2 stitches was all it took ...

to mangle my Punta edging. Today I'll explain more fully with photos, plus nothing knitted is ever wasted in this house, and more spinning progress - I'm inventing/unventing the low cost bobbin re-winder. It is such a simple idea I can't be the only one to think of using a lazy kate and a spinning wheel as a bobbin re-winder.

Remember last post I was going arrrrggghhh because the edging for the ear flaps of my Andean ccatta hat was to small. I did get around to knitting another edging, but not right away. I was distracted by knit night then spinning, and when I did return to knit the edging again I noticed this -

see how the Punta on the edging are much much closer together than the Punta on the hat. I carefully read the pattern and discovered one of those little instructions that can get over looked. In this case the words that said, K2, after the punta were shaped, and before the stitches were knit for the next Punta. What a difference those two stitches make, 2 stitches per-Punta, 22 Punta, 44 stitches, 1.5 inches of much needed edging. Although I must say - I kind of like the effect of the closer Punta, all ruffled up, and might use that on a Poppy-garment some time.


See - it fits, the edging fits, if any thing it might need easing as it is a little generous! Just one more edging to knit and then some sewing and its done and I will be doing the Ccatta Punta Andean hat dance, and you may even get a photo! The hat is a pointy elf shape - so perhaps I'll wear it Christmas morning?


Thursday knit night, there was one other Ccatta hat being knit, so I did a little "I'm not perfect - please don't copy me" show and tell and Tania (who has not blogged in ages!) suggested I make the rejected band into a little cuff for the Poppy-child. What a good suggestion, in fact I might have to make a few of these to grace party bags for girlie birthday parties over the coming year.

Spinning, this last few days the merino fiber was calling me, and asking to be spun, so I spun rather than knitted. I now have two half-bobbins of twisted singles. Being new to all this spinning stuff, and easily distracted by internet info, I wandered into the Spinners group on Ravelry to have a look around. There was a discussion on under-plying, which was quite informative. Especially the idea of running the singles thru the wheel again to add or subtract twist. I did a little ply test and decided my singles were under twisted so added some more twist. Here they are all twisty. More surfing (net not wet) from there, I ended up here, and here, reading more about plying. I also found a site with a table of suggested singles twist and yarn results, but I've lost it.

After that I wanted to wind my singles off on to another bobbin, which is said to even out the twist and so result in a more even yarn (scroll down to Jeannine Bakriges's comment). So what I wanted right then and there was a bobbin winder, I googled - as you do. Those things are $US99! or more! and they appear to be custom made from small appliances, like electric cake beaters or hand drills. I grew up with a mechanic dad, in Kiwi-land, home of make do and mend, and making or fixing things with electrical tape and number 8 fencing wire. Fencing wire is a flexible wire used in farm fences - but has become a lynch pin of emergency repairs in New Zealand.
Rough home made or repaired items are described here as being of the 'number 8 variety'. Tall tales are told of how number 8 wire saved the day. "Real men" seem to have a hank of number 8 at hand for saving the day.

So there was no way I could ever imagine telling my dad that I spent $US99 on a winder that appeared home made. I could ask him to build me one, and if I was lucky it might get done by 2020, I wanted it now. Then - bright idea, I could use the spinning wheel to drive the bobbins. There was a spare whorl grove on the whorl, and a drive belt grove on the bobbin, and I had a lazy kate - all I needed was drive belt.

I tied string into the right sized loop and set the bobbin winder (temporarily converted from a lazy kate by removing the brake band) on the table, looping the string between the wheel and the bobbin, and treadled away. I used my hand to guide the yarn evenly onto the bobbin, and sat the bobbin on the build in lazy kate on the front of the Ashford traveler. (You could suspend the bobbin in a basket or box with a knitting needle axis, or stand it on the floor). The total cost of this home made winder is less than a meter of string. I think I will boast to Bear how much money I saved while he was fishing ;-D

Re-winding the bobbins did seem to even out the twist, the singles lie much smoother, and I am expecting they will be easier to ply. I am itching to ply now but two things stop me. First all the advice seems to be to let the bobbins rest overnight, and second it is the work xmas party barbecue tonight. Bear is out of town fly fishing, so me and my two small bears are of to the gymkhana themed party in a barn (not my idea btw). Wish me luck, I've got my under $5 secret santa gift, and Poppy has her hobby horse.

Well that didn't work out so well!

The 'that' in question is the ear flap boarders on the Ccatta hat, I will explain more and then I will go and knit some more ear flap boarders that do work. Also today - the learning sock is finished, and I've made the (dangerous?) move to spinning luxury fiber. Lastly - some interesting variations on purling which popped up on u-tube.

So my Ccatta hat has two ear flaps, and was about the get the ear flap boarders added. I knitted one last night, casting on 22 tiny puntas. I do love the way the pattern refers to making tiny puntas even though I have found no reference to medium, large, giant or other sized puntas anywhere. So - 22 Punta were casted on, then more purl colour work, worked flat this time, which was another learning curve.
I decided the ear flap boarder should match the hat boarder so 'interpreted' the instructions in a way that would. That meant changing from 2 rows of reverse stocking stitch colour work, to a set up knit row followed by 2 rows of reverse stocking stitch colour work. Little tweaks that made sense to me.
ta - da . . . . . opps! Bother, the ear flap boarder is short by about 3 cm, or just over an inch. I could stretch and block it to fit, but .... that would give curved or cupped ear flaps. The few photos I have seen have flat ear flaps, so tonight I will knit another longer boarder, more Puntas?. Practice makes perfect perhaps?


