April Update

Well, today was the big day here, CT sheep and wool 2010! It was wonderful. You would have loved it. The temperature was perfect, the skies clear, and there was plenty to see and do. I tried to look at all the bunnies. They were so cute and plenty of puffy angora to adore. The sheep were not pleased with getting sheared. Some were in a big pen in a building after their trims and they looked mighty displeased with their new do's even though I pet them and told them they looked great. There were two alpacas and a llama to admire as well. I found plenty to want, but restrained myself. I did find several great finds, including an incredible score that would have made you squeak with excitement, too. There was a couple selling cleaned merino wool in grocery bags for $5 a bag. It smells strongly of mothballs, but nothing a good dye and soak could remove. There is some vegetable matter still stuck in the fibers, but once it is spun, I think I'll be able to get it all out. I'm guessing each bag weighed about 1/2 pound.

After some thought on our way out, I decided to get more, but they were already sold out! I guess everyone else knew a great thing when they saw it!

I bought some silk hankies for us to spin in the merino with bright colors. There was also a woman there who was at the Fiber Fest in Coventry last fall that I had bought some gorgeous gray and teal merino from (that I made those super thick winter socks with). I told her how much fun I had spinning and knitting the socks and wound up getting more gray merino from her. She was delighted to know how I had used her wool goodness.

I placed an order for the Jaquard dyes in the greens and silver gray so when you come visit, we will have plenty of good stuff to use dyeing. I also bought an inexpensive little professional dye kit in primary colors and black to have a little more variations in color. And before you start thinking that we will have too much dye and not enough wool, look at this pretty pile of merino that Karen picked up for me from a homeschooling family in upstate CT near the MA border earlier this month.

There's a pound to play with there! I found some white 100% silk in a lace weight yarn that looks like it will make a lovely shawl once dyed. I'm hoping to stay super busy in the two weeks hubby is away training in Phoenix next month that I don't miss him too much.

I finished his socks, too, just in time for our 18th wedding anniversary. They are really soft with the possum mixed in the wool. They aren't the most practical, since they need to be hand washed and air dried, but I hope when he puts them on, he knows that I knit each stitch with love and good thoughts for at least  40 years more of happy marriage with him.

Here's a pic of the fingerless gloves I knit up using the yak yarn from the yak we dyed and spun up last time that you were here. There's still a little yak fiber left, but I'm not anxious to use it up. Spinning it straight was hard because the crimp is so incredibly short, but it was a pretty fun experience overall .

 Hope to see you next week, Baby Sis! Happy Spring!

Love,
Big Sis

Monthly Roundup

I realized looking at my baby sis's post it's been a month since I posted anything that I've done or thought of doing. It's been a quiet month. Spring has officially sprung and the weeping cherry in our front yard is almost in full bloom. The days are warming up and thoughts of sheep and fiber festivals fill my head. The first one is this month in Vernon, CT. Though not as big as the one in Rhinebeck, I have had many good and exciting hours of fiber viewing at this festival. 101st_annual_sheep_and_wool_

I've done a little knitting with some of my handspun. This scarf is from yarn I spun up and showed on a previous post. 

I've done a little spinning. With some leftover baby camel from the last time my sis visited and some dark brown wool received in a trade, I made this hank:

It's just enough to make a pair of fingerless gloves with. Yeah me!

On another occasion, I spun this up:

This has silk, alpaca, and a variety of wool in it. It's the thinnest I've ever spun any yarn. There's 8 ounces of it. I really think I have enough to do a pair of socks.

Speaking of socks, here is the merino and silk yarn I spun up two months ago with a few other smaller specialty skeins in a pair of thick winter weight socks.

My 18 year anniversary is next month. There isn't anything significant I've found to give on an 18th wedding anniversary, so I've decided to make it the year of socks. I have one sock down, another to go, with this fingering weight yarn. It's a merino/possum blend from Cherry Tree Hill. Before I hear any further gagging, I did a search on possums of New Zealand and found they do look a bit different than the opposums of North America.

