knitting for engineers

Gifted

2009-12-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Many, many months ago, I lost my knitting mojo. Every few weeks, I knit a few rows on the same sock I started back in January. I've only bought 4 skeins of yarn this year (well, maybe 6). But last week, two beautiful new pair of socks appeared in my house:

How could this be? Is it magic?

It is a kind of magic: the kindness of a fellow knitter. These socks, as my fellow Hazel Knits fans will guess, are the work of the incomparable Rayleen. I asked Ray a while ago if she'd be willing to knit me a pair of socks in trade for some wool, and she kindly agreed. But this week, she sent me not only the socks I'd asked for, but another lovely pair as well.

These are Yarnissima's "Brainless" pattern, which despite its name looks quite brainy and refined to me. The yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in color Laguna.

And these sweet things are Cookie A's "Kai-Mei" from her "Sock Innovation" book, in Hazel Knits color Violetta. I love the frosted grape look of this colorway. I love the way the lace panel wraps gracefully around the top of each foot.

All the socks fit perfectly. I don't know how she does it. Thank you, Ray! World's best care package. I love them very much.

One lump or two?

2009-05-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

I drink my tea and coffee black, but still could not resist this lovely little sugar bowl:

It's (finally) a gorgeous sunny day here today, and I walked through the University District Fair (first street fair of the season in Seattle). The sugar pot above is from Brad Henry Pottery. I love the handle on the lid - it looks like the top of a beret.

Woven

2009-04-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished my class project for the four harness loom class I took at Weaving Works.

This scarf is woven from Hazel Knits Artisan Sock wool. The warp and fringe are Deep Peacock, and the weft is Grape Harvest. This yarn is from the 2009 HK Sock Club.

The loom sett was 9 epi (ends per inch) and my pattern is plain weave (tabby) with a basket weave stripe at each end. The blocked scarf is 52 inches (1 m 30 cm) long and 6 inches (16 cm) wide. The fabric drapes beautifully and is very soft.

Nordic Heritage

2009-04-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

I spent a couple of days last month happily immersed in learning some traditional Estonian knitting techniques at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard.

This fledgling mitten cuff samples techniques from Kihnu, a tiny island off the coast of Estonia. The two color cast-on is called Kihnu Troi, and there are also two lines of Kihnu Vits braid. The workshop, "Estonian Mittens" was taught by Nancy Bush, author of many inspiring knitting books including two studies of Estonian knitting traditions, "Folk Knitting in Estonia" and "Knitted Lace of Estonia." She is also proprietor of The Wooly West.

The class was terrific and much more comprehensive than other classes I've had recently. Along with teaching the techniques, Nancy narrated a slideshow about the history and traditions of Kihnu Island, and played Estonian music. She brought lots of samples of mittens and other knitted items,

as well as books, fabric, woven belts, and many other Estonian fibery goodies. I found these patchwork bags especially appealing. They are for holding a work in progress:

Nancy is a wonderful teacher - so full of ideas and history and stories from her trips to Estonia, and very very patient and thorough with students. It was a grand day out knitting.

Oh yes, the yarn in the Kihnu cuff sample at top is (of course) Hazel Knits Artisan Sock, in Plum and Laguna.

Sleying the Reed

2009-02-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

This little workhorse four harness loom was made by Dundas Loom Company of Missoula, Montana. It is residing with me for eight weeks while I take a beginning weaving class at Weaving Works. I've finished four weeks of the class, and this is my second warping of the loom but the first time without assistance.

This warp is for a sample project 5 inches wide and about 12 inches long. I'm using shetland wool yarn with 24 wraps per inch, which should yield 12 ends (threads) per inch (EPI). 5 inches times 12 EPI means I need 60 warp threads. I wound the warp threads in class last week, using a warping board to create a loop of 30 threads, with a cross in the loop to help keep the threads in order. When the loop is flattened out, it becomes a 60 thread warp.

The first step in warping the loom (I'm warping front to back) is to tie one end of the warp to the front (breast) beam, and feed each thread through the reed. This is called sleying the reed. The reed is the comblike part of the beater that keeps the warp spaced evenly, and that allows the beater to pack the weft. On this loom, the reed is made of metal. Each thread gets fed through a reed dent, using a tool called a sley hook.

