A collection of fun and interesting links from the week.
I took the plunge and joined Instagram this week. Check out my profile. So far spinning and dinosaurs are the dominant theme.
I’ll be keeping these tips for knitting a better button band when I knit my next sweater.
Roadsworth paints the town.
How to knit the Picot Cast On
How to Draw Hearts with Circles: A Geometric Love Story by Justina Yang
Li Hongbo’s Flexible Sculptures. Cool and just a little creepy.
A collection of fun and interesting links from the week.
How to Pick Up Dropped Garter Stitches
Printable Valentines drawn by Abigail Halpin
NEXT Architects' Hilltop Staircase only looks like an endless walkway.
A collection of fun and interesting links from the week.
Tiny Pom-Pom Key Rings and Tassels
Neat video tutorial from Ysolda Teague for knitting short rows without the wrap and turn.
Fun and imaginative playgrounds.
When I bought The Field Guide to Fleece last week, I thought it would be helpful when I eventually went to a random fiber festival. Or when I was looking up wool and fleeces from indie dyers and farms. I definitely didn’t expect to use it 2 days later at the spinning guild meeting.
At every meeting, the guild holds a raffle for fiber or books or yarn. I spent $3 and split my 6 tickets between some roving and a washed fleece. Didn’t win the fleece but I did get the roving. There was no label, only a few notes on the bag. It was just enough info to find out the roving was the January 2012 shipment of the Australia-based Southern Cross Fiber Club. The colorway, Tequila Sunrise, is beautiful and on a completely new to me wool, Texel.
On a lark, I looked at The Field Guide first instead of searching though a few pages of search results. On page 204, was an entry for the Texel which is originally from the Netherlands and bred mainly for meat. It has a staple length of 3-6” and, while lacking in luster, spins up to make a lofty, air-filled yarn. The fiber is nowhere near soft but good for hardy blankets, pillows, and mats.
The Field Guide to Fleece by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius is a steal at $14.95. It alphabetically details 100 different sheep breeds with photos and clear, detailed information. Everything from breed history and characteristics - staple length, micron count, and fleece weight - as well as how the wool takes dye, its best uses, and how readily the fiber felts. Every entry has a photo of the sheep and a close-up of an individual lock next to a ruler. The book is a wonderful pocket-sized resource that’s worth buying both for new and experienced spinners who need a good, quick resource.
Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Carrot; I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was amazing.
Architectural Renderings of Butterflies and Shells by Rafael Araujo
Origami Dresses by Julie Waibel
A meticulous 1:60 scale paper Boeing 777 made by Luca Iaconi-Stewart.
All I wanted was my favorite knitting bag. The pretty one with the pockets, snaps, needle loops, and enough space for all the yarn. So, I dug it out and, when I opened it up, found a forgotten project, the Bilateral Cardigan. It’s my only serious attempt at knitting a sweater because the pattern seemed easy and forgiving in fit. Instead of casting on at the neck, you knit two hexagons, creatively sew them together, and end up with a short-sleeved, cropped cardi. This explains why the one piece, which is way too big, looks more like a blanket then a sweater.
It’s been 2 years, almost to the day, from when I cast on and I don’t want to wear the finished object anymore. I’m still very much in love with the yarn, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, though. Yesterday, I happily ripped out every single yarn and wound the yarn. Then I went to Ravelry to find a pattern for a cropped, light weight cardigan. An old favorite from my queue, Amiga, jumped to the top of my list. Don’t tell anyone but I may have already started swatching.
I’m a big fan of taking a break when necessary. Complicated problems, finicky questions, and pesky knitting designs can be hard to solve in one sitting. Instead of beating my head against the same spot on the wall, I go for a walk, play a game, and do my best to simply ignore the damn thing for awhile. It’s better to come back with a fresh mind and make time for the flash of inspiration to strike.
The current pesky problem? My latest work-in-progress design. Things were doing so well too. My swatches were truthful and I had enough yarn; the only thing left to do was cast on. Several thousand stitches later, a tiny detail about knitting in the round threw the whole project for a loop. The only thing to do, besides from rip it all out, was to do something else.
