My Mom's Garden

It’s been half a year since the Bearded One and I last visited our families. At the end of June, we changed that and spent a week and half catching up with family, hanging out with friends, and eating as much barbecue as humanly possible (didn’t realize how spoiled I was with good barbecue until we moved to LA). The thick blanket of humidity aside, it was a good trip. I got to annoy my parents in person which is so much easier and fun than doing it over the phone. The Bearded One and I got to watch 4th of July fireworks from a boat on Logan Martin Lake. Somehow, I squeezed in 2 visits to my favorite yarn shop. Plus, I was able to spend time with all my friends in the area. 

Before we got on the plane, a week and a half seemed like a long time but the trip seemed to fly by. Wish I’d been able to spend more time there which means I’m already looking forward to the next trip.

The neighbor’s cat is a frequent visitor and never one to turn down attention. 

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Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain.

 Take a peak into a 1950’s sewing cabinet

How to wind yarn into a center pull ball; a handy trick when you don’t have a winder handy

Love this textured summer braid

The 3-Dimensional Weaving Machine

These stitched leaves by Hillary Fayle are amazing. 

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 Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain.

Love this adorable lake house

See the world by drone

Knit in Public Bingo

Frozen Coconut Limeade

I can definitely relate to this.

Check out these fun knitted ideas for conductive yarn

5 Training Tips for Tour de Fleece

It’s almost time for Tour de Fleece which runs alongside the Tour de France. Starting July 5, there will be 3 weeks of spinning, watching the Tour de France, and more spinning. 2014 will be my third time take part. For my first Tour in 2012, I spun with a spindle and turned 18.9 ounces of wool into 5 skeins and 1,040 yards. I wasn’t as prolific in 2013 when I only spun 1 skein but it was 512 yards. I’m looking forward to this year since it’ll be the first Tour I’ll be spinning on my trusty sidekick. With a wheel, I’m hoping to leave my previous numbers in the dust and put a serious dent in my fiber stash. Also on the list is learning new yarn constructions and spinning new fibers. But first, there must be prep and training to make the most of and, more importantly, enjoy the Tour. So, a few tips for training before the Tour officially kicks off on July 5th:

Make a game plan. What are you going to spin? A sweater’s worth of wool? All those one off bumps of indie-dyed fiber? Do you want to learn a new technique? Try a new yarn construction? Spin a different fiber like silk or linen? Spin sock yarn or yarn for a specific project? If you’re spinning a sweater’s worth, sample the fiber and knit a swatch to make sure the final yarn matches the project. Also a good time to find out if you like spinning the yarn before devoting 3 weeks to it. 

Prep your fiber. If you’re spinning for a large project, split the fiber into manageable chunks, 1 oz or smaller. Take a break after spinning each ounce and your wrists will thank you. Plus, plying singles spun at the beginning with singles spun at the end will create a more consistent yarn.

Spindle or wheel, clean your gear. Spinning wheels need a good cleaning on a regular basis and prepping for Tour de Fleece is the perfect time. Give the wheel a good dusting and a little wax to keep the wood happy. Oil moving parts as necessary. This also a good time to inspect the wheel for any damage or replace loose drive bands and stretched out springs. If you need help, check out these links on wheel maintenance. As simple as spindles are, they need care and wood wax too. Now is also a good time to readjust bent hooks. 

Empty those bobbins. Or in the case of spindles, those straws and chopsticks. The more empty bobbins you have, the longer and more you can spin before you need to ply.

Find your team. I'm not saying that you have to sign up for any specific team to spin with. Just find a place where you feel comfortable sharing your progress, getting a pat on the back, and asking for help. Could be the Tour de Fleece group on Ravelry or Instagram or your own blog.

World Wide Knit in Public Day 2014

The week of World Wide Knit In Public Day started on Saturday and I’ve hardly knit a stitch anywhere. That row and half knit on a sock while I was waiting for water to boil Sunday night barely counts. No worries though. The festivities are going on until June 22 and I’m making the effort to get out with my sock knitting everyday this week. Pretty sure I’m going to end up on the beach most days which is perfectly fine with me. Plus, I’ll be that much closer to a new pair of socks. 

