KnitObsession

Before I know it....

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:50:00 +0000

two young ladies will be here for a visit and I'll probably have no time for myself. So I'm finishing up some WIP's this week.
I'm on the final rows of my baby blanket. I'll be glad when it's done, it should have been done by now but spinning took over my life.
I finished 2 pairs of socks that were shipped off to California on Friday. It feels good to be using up stash instead of adding to it.
Wollmeise in Miss May

Three Ewes Twisted in Fiber in Clarice

and my last spin for the Tour de Fleece.

Southern Cross Fibre on Bond the colour is Cornucopia

I have another skein drying that I plied up this morning and now I have to decide what to spin next. I'm getting anxious to actually knit some of these hand-spun up. That may be all I can accomplish with 2 crazy girls to keep me on my toes.

Up...

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 12:17:00 +0000

at the crack of dawn this morning. It's supposed to be less humid today, so I think I'll take my wheel out on the deck for a bit and spin with the birds.
The boys are already out in their usual spots.

And here are my two lastest spins.

This is what I've chosen for my next spin, and I may also have some fiber soaking to play with some dye.

Knitting............

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 02:32:00 +0000

and dyeing have taken a back seat in the last couple of weeks and I really need to step up on the baby knitting. Those 2 little beauties will be here before I know it, and as a surrogate grandmother I can't let them down. All babies need something hand knit as far as I'm concerned.
Here is the start of the second baby blanket. I'm knitting it in Stray Cat sport weight, one of my favorite bases.
More on the pattern will be revealed when it's finished and hopefully that won't be too long.

My knit-obsession has turned into a spin-obsession. I can't stop. After the first couple of skeins I felt the urge to make more. I think I need to try all the different breeds, just to be able to figure out which ones I like best. So far Polwarth and BFL are leading. I'm spinning up a Falkland now and it's doing quite well too. It's almost like a box of chocolates, you just can't stop at one.

My favorite girl spent the morning on the deck with me. The breeze was lovely, but there was a storm brewing so she didn't stay too long.

Practice............

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 13:21:00 +0000

practice and more practice.
As a child I remember my parents selling our piano because I wouldn't practice and now I regret not keeping up with it.
And as the old saying goes, the older we get the wiser we get. I've learned through knitting and sewing that patience really is a virtue. If you take your time and be patient you will get to the end with the results you love.

A while back I bought my mom's spinning wheel. It's an Ashford Kiwi, and such a nice little wheel, perfect for beginners.

She wasn't using it and I kept seeing so many beautiful hand spun yarns on ravelry, that I wanted to make beautiful yarn too. I picked up new parts at the local fiber shop and got her all tuned up and ready to spin.

I tried and tried, but I think I had high expectations that the fiber would spin itself and I would have gorgeous yarn instantly. Boy was I wrong. Then the discouragement set in, and the wheel was put in the back corner taunting me everyday.

With some videos by Judith MacKenzie and YouTube, I got my mojo back and dusted that wheel off again.
I think the bobbins are just as beautiful as the finished yarn.

I took it slow and learned that my first yarns wouldn't be what I was ultimately shooting for and just kept spinning.

The practice and perseverance has paid off, I finally got a yarn that I love and can't wait to knit.

This is my favourite so far. It's 100% Polwarth and I couldn't wait to get it plied and ready to knit. Now I just have to find the right pattern.

In the Pink.........

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 01:17:00 +0000

Tess is off the needles, blocked and pretty as a picture. Knit in Top Cat Lace, dyed in a very feminine shade of pink. There are more photos and details on my project page on Ravelry.

The beads are very subtle and they were fun to add. I will certainly be adding more beading to future projects.

Now I'm busy with some more baby knits and more dyeing and of course I'm still fascinated with spinning.
I'll post some of those photos in a few days.

Pretty in pink.....