Enter the Peppercorn Bracelet by Kourtney Robinson. I picked up the supplies for it last month and last weekend seemed like the perfect time to get started. My only mod is to use fine hemp cord instead of yarn. By the way, collapsable eye needles for stringing beads are definitely worth the money.
The weekend away and a little mindless knitting seems to have done the trick. I have an easy, wonderful solution and the pattern is back on track. Still have to rip out the first attempt though. Send reinforcements.
This weekend I’m spinning a 3-ply yarn just because I finally have enough bobbins to do so. Can’t wait to ply it all together and try out my brand new bulky flyer. The lucky fiber is Falkland from Gwen Erin Fibers with the completely appropriate name of Goldfinch.
Also, I’m making cookies; Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, to be exact. Shaping up to be a nice few days.
Toon Bombing - Googly eyes can bring any inanimate object bring to life. Mustaches help too.
Optimist by Hottea - Minimalist yarn bombing at it’s finest.
Before it’s definitely old news, I did knit a few things for Christmas. I didn’t feel any obligation to knit for everyone on my list so there were no crazy deadlines to stress over. The projects were small, simple, and only took a few hours of dedicated work. I hope I remember this lesson for 2014’s holiday season.
The first projects off my needles were a set of kitchen towels for a friend who recently bought a house. I used one ball of Knit Picks Dishie, US 6 needles, and two of my own patterns: the Laddered Cloths and the Bridges Kitchen Towel.
The Cornered Slouch Hat, a pattern I released last December, was also a Christmas gift and I was incredibly tempted to keep it for myself.
Then, there were stockings.
Big & Stripey here only counts as Christmas knitting because, A, it’s a stocking, and, B, I knit it during Christmas. My other travel project wasn’t working out and I wanted to just knit something. Decided I wanted to make a stocking with stripes and went from there. It was a simple thing to keep my hands busy during long car rides and low-key gatherings. I’ll block it eventually. Probably, right before it’s time to hang it up 11 months from now.
The tiny one continues my tradition of knitting a new ornament every year. I couldn’t resist putting a palm tree down the leg since the Bearded One and I have been surrounded by the things since we moved.
Now, no more talk from me about Christmas knitting until it’s time to start knitting for this year. The time will arrive sooner then it should. Always does.
We’re still talking about Christmas gifts, right? Because I’ve got my last skein of 2013 handspun to show off. This particular yarn, the only yarn I gave away last year, was spun for a friend who knits beautiful lace shawls that seem to pop off the needles every time she turns around. Plus, the last time I gifted her some handspun she immediately knit it into a cowl. I think she must have cast on for it as soon the package landed on her doorstep. So, she deserves handspun yarn and I went on the hunt for soft fiber in the perfect color.
Once the goodness, Ashland Bay Multi-Colored Merino, was in hand, I was ready to spin but not just any old yarn. I wanted to replicate one of the first skeins to come off my wheel, a soft DK weight 2-ply spun from the same fiber. That teal yarn demanded to be knit as soon as it came off the bobbins but I haven’t found the right pattern yet. To recreate said yarn, I split the fiber in half, set the wheel up with the same ratio and tension, and got to spinning. The final product wasn’t exactly the same but it was awfully close. Instead of a DK, it was a sport weight. Instead of 300 yards, there were 464. Sounds good to me.
The Specs
Fiber: 4oz of Ashland Bay Multi-Colored Merino
Color: Baltic
about 12 WPI post washing
464 yards
Spinning a heathered top was a new experience for me. Up to that point, I’d only worked with solid and hand dyed fibers; neither behave quite the same as a heather. The heathered top and the final yarn look very different since drafting the fiber further blends the colors. I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d end up with so I just went with it. The yarn is definitely still blue but you can see yellow, red and purple up close. I love the nuance and want to spin a whole sweater’s worth of this fiber. That’s definitely a first.
Thursday afternoon, I put a silly horror movie, they do exist, on in the background and sat down to clean my wheel. The process wasn’t as difficult or time consuming as I had imagined it to be. Just detailed. First, I dusted every surface, crevice, and joint I could reach. Happy with the lack of dust, on went the wood wax.