Over at the World Wide Knit in Public Day site, you can search for meet-ups in your area if you don’t want to stitch alone. If the meet-ups have passed or there are none nearby, get out and knit anyway. Take your knitting to lunch, out for coffee, or to the park. Spread the love. I’ll be on the beach. 

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 Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain.

Blueberry Molasses Muffins

Love these sketches done at the MTL Botanical Garden.

DIY Yarn Tapestry

I would wear this shirt all the time. 

A rare burst of wildflowers in the Badlands.

A sneak peak at the editing phase of a craft book.

Prepping Arco Iris

Tour de Fleece is rapidly approaching. I’m still trying to figure out my plan for the 3 week challenge but, in the mean time, I’m going to squeeze in one last skein of handspun. Malabrigo Nube has been at the top of my spinning list since the Bearded One gave me a bump of Arco Iris for our anniversary. It’s hard to resist soft merino and beautiful colors. But how to spin it? Should it be a fat single or 2-ply? Maybe fractal spun or chain-plied? Only way to decide was to unbraid the bump and get a better look. The colors were mottled and fairly random without a discernible repeat. Fractal was definitely out. 

Since the dye job was so wild and all over the place, I’m going to keep things simple and spin a 2-ply. I split the roving in half lengthwise with the idea of spinning the singles from opposite directions. Aiming for maximum barber pole action here. Because the colors are so mottled, I’m going to spin a thicker yarn than usual and attempt a worsted or aran weight. If the diameter gets any smaller than worsted, the colors might turn to mud during drafting.

Now that all the pesky details are decided and the fiber is prepped, it’s time to start spinning. Pretty sure I can finish before Tour de Fleece starts. 

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Finally finished plying my Spun Right Round Olivia singles. Looking forward to getting the yarn off the bobbin and into a bath. 

Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain. 

Check out this amazing hand bound books. 

Transarquitetônica 

Juana Molina’s Tiny Desk Concert

I really want to make these Coconut Brown Butter Cookies

Gregory Halili carves skulls into mother of pearl shells. 

Embrace Imperfection

Batt Showcase

My time with the drum carder is over. It went back at last months and the 4 weeks that I had it were a crash course in carding. I made the first batt because I wanted to see what would happen and it turned out pretty despite my complete lack of knowledge. With one batt under my belt, I decided to do a little research and figure out how to actually use a drum carder. What could you make with one? What could be carded? Maybe more importantly, how do you clean one? I watched videos, read articles, and came across people that knew what they were doing. People that threw in disorganized fiber and had art come out the other side.

Up to this point, from the lone batt I’d spun and most of the listings I’ve seen on Etsy, I had the idea that batts were an everything and the kitchen sink kind of thing.The kind that was 3 types of wool, sparkly bits, silk noil, and some angora for good measure. After my research, I found out differently. Sure, there are kitchen sink batts but batts can also be smooth and uniform. They can focus on color instead of texture. Batts can be bold or subtle. Fibers can be carefully blended or smashed all together. Variation is awesome stuff. 

My batts got better was the weeks went on. They’re all on the subtle side since I just wanted to prep my stash of unprocessed fiber to spin - several ounces of alpaca, locks, angora, and random mystery wool. I wanted to play with color too but ran out of time. Well, I can always rent it again.

The very first batt was 40g of mystery wool from a Gwen Erin grab bag.

Second batt was made from 40 g of Corriedale roving.

This batt is my attempt at duplicating a rolag given to me at a previous guild meeting. Looks similar but I won’t know for sure until I spin it.

These 4 soft and lovely batts were carded from the very first ounces of my fiber stash, 4 oz of light rose grey alpaca. Took me years to prep this fiber and I’m glad I finally did.

