Wild T. Whiffit - Finished!

Way back in 1979, Bernat released this latch-hook kit.  According to the poster on the reverse of the instructions, it was part of the Wonderful Wide World of Whiffits.  I have no idea what a whiffit is, and google searches came up empty.

According to the poster, the T stands for Tiger.  I have always loved tigers (having been born in the year of the Tiger) but I would never want an actual tiger skin rug, so this seemed a perfect solution.  Fun, and whimsical.  I did the latch-hook part right away, and sewed one ear front and back together, and then the parts traveled with me through my life and around the country for the next forty-six years!  The amazing thing is that I did not lose any of the pieces, or the materials.  The materials, and the all-important instructions, traveled in a box from a Rike’s department store (a Dayton, Ohio store) that is probably long since gone, along with two embroidery hoops and an old margarine container of beads and sequins (probably from a Christmas ornament kit).  It should be noted that the only thing neatly contained in the box were the beads and sequins, the organizing of the yarn bits was done today.

When I was organizing my studio after my retirement I pulled everything out and promised myself that I would finally finish it.  The hardest part, of course, was assembling the head.  The top of the head was part of the body, but the sides and the throat were all separate pieces and had to be stitched together.  The instructions said to whip stitch the canvas edges down, and sew the pieces together with the wrong sides facing, matching up marks to make sure that everything lined up correctly.  The problem with that approach is that as soon as you sewed the canvas edges down you could no longer see the all-important marks that you needed to line up.  So instead I assembled with the right sides facing, and did a running stitch through the canvas grid, tightening things as I went.  It made the assembly easier, but then I had to turn the head right side out.  That was a bit of a struggle, but I managed it without tearing anything apart.  Stuffing the head was easy, but used a fair bit of stuffing.  Sewing the ears on was also a little difficult, I whip stitched those in place.  I have also basted the canvas edging under to prepare it for the final finishing.  The instructions call for rug binding, and I have some coming tomorrow, but I might get some felt and just back the whole thing.  The head is just adorable.

And Jezebel approves, as can be seen in this photo of her laying on it after I had partly stuffed the head, but before the ears were attached.  She is a little bit hard to see, being a black cat.

Tessellation Nation - Take Four?

So I have been noodling around with this one for, oh, six months now.  Trying out different designs and color combinations and just not finding anything that really got me excited, although in the process I’ve had fun and learned lots.

I started out with some of my favorite colors - teals and purples and made a couple of pentagon circles.

That really didn’t go anywhere, although I like the color combinations.

I made more progress on my next iteration, but still just wasn’t feeling it.  Then I ordered a color card for the Scheepjes Terrazzo yarn, which helped my design process immeasurably.

Next I thought I would try a gradient of pinks for my background.  But that wasn’t sparking me either.  I had printed out an asymmetric grid (no motifs) to keep track of my progress on this last go and as I was working I just became fascinated by the shapes and how they interacted.  So I went back to basics and decided to kick it old school.  I printed out another asymmetric grid and got out my colored pencils and made the design in the first picture.  No motifs, just shapes and colors.  In the end I decided on just six shapes - pentagon 1 (I love making these, they are like potato chip crochet), stars, boats, diamonds, medallions and mandalas.  No small flowers, no 5-petal flowers, no 10-petal flowers.  Instead of small flowers, I’m using pentagons in that shape.  The next challenge was the colors for those.  I had decided I wanted a central pentagon with a green frame, and then 5 petal pentagons with a blue frame.  My first attempt at the colors wasn’t quite right.

I ordered some more colors and they came yesterday and last night I started yet again.

Finally something that got me smiling and nodding “yes!”.  I’m even going to be able to use those pink pentagons that I made.  I’m not sure what to do with all those other attempts.  I suppose I could turn them in to dodecahedrons.

Pattern:  Tessellation Nation by Sue Maton

Yarn:  Scheepjes Terrazzo

Hook:  F (3.75 mm)

Practically Handspun - Six Skeins Done!

My Practically Handspun keeps growing.  When I’m working on it and dealing with the bulk of the knitting that is completed I start to have second thoughts about my plans, but then I try it on or put it on my dress make dummy for a photo and think that it is going to work out the way I imagine it.  I think it will look great with black leggings, a black turtleneck and boots, and then I can add a dramatic necklace.  I am on the last set of skeins - Purple Haze - and they are a pretty nice set of skeins, which keeps tempting me to go do something else with them.  But I do think I should stay the course on this one.

