Not knitting, but pinking

Here in New Zealand many schools have uniforms, selected clothing that must be worn by pupils. Somehow the little cubs have ended up at a slightly different kind of school, one that combines primary and intermediate schooling. Primary schools are split, with about half requiring a uniform, and half not. The cubs schools has no uniform, even when the pupils are officially in intermediate classes where they would usually wear a uniform.
Why am I telling you this? Well school uniforms comes with requirements, to wear them neatly, and properly. Shirts tucked in, socks pulled up. The requirements usually extend to jewelery, and hair and body adornment restrictions. Eldest cub is uber conservative, and is comfortable with his new uniform requirements that come with his switch to high school.

Little cub is not so conservative, and realizes that as many of her friends head off to intermediate school, and the restrictions that life with a uniform brings that she is exempt. Before Christmas our wee dark blond cub planned red hair, and we promised it would be done before she starts school tomorrow. Today we did it, lightened her hair, then add red-corvette dye ... and got bright pink.
Bear is not sure what to say or do, like Toby he is uber conservative. When little cub was preschool and wished to wear fairy wings to town - bear didn't like it. I stood up for her and asked if you couldn't wear fairy wings when you were three years old when could you wear them? I feel the same about pink hair, if it isn't ok when you are ten, then when? Plus this way we hopefully get the whole experimental hair thing out of the way early, and avoid punk or worse when she is in her teens. I am in denial about tattoos and body art ... hair I can allow, the others not so much.
Yes there has been knitting, all the current projects are longer, but I thought you would rather see this.
Take care
Stella

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Look - Cardigan!

Yes the cardigan is all done, eight days from go to whoa! Eight days! I'm starting to see the attraction of thicker yarns. The cardigan was finished on the trip up through Central Otago, and it seemed a good time to make some photos so here it is unblocked.

 I had finished one sleeve whilst the cub was asleep, when she woke she decided it was a tad short. I worked the second sleeve on the trip and had the cub with me so had her try it on. Little darling that she is ... insisted that it wasn't long enough and would I add more. So I did ... now the sleeves are generously long, so long that they can be folded up as cuffs. The hem of the cardigan comes to a few inches past the waist of the dress, so there is a little growth allowance in there.

 Buttons are always tricky, Bear and I visited the local designer charity shop (Shop on Caroll) where someone takes the time to sort vintage buttons and attached them in sets to brown paper cards. There were some that exactly matched the faded mauve of the cardigan - but these seemed a more sophisticated match. Is it me or are vintage buttons generally thicker and smoother and nicer than modern ones?

And the back, the leaf lace motif does seem to create a puffed sleeve effect, slightly unexpected but nice all the same. If I was to knit this again (and I might just do that in another colour), I would try and space the lace leaves around the yoke a little more evenly and hide the raglan increases between them. I also wonder about working eyelets at the top or bottom of the ribbing ... and then I tell myself that sometimes less is more.

And this is the front, personally I like it with the topmost button undone, but little cub is a sticker for doing up all the buttons all the way. The location is the Shaky bridge in Alexandra, built in the 1870's over the Manuherikia River, which really does shake as you walk on it. In the background you can spot the bright orange vest and workboots of the local inspector who was performing a 'walk-over' when we were there. I freely admit to not being the best with heights and liking to be be on solid ground - so the ease with which both cubs skipped and ran along the bridge was a little disturbing, and I was much comforted by the sight of the inspector.

So I'm back with knitting my Deciduous lace shawl, thinking about the Sanqhuar gloves, and being plenty distracted by spinning.

take care
na Stella

I'm liking this, liking it very much.

Only two weeks ago I was hunting through my stash of 4 ply/fingering weight yarn to find enough colours to take to a colourwork workshop. I knew at that stage that I really didn't like to knit with thicker yarn, and even though the instructions were to bring DK, or light worsted. Here in New Zealand DK is the term used to identify what American knitters call light worsted, weirdly New Zealand knitters also know that kind of yarn as 8-ply, even when it usually has two or three plies. Surely the world is a strange one when one thinks about things.  So there I was two weeks ago, out to avoid knitting with yarn that thick. Fast forward to this week, and here I am rather enjoying knitting with DK yarn, to the extent that I've not picked up any other project since this one was cast on.
I think I'm learning a lesson here, not to dismiss yarn by weight alone ... that possibly I enjoy knitting with a larger range of materials that I think I do.

Here is my darling daughter, looking for all the world a bit like a drowned rat. Today there were  swimming lessons after school and this photo was made shortly after we returned home - hence the damp locks. I started this on the 17th of March and lready the cardigan body is almost done, I'm working the ribbing and feeling rather pleased  with the wee shoulder puff that the lace leaf pattern results in. There will be sleeves, and front bands and buttons and button holes, and a neck band, and at this rate soon. The cardigan is designed to be worn with little cubs range of sweet dresses, which have gathered skirts, a slim bodice and a natural waistline. So I'm choosing to make the cardigan slightly longer than the bodice ... so it will look like it belongs with the dresses.

