tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-317731442024-03-12T21:06:49.009-04:00The Bookworm's KnittingMy ramblings about work, school, knitting, traveling and life in general.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-65741912094456295022010-09-07T21:37:00.000-04:002010-09-08T09:41:37.751-04:00InsaneI’ve officially gone insane. This might just be the millionth time I’ve said that on this blog. Today, I’m specifically talking about the slight obsession I’ve had with Rosemary Hill’s shawl patterns. Remember me talking about working on them in my last post? I had finished Bitterroot and was working on Brandywine. Well, I finished the Brandywine shawl on Sept 5th. It was started on August 31st!!!! And the shawl I’m working on now? Merope by Rosemary Hill. <br />
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The only modification I did on the Brandywine pattern was work 16 repeats of Chart B instead of 15. Actually, that modification would have really messed me up if I didn’t have another skein of the same yarn hanging around. For the last 5 stitches, I had to do a russian join with leftover cast on tail. Luckily, I did have 2 skeins of the yarn so I wasn’t stressing too much. <br />
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For the Brandywine, I used Kraemer Yarns’s Sterling Silk & Silver in a royal blue that has slight flecks of silver in it. Most of the time yarns that have metallic or angelina in them makes for a scratchy yarn. This stuff I could definitely imagine making socks with it though you would hide away all of the pretty sparkle in your shoes. <br />
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Do you want to hear about the next shawl? I’ve known that I wanted to knit Merope ever since it was first released. I absolutely loved everything about the shawl. The little eyelets in the middle of the shawl and the diamond design on the sides really sparked my interest. A couple of days ago, when I read the story behind the shawl, I knew the Sterling Silk and Silver yarn would be perfect for it. The silver looks like stars on a night sky. <br />
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This shawl was started on September 4th and today, September 7th, I’m 1.5 rows and a bind off away from being finished!!!! It’s a little bit insane how quickly these shawls have been going. It’s not even as if all I’ve done is knit this weekend. I’d say that I’ve devoted pretty much the same amount of time to them as I normally would during a week. I guess when my knitting mojo came back, it came back with a vengeance! Of course, I’ll probably take a long break from knitting anything after all of this craziness! :) Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-52560010854110574272010-09-04T18:55:00.000-04:002010-09-04T18:55:00.139-04:00Shawls and more shawlsEver since finishing all of my state fair projects, I’ve been feeling a little “blah” about my various knitting projects. I think the weather could be a factor because it has been 90-bazillion degrees for the last month. You just don’t feel like knitting a wool sweater in such hot weather. But then, at the end of August, I was bitten (hard) by the lace bug. Since August 27th, I’ve knit an entire shawl, blocked it, photographed it and am 75% through another one. It’s actually quite astonishing.<br />
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The first shawl, Bitterroot, was published in the Winter 2009 Knitty. Knitting started on August 27th and I was finished with it by September 1st. The pattern is an extremely fast knit and you can memorize it very quickly. Rosemary has written a shawlette and full shawl version of the pattern. My Bitterroot is the full version but, because I did it in laceweight, it isn’t incredibly large. I’m very much in a “let’s put beads on EVERYTHING” place right now so this shawl was perfect.<br />
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This shawl is intended for a friend as a wedding present. She normally doesn’t wear a whole lot of bright colors so I originally planned to use a different yarn and a different pattern. But when she showed me her wedding colors, she had chosen a lovely pink and cream. I just happened to have the perfect yarn and beads in the stash! <br />
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The yarn is a lovely pink laceweight alpaca that was naturally dyed by Earthly Hues. I picked this yarn up from Tricia at a local craft show and this skein has lasted forever! So far I’ve made a cowl and a shawl from it but there is still enough left for a whole other shawl. The beads I used are pearl seed beads which were in my stash. Normally I don’t have as much of a contrast between yarn and bead color but I like the finished product a lot. <br />
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The second shawl is the Brandywine shawl. This pattern is absolutely fantastic. You cast on the bottom point and work your way up to the neck. This shawl is made out of a fingering weight yarn and it is simply FLYING. I started knitting it during my lunchbreak on August 31st because I was on the last 2 rows of Bitterroot and didn’t want to run out of lace to work on. As of lunchtime today, I’m 75% finished with it. <br />
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I don’t have a fantastic picture of the shawl because it is still in that yucky, not blocked lace blob. The yarn is Sterling Silk & Silver by Kraemer Yarns. It is a wool, silk, nylon and silver blend. The silver really isn’t scratchy and I can definitely imagine using this yarn for socks though it would be a waste in your shoes. A couple of years ago, I bought 2 skeins of it at Knitter’s Connection to make a shawl. Did I have a shawl in mind? Of course not. Then I came across the Brandywine shawl and knew I found the right pattern. The silver flecks really make my Brandywine look interesting. <br />
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Both shawls are designed by Rosemary Hill and I think the next one that I knit will be by her, too. I think I might be a junkie. Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-67672972434192863492010-08-04T07:50:00.004-04:002010-08-04T11:37:47.445-04:00Even more state fair picturesI took tons of picture at the state fair and thought I would share some more after last post. So enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851270499/" title="055 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="055" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4851270499_94154b5140.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851272885/" title="058 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="058" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4851272885_e1e98068a2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851889496/" title="057 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="057" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4851889496_3fd5c3e134.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851893010/" title="061 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="061" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4851893010_12640d4267.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Einstein ducks!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4852002118/" title="069 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="069" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4852002118_e8c19f37f6.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Goat of the mountain!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851904102/" title="028-Dale of Norway sweater by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="028-Dale of Norway sweater" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4851904102_2959e5fd45.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851904726/" title="029-icelandic sweater by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="029-icelandic sweater" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4851904726_bcf04dfb33.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851282637/" title="023-other craft by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="023-other craft" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4851282637_2c3ddd03ef.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
felted items<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851280321/" title="021-other craft by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="021-other craft" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4851280321_9d10b7e839.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851284101/" title="025-knitted ornament by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="025-knitted ornament" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4851284101_6b030fe1fb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851896714/" title="020-other craft by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="020-other craft" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4851896714_6dbc75e5ee.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851290219/" title="063 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="063" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4851290219_b57163197f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851909012/" title="065 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="065" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4851909012_322d945390.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
leather working<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851988126/" title="051 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="051" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4851988126_4d51587c51.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
duct tape flowers!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851973744/" title="045 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="045" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4851973744_0976877cb1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
duct tape sculptures<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851354075/" title="044 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="044" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4851354075_bce82a6c02.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Do you see the little bluebirds? <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851967940/" title="043 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="043" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4851967940_1062df1232.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