Thanks to a demo at a fiber guild meeting last year, I was able to buy some Heavenly Handspinning Herbal Wheel Wax from The Yarn Marm. The hardest part of whole process was getting the tin open. Somehow, I managed to not spill half the liquid contents prying of the lid. The wax had a pleasant smell and was easy to apply. I let it sit of 5 minutes before rubbing it off with a soft cloth. Now the wood has a wonderful luster and a layer of protection against dry, salty air.
Oiling was a breeze since since only the footmen cranks and the bobbin ends on the flyer needed attention.
From start to finish the entire process only took about 50 minutes. The wheel looked beautiful and ready for a test spin. It spun effortlessly and quietly too. I’m looking forward to spinning a lot of yarn this year so I’m not going to wait months to clean it again. Gotta take care of my Sidekick after all.
Back home from the holidays and settling into the familiar routine along with a few changes for the better. One thing that hasn’t changed is my lovely fiber stash and I’m looking forward to spinning my first yarn of 2014. The Sidekick is clean, oiled, and ready to go. Let the weekend begin!
Sometimes you just need a cat gif. Then another one and another one…
Kris Temmerman turned his front window into an arcade game.
Tips for New and Experienced Knitters
Miniature Edible Scenes by Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida. So fun and cute, the photos make me hungry.
Okay, I admit it. I’ve been a bad spinner by not properly babying my wheel. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? When I first got my wheel, I knew it had to be maintained on a regular basis. The manual talked about oiling and protecting the wood and dusting of all things. Totally doable. But I haven’t done any of those things. Before you drag out the pitch forks and the torches to take my wheel away, know I’m mending my ways. I have oil, wood wax, and dusting cloths. I’m going to spend the afternoon giving my Sidekick a proper cleaning before I spin the first yarn of 2014. After all the work this wheel has done over the past few months, it definitely deserves a little love.
Since this is my first time ever deep cleaning a wheel, a little research was in order. I found some helpful articles and have a better idea of what to do. Maybe they’ll help you and your wheel out too.
The Spinner’s Glossary by Lee Juvan - Handy overall article with lots of photos, tips, and instructions for cleaning and protecting your wheel.
How to Care for Your Spinning Wheel - Basic video tutorial for how to clean and protect a spinning wheel; goes through the process for 4 different wheels.
How to Size and Replace Drive Bands
Schacht’s Spinning Wheel Care Tips
The Care & Feeding of Spinning Wheels by Karen Pauli popped up frequently in my research despite being published in 1981. Might get my hands on a copy.
After reading numerous “Best Of” and 2013 showcase posts, I was inspired to make up a little gallery of my 2013 patterns. Here’s what I have to show off: The Cornered Slouch Hat.
And that’s it. Just one measly pattern. I had all these ideas in my head; some of which I sketched and swatched and started knitting. Out of all of these, the only pattern that saw the light of day was this hat. Disappointing? Yes. A kick in the pants? Definitely.
So, this year I’m setting a goal. My realistic side wants to design and release 6 patterns. That’s 1 pattern every 2 months. The crazy, overachiever part of me wants to push 1 pattern a month. I’m going to aim for something in the middle and see what happens. Some of the patterns will be ones that have been lingering on my needles and some will be the ones that I just have to cast on for right that second.
The pattern currently dancing around on my needles is definitely one that I wanted to cast on for as soon as the idea popped into my head. Unfortunately, I wasn’t even in the same state as the yarn at the time and had to wait a few days. Turned out to be a good thing since I was able to mull the project over and work out a few details. Well, as well as details can be worked before the yarn hits the needles. Now I’m one swatch in and the whole thing is still a good idea. 2014 is off to a great start.
I’m usually not one to look back and remise at the dawn of a new year but 2013 was amazing. I got married, moved to the other side of the United States, went exploring, bought a spinning wheel, spun lots of yarn, and generally had a lot of fun.
There were also things about 2013 that were difficult. Things that didn’t happen and other things that were outright disappointing. Also, I completely forgot about last year’s resolution/theme until it was time to make one for 2014. I had to look it up but, in 2013, I wanted to approach my life and projects with bold enthusiasm. Managed to pull it off about 50% of the time despite forgetting it. As for that other 50%? There was fear and guilt and procrastination because of the fear and guilt. Procrastinating doesn’t lead to enthusiasm of any sort unless your enthusiastic about procrastinating. Can’t say that I was but it was a tough cycle to break. This is were 2014 comes in.
