit up. I am really impressed with the color richness and softness of the Louet Gems. I think this yarn will be come a personal favorite. Got them both from the Loopy Ewe. This is a great company to do business with. I was blown away by the fabulous customer service and the speed at which the items were shipped. I ordered on Friday and received my order the following Monday. I will definately be shopping there again!!