This is all hand quilted!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851347849/" title="042 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="042" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4851347849_dc5b33409f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Again, hand quilted!!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851342063/" title="040 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="040" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4851342063_8bba066561.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851322341/" title="031 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="031" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4851322341_fb48455ae3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851319649/" title="030 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="030" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4851319649_1913529e85.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851328029/" title="037 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="037" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4851328029_4d243c1aa2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851942378/" title="032 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="032" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4851942378_5e4fc290cb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Isn’t this table amazing?! Everything on the top of the cake is edible. EVERYTHING even the wee little egg shells and yolks! <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851910052/" title="034 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="034" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4851910052_04a6897858.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Arrrgh!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-80193440761132068912010-08-03T09:47:00.001-04:002010-08-04T09:49:44.452-04:00State Fair resultsAs you might remember, I went crazy this year and entered 7 different projects into the state fair. Next year, someone needs to remind me not to be over-ambitious! It was fun to see everything displayed there but was a lot of work. Mom and I went over on Sunday to see how I had done and to watch the fleece judging. If I had cash on me, I would have probably come home with a fleece. Ah, next year :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851888600/" title="056 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="056" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4851888600_2b57539e21.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The silk lace shawl I made for my friend’s wedding gift came in second in the lace category!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851918324/" title="001-shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="001-shawl" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4851918324_3e57a783a0.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The competition was really tough (and beautiful!). This next picture is blurry but it should give you an idea. The pink stole to the right of the display case had crystal beads along the edges. It was really lovely.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851895020/" title="003-shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="003-shawl" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4851895020_340bc19db6.jpg" width="500" /></a> <br />
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This year the handspun skeins seemed to have more entries than last year. I didn’t pay too much attention last year though so my memory could be faulty. They did display things differently this year. This year there were 2 rows of wrapped up skeins. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851899298/" title="011-handspun by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="011-handspun" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4851899298_62b6d5635f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I got a second place for my purple silk yarn whose roving I bought at Maryland this year. The category was silk yarns with no weight specified.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851316847/" title="010-handspun by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="010-handspun" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4851316847_8718a61ab0.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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For the fingering weight category, I entered my Red Berries yarn whose roving I bought at SOAR in 2009. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851303487/" title="008-handspun by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="008-handspun" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4851303487_ec4416733b.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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One lady who entered multiple skeins into the competition had a really neat idea. She spun up the same roving into multiple weights. On her details card, she said she planned to weave a shawl with all of the yarns. I think the finished project would look really nice. I hope that she enters it into the weaving category next year! <br />
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My felted mittens also got a first place! Have I mentioned how much I liked the pattern? If I trusted my ability to figure out felting to knitting ratios, I’d be tempted to come up with a matching hat. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851305953/" title="013-mittens by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="013-mittens" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4851305953_4101ecb742.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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This is a picture of one of the displays of felted items. Do you see that rug to the right? It was a gorgeous wet felted rug. The hanging above it was needle felted. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851902452/" title="014-mittens by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="014-mittens" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4851902452_ed78b0ff8f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Some of the miscellaneous knitted objects were also in the felted case. Can you see the knitted veggie basket in the corner? Adorable! And perfect for the fair. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851900884/" title="024-knitted fruit by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="024-knitted fruit" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4851900884_c87862c22c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The multi-directional scarf I made with Noro Silk Garden Sock won 3rd in the accessories category! I was really impressed by the way that they displayed the items. If you listen to the podcast, Sticks and String, he tells horror stories about how lace items are hung wrong side out or balled up, heavy sweaters were suspended by safety pins and fishing line, things scrunched up so badly that you can’t tell what the pattern is. Well, there is no such difficulty at the state fair. They did a really good job. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851314153/" title="018-scarf by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="018-scarf" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4851314153_b2256770ba.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The sweater category had the best (and most!) competition, hands-down. There were sweaters all over the place. Mom and I even found some non-placing sweaters completely across the room in a doll art case because there were so many entries. They just couldn’t fit in only one case. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851308671/" title="015-sweater by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="015-sweater" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4851308671_c5f1e091c6.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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Do you see that grey one in the right hand corner? That’s my Twist Cardigan. Frankly, after seeing the competition, I’m floored that I even placed. I have absolutely NO idea why that Dale of Norway sweater didn’t get a ribbon. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851928386/" title="016-sweater by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="016-sweater" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4851928386_f92e3c76b1.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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What probably set mine apart was the different techniques I used: the tubular cast ons and bind offs and the grosgrain ribbon on the buttonbands. In June, a woman who used to judge handspinning and fleece selecting at the state fair talked to my fiber guild. She said one year she watched the knitting being judged and the 2 main things that set an item apart were the finishing (weaving in ends, seaming, etc) and different/challenging techniques. <br />
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If you are counting, you might have realized that is 6 projects mentioned and not 7. So what about the 7th, my handspun Tangled Yoke Cardigan? <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4851895526/" title="005-handspun sweater by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="005-handspun sweater" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4851895526_ea43d54fbf.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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I’m very happy :)Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-49292753501533663522010-07-20T19:04:00.002-04:002010-07-20T19:04:10.554-04:00State Fair 2010It’s time again for the desperate rush to finish all of my state fair projects. I’m not sure what happened (I blame registering late at night and thinking I can complete more than I did) but I committed myself to 7 different classes (plus 2 classes for the local fair). I entered things in the felt category, handspinning category, and knitting category. <br />
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I have 2 sweaters that I’m submitting. The first is my handspun sweater, the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, spun from a local woman’s CVM sheep. I worked on this sweater for the Knitting Olympics but was a button band away from finishing it when the closing ceremonies happened. I decided to do a grosgrain ribbon backing for the buttonbands. “Why?” you may ask. Well, It’s a great way to put an excellent finishing touch to your sweater. I just like the idea that my buttonband won’t gap and make it look like the sweater is too small! Have you seen the grosgrain ribbon video tutorial put together by the Knitmore Girls? <br />
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The second sweater is the Twist Cardigan. The yarn I am using is Berroco Vintage in a lovely grey. This yarn is a superwash wool/acrylic blend that is knitting up really well. The finished fabric feels really nice. I had major problems with the shoulder seams of this sweater because that is where the cable is so you have the combination of the knit and purl stitches. None of my seaming attempts looked very good. Oh, well, running out of time so it is what it is! <br />
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Another thing that has been giving me trouble is the bind off edges. I did a tubular cast on and bind off on each edge. I got the tutorial for the cast on edge from Ysolda Teague’s website. It was super easy and I’ll definitely be doing it again in the future. The bind off isn’t strictly called a tubular bind off but an invisible bind off from Interweave Knits, Fall 2008. It is like doing a really long Kitchener Stitch. The finished look is nice but it felt like it took forever to do.<br />
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Mom helped me on Sunday by sewing the grosgrain ribbon onto the Twist and attaching the buttons. She sewed the grosgrain ribbon on in half the time it took me to do the same thing. She’s definitely better at handsewing! <br />
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The next project I’m entering is for the knitted accessories category. It is a multidirectional scarf out of Noro Silk Garden Sock that I knit back in 2009. The Silk Garden makes a nice looking scarf but I don’t think I would like it as socks. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/3983023165/" title="IMG_4753 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4753" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2609/3983023165_fd434d43dd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Old picture of scarf<br />
