The Knitting Pen

Unhinged

2012-05-14T14:34:22Z

I no longer recognize the woman who is inhabiting my body lately.

One day happy and relatively well adjusted, the next I’m swimming through a fog so thick I’m convinced I’m coming completely unhinged.

Grief is a tricky adversary. It lulls me into thinking I’m moving forward and getting stronger and then slaps me with feelings of loss so acute I’m left struggling to put one foot ahead of the other, and unable to string 2 thoughts together to accomplish anything or even to communicate with my loved ones.

Knitting and spinning offers some comfort on my ‘unhinged’ days. The feel of the wool slipping through my fingers and the rhythmic whir of my spinning wheel help to steady the tumult in my heart and reassure me that this too shall pass.

When my insides are becoming unhinged my craft restores a comforting sense of order and progression that gives me hope.

Spinning California Red Fleece

2011-11-05T23:38:13Z

California Red sheep are a cross between American Tunis and Barbados Blackbelly sheep. I obtained a pound of California Red from Apple Rose farms in New Jersey. The wool is a warm oatmeal colour with raspberry hairs scattered throughout.

I spun the fleece just as it was when it arrived, with a fair bit of lanolin still in it. The smell and feel of the almost natural state of the fleece is like aromatherapy for me (it had been washed somewhat before being carded and shipped). Using my Fricke single tread spinning wheel I spun it with a Z twist following Judith MacKenzie’s advice for spinning woolen yarn in her DVD A Spinner’s Toolbox .

I plied 3 strands together, S twist, to create a lofty, warm yarn with plenty of bounce.

At this point, the yarn was still ‘greasy’ and felt too heavy so I scoured it well, using Calgon water softener (our tap water is very hard) and Woolite detergent. I soaked and rinsed the skeins 3 separate times until the water ran clear and the yarn fluffed up.

I chose Susan B. Anderson’s 45 Minute Mitten Pattern to knit a pair of super warm, chunky mitts with my handspun California Red yarn, for those cold winter days when I’m on playground supervision. I’m talking minus 20 degrees celsius temperatures where I live! I’m confident these mitts are up to the challenge.

I won’t say I’m looking forward to those kinds of frigid temperatures; they’ll be upon us soon enough. But when the mercury plunges, I’ll be ready with these cozy mitts, thanks to the sheep that produced such luscious fiber.

I’ve spun 3 skeins of chunky yarn with the fleece so far and plan to spin a finer yarn with the remainder. This wool would also be very suitable for hats, scarves and lighter weight mitts. The long red hairs in the fiber are slightly scratchy so I wouldn’t use it for a sweater or any garment that involves large areas of skin contact but for warm outerwear and easy spinning, California Red is a great fiber choice.

Solace: my alpaca cardigan

2011-09-18T15:38:00Z

One blustery day last fall, I wrapped myself up in my Hestia shawl to take my little Kinders out for recess. Huddled against the cold September wind, it occurred to me that a cardigan made with this same luxurious alpaca yarn would be pure comfort.

And so… Solace was born. The yarn is 2 ply, 100% alpaca from Legacy Studio in Cochrane, Alberta. I love the natural, rich, russet brown colour.

Keeping in mind alpaca’s tendency to stretch with wear, I knit the cuffs, bottom edge, collar and button bands in a firm cable and rib pattern.

The construction method is top down, with the body knit back and forth on a circular needle and the sleeves knit on 4 dpn’s. This yarn is a pure pleasure to knit with and the sweater is as cozy and warm as I had hoped for.

Happy Knitting Trails!

Use Up Your Sock Yarn

2011-04-16T21:56:58Z

HATS BEFORE SEWING UP

While listening to the Knit Picks podcast for March 31, entitled Sensational Sock Yarns, I was reminded of another great way to use up all those bits of sock yarn left over from various projects.

I cleared out a basket full of fine weight yarn bits last year by making these machine knit toques for charity. With this pattern you can make a hat in about an hour. You end up with a double layer of fabric for a very cosy and colourful hat.