I've designed this with a bit of negative ease, so the cardigan will hang open if not buttoned up, when buttoned up the cardigan will be a slim fit, as well as almost short waisted. Now I intellectually know that that might not be a sensible choice for a growing child, to make something with no growth room factored in, but part of me doesn't care. This is knitting up so fast that I feel happy to knit another should it be outgrown. I figure I'll be done with the ribbing around the hem tonight, and have picked up for the front and neck bands. The sleeves should be well under way by the weekend so the end is well and truly in sight.

Excuse me whilst I go and knit some more, with this weight yarn things grow so fast that I'm considering how quickly I could knit something for me if I use thick yarn.

cheers
na Stella

That old thing

This post is all about old things, but old things that are new to me. I've started a new project using old yarn, yarn from the swap shop, so doubly old in that I swopped some of my older yarn for some of someone else's old yarn. The next old thing in this post is a small chest of drawers that I spotted along town Friday, and headed back out to check on Saturday. I was intending to blog earlier today - but the final old thing got in the way.

 Here is the new project, a top down v-necked raglan cardigan for littlest cub, in pink (surprise surprise). My personal fashion sense is more long term than fleeting. My ideal  garment is one that people comment on and ask if it is new, and that I can say 'this old thing' about, I like the idea of garments that one can wear for years and years and that still get comments. Like most parents I'm transferring my tastes onto my kids, at least until they develop wants and needs of their own, so little cub is getting a classic warm cardigan, one that could have been knitted and worn at any time in the last century.
I swatched in Raglan shape on the off chance that the swatch would be a success. The gauge was to firm, and the neckline a tad small .. but the swatch allowed me to play with a transition from stocking stitch to reverse stocking stitch ready for a simple lace pattern based on leaves. I like Barbara Walkers Embossed Leaf Pattern from page 152 of her first Treasury, so I'm using that. Having swatched far enough to learn that the swatch was to small, I put the swatch on hold, made a few calculations and started the cardigan for real.

 I always struggle with how to transition from one decorative stitch pattern to another, in this cardigan I'm using a simple row of purl banded eyelets to provide the transition. In the swatch I continued the raglan shaping in a two stitch wide stocking stitch panel but in the final cardigan I plan to work the raglan increases in that section in pattern. I also played with a knit-below increase for the embossed leaf pattern, and I like the way it matches with eyelet row, but I can't think of a matching decrease for the other end of the leaf .... so I'll go with the suggested lifted make one increase.

 This little six drawer cabinet caught my eye on Friday as we were driving on the outskirts of the CBD. There are a few new shops there stocked with antiques, and one had this in the window. Storage for hobbies is always under review in our house, and whilst plastic bins do take care of much of the spinning stash and yarn there are lots of other bits and pieces that really need something that offers more organized access than a plastic tub with a locking lid.  The chest is probably 1940's, so another old thing, has hardboard bases to the drawers, is made of heart Rimu with brass fittings, and has the ends of two of the drawer fronts chipped. I can easily have those fixed latter in the year, and the price was right.

I purchased the chest to kit out ready to hold pens ... but couldn't resist seeing how much sock yarn it would hold. Five skeins per drawer, and six drawers makes 30 skeins. Not quite as many skeins as the plan drawers that I currently use hold  so I will go ahead and have the wee chest of drawers repaired and pen trays fitted. Right now the wee chest is doing duty in the living space, Bear has removed two of the smaller bookcases for minor repair (borer has started to nibble the backing boards). With the bookcases gone the speakers have been sitting at floor level, but this chest together with a wee oak stool that is the same height are temporary speaker stands for now.

And this is the last old thing, Yo-yo, who has taken to sleeping on the computer chair. I had intended to blog earlier today but every time I went near the chair she was still sleeping. And I mean really sleeping, didn't even twitch when I twirled the chair, I didn't like to disturb her. So I baked bread and muffins, and took little cub off to her special workshop with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company, and folded washing. Then finally sometime after lunch Yo-yo appeared in the kitchen, meowed that the door should be opened, and I knew the computer chair was available.

Take care
The rain is about to set in so I'm off to save the washing from the line then I might just have to knit some more. Wonder if I can complete the raglan yoke today?

na Stella

Wednesday ...

Today is Wednesday, and there are two finished projects, my Rosebuddie baby blanket is cast off, and blocked and dry, and the second Garn Washcloth is also done. Now in the scheme of things they are both knitting projects and both are now done, but Rosebuddie just is the prettier of the two and so gets much more blog space. 

I Russian grafted the eight stitches of last row of the lace edge to eight stitches that I had picked up from the cast on for the lace edge. Russian grafting is a wee trick I learned ages ago from Lorna, one of the local knitting legends. Russian grafting is much easier than grafting garter lace and pretty much disappears into a garter pattern.  between the two peaks of the lace edge there is a teeny tiny wiggly line from the Russian graft. I've got a video tutorial in the side bar but there are other video tutorial on YouTube to look at as well. 

