A Rather Large Wheel On Which to Spin Fiber, and 2 Cats In Costumery

Here's the glamour shot that yesterday's bobbin is a part of - this is a Country Craftsman wheel that I snagged from craigslist. The wheel itself was crafted in Littleton, Massachusetts - it is a reproduction of a wheel from the 1700s. This particular wheel was only ever used for display purposes, and is in WONDERFUL shape! All I needed was a piece of string!

This wheel differs a fair amount from my other one (Ashford Traditional, for those not paying attention). First of, this is double-drive - see how the string goes around the big wheel twice?The large wheel controls both the whorl and the bobbin (on my Scotch tension wheel, the drive-band controls the flyer). The flyer here is tucked into little hard leather "hooks". Also, this has the giant crazy flax distaff - that big thing sticking up in the front. The overall size - well, the top of the big wheel reaches my waist, and the footprint is much larger as well. The whole thing is held together with little wooden pegs. I've only got one bobbin - I'm either going to see about having a few constructed or find some online. While construction has stopped on new wheels, the bobbin and whorl assemblies are still available.

That blue stuff on the wheel? That's some mystery fleece from Amy - I just grabbed a little something to take for a test drive. I can tell that it will take a little bit of getting used to how this puppy wants to spin, along with the double drive business. I've become very in tune with the tensions and nuances and speeds that I can take my Ashford , and what results I can comfortably achieve - with this new wheel, there will definitely be a bit of trial and error as I get used to how it works. Don't worry - I'll keep you updated.

Oh, and here we are Halloween! Mingo The Cat will be rockin' it "Three Amigos"-style:
I don't know what The Mayor kitty will be wearing - her glamourous cape from last year?



Which brings me to this question about Halloween:
Last year, The Mayor was on the front porch helping to give candy to strangers. She was wearing this cape. A gaggle of young girls came a hopping up the stairs, and after oohing and aahing over how cute she was, one of them asked "What's she supposed to be?"

It's a CAT wearing a CAPE - is that not enough?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??

Tomorrow! A sock report - I've opted to rip back a bit of sock #1 (of the SocksThatRock experiment) and then throw on some ribbing. I am currently in 2x2 ribbing boredom, so I will try my darnedest to git some progress on that. So close, but so far. THEN! Well, I haven't really thought about what come after that........

In Which I Make Books & Knit & Simone Gets Married!

Here ya go! A week in six pictures......

I was teaching last week. I had a most wonderful Limp Vellum Bookbinding class - 7 students, 3 day class, make great book. I talk about the Red Sox a bunch, and harangue the students. It's great fun! I got a little bit feisty:

(photo by R. Craig Fansler)

This is an example of the sewing technique we were doing - the Herringbone Stitch. We were creating models of a 14th century binding. The sections of the book are sewn around alum-tawed skin, which is held taut on these sewing frames. Yeah, I know - pushpins are not the most 14th-century technique, but, hey, ya gotta go with what works. One of my students posted more pictures of books in action on his blog.

Then off to Vermont I went! For the most lovely (albeit rainy) wedding festivities of Miss Simone and Scott - here is the lovely Simone modelling her contract knitting:

One of the photographers had exclaimed "If you get a chance to touch this thing, DO IT."
The ceremony, the food, the setting, the company, ESPECIALLY the wedding party - all lovely! Miss B also had a handknit garment:

A lovely little capelet (NOT a shrug!), which ended up blocking out all sorts of wonderful.

The car-ride to Vermont? Lots of time for knitting! Experiment Number 194595495: What's the big deal with Blue Moon Fibers "Socks that Rock" yarn? Like, why does everyone LURVE it so? I decided to find out for myself:
Lest you think that I am not thorough in my experiments, I present to you TWO of these dandies:
This is the "Loch Ness" colorway - one of about 3 colorways remaining by the time I got to the booth selling this stuff at Rhinebeck. I gotta tell ya, it's pretty freakin' nice stuff. It's rather sproingy, and I like the striping. It is super NOT splitty, It seems that it will weather and wear well. I think I can undertand now, and I will even go so far as to recommend this yarn to y'all. I'll revisit it, methinks.