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 01:06:00 +0000

is the knitting porn for today. I have been knitting a new shawl with a few fellow ravelers in an impromptu KAL. No rules, no time restrictions, we're all just knitting the same pattern and hanging out with each other. My kind of KAL, no stress.

The is Tess. I'm knitting it in Top Cat Lace. BossCat and I don't knit with lace that often so we only had a few skeins in our personal stock, it never made it to the shop.
I actually had the beads before the yarn was dyed and I think I matched it perfectly.

It has an unusual beginning. You start from the bottom and do a crochet cast on with a chain 5 in between each stitch. Then once you get past the lace section it is worked in short rows. The start was a little fiddly, but once you get going it's smooth sailing. This is the first time I've actually used stitch markers between each pattern repeat and it paid off. It made it so much easier to keep track of the pattern in case of mistakes.

I especially like the star stitch pattern in the short rows.

I'm totally into pink these days, so I'm sure this won't be going into the "gift box".

Sometimes.......

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 00:30:00 +0000

a little inspirations is all it takes.
I don't always know what will happen in the studio, but sometimes it just all comes together. We don't always do repeatable colours, I find I have more fun and enjoy dyeing when I don't have a plan. There's no pressure and you don't have to worry about anyone being disappointed because it didn't look like the last one you dyed.

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't always work out. We've had some of yarn end up in the purple dye pot to be over-dyed because we weren't happy with it. And really, who doesn't like purple socks?

So while BossCat was in Chicago on a work related trip, I got to play in the studio. You can find some new colours in the shop today that were inspired by nature.

One thing........

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 23:17:00 +0000

leads to another, as the old saying goes.
A couple of years ago, while hanging out on Ravelry, I stumbled across of group of ladies that were talking about circular sock knitting machines, aka: CSM's. My ears perked up, my interest was sparked and that became the beginning of the downward spiral into "cranking".

I was under the impression that this would be a great way to burn through my never ending sock yarn stash. I found myself a beautiful antique Gearhart through a friend on Ravelry who re-furbishes them and so it began. I had several false starts, a few tears and maybe some curse words, and I wondered what in the heck did I get myself into. But I persevered and be damned if I'd give up so easy. Finally it all came together and I was making socks.

I have since purchased another antique, my Bickford knitting machine that the Mr. and I refurbished and I bought a newly manufactured machine from the Erlbacher Gearhart Co. I have the versatility of making lots of socks with several different cylinders sizes and ribbing with the "Erl" which I don't have with the antiques.

And that dent I thought I'd put in the sock stash, it never happened. It seems the more you crank the more yarn you need, and that sock box of mine is full to the brim. There are a lot of happy friends and family out there with warm and snugly feet.

All things fiber............

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Fri, 30 May 2014 02:28:00 +0000

Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed when it comes to my hobbies. It feels like there will never be enough hours in the day to do all the things I love.
When my children were small, I was sewing them clothes, knitting them sweaters, and we were always crafting something.
We didn't have a lot of money, I was a stay at home mom, so with one income we stretched that dollar as far as we could. I sometimes felt bad because they didn't always have everything, but we did have fun learning different crafts. We always made new ornaments for the Christmas tree every year, and they entered their wares in the local fair every fall.

I now see how those talents get passed down from generation to generation. I remember sweaters my grandmother made me and baby sets knit by both my mother and her mother. I learned to knit when my children came along and I knit for my grandchildren now. My love of all things fiber, whether it be knitting or spinning or dyeing yarn were taught to my children and are now being taught to their children.

It's nice to know that my passion for all things fiber will live on through them and they'll be making memories of their own one day.

Pink and yellow...

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Wed, 21 May 2014 14:25:00 +0000

When I dyed up our Spring yarns, I had all kinds of ideas flowing through my head. I knew I wanted socks, but I also wanted to knit something to showcase our new House Cat yarn.
Gerbera kept taunting me. I'm so enamored with pink and yellow together, but I needed a project that wasn't too busy as not to distract from either the yarn or the pattern.