REBOOT.
I’m aiming to leave the troublesome trifecta behind and that start fresh. The projects and goals that I kept pushing to the bottom are going straight to the top. I’m not going to feel guilty those things are still undone. Well, I probably will feel guilty but I’m not going to let it stop me anymore.
Bring it on, 2014. I’m ready for you. I’m going to write, design knitting patterns, edit, swing kettle bells, go exploring, ride my bike, take all of the photos, read books, sketch, spin yarn, and whatever else strikes my fancy. May it be an amazing, kick ass kind of year.
A quick, simple hat pattern is a great thing to have up your sleeve whether you have a great yarn or just 2 more knitting days until Christmas. Simple cast on. Simple ribbing. Simple stockinette. Simple crown decreases. Simple finishing. Let the yarn do all the hard work.
I designed the hat to showcase a marled orange and blue beauty of a skein. The yarn was originally a pooling mess of fingering weight that I chain plied to create a lovely, marled aran weight. You can easily use any aran yarn that’ll give you 4 stitches to the inch or ply your stashed fingering weight yarn with the help of this tutorial.
Cornered Slouch Hat
Sometimes, all you want is a simple, slouchy hat. Knit up a fun yarn or show off some handspun. This simple pattern with squared decreases is the perfect display for your favorite yarn.
Thanks to the stretchiness of ribbing and stockinette, this hat will fit a wide variety of noggins.
Sizes: 21” and 23”
Yarn: 110 - 130 yds of aran weight yarn
Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) needles
No snow around here. Just clear skies, a light breeze, and pleasant temps during the morning walk to the farmer’s market.
Printable Gift Tags by Abigail Halpin
Cloud Forest: Misty Czech Bohemian Forest by Kilian Schonberger
Lucy Knisley sketches the Winter Grumps. Yep, I can relate.
Creative Compulsive Disorder: Remembering Zina Nicole Lahr
The Woman in the Arena by Zen Pencils
This isn’t what it looks like. It’s a disheveled pom-pom that doesn’t quite look like a house. Okay, so it is what it looks like. Let me explain. I saw a tutorial for these adorable little house pom-poms over on the Mr Printables blog. Seemed like an awesome idea to make a few as Christmas ornaments.
Before I committed myself to making 5+ of the things, I decided to whip one up as a test. The wrapping diagrams were pretty easy to follow and the step-by-step photos answered the rest of my questions. Once the pom-pom form was loaded with yarn, out came the scissors. The resulting pom-pom looked nothing like a house. Since I spent at least 10 minutes cutting the thing open, it was abundantly clear that my scissors just weren’t sharp enough to trim it to shape. So, I cut my loses and chucked it across the room. It doesn’t make much of a house but it does make a cushy projectile.
With the right yarn, sharp scissors, and some practice, I think these pom-poms would actually look like a house. When I have all 3 of those things and a complete lack of mailing deadlines, I’ll try again.
Occasionally, I can see the house that it was supposed to be but, most of the time, all I see is a balding cyclops.
What did work surprisingly well was the DIY pom-pom maker also from Mr Printables. I cut it out from a cardboard box and held everything together with rubber bands instead of alligator clips. If you can’t get your hands on an actual pom-pom maker, this version will definitely work in a pinch.
Just 15 days until Christmas, my dear knitting friends. I hope you're way ahead on all you're projects or at least close to being done. There's just one more thing on my very short knit list, a small ornament, and it should be finished by the weekend. I hope.
If you're looking for a quick, last-minute gift, I recommend simple hats, mitts, washcloths, and sport weight socks. They're great tv knitting and you can wrap them up in no time at all.
Walking on the beach during low tide, especially in December, never gets old.
Enjoy the cute that is Goats in Sweaters
Faces in Things finds faces in the strangest places.
Astronaut extraordinaire Commander Chris Hatfield does an AMA (AKA: Ask Me Anything)
Dr Whoodles: You can’t wear this Dr Who scarf but you can eat it.
Hi! My name is April Klich. I write about knitting, spinning, and straight up making with a focus on playing and finding joy in the process.
