oooo - finished!

Nightingale is finished, yes really, all cast off, woven in and blocked. I finished the charted colour section and started the cuff earlier this week .. and yesterday started the day knowing I only had a few cm's to knit to be done. For me, some times knowing how close the end is .. is enough to spur a finish. That is what happened, I decided that I 'needed' to finish them and block them whilst the sun shone, yesterday was a sunny day here. So after I had a load of laundry out to dry, and tidied up and opened windows the kids rooms so they could air a little, all the things I discovered that working does not let me do during the week but which make the house neater and easier to live in, I sat and knitted.

Look, all done!
If I am to continue to knit knee-high socks I might just have to source some knee high blockers .. for now these ones work. The colour work was a little tight in places .. not puckered but perhaps not as smooth as it could have been .... after a 10 minute soak in warm water with a little home made wool wash .. and a spin in the washing machine .. the socks looked beautiful. I can't wait to wear them .. but alas I don't have the 'right' shoes yet. I can wear them with calf high black boots .. but then only a bird would show and I want all the birds to show. I love so much about these, the reversed chart so they are a true pair, the way the stripes work around the heel cup and flap ... the toe up construction meaning that they could be as long as I needed them to be.



Tech specs:
Started April 10th 2010
Finished July the 15th 2010
Pattern Nightingale by Vintage Purls
Yarns, Vintage Purls sock, the ground in Midnight Runaway and the colourwork in Birthday Bash colour way that was a special edition.
Yarn left over, 3g of Midnight Runaway, and 16g of the Birthday Bash.
Modifications .. few, I worked mine on 2.25mm needles, and changed the top to stripes with 3 rounds of 1x1 rib at the top.

I have of course been continuing to spin along with the Tour de Fleece .. . The other finishing I did yesterday was a third skein of the Texel, and I plied the skein of Merino Silk that was a gift in the New Zealand fibre swap 4.0. The Texel is more of the same, well as same as hand-spinning can be. I now have three skeins and only a wee bit more to spin(34g plus some on a bobbin). The three skeins I have look pretty much the same, but the first is 189g and 309m, the second is 181g and 287m, while the third is 187g and 390m. I am thinking as that one is so out of keeping I should really count the number of strands in the hank again - in case I made a mistake. Notice my wee furred companion in the shadows. That is Yo-yo, who has been tailing me around the house and spending way to much time lazing in the sun.

This is the merino silk yarn. I divided the dyed roving into two sections along its length, spun one as it, and divided the other into three finer sections again along the length .. this is a technique called fractal spinning. Fractal spinning is intended to result in a pleasing fairly regular play of colours in a yarn made from a randomly dyed roving. I've only played with this preparation once before .. and it does seem to make a less .. how can I explain ... contrasty yarn. This skein is 97g and 191m.

Earlier in July an Anon commenter left a lovely comment .. and asked about spinning.
"Lately I've been researching spinning, and wonder "What's it about?" On the financial side, is it cheaper than buying a skein? Is it as obsessive a craft as knitting? I am hoping to take a spinning class one day soon, but in the meantime can you give me a little feedback. In all honesty I don't think I can handle another craft right now, but can't help the curiousity."

Now I'm not an expert .. but I'll do my best.
On the financial side, is it cheaper than buying a skein?
Spinning can be cheaper than buying yarn .. but it can be dearer .. it all depends on what you spin and what you like to buy in the way of yarn. By and by it is probably about the same cost as yarn .....without factoring in any equipment costs like a spindle or a wheel, or other fibre prep tools. I can buy 100g of hand dyed combed top for $NZD9 .... which compares very well to any 100g skein of yarn that is hand dyed. I can source cheaper fibre in bulk .. and source unprepared fibre much cheaper again ..at the other end of the scale I can also source much dearer fibre, cashmere, and other luxury fibres.

