Playing with fibre ...

Its the weekend, well the end of the weekend and I've been playing with fibre, knitting and knitting and preparing for spinning. Today there is no baking - but there is a finished object all ready and waiting for baking, Bears new sock grows, and I've had my hackle out (why do I really feel that a hackle should be up not out?). Work looms - this week is one of those weeks, in that this is the week of the student shows and exhibitions - so there will be nights out and not a lot of knitting - but I know that and it is great to see the students come into their own and show their stuff publicly.


The knitters study group second to last workshop was yesterday, and I took my homework my 31 stitch by 31 ridge garter square all ready to work the hap shawl edging. Turns out its was just 3 rounds of pattern, feather and fan or old shale depending on your naming preferences, and 3 rows of garter between each pattern round. Which means that the edging worked up quickly, so quickly that I had it worked and nearly cast off by the time class was done, I finished the last few stitches to cast off at home .. so ta-da basket liner! In an ideal world there would be fresh muffins or bread baps in there .. but sadly not this weekend .. there are bhaji,and there were Sunday Pancakes, cookies, and other things cooked but nothing resembling buns, baps or muffins.

Bears sock grows, past the heel now and up the leg. Every time I convert a sock from top down to toe up I do the math ... that is work out for the number of stitches a good number to work the heel cup over, and the number of gusset stitches to increase by, and when to do that relative to the toe, and all that. These numbers have been fine tuned over the past 2 years as I have knit several socks for Bear and each time he has let me know if they were a tad tight over the instep or a tad long or short. This time I've made him a sock sole template, a tracing of his foot with all the critical distances marked, and the current favorite workings for the heel and gusset. The idea is that I can just pull this out and knit him a sock any time in this gauge, instead of going back thru my knitting workbooks looking up the numbers used in the last sock.

And today I've been working my way thru hackling 800g of Polwarth Gotland blended fiber, its a dark grey and soft and bouncy (that would be the Polwarth). 100g went of to A in a swap for a pattern, and the remaining 700g is coming along nicely. I've no real plans for this but its easier to hackle it before I store it away ... I'm still spinning the fractualed laceweight merino and the 4-ply polworth .. both will be a while longer on the wheel - especially if I'm not here much of the week.

I'm also thinking of a cardigan to cast on - but not sure if it should be a light weight summer one or a winter one in preparation for next winter. The lightweight one would be nice to have but the pressure would be on to knit it, whilst the winter on would be a slow project with a deadline so far awy the knit could be set aside as other things take my fancy.

take care - and I might even see you at the show or one of the exhbitions ? If not the students work will be on line after the weekend - or at least the highlights :-)
Stella

Sock

maybe that should be 'So'... or even 'S' for there is not enough to warrant the entire word 'Sock', there is only a little more than a toe. And there is a reason, to do with checking before starting. Today there is the new sock - or 's', and the two spinning projects in process, and wonderful gift/swap that M made.

Bears new sock, or 's', which is certainly Nancy Bushes Gentlemans sock with Lozenge pattern, not the Gentlemans fancy evening sock [sorry Rav link]. For reasons I can't explain, not even to myself, I wasn't drinking more than black tea (earl grey), not inhaling or partaking of mind altering substances, or even sleep deprived or hungry .. I spent one whole evening reverse engineering and then knitting the toe of the wrong sock. Let me repeat that knitting The Wrong Sock, as my eldest would say slowely da...da...da (music to indicate the scary music played in a spoof movie or cartoon to signal impending trouble). I had 3 pages of my knit note book devoted to reverse engineering a circular cast on start toe incorporating a 3 point star as the increases. What was I thinking? I have no idea but in truth I probably wasn't thinking at all, at least not thinking about what mattered I was caught up in the reverse engineering process. And no .. no photos but it was a nice toe feature, that 3 pointed star, and I suspect I will return to it in a more lucid and planned lucid moment entire evening.

Which brings me to Wednesday, blog day and only a half a sock foot to show, and a much more plainer and straightforward toe. I tried to convince myself that the 3 star toe would work - but no, design wise they were a mis-match. Judy's magic cast on, and there you go straight into the lozenge pattern just like that. Oh and the yarn tail from the toe? After a few rounds I bring the tail out thru the first and last stitch of the round so once the work in underway it becomes my round indicator. Stitch markers don't stay on magic loops so well as start|end of round markers.