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I was torn between adding a fringe or not to the scarf. Finally, I decided that it doesn’t look finished without a fringe. So I added a 3 inch fringe to each edge with a color change on each side. <br />
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What else is left? Oh, yeah, a lace shawl. I have one shawl, a Swallowtail Shawl, finished for one friend (it was a tinsy bit late for her wedding). I let my friend know that she would be getting the shawl after the fair was over. It is knit from a cone of silk yarn that I picked up at Maryland Sheep and Wool in 2008. Originally, this yarn was supposed to be another stole but I ran out with a foot of knitting left to do. I frogged that and started a Swallowtail instead. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4799589699/" title="Swallowtail by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="Swallowtail" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4799589699_ed1ce80002.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I also entered a pair of mittens into the felted knitted item category. You should be amazed that I could actually find these mittens because I felted them back in November. I’ve loved the look of this mitten pattern since I saw them at least 3 (or more) years ago. This is the second pair I have made with this pattern. This second attempt turned out much better because I used the correct weight of yarn (it’s amazing the difference between chunky and worsted!). This pair is made out of a dark blue Cascade 220 tweed. They felted down to the perfect size and I’ll definitely be using them this winter! <br />
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I almost forgot to talk about my handspun skein entries! My first handspun skein is the Red Berries yarn I finished back in March. The 6 oz of wool came from SOAR 2009 and I’m pretty impressed that it was spun up so quickly. Usually it languishes a lot longer. It is a 3-ply fingering weight that I’m planning to knit up into socks whenever it get around to it. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4775130107/" title="mosaicc0f3f5c824c7798330c2d37372364568a7b29347 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="red berries" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4775130107_14e8723573.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The other yarn is from a 100% silk bump that I bought at this year’s Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It is 2 ounces of beautiful purple silk. I started spinning it first on one of the trindles I bought this year but then finished spinning the singles and plying on the wheel. The finished yarn is a nice 2-ply heavy laceweight. The yarn has a tiny bit of barberpoling (light and dark color spiraling together) but I like the way it looks overall. <br />
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You might be wondering why, when I took that photography class, there aren’t pictures of every finished entry. The reason for that is I turned everything in at 4:30pm and the submission deadline was 5pm. There wasn’t much time for taking pictures in there! I’ll take pictures of everything in the display cases at the fair.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-25264029396052032412010-06-22T21:26:00.011-04:002010-06-23T00:12:58.510-04:00Photographing Your Fiber with Franklin HabitI took a photography class with Franklin Habit on Friday at Knitter’s Connection and learned TONS. The first and foremost is that the user manual to your camera is a useful tool! Who knew you could learn so much looking at the manual? <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4713795769/" title="close up of spinning by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="close up of spinning" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4713795769_6ffb6b4530.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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First, Franklin explained basics about cameras, how they take pictures, and some basics about color. Color is especially important to all of us because we all want to show off the yarns we’ve used and their true color. If you take a picture under florescent lights, for example, your photo is going to have a greenish cast to it. If your picture was taken in a wall with bright blue walls, the light is going to reflect off of the walls and give your picture a blu-ish cast. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4713796365/" title="multi-directional scarf by bookworm knitting, on
Flickr"><img alt="multi-directional scarf" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4713796365_b75de7ab25.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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One really great feature on your camera is the white balance feature. That means, even if you are in a greenish light and use the white balance, you can still get a decent picture. On my camera, you have to go to the white balance setting, picture of a piece of white paper (I used the back page of my camera’s manual) so the camera knows what is white in that light, and take your newly white balanced photo. This picture was taken next to the window in the lobby area without white balancing anything. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4713796193/" title="spinning without white balance by bookworm knitting, on
Flickr"><img alt="spinning without white balance" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4713796193_01d8f0d84c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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This one was. See the difference? I’m definitely seeing this setting being used frequently in the future! <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4714436680/" title="spinning with white balance by bookworm knitting, on
Flickr"><img alt="spinning with white balance" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4714436680_8d3f49154b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Next, Franklin showed us how to construct a simple light box. His suggestion, if you want to build one yourself, was to google for directions because there are so many good ones out there. In the future, I’m definitely going to make one. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4713796713/" title="light box by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="light box" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4713796713_839d3607f8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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In the light box, you can control exactly how much light is falling on your project. If you want only one side illuminated to really pick up the stitch definition, you can make that happen without having to wait for the sun to move. You can also have light illuminating both sides of your project so one side of your sweater isn’t entirely in darkness and the other lit up. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4714437844/" title="look at that seed stitch! by bookworm knitting, on
Flickr"><img alt="look at that seed stitch! " height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4714437844_ee0e4251ee.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Classmate's sweater </span><br />
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Another feature of the camera we were playing with is the aperture or lens opening of the camera and depth of field. The term “depth of field” refers to how much of the picture is in focus. You can use the depth of field to your advantage by highlighting only a small portion and blurring the fore- and backgrounds of the photo. Such a picture is said to have a “shallow depth of field.” This is especially good if you want to show off something like a button band but not the sweater as a whole. If you want the sweater as a whole, you would use a deep focus depth of field. (clear as mud yet?) <br />
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You can adjust the depth of field in your photo by adjusting the aperture diameter of your camera. The aperture diameter is measured like this: f2.8, f5, f16, etc. It’s a little counter-intuitive (a little?!) but the smaller the number (f2.8), the bigger lens opening is and you will have a shallower depth of field. So if you wanted everything in the photo in focus, you would use f16. You will have to check out your camera’s manual to see what all you can and can’t do with your camera. It’s just amazing to me that my “point and shoot” camera can have such advanced tools at its disposal. <br />
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I found what Franklin said about lace to be really interesting. He told us that lace is especially hard to photograph because it needs motion to make it look beautiful. Now, I don’t mean it has to be swirling in the air while you are taking the picture. Rather, it shouldn’t be laying there flat on the table without any shadows, folds, drape, etc. It needs those shadows to give it depth. Without the depth, your lace will look dead or drab so you should either hang it off of something or prop it up to create shadows. You can also use the aperture settings to enhance certain motifs of the lace while having the rest of the project out of focus. That will cause the eye to be drawn to the motif. As you can tell, I had a lot of fun with my lace shawl! <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4714437260/" title="shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="shawl" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4714437260_71c95e8483_b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4714438224/" title="shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="shawl" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4714438224_629f1aaa4b_b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4714437654/" title="close up of beads by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="close up of beads" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4714437654_f5a26bbddd_b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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One of the things about photography that Franklin stressed was everything takes time and practice. He compared photography with learning how to knit socks. If you only pick up your socks every 2 months and knit a couple of rows, you aren’t going to learn how to do socks. He stressed that you should practice your photography skills and expect to take time with your photo shoots. If you point and click your photo, it will look like a point and click! You might have to take tons of pictures to get that one perfect one. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4713797299/" title="knitting needle bracelets by bookworm knitting, on
Flickr"><img alt="knitting needle bracelets " height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4713797299_b44189c20e.jpg" width="500" /></a>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-37139271292267177212010-06-17T21:30:00.015-04:002010-06-22T19:16:24.712-04:00Our Knitting Heritage Perpetuated by Franklin HabitI went to the lecture about knitting history last night at the Knitter’s Connection. The introductory powerpoint slide said, “Our Knitting Heritage Perpetuated by Franklin Habit.” The talk was very interesting and I learned lots about the first knitting patterns (boy, am I glad I live now!), knitting needle gauges, proprietary needle technology, the Martha Stewart of the Victorian age, and terminology. I’ll give you a quick rundown and recommend that, if you ever have a chance, listen to Franklin talk about this subject (well, any subject really!). <br />