Once, a long time ago, I was a beginner knitter. I didn't know much, let alone follow all the detailed instructions about how to read a pattern all the way through before beginning and how to finish a project. Blocking was something I discovered at point, blocking sort of settled hand knitting down and made it look more polished, more finished, more professional. Every now and again I tried lace, but really the result didn't grab me, it looked a lot like this. Kind of lumpy, kind of bumpy, and not really pretty like colour work or cables could look. Then I found out about blocking and while I know blocking won't fix a nightmare of a knit it will make a good knit look amazing.  

So Rosebuddie was blocked, that means that I mixed up a sink of warm to hot water with a gentle wool friendly soap and let Rosebuddie soak for a full 10 minutes. I drained the water, replaced it with clean warm water and let Rosebuddie soak again for 10 minutes. Then I spun Rosebuddie out in the washing machine on the spin cycle to remove the excess water. Then the blocking mats came out, I used to block on the floor, direct onto the carpet. I'd vacuum it clean and pin whatever I was blocking out on top of dry towels. Then I discovered foam mats that were sold to cushion camp stretchers and I used those. About a year ago a traveling knitter brought me  KnitPicks blocking mats in her suitcase from the US, and shortly after a few of us discovered that the local hardware stores sold 'play-mat/gym-floors' that were exactly the same but larger, 600mm square not 300mm square. Another local knitting legand, M from Vintage Purls, shared her discovery that stainless steel TIG wires were perfect blocking wires and cheaply available from engineering supplies. Though work I found that boxes of T-pins were available from hairdressing suppliers (I know not why - please don't ask), so I bought a box of 300. The points of the lace edge were threaded onto blocking wires,  the damp  blanket pinned out square and left to dry.

Look, blocking is amazing, the edge is flat, the points are clear and the lace pattern is opened up so it can be seen. 

and Rosebuddie has the most amazing drape, and just looks 1000% better than before it was blocked. 

.

The other project off the needles is Garn 2, a cotton linen blend washcloth, that uses the remaining 25g of the ball of yarn. When I cast off I had about a meter of yarn left, so frogged back 3 stitches and added a wee double knit loop .... just to make the most of the cotton linen yarn. Looks like one of the ends might have escaped, so a wee trim could be needed.

All in all - not a bad mid-week post.

take care
na Stella

Are we there yet?

Its Sunday, blog post day, and part of me wants to blog tomorrow. For tomorrow I would be there, there being at the end of the lace edge on Rosebuddie. But I'm not there yet, and in fact as parents we have both banned the question 'Are we there yet'. Any cub who asks 'Are we there yet?'is themselves asked if they would like us to stop and they can get out and walk there. We allow 'how far to' questions within certain limits, after the first question we expect them to notice and make note of the distance on road signs. So no ... I'm not there yet, but I'm very very close. I've also got a new sock on the needles to introduce, and its a long weekend here in New Zealand so with an extra day I felt I had the time to finish  some half made books.

Heading into the last corner of Rosebuddie

So this is where I'm at, less than 10 repeats to work and I'll be done. About now I really should check that the remaining stitch count is neatly divided by the number of stitches I need to complete a whole number of repeats. I checked at the beginning but that was some 600+ stitches ago and sometime little things happen to change the stitch count. Little things like when two stitches cuddle up together and act like one, or two plies separate and make one stitch look like two stitches Best to check now while I still have a few repeats to adjust things in should adjustments be needed.;

First sock of 2012

This is the first sock of of 2012, and I think my 53rd pair of socks since 2006 when I discovered sock knitting. This particular beauty is Teosinte, by Anne Hanson aka Knitspot, and I'm knitting it in a Vintage Purls yarn, Archimedes. The toe on this sock is a provisional cast on toe, and is short rowed to create the shape. I haven't done a toe like that in a long time so it was fun to see the toe shape appear out of the short rows as the wrapped stitches were collected and knit. The lace is lovely, and easy to remember and seems to suit a more stripy yarn like Archimedes. I knit most of this at a Staff-development session Thursday of last week, where the Management gathered up the entire teaching and admin staff into one huge space and greeted us for the new year. The institution in which I work has a tradition of greeting the academic year with a whole day meeting and associated planning sessions. After some 11 years I've worked out that the morning whole institution meeting makes for very good knitting time. 

Four more books

And this sunny yarn arrived durring the week, the first installment of Vintage Purls Summer sock yarn club in light lemon yellow with a shawl pattern - Demelza. There was also fudge - but that is long gone, and look little knitterly sticky notes. This is not a colour I would have ever chosen but it is so bright and yellow that I am wondering why I'd never considered this colour before. Defiantly on my to knit list. 

With the extra day this weekend I was able to spend some time finishing the books I had part made. Here are the last four of the six I have mostly done. One or two of these are earmarked for particular friends, one is for me and one is for the birthday stash. You know the birthday stash?  A small collection of things one has put aside knowing that there are birthdays and similar events going to happen. The birthday stash prevents last minute panic buying of weird gifts. Rosebuddie is headed for the 'so you are having a baby' stash, but I'm going to have to add a non-pink blanket as well as not all babies are girls, and some parents really don't like their wee boys in pink or pinky purple.