Finally, because I was so excited to try this out before finishing my dh's pair of socks, I started this pair. It's made from two skeins knit together, both handpainted with the same dyes, but because they are two different types of yarn, take the dye differently. One is a merino, the other a mohair. It's made by Fleece Artist/ Handmaiden yarns. If you can believe this, I found it on closeout! I was beyond thrilled when it arrived, glad I had ordered a few other colors so I could love on it some more. The yarn knits up soft and deliciously warm.I doubt I will get a case of second sock syndrome knitting these up!

Here's to a fabulous Spring, Baby Sis!!

Love,
Big Sis 

Just a regular Saturday afternoon...

...dyeing some fiber. I am on vacation this week and have been spending the past few days with the big sis. This afternoon, we went to several local yarn stores and picked up a pound of 50/50 merino/bombyx silk fiber. It was gorgeous and inspired us to dye. We also had some yak fiber (thanks to paradise fibers). Using an Ashford wool dye kit, we tried it out first on the yak....with some interesting results. We have done some fiber dyeing before, but usually it's been already-spun fiber, not roving. While the directions were fairly straightforward, we were expecting the colors to mix more and create soft shades of color. As you can see from the pictures above, we got a more "batched" result, possible because we did not stir the fibers too much during the process (we didn't want them to felt). Perhaps we also diluted the dye mixture too much...any suggestions?

Either way, it is currently drying right now and we will spin it, but we will definitely practice more before attacking the merino/silk. If anyone has any thoughts or experiences with dyeing, please share.

This Spinning is Out of Control!

I was crazy spinning this weekend. Guess you could say I was on a roll... I spun up some really nice fibers, which I know will knit up just as wonderfully as they spun up. I went on Ravelry and found some small knitting projects that will be perfect for the fiber blends.

First spun up was this. It is a mohair and silk blend. 8 ounces of pure joy as it ran through my fingers. There are still a few pieces of the silk cocoon in the spun up yarn, but it is mostly blended through and through. You will love it as much as I do. 

Next up is this potluck blend of wools in a mulberry/blackberry combination. The roving was intense. The yarn looks a little muddied, but still beautiful. I'm thinking next time I get this, I will try Navajo plying it and maybe it will stay those brighter shades that the roving had. This is also 8 ounces. It seems to have spun up into more yarn than the first yarn pictured, so maybe silk is heavier?

This is a blend of alpaca, borderleister, and something else... not sure. There was still plenty of lanolin in it as I spun it up, so my hands were soft! Again, 8 ounces. I bought it off eBay last year, but the seller has her own website up. I'm going to have to go back and get some more of her goodness. 

 I finished the scarf I started last week on Sunday night during the Olympics closing ceremonies. I'm thinking it will look even lovelier paired with a matching hat and gloves. I'm working on the hat right now and found a pattern for a pair of mittens that will work for the yarn. It is so pretty and these pictures do not do the yarn any justice. There is gold thread that winds around the plies and gives just a hint of a shine and shimmer.

Monday, we had sun finally! I was able to get outside with the several pounds of llama fleece from last year and get the choicest pieces out to card and spin at a later date. The rest went into the compost pile. The llama was really dirty! I was coughing up chunks of dirt for almost a day. I'm not sure if I will get a full fleece again. I love the idea of cleaning and carding and spinning - almost as much as I love the idea of my very own farm animals - but it feels like so much work for not much to see.


I can't wait to see you, though. Only the day after tomorrow! I have one more forensic science class to teach after this one Thursday. We're burning fabric to test for synthetics and then look at different fibers under a microscope. I had a hard time finding any synthetic fabric to burn in my stash. I have so many cottons from making doll clothes, though. It was hard to part with any of it knowing it will just be ash soon.

See you Friday, Baby Sis!!

Love,
Your Older Sis

A Faux Show Throw and More

While watching the Olympics this past week, I decided to start a mindless knitting project for my evening TV viewing. I bought some hanks of recycled sari silk yarn a few years ago. The colors are amazing and rich and bright and I thought long and hard of making something to wear with it. In the end, the only good thing I could think of making with it was a throw for the living room. There's a reason for that.

As gorgeous as the yarn is, it sheds something fierce while knitting with it. And it is spun thin and thick in places. In a lot of places the yarn broke and it was knotted before being tied into a skein. So, being  that unpredictable, I knew a wearable art project was out. I would be forever worried about it becoming unraveled as I wore it.