Rondelay was perfect. I find garter stitch is perfect for variegated yarns and this design had me intrigued by it's construction. And besides mindless knitting is what I need right now.

There are more pictures and details on my Rav page.
This will be perfect for those cooler days when I want something light around my neck. I still want socks but I'll want some nylon in them, so I'll be dyeing up some more real soon.
I have a small batch of Barn Cat and Stray Cat almost ready for the shop so stay tuned.

Inspiration..............

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Wed, 14 May 2014 19:52:00 +0000

can be a funny thing, you never know where it will come from. When BossCat and I hit the dye pots we either have a specific idea in mind or we just throw caution to the wind and start playing with colour.

All I seem to be interested in lately is knitting and cranking out socks. I have a few ideas rolling around in the back of mind but I seem to have stalled out for a little while.

So Valerie took over the studio last week and we have a few new yarns in the shop today.

We haven't done very much Solo Cat, so it was time. It's a lovely 100% single ply merino and it takes the dye beautifully.
These colours would be perfect in light weight shawls or even mitts or socks.

Introducing Lady Violet, Pebble Beach, Steel Town, and Fern.

Valerie's Autumn Orchard Shawl is gorgeous.

I started some fingerless mitts a while ago with Solo Cat, but they too went in the time out corner I really need to get them done.
The yarn works up well with beads too.

Being at home....

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sat, 03 May 2014 16:45:00 +0000

for an extended time does have it's advantages. Although I miss my job (just a little bit) I am getting lots of time to do the things I love.
Daenerys is done, blocked and ready for her debut. This was a pretty easy knit and the Twisted Slinky Cat with that touch of silk made it shine. Also with it's generous 600 yards it's not difficult to get a good size shawl out of it. The KAL is still on and there is still plenty of time to knit something up before June 8th.

Next up is the long ignored baby blanket. I know this should not have taken so long, but like I said before, sometimes when I put a project down it takes some time to get back to. Nothing like more babies on the way to motive me and it was already half done.
My version of the Nursery Blocks Baby Blanket. There are more picture on my Rav project page.

I dyed up some Wandering Cat Fat Cat DK and really didn't plan out how I was going to knit this up, other than the picture I saw. I was thinking of a square blanket, but the blocks were so addicting I just kept knitting. Next thing I knew I had a rectangle. I also incorporated the side triangles from another pattern on ravelry, and I used all four colours for a garter stitch border knit in the round. I am so pleased with the way it turned out I may just make another one.

Done with lots of time to spare....

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 19:59:00 +0000

Daenerys is off the needles and blocking. This pattern went pretty quickly once I got rolling. I did a small amount of beading just to jazz it up a bit and I think it's perfect. I hope the recipient loves it too. Once it's dry I'll do some outdoor shots and really show off it's beauty.

Happy Easter...

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 21:49:00 +0000

Yesterday was spent with the girls, the dog and a fun day at the park.

New socks for Robo in Twinkle Cat Fingering, dyed to self stripe in her new favorite colour "Vanellope Von Schweetz".

New socks for Miss P in Desert Vista Dyeworks in the bright shades of "Dia de los Muertos".

Today is for quiet, learning to spin,

and back to my knitting this evening. This is my Daenerys Shawl for our Game of Thrones KAL over in the Wandering Cat Ravelry Group. I'm knitting with our Twisted Slinky Cat, a lovely blend of Merino and Silk with a tight twist.

If you haven't joined there is still lots of time, there are prizes and of course lots of encouragement.

Just when you think it's over......

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 23:24:00 +0000

Mother Nature lets you know who's "boss". After a couple of very warm spring days, the temperature dropped to below 0C and a small flashback of winter blew in.

So I made myself a hot cup of tea, wrapped up in my Pashmina and spent the morning knitting and watching the giant snowflakes fall.
Now we all know this is not going to last, so I have been thinking of what I love to knit once the warmer air starts blowing in. You know those lovely lacy shawls you can wrap around your shoulders and sit on the deck on a cool day and just enjoy the sounds of spring. I have several in my queue on Ravelry.