Due to the fact that the hat is folded in on itself, it’s very forgiving of colour changes and random striping. As long as I avoided glaringly obvious colour clashes, every hat I made turned out looking great.

My (old) knitting machine only cooperates with fine yarns so these hats are a perfect way for me to get some use out of it, use up my sock yarn bits and, best of all, keep someone’s head warm.

Kids and Knitting, Knitting and Kids

2011-03-26T13:37:13Z

Numerous things have conspired to keep me from posting the past 3 months or so, not the least of which is my return to work as a full time Kindergarten teacher. I’m having more fun as a teacher than I’ve had in 20 years but, at my age, a full day in the classroom with nineteen 4-5 year olds uses up all of my energy reserves, leaving very little for putting words to paper or, more accurately, words to blog.

I’m still knitting or spinning everyday; sometimes joyfully, sometimes methodically and, at times, completely mindlessly.

Recent finished projects include ‘Smith’ the Hedgehog for a colleague who will have her first baby soon. This is a Ysolda pattern, available here.

In the throes of a very cold Canadian winter, I picked up my needles and some stash yarn one weekend and worked up this hot water bottle cover. Forget heating pads and electric blankets…for me the ultimate winter comfort is an old fashioned hot water bottle. I plan to post the pattern for this simple cover soon.

On my needles presently are a 100% Alpaca cardigan, of my own design, knit top down, and a Fair Isle pillow which makes use of an old Kaffe Fasset chart and Kauni multicoloured yarn, for a dramatic, yet easy, Fair Isle effect.

I’m hopeful that I’ll get these 2 projects written into pattern instructions and posted here, in the not too distant future, as well.

My creative voice is still alive and well in me somewhere; it’s having to share space with a roomful of little ones, 3 dogs and a family at present.

Get Your Crochet On! Hip Hats and Cool Caps

2010-09-25T16:37:44Z

I recently discovered this book at my local library and liked so many of the patterns in it that I bought the book for myself.

It’s full of easy and fun hat projects, most of which can be crocheted in an evening or two.

The designer is Afya Ibomu. Her crocheted hats are popular with numerous celebrities and yet she’s no yarn snob. She recommends using worsted weight yarns of all varieties, from bargain store to luxury brands.

Her directions are all well written and easy to follow, with gorgeous and inspiring pictures. I had to buy the book because I found myself wanting to crochet all the hats featured!

In the past month I’ve completed 4 of the patterns, 1 for a gift and 3 for charity.

My favourite is the Skully. Knit in variegated yarn, this hat works up quickly into an interesting, toque styled hat. Rather than being crocheted in the round, it’s worked side to side, creating a unique line.

Get Your Crochet On! is available through Amazon. For approximately $20 CDN, I got a treasure trove of hat patterns which will keep me crocheting for some time.

Pingouin Yarn Available

2010-08-11T21:11:30Z

In one of my older posts, Pingouin Babies, I wrote about the many things I knit for my children when they were young, using Pingouin yarns. I loved working with these yarns and was very disappointed when they became unavailable.

I’ve had a number of comments, since that post, from readers asking about Pingouin yarn and pattern availability and substitutions. I’m happy to report that I’ve found a store in my area with plenty of Pingouin yarn in stock. The store is called Kountry Knits and it’s located in Alberta, Canada.

The owner can be contacted at : kksc@telus.net for mail order inquiries. Paulette is very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Her store has quickly become my favourite Local Yarn Store.

I recently purchased enough Pingouin Spring yarn to make a summer cardigan. Spring is a 100% Egyptian cotton, fingering weight yarn with a beautiful smooth finish.

Kountry Knits has a number of colours in stock of the Spring yarn as well as numerous other Pingouin yarns and a handful of Pingouin pattern books.

Now that I’ve found this stash of Pingouin treasures I will definitely be adding to my own yarn collection in the weeks to come!

Crocheted Tee Experiment Goes Well

2010-07-16T15:51:45Z

As part of my quest for new adventures in fibre, I’ve just completed this crocheted , tee shirt styled sweater. I was skeptical about how it would turn out during the entire construction phase, half expecting that I’d be frogging it in the end and using this luscious yarn for a knitted sweater instead. I’m pleased to report, however, that the finished project is a success.