About 3/4 of the way done with it, I found a spot that was weak and the yarn snapped after I had knit it, causing a huge hole. I couldn't fix it the way it had looked, but I tied it up as best I could. Yesterday, I realized I had knit the last skein of yarn and had enough to bind it off with just a little to spare (in case I get another hole and need to repair it). I applied the fringe I had cut and admired my work (but not too close because I was afraid at this point I would look at it wrong and the yarn would snap).

It measures about 40 inches by 45 inches. I had the boys admire it, too, but wouldn't let them get too close. I was still picking silk fibers off my clothes for about an hour after I finished knitting and tying fringe. We (the biggest little boy and I) decided to put it on the back of the rocking chair that Stewie sleeps on. It really is beautiful. Of course, there is still plenty of time to watch Olympics, so I have to figure out what project to do next. It will probably be the completion of this:

The yarn is Cache', from a discontinued Coats and Clark division. There is a real homespun look to the yarn, which is a combination of mostly wool and a little acrylic with some gold thread thrown in. I bought 10 skeins of it for $1 a skein when Ocean State Job Lot had it and there should be enough to make a hat with a matching scarf in that basket weave pattern.

I finished spinning up the Leicester this past week. There's a little over a pound and a half of it ready to knit with. Check it out! I'm still trying to find the perfect pattern for it.

The baby camel down arrived on Tuesday in anticipation of your arrival in two weeks.  I can only tell you that it is even more soft and downy than I had envisioned. If I had to describe it, I would say it feels like a butter cloud.

 And know what else feels like a cloud of butter? This yak fiber!

Somewhere in the time from my last post to today, I also knit up these baby hats.

I knit them up with leftover Malabrigo. The yarn is just perfect for baby things. My bag is getting bigger for the NICU donation.

And, I also knit this up. I knit up another one and showed a pic of it in a previous posting. This hand dyed yarn came from Chile. This hat is mine! I think I knit it long enough to keep my hair in a pony tail when I wear it.

I just have no idea where my days go any more. I can't believe it is already getting to the end of February. I feel like this year just started. I have plans and ideas to get projects done and am already behind on holiday present work for this coming holiday season! I know, seriously crazy! I need to figure out how to budget my time and get a little more fiber work in the day. :)

See you soon, Baby Sis!

Love,
Your Big Sis in Fiber

An Update from the Big Sis

I have just one thing to say: baby camel down, BAYBEE SIS!!

You don't know this yet, but you're going to fall in love with it when you spin it... The color is the softest brown you have ever seen. I am going to have to leave a bib under your chin because you're going to be drooling so much. I will wipe your little chin every so often because you are going to be glued to the spinning wheel. That's what a big sis I am!

Of course I will help you out of your snarling mess of black alpaca loveliness. I'll get you started on your needles, too. And, I'll be thrilled to show you how much fun it is to use double point needles. You'll get the hang of it. It just takes a little practice, but it is worth it. Wait until you see how cute these socks are I am working on right now. The needles are the thickness of toothpicks and I worry I am going to snap the wood if I look at it wrong. No, just kidding! It's a lot easier than it looks. If I could figure it out, you can definitely do it.

 I'm not posting pictures of my moss stitch socks yet. But, I will share with you something else I have been working on. Remember that gorgeous Border leicester fleece I received as a gift back in December? Well, I finally spun up a second bobbin and then plied it and then pressed repeat. I have a total of 8 hanks done now and have been carding more fleece to spin it  into yarn today.

 Well, what do you think??

I'm still figuring out what I am going to do with it. There's definitely enough for a shawl. I plied it about dk thickness, so think size 4-5 needles. My hands are soft with the remaining lanolin it kept after I washed it up, which is good because they're so dry with the winter heat.

Can't wait to see you... feels like it's been forever!


Love to you,
Your Big Sis 

I would just like to say....

....that using double pointed needles is VERY frustrating. I am trying to knit a a pair of socks -- hey, I'll be happy if I can even do one sock -- and getting started has been quite an ordeal. I can't seem to get to a satisfactory first row. Currently, my would-be sock looks like a three-sided square. :( Will update when I calm down enough to pick it up again.


