what is that..?

Yes, what is that boring white thing? White and cotton and boring. Have I mentioned lately that I dislike cotton greatly? Well, I do. Interestingly enough, the last time I knit cotton was a project for my dad, something he requested. This current project is again a special request from my dad.

You see, he happens to have an SCA persona that puts him in the desert where wool is not a primary fiber. That means every time he asks me to make something for him, it’s probably going to be cotton. Lucky for him I love him more than I hate cotton.

This particular item is going to be a cap worn beneath his turban. So, if I am successful, no one will ever see it. I didn’t have a pattern to go on, which makes this dull white cotton WIP a little more interesting. The goal is to have it fit snuggly, ending right above his ears.

The real question is: will he wear it?

oh, that silky wool

The Frock Camisole has been finished for some time. I think the straps are already stretching. Every time I knit something body-sized it always irritates me. Whatever it is, it just doesn’t fit right, it sags, it’s lumpy, it’s bulky. Whatever. Blech.

I had quite a bit of Silky Wool left over and since I really enjoyed the light green, I decided to knit a bit of lace with it. Specifically the Eloping Garter by Abigail van Roode (rav link/also on Knitty.com). I couldn’t imagine myself wearing one of those ghastly fluffballs that are worn by most brides. Besides, I’m a knitter!

It’s being worked on in relative secrecy. Rich is aware, but hasn’t seen it. I know he doesn’t read my blog, so I’m not overly concerned. Should I make two? One to keep and one for him to toss? If someone takes it home will that appreciate all the work I’ve put into it? A quandry.

almost, but not quite

I’m almost done with the Frock Camisole. And I think it’s going to be really BIG. The straps aren’t finished yet, so they’re looking a little wonky. But I do like the colors.

works in progress

Still rolling along on the Frock Camisole. I’ve now incorporated the pink and light green yarns. Technically I could say the stripes were pre-planned. In that I meant to do the bottom in dark green, the middle in pink and the top in light green. But I wanted to connect the top with the bottom, so I placed a green stripe in down there. Also I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough yarn. Actually, I still don’t know. Frankly, the balls of yarn looked better together than the knitted stripes. I’m hoping that the longer I look at it, the more they will meld together. Sometimes colors look weird initially, but over time they settle in.

I’m still taking my Kromski Harp to shire meetings Tuesday nights. I’m probably close to halfway done on the second one. Which means that the first one is complete, since I warped the loom with enough yarn for both. Once this is finished, I’m going to make a bag for the loom. It will help protect it and keep all the little bits where they belong.

sunshine made me do it!

I’d like to say that common sense won out as I was reviewing possible upcoming projects. But such is not the case. After browsing through Ravelry and snatching some friend’s favorites, I had before me three potential tops. One was a long-sleeved pullover, one a short-sleeved blouse, and one a tank top. In the end I chose the tank top. Because it’s suddenly 80 degrees outside? No. In fact, I’m not sure why I started on that one. Perhaps because it was more exciting than the pullover. The yarn I’m using is light-weight and I’m doing it on size 6 needles. This will be the largest project with the smallest needles I’ve done yet (not counting socks).

Frock Camisole (rav-link)
Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool
US size 6 circular needles

It’s going to consist of three colors, two shades of green and pink. This is primarily due to the fact that I purchased four balls of Silky Wool with only two of them the same color. I’ll make it work though. Besides, I didn’t feel like doing a few small projects – I wanted to combine them and make ONE thing.

catching up

Sometimes I post about one exciting thing, and sometimes I have several small things to mention. Today is more of the latter.

I’m finally getting to the end of my large batches of Falklands and Romney. By next week I should be adding the last of those to the Etsy shop. Currently those are the bulk of my listings. I enjoy spinning Romney, but it doesn’t make a soft yarn, so I’ll have to come up with something non-snuggly to make with it. I had 12 ounces left to dye and decided those will all be spun by me instead of sold. There is about a pound left of the “Falklands” too, and I will likely spin most of it myself, even though I hate it! Not buying Falklands from RH Lindsay again. In the next few weeks I will be adding Corriedale spinning fiber after quite a significant absence.

Last Saturday I checked out a sewing/knitting shop near Rich’s place of business for the first time. It was more sewing than knitting, but I did pick up a few things. I bought some alpaca top to make braids for my SCA garb. And I bought a tiny circular needle, size US 6, made by Clover. When I saw them (and I’ve seen them other places), I thought: “Do the Japanese have some secret project that they need wrist-sized circs? Clover is the only company that makes these!” So I went to work on a fingerless mitt, just to see how it worked. Quite an experience.