It fits well with the shaping I added, drapes beautifully and showcases the shimmer and softness of the Baby Bamboo yarn.

Here are the details:

Yarn

I used 1235 meters, or 1352 yards, { 13 balls} of Sirdar’s Snuggly Baby Bamboo in Willow 133 and approximately 30 metres, or 35 yards, {1 ball} Baby Bamboo in Minky 140 .

A warm thanks goes out to my daughter Kasia for suggesting the fawn yarn for the trim. I had planned to do it all in green which would have been so boring.

This yarn is 80% bamboo and 20% wool. It ‘s super soft , has beautiful sheen, and it’s lovely to work with. The sweater ended up being a bit pricey though at $97 Canadian. I did see the same yarn for $1.00 less a ball{$5.99 at Gina Brown’s Yarn Store in Vancouver} than what I had paid for it in Edmonton. That would bring the price down to $84 Canadian. Any sport weight yarn would work for this sweater.

Pattern

The pattern is my heavily modified version of a shell pattern in an old crochet book I’d picked up at a local yarn store’s closing out sale.

Using the shaping ideas from the White Lies Shapely Knit Tank pattern for inspiration, I added side and bust shaping to my crocheted tee.

I also lowered the neckline in front a bit and added some back neck shaping. The original crochet pattern was just a series of rectangles put together to make a {sort of} sweater shape.

Sometime in the near future I’ll pull the ideas together into one pattern and post it on this blog and on Ravelry. Look for Island Time in the patterns section.

Forcing myself out of my comfortable knitting zone into crochet was inspiring, productive and just plain fun.

I wonder what my next fibre adventure will be…

My Version of the Monk’s Travel Satchel

2010-06-15T15:43:58Z

I’ve just completed my heavily modified version of Vicki Square’s Monk’s Travel Satchel. I’m so happy with the result I need to Show & Tell.

The cranberry yarn is 100% wool, custom spun for me years ago from the fleece of a black sheep named Cromwell. I’ve had this yarn in my stash for many years just waiting for the right project. I recently overdyed it with Cranberry acid dye to produce a sturdy heathered yarn.

The grey yarn used for the gusset and pockets is Paton’s Classic Wool, purchased from Michael’s.

I lined the bag with vintage style drapery fabric.

These are the modifications I made to the original pattern:

- reduced all stitches and measurements by 25% to make a smaller bag.

- used cloth lining for the inside, pockets and gusset to add colour and reduce stretching.

- created trim with fabric rather than knitted-on piping

- used purchased fasteners rather than knitted i-cord.

- eliminated back pocket

- added a fabric pocket to the inside.

I stitched the knitted pieces and the lining for the gusset and pockets together using my sewing machine. The bag lining had to be sewn in by hand, however, to produce a finished piece with no raw edges exposed.

The resulting bag is sturdy and roomy with a somewhat vintage feel. It’s suitable for use as a purse, knitting bag or even a laptop bag.

Hooray for the creative process!

A Knitting Machine First Project

2010-06-10T18:00:12Z

I recently purchased a Toyota KS901 knitting machine from the aging mother of a friend and coworker.

This dog pillow is my first completed project on my ’new’ knitting machine. Even though I’ve been a handknitter for many years, learning to produce knitted fabric on a machine was a steep learning curve for me!

The pillow is knit with Bernat’s Baby Jacquard yarn. I’m not responsible for the beautiful, multicoloured patterns; they appear automatically in the yarn.

I am responsible for (finally) figuring out how to cast on, correct dropped stitches and get the carriage to move smoothly, though.

The pillow stuffing is alpaca fiber ‘seconds’ which were not good enough for spinning but perfect for stuffing. My dogs love the animal smell buried within their pillow.

Once I got it going, the pieces knit up amazingly quickly. My mind is racing with ideas for future projects. A last minute baby blanket could be knit up in mere days!

Sweaters created on my machine are somewhere in my future…but not for awhile. I need to master a few more basics first.