I'm going to throw out this teaser:
I'll be back with pictures of my new friend tomorrow ;)

I Spin, I Knit, I Block, Repeat..........

I figured the best way for me to learn more about this spinning business would be to sign up for Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club - in which I receive about 4 oz. of hand-dyed fiber a month. It seemed this would be a great way to familiarize myself with different types of fiber, and branch out in the world of color to places I might not usually travel to. Well! I got my first bundle the other day, and had a blast spinning it (wish I had "before" shots, but alas.....):

Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club July 2007

"Celebration"
4 oz / 345 yds.

I'm quite pleased with how it came out - it is, for the most part, consistent in weight and twist, and the colors are pretty awesome - it reminds me of the bright/muted tones of salt-water taffy. Can't wait for next month! In the meantime, I signed up for Fiber Club at Hello Yarn as well. While visiting Hello Yarn, I managed to pick up some of this:

Lovely, no? I split this lengthwise a few times and started spinning - I'm hoping to end up with something similar to the Spunky yarn. I've got one bobbin full right now (sorry, no pictures) and hope to fill up another one tonight. I am a sucker for brown and teal and blue together.

In the world of knitting, I decided to NOT wait 4 -5 - 6 months to block the Icarus shawl; I figured it took long enough to knit, and at this point, I just didn't want ot have to deal with it anymore. So, blocking:


No good full-shots. It is off the boards now, but it was too rainy the past couple of days to get any lovely model shots. Oh well. soon enough! It turned out to be a little bit wider than my wingspan, and the alpaca fluffed up justenough - no loss of stitch definition, and not so fluffy that it gets in your mouth or anything (in general use, not in shawl-eating or any such).

Also: Hanami progress:
This pattern is so freakin amazing and fun to work on. Since it is so organic, it's alright if you mess up a little bit. I know I missed a stitch here or there, moved a stitch or two, but the pattern works with you - and it goes super duper fast! And the Lacey Lamb yarn? Buttery.

I am working only the Cherry Blossoms portion of this shawl (no basket weave). The pattern has you work the blossom charts out to one end, then pick up and knit the other end - so, center out. I figured the whole thing was non-directional enough that I could just flip the charts over and work them upside down. Seems to be working out for me just fine:My handy row/chart marking device? It is a magnetic knife-edge guard for kitchen knives. My roommate-chef left one hanging around and I hopped on it - IDEAL for such things. I just fold up my pattern to fit and snap the magnetics on the row I need. It fits in my bag all handy-like, as well.

Next up: my lace obsessions continue! Max & I should be casting on for Wing O' the Moth on Sunday; I'm already planning my next 4 shawls.

Progress?

Very little to report. Or it could be thought of as "more of the same".....

The other sock? Yeah, I haven't cast-on for that yet. Oh, but I will! Maybe this weekend. I promise.

I've been working a fair amount on the Icarus Shawl, though you wouldn't know to look at it. This shawl is triangular, and knit from the top center down, with 4 increases every other row. So it groooooows. But at a very very slow pace. The portion of the shawl that I am currently working on is dead boring as well - it has just enough going on that you have to pay a wee bit of attention, but it is not exciting at all. I want to get to the fun stuff! I want to get to the crazy lacey bits! But no - I think I have about 8 more rows to go of this first chart, which doesn't seem too bad, but when each row takes seemingly forever, it could be next month before I get there. I present this photo, which looks very similar to an earlier photo posted, but I swear I have been working on this:I have also hit the point in where I am starting to panic about if I will have enough yarn. This is Misti Alpaca (it is LOVELY to work with) and I think I have *just* what the pattern calls for (okay, just checked - I actually have one yard LESS than what the pattern calls for - 875 yds - but I think I may run out for REAL, not just by one yard) and I have read reports of people having run out. I'm not super concerned at this point - I know where I got this, it's pretty cheap, etc. etc. I just want. to. get. to. the. good. stuff. Dammit!