I am doing increases on the sides every 10 rows to give it an A-line shape.

Pattern:  Practically by Kelly Herdrich 

Yarn:  Handspun Merino Top from The Woolery

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Starry Night - Finished!

I finished this up this past Wednesday, knitting while watching PLY Guild videos - Season 1, Foundations, the episode on spindle spinning, which mostly convinced me that I don’t want to do that (even though spindles are such a beautiful and simple tool).  As a side note, I’ve found the videos to be extremely well done, and useful, and am happy that I backed them on Kickstarter, and am a lifetime member as a result.  But back to knitting.  I love how this came out.  I know the yarn label says “Super Sock”, but maybe it really should be called “Super Soft”.  It has a wonderful drape, and also feels very light.  The top fits me perfectly, just the right amount of ease and length.  I even have the perfect set of jewelry to wear with it.  I honestly think it was the perfect yarn for this pattern.

The colorway was a two-skein set by Sundara Yarn, inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night.  I did not do any of the patterning in the main colorway (the blue) knowing that it just would not show up, but I love the way the different blues stripe, and the contrast between the darkness of the top half and the light and airy bottom half.  It is just dreamy.  I went up a size, knowing my gauge did not match the pattern (I had more stitches and rows per inch than the pattern called for), and added extra length in the bottom half (after chart E).  I had plenty of both colors, although I did use more of the blue.

Pattern:  Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa

Yarn:  Super Sock by Sundara Yarn

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)
 

Starry Night - Time For Chart E!

I have finished knitting the 3.5 inches after placing the sleeve stitches on holders and casting on underarm stitches.  Per the pattern, the rest of the body is supposed to come out to 6.5 inches, so based on my row gauge I need another 16 rows of the yellow to make everything come out correctly.  I should have enough of the blue to do the few rows on the body between chart E and chart F, but I’m not sure if I will have enough to work the few rows on the sleeves before I work chart G.  We’ll see.

Pattern:  Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa

Yarn:  Sundara Yarns Super Sock

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Practically Handspun - Three Skeins Done!

Another skein knitted up.  I’m in the mindless part, just increases every 10 rows to give a slight A-line silhouette, which is a modification to the pattern that I made at some point.  I was thinking about making two of these vests out of these sets of my handspun, but have now decided that I’m just going to keep knitting on this one until all the yarn is gone, using it from thickest (mostly) to thinnest.

Pattern:  Practically by Kelly Herdrich

Yarn:  Handspun

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Practically Handspun - 2 Skeins Done!

I finished up Skein 11d, and started working with Skein 12b.  The transition between Skein 11d and Skein 12b worked out perfectly at the end of a row.  If I had been thinking things through a little more I might have started with Skein 12b, and then worked either Skein 11d or Skein 12c.  That would have me working from the thickest yarn to the thinnest.  But that is not what I did, and I think it looks just fine as it is.  At this point I had finished Skein 12b, and have cast off the stitches for the sleeve caps.  I am now working with Skein 12c, then I’ll use Skein 12a.  If I still need more length I’ll use Skein 11c.  I am enjoying the knitting.  There is something extra special about working with your handspun, imperfect though it may be.

This is a nice shot of the yoke that I forgot to post.  I like the garter stitch bands.

I have enough yarn that I can make a second vest using up Skein 11 and all of Skein 13.

Pattern:  Practically by Kelly Herdrich 

Yarn:  Handspun Merino Top

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Practically Handspun - Cast On!

Having used up Skeins 7 and 10 of my handspun yarns I looked to the next set of skeins that I had spun:    Skein 11.  Skein 11 is actually 4 skeins, spun from 250 grams of Rosie’s Multicolor Merino Top in the colorway Cornucopia bought from The Woolery.

The four skeins are, from left to right:

Skein 11a - 26 grams, 49 yards or 1.88 yd/g

Skein11b - 44 grams, 76 yards or 1.73 yd/g

Skein 11c - 89 grams, 145 yards or 1.62 yd/g

Skein 11d - 89 grams, 130 yards or 1.46 yd/g

As you can see from the numbers, my singles and my finished yarn were getting thicker as I spun this top up and settled into a good single thickness.  I have been trying to decided for some time now what to make out of this yarn, along with the other three of the Rosie’s tops that I had spun up.  I had pretty much settled on a vest based upon the yardage, but I still couldn’t settle on a design that would maximize the usage and minimize the work of figuring out how to use it.  Yesterday I decided that I was just overthinking the whole thing and so I cast on another Practically vest by Kelly Herdrich, my 12th time making this pattern.  What can I say?  It is an easy knit, looks great on, and is a great way to use up those precious skeins.  I pulled out Skein 11d and caked it up yesterday and cast on.  When I use up that skein I will actually switch to Skein 12, which is really 3 skeins, and is also from 250 grams of Rosie’s Multicolor Merino Top, in colorway Valentine.