Close-up of the sley hook (or reed hook). Sleying is done left to right, one thread at a time. The hook fits between the reeds, front to back, and catches the thread to pull it through the reed. Every inch (12 threads) I tied the sleyed threads into a slip knot at the back of the beater, to secure the warp. It took me about an hour to sley 60 threads.

This view is from the left side of the loom. Here you see the sleyed warp hanging through the reed at the back of the beater. To the left are the heddles hanging from the four harnesses of the loom. The next step in warping is to put each of the 60 threads through a heddle on one of the harnesses. Only then can I tie the warp to the cloth beam (front) and warp beam (back) and start to weave.

Beautiful

2009-02-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

This rose is one of a vase full of beautiful pale orange roses, purple mums and pink lilies, which was a gift from my sentimental northern friend.

Also, a finished object of which I knitted about one eighth:

This blankie was presented to the new owner, age 4 weeks, yesterday. She slept through the whole event so I can't say whether she likes the color. Her mom was happy with it, anyway, especially since it's washable. The blanket is made from Dream in Color Classy (worsted weight) color Go Go Grassy. It was a collaborative effort, knit by 8 different rower-knitters. Mom is our sculling coach.

FO 08

2008-12-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

These are my projects that were started and (mostly) finished in 2008. The mosaic was made using Big Huge Lab's Mosaic Maker tool.

My one goal for fibery adventures in 2009 is to learn to weave on a four-harness loom. Oh, and maybe knit a few socks.

Happy New Year, everyone! and Good Luck!

Plum Chilly

2008-12-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

It's very, unseasonably, miserably, cold, snowy, slushy and icy here in the Pacific Northwest, and my knitting has turned from socks to mittens. Or gloves. Or glovey-mittens. These are intended for a photographer friend, who likes to photograph in the icy cold but occasionally needs his fingers & thumbs free of woolly covering. I plan to knit these as fingerless gloves, then to add colorwork mitten-tops and thumb-tops.

I am using Ann Budd's "Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns" for the basic glove shape. I made the corrugated cuff with Wendy's brilliantly simple technique.

The yarn is (of course) Hazel Knits artisan sock, in Rogue Plum and Laguna.

Happy Festivus to all my wonderful readers (all two of them)!

Like a Rolling Stone

2008-12-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

My brother and I worked out a great deal for birthday gifts this year. For my birthday, he went to his local yarn store and chose a skein of Blue Moon Socks that Rock in a colorway he liked (Moss Agate). For his birthday, I knit the yarn into some woolly waffley socks to keep his feet warm this winter. These socks are already well-travelled: they went to Boston with me and most of the first sock was knit at 30,000 ft elevation, both east- and west-bound.

Moss Agate has green, gold, plum and a bit of brown. The garter/waffle rib pattern created even stripes with very little pooling. I made the sock legs longer than usual (for warmth) but then found I would run out of yarn, so I added toes in a complementary color from yarn in my stash. My brother loves them - and they fit!

project name: John's Birthday Socks
pattern: garter rib (modified)
designer: Charlene Schurch, Sensational Knitted Socks
main yarn: BMFA Socks that Rock (lightweight) color Moss Agate
toe yarn: Claudia Hand Paint Fingering color Honey
needles: 2.25 mm (US 1)
size: men's size 10, cast on 72 stitches
my gauge: 7 st/inch
Ravelry project link
project notes: I modified the garter rib pattern by knitting two plain rows between each rib row, which gives the fabric a waffle look.

Socks in the Sun

2008-11-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

While working on the Spring Forward socks, I realized my WIP box contained three other pair of socks-for-myself that were done except for weaving in a few ends. Now that the weather here has turned to our usual chilly, damp (OK, soaking) Pacific Northwest norm, finishing these warm woolly objects seems much more urgent. The photo above was taken during an afternoon sun break.

These are:
Orange: Spring Forward (Hazel Knits yarn)
Beige: Garter Rib (Perfect Day yarn)
Red: Forward & Back (HK yarn)
Green: Temptation (HK yarn)

I guess you can tell which is my favorite sock yarn.