I have been spinning .. attempting laceweight merino. I had this lovely merino top hand dyed by Lindy Chinnery in Lawrence (40 minutes up the motor way so sort of local). I have googled fractual spinning and have split the top into two lengthwise and one section into 6 lengthwise. This in theory will even out the colour changes over the length of the yarn and give a pleasant result. I've spun half already - how consistent I know not .. my trust in my ability is damaged this week .. but its probably realistic where spinning is concerned. I'm not a pro at this by any means but it is fun.

On the other wheel is more merino, again spun fine, but this time for a 4 ply. This is beautiful fibre from Fine Fibre Farms, combed and carded and gilled (probably not in that order), and beautiful. I have 130g of this in this grey/beige colour and 130g in white and thought something colour worked - hence the four ply. Four ply will give me the most even yarn - the more plys the more variation is reduced when they are plied together --- that is the theory, now for the practice.


Lastly is this broach, well a cable needle made by M [aka Tomlinl1 on Rav], she has wonderful sense, the little fern is cut from a New Zealand 1c coin, no longer legal currency. We have no coin smaller than a 10c now, so kids no longer get to agonise over 2 for 1c candy and things labeled $1.99 or $1.95 mean you don't get change when you buy them. Any way this is way too pretty to keep hidden in my knitting tool kit - so I decided it could do double duty as a broach .. on no less than my Tangled cardigan, I need to see if it works as well with Owls next. I can't remember what it was I did to deserve M's hand wrought gift, so I hope I have paid up already and if not she will remind me next time we knit.

take care
na Stella -

Chore (chôr, chr) n.

chore (chôr, chr) n.

1. Daily or routine domestic tasks, especially a farmer's routine morning and evening tasks, such as feeding livestock.
2. An unpleasant or burdensome task.
3. A routine or minor duty or task.
   All of this from The Free Dictionary.com
   

Yup chores, although when I googled chore thinking that I really should define the word to set the scene with a bit of precision I discovered that the definition didn't include 'things that ones parents insisted one did before one gets to have fun'. I've been doing chores. Some of them domestic, sweeping, moping, tidying, vacuuming, putting away. Some more physically demanding, digging over the spring garden ready for plants, and some knitting. Yes Knitting can be a chore sometimes. So today I'll spare you the mundrum details of the domestic chores and focus on the knitting, 2 knitting chores.



First is my Margaret Stove Baby Vest in her Artisan cobweb lace 2 ply merino, 325.0 yards (297.2m) in 20g - this stuff is fine, that would be 1400m in a 100g skein. I love the result, but I'm not sure any one who is not a knitter will truly appreciate it, and it was hard work. Not difficult, there was no frogging (thank goodness), but each and every stitch needed attention as the yarn was so fine my hands couldn't feel the tension change as my needles worked the stitch. But its done now, 18g of soft as soft can be whisper light cushy baby vest. Margaret Stove suggests 3 different ways to join the shoulder seams, grafting (I'm good but I'm not that good and I couldn't even thing of going there), three needle bind off (I suspected that might be a tight hard ridge in the cloud like knitting), and binding off and sewing. I decided to use the Russian graft(Fiona's version & mine) and it worked fantastically. Sorry forgot to photo graph that .. so you will just have to trust me that it worked well in the cobweb yarn.

The vest is 18g in total, so very very light.

I've got 6 grams left over - odd as it was a 20g ball and 18 plus 6=24. I am torn over the left overs, and think I will gift it to L - who I know plans to knit a whole wedding ring shawl in this - she bought several skeins. I do know that I am not in a hurry to knit more of this weight of yarn.

My other knitting chore is the homework/preparation for the next knitters study class. We are to work a mini hap shawl, so are to come with a garter square worked and stitches all picked up along the outside edge. I've worked mine in Anchor cotton, thinking that it might make a nice basket or bowl liner for muffins or scones. I'm unconvinced that the citrus colours will work, but blue seemed wrong with food and the only other cotton I had at hand was cream - not a good plan when most of our muffins are chocolate. Oh it would look good - but then be ruined by chocolate brown smears and stains.
Which leaves me ready for the last chore - Bears sock request. I've been looking forward to this, and now my other chores are done I can relax and cast on for a new sock. Socks - especially at the cast on end of the process don't seem like chores, even if requested by others. The sun is shining, the bears are happy, the back garden at least looks like some one cares a little bit for it - so I'm off to make a cuppa-tea and sit in the sun and knit.
may you have a chance to do the same
na Stella

.... and then

the knitter surveyed the WIP's .. and realized some sort of order was required. Its not that there is any particular disorder ... just a sense that there is a lot already underway, and the end of the academic year means students presenting and the show and marking and graduation... and lots to do. I've enough distractions without adding more. Today there is the sock request, and the wip project report, I realize not all knitting is fun, and a brief book review.