To add insult to injury, what should have been a simple project -- a cowl -- has also turned into an ordeal. According to S, the black alpaca we spun into a chunky yarn should have been perfect for this project. The problem with circular needles is that you have to make sure you aren't twisting the yarn and thus knitting something that would be impossible to finish or wear. I tried my hardest to keep this in mind but a) the yarn is so chunky it's hard to tell what I'm doing and b) it's black, which makes it even more difficult to see! I spent a long time just getting a row done, only to find out when I reached the end that I was knitting incorrectly and had twisted the whole contraption into a big mess :( Not a successful day in knitting....but then again, it wasn't a successful day for the Colts, either :)

Just Lovely

I love that scarf! It shows off all the different colors and the little sparkle. Those big needles are wonderful, right? Listen to your big Sis, she knows!

This past week was hard on me. The cars decided to have issues and both needed to be serviced to the tune of a small fortune. The dearest hubby took my car to work once his went into the shop. (It was the alternator in his car, went on a two year old car!)

Though I finally have my car back without the rattle that was driving me insane while driving it (or was it the kids screaming in the back seat to stop looking out each other's windows that was driving me insane?), I don't want to drive anywhere now. It is too cold! I should be prepared for this. It happens every winter. Yet every winter, I forget how cold 5 degrees actually is. I think it's like labor. You forget how that is, too.

So, while trapped in the house for the week, I decided to go through my stash and see what I could do for fun projects. May I present to you the little yarn balls I had left after completing projects turned into preemie hats...  I plan to donate them to a NICU when I get a few more done. I did each hat in about an hour watching the last taped episodes of Dollhouse, Fringe, and Vampire Diaries.

Aren't they cute? They stretch out pretty well to fit a preemie 3 -5 pound baby head. I bet you can recognize some of the yarn I used from previous projects, too.

I finished Cheryl's fingerless gloves this month, too. Remember the problem of not having enough yarn to do the thumbs? I found some soft wool yarn in green to complete them. Though it was not total color coordination, it was a perfect match for Cheryl who happily put them on and said they were wonderful.

 

I also made a pair of socks for Dad, who has a birthday tomorrow.  These were done in a nice thick wool to keep his toesies warm. The picture does not do the yarn any justice. It is a 4 ply of varying blues and a gold. Just lovely. A quick confession... I started these earlier than just this past week. A girl's got to find time to sleep, you know!

I made some more youth hats. That green yarn on the left hat is what I knit Cheryl's thumbs with. I found some blue merino and silk blend single ply to knit the stripe with that I spun up for a project last year (knit a pair of fingerless gloves for sister-in-law).

In my spare time this past week, I also did my very first lace pattern hat. Because I'm left handed, and most patterns are written with the assumption you will be knitting right handed, I had to read like I did back when I was learning Hebrew. I bet Mom and Dad will be very happy to know that those years of being in the after

school program have finally paid off!                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                             

So, maybe I should be glad it was cold these last few days and I was car-less for many of them. Once I did get the car back, I took the kids to the Y to go swimming.

I brought my yarn.

I'm going to take a break with knitting this week. There's a service project someone coordinated looking for people to make dolls to take down to Haiti mid-March. I'd like to have a few done for that - put some feelers out this morning within my local home school group to see if anyone wants to come over one afternoon and make a few with me. I know, I said I wasn't going to make any more dolls. I just feel like I need to do something for those children down there. I can't even imagine what they are experiencing. Hopefully, a doll will bring them some measure of comfort.

Thinking warm thoughts for you, Baby Sis! 

Big Sis 

Just in time for the big freeze.....

First of all, apologies for the recent lack of posts. My internet has been somewhat tempermental as of late and I finally got myself dressed and out of the house on my day off (yesterday) and got it fixed.

So, here's what I've been working on!! See, I haven't been THAT lazy these few weeks.....The LOVELY yarn I blogged about last time has become a scarf. I started out on size 15 needles which did not yield the results I was looking for. I wanted something loose, almost lacy. S, in her infinite knitting wisdom, suggested I try her size giant needles (34?35?). It went by super fast and came out just the way I'd imagined it. And, as I said above, just in time for the sub-zero temperatures the Garden State (ha ha) seems to be experiencing.

 

This picture attempts to give a better glimpse of the scarf...