The Romney, and reason I rented the carder, turned into 2 batts.

More alpaca from the stash which got a good wash before going on the carder. 

Had a small sample of a BFL and Silk roving that I decided to blend with half its weight in Angora. The batt is wonderfully soft with great luster.

Last batt off the carder was 14g of 100% Angora. Working with straight Angora was more difficult than blending it with wool but not impossible. 

It’s nice to have my kitchen table back but I kind of miss having the drum carder around. I still want to play around with color and blending fibers. Plus, using the carder was just fun and I enjoyed it. Before I had one to my spinning wish list though, I’m going to spin up a few of the batts I made. If I like working with them and the finished yarn, I’ll do some research to pick out the perfect drum carder. Any suggestions on where I should start looking? 

Surprise Stash

Last week, entirely of his own free will, The Bearded One went to a yarn shop to buy me an anniversary gift. That’s love for you. The people working there made sure he knew all about the shop’s return policy. Don’t worry, yarn shop people, he knows what I like and I’m not returning a single thing.

The first thing I unwrapped was a bump of Malabrigo Nube in Arco Iris. It is unbelievably soft and the colors are lovely. Can’t decide if I should spin it up as soon as the current proto-yarn is finished or wait until Tour de Fleece. Should probably figure out what I want the end project to be first. Cowl? Shawl? Hat?

Next up, 2 skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino. Just like the Nube, it is ridiculously soft and the colors are wonderful. The added silk gives the yarn a beautiful luster. Couldn’t help perusing Ravelry to find the perfect pattern and I didn’t need to search long. The Duotone Cowl is a simple striped cowl that’ll show off the yarn and be great mindless knitting. Really, I’m surprised I haven’t cast on already.

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Spotted at the butterfly pavilion at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum

Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain. 

Wonderful Calligraphy Animals by Andrew Fox.

Make melon sorbet without an ice cream maker.

Enjoying a quick photo trip around Oslo.

Great explanation about color dominance in Fair Isle knitting.

A building for measuring borders.

Love the Gnome Team Selfie by Anna Hrachovec.

What a cool coffee house. 

These op-art rugs remind anyone else of illusion knitting? 

Museum Adventure

The Bearded One and I took advantage of the long weekend to tackle our LA Bucket List. Friday, we went to the Natural History Museum and the California Science Center. It was great to walk around and see artifacts from all over the world. Wasn’t just pretty minerals and dead animals - though there were plenty of those - but also Roman Artifacts, a butterfly pavilion, Aztec carvings, space exploration modules, and amazing Dinosaur fossils. My phone’s battery just couldn’t keep up with all the photos I took. Our last stop of the day, a visit to the Endeavor Space Shuttle, was my favorite of everything we saw and not just because I’m sentimental about space exploration. Endeavor is absolutely amazing from any angle. 

Floor Mosaic from the ruins of Pompeii

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 Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain. 

Metropolitan Museum of Art Releases 400,000 Images to the Public Domain

The Ages And Ages: Tiny Desk Concert brings the pep.

A green grass roof seems like a great place for a picnic.

What the internet actually looks like. 

This is one lovely yarn shop in Portugal.

Garterlac Dishcloths

Fairly sure that I’ve fallen down the Entrelac rabbit hole. The day started innocently enough when I went looking for pattern that would look great with variegated yarn. My first choice, Grandma’s Favorite, pooled catastrophically. My second choice, the Garterlac Dishcloth, seemed like it was made for variegated yarn. The pattern had been in the queue for years. Why not not try it? Little did I know that I was standing on the edge.

Casting on was simple. As were the crumpled looking edge triangles. Then I knit a square and then another and another. In no time at all, I was working the bind off triangles and weaving in ends. Picking up stitches be damned, knitting entrelac was fun! I was officially falling down the rabbit hole and it was awesome.

I was so tempted to keep these for myself but into a box and off they went to their new home. Going to be knitting a lot more cloths so I’m sharing the entrelac love. After all, it’s a perfect use for my giant stash of kitchen cotton. 