For this spin I was focusing on consistency, and having settled into that slightly thicker single on Skein 11d, they all have a similar thickness to that skein.  From left to right:

Skein 12a - 79 grams, 115 yards or 1.46 yd/g

Skein 12b - 79.6 grams, 111 yards or 1.4 yd/g

Skein 12c - 84.3 grams, 121 yards or 1.44 yd/g

If I still need more length I will grab Skein 11c to finish, although I would kind of like to do something else with Skeins 11b and 11c.  Skein 11d I am thinking of weaving up on my Zoom Loom.  I think the colors would like nice with the plum squares that I wove up from Skein 10.

Pattern:  Practically by Kelly Herdrich

Yarn:  Handspun Rosie’s Multicolor Merino Top

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Skein 10 Zoom Loom Squares - Finished!

My skein 10 was thicker than Skein 7, so I used my Zoom Loom and made squares.  It worked quite well, although weaving the final weft was a bit challenging at time due to the thicker yarn, so sometimes I had to resort to sewing the weft, but they came out great.

Skein 7 Turtle Loom Hexies - Finished!

I finished up the rest of Skein 7 making hexies on my Turtle Loom.  It was a lot of fun and I got pretty good at it by the end.  I have no idea what these will become, for now I will continue to use up my handspun on my pin looms and collect pieces.

Foxgloves - Finished!

This was a super quick knit - three days.  And I still had yarn left over.  I used about 2/3rd of my skein 10 of my handspun.  As a reminder, this is the yarn that I used.

They fit perfectly, and I got to use my mitten blockers for the first time!  There are even little inserts for the thumbs.

Pattern:  Foxgloves by Clara Parks

Yarn:  Handspun

Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Turtle Loom Hexies

At some point in the past, I’m not sure exactly when, I bought a Turtle Loom from The Woolery.  Why?  Because I must have all of the tools so that I can do all of the things, at least when it comes to fiber.  It sat around for a long time in an old project bag.  The project bag was an early one, an L.L. Bean tote in custom colors, back when they were doing that.  I ordered several and used them for years.  The loom was rediscovered after I retired when I was organizing my studio (using booth infrastructure from my days working for my sister at Bead & Button, and schlepping the infrastructure back and forth in my Element).  It was given a home that made it easily accessible for use, and waited patiently for me to notice it again.

I finally got it out after I had finished the Hydrangea Neckwarmer and still had some yarn left over (Skein 7 of my handspun) and learned how to use it.  It is very simple, and also lots of fun, if a little fiddly, especially towards the end.  I have made two hexies from the leftovers and have more to use up.

I have no idea what these will become, but I’m sure that I will think of something.  In the meantime I will continue to accumulate hexies made from my handspun.

The original skeins.  This skein was made on my original niddy noddy, which makes the shorter skeins, I have since bought an adjustable one that makes the longer (2 yard) skeins.  They are so much easier to work with!  Especially when dyeing.

Foxgloves - One Mitt Done (Almost)

Well, I still have to work the thumb, but most of the knitting is done.  I’m going to knit the second mitt and then do both thumbs.  This is more of my handspun, the next skein in the line-up to get used, Skein 10.  I have been trying to be diligent about using my handspun in a project soon after it is made.  The last thing I need is more stash accumulation.  It took me two tries to get the fit right.  The first time I mostly followed the pattern, except that I extended the thumb gusset far beyond what the pattern called for.  But when I got up past that point I tried it on and realized that the cuff was too long and that I was at risk of running short of yarn if I didn’t make some mods.  Here is a picture of the first attempt.

You can see how much cuff there is.  So I ripped it all the way back and started over, starting the thumb gusset early.  The pattern has you put the thumb stitches on waste yarn after you finish the increases, but that would have left me with a very short thumb gusset, and I have a long palm and a muscular thumb.