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First, did you know knitting patterns are relatively late to the game? Before the first patterns were published in the Victorian age, patterns passed directly from knitter to knitter. Or, if you wanted to remember how a lace stitch went, you created a lace sampler. You would cast on however many stitches would make a nice pattern repeat, knit your lace pattern, knit a couple of rows of garter stitch, maybe increase some or decrease some, do another lace pattern, knit a couple of rows of garter, do another, etc, etc. Nancy Bush showed us a similar strip of knitting when I went to her Estonian lace class. It was an easy way for knitters to share their designs with other knitters. <br />
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Franklin compared modern lace patterns to the original lace patterns by showing us a picture from Nancy Bush’s book and one of the first pattern books. Now, you all know what lace charts look like. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmRdEULLJJStI7SUOHknDEtKPv2U47ur33OngoehB1sczBg3ydOXp-n0MnKPkGnQjEociKdAYAYZSDfsvwZzfrRV6ljlpFDGOAZw1x-8aRYRtuWRmbN8YtzO4388KKs4Wvy9hXw/s1600/edging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmRdEULLJJStI7SUOHknDEtKPv2U47ur33OngoehB1sczBg3ydOXp-n0MnKPkGnQjEociKdAYAYZSDfsvwZzfrRV6ljlpFDGOAZw1x-8aRYRtuWRmbN8YtzO4388KKs4Wvy9hXw/s320/edging.jpg" /></a><br />
Lace Edging of Mlle. R de B, Franklin Habit, <a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEss10/FEATss10SIT.php">http://knitty.com/ISSUEss10/FEATss10SIT.php</a><br />
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Makes sense, right? The original lace pattern he showed us, however, was a solid page of text with two columns and minuscule font. Can you imagine?! And he told us that, at the very bottom of the page, was a horrendous mistake. UGH. <br />
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Not only are our knitting patterns formatted differently, but our terminology is different, too! As Franklin wrote in his “Stitches in Time” article in Knitty ‘08: <br />
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<blockquote>At first glance, these early books appear to the modern knitter as an invitation to headache and madness. The vocabulary is archaic; what we call a “purl” may be called a “pearl,” a “turn” or a “seam,” even within the same pattern. The “recipes” are often written in a stream-of-consciousness style that anticipates James Joyce. The errors – even in works that promise on the title page to be scrupulously accurate – are legion. <br />
Franklin Habit, Knitty ‘08 <a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall08/FEATfall08SIT.html%20">http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall08/FEATfall08SIT.html </a></blockquote><br />
He said sometimes pattern writers wouldn’t even use the same terminology in the same sentence much less the same pattern!<br />
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Along with not using the same terms, needles sizes were not standardized. They were the proprietary software of their day. One woman put out the first needle gauge (and was the first to talk about knitting gauge) but of course the only needles that worked were ones that she sold. Can you even imagine how that could drive you crazy? The early knitters were made of much stronger stuff than I am! <br />
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The Martha Stewart of her generation was a woman who published something like 19 books in 3 years (I didn’t write down the exact numbers but it was a crazy amount in a very short period of time). She claimed to have invented crochet. Whether or not that is true is something crochet historians will have to duke out! <br />
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It was a very interesting lecture though I only gave it a brief mention here. Next time, I swear, I’m going to bring a working camera and/or a cell phone that actually has its memory card in it. I always find it so interesting to listen to famous bloggers talk. It’s fun to put an actual voice to the words rather than the voice you picture in your mind!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-10303269433600925772010-06-11T09:51:00.001-04:002010-06-11T09:51:54.589-04:00Really sadIs it really sad that I had forgotten that I signed up for a lecture and class at Knitter's Connection next week? I'm attending Franklin Habit's lecture called "Our Knitting Heritage" on Wednesday evening. Then I'm taking his photography class. I had volunteered to be a teacher's pet if they needed one and I got an email yesterday saying they wanted me. This should be really fun! I definitely need to get a working camera and NOT my camera phone. You know what that means, better pictures for the blog! Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-15139541957543531442010-05-25T10:00:00.000-04:002010-05-25T10:00:03.200-04:00What I've been doingLong time, no blog post! This spring has really gotten away from me. I feel like the entire month of April really didn't happen. Would you like to know what I've been doing recently? Well, it has been a whole bunch of things but very little knitting. <br />
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When I say very little knitting, I really mean very little knitting. Amazingly, I've only had one project on the go for the last month or so. It is the wedding shawl for my friend (Oh, what did you say? Her wedding was last weekend? Ooops). I had a slight problem with the original yarn/pattern combination. When I say problem, I mean ran out of yarn about a foot and a half too short. So the stole (which was lovely if only I had had more yarn) was frogged and I started a Swallowtail shawl with the yarn instead. I got through the bud pattern of the main portion of the triangular shawl and just had the nupps, bind off and blocking left to do. This past weekend, the almost complete shawl came to the wedding but the pattern didn't. Again, oops. I'll be sending the shawl to her later. <br />
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So if I haven't been knitting, what have I been doing? Spinning, thinking about spinning, processing fiber, and drop spindling. Some of you might think that spinning and drop spindling are the same thing (and they are) but I have projects going on the wheel and multiple drop spindles so that counts as two things. On the wheel, I've been going through some Polwarth fiber I got at SOAR last fall. Now, I really like the softness of this fiber and I would spin it again in a heartbeat. (You are sensing a BUT here, right?) BUT I think I would want buy it raw and process it myself because this fiber has nepps and second cuts all over. It's <b>really</b> frustrating to be spinning and then have little bumps in your knitting. Sure, you can pull them out but I can't spin a foot of yarn without having to stop and do that. I've gotten through 6 ounces of the 1.5 pounds so far but it is taking me much longer to do because I keep stopping and pulling out the nepps. It would be really nice to have it all done by the end of the month but I know that isn't going to be happening! <br />
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On the fiber processing front, I'm working on a small Cormo (I LOVE THIS FIBER!!!!!!!!!) fleece that I bought at Maryland. The fleece was coated and it was skirted well so there is very little VM. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">(picture of Lily and cormo fleece)</span><br />
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Because cormo is a fine wool that will felt if you look at it funny, I decided to wash it in lock formation in lingerie bags with tulle separating the layers. I also wanted to preserve the lock formation because I'm going to be combing this fiber. So far I've only washed and combed a couple of ounces and am hoping to do more tonight and tomorrow. <br />
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On the drop spindle front, somehow in the past couple of months, my spindle stash has grown by 3 spindles. That brings the total to *mumble, mumble, kind of a lot, mumble, big number, mumble* One of the spindles came from the Spinning Loft in MI. Beth has some really lovely spinning tools available. Back in 2009, during the Tour de Fleece, one of the prizes offered was a resin spindle with 4-leaf clovers in the resin. I absolutely love 4-leaf clovers because they are so easy for me to find. My mother and I both can walk across a patch of grass and find one. That spindle called to me but the maker of it lived in England and the shipping made me think twice. I regularly googled "4-leaf clover drop spindle" to see what things might come up. Imagine my surprise when I saw one for sale at the Spinning Loft! It was instantly added to my shopping cart and a couple of days later, I found some fiber in the stash and started spinning. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">(spindle and fiber)</span><br />
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The fiber is a silk blend with possibly wool, camel, or yak. I didn't write what the combination was because obviously I would remember it. Ha. <br />
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The next 2 spindles came back home with me from Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Both of the spindles are trindles, those funky looking spindles with 3 arms and beads at the ends of the arms. If you haven't seen one before, they are for sale on etsy and there is a picture of one in <i>Respect the Spindle</i>. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">(picture of the trindles) </span><br />
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I bought the trindle with the square beads on Saturday then wandered the festival to find the perfect roving to spin. I ended up finding a 100% silk roving at Carolina Homespun in a beautiful dark purple. The trindle is really light and spins so long that the resulting single is like a cobweb. <br />
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After I went back to my friend's place, I kept thinking about the other trindles. Lust might have been the right word, actually. I went back on Sunday morning and bought the one with the round beads and fiber from the same shop. The roving is a delightful 100% BFL and definitely falls in my blue/green palette. Right now, this spindle is my "around town" spinning project. <br />
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What else have I been doing? Sewing up a (temporary) storm. One weekend, it was all sewing, all of the time. I sewed up a dress (without the zipper), half of a dress, a bodice, and a bolero (didn't finish the sleeves yet). I hate to say it but then those projects came to a screeching halt. Thankfully, mom helped out with putting the invisible zipper in the one dress so that is finished. What is needed for everything else is a spurt of finishitis (aka feeling of "must finish everything in sight!"). I did finish up a couple of small projects from scrap fabric. Have you seen those neck ties that you soak in water and tie around your neck? It is a great way to keep cool in the summer so I made a bunch out of scraps. I'm hoping to use them while riding. <br />