M asked in a comment on the last post is it really fair to knit socks in "Bear's Bunker" and then determine that they are not for Bear?! :)
Point made - Bears Bunker after all is a colour way named after Bear .. and those socks are not for him, so no it probably wasn't fair. My mother used to wonder out loud 'who had told me life was fair' - in truth probably right after I complained it wasn't. She was right .. life is life and its not always fair. But point made .. Bear missed out on the Bear's bunker socks. Little known fact is that Bear has is own sock yarn stash. Well one skein of sock yarn .. which is stash right? Bear was pointed at the sock knitting library and asked to pick a sock design. He did .. and after consultation has asked for The Gentlemens Sock by Nancy Bush, from Knitting Vintage Socks. So that is the next sock on the needles, I'll be knitting it toe up, the lozenge pattern is reversible so will easily work the 'other way up'.

My other active project is a Margaret Stove Lace Rib Baby vest - in cobweb. Nice pattern, nice soft white, easy to knit with a repeat of 4 rows, and 4 stitches. I'm at 13.5cm of 17 cm although the mother in me wants to knit it a little longer ... I had long babies and extra length seems a good idea.

I have a new respect for those who knit lace in cobweb yarns. This is a cobweb 2 ply, on 2.75mm needles and its knitting that required attention. The yarn is so fine I can't feel when I've scooped a strand to pull thru a loop, I can't feel when I've slid the needle in a loop, I'm careful of how I arrange the needles when I put my knitting aside least I snag one of the fine loose yarns that make up the lace knit fabric. End result is this despite its simple stitch pattern repeat .. its a knit that leaves me not as relaxed as other knitting. Cobweb yarn isn't soothing knitting - but it is fine, and soft and light and amazingly squooshy. This is product knitting - knitting for the outcome, to enjoy the result .. not knitting for the process of knitting.

And the book? I've been reading Joanne Turney's The Culture of Knitting. Recently released Sept 2009 - this is a book I read about earlier this year and put on Pre Order. I enjoyed reading it, I'm a knitter and I'd probably enjoy any book that talked intelligently about the knitting world I inhabit and know and participate in. I loved the chapter Knitting: A gendered Pursuit? or more precisely I loved the way in which Joanne described the cardigan, its rumoured development and history and then went on ...

.. Indeed, it is more formal than a sweater; a shirt and tie can be worn with a cardigan. therefore the cardigan is contradictory: a garment which is neither formal or casual, suited perhaps to those unable to fully conform or participate in either area. Indeed, in popular iconography the cardigan is utilized as the workwear of the 'hip' but relaxed college professor, aging in body and bohemian in mind, and the casual wear of the stuffy, overly formal man, for whom leisure represents a loss of control. The cardigan therefore becomes a sign of of the maintenance of one's ideals and standards in awkward situations, a sign of comfort where there is none. (Turney, 2009, p35)

I love that - and secretly I hoped the entire book was like that .. but no. It is a good book, an intelligent book (I think I said that already), but it is a book that glosses over all that knitting can be rather than a book that delves into the depths of what knitting is to knitters. It was, I realize, a difficult book to write .. for in any field the 'first' has to establish the scope, the area, the field of study and the approach has the most difficult path of all - Turney does this, and does it across a huge range of what knitting is. There are paragraphs that like the cardigan quote above make me laugh and want to share, ideas that capture an essence or way of seeing that feel 'right', but there are also chapters that feel shallow, of trying to introduce things that have not been described before and so the words must paint the whole picture alone, and yet to me, a knitter in amongst the knitting, those sections feel incomplete . There are sections where Turney made me think, to consider and to add new layers of understanding to my own knowledge of knitting culture and history. Her expression of knitting 'traditional designs' and how they can never be anything other than contemporary interpretations is perhaps a truth that we do know but don't articulate as often as we should. Should you buy this book, I don't know, if you are collecting around the idea of knitting and beyond pattern books, how to books and stitch dictionaries, yes consider at least reading it. I will return to it and reread it, and hope that in time there will be others along side it on my knitting book shelf so it stands supported and doesn't feel like it is thin in places.

I'm off to knit cobwebs now .. and yes the yarn feels as delicate as cobwebs
I have some spinning on the go .. and I might wind sock yarn into 50g cakes ..
and I'll sort the next book to read .. or finish, 1 down 25 to go ....

na Stella