Some assembly required

Of course these are not totally finished yet, the book blocks (pages) are assembled, and the covers assembled and covered but the two have not yet been attached to each other. That is the next step, but I've found that letting the books dry out completely after each glue step makes the process neater and easier. I'm also playing with different weights of card for the covers. I have not found book-board available locally, but I've not really looked beyond art supply shops and larger stationery stores.  I do want to try Michael O'Brian in Oamaru,  as I have heard that he does sell some book making materials. Problem is that that most times I've been there, its been after hours or he has been just locking up to to go to lunch. There is a Youtube video explaining more about his work here, where he mentions apprenticeships,  part of me wants to inquire about learning bookbinding from him ... but right now there just isn't the time. 

What I have found out is that thicker card is less likely to curve when glued and dried, but is much more difficult to cut to size, thinner car dries into wave and curl shapes when glued .. unless I press it flat until dry. I can press it flat easily, but do wonder if the curl will return if the book is ever in a high humidity area or subject to some sort of mishap involving liquid. These are made with a ply-card, not the thickest I've used, and not the thinnest. I'm still exploring the materials available here and thought the ply - card, made of layers might be a little like ply wood, stronger and stiffer because of the layers. 

Surprise! - these are for Ngaire

There were two that I made and covered yesterday, with brown paper, and the last of the thicker card that I had on hand. I had a request for 'more' of the brown paper covered journals, so here are two more. One has plain paper and one has a knit grid. What I have found out is that books can be made in hundreds of different ways, and right now I'm liking the quite square spine with the french-groove hinge, and the inner book-block coptic bound so the pages open and lie flat easily.

I think I'll head off and work on the last of the edge, and then see if the book covers are ready to have their inners inserted.

cheers
na Stella

Enough - maybe , probably.

I think I have enough yarn, I think I do, I think I do, I think I do. Do you think that if I repeat this mantra as I knit there will be enough? And sorry, seems I am having a flashback to the little train that could. Today I have progress of a good kind on the  Rosebuddie blanket, the dress is nearly finished and I am loving the vintage details in its construction, there is an actual finished object with photos, and a new toy was loaned to me. Now I want one of my own.

Here is the 'first' corner on the Rosebuddie blanket. I say first in a slightly tongue in check way as I have knit the edging up to and around the corner once if not twice before on this very same blanket, so there have been corners before. Last time I realised I would finished the blanket with an enormous amount of yarn left over. At which point I frogged the edging and added a few more repeats of the next-to-last lace panel. I had weighed the yarn I had left just before I began the lace edge, and had 49g. I weighed the yarn again after I reached the first corner, and I had 38g left. Now to me that means a side takes 11 grams of yarn, and if I have three sides left to knit I will use 33g. The celebrations consisted of me sitting in my knitting chair, smiling to myself and checking and rechecking my maths just to make sure. Inside I was all happy and warm, even more so this morning when I layed out the corner for a photo and noticed how pretty it is.

 Wednesday went well, I sewed the vintage dress pattern as planned. I made minor adjustments as my waist is not in the same place as the waist of the pattern, and oddly had to shorten the skirt as the hem was nearly to my ankles. That felt a bit frumpy so the hem now sits just below my knee. I loved the little construction details, like seam binding. In a recent Opp shop purchase I had found a wheel of vintage cream and orange floral seam binding so bought it for the princely sum of $4. The vintage pattern provided three options for neatening the seams, pinking, hand overcasting or seam binding. Seam binding isn't used here in New Zealand, or sold but as I had this to hand I decided to use it. I did practice some economies and over-lock the skirt seam allowances. I loved the effect of the seam binding so much I didn't want to use it all up in the one garment. I also like the weird mix of modern overlocking with vintage seam binding .... some historian somewhere will be very confused by that mix.

 Because the dress was designed in a time when seam binding was common the instructions were written to allow very precise and neat finishing of the inside edges. I didn't quite know how this edge would work out but followed the instructions and I'm pleased I did. Look so neat, the way the seam binding fits together where the button fly at the front and the neck facing meet. There were also instructions for hand stitching a button hole, something I can do and have done, but this time I went for machine button holes, I wanted to wear this dress this month, and hand stitch button holes take forever to work.

 This is one more project off the needles, Dark and Twisty. Little wristers in sock yarn, cabled and ribbed. Little cub has been wearing these most days, despite it still being summer and warm, so these should get a lot of wear come winter.

 Now this is the toy that I was loaned, a wee darning aid. At first I didn't quite understand why this would be any better than darning by eye, and hand and using a mushroom or egg. But I love playing with knitting and sewing toys so I dug out a old knit swatch and pretended it had a hole in it.