If you’ve never tried Entrelac knitting before, this pattern is a good place to get your toes wet. It’s well written and easy to understand. The cloth is small and quick so you’re not investing a lot of time trying a new technique; however, it’s still large enough to know if you enjoy working Entrelac. Doesn’t take much yarn either - less than 60 yards, about 30 grams, of worsted weight cotton. Plus, the cloth looks very impressive and much harder to make than it actually is. If you can knit, pick up stitches, and work kfb and k2tog, you have everything you need to get started.

The Specs:

Pattern: The Garterlac Dishcloth from Criminy Jickets

Yarn: Knit Picks Dishie Multi - Nettle

Needles: US 6 (4mm)

Dates: May 6 - 9, 2014

@Ravelry 

Drum Carding Weekend

This was what my kitchen table looked like pretty much all of Saturday and Sunday. See, this is the last week I’ve got the drum carder and I’m determined to make the most of it.

I spent a good chunk of Saturday feeding 3 oz of light rose grey alpaca through the carder. It was amazing to see the fiber go from crimped locks to a soft and fluffy batt. Don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing that transformation. 

On Sunday, I carded the 2 oz of Romney bought at April’s spinning guild meeting. The very same Romney that prompted my last minute decision to rent the drum carder.  Locks went in and a fluffy cloud came out. If it looks like a cloud, it has to be a cloud right?

In total, I processed 5 oz over the weekend and I’m still not done. There’s more alpaca and angora coming from my distant stash. Until that arrives, I’ve got grand plans for this bump of fiber from Spun Right Round. Going to use it to try something new, The Monet Effect Technique from Grace Shalom Hopkins. Interested to see how carding recombines the pink, blue, and green together.

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Had a fun idea for a new pattern. After copious notes, sketches, and knitting, all I have to show for it is frogged yarn. Time to cast on again. 

Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain. 

Pejac’s Canvases and Street Art

Adorable felted mushrooms

Love peeking into an artist’s studio

How to Kick Monkey Butt - Focuses on drawing but is good advice no matter what your medium. 

Gif-iti

Sound Blogging Advice

Spun Right Round in May

Beware! There are spoilers ahead for May 2014 shipment of the Spun Right Round Fiber Club. Scroll on at your own risk.

Last week I remembered that it was almost time for the latest club shipment to show up in my mailbox. April’s package, Olivia, was still hanging out on the wheel and I thought there’d be just enough time to finish. Didn’t happen. When the package arrived, there was still yard after yard of single to spin but May’s colors were the perfect kick in the butt to finish. The sooner Olivia is off the wheel, the sooner I can start spinning up Potted.

Potted’s greens, blues, reds, creams, and even browns are right up my color alley. Might even be my new favorite color way from Spun Right Round and I have a lot of favorites. A little note said that the inspiration for this color was “potted plants, foliage, and hanging baskets”. Pretty sure she nailed it since the colors remind me more and more of my Mom’s plant covered porch. The fiber, Falkland, is one of my favorites to spin and I’m already planning what to do with this bump. Shawl? Fingerless Mitts? Mystery pattern?  

Also included in the package were two adorable little BFL punis. I’ve seen punis before but never handled them. This pair is small, just 4 grams, but are surprisingly plump and firm. Can’t wait to spin them up to see what cute little mini skeins they become.

Unfortunately, my 3 months in the Spun Right Round Fiber club are up. I can honestly say that I have throughly enjoyed it and would recommend it. The colors are beautiful even if they are out of my usual green and grey spectrum. The base fibers are lovely and soft. The one bump that I’ve started spinning has been a pleasure to work with. Plus, how awesome is it to get pretty fiber in the mail every month? I’m incredibly tempted to sign up for another month or another 3 months; however, I’m also tempted to sign up to a different fiber club with a completely different color palate. 3 months and 12 oz of fiber is a good sample of a dyer’s wares. I know for certain that Spun Right Round’s fiber is exemplary and I’m sure I’ll buy it again. In the meantime, there are so many other amazing dyers that make amazing art as well. I’d be remiss to not try them out as well. 