Autumn Socks

2008-10-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

These are the Spring Forward socks, and I understand now why the pattern is so popular. The lace is easy to memorize and execute, and the fit is perfect. The only change I made was to add a round toe.

project name: High C Socks
pattern: Spring Forward
designer: Linda Welch of Colorplay Fibers
yarn: Hazel Knits artisan sock High ocTANG
needles: 2.0 mm US #0
size: cast on 66 stitches
my gauge: 7.5 st/inch
ravelry project link

Very small dishrag. Possibly even wee and tiny.

2008-09-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

This very small dishrag was a gift for Emily, she of Dish Rag Tag and Wee Tiny Sock Swap fame. Emily knows how to jazz up a knitalong. I never thought I'd have so much fun knitting a little pink sock, or a big blue dishrag for that matter.

The dishrag above is about 4 cm (1.5 inches) square. I took the photo with a set of antique wooden toy dishes that fit inside that wooden apple. The teacups are only about 1 cm (.5 inch) tall. Those dishes are probably my oldest toy, and have been much loved and played with. The only lost part is the lid of the teapot.

The dishrag pattern is a mini version of the Elmore-Pisgah ballband dishcloth. I used a 15 stitch cast-on. It's made of Hazel Knits artisan sock wool in Natural and Greenlake.

High C

2008-09-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Sock Knitters Anonymous Ravelry forum started our new year of sock challenges today. September's challenge is orange yarn and/or a pattern by Cookie A. I've had a skein of Hazel Knits artisan sock "high ocTANG" burning up my stash for months, so I'm knitting it up in the "Spring Forward" pattern. I've seen Spring Forward knit up in many colors and they've all looked good; it's one of those lucky patterns.

There has been some long-winded discussion on the forum about what exactly counts as orange yarn. Nobody could doubt that high ocTANG is orange, but just in case, I took a snap of it in my fruit bowl, next to some real oranges.

Blankie of Doom

2008-08-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

My boathouse is having an outbreak, a small epidemic, a raft, a WAVE of babies recently. The crew Stitch & Bitch group is dealing with it in our usual cooperative manner by knitting yet another baby blankie (this is number 3 this year). Our best knitter starts the blankie, and we pass it on from rower to rower, each knitting a section according to our knit-ability (or patience for tedious miles of cotton).

I have the knitting of the blankie this week, and it is not a happy time. The yarn is heavy worsted cotton/poly (ggh Tara), the needles are Addi Turbo 5.5 mm (US #9) and my hands are sore after 4 rows (144 stitches per row). I cannot love fat needles. Oh, and as you can see, it is cream-color, which means clean hands always and no tea anywhere near the thing.

However, I'm pacing myself and taking breaks, and might get done tonight with my 24 or so row section. Only 8 rows to go before I sleep...

Swatching: Shady Chic

2008-08-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock
Colors: Cami Chic and Rogue Shady Verdant
Cast On: 64
Needles: 2.25 mm (US #1) bamboo
Gauge: 7 stitches and 11 rows per inch
Notes: with a little planning, the Cami Chic makes a lively contrast for the picot edge. Cami Chic has sections of the Verdant color, so the colors serendipitously blend together - more like waves than stripes.

Pattern:
CO 64
Rows 1-6 K in main color (MC == Shady Verdant)
Row 7 K in contrast color (CC == Cami Chic)
Row 8 in CC * YO, K2Tog * repeat to end of row
Row 9 K in CC
remainder of the swatch is knit 3 rows MC, 3 rows CC, finishing with 10 rows MC

Spot On

2008-08-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

I love digestive biscuits, and McVitie's are my favorite. I prefer the plain biscuits, and I've tried a good many different biscuit recipes, looking for the same tender crunchy not too sweet wholemeal flavor. They were all good, but none were quite like the real thing, until today:

This recipe is compiled from several sources, changed to US measurements, and tweaked to my taste, which is for less sugar and oatmeal than most of the recipes called for. The dough is easy to handle and roll out, they smell fantastic while baking, and they are just about spot on for McVitie's texture and flavor.