Is it as obsessive a craft as knitting?Oh yes, most definitely, for me and for others. But then for some, two I know of this is not 'their thing'. One lady was really keen to learn .. but excused herself after the first lesson saying it was the most boring thing she had ever experienced. Others just struggle with the hand feet coordination and find it no fun at all. Others struggle but enjoy the struggle and are really buzzed by the idea of making yarn and that carries them until they have mastered the art. I've read people spin to their heartbeat, and whilst that makes me wonder about the speed J spins at, it is a nice idea, a kind of whole body rhythm that is peaceful. I want to spin some times and knit others, the two activities are different and give me different senses of being, at times interchangeable but different. Then there is the obsessive side, for some trying different spindles or wheels, or collecting older wheels and working with them so they are in perfect running order, that is all fun for me, then there is finding the perfect fibre/ twist combination, that is fun as well or the tricky little special effects .. I've not gone there yet. Then there are those who 'just spin', and there is no deeper side than the pure enjoyment of making yarn. I have friends who spin because in a way it connects them to history, and to the traditions people had for centuries and as such they feel part of the continuum.
I don't know if it will be 'a thing you find enjoyable', or something you body learns to do with ease .. I learned to draft on a spindle before sitting at a wheel and believe that is an easier way to learn. But there are hundreds(thousands) who learn direct on a wheel - and spindling is not as much done as wheel spinning.
"What's it about?"
Ooo the hard question, for me, two things started me spinning, I saw all this lovely spinning on a lot of the knit-blogs I visited .. and I was intrigued, and I had difficulty finding the weights of yarns that I wanted to knit with here where I live. I built a spindle a few years ago, dowel and a door knob from the hard ware shop, and played. Then I upgraded to a wheel, a kitset that I had to build myself which taught me a lot about the mechanics and balance and adjustment of a wheel. ... and in time bought a few more old wheels on Trademe (New Zealands version of ebay). I sold the first wheel, and now have 3 older wheels that I love, and two newer ones. I bought those as I was afraid that when the older ones finally wore out (each is at least 30 years old) that I would not be able to find a well made craftsman wheel, and I wanted a portable wheel so I could easily go to retreats and classes.
There is a sense of satisfaction that comes with finishing anything, and with mastering anything .. and spinning is an area that I can score a little of that feeling. There is at some point a sense of control in knowing I can spin .. although to be honest what I knit is mostly bought yarns ... the spinning seems at times separate from the knitting. Perhaps because I can not yet spin reliably what I want to knit, but I am now gaining confidence to make plans to spin expressly for garments I want to knit.
Perhaps for me .. one of the most attractive aspects of spinning, other than playing with soft fibre and making things, two noble objectives on them selves, is the community that exists here and online around spinning. I have made friends thru spinning, and it connects us, it is a nice activity to work on in a group.
And I love trash-tv, sci fi and other stuff but have what I suspect is a kind of residual middle class English guilt about being inactive .. so knitting and spinning allows me to watch trash tv .. look I'm not lazy I'm spinning/knitting! I am one of those people who has to be making or doing something, some people have hobbies that are around gaming or socializing .. for me and my family it is around making things.

In all honesty I don't think I can handle another craft right now,That is how I feel about weaving! I am afraid to give in to it .. for then I would have no time for the things I enjoy now. Spinning has 'stolen' a little of my knitting time - but not in a way that worries me.
Please - any one else, do comment - about spinning and its connection to yarn and knitting. I don't want to be the only voice on this.

na Stella

First skein of the tour!

Yes, my first skein of the tour is done, with I hope 3 or 4 more to go. I've been knitting and spinning, more spinning than knitting really but making progress on things blue ... and things new. First up spinning,

My first skein of the tour, 286m of sport-ish weight Texel, 184g. I have a little under 200g still to spin and 3 more bobbins to ply .. so there will be more like this soon.


I had 'one of those moments', where I lost a yarn band and ended up turning the house upside down to find it. I did eventually find the yarn band - and also in the process this. Appears that I did in fact buy 700g of Texel not 500g - which would explain how I already had 5 bobbins with around 100g fibre on each and still fibre to spin left over.

We spend the weekend at my dads, so the little Gem came with me and I continued to spin at his house. End result is that I have now spun half the merino silk blend onto this bobbin, and have the other half to spin next.

Before we went away, and once we were back I have been knitting away on my last Nightingale .. look! Nearly there, the last bird is half formed. This is so exciting .. now I just want to buy blue shoes to wear with them and sit and knit until they are done .. but I cannot. I am still on leave this week and the cubs are in holiday program being socialized, but I have chores. First up this morning I lined all the living room curtains .. which they sorely needed. That should keep the living area a little warmer and easier to heat.

Which leaves me introducing my new project, Pattern: Rogue Roses by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee in a Socks that rock yarn designed for it. I needed a car-able knit for the long drive up to my dads and then again on the way home. Nightingale with its chart is not a great travel sock .. so I picked a new project from the sock drawer. I am loving this sock, the yarn is heavier than my usual sock yarn, but I'm still knitting it on 2.25mm needles. That is because I only took those ones with me .... I am loving the rosebuds, and the garter slip stitch heel all worked in purl stitches on every row! Very pretty inside and out. Bear pointed out it is a colour way much like my merino spinning - citrus.

So I'm off to find lunch, all on my own, no need to accommodate the tastes of any one else (oh how I do like being at home by myself sometimes), and do a little more tidying up around the house in preparation for starting a new project tomorrow. but I will keep spinning, the tour is still on. Tonight the local group has plans to actually spin while watching the tour - which should be great fun.

take care
na Stella

Day four on the tour ...

I'm still here, still spinning and knitting .. still officially touring with the Tour de Fleece, although I suspect I've been riding along with the crowd neither shining as a leading light .. or dragging behind as a lost cause. I've spun two 100 g bobbins of Texel, one part bobbin of merino silk at spin night, and nearly a third bobbin of blue Texel. I thought I had 500g of the stuff .. but I've just weighed the remainder and there is 390 g left so I must have had a lot more than 500g before I started.