When not busy slogging through the dreadful boredom that is chart 1 of this shawl (almost as boring as socks!) I've been spinning spinning spinning like a mad woman! I'm working my way through the mystery wool from Amy, and working towards a thinner yarn. I *feel* like I am beginning to understand this spinning business a bit more - like I am on the road to owning it, but that road is very very long. Since this bag of fiber is kind of a mystery, I'm learning a bit about different fibers and how they want to behave for me. What I've really come to believe is the secret of spinning is this: tension. I feel if you can just get the tension of these 8 different things to all work together perfectly, things are golden. You just need the planets to align! And I would like to believe that I am working towards that. I've made a mini-skein of something resembling Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift, which, if you have not worked with this yarn it is wonderful, and then I tried out some Navajo Plying which is pretty interesting, and I am pleased with the results of that as well. I can see what I would like to improve on in both of these, and now I just have to figure out exactly how to do that. Max has suggested that I spin at HER place, as she likes the smooth whir whir whir of the wheel. There will be pictures soon - it's tough to get clear pics that will give you some sense of the weight and texture of the wool.

This has all left me even more excited about Rhinebeck this year; I'll try not to come back with any animals.

All Fiber, All The Time

Well, I managed to complete this:

....and I have not yet cast-on for the other one. I plan on tackling that this evening - I am DETERMINED to knit up 2 of these bad boys. I'm still not really understanding the thrill and allure and obsession with the sock-knitting. After completing this one, I was distracted by this:
That's the Icarus Shawl from Interweave Knits (Summer 2006). I started this awhile back; I'm at a horrifically tedious point in the knitting, and it keeps getting back-burnered. But! I am working on it now, being a good little lace knitter, because there are 2 other shawls that I really really really want to work on, but I have made a promise to myself that I can't cast-on for those until this one is complete. SO! I am slogging through the tedium, hopefully will get to the fun stuff by the end of this week.


I've been doing a little bit of Tour de Fleece spinning as well, but just a little bit:Amy kindly provided me with this wool - I don't know what it is, but it is nice to work with - and I'm trying my darnedest to make a fairly thin, consistent yarn. Seems to be working out okay - for now.

I am currently ignoring this new distraction:

That's a Kromski Harp Rigid Heddle Loom that I picked up the other day. Now I don't know the first thing about weaving, but I have been interested in trying it out and learning about it. This lovely item popped up (brand spankin' new!) for a fraction of it's regular cost, and I had to jump at this opportunity. I don't plan on really diving into this latest crafty endeavor for some time - it seems kind of overwhelming! For now, I'll just keep reading about it.

Yellow Jersey, Crazy Hat

I'm continuing along with my Tour de Fleece spinning. I've got about 500 yards so far, and it seems to be fairly consistent! I thought I would show some of what I spun to prior to working on my TdF goal - you know, just to get my spinning mojo back:
Amy gave me a bundle of different colored oddments of fleece - about 10 or so different colors. I thought I would spin a bit of every color, in random order, and ply some of it together as well. It came out pretty well, except for the fact that it was around 120 yards of stripey crazy colored yarn! What to do? So I figure the only thing that it COULD be was a hat:
It's a very loose knit, and I had a few yards leftover. But it's fun! And got me into thinking that I could really truly do this Tour de Fleece. I don't have more pictures of what I've completed, but it basically all looks just like those other 2 hanks. I'll get some pics of the pile when I have it done.......

Block de Force

A beautiful Saturday.......and some taking care of business.
I finally got around to blocking the big triangle shawl that I finished in November (I can't remember the actual name of it; I'll look it up at some point). This was my first major piece of lacey-lace work. Of course, the Mayor was there to help......One of my co-workers passed on these awesomely huge blocking boards to me - it was time to put them to use! Sadly, someone had pushed all of my pins flush into the tomato (pin cushion, that is). So it took a bit of work to get things out, and the blocking itself took a bit of time, but I did it! Pictures of completed piece to come......

Afterwards, I thought about working on the Clown Vomit sweater, but it was curiously unavailable to me.....

