tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:19:37 +0000toolssnicketsswallowtailspinningalpacabookssockslacesweaterskneesocksspindlespricesfibercottonblockingclock vestmosaicshort rowsstrandedcablesbreadvestscrochettwisted stitcheshandspunhelixsakiorisinglesbuttonsplyingpatternsberetsshawlswool/silkBFLbuttonbandstripesillusionmerinoespinnercushionsknittingislandneedlesfoodbambooafghansyarnhatsflowerstop-downhttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)Blogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-3391670472473279878Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:12:00 +00002012-01-25T19:26:14.012-08:00socksmosaicI've been knitting a mosaic sock pattern (Diamond Mosaic from Charlene Schurch's "More Sensational . . . " book) and wanted to continue the pattern all the way down the foot. This is, of course, next to impossible if one prefers the traditional flap-and-gusset heel. The additional gusset stitches and subsequent decreases are an insurmountable problem. The patterns in the book are no help; theyhttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/2012/01/in-which-i-discover-band-heel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-1373915251930751822Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:28:00 +00002012-01-25T19:25:05.000-08:00handspunsocksOnly a few days ago I finished reknitting the toe of a sock made from handspun yarn, my very first handspun, actually. A dreadful hole (three toes wide!) had sprouted. And, of course, this was a pattern with cables and twisted stitches which I had decided to carry ALL the way down to the very end of the toe. Fortunately I had a little bit of leftover yarn, so I soldiered on – ripped back past http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2011/12/save-those-yarn-squibs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-4436275189967095491Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:28:00 +00002011-11-26T18:30:10.928-08:00cablesalpacapricesI have never before knit with bulky yarn. Nor with U.S. # 13 needles. It felt like manipulating tree trunks. But in less than a month, ta-daaaaa ! This is the Abrazo vest, a free pattern from the Fall 2008 issue of "Knitty." It's actually written for "super bulky" yarn, so I had to knit a size up to get a good fit. Of course I had to make a few adjustments to the pattern cuz I didn't http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2011/11/bulky-yarn-fat-needles-finished-object.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-405426671393824679Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:17:00 +00002011-10-24T10:20:11.764-07:00flowersI went to the Orange County Rose Society's 2011 exhibition this past weekend.  Lots and lots of amazing roses.  They were large, tiny, scented, unscented, and colors I'd never seen. Here's just a few. This is a miniature rose, barely two inches across, floating in a silver dish. The colors are difficult to capture. The red is a medium deep maroon, and the yellow is an intense light gold.http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2011/10/roses-and-roses-and-roses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-8047220281174512241Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:20:00 +00002011-09-04T12:26:12.121-07:00handspunspinningfiberIt all began with an itch to use the long-neglected spindles. Then I found this. Madly inexpensive Brown Sheep Mill Ends from Suzoo's Woolworks. There was a lot of blue, a moderate amount of yellow, and just a bit of red. It didn't even occur to me until much further along that these are the three primary colors. Of course yarn isn't paint. You can't expect to combine blue and yellow tohttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/2011/09/color-in-spindling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7992780573677286492Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:18:00 +00002011-09-04T12:27:03.067-07:00patternssocksJust a quickie (perhaps to mark the six-month anniversary of my last post??). I have moved -- again -- and Internet access here is problematic.Anyhoo, I have added another free pattern link on the side. The "Staggered Lace Socks" pattern has been up on Ravelry for a while, but not available ouside the Rav world.I'm working out another new pattern -- a pillow cover -- and should have it up in a http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2010/06/another-free-pattern.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-4528108220679580403Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:06:00 +00002010-01-04T10:16:17.835-08:00shawlswool/silklaceIt is done. It is done. The Celtic Stole, my very first project with laceweight yarn, is finished at last. I may never knit with laceweight again. Love the pattern, but oh, my goodness. Knitting with thread is a whole other world. So . . . here it is -- This is my second stole (y'know, rectangular-type shawl), and I'm realizing that with this shape you get a lot more of the decorative part http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2010/01/lots-of-little-lacey-lessons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7591138067197709674Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:43:00 +00002011-09-04T12:28:58.405-07:00patternsvestsalpacaWell, we all are designers really, whether we start from scratch, modify a pattern, or cobble several patterns together into something different. But here's what happened to me.I bought this fabulous alpaca yarn from Knitpicks intending to use it for a specific vest pattern. That so did not work out. Then