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Speaking of riding, a new horse came to the barn. His name is Loxley like Robin of Loxley. This guy is a 17.2hh (!!) bay Warmblood. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603437335/" title="p_00357 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="p_00357" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4603437335_17632a60e0_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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For those of you who don't know horses, a hand is 4 inches and 17.2 hh means he is 70" tall at the top of his shoulder (the withers). I am 5'3" which converts to 63" so that means the top of this horse's withers are 7" taller than I am. My horse, Java, is 15.2 hh and looks like a very small horse next to Loxley. Jazz, one of the other horses at the barn, is 15 hh and looks like a tiny, petite, little pony next to him. Of course, she is absolutely in love with him. She goes for the taller guys! Whenever you add a new horse to a herd, reshuffling happens with everyone's rank in the herd. The first week, the head mare, Cali, (16.3 hh) hated Loxley's guts and wouldn't let him anywhere near her herd. This week, however, she is in heat and likes any and all guys. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4628776057/" title="p_00381 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="p_00381" height="180" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4628776057_d7401aa180_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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The poor guy is just confused by the whole thing and Java is sulking in the corner because his woman is no longer paying attention to him. I think all of the reshuffling might be over and my horse is back to his normal #2 position because he was acting very possessive of his woman. Ah, the drama. It's like high school all over again. <br />
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Speaking of horses, I've started taking individual lessons again at the riding stable down the road. My horse is getting older and I've ridden him for so long that I feel like I'm losing some skills. It's funny how we all settle into ruts. Riding the lesson horses is a really good because they are so different from each other. Hopefully I'll be riding Loxley regularly so having experience riding other horses is a good thing. My work schedule has settled into a routine so I'm able to take the lessons either on Tuesday or Thursday mornings and then go right to work. So far it has been working really well. <br />
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Also speaking of the barn, have I ever mentioned that the owner of the barn has a woodworking shop there? He is a fantastic woodworker. Well, I have a tendency to either go on big travel trips or redecorate. I haven't gone anywhere big recently (by big I mean Europe or some other 2 week vacation out of town, not weekend trips) so my redecorating urge is a little insistent right now. What does this have to do with woodworking? I've been wanting a new dresser (and desk and bed) but cannot find the design I'm imagining anywhere in the stores. I can, however, find plans to make what I'm picturing. Do any of you have this happen with your knitting? You can picture the sweater but can't find the pattern? You can probably guess what is going to happen. Yes, I'm going to try to build the dresser. Thankfully, Leon knows what he is doing and teaches well. He isn't convinced about making the bed but I bet I can wear him down.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-936873335732161392010-05-24T18:00:00.001-04:002010-05-24T18:00:03.677-04:00Maryland recap<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603035118/" title="sign by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sign" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/4603035118_cc962e18a9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I had a fantastic time at Maryland Sheep and Wool this year. I drove out and stayed with a friend in Baltimore which isn't too far away from West Friendship, MD. I wasn't able to convince anyone to go with me to the festival (in fact, I got weird looks) but it turned out pretty nice because that meant I could take my time everywhere. Oh, by the way, this blog post is going to be liberally sprinkled with sheep pictures. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602454869/" title="getting ready to show by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="getting ready to show" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1128/4602454869_ce4d23ec32.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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My goals for the festival were:<br />
<ul><li>a sweater's worth of worsted weight wool in black</li>
<li>a spindle</li>
<li>something from Jennie the Potter</li>
<li>a fleece from the wool auction</li>
</ul><br />
I met all of my goals and actually ended up coming home with more than that (big surprise, right?). <br />
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As you've probably heard already, it was HOT. Temperatures were in the upper 80s and the sun was out in full force. I had plenty of sunscreen, a hat and water so I was prepared for the long haul. After waiting in line for a while, I got to the festival and parked at the far ends of the earth. Later in the day, after many people left, I moved the car much closer! <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602414451/" title="p_00263 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="p_00263" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4602414451_e0f08532d1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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My fiber festival strategy is to first walk through every building, looking but not buying. It helps you get a feel of where everything is and to which vendors you want to come back. On the MDSW Ravelry board, I already knew a couple of vendors should be on my radar because they had products I wanted to see in person. Additionally, wandering around everywhere gives you an opportunity to see where the shady spots are and really good food vendors! <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602436819/" title="wool sale by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="wool sale" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1008/4602436819_3ee45b2c87.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Really all of this wandering around was a way for me to wind over to the wool sale, not going to lie. I had a fantastic time digging through all of the different bags of fleece. One goal was to buy a fleece but I hadn't decided what kind yet. In the past, I've tended to like dark fleeces in blacks, browns, and dark grays. This time I thought I would get either a white or light gray fleece but hadn't decided which breed. OK, that might be a slight lie. I really wanted a fine wool and the cormo just called my name. I spent lots of time choosing between a small white cormo and a light gray cormo blend. In the end, I went with the 100% cormo. Now I know why people have been raving over cormo. I washed up a little last week and started combing it. Love at first lock! <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603055078/" title="p_00310 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="p_00310" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1220/4603055078_c6c1c02cd4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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After buying my fleece, I was wandering back towards the car because I didn't want to cart my fleece around all day. As I was passing the official festival swag building, I noticed that the line wasn't long at all. The festival doesn't have an entry fee and is almost entirely funded by the sales of the official festival gear (well, that and vendor fees). At my first MDSW, I decided that I didn't need any more t-shirts and really liked the idea of getting a bag instead. That year I got a tote bag and this year I got a shoulder bag in a nice blue. <br />
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Another advantage of going to the car was that the Podcaster Meet and Greet was being held near the main entrance. A whole bunch of my favorite podcasters were going to be hanging out meeting people and I wanted to get in line to say "hi." <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603029890/" title="Podcaster meet and greet by bookworm knitting, on
Flickr"><img alt="Podcaster meet and greet" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4603029890_7f7c9e6ffd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The Meet and Greet started a little late but everyone seemed to have fun chatting in line. The goodie bag that Jackie of KIPing it Real was fantastic! It was really nice to put faces to the voices. Some people looked very different than how I had imagined. <br />
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At the car, I took the opportunity to have a snack, apply even more sunscreen, and move my car to a closer parking spot. It was so hot by that point that many people had gone home. It was a really easy way to get a good parking spot. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602420935/" title="auction by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="auction" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3405/4602420935_1884028736.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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When I went back to the festival, I decided to wander over to the auction. I didn't bid on anything but it was a lot of fun to watch. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603036300/" title="auction by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="auction" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4603036300_d10a05610e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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By this point, it was very, very hot and I thought that going inside a building with cement floors and shade was a very good idea. The skein and garment competition is not something to miss. The amazing projects and skill levels demonstrated was simply amazing. One of my favorite projects had to be this needle felted sheep. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603038272/" title="felted sheep by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="felted sheep" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1087/4603038272_21329643d5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602425641/" title="skein competition by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="skein competition" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/4602425641_6de7c61703.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603042080/" title="artwork by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="artwork" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1283/4603042080_4c231d0957.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603039596/" title="shawls by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="shawls" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1122/4603039596_98ef4b4a5c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602428495/" title="knitted dress by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="knitted dress" height="500" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/4602428495_c9c9b08546.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603043562/" title="anne hanson shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="anne hanson shawl" height="500" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1070/4603043562_a46e1978de.jpg" width="375" /></a><br />
