I’ve Been Torn
It’s been almost five months since my last post. I started this blog to keep track of my knitting projects. But with Ravelry, and now Facebook, posting on the blog just hasn’t made it to the top of the list. But I’m ready to give it another shot.
So a super quick update of projects. This is what I’ve finished since the iSock (which I still love).
See, I haven’t just been sitting around doing nothing. Sure I hope to post more complete posts for each project. But with the holidays around the corner, I don’t see a lot of free time coming my way.
Finished Project: iSock, version 1.1
Project Specs:
Pattern: another plain weave square using my 6″ x 6″ Weavette
Yarn: The Fibre Company Terra
Size: exactly the size of my iPhone
My Ravelry Link
After weaving the square, I crocheted the seam using a slip stitch. It just happens to be the perfect size for my new iPhone.
Finished Project: Terra Coasters
Project Specs:
Pattern: just a felted plain weave square using my 6″ x 6″ Weavette
Yarn: The Fibre Company Terra in various colors using scrap yarn
Size: 4.5″ x 4.5″
My Ravelry Link
I had some tiny samples of Terra hanging around and I thought I’d play with my new Weavette. Once I finished one, it seemed too big for a coaster, so I threw it in the wash to felt. It came out just right. I made four more right away. I absolutely love how the woven Terra felted. It’s so soft and still has a nice drape. I dream about buying enough Terra to make a blanket of felted squares.
Finished Project: My First Towels
Project Specs:
Pattern: All-Purpose Waffle-Weave Towels from Handwoven’s Design Collection 18 by Marilyn Murphy
Yarn: Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotlin colors 8176, 6256, and 5604
epi: 24
Size: 24″ x 19″ before washing, 20 1/2″ x 15 1/2″ after washing
Pattern Alterations: I changed the color striping in the warp. I cut off the plain weave section of the towels before sewing. With it, the plain weave ends didn’t shrink at the same rate as the waffle weave and they were really wavy.
I should have chosen a much easier project for my first independent one. And I shouldn’t have added the extra pressure of it being a gift. I had problems with this project every step of the way. I started winding the warp way back in June. Finally I am finished. My first towel was awful. The second a little better. And the third even better. I no longer want to burn my new loom.
I do really like the texture of the towels. And the 8/2 Cotlin washes up so nicely.
Tight Tangled Yoke Neck
OK, so I owe the blog two finished projects now. Blame it on Ravelry. I’ve posted the finished items there, but not here. Oh, and I’ve been traveling, checking out yarn stores, and then there’s Rhinebeck…bad blogger I know.
(I hate taking late night blog photos. But I’m digging the multi-mirrors we have in the bathroom now.)
But anyway. Here I am knitting away on my Tangled Yoke when really I should be sewing a hairy eyeball. But the soon to be eyeball is sleeping and I can’t measure him. I think I’ll have to do some pre school measuring in the morning. So I bound off for my neck and it looks to be too tight. Crap! Double crap! That was a tedious bind off. So I’ll live with it for a day or two before I decide to take it out and do it over. Because you know I’ll end up doing it over anyway. Who am I kidding. But I can’t face taking it out tonight. Despite the tight neck that’s puckering…I love this sweater. It fits just right, good length, sleeves not too short. I am so excited to wear it soon.
And a photo from the weekend…budding weaver, no?
Adams Farm
We took a trip up to Adams Farm on Saturday and had a great time.
It was a busy day at the farm the day before. Check out the day old angora goat and day old piglets we got to see.
Lots and lots of animals. While the kids were milking a goat, I snuck away to the upstairs of their store to touch wool and browse.
And then I came upon a Weavette. A few weeks ago at the WEBS knitting drop-in, a woman had brought along her 2×2 hand loom along with the baby blanket she was working on. I really liked the look of the blanket; like a bunch of postage stamps sewn together. I had to bring it home with me.
Then tonight I grabbed my scrap yarn and played a little. One rectangle became four before I knew it. Now I want other Weavettes. Hmm, maybe a little log cabin action? I’m going to teach Ella tomorrow. She’s excited too.
Holy Moly! Four finished projects in one week.
Proof that my full-time job really is getting in the way of my knitting-—I finished up four projects this week, two of which I started last summer—2 bags, a wrap, and a cat toy. I’ll have posts for those soon.
Minnesota was wonderful, too much to write about now. Highlights: 6 yarn stores, Joe winning the Great American Think-Off, fishing with my brother, a personal tour of MPR, our college reunion, finally finding great fitting jeans, Minnesota’s crazy every-changing weather, and of course all of the great time we got to spend with family and friends.