 Wow! I love this, I want one, I really do. I dont' darn, much or often or even like this but I want one of these. This little gadget make darning a very even square patch easy, I was impressed by the clever little hooks that lift and turn the warp so you can just slide the darning needle across instead of weaving up and down through all the threads. Now this darn breaks many of the rules given in old books, especially where they suggest staggering the edges so the darn blends in better, but I like it. I have all sorts of ideas about using this to decorate knit or not knit things. The back is neat and tidy to, but didn't photograph well. I imagine if there was a hole I could either neaten the edges by stitching them to the darn, or trim them away, or both.

Tomorrow the cubs go back to school and Bear and I both return to work, until now one or the other of us has been at home for childcare purposes. Tomorrow is the first standard week of the  working year for all of us. That means today is all about making sure the cubs are clean, tidy, washed, and ready to go to school. There will also be baking as things are prepared for lunch boxes, and books are labeled, shoes polished, bags emptied of the fun holiday stuff and filled ready for school. Excuse me as I go and be a parent, instead of a Knitter.

na Stella

Dilemma

As I'm knitting my way around the border of the Rosebuddie blanket I'm increasingly faced with a dilemma. I started knitting with the understanding that the pattern calls for 1000 - 1650 yards (914 - 1509 m) and I have 160g of 2 ply hand spun Perendale that is some where around 850m. So I selected needles one size smaller and knit the smallest size. There are a few places where this pattern can be increased, working some of the charts once, or twice, and in each case I chose to knit the charts once.

Rosebuddie corner

Now I find myself having knit the lace edge border along one edge  with 71g of the original 160g left. I've started to knit the second side with plans to weigh the remaining yarn and see how much yarn a side takes. My feeling is that the border won't use over half the yarn, especially as it around 8 stitches wide. My Dilemma is do I finish or do I frog back to just before the border and add a second repeat of the last chart before the border. I suspect the yardage required has been rounded up to match that typical of skeins of yarn ... sometimes it would be nice to know how much yarn would remain once the item was knit - but then given I'm already modifiying this without first knitting it I really can't ask too much of the designer can I?

One side of edge done and 71g left

Once I realized that I may have grossly erred on the side of caution and might have considerable yarn left, and missed the chance to make a larger blanket ... well my enthusiasm for the project waned. Well not waned, but I began to get more enthusiastic about other things and less so about the knitting.

Procrastination via tidying up

One of my favorite procrastination tasks is to tidy up. Bear has been tidying up all week, the cubs rooms, the hall cupboards, both living spaces ... the garage ... all in preparation for painting the bathroom. I completely understand that, some jobs require the kind of commitment that one can only make when one has got ready, and for Bear and I that often results in a cleaning and tidy spree. This rather large chest of drawers is a Wellington. So called after Field Marshall Wellington, who had a chest like this made to carry all his 'stuff' when out on campaigns. There are two flaps that lock into place down each side and stop the drawers from opening when you move the chest around. Not that I could even think of moving this with drawers in it, it s made of Rimu, old Rimu so hard and solid and heavy, and is 1400mm wide, 700mm deep and chest high. This beautiful plain and serviceable chest which dates from the early twentieth century holds much of my craft 'stuff'. I avoided my knit-dilemma by sorting the contents of the drawers. I now have two drawers of bookbinding 'stuff', and a drawer of drawing 'stuff', and a drawer of stamping 'stuff', and the rest are devoted to materials for spinning and sewing and knitting. Before I had drawers of mixed 'stuff'. I've even added labels to the fronts so I can find particular  'stuff' without opening up each and every drawer to look for it. The tall wooden stand is my skein stand, where skeins are hung to dry.

CotLin washcloth in Garn

Another favorite procrastination trick is to knit on something else, knowing that I dug around in my knit project basket and found a washcloth to finish. This only took a 15 minutes and now its done and not longer a procrastination project.

Dark and twisty number two

So I dug around again and found another languishing project, the second of a pair of dark cabled wristers. I sometimes wonder if Knitters purposely have projects that are standing by just for when the main project is in need of a little separation time? I figure I have another night or two procrastination knitting, and maybe even some procrastination spinning or plying before I have to start a new procrastination project or deal with the second edge of lace and make a decision about frogging or having yarn left over.

So .... how has your week gone? Any procrastination in your life right now?
Na Stella

Not just knitting

Hello, earlier today Bear asked me 'have you blogged recently?', I had to say not and explain that the things I had been doing and making were presents and I couldn't really blog them without giving the game away.Then I realised that while I have been busy making things that I really can't show here right now, I have been knitting - so I should blog -  just a little bit, and that there were other things that I could blog as well. There is a blanket nearly finished, a mindless washcloth sort of project in a lovely orange cotton linen garn (yes garn not yarn), and bookbinding as I prepare myself to teach bookbinding at Unwind. Bear has been tidying up, in preparation for painting the bathroom and as part of that I've been tidying up in a craft way, making things nice so they can be used. There was also a crafty day last Monday, where K and N generously shared their stamping and scrapbooking materials, and tools and expertise ... where they both introduced me to ink and paper and colour and shape and ... Ok yes I knew about stuff like that already I was just avoiding adding a new hobby. As a result of that crafty day I may have added stamps, artist grade pencils and stamp pads to my stash .... what can I say, but that I am easily lead astray and K and N did an excellent job leading a few of us further astray than we imagined we could be.