There is definitely something to be said for using large knitting needles. This scarf took me maybe one day (well, two because I didn't knit continuously all day) --- perfect length project for moi!

Next up? Socks, I think (although I'm afraid to start them on my own), or maybe I'll order more of this stuff and do another quickie!

Finished Socks!!

The good news was I finished the pair of socks I was working on. I actually finished them on Friday night so that they could be presented to Cheryl on Saturday when she came over. The bad news was she was sick with the flu. So, I gave them to her husband to give to her.

 Don't they look fab???

 He mentioned Cheryl loved the fingerless gloves I made for my oldest  for his birthday (she saw me working on them) so I cheerfully told him I would be delighted to make her a pair. I was really sad she was so sick. This has been a terrible winter for her and I really wanted to cheer her up. I went about making them on Saturday afternoon. I doubled the yarn for added warmth and this is the end result from Sunday night...

I can't believe I don't have enough to finish the thumbs. That is all the yarn I have left! I scoured my Mommy brain trying to remember where I found this hand painted wool yarn and traced it back to a purchase I made on eBay last year. It was imported from China! So, I have to decide if I will give her a different thumb than rest of the mitt or if I will go through the wait of ordering some and getting it delivered through international mail. When you come up on Friday, we'll run through the stash and decide what steps I should take. I trust you implicitly. No pressure, though!

I've been trying to card and spin up the rest of the Leicester so you can tell me how impressed you are with my use of free time. I know, I know... what free time these days? These children make my brain hurt with the start of cabin fever. Three more months to go! I had to peel them off the ceiling at one point this afternoon. At least knitting is legal and a great way to de-stress. 

I can't wait to see you... four more days! Thinking warm fiber thoughts for you!

The Big Sis

The last post reminds me of the day I got my ears pierced. The first one looked great once it was done, but boy did it hurt. It hurt enough to make me seriously consider not getting the second one done and walk around as one-ear-pierced- five-year-old. Like socks, though, it just worked out better as a pair.

For the past three days, my internet has been functioning on a self-pleasing basis. Self-pleasing because it is the only one deriving pleasure from the times it chooses to work poperly. Yes, I am trying to fix it, but expect minimal posts until further notice.

This week's knitting frustration: tension, on two levels. Number one, I am tense (you would be too if you had a boss who demanded work before 6am). Number two, my knitting is taught. The former is the root cause of my knitting problems. Since knitting is mainly a reflection of how I move my hands, if my hands are as tense as those of a ninth grader about to give a five minute speech in front of 25 people on why the U.S. should halt drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ah, freshman year English class), my knitting comes out -- there is no other word for it -- crappy. If knitting could look constipated, that's how mine would look. It's very evident when I'm going through periods of relaxation because the yarn flows nicely and is loose and you can actually SEE the stitches. It was interesting to look at my scarf and note the changes in tension that are already visible. Knitting could be the equivalent of an emotional map for me. Now, being the perfectionist that I am, I want to undo the tense parts of my knitting, but I'm not particularly good at that, so it will have to stay. Size 15 needles, though! If I can't knit loosely with size 15 needles, I need a new job.....

The Truth Will Set You Free

Dear Baby Sister,

As your big sister, I think it's only the right thing to do to write to you about a terrible syndrome affecting what could be thousands of knitters. It's called Second Sock Syndrome and it happens when you complete one sock out of a pair of socks and just can't seem to get the second one started. This is what happened to me last year. I'm not sure how I fell off the wagon, but sadly, this gorgeous pair of socks almost wasn't to be.  I am determined to get the last half of this second sock done this week. You can see the progress I've made in just a few days.

I'm thinking this year might be the right year to learn how to knit a pair of socks at the same time on circular needles. You up for taking a class with me??

This week I've also completed another hat. I'm not sure who will be the recipient of such a labor of love. I can tell you the yarn was a gift to me during the holidays and was hand dyed. The movement of the colors through the hat is just beautiful and was a real treat to watch unfold.

I was up at Mom's house last night and just want to tell you she gave ME the 2.2 kilo skein of coral alpaca she's been saving for years. When you come up next week, we can go through my patterns to find the perfect project for such an amazing yarn. It is incredibly soft. I've got to stop petting it.