This is my place at the end of days one and two ... and wee bit of day three... Sunday, Monday Tuesday. 2 bobbins full. I have been spinning for a few hours each day .. and surprisingly have not had any aches and pains for it. I'm spinning on my big Grace wheel, with two treadles that work in sync ... which is supposed to mean the body balances as both legs work as one. So far so good ... although that hard Ashford spinning chair is a tad firm for hours of spinning.

This is my result for day four, mid-day on day four, I'm planning to finish this bobbin before the end of 'racing' today. I am so lucky to be on leave this week and the next and that means that I have time to spin during the day, sitting in the sun, the weak winter sun but the sun just the same. The cat, Yo-yo seems slightly perplexed(would that be purr-plexed?) that the whole family is home all day - every day right now, but seems to enjoy the variety of laps to settle into during the day - I had no idea she spent so much time sleeping in the sun.

Monday I spun a little silk merino .... I am finding it hard to have two things on two wheels that are being spun to different thickness singles. I find it easier to spin to the same consistency ... so this has ended up slightly thicker than I'd planned .. but that is how it goes with my spinning sometimes. I am loving the play with the pale orange, the yellow and the lime in this colourway ....refreshing and quite citrus.

And because there has to be knitting, there is progress on Nightingale, grand progress. Look! I'm past the heel, and working just above the ankle. I made a mistake and thought that there were 6 birds on each sock, when there are only four ... so I've now done nearly two of the four I need to work to complete this sock.

And here is the heel .... I did something odd as I worked it and had one stitch fewer on one side that I should .. but a little fudging and all seems well.

Ok .. I'm off to spin some more
na Stella

On tour!

Today marks the start of my first ever Tour de Fleece, for those of you who are not spinners .. this involves spinning along with the riders on the Tour de France. I've watched the tours (bike and spinning wheel) from the sidelines for many years, and a few years ago my uncle, then aged in his 70's, tripped to France and followed the tour by bicycle ... serious amateurs can ride the events the day after the competitors do which is what he did. I'm on leave from work, for two fantastic weeks, and the tour lasts for 3 weeks... so I have made plans accordingly. I've signed up on Ravelry to Team Aoteroa, and warned the family there will be spinning every day. For the next 3 weeks there will be as much spinning as knitting, probably more spinning, but there will be both. Today I have the start of my tour, sock progress and a whole new project begins.
so ......3, 2, 1 Go!

This is my tour shelf, the fibre I've set aside to spin. The largest bump is 500g of Texel (I forget from who, but I bought it at the Milton open day last year). Next to that is some Targhee dyed with Indigo from A verb for keeping warm, and under that and 80/20 merino silk blend from Craftykiwi in the last New Zealand fibre swap .. then along the end and probably way to optimistic to get to in this tour is 4 more fibre wheels, some merino and some perendale that I dyed earlier this year. I imagine I won't get to all of this, but I will spin the Texel at home on the Grace wheel, and the other bumps are for spinning out and about on Monday nights with the local spinning group on my little Gem.

Look! I've made a start already on the Texel, spun for a few hours already today. I'm hoping this will yield a sport weight 3 ply, and enough yardage for a cardigan/jacket for smallest bear. The blue is the same colour as both cubs eyes .. and the larger cub already scored a hand knit this year.

Last night was the elder cubs 11th birthday party, 8 of his best buddies came over and drank ginger bear, ate hot dogs with mustard and onions, and various other party food and watched Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back. We fosicked around on the web prior to the party and found a few star wars themed quiz questions. The boys were divided into two teams, one team had to nominate some one to be the buzzer, they had to yell 'Buzz', the other 'Bing' if they knew the answer. I had forgotten how intensely 11 year old boys can be when following instructions, we had repeated choruses of Buzz-Buzz-Buzz and Bing-Bing-Bing as they competed for the judges attention ... great fun. I realized I needed a party style knit to get me thru the noise/night rather even attempt Nightingale .. so cast on for a baby singlet in lace-weight. This is the larger version of a Margaret Stove design I knit earlier this year. Yup - that is a ladder down the side, the Addi lace-weights I'm using have a stiff cable and the lace-weight yarn seems to pull open when worked on this circ ... but I love the points of these laceweights, my others in this size are all blunt Addi's. Perhaps Knitpics/Knitpro do have a more flexible cable, or perhaps lace-weight is unstable and just does that when knit on one long circ. I'm trusting the ladder shifts and closes up when I wet block it.

Lastly spurred on by finishing the first Nightingale and some positive feedback on it .. I've made a good start on the second sock. There was a little 6 round frogging incident early in the piece as I belatedly realized the pattern provided left and right charts so the socks would be mirrors of each other, Doh! Now I've got that sorted I'm well on my way, one bird down of 6, 5 to go .... and right now I'm ready to start the gussets.

Take care ... if you are touring .. happy safe spinning, or cycling
if not cheer a little for all the riders and spinners ...
na Stella