I bought something at nearly every yarn store. A lot of lace weight. Let’s take a look.
First, the loser of my purchases, Blue Sky Alpaca Double Point Needles. I’ve been in love with the case. But it’s just enough too short that it won’t fit any of my other double points, not even my 5 1/2″ ones. And take a look at the points, inconsistent and quite blunt. And the finish is a bit on the uneven side too. Now I haven’t actually used these yet, but I’m not pleased. And the cases come taped shut, so you can’t even inspect the needles until after you’ve bought them. Expensive to boot! Oh well.
Oh, but there was some nice yarn. I resisted buying any of the Habu yarn I kept running into. I’m saving that for my next NY trip.
Heaven by Yarn Palace, 3100 yards of lace weight merino/tencel that I just had to have.
Misti Alpaca Lace in a brown that the store of course doesn’t carry. But it’s the perfect brown and now it’s mine.
100% Extrafine Lambswool in the perfect color.
And some light purple Nature Wool that will go well with my Nature Wool Stash. I feel another log cabin project coming around the corner.
Of the yarns stores that I went to, there were two I would actually go back to again: 3 Kittens Yarn Shop and Needlework Unlimited. There were lots of interesting things in both stores with friendly, helpful staff. And both had cozy sofas that made you want to stay awhile. At 3 Kittens, there was a sign by the register that said, “Your husband called and said you can buy anything you want.”
One more thing, I figured out a place to hang a warping board in my house and wound my first warp for my new loom.
The open shelving in our pantry makes it easy to hang the board. I still have no idea where I’m going to store a warping board. But I’ll figure it out. Maybe after our addition this summer, I’ll find room.
Weaving and Crocheting and Knitting, OH MY!
It’s been one fiber-intensive week–35 hours of learning to weave, a crochet class, knitting for the store, and my regular pleasure knitting on top of that. Yikes! I’m looking forward to our beach trip next week to take a little break from fiber. (Well, not completely, that would be silly.)
I took the week of weaving class at WEBS this week with Scott Norris. The class was as intense as the class description led me to believe. Just about everyone else in the class had woven before, except for me. My background basically was that I had made one belt on an inkle loom in college and then…it stops there. I managed to keep up with everyone and even got to do a third project yesterday. By the last day, I was able to wind a warp and dress a loom all by myself. And with the good class notes and the pictures I took, I might even be able to do it again in a year.
Day 1
Scott had already wound the warps for our first project. So we began by learning how to dress our loom, a Norwood 22″ Workshop loom (4 shaft/6 treadle). Next we began to weave our color gamps, the first being a plain weave. The second was a twill.
Day 2
I was far enough ahead that I could to a second twill gamp. So by the end of the day I had three color gamps finished, tied them and washed them in the evening.
We also got to start our second project, a twill sampler, and picked two colors for it. After staring at those rainbow colors for 1 1/2 days, I wanted something soothing. I chose two colors that reminded me of roasted marshmallows. We learned how to wind a warp which I actually found quit relaxing, unlike anything up to this point. By the end of the day I had started to dress the loom again.
Day 3
We talked a lot about twills today: Straight draw, Point Twill, Rosepath, Gooseye, and Dornik. I finished dressing my loom and began weaving the balanced twill part of my sampler.
Day 4
Today was not a good day for me. I was tired from the weaving and hot room, and my brain just wasn’t working well any more. I did manage to finish weaving the balanced twill and the warp-face twill sections of my sampler, but there was a lot of unweaving today.
Day 5
I was determined to have a much better day and got in early. Within the first hour I had finished the weft-face twill section of my sampler and could go on to the third project, a log cabin pattern using two shuttles. I choose six colors for the project, learned to wind the warp holding two colors at the same time, and dressed the loom by myself.
OK, here are some not very exciting pictures of dressing the loom for the final project. Mostly they will help me decipher my notes months, years from now when I might need to dress a loom again.
Winding and tying the warp
Preparing the loom and warp, attaching the warp loosely to the warp beam
Arranging the warp across the raddle, tying the warp to the warp beam rod
Winding the warp onto the warp beam
Threading the heddles, sleying the reed, tying on
By the end of the day I had finished the log cabin design and could go home and start packing for the beach.
Conclusion: well, I can imagine weaving again, maybe even owning a loom someday. But I would want to take more classes first. There is so much planning and prepping before the actual weaving. It’s completely different than knitting. It could never replace knitting. I could be a knitter that weaves, but never a weaver who knits. Weavers are so serious.