 

Hopefully I'll have this second sock done to show you next time I post. Tomorrow is the Big Boy's birthday and I can't wait to give him those fingerless gloves.

As always,

Your Big Sister playing in fiber 

Finished!

I have been working on an alpaca scarf for the past 300 years (real time: 4 months) and it is finally done! I finished it right before New Year's, actually, and, technically, it still needs to be blocked, but it is mine and it's done and it's my first scarf. I feel immense satisfaction when I look at it. Pictures to be posted soon, promise.

Now that I've finished that, I am working on another scarf. I am knitting with, no exaggeration, the most beautiful yarn that I have ever seen. When I went to the NY Sheep and Wool festival in October, I spotted this yarn from across the tent and through hundreds of people. Literally. The yarn is from Feederbrook Farm in Maryland. It is a combination of wool, silk, and alpaca (my favorite, in case you couldn't guess) and is delicately handspun. I had to have it when I saw it. Well, that's not quite true. I resisted it for half an hour and then went back to the booth. At any rate, I'm psyched to finally knit with it, and I have to say that knitting with yarn you love makes the experience even more fun. I'm not normally a fan of the basic garter stitch because it reminds me vaguely of sausage links, but at S's (big sis) suggestion, I am knitting this scarf that way. So far, so good. The pic above does not do the yarn justice and as soon as I get some good light I will upload a new one. Enjoy!

Sometimes Your Best Work Happens at 11:00pm

I finished that quick hat I started the other day. It was knit with Rio de Plata in a  festive handspun of red, pink, and white. I can't give the colors in this photo the justice they deserve. It looks way better in real life. The pattern is an adapted one of an adapted one a friend of mine came up with several years ago when I decided to needed to knit again. I was busy making dolls for a WAHM group and was looking at some of the gorgeous hand dyed yarn that was being created and just drooling. I know what the husband was thinking and I am happy to admit he took it very well when I completely immersed myself in yet another hobby.

Tonight, after the little ones were in bed (still chatting away as they are BEST of friends when it's time to go to sleep and they share a room), I took the Border  Leicester that I carded the other day and started spinning it. What a joy that was to spin up! I have a bobbin full of a gorgeous blend of natural colors. Wait until you see how thin I got it! Drafting it was so easy and it lent itself to be spun thin. I think I finally have found my first skein of sock yarn. Can you guess what I'll be doing more of tomorrow instead of cleaning? I can't wait to show you the rest of it!

Your Big Sister, as always, immersed in Fiber

And now from the little sis...

Up until a year ago, I was certain that the family "craft gene" had skipped over me. I've always been drawn to music -- knitting with needles and yarn seemed downright complicated. My mother, an expert crafter in her own right, happily gave me "Old Trusty" (her classic Singer sewing machine) when I moved out, probably in the hope that interest and circumstance would finally bring to light any artistic creativity buried within me. On the other hand, my big sister clearly inherited my mother's talent and patience for detailed artistic forms. Most days, she can be found within three feet of a knitting needle, pincushion, or spinning wheel. (Our middle sister inherited a penchant for a different kind of spinning.) I don't know how it happened, but over the past year, I've learned to knit, spin, and felt. Of course, when I have a question or tangle myself up in a giant yarn mess, Mom and Sis are only a phone call away. I'm not ready to enter any contests, but perhaps I got the artsy gene after all!

Here's to 2010 -- may it be a year filled with happiness, health, and, of course, fiber!

--B

First Post by the Big Sister

Fiber? It's not just for dinner. Or lunch... or snack. I could keep it next to me all day. I usually do. I can be found working on several projects at once. Tonight I finished a pair of handwarmers for my oldest son ( a birthday present as he is turning 12 in a few days). I am also currently knitting a hat and socks. My clothesline is drying about a pound of freshly washed blue faced Leicester that I am carding into batts to spin into yarn. Last night my sister and I spun up four ounces of gorgeous alpaca into some sweet yarn as we welcomed in 2010.

The pattern is from piece-by-piece.net and designed by Kathy North titled Men's Fingerless Mitts.
The yarn is from Cherry Tree Hill and is in the colorway "Totemic".

Your Big Sister in Fiber