Easy Digestives

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose or bread flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp oatmeal (rolled or quick)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (8 oz) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk

Cream the butter and sugar.
Add the dry ingredients and beat or stir (mixture will be crumbly).
Stir in the milk to make a firm dough.
Knead the dough a few times.
Roll out very thin, and cut into your favorite biscuit shape.
(or if hungry and in a hurry, just cut into squares).
Poke with a fork (to allow steam to escape and make them crisper).
Bake at 375 F (190 C, Gas mark 5) for 15 minutes.
Try not to eat them all right before supper.

Baking for Britain has a fine writeup about the history of digestives, with some traditional recipes.

A Perfect Day

2008-08-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Beat sock, despite its tough name, is a lovely soft smooth wool. The color is named "Woods and Frozen Lake," but it made me think of sandy beaches, blue sky and little fluffy clouds, maybe because it's summer now. The Garter Rib pattern is stretchy and comfortable. These socks are for me, and they fit, hooray!

project name: Perfect Day Socks
pattern: Garter Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks
designer: Charlene Schurch
yarn: Perfect Day Yarns Beat Sock "Woods and Frozen Lake"
needles: 2.0 mm bamboo dpn
size: 64 st cast on
my gauge: 8 stitches and 12 rows per inch
ravelry project link
notes: the only change I made was to use my best loved toe: the round one.

Wicked Sharp

2008-07-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

I cast on two socks in the last two days:

These are a challenge for me. The socks are knit at microgauge (10 st/inch), are toe-up, and I'm knitting them on two wicked sharp Addi circs. The yarn is behaving nicely and I have not drawn blood so far. The Mystery Sock pattern is being doled out in four weekly installments, so you don't know what the finished sock will look like until it's almost done.

project name: Blue Meanie Socks
pattern: Ravelry Sock Knitters Anonymous July Mystery Socks
designer: Rebecca Hatcher (Archiknist)
yarn: Woolly Boully Meanie Sock, "something blue"
needles: 1.75 mm Addi Turbo Lace 24" circs
my gauge: 10 st/inch
ravelry project link
project notes: my only mod so far is to use a Turkish Cast On from Fluffy Knitter Deb's wonderfully clear instructions.

These are my knitting-on-the-bus socks, to balance the complexities of the Blue Meanies:

project name: Perfect Day Socks
pattern: Garter Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks
designer: Charlene Schurch
yarn: Perfect Day Yarns Beat Sock "Woods and Frozen Lake"
needles: 2.0 mm bamboo dpn
my gauge: haven't measured yet :o)
ravelry project link

Forward & Back

2008-06-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

Only one FO for May, but it's a lovely one, and (for a change) these socks fit me perfectly.

Pattern: Forward & Back socks (Ravelry link)
Designer: Ruth Greenwald, The Yarnarian.
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Cami Chic
Needles: 2.0 mm (US 0) 6" aluminum Inox DPN
Gauge: 7.5 st/inch and 11 rows/inch in stocking stitch
Pattern notes: 56 stitch cast on; substituted a round toe
Ravelry project link

The photo above was taken outdoors in natural light. The following one was taken indoors on a cloudy day, and shows the beautiful flow of colors on the heel and sole of the socks.

Black Sheep, Black Sheep

2008-06-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

Black Sheep Gathering: more wool in more formats than I have ever seen in one place before. I was positively giddy from the wool fumes. Wool on the hoof, fleece, batts, roving, and yarn, yarn and more yarn. Also, the tools to make yarn, and to turn yarn into fabric: carding machines, spindles, wheels, looms, needles. Spinners and weavers everywhere. You will be amazed to hear that I left with only four skeins of yarn:

These are (left to right) Blue Moon Socks that Rock lightweight "Grimm's Willow Wren" and "Puck's Mischief" and Chameleon Colorworks Twinkle Toes (beautiful glossy smooth merino/tencel) in "Peacock" and "Stonewashed."

I took some photos, but there are better ones on Marnie's blog. Be sure to scroll down and watch, and especially listen to, the video she recorded in the sheep/goat barn. Be happy they have not yet invented Smellavision.

Twelve Things

2008-06-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

Wendee tagged me with this meme: twelve things about yourself, interpreted through the compound lens of Flickr. Here is how the meme flows, if you want to play along:

Go to the mosaic maker page, and create a 3 column by 4 row mosaic. You'll get a page with twelve fields in which you can paste photo URLs.

For each question below, key your answer into the Flickr search box.

Choose an image from the first page of hits.