I tried it with some other patterns. No and no and no. But I really wanted a vest. I http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/12/apparently-i-am-designer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-5788944993583899728Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:02:00 +00002009-12-07T18:20:06.038-08:00handspunspinningplyingespinnerfiberI have, in fact, purchased a spinning device. Notice, I did not say "spinning wheel." Although extensive research into spinning terminology suggests that this device may be considered to be generically a "wheel" despite the absence of an actual wheel. No treadles either. No footmen. Have you guessed yet?Yep, it is an e-spinner. A HansenCrafts miniSpinner to be precise. What we have here ishttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/12/so-about-that-spinning-wheel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-1334566358999976059Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:22:00 +00002009-11-17T12:39:46.685-08:00The highlight of this past weekend for me was a visit to AlpacaFest West. The name says it all – loads of lovely alpacas of all colors and kinds, fiber on the hoof. And so gorgeous. Just look at that cutie little face . . . As much as I have read descriptions of the two types of alpaca – Suri and Huacaya, it took an up-close-and-personal look to get the idea across. This guy with the http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/11/alpaca-heaven.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-812584417714688565Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:58:00 +00002009-11-08T11:37:08.320-08:00handspunspinningWell, I am indeed done with spinning this yarn. And I thought I was done with spinning altogether (more on that in a bit).According to my Ravelry file I began this spinning project in June 2008 and finished it in October 2009. Rather a long time, wouldn't you say? Naturally there were some life events, like moving to the mainland, and a good bit of knitting along the way, but still.So what ishttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-thought-i-was-done.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7923938948665868505Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:52:00 +00002009-10-18T12:04:13.214-07:00Although I have not yet finished the Celtic Stole, I have already started the Strawberry Pie Shawl. Two shawls on the needles at the same time – shocking, is it not? But I could not wait. Oddly enough, this relatively simple pattern gave me all sorts of trouble. I could not make sense of the directions. Clearly the designer and I spoke different dialects of pattern-ese. I attempted to charthttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-is-heard-is-not-what-is-said.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7259730235434523484Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:11:00 +00002009-10-11T17:25:07.627-07:00breadfoodA while back I read a book called "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" and was greatly intrigued by the process described. But since the method involved putting aside my beloved bread machine in order to shape the bread by hand and bake it in the oven, the experiment had to await weather cool enough to run the oven without fainting from heat stroke.The idea is that you skip all the kneading, http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/10/adventures-in-bread-making.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-4334499814880260219Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:46:00 +00002009-10-04T20:05:47.171-07:00I got a nice surprise when I took a stroll down to the pier today -- a Kite Festival.Big ones, little ones, all over the beach. How about this dragon?We had entertainment too. These drummers were awesome. Incredibly coordinated routines.And as I walked home along the water's edge I encountered another sort of kite -- a windsurfer.While the river (behind the nearest jetty) and the stretch of http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/10/fun-on-beach.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-6508185441001616985Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:14:00 +00002009-09-19T17:36:01.884-07:00yarnshawlsvestsalpacaWhat have we here? An empty drawer? Totally, entirely empty? How did such a thing happen? Excessive efficiency on the part of the drawer owner, perhaps. Tsk, tsk, this will never do.Ah, much better. Drawers, as we know, are meant to be filled with yarn (or fiber). There's room for more, of course, but this will do for now.So, let's take a closer look at the contents (which just arrived inhttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/09/nature-abhors-vacuum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7857348825995408745Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:53:00 +00002009-10-11T17:30:31.406-07:00flowersSince July I have been noticing these trees with gorgeous orange flowers all along Ocean Avenue. As long as I have lived in Southern California, I don't remember ever seeing anything like this. What the heck are they? Does anyone know?It's definitely a tree, not a bush. The big ones are way taller than a one-story house.Here's a closeup of the blossom. Each one of those teeny mini-bananas inhttp://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/09/name-that-tree.