Learning sock, this is learning sock number 1 from Cat B's new sock architecture book. It went ok, quite straightforward if I might say so. The shaping is in an odd order for people who are used to knitting traditional toe up and top down socks, but is all conventional sock building techniques. That is it uses, paired increases, short rows with wraps and turns, and paired decreases (k2tog and ssk). I will work learning sock two soon - then a sock for me! I love the one with slip stitched patterning in striped yarn, it really breaks up the stripes in a beautiful way.


Spinning - this is so my current favorite thing, although I find that when I spin my shoulders creep up and up and then I notice and have to remind myself to relax and drop them down. This is a little lump of green and chocolate merino from Ashfords they gave me free on my last visit. Its probably only 150g, I bought 2 books (Margaret Stove, spinning and lace knitting) and picked up a tensioned lazy kate which the courier had failed to deliver some weeks earlier. I was going to buy the merino but they said it was free to make up for the troubles. Enough rambling, the spinning, oh Wow. This fiber seems to like being spun fine, I am adding the same amount of twist as I did for the Corridale and yet it is still silky. I do have to pull the odd little felted bit out, but it is so silky to work with. Did I mention it was silky? I think I am in love, but I still have to ply it and set the twist. It is very early in the relationship. I admit to a brief indulge in googling etsy merino roving, before giving myself a good talking to about Christmas spending and using existing stash first. For now I am thinking a little narrow feather and fan scarf, maybe, should I buy a little more from Ashfords just in case? but then I have other things to finish and even more in the queue.

This is a new (to me) method of purling from Cat Bordhi. It seems like a Norwegian variation of combined purling - very cute. I lot like the way I work, but the yarn stays in the back.

and this, called eastern continental, which appears extensively the same. The sad thing about this video is it has been watched 1400 times and only one comment (me). If you like it or find it useful - do let the maker know please?

make 46 tiny Punta you say?

Today I attempt to explain what are tiny Punta (hint : Andean knitting), a "3 hours and I only knit that" moment, new imports from the USA, some exquisitely made stitch markers, and super pointy knitpics harmony wooden circs that make Brother Amos sock number two and the 2-circ method a success, and I start a roving stash. btw Fannigan is on hold until some longer 2mm circs arrive from the UK.


So, what is a tiny Punta you ask, well I was asking that just yesterday myself at 11am, now I know so I'll share. Yesterday was the first of the two Andean knitting workshops, mostly based on the two editions of Marcia Lewandowski's book Andean Folk Knits: Great Designs from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador & Bolivia. Both editions of the book were there to look at and they are different. The older edition has more history, the latter edition more patterns for contemporary variations in larger than historically correct gauges. I've ordered a 2nd hand copy of the book, and hope its an older one. Lorna, our local knit guru was there and so patient and helpful - she is a amazing. I've lent her my EZ glossary dvd and had many admire my cabled cardigan, especially the zip. I like that class, they notice the little things in your knitting. Pauline had the most amazing lace shawl in black - the lace gods are conspiring to tempt me, resistance appears to be futile. Sorry borg star trek moment there.

So the Punta are little points or triangles created along a cast on edge and used in Andean knitting, especially hats, for boys and men. Yesterday I spent about an hour and a half with vintage steel 2mm dpns and 3 colours of yarn creating my very own Punta & popcorn sampler. Popcorn a little bobbles. It wasn't pretty, nor easy, involving crocheting a chain (think super fine fingering and 2mm), picking up 7 stitches at a time in a 2nd colour on a dpn sliding these to the 'other end' then knitting and decreasing in a 3rd and possibly 4th colour to create the little points. Once I mangled opps - managed a few the process became much clearer, and easier. But 3 hours latter I only had a little 1.5" square sampler to show. I tried to cast on for the hat, repeatedly in class, but it needed more time and focus to pick up all those little loops on the crochet chain than was possible in a busy class. At home I crocheted the loops over a circular needle - much easier.

So I've chosen the more adventurous of the 2 projects on offer, the other is a little bag. That is where the 46 tiny Punta come in, which are followed by around 20 -30 colour work rows in predominantly purl. Yes purl and the floats are on the other side - and only last post I was practicing my purl colour work in the flat colour work sampler. Well it paid of, I'm fast becoming proficient at it, although it is harder to work than knit and I can't wait until the knit section begins. And no, it probably wouldn't be easier to knit, and yes, I know Andeans purled differently - but we can only go so far in a project. I'm using the swatch from last week to select colours, so far its looking good. And I have no idea who will wear this, a total process project, but it will prepare me to knit the next Bohus as a flat cardigan, not steeked.

And these little sweeties, very clever and cool stitch markers designed to accompany CB'sock architecture book. Sent to me by Suzanne, along with some knitpicks circular needles I'd ordered delivered to her (why oh why won't they ship overseas?). Thank-you again Suzanne, huge favor and much appreciated as you know. These little stitch markers make me think of William Morris, and his 'have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful' to me these are both. See the little hinge so they sit flat against the knitting, cool and clever! From the Etsy shop HIDEandSHEEP if you want some of your own.


And Brother Amos, sock 2 this time is being knit on 2-circs, the Knitpics harmony in 2.25mm. Wow are these pointy, I love them, I tried to photograph the points, but no luck, you will just have to believe me these are very seriously pointy points. With these needles my previous complaints about 'snagging' of stitches when knitting the 2-circ way is no longer valid - I can finally see the merit of the method, especially for lace. No more juggling and splitting pattern repeats over multiple dpns.

and fibre stash, today I hit the buy now on 1kg of silver gotland carded roving on trademe(new zealands e-bay, it was cheap). Gotland were one of the sheep breeds my postdoc involved, but I only ever had leather, so when i spotted it I was curious. I'm told the fiber is long and softens beautifully when washed - so I'll let you know how that goes early next year. I'm working my way thru 600g of Ashfords corridale roving, so after that .... I'll be ready.

Take care
Stella