Elizabeth Shawl by Dee O'Keefe

Northern Summer Shawl by Jo Kelly

or perhaps something simple like
Alina Shawl by Merja Korhonen

Up in the shop today, is our "Spring Shawl Yarns" in Continental Cat. Each skein is a wonderful 750 yards of light fingering weight 100% Superwash Merino. We have Johnny Jump Up, Lily Pad, Wild Iris, Gerbera and Bluebell.

I think I'll get my current sock off the needles and contemplate which colour I would like to knit first.

Spring has sprung again...........

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 00:04:00 +0000

at Chez Wandering Cat Yarns. This time of year all I can think about is all those new flowers that will be popping their little heads out of the ground. That takes me to the dyepots, because I can't wait any longer for bright spring colours.
Our first update several weeks ago sold out pretty fast. I've had so many requests for Johnny Jump Up and Gerbera that I dyed up some more, and well the Johnny is all gone already.
But there is plenty of others on different bases up in the shop as I'm writing this.

I have a whole pot of Continental Cat soaking for some of those spring flowers and shawl knitting, so stayed tuned for the next update.

The hardest part.............

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 20:35:00 +0000

for me is picking up projects I started and put down for one reason or another. This is one of them. I started this baby blanket for my great-nephew who is now 1 year old. I saw a project I like, I dyed the yarn, and then I started.
Yarn: Wandering Cat Fat Cat DK

Like everything I knit, I go all gang busters, then something new comes along and catches my eye. Where does it go? In the basket for a time-out. I promise myself I'll get right back to it, and sometimes I do but most times I don't.

Now that I'm home for a bit, it's time to start getting back to that time-out basket. I have a couple of friends having babies this fall, so if I get on it now they'll have some lovely knits by the time they are born. Well my intentions are good.

The blanket is now just a little farther along than this, I'm already on the side triangles. I can do this.
I'm not following any particular pattern, just a photo of a baby blanket I saw and fell in love with. Mitered squares are so versatile and perfect for small or larger projects.

Persistance.....

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 21:14:00 +0000

or stubborn. I'm not sure what made me do it. Have you ever had one of those projects, you love the pattern, you love the yarn, you love the process, but in the end you probably should have quit while you were ahead?
This was one of those projects.
I bought the yarn ages ago at the Needle Emporium. It's the most luxurious skein of Red Label Silk Cashmere from Tanis Fiber Arts in the lovely colourway "Stormy. I knew it was intended for something special.

Now the time comes and I need a hat. What better yarn to have against my scalp, silk and cashmere. It was meant to be.
I knew the hat I wanted. BossCat had already made one and it was exactly what I wanted. I had the yarn, the pattern, and the beads.
It started out fine, but I soon realized that knitting a single ply yarn with 2.25mm needles was going to be interesting. I probably should have stopped there, but no, I really liked the look and feel of the fabric, even though I had to pay attention not to split the yarn as I knitted.

So onward and upward, I persevered. Then came the beads. First mistake, single ply with small beads was not making me happy. It was not easy pulling that yarn through that tiny little bead. So, I ended up ripping back the beginning of the row and grabbed the larger beads and soon was back on track.

I finally finished it, even thought the beading was slower than I normally do, but in the end it was worth it. I love it, and it will feel really nice sporting it in the weeks to come while the weather is still cool enough for a hat.
Pattern: Karpalo-Cranberry

About time...........

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 02:06:00 +0000

Now that I'm going to be home for a bit, I finally had time to do some long overdo work on my Hoodie pattern. Every time I knit this for someone, several others would ask for the pattern. Of course it only came in one size, it was my go to baby sweater.
So I finally sat down, put pen to paper and figured out a couple of more sizes, it's been a long time coming.