About a week ago I felted my clogs and couldn’t decide whether to send them around the washer again or just wear them. In hopes of taking up some space, I put a little piece of felted sweater in as an insole, which also made the bottom thicker. Yesterday I put them on regardless of size and I have them on right now. Even though they are too big and floppy in the width, they are so warm! Still debating on another felting.

big slippers

My slippers are falling apart again. Darn those store-bought slippers! I was debating whether to buy a high quality pair from LL Bean or make some. In the end I decided to try making a pair of felted slippers and perhaps attaching a leather bottom since I know someone with 3 totes full of various leather bits.

The pattern I chose comes from Knit One, Felt Two by Kathleen Taylor. I borrowed it from the library and managed to complete all the knitting in a week. The yarn is Lanaloft from Brown Sheep Company. It’s a singles yarn I bought from Kindred Spirits for no particular reason and I liked it. It’d be nice to try it with the suggested needle size instead of an 11.

They have not been felted yet – currently I have two HUGE floppy socks, as shown below. These have a lot of shrinking to do.

knitting a little

Understandably, this new job is creating a bit of a muddle in my life.  It’s taking me a little while to get a handle on my time.  I come home around 1:30 and I stand there staring at the wall.  “What should I do now?”  I’m not taking photos, blogging, or knitting/spinning.  Once things settle down though, I plan to return full-force!  Plus I just got a new/hand-me-down computer, so I have to get used to that: set my preferences, reinstall programs, find my files, etc.  Nothing too dramatic, just a little bit of a mess.

Speaking of absent programs, I don’t have my photo editing software on hand, so I’m sharing this photo as is from the camera.  As I keep saying over and over, I want to knit with handspun more frequently.  I see so many beautiful objects from other spinners and I want to do that too!!

This is the Berry Bramble hat from Knit One, Embellish Too. I’m working with some handspun BFL.  It’s one of my “let’s practice worsted spinning!” skeins and I love it.  I’d wager it’s heavy-worsted weight, about 100+ yards. It reminded me how much I love BFL!  Almost every pattern written by Cosy that I’ve made has been too big for me, so we’ll see what happens with this one.

love that cuddly stuff

This weekend I’m going to our annual Winter Revel – “our” being the shire of Rivenvale. Each January we get together for an evening of dancing and eating. Last year we started to have a silent auction as a fundraiser. It makes sense on multiple levels. Either you have gobs of gear you are wanting to unload or you are a craftsperson with looking to share your talents.

Of course I decided to contribute some yarn, but I couldn’t find anything appropriate in my stash. It couldn’t be dyed with chemical dyes or some huge and unruly bulky novelty yarn. So I dug out some of my favorite locks from Sage, a BFL/Border Leicester cross. Flicked the ends, spun them long-draw and here is the delicate end result. I’m almost hoping no one wants it.

“Nut-Brown Ale” 3 ounce, 150 yards

Also started a new pair of fingerless mitts. My sister’s boyfriend requested these for a very specific job. He uses some sort of electronic drawing pad that makes his hand very hot and sweaty. He was hoping to have these mittens to prevent the sweat from going all over. After nearly completing one, I realized perhaps wool was not the best choice. However, wool can have an insulating effect and does not necessarily mean it will cause him to sweat more. We’ll see what happens, eh?

a sock, finally

So, I signed up for Summer of Socks 2008 because I never sign up for anything. And now I know why. It’s because I can’t keep on any sort of schedule or make myself knit things when someone tells me I’m supposed to. It started on June 21 and I just finally got around to starting my first sock of the summer. One of my goals was to do something more than just stockinette or ribbing, so I went looking for a pattern that I could handle without being overwhelmed. I like cables, so I ended up with BFF Socks by Cookie A. I think I mangled that first little cable increase. The slant is going the opposite direction of the rest of the cables. blerg. I like it anyway.

Other socks I’d like to make include one made with handspun and something coarse and bulky that would be more like a woolly boot than a sock. Another sock pattern I want to tackle is the Twisted Tweed Socks by Schrodinger.  One of the pairs I make will be for my mum since I haven’t made a pair for her yet. I figure socks are a good project to take to Pennsic because they don’t take up a lot of space. I’m thinking about adding the magic loop method to my sock making repertoire also, you know, options and variety. Just to say I can.