Who are your favorite dyers? Or do you dye yarn and fiber yourself? I’d love to know.

Go On An Adventure

View from the edge of The Getty Art Museum

This past weekend The Bearded One and I crossed two things off our LA Bucket List: The Getty Museum and The Griffith Observatory. At the museum we saw ancient manuscripts, Rococo furniture, Pollock’s Mural, Van Gogh’s Irises, and so much more that I can hardly remember it all. The few hours spent wandering the museum cultivated an appreciation for the Italian portrait painters Pontormo and Titian that I didn’t know existed before Sunday. What’s more, walking through the exhibits made me want to crack open my sketchbooks and get back to my long neglected sketching. At the Griffith Observatory, it was also inspiring to see the space exhibits and get a bird’s-eye view of LA while standing next to the old school telescopes. 

I enjoy being a homebody as much as the next person. Okay, probably a little more than the next person but there’s more to life than the confines of one’s own walls or the flickering glow of the screen. That’s why, every so often, you need to get out and go an adventure. Don’t have to go far or spend a lot of money. Just try something new or something that you’ve always wanted to do and jump start your brain. 

LA from the top of the Griffith Observatory

Griffith Park and LA 

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Inspiring, fun, thought-provoking, and crafty links to round out the week and jumpstart your brain. 

I was on the hunt for a washcloth pattern that would look great in variegated yarn and decided to try something that’s been on my knitting bucket list for awhile, Entrelac. The Garterlac Dishcloth was a great and addicting introduction to the technique. Pretty sure that I’m going to be making a lot more of them. 

Sprawling Ink Cityscapes by Ben Sack

Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies might be on the menu this weekend. 

Romain Laurent’s Looping Portraits 

Learn about circuits and electronics with conductive play dough. The site includes “recipes” for the dough and tutorials for building circuits that would be great for kids of any age. Totally going to make a batch. Science is awesome and occasionally unexpected.

Handspun Nebula

As unassuming as this skein looks, it is actually spun from wool and a whole lot of firsts. The skein was made from the first batt I turned into fauxlags, aka fake rolags. It’s the first time that I’ve spun a true woolen yarn. The first time that I’ve spun black wool. As well as the first time that I’ve spun long-draw from a traditional prep. More than a sample anyway. Having spun this yarn and to now be holding it in my hands, makes me feel like I’ve leveled up to become a better, more knowledgeable spinner. Still one that still doesn’t know what to make with her ever growing stash of handspun either.

The batt had been sitting in the stash for years without a purpose. It wasn’t until seeing a demo on rolags and actually spinning one that I had some clue of what to do with the fiber. Unfolded, the batt covered my entire balcony table. What exactly had I a gotten myself into? Remembering the demo, I spent the next couple of afternoons turning the batt into 37 fauxlags. They covered most of my kitchen table. Couldn’t help but wonder, again, what I’d gotten into but all those worries disappeared once I started spinning.

Big or small, long or short, the rolags were incredibly fun to spin. Spinning the 37th was just as enjoyable as spinning the first not just because of the different sizes but also the colors. One rolag would be black with bits of purple and the next would be full of eye popping blue. Despite their differences, the rolags combined to form a fairly consistent yarn. Well, as consistent as a lumpy, bumpy, woolen spun yarn can be. Plying definitely evened out some of the more mountainous sections. After a bath and a few good thwacks against the shower wall, the yarn plumped up nicely. I’m ready to prep and spin another skein just like it.

The Specs: 

Fiber: Spinner’s Hill Batt - 4 oz of mystery wool

Color: Storm (combo of blue, black, purple, and brown)

Yardage: 440 yds + 11

Weight: Sport, 10 - 12 WPI

Dates: March - April 26, 2014