A Tisket, a Tasket

It's a top down, knit in DK or Sport Weight, perfect for spring or fall. And right now it can be purchased along with the Shawl Collared Sweater on Ravelry for 50% off, no coupon needed, just check out and it's automatically deducted.

Spring Fling....

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 01:44:00 +0000

I love this time of year. Fresh bright colours that make that long cold winter a thing of the past. These are now available in the Wandering Cat Etsy Shop.
Gerbera, Delphinium, and Johnny Jump Up.

Finally, the first sign of spring.....and new beginnings.

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 00:50:00 +0000

and I have a couple of new colourways drying as I'm writing these. They're sure to put the "spring" back in your step.

Another KAL...

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:22:00 +0000

Thank you to all for a sucessful update. I know all of you will enjoy your new stripes and skeins. It looks like the ones I wanted to knit myself sold, so I'll be back to the dye pots soon.

Not one, but now I have successfully completed two KAL's. This one is my favorite patterns which I have knit several times.
Monkeys by Cookie A, but the no purl version. I chose a skein of Barn Cat that got a second chance.
It was one of those skeins that was not so pretty and I knew it need to be over-dyed, and what I got was oh so sweet and chocolatey.
Before

After

and now I have these.

I'll also be doing some more knit alongs starting in May. I've been asked to join Alice Yu's Socktopus KAL group on ravelry. I have had the book for a while now and there are several pair that need to be added to my sock drawer.
There will be prizes from Indy dyers to encourage us to keep on knitting and you may just see a skein or two of Wandering Cat Yarn being offered up. Come on over and join us.

Spring....

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 14:53:00 +0000

Well another month has almost passed, and signs of spring are showing. It was so lovely here yesterday I spent a couple of hours on the front deck closing toes on socks.
Big Red greeted me for breakfast and actually hung around for some photos. Look at those buds.

The term "I work for yarn" has been in my repertoire for a long time. I cranked out these socks for a friend in exchange for more yarn. These were cranked with the German Wollmeise yarn. Everybody goes crazy over her saturated colours and great yardage. I do have to say, I have a couple of pair for myself and there may be a few more in my future.

I have also cranked out a few pair for gifts.
Wandering Cat Yarns Barn Cat, I love the twist on this yarn and the 80/20 blend of merino/nylon is a great combination for socks. This is Midnight Posey dyed by BossCat. I'm not sure if she can dye this one again, it was supposed to be something else and didn't work, so I snagged it. I actually think the skeins we flub usually turn out to be my favorites.

This pair is our Twisted Top Cat, it has the same twist as the Barn Cat, but it's a blend of 80/10/10 merino/cashmere/nylon. Just a little bit of luxury on your feet. This is Bleeding Hearts, my concoction. It reminded me of my lovely plant out in the garden, which I'm anxiously waiting to see again this summer.

Today will be a day of winding up yarn to dye of for stripes, and re-skeining some that will be in the shop very soon.

You could hear a pin drop..........

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:39:00 +0000

It's been so quiet here since the girls went home. I think Lady realized they were going and she would get her window seat back.

We had a fabulous week but it went too fast and we didn't finish all our projects. We'll have to finish them next time.
I did manage to crank out a couple of pairs of socks the next day without distraction. Everything is back to normal.
One pair for BossCat in Alley Cat BFL Fairy Garden

And one pair for me in Regia Blitz Terra.

I'll have some to post very soon, they're caked and ready to crank.

Crankin' good time........

noreply@blogger.com (Rhonda) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 02:44:00 +0000

The yarns were dyed and dried and ready to crank.

We managed to get all our cranking done on Friday.

The Rowanator's scarf for Momma's birthday

Some beautiful hand/arm warmers made by Miss "P"

and 2 pairs of birthday socks for momma.

The little vixens even took the rest of their yarns home for momma to knit them some socks too.

I really didn't have the heart to keep them for myself, but I wanted too.