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After wandering around the skein and garment competition building in awe for a while, I stopped by the boy scout food building and got lunch to go. Yum, lamb burger and a GIANT ice tea. Let me tell you, I loved that big glass of ice and tea. It was just about time for a sheepdog demonstration so I took my lunch and wandered down to the arena. It's always fun watching the dogs work. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602434849/" title="sheepdogs by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheepdogs" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3547/4602434849_6e9f998d93.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I think my favorite part of the demonstration was the farmer who has been demonstrating with his dogs for over 15 years. He was the owner of the sheep, too, and they kept trying to run back to him. He looked like a very old school type of farmer but I saw him pet one of the sheep on the head when they were all clustered around him. <br />
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Because I was at the very end of the fairgrounds and the day was starting to get late, I made my way back through all of the vendors. It had cleared out a lot since the morning because so many people had left for the day. I ended up doing the bulk of my shopping then and then went back to Baltimore for the night. <br />
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The next morning, I hadn't planned on going back to the festival but woke up at an obscene hour of the morning and had nothing to do for a long time. There was a spindle that was really tempting and the sheep to shawl competition was going on so I went back for a couple of hours. For those of you who don't know, the sheep to shawl competition is where a team of spinners and a weaver take a freshly shorn fleece (so fresh they shear the sheep right there), spin the yarn and weave a shawl in a couple of hours. Here are a couple of the different teams. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602448081/" title="sheep to shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheep to shawl" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/4602448081_c266857ffe.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603067268/" title="sheep to shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheep to shawl" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/4603067268_f8a50f2ecd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603063574/" title="sheep to shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheep to shawl" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/4603063574_f04749e7f1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603065292/" title="sheep to shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheep to shawl" height="375" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4603065292_1450d0fbde.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603062930/" title="sheep to shawl by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheep to shawl" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1186/4603062930_188a692ef3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Every team has a different theme which makes things very fun. As you can tell, the team in those first two pictures chose a Harley Davidson theme! The teams do a mock-up of their shawl beforehand and have their warp already strung before the competition. I wish I knew who won the competition. <br />
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On Sunday, was able to watch more of the sheep show. Listening to the judges is always so informative and I feel like I always learn something new. One of the judges is especially good with explaining the breed standards and how the different sheep in the class come up to that standard. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4602419679/" title="sheep show by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheep show" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1215/4602419679_32de67f655.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603068502/" title="sheep show by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="sheep show" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1419/4603068502_ca00796991.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The last thing that I did before leaving the show was watching an impromptu shearing demonstration. A shearer set-up shop between two of the barns and was shearing those sheep that had full fleeces for the show. Once they are shown, their fleeces can be removed so they don't die of heatstroke in the summer. The different owners were offering the fleeces for sale there on the spot. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4603072322/" title="shearing by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="shearing" height="375" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1424/4603072322_6e69881d32.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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So you are probably wondering, what did you get already?! I got:<br />
<ul><li>1 Cormo fleece</li>
<li>2 trindles (funky looking spindles)</li>
<li>6 round clay buttons with sheep on them</li>
<li>multiple snarky buttons</li>
<li>1 MDSW shoulder bag</li>
<li>1 4 oz bump of BFL top</li>
<li>1 2 oz bump of 100% silk </li>
<li>1 mug from Jennie the Potter with cute sheep dancing all over them</li>
<li>2 skeins of Miss Bab's Yowza Whatta Skein in Obsidian (a semi-solid black) </li>
<li>2 tubes of the best hand lotion EVER - Marcha Labs Wool Wax Creme</li>
</ul>The silk and BFL are already on the spindles (of course!) and the mug has already gone to work to be my tea mug. All in all, I had a very good festival! Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-29934543952291726452010-04-27T19:17:00.001-04:002010-04-27T19:17:42.399-04:00I've lost itNormally when I say, "I've lost it," I'm referring to something like biting off more than I can chew. This time, however, "it" means my knitting mojo. I have a confession. I haven't knit anything major in a couple of weeks now. <br /><br />All of my projects have been conspiring against me. Either I messed up something on the pattern or I've run out of yarn and that makes me not want to knit. I'm working on a shawl for my friend's wedding but it definitely was going to be too short. According to the pattern, I should have had enough yarn but I didn't. I think everything combined meant I didn't want to knit. So I frogged that shawl and started another pattern. Let's hope it makes me want to knit again. <br /><br />I'm listening to a lot of knitting podcasts to get me out of this slump and it seems to be working a little bit. Thanks, Knitmore Girls! <br /><br />Another thing that will make me want to knit again is Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend. Yes, I'm going to Maryland! How is it the beginning of May already?! I'm getting ready with my list of things to find and am excited! Are any of you going to Maryland? Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-24894966070954457042010-04-04T13:13:00.002-04:002010-04-04T13:13:09.597-04:00SeamingCan someone remind me why I thought practicing seaming would be a good thing? Arrrgh. Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-25523921479650677952010-03-27T14:40:00.001-04:002010-03-27T14:40:30.382-04:00Fickle knitterI've said before that I have knitting ADD. I'll be in the middle of a project and then will suddenly switch to another. Usually I'll switch to something new just as I'm coming to the end of the project. Does anyone else do this? Just get bored of what you are working on and have to start something new? You're starting to get the idea that I'm going to be talking about a completely different project aren't you? And you would be correct! <br /><br />I'm a buttonband away from being finished with my Handspun Tangled Yoke Cardigan. The project that distracted me from the HTYC was the Corrie Vest, a fair isle vest kit from KnitPicks. Well, I've gotten distracted from that. I'm at the shoulders of the vest and only have to steek it, knit the neckband and the armholes. So isn't that the perfect time to start another big project? <br /><br />I've started on <a href="http://chicknits.com/catalog/twist.html">Twist</a>, a lovely cabled cardigan knit in pieces. Normally I hate seaming pieces together but I wanted to start this cardigan immediately without having to think about converting it to the round. Also, this way I get to practice seaming and will get better at it. Remind me of that as I'm cursing at the seams! <br /><br />The yarn is Berroco Vintage in a lovely gray. I've never used this yarn before but have definitely fallen in love with it. Comparable to Cascade 220, it has a nice feel to the knit fabric and has a really good price. I also like the way that the cables look. (Of course I'm telling you all about how it looks but not giving you a picture. Sorry!) It's really surprising how nice this 50% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 10% Nylon blend is. I can see myself using more in the future. <br /><br />I started the back on March 20th and finished it in a couple of days. For some reason (I swear there was a reason but I don't remember it) I started the sleeves next instead of the fronts. I've finished with the increases and will be done with them pretty quickly. <br /><br />An interesting technique I've learned with this sweater is a tubular cast on for a 2x2 rib. For a good photo tutorial, Ysolda has <a href-"http://ysolda.com/support/pictorial-guides/double-rib-tubular-cast-on/">excellent instructions</a>. When you read the directions, it amazes you that everything works. I used <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html">Judy's Magic Cast On</a> instead of a provisional cast on for the technique. It really makes an interesting edge for the sweater. The only thing is that I haven't seamed it yet so I don't know how well that will go with the tubular cast on. <br /><br />This sweater is going to be one of the pieces I enter into our state fair. It definitely won't be finished in time for me to wear it this spring. Though we had snow yesterday so you never know. I never thought of myself as a sweater knitter but that is all that I have done recently! I really need to get in gear and start (and finish!) a wedding shawl for my friend. She is getting married in May but I haven't even picked a pattern yet. Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-40255055631252957982010-03-16T11:19:00.003-04:002010-03-16T11:22:09.416-04:00Another FOI keep calling this sweater my Featherlight Cardigan even though the designer named it Featherweight. I think it is because there is a horse trailer company called Featherlight. Anyway, let me sing the praises of this sweater and the yarn (mmmmalabrigo). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/3492468222/" title="Malabrigo by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="Malabrigo" height="150" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3555/3492468222_60acc6ef54_b.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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I started the sweater last May (really, Ravelry? you aren't just making that date up?) but then put it down for a couple of months. I don't have a good reason for not finishing it much sooner. I love the yarn and the pattern is really easy to follow. I just got distracted by other things. Oh, well. I picked it up again right before Thanksgiving (an easy project to work on in the bar) and finished the body. Unfortunately, I put it down again and didn't pick it up for another month. I finished the second half of the second sleeve and then put it down again. Finally, last week, I sat down, made myself pick up stitches for the collar and worked on it. Isn't it amazing how things get finished if you actually work on them? <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4437711873/" title="IMG_4842 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4842" height="150" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4437711873_b703209b8e_b.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Yarn: 3 skeins of Malabrigo lace, Emerald <br />