Copy (right click and Copy Image Location) the photo link into the corresponding box in the mosaic maker.

These are the questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Shorn

2008-06-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today we walked up to Weaving Works, where Al and Lin Schwider from The Pines Farm demonstrated the noble art of sheep shearing. This sheep is a pet of the family, chosen for the demo because of her mild temperament.

She maintained a fairly resigned demeanor through the whole ordeal, with only a few plaintive bleats.

Note the nicely crimped fleece - she is a natural coloured Romney.

Ah! Done at last! We were allowed to pet her after the shearing. Her stubbly hide was very soft, warm and full of lanolin.

Birthday Socks

2008-05-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Oak Ribbed Socks by Nancy Bush from Knitting Vintage Socks, knit for gnr's birthday and finished four days early, even though I've been distracted lately by lacy socks and baby boots and chasing around town hunting down exclusive yarn (Wendee, I'm looking at you).

Stats:

Regia Stretch (70% wool, 30% poly) Color 111, most of 2 skeins
2.25 mm bamboo DPN
15 st / 24 rows per 5 cm (2 inches)
Ravelry project link

Notes:

Knit exactly per the pattern except that I omitted the heel "seam" stitch. The ribbing lets the socks stretch to fit size US 10 men's feet. I love the Regia wool blend as a workhorse practical yarn that can take hard wear and lots of laundering.

Next: something possibly less practical, but definitely more beautiful.

Selvedge Swatch

2008-05-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Garter stitch swatch knit to compare methods of creating a selvedge. Knit using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (colour 300102) on 5 mm (US 8) Crystal Palace bamboo DPNs.

1. Slip last stitch purlwise with yarn in front AND knit first stitch through the back loop. This creates a distinctive chain edge with each chain quite open.

2. Slip first stitch purlwise with yarn in front. This also creates a chain along the edge, but the chain is more compact than #1 and the edge is less prominent.

3. Knit last stitch through the back loop AND slip first stitch purlwise without moving the yarn to the front. Makes a clear series of slanted loops around the edge of the fabric.

4. Slip first stitch purlwise without moving the yarn to the front. Looks very much like #3 except the selvedge is flatter (meaning, less bulky).

5. Slip first stitch knitwise. Gives a wrapped edge stitch similar to #4, except the wrap is more horizontal.

6. Just knit. The classic knot-like plain garter selvedge.

Bootees Flat and Round

2008-05-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

These bootees, designed by Saartje, are wildly popular on Ravelry (over 2,000 projects) and it's easy to see why. Adorable, quick to knit, and perfect for a baby shower gift. I knit the first of the pair per the pattern, which is written to knit flat.

There were two seams to sew up, and eight ends to weave. ~~Lazy knitter~~ efficiency expert that I am, I decided to try knitting the second one in the round. I also made the straps using a cable cast-on with the existing yarn, rather than adding new yarn for each strap as the pattern stated. In the round, you get one short seam, and four ends.

If you would rather eat a bug than purl, you won't care for the round version, but even with writing the pattern as I knitted, it was faster in the round.

Bootees in the Round

I added one stitch to the original pattern to make it easier to work on 2 or 4 needles. The bootee is knit inside out (i.e. wrong side facing outwards).

Cast on 32, divide over 2 circs or 4 dpn
row 1 P32
row 2 KFB, K14, M1, K2, M1, K14, KFB
row 3 P36
row 4 KFB, K15, M1, K4, M1, K15, KFB
row 5 P40
row 6 KFB, K16, M1, K1, M1, K4, M1, K1, M1, K16, KFB
row 7 P46
row 8 KFB, K18, M1, K1, M1, K6, M1, K1, M1, K18, KFB
row 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 P52
row 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 K52
row 19 change to contrast color and P52
row 20 K15, (SSK) 5 times, K2, (K2TOG) 5 times, K15
row 21 P42
row 22 K42
row 23 P42
row 24 K10, BO 22, K10
row 25 K10, turn the work and cast on 10 using cable cast-on
row 26 K30, turn the work and cast on 10 using cable cast-on
row 27 K40
row 28 BO 20, K20
row 29 BO 20

The bootees above were knit with Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Beachglass and Natural, on 2.25 mm needles.