« December 2006 | Main | February 2007 »
January 31, 2007
Knittin' more mittens...
I started my first latvian mitten about 3 weeks ago. The pattern as pictured decreased at the end of every needle, instead of at the beginning of needle 1 and 3 and the end of 2 and 4. I was nearly done with the thumb and I realized something.
I hated that damn mitten.
I wasn't having fun with it, so I had to quit it. I'll likely rip it out and use the yarn for something else eventually. The main problem was the lack of symmetry. I like things to decrease in a logical, even fashion.
I ordered a few mini cones of JaggerSpun Maine Line wool. It's like knitting with love. Its soft, but firm. Beautiful stitch definition. and this patten really looks great in it.
I love knitting this pattern. I really do. I'm also in the process of designing patterns for State Fair projects. They may be made available for sale once I'm finished (read : IF I finish them.)
Posted by Holly at 11:29 PM | Comments (1)
January 15, 2007
More carding, and one (nearly) finished object.
I have to say again, I really love my carder. REALLY. One of the main reasons I chose the Strauch was not only that I heard about the great product, but everyone raves about Otto Strauch's customer service. I've learned a bit about it this week. In a oversight, the wrong clamp was included with my carder. After a few fast, friendly emails, the correct clamp was at my door, with the stamps to send the wrong one back. Everything I'd heard about Mr. Strauch's service was true. I'd recommend his tools to anyone.
That's the thing with the spinning community. The people involved in making and selling the wheels, carders, and combs aren't getting rich, they just want to make a living doing something they love. Most are mom and pop operations who want satisfied customers. It's so much different than the way large corporations can just do anything they want, since another customer is lined up.
Okay, I'm going to hop off the soap box now and start showing pretty stuff.
I made my second batch of batts for the Nordic Lights socks. Hopefully, you can see the real shine in it.
My yellow yarn is done. I still need to set the twist, but I'll do that soon. It has a few thick and thin places, but I'm very happy with it.
And finally, my mittens are done. I still have to weave in the ends, but that'll be done soon enough. This was taken just before I soaked them to block. the right thumb is a bit snug on me so I may give them to Mom. I'm not sure yet.
And now that I've been drooling over mittens in 'Latvian Mittens,' I started on another pair of mittens. This first pair was knit on size 3s. Now I'm knitting a pair on 00s. I'm probably crazy, but not as crazy as the paid I was to make for the fair on 0000s. I'm a glutton for punishment. I know.
Posted by Holly at 11:48 PM | Comments (1)
January 07, 2007
I'm a drum carding fiend!
Yesterday, my Strauch Drum Carder came home. Oh I love it. I made a few batts last night for practice. I used some merino I'd hand painted a while back, but wasn't really crazy about. The yellow, orange, and pink blended together for a really lovely look. Then I mixed some New Zealand wool in purple, white, and a fuscia pink with navy silk and a bright pink firestar and ended up with stunning results.
Today, I started blending for my Nordic Lights socks. I used a mix of yellow and white merino, a bit of white bombyx silk, faux cashmere in orange and yellow, and finally yellow firestar. I photographed the whole process.
First, I started out with dyed fiber.
Then I cared the yellow and white together.
Then I removed each batt from the drum. I used a size 19 needle to wrap the batt around. Yes, needles that large CAN be useful!
I ended up with five yellow and white batts.
I then tore the batts in half and carded them with halves of other batts. I sandwiched the Silk, 'cashmere', and firestar in them to add some depth in the color.
I didn't measure out how much of each was mixed in, so I had to card the batts one last time. this time I tore the batts into third and mixed them up. This left me with my five final batts.
I'm now spinning these by tearing a strip from random batts. And boy do they spin like a dream. I'm rather proud of myself. I'm still working on my mittens, and the second one is about half way done. I intend on posting more pictures tomorrow for that.
Posted by Holly at 07:37 PM | Comments (3)
January 02, 2007
Happy New Years!
2007 is now upon us. It seems strange, and I'm still getting used to typing it. As I stated, I'm setting a resolution to post once a week, if not more. I'm also trying to pick challenging projects for this year. I've suddenly decided that I need to get over my fear of fair isle, and I've started a pair of mittens from a Burda book. So far so good. My tension is a bit off and some of my carries are a bit short causing a bit of puckering. But here's what I have so far:
These mittens are what I'm working on
Here's the palm of the hand. The colors are off a bit, I think because I'm using Elsabeth Lavold Silky Wool. My theory is the silk is playing tricks with the light. Theres a piece of waste yarn in it for my thumb opening, however it's a similar color to the yarn. I can see it, and that's all that matters.
And here's the back.
Posted by Holly at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)