Even after shortening the cuff, it is still substantial.  I know that if I had knit the pattern exactly as written it would not have fit my hand, at all.  Fortunately I have no qualms about on the fly modifications.

This is the skein that I used.  It was spun on my Kromski at 12:1 and plied on my Kiwi at 9.5:1.  I ended up with 135 yards, and 86.4 grams, or 1.56 yards/gram.   I dyed it using my Wool Tincture Dyes kit, and the color is Plum.

Pattern:  Foxgloves by Clara Parks from the book Brave New Knits

Yarn:  Handspun, Skein 10

Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Rosemary - Chart 1 Almost Done

I have been making progress on my Rosemary sock and have almost made it through chart 1.  I am enjoying the knit and the yarn is very nice to work with.  With all the cabling these will definitely be house socks, I don’t think I have any shoes that I could put these socks into.

Pattern:  Rosemary by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alpha B Yarn Elite B

Needle:  US 1 (2.25 mm)

Starry Night - Yoke Done!

Even though I have been focusing on sock knitting, I have not abandoned my Starry Night Tee (unlike Tessellation Nation, which has been languishing).  This project is something I can work on while reading, or while watching TV that I need to actually watch.  Last night I finished up the yoke and put the sleeve stitches on stitch holders.  I’ve tried it on and the fit is perfect.  How I finish the body and sleeves will depend on how far my yarn goes.  If I run short of yarn I’m sure I can find something in my stash that I can use.

Pattern:  Kaya Tee by Megumi Shinagawa

Yarn:  Sundara Yarn Super Sock

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Spinning Report - Skeins 15 and 16

After finishing up Skein 14 I saw that I didn’t have that much left of my latest bag of Heinz 57 so I decided to spin it up and keep working on my drafting and also the fineness of my singles.  The top was a bit more than I typically spin on a bobbin (I did not weight it, but have calibrated my eye for how full I like my bobbins to get about 40 grams of single per bobbin) so when I reached that point and still had fiber left I did another bobbin.  This gave me four bobbins, two with about 40 grams and two with about 15 grams.  First I plied up the two 40 gram bobbins and ended up with this beautiful skein of fingering weight yarn.  It came in at 82 grams and 347 yards, or 4.21 yards/gram.  Spun on my Kromski at 16:1, plied on my Kiwi at 15:1.

After finishing that skein I took the two bobbins that had the smaller amount, and the leftovers from Skein 14 and weighed them all.  Then I put them on my Lazy Kate (lightest at top, heaviest at bottom) and made my first 3-ply yarn.  Spun on my Kromski at 16:1, plied on my Kiwi at 7.5:1.

It came out perfect.  100 yards, 36.5 grams, or 3.65 grams/yard.  I posted a picture of it in the Sheepspot Guild for the Friday spinning check-in, and was recognized in the spin of the week.  The challenge for May was a new to you ply, and this was mine.  I haven’t dyed it yet and I want to make some more 3-ply.  I’m thinking colorwork socks, but we’ll see what I end up doing with it.  I’m getting a little faster with the plying, still syncing my treadling with my drafting, but settling in to a nice rhythm.

Rosemary - Cast On!

One of the skeins in Box F1, which I am working my way through (more or less) is this luscious red skein of Alpha B Yarn by Elite B.  It is 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon, and came to me as part of Janel Laidman’s Knitterati club, so it is a two-fer.  It continues my knitting up of the Knitterati club patterns (at least the sock patterns), and helps me knit up the yarn in Box F1.

As can be seen in the picture, it is knit toe-up, which is a sock construction method that I truly enjoy, although I am not doing any special shaping on the toe.  I used Judy Becker’s magic cast on, as slightly modified by the Sockmatician.  This design has lots of cables.

Pattern:  Rosemary by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Alpha B Yarn by Elite B

Needle:  US 1 (2.25 mm)

 

Taliesin Socks - Finished!

And they are done!  The second sock went quickly, although I did have a couple of tinking episodes.  My pick up on the gusset on the right hand side wasn’t right, but I didn’t realize it until I had worked a couple of rows, so I had to tink that back and do it over.  The second issue was during the toe graft when my back needle slipped and I dropped a stitch and didn’t realize it right away and the stitch dropped down two rows before I caught it, but I did catch it.  I got out my neck lamp, undid the entire graft (which admittedly was only 13 stitches) and redid it.

Pattern:  Taliesin Sock by Janel Laidman

Yarn:  Madelinetosh Tosh Sock

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)