Pattern: <a href="http://knitbot.com/2009/04/13/featherweight-cardigan-now-available/" id="xshh" title="Featherweight Cardigan">Featherweight Cardigan</a> by Hannah Fettig<br />
Dates: May 2009 to March 14, 2010<br />
Modifications: First, I decided that I didn't want a cropped cardigan. It's not really my style and my waist would probably be cold. The pattern originally called for 9 inches but I knit for 13 inches, instead. My next change was to make a 2 inch seed stitch bottom edge rather than a 1x1 rib for 2 inches and my collar is in seed stitch, too. I had seen someone on ravelry did the collar and lower edge in seed stitch and I really liked the way it looked. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4437706757/" title="IMG_4845 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4845" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2690/4437706757_52830d11a9_b.jpg" width="285" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The pictures on blogger are driving me nuts. Click on the picture to see my flickr page and see the actual color of the sweater. </span><br />
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This yarn feels fantastic. I can understand why so many people adore it because it is just so soft. But I have a feeling that the yarn will pill and probably felt like crazy. That is, however, a small price to pay for how soft, light and warm this cardigan is. It really is as light as a sweater. I'll just have to treat the sweater kindly.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-52100122502625454502010-03-10T08:10:00.000-05:002010-03-10T08:10:59.453-05:00Quick FOThanks for the well-wishes, guys! I'm feeling a bit more human but still really tired. I haven't felt brave enough to pick up the button band on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan yet because my counting ability is still shaky. But I decided to finally work on some projects that have been hanging around for a while now. I actually finished one! (some of the pictures are going to be rotated but right now i can't figure out how to switch them around. sorry!) <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4422424650/" title="p_00106 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="p_00106" height="200" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4422424650_bde0e39017_o.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
This is a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern called <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/neck-down-pullover-tunic---women-9726">Neck Down Pullover Tunic - Women #9726</a>. Thrilling name, huh :) I had seen another person's finished sweater a couple of months ago and liked the comfy look of it. I used O-Wool Balance, a cotton/wool blend, which adds to the comfy-ness. <br />
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This sweater should not have taken me so long to finish! In the first week, I had everything but half of a sleeve finished. From there it took me 1 month to sit down and finish the sleeve. Then it took me another month to sit down and finish the collar. Oh, well. At least it is finished in enough time to wear it during the appropriate weather. In fact, I'm going to wear the sweater today even though it is supposed to be in the 60s today. <br />
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Details: O-Wool Balance, 8.25 skeins<br />
US 6 and US 4 needles<br />
Started January 17, 2010- finished March 9, 2010 (this should NOT have taken me this long to do!)<br />
I knit the sweater with a couple of inches of positive ease for the comfy-ness factor. <br />
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Modifications:<br />
I did change a couple of things with the pattern. The bottom of the tunic has garter stitch at the edge. The sleeves and the neck, however, are 2x2 ribbing. So I decided to lengthen the sleeves a little bit and to finish them with garter stitch instead of the ribbing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4422425108/" title="p_00107 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="p_00107" height="200" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4422425108_dd199976c4_o.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
The other change that I made was the ribbing of the v-neck. I feel like the only place the pattern had a fail was at its neck directions. It was a pretty good pattern for beginners (or people who want a mental break) but the neck was really funny. It had you pick up the stitches at the collar, knit the ribbing for 3/4 inch flat (not in the round) then lay the two ends of the ribbing over each other and sew it down. Wha? Instead, I picked up the stitches and knit a couple of rounds of garter stitch, doing a centered double decrease. I think it looks much better than what the directions were having you do.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookwormknitting/4422425554/" title="p_00108 by bookworm knitting, on Flickr"><img alt="p_00108" height="200" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4422425554_19087c51f1_o.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-10097707918172507392010-03-09T12:25:00.000-05:002010-03-09T12:25:29.309-05:00sick<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">H</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">ow to know when you are sick: you can't do a mostly stockinette sock (in my defense, it was Skew from Knitty) but for some reason can do charted fair isle. Can someone tell me how that makes sense? I've been down with a lovely cough and fatigue since last Wednesday evening. The Tangled Yoke Cardigan has been languishing since the closing ceremonies and now I don't have the mental capacity to do the button band. But for some reason I'm able to work on the Corrie Fair Isle Vest from knitpicks. Well, I am able to when I'm awake. </span></span>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-82770483956997393192010-03-02T11:05:00.000-05:002010-03-02T11:05:22.460-05:00red berriesI got this roving at SOAR 09. It reminded me of a bunch of berries, so bright and cheerful. It is also completely outside of my color norm! Normally I'm drawn to blues, greens, and purples but this red caught my attention in the whole wall of color. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/4089309651_bf2d69e87e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/4089309651_bf2d69e87e_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
After spinning all of the yarn for my Tangled Yoke Cardigan, I wanted to spin something with lots of color. This roving definitely fit the bill. I also wanted to spin up a 3-ply fingering weight yarn. I divided the 6 oz of roving into three 2 oz amounts. Before the Olympics started, I spun up approximately 4-4.5 oz and had started on the third 2 oz bump. Knitting my Tangled Yoke Cardigan took priority but I still tried to spin for a little while a couple of times a week. I finished spinning the last of the 6 oz on Saturday and let all of the singles rest. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4350896179_d310ae68ea_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4350896179_d310ae68ea_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
On Sunday, after the closing ceremonies, I started plying. Yesterday, I was leading a book group so I went into work for the evening shift. That meant all morning I was reading the book and plying. After work last night, I finished plying, set the yarn and hung it up to dry in front of the woodburning stove. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4400852035_1b69cbee1e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4400852035_1b69cbee1e_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Details: 488 yards, 100% wool (of course I didn't write the breed down)<br />
3-ply yarn spun using a worsted technique. <br />
Started spinning mid-January, finished 3/1/10.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-76443957096765600552010-02-28T10:34:00.002-05:002010-02-28T10:34:30.954-05:00steek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4393399745_4faf3e4fb6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2712/4393399745_4faf3e4fb6_o.jpg" width="240" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steeking with obligatory cat </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-10943392790485249012010-02-25T09:24:00.001-05:002010-02-28T10:37:55.635-05:00I learned last night that a member of my knitting and spinning groups is losing her 12 year battle with breast cancer. Yesterday, her doctor told Gretchen and her family that there is nothing left that they can do and she should go into hospice care immediately. Gretchen was the person who encouraged me to take the learn to spin class and lent me one of her wheels to use. She has always been a caring and supportive person. She taught numerous classes at our LYS and always devoted time to help other people. Gretchen is only in her early 50s. It isn't right that someone so young has to go through this.<br />
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ETA: Gretchen passed away on Friday morning at home with her family. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her. Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-42746530632549155832010-02-22T17:45:00.002-05:002010-02-22T17:45:00.186-05:00Olympics, day 10I've gotten to the point on my Handspun Tangled Yoke Cardigan where I'm ready to start the cabled yoke! <br />
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I cannot believe this sweater has gone this fast. It's gone fast even with me taking a couple of nights off after finishing the main part of the body. I didn't want to strain my wrists or hands too much so I decided not knitting for a couple of nights was the best plan. <br />
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The sleeves gave me a little bit of trouble as you can tell from my last post. I knit on them for a number of days but they never seemed to grow past my elbows. Finally on Saturday, I made my way out of the black hole of knitting and started making progress on them. Yesterday, I reached my desired length (slightly longer than the pattern calls for) and was able to join them to the body. Dad and I went to a Civil War lecture and I was able to knit my way through it. As a side note, I didn't know that there was a Civil War prison complex on Lake Erie. The speaker told us about the archeological digs he has been doing there for the last 20 years and shared stories of some of the different prisoners. It was very interesting and had the added bonus of me being able to knit through it. <br />