  Rosebuddie is nearly done, well as nearly done as having four of one hundred repeats of the edge lace done. I'm not sure if I'm like most knitters but once the end of a project is in sight I tend to focus on that project until it is done, something about being so close to done that it is quite exciting to see the work nearing completion. I had a wee moment when I misread the lace for the edging and repeated a [yo, k2] instead of just the [k2], which gave me an extra stitch, but once I'd sorted that out and amended my ways and knit the edge correctly there was no trouble at all with the stitch count. Funny how a single extra stitch can lead to all sorts of problems in a lace border.

My 'mindless' project right now is a washcloth, in Garn, a Danish yarn that is half cotton and half linen. I like this stuff and wish I could easily get more of it, the linen adds a little something to the cotton, so its not like knitting string and I know the linen will give this softenss and durability as it is used. The dusky orange isn't bad either.

My lino-cut frog stamp was used today, and appart from a little contamination or
dust somewhere it shouldn't be giving my frog a few warts (which frogs sometimes have) worked well. I may have to fine tune the shape of his hands  and head, and body and tummy and ... well the whole of him but that is part of the process just like knitting. He (or she) is a frog in progress and will eventually have the words knit -knit - frog and maybe even a yarn type border to edge them. I suspect my imagination runs ahead of my ability but without such goals then I'd never do anything. The pages sitting behind the frog are printed with a knit graph, in proportion to the width and height of a knit stitch - so ideal for recording knit projects.

The frog stamp may or may not be in this ... a knit journal that is covered in blank brown paper all ready to be customized. And yes - it really is covered in brown paper, the old fashioned parcel wrapping  kind. Part of me wants to add string and a tag ... but I've leave that to whomever ends up with the journal to do if they want.

One of the traditional gifts around here at Christmas is a tin of biscuits, in my childhood there was only one kind, a Sampler. A sampler tin had a wee stack of about 20 different biscuits, some chocolate coated, some with creme fillings and my personal favorite those candy pink creme filled wafers. About 20 years ago the tins seemed to change and were filled with an assortment of Danish biscuts, no cream fillings but lots of little buttery short biscuits in nice shapes sprinkled with sugar. Now-a-days (gosh I'm feeling old with words like now-a-days) the tins seemed to be themed, with the advertising critter of choice, in this case Cookie Bear. Now I like tins, and boxes, there is something nice about having tins and boxes to tidy things away into and keep things safe in and that fit little collections of tools and materials that are useful. This tin was a good size, slightly smaller than A4 and about 6 cm deep ... but Cookie bear had to go, I'm sorry he is cute but isn't really the style of tin I wanted to use.

So I found some frog wrapping paper, white pva glue, craft knife, and spent a few hours transforming the tin into one I could live with. A few layers of water based sealant and look, a tin I'm happy to use. I even covered the 'nutritional information' printed on the base of the tin with brown paper. I learned a few things, like trimming paper whilst it is still wet with glue is not a good idea, and not to panic if bubbles form as they disappear as the glue dries. And that like decoupage - with a few applications of a clear sealant all sort of little rough bits are smoothed away.

Don't worry, I'm still a Knitter, and not likely to stop any time soon, the things here are things that enhanced the knitting, not replace it.

take care ... back soon, with knitting,  promise.

na Stella

Hello 2012

A new year, new post, and new projects. Its 2012, and has been for some 12 hours - and in the spirit of things new we spent yesterday tidying up ready for the new year. Of course I know that the whole date thing is an arbitrary notion which helps humans to structure their lives and one 'day' is no more significant than another day, but there is something about a new year. I'm not one for New Years resolutions, that was a tradition that wasn't practiced in my family, New Years resolutions were some sort of a comedy that was enacted every year on tv, and in print as people told stories of how they tried to reform and change and how doing so was not as easy as it should be. So for us, New Year continues with catching up with family and friends, people that are important to us for a variety of reasons. In doing so we have opportunity to acknowledge the truly important things in our lives, each other, good friends, our good fortune in terms of health and  economics that we live in a place where living is good. Good is of course relative, for us that means we have reasonable health, access to good reliable care should something go wrong, enough to eat, educational opportunities, freedom of association, access to communication, and time to partake in the things that we find relaxing and enjoyable.

For me that includes knitting, this year there were 28 knitted projects (filed under 2011 in my Ravelry projects tab), eight pairs of socks, two and a bit hats, four blankets, three  washcloths, five hot water covers, 3 or so pairs of wristers, a linen basket liner, mittens, and I learned to make books and felt room-shoes. I contributed 3 articles to Entangled, a review or two to Context, and taught at KAN and Handmade . And as fits a knitter with time away from work - I cast on for new projects so the year would end with things on the needles.