So! I figured this would be the finest of opportunities to get going on the Tour de Fleece 2007! I love watching the Tour de France, and I figured what better way to get more involved in my spinning? I have dabbled a bit here and there, and at some point started spinning for what will (hopefully) ultimately be enough wool for a sweater, but I have been rather lax in my spinning duties.......

Enter the Tour de Fleece! First thing, set a goal for the yellow jersey! Starting today (well, in this case, I suppose continuing, as it's basically been a slog up until now.......), I have to complete the spinning of this specific fleece by the end of the Tour de France. So I've got from July 7th until July 29th to get through this pound or so of wool. I started today with one hank (about 125 yards or so, 2-ply, maybe sport weight), and I got a lot done!
I don't know enough about wool to inform you more on what type of animal this came from, only to say that it has been a joy to spin. It's a lovely blend of blues and greens, with a bit of white and yellow highlights. My spinning has been (shockingly!) consistent; the yarn itself seems to be like "real" yarn. Now I just have to spin....well, a ton more. But! But! I have 2 complete hanks (125 yards and 118 yards, or so...) along with 2 bobbins ready for me to ply.

I'll keep you posted with progress - I enjoy watching the Tour de France, and I enjoy the spinning, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue to keep up. Check the side button for other people's progress. I have high enough hopes that I am already thinking about what my goal will be to get the green jersey as well..............

A Tale of Two Mitties (BOO!)

I finally got around to completing the second of the Wine-N-Roses/Dickens mitts. I offer up this poor close-up photo in hopes that you can check out the colors a wee bit more:


I realized in doing this second one that I made them a little bit longer than the pattern had called for - I completed one more pattern round at the top of the hand. I don't mind the length though. There is a mildly curious part of the pattern involving yarn-overs and making purls over 2 rows; if I were to do these again, I think that I would convert those into a simpler k2tog/yo combination along one row.

Here are the details: this is yarn that I spun with my very own un-mitted hands! I would tell you more about the yarn, but I don't really know much more! It seemed to come out fairly consistent as a single-ply, which is how I knit it up. I believe I ended up with something in the realm of 230 yards or so; I have enough remaining to *maybe* get another mitt. There are some nice pockets of color in the wool. This second one needs some wear! It has a bit more sheen to it, along with stitch definition; I didn't block them, I just started wearing them.

What do you think? They are still quite Dickensian, methinks.

Knit Mitt

So I seem to be making a lot of fingerless mitts these days. It's quite cold in my office, and I have a fair amount of straggly bits of yarn, and the mitts seem to solve both of those problems: stash-buster & keeping my paws warm while still allowing me to type.

I spun up this bunch of nice silvery-grey blended with all sorts of colors wool, and had enough to make the lovely Wine and Roses Mitts from the Winter 2006 issue of Interweave Knits:


I've only got this one done so far - the other one is on hold for now, as I managed to snap one of the needles (pesky skinny bamboo!!!). I'm only showing this one side, as I screwed up the lace pattern a wee in the center of the other side. Oh well. It adds to their Dickensian charm, I figure.

"Spindle, my spindle, haste, haste thee away, and here to my house bring the wooer, I pray."

Stacie got a wheel. I don't know if everyone knows this or has seen it, but it has creepy powers. Everyone (aside from myself) that encounters it immediately gets that "must-touch-wheel" glazed-over look in their eye as they compulsively move towards it, hand outstretched.

What is the deal with that? I personally have no intention of ever touching the wheel. Where do its powers come from and why am I immune? Thinking back on the story of Sleeping Beauty, I never did understand why she touched that damn thing. I also think that watching the movie traumatized me and now I am suspicious of spinning wheels. I think that the king had the right idea when he ordered them all burned in the Disney version:


It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt and has to be put in a glass case.

I do admit that although I fear and distrust the wheel, I am highly impressed with what Stacie can do with it. For example, the previously mentioned "Pink Floyd Laser Light Show:"


I am content for now to simply keep my eye on the wheel and those who are drawn to it. However, if it (or she) needs to be stopped, I will not hesitate.