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Last night, I knit a little bit too far and had to tink back a couple of rows. I'm at the point where I start decreasing and doing the set-up row for the cable section. A friend and I are planning to go shopping in Columbus this evening so I'm probably not going to make too much progress tonight. I'm hoping to at least start the cabled section. It should go pretty fast just because I love doing cables so much.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-55280671013700956302010-02-19T22:31:00.002-05:002010-02-19T22:31:35.417-05:00Black holeThe sweater sleeves have entered the black hole of UGH. I've been knitting on them for the past couple of days but they haven't grown past my elbow. UGH is all that I have to say.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-9799467719903127452010-02-15T17:11:00.002-05:002010-02-15T17:34:41.248-05:00Olympics, day 4Yay! Winter Olympics! Are you watching and enjoying the games? Going back to work after this long 3-day weekend is going to be hard because I will have to drag myself away from the tv (and the knitting). <br />
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My olympic knitting has been going EXTREMELY well. I mean, so well that it is freaky. On Friday, I cast on for the sleeves of my Handspun Tangled Yoke Cardigan. I completed almost an inch of them before I decided to start on the body of the cardigan. That was Saturday early afternoon and, by today at 4:30 pm, I've reached the point where you join the sleeves to the body! Wow. That's amazing. I think one thing that has helped it knit up so fast is that I decided to knit the cardigan in the round and steek it. For those of you who don't know, steeking is an extremely scary thing where you knit your garment with the intent to cut it open. It is just amazing how quickly this project is going. Now, that will probably jinx everything but I can hold out hope! <br />
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I'm off to work on the sleeves!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-20241286973392317092010-02-15T15:03:00.000-05:002010-02-15T15:03:53.628-05:00Are you ready? attempt #2<span style="font-size: x-small;">** </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">For some reason this didn't post on Friday. I'm trying another attempt so please excuse the time lapse! **</span><br />
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Tonight is the opening ceremony for the winter olympics! Are you ready? I always enjoy watching the winter olympics more than the summer ones (except for all of the horse events, I could watch those all day). All of the winter sports are things I really can't do so watching people who do them really, really well is just fascinating. And, while watching all of these athletes competing, I shall be knitting up a storm!<br />
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I should be all set to go this evening. A couple of days ago, I did a swatch trying different needle sizes. In case you are confused by the purl ridges in the picture, that is where I differentiated between the three different sizes. In order to tell the sizes apart, I purled 6 stitches for a US size 6, 5 for a US 5 and 4 for a US 4. I saw this technique somewhere a couple of years ago and have used it ever since. I tried keeping track on pieces of paper but always lost the paper and then couldn't remember what swatch was done with what yarn. Now the record is always kept with the swatch! For this project, I'm going to be using a US 5 to get gague. <br />
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I'm still debating about converting this sweater into the round and steeking it into a cardigan. I'll do another search of ravelry today to see if people have any suggestions. I could knit it as the directions are written but the thought of purling those long rows isn't really appealing. Sure, I could knit them backward but that takes me a long time, too. When I'm going for speed, knitting in the round is the way to go for me. <br />
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I can't wait to start! Are you participating in the Knitting Olympics or ravelympics? Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-45751920137580261262010-01-28T21:02:00.002-05:002010-01-29T09:58:30.183-05:00Cheese makingA friend from my knitting group and I got together last night to make mozzarella cheese. At the last spinning meeting, another lady brought her current issue of Hobby Farm Home magazine. One of the articles in there was for making 30 minute mozzarella using the microwave. Both of us had talked about making cheese before and that magazine article sealed it. <br />
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Making the cheese was amazingly simple! The most difficult thing about it was finding the rennet (I found it at our local natural food store) and the citric acid. Once Jane researched it, however, she realized that she had some citric acid already in her pantry. Did you know that citric acid also goes by the name Sour Salt? I did not!<br />
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If my science classes in high school did things like making cheese or other cooking things, I think I would have been a lot more interested in science. Seeing the chemical change to the milk after we added the citric acid and then the rennet was simply astounding. It actually made cheese! (I'm still amazed by that as you can tell.) It only took a minute or two to start turning into curds and whey. <br />
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Apparently, we could also make ricotta from the whey. I think that is a project for the future. Neither of us were ready to make it right now. After you separated the curds and the whey (how Little Miss Muffet of us!), you microwave the curds for a couple of seconds. Then you knead the cheese like you would bread. This helps to smooth everything out and distribute the heat evenly. <br />
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On the final microwave, you add your salt to taste and then form the cheese into whichever shape you want. This had to be done pretty quickly because the cheese gets harder to stretch when it cools. We both ended up making them into balls. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cheese ball</span></div><br />
Let me tell you, they didn't stay that way long. We immediately started cutting pieces off while it was still warm. I just can't believe it actually tasted like mozzarella. I know that shouldn't surprise me but it was so simple and had so few ingredients! I know what I'm going to be making a lot of in the future. <br />
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If you want some recipes that are similar to the one we did, try these links. <br />
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* <a href="http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/250/30_Minute_Fresh_Mozzarella_Cheese20107.shtml">30 Minute Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Recipe</a> <br />
* <a href="http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/21.html">Mozzarella Cheese Recipe from cheesemaking.com </a><br />
* the recipe in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver<br />
* the recipe in Hobby Farm Home magazine (I really liked looking through this magazine)<br />
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**eta: corrections on book titleAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02794808630181662539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773144.post-39026607780095947392010-01-27T11:42:00.000-05:002010-01-27T11:42:20.478-05:00Getting ready for the OlympicsSorry for the long hiatus. I really have no good explanation other than my camera died and I've been uninspired in the blogging department. Thanks to the camera death, I bring you pictures from my cell phone. So sorry in advance for the quality! <br />
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I can't believe it is time for the Winter Olympics again! I mean, it feels like it was just last year that the Summer Olympics happened. For knitters, the Winter Olympics means the Knitting Olympics. The point of the Knitting Olympics is to start a project when the torch is lit and finish it by the time the closing ceremonies roll around. Like the athletes, you use the opportunity to challenge yourself and your skills. My challenge is knitting a sweater from my handspun yarn. <br />
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It is wool from a local woman who raises CVM sheep. We grouped together and sent a bunch to be processed into top at a wool mill up in MI. The resulting top is FABULOUS. It spins like a dream. The color is a dark brown with hints of dark gray in it. <br />
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Now, I've been spinning this yarn up for the last month and a half. It has been a long month and a half. If I lived in ye olden times, my family would never have been clothed properly. They would be wearing sweaters with only one sleeve finished because I hadn't finished spinning the yarn. True, I wouldn't have been spinning so finely nor would I have been making a 4-ply and I probably wouldn't be spinning it worsted. Also the kids would probably be farmed out to prepping the wool and doing some of the knitting and spinning. Can I just say that I'm happy not to be living in ye olden times? Anyway, spinning all of this yarn has definitely been a test of stamina because all of this wool is the same color. I've even been drop spindling this wool, too. I'm really getting bored working with the same color but I can't let myself not finish the yarn for the sweater! <br />
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As prep for this project, I did a lot of sampling. I had a specific sweater in mind and knew what type of yarn I would need. Well, that plan actually changed as I went along. Originally, I wanted to make a relatively simple sweater with a cowl neck from Vogue Knitting a couple of years ago. I found the old issue of the magazine in a fellow raveler's destash. After I started sampling, however, I decided that I would rather do something with cables and the Tangled Yoke Cardigan really fit the bill. I've been wanting to do that sweater for eons and making it out of my handspun would be very satisfiying. Anyway, back to sampling and swatching. At first, I thought I would be doing a 3-ply yarn. But my default spinning seems to be fine, fine, fine. I didn't like my swatch with the 3 ply so I decided to try 4-ply instead. That swatch was much, much better. <br />
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Three of those plies have been spun up on the wheel and one has been done on my drop spindle. On the wheel, I've been spinning 1 ounce amounts up and then winding that off onto straws in order to ply easily. For the drop spindle, I would spin as much as possible until my cop (the spun yarn) either took up all of the room on the spindle or I couldn't spin easily anymore. Then I would wind it off onto a weaving bobbin so I would know it was from the drop spindle rather than the wheel. <br />
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For plying, I have a shoe box with holes punched in the side. I put the straws on some straight knitting needles and am plying away. I've been using a plying guide (aka a wooden rectangle with 4 holes drilled in it) to help me keep everything straight while plying. I know Judith MM says you don't need one but I did to keep my sanity! I can do 3 plies with my hand without too much trouble but that extra ply just messes me up when I try to do it with 4. <br />
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I'm finishing up the last little bit on my spindle and hope to finish plying the last of the yarn in the next day or two. As of right now, I have 1,600 yards of a sport weight yarn! I'm estimating, when I'm finished plying, I'll have another 300 yards to add to the total. I can't wait to start knitting the sweater! <br />
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