Rosebuddie - Chart D starts

Deciduous Lace Shawl

Christmas Day I cast on a new baby blanket, Rosebuddie by Anne Hanson. I'm living dangerously with this one, as the pattern calls for 1000 - 1650 yards (914 - 1509 m) and I have 160g of 2 ply hand spun Perendale that is some where around 850m. I've compensated a little by knitting the smaller size, so fewer repeats of some of the lace charts, and by using slightly smaller needles. 3.25mm rather than 3.5mm. My plan is to put in a life line once I am about to start the edge lace and then find a compatible yarn to use for the border if I don't have enough of this to finish.

There was another project cast on shortly after Christmas, Deciduous Lace shawl by Evelyn Clark. I'm a 'newish' lace knitter, and so I tossed up between knitting E Clarks Deciduous and her Icelandic Poppy Lace. Deciduous won as it is the simpler of the two lace patterns, repeating over only four rows and with the even numbered rows knit plain. The yarn is a local one, Touch yarns 2 ply Lace weight with Mohair, dyed a deep brown green. So far so good but I have to pay attention to this one as I knit it .... the yarn is so fine and the lace so small.

Frogging ....

Then because I wasn't working and we had some time at home, I played. I've been admiring the decorative devices that some bookbinders use to identify their books, and I've been admiring the rustic wood-cut inspired stamps that are used by some craftspeople. After a while of admiring - there comes a time when I get tempted to try for myself. So I  tried to carve a frog ..... in lino. My modest goal is to come up with something I'd be happy to print as a 'signature' as a frontispiece in the books I bind. The other family members are also playing, Bear is working in the garage, Elder cub is modeling planes, and younger cub is knitting a doll.

Take care - I hope that the new year is rewarding, and fun and has as little stress as it can, and that there is time and energy for hand knitting and what ever interests appeal.

all the best for 2012
na Stella

Oooooo - finished

Another project off the needles, which leaves ... maybe two on the needles. Off the needles is Fling One (Heart of Glass), currently blocking. On the needles is a seemingly abandoned Tammy, and the third and final Double knit mitt. I also have knit wisdom to share, and yes I am still spinning on the Tour de Fleece (no photos today). I am also reading, I am nearly done on a book that is making me both nod in agreement and think, and I have a new-old book to start.

So now there are empty sock needles, really and truly empty, that means that I should probably knit a new sock, or at least begin thinking about what the next sock could be. I have hand spun sock yarn to use, and the new Vintage Purls Max Sock yarn ... and a whole drawer of yummy choices besides. What I do know is this my next book, Stella's Cup, written in 1890, by May Elsdale, N found and thought of me, especially when she saw chapter VI was titled Tiresome Toby. Tiresome - that is exactly the word that describes parenting that boy some days! I'm glad there are more days that are not tiresome than are. It should be a 'golly good read', and an insight into what people were providing in terms of children's literature 120 years ago.

So here are the finished socks, cast off and blocking. Details

• Started: April 28 2011 Completed : July 13 2011
• Yarn: Vintage Purls Sock
• Pastel Mist,
• Pattern Vintage Purls Heart of Glass
• Needles, 2.25mm.
• Modifications : I added eye of partridge stitch to the heel - just because I like how it fits and hugs the heel, and the way it looks in a soft semi-solid yarn.

This came my way this week from K, a money box with multiple knit themed sayings. Subversive knit sayings, like this scarily authentic Government warning.


I'm also reading To Die - Is Fashion Wearing out the world For by Lucy Siegle. I read Claire Regnault's review in last weeks Listener and decided this was a book I had to buy and read. I'm not sure how to best describe this book, its not fun, and if I was the kind of person who did a lot more shopping then this would be a slightly uncomfortable read. I love fashion, I love design, but I've never spent most of my money on it, I've always tried to buy 'quality', things that were made and cut to last, so often I reject the very thin cheap clothes on offer at discount places. I'm also not to naive about the impact of production, and processing for fashion, or really any product or service, even so this book is honest to the point of being brutally at times, it contains information that is hard to read. What does Lucy say? Well I've not finished the book yet (page 266 of 337), but so far she presents a very coherent and well defined argument that in the last 60 or so years our attitudes to clothing have shifted away from more sustainable attitudes that were traditionally in place when the production was more linked to the consumption. Where does this leave me? Well buying quality, considering the way and place and materials involved in the making of anything, and what will become of my 'stuff' when I no longer want it. As I said uncomfortable - but in a good way.

Take care, I'm off to The Cutting circle workshops tomorrow, should be fun as I get to be the student not the teacher! I'm back Saturday just in time for the Knitters study group mid winter dinner. My plane gets in after 7pm, so I'll probably arrive late ..... hope they save me some of the yummiest stuff, it is a pot-luck, or as we say in New Zealand 'bring-a-plate' and some of those knitters can cook as well as knit.