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-3090374983847876299Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:53:00 +00002009-08-30T15:08:10.655-07:00Whilst chugging along with the Celtic Stole (halfway there!) and my endless supply of "Say a Little Prayer" fiber to be spun, plied, finished, etc. I was assailed by a small attack of startitis. Only a little one. Here's what caught my eye.The pattern calls for Cascade Fixation, but I decided to try it in Shachenmayer Nomotta Stretch Only, which stretches just like Fixation, but is somewhat http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/08/little-diversion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7465798095412592400Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:17:00 +00002009-08-06T14:31:40.212-07:00handspunshawlslaceblockingAt last! I have blocked the Pastiche Shawl that I finished knitting in March. And it came out rather larger than expected, 76" wingspan and 36" down the back. It's going to be nice and cozy when the cold winds blow. Behold the classic wingspan pose.And the blocking was a breeze. For two reasons: 1) a dandy bar-height countertop between the living room and the kitchen, and 2)a Pattern Cutting http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/08/ah-scent-of-wet-wool.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-2371951050450163521Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:46:00 +00002009-07-23T20:51:49.190-07:00shawlswool/silklaceI've finally completed the first repeat of the Celtic Knot Stole. How long has it been? Three weeks? Four? Anyway, here it is --As you can see, these are not teensy tiny repeats. Each one is almost 100 rows long, and there are four of them. I don't expect the next three to take quite so long as the first. The knitting goes faster as I become more familiar with the pattern and the thread (http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/07/prepare-to-be-bored.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-628466506431207180Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:39:00 +00002009-06-30T12:57:34.291-07:00shawlswool/silklaceI've been eager to start my next lace shawl, because this is the first with actual "laceweight" yarn. (Y'know that skinny stuff you can barely see?) I'm using some Fiddlesticks Zephyr Wool-Silk that I purchased back in February as a happy-birthday-to-me present. The color is "Basil," and it's one of those shades that are near impossible to capture well with a digital camera.Deciding on a http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/06/invisible-cast-on-conquered.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-2645295899876776679Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:31:00 +00002009-06-09T12:51:33.961-07:00cushionsshort rowsbuttonsI've never made one of these before. Although there is some knitting involved, most of the work is strategizing (dare I call it designing?) and assembling. Here is the finished result, doing what it's supposed to do, i.e. protect my bony butt from the hard surface of an ancient Hitchcock chair.The pattern, a free download from Ravelry (perhaps from elsewhere too), is called "Attractive http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-latest-accomplishment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7780778920251759959Thu, 28 May 2009 15:58:00 +00002009-05-28T09:20:49.105-07:00sweaterscablesknittingWhen I cast on for the Dovetail Pullover I began with the front. Why? Well, I was determined to make a V-neck, rather than the ribbed boatneck shown in the pattern. The boatneck looked tricky to execute and not at all flattering. If the V-neck didn't work that would be the end of Dovetail. No back, no sleeves, just rip and start something else. I think it's working out. See -- I haven't http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/05/this-just-might-work.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-3268023619191679941Tue, 19 May 2009 16:25:00 +00002009-05-19T09:32:19.098-07:00spinningplyingmerinoAccording to my Ravelry project folder I've been spinning this same eight ounces of superwash merino since June, 2008. Rather a long while and it's not done yet. Not even close. Here's where we are –There is fiber, yarn in two flavors (singles and two-ply) and everything in between.After messing up the two skeins of laceweight singles by heating them to the point that the green overdyed the http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/05/semi-annual-spinning-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-883541905712930957Sun, 10 May 2009 18:01:00 +00002009-05-10T11:09:24.599-07:00Yes, I have finally acquired a new vehicle. After shopping every smallish hatchback/wagon style and nearly every dealer in Southern California, I settled on a cute little Honda Fit Sport Automatic with tinted windows (so no-one can see all the junk I keep in the back).Blessings on the wonderful Internet. Once I had narrowed my choice, all negotiating was done by email and phone. I didn't http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/05/and-winner-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1992296059190319415.post-7059576862831175681Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:43:00 +00002009-04-12T19:54:15.327-07:00There has not been quite so much knitting (or spinning) chez Woolie of late. The reason why? Well, here's a hint.Yes, I am shopping for a new car. Actually not a "new" car, but simply a car. I sold my beloved Honda Accord Wagon when I moved to the island (The vehicle of choice there is typically a golf cart.) and now I need a vehicle for the world of paved roads and freeways.Car shopping is http://woolenough.blogspot.com/2009/04/not-so-much-knitting-because.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Wool Enough)7