Stella

A big weekend all round

When you have younger people in your life, birthdays are significant events. I can understand that, when you have only ever had 11 birthdays, and I'm pretty sure the first few are kind of fuzzy and the memory is probably only the photos in the family album and stories you have been told, the number 12 is significant. Tomorrow my eldest, Toby, aka 'the toad', or 'tobe' turns 12. We try to be responsible parents, no first-person-shooter games, no playing with matches, and making a point of not letting go of what is on offer unless the please and thank-yous are said. That said kids develop interests that plain confound me, The littlest cub is into ballet, so I find myself doing ballet-hair, a bun, twice a week. The eldest cub finds WWII planes fascinating - who knew? That is all part of this weekend, then there is the start of the Tour, not the tour de France, but the tour de Fleece, with all the preparation and false starts that go with that. This weekend and there are knitted objects that relate to the tour, and knitting objects that might even be closer to being finished than they were a few days ago!

This is my 'birthday boy', with his new toys. I am thankful that Bear has insight into the tings that this 12 year old boy likes - as I never would have guessed that teeny tiny miniature planes that are used with a board game replicating the movements of World War II airplane engagements would the perfect present. Me, I supplied blank comic book drawing pads, A3 drawing paper and blocks of A4 210gsm cartridge paper because he is always wanting to use my supplies. I also provided a FC Tk9400 2mm clutch pencil, nice soft black lead refills and a Fabre Castel lead pointer. His sister supplied a vintage style slinky, and an environ science kit. If that boy even hints he is bored in the next few days .... I can't even imagine my surprised reaction. Equally how he will fit all that new stuff into his already full and tiny bedroom is a mystery that only he can solve.

This year I am again on tour, the Tour de Fleece, spinning along with the Tour de France, resting on rest days and trying to challenge myself. This is pink combed perendale that I dyed last year. This year I am spinning on my vintage Pippy wheel, I've not used this much since the two new wheels arrived and every time I visit the back room I admire it and think I shouldn't be ignoring it. So Friday I rearranged the family room, gave the wheel a dust and an oil (silicon spray really), and pre-drafted the fibre.
In any event of the size of the Tour (france and fleece), there are bound to be false starts. My participation started disappointingly. The Pippy and I had to get reacquainted, for I thought I had her all adjusted and drawing in nicely ... but in truth I forgot that treadling with one treadle is very different to treadling with two. Of course any coach will stress how important it is to train with your competition equipment so you are familiar with it, and I didn't. My first 11 grams were thicker than I wanted .. but I have 160g to use. So I thought about it overnight, and decided to sacrifice the 11 grams, and start again. The second start was much smoother, the wheel and I are not quite one, but my hands and feet are more in tune with my spinning and the wheel.

In prepareation for the Tour I spun up the lovely cross breed that KathyR gifted me. I was aiming at lace ... and I'm closer than I have ever been to lace weight yarn. And I do think this my spinning is becoming more even. Once I was compelled to spin three ply yarn - only because I knew the averaging out of three plies would even up my yarn, now I happily spin two ply knowing that my control is improved the point that there is not as much difference between the thicks and thins. Details, fine fingering, 2 ply, shifting from pale to darker over its length, 115g, and 550m. I am still thinking of a a shawl or blanket that uses the transitioning shades to add drama, with the dark as the final outside lace edge. Thank you again Kathy!


With the tour looming I felt the need to knit up some of my previous tour spinning. 2010 I spun 3 skeins of texel fleece into a sweater weight of yarn. This year I plan to turn that into a simple sweater for Toby. He has outgrown the gansey I knit him way back in early 2009. Time for a new one, and as he is a boy with boy traits peer fashion dictates it be plain and simple and serviceable. Bang goes my idea of embellishing the front and back with Barbara Walkers spider or some such crazy motif. The things we knitters do to hold back for the ones we love, like knitting a plain sweater when a patterned one would be so much more fun to make. So I have swatched a gansey edge, a few rounds of garter, then a 2x2 rib, followed by another garter band and three sections knit on needles increasing in size from 3.75 to 4.5mm. I think I like the 4mm best now the swatch is washed. I tried to hide a slip stitch chain pattern along the top ... but I'm not sure it will stay in the final design although in the photo it looks tidier than the garter bands.

And lastly I have finally finished the tip of the second mitten, only of course as I won't be using the first mitten this is technically the first mitten. This will be the third time I have finished this tip ....... only a thumb and a whole n'other mitten to go and I will have a matched pair. I assume that there are other projects like this out there, in terms of the frogging and the redoing and all? The thumb is looking a little puckered as I have a knitters safety pin holding the stitches. I do like the evil owls more than the running dogs ... and the double knitting chart reading has become much much more fluent.

So I'm off to complete other computery things, upload photos and tidy up things that need tidying up. I submitted my second article to Entangled this last week, but I still need to prepare and send thru the images. then there is some long overdue correspondence to catch up on, a pen or two to prepare to send away for repair, two favorites. There was a good frost this morning, which means a sunny clear crisp day - a good day to work thru things inside - before returning to the wheel for more spinning.

take care, if you are touring, may your wheel fly, and your fibre flow, if not please cheer on spinners and cyclists in your circle of crafters.