Two-Handed Fair Isle

I was browsing Philosopher's Wool, and decided to watch the Two-Handed Fair Idle Technique clip (it is streaming, so if your modem is slow, it may take a while to download). I didn't realize how close I was to knitting efficiently. Of course, I strand with one hand, and use two fingers, because I always have trouble holding the left hand properly. The way she explains the technique is very clear and easy to follow along with. I am no longer afraid of knitting stranded with two hands, even if I will be crappy at it at first.

Bread and Progress

This has to be a short post, because I'm sleepy. First, I made bread today. It was the first time I've ever made bread, and it was a fun experience. I've made pie crust before (very involved kneading), and I've always wanted to make bread. The recipe I used was Honey Wheat, and it made two 9x5 loaves, which was nice, as my parents got one, and I took the other to a friend's house, where she almost didn't get any because her daughters liked it so much. Now for the critique: I thought it was a little dense and heavy, but no one else seemed to think so, and it's probably because it's so cold that the yeast didn't rise properly until I baked it. Meh. I'm so making this again as it's delicious with butter, and apparently good toasted and/or with jam. I conclude that it was a success, and that I will learn from my mistakes. Booyah!

The other thing I wanted to mention was my progress on my tapestry-like colorwork shrug. I'm not that fast a knitter, and I've been trying to work out the official pattern as I go, so I've gotten a few inches past the elbow. I'm enjoying this so much that I've pretty much abandoned my other knitting. Hopefully I won't get distracted before I finish this project. As it stands, I'm going to need more yarn to finish this. Good thing there's an exception for that in the Stash-a-thon, because I'd use up my one splurge on that, otherwise!

The last of the bread:

Wow. I couldn't have thought of something better myself!

I have just joined (or whatever) Knit From Your Stash 2007!

What a great idea. Plus, the rules are adjustable. However, as I read over the rules, I realized I don't need to modify them at all.

Knit From Your Stash 2007: Guidelines for L-B and Wendy
1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 -- a period of nine months.
2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:
2.a. Sock yarn does not count. What? You think we are made of stone?
2.b. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have
the yarn for, we may buy yarn to knit that gift.
2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to
complete the project.
2.d. We each get one "Get Out of Jail Free" card -- we are each allowed to fall off the wagon one time.
3. We are allowed to receive gifts of yarn.
4. Trading stash is allowed.
5. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt.

In response to each rule, I have found the following: first, nine months isn't quite as freaky as a whole year, for some reason, second (a), I don't need to buy sock yarn, because I have more than I know what to do with, but if I somehow make about a score of socks before the Stashathon is over, I'm covered, second (b), I probably won't need to make anyone gifts, but if I do, it's probably all in my stash anyway, so I'm good there too, second (c), I'm the most thankful for this, because I already know I'm going to need more yarn for the shrug, and I am absolutely determined to finish that ASAP, because it's so freaking cool, second (d), I may use this, but hopefully not until the summer (oh, Stitches West, I will resist you!), third, I am sure I will get some yarn as a gift at some point, fourth, I know almost no one well enough to have a stash-trading party or even a basic exchange, so this is moot (I wouldn't know what my fellow Chickies had in their stashes anyway), fifth and lastly, I'm glad to hear fiber of all kinds is exempt, but I will endeavor to be strong, and spin from my extensive stash.

Pigeon Roof Studio

Around the holidays, I ordered some yarn & fiber on Etsy (my first purchase there), and have only now gotten around to taking pictures of it. There is one thing missing, because I couldn't not spin some, but I haven't taken any pics because it's going to be a gift for my Spin to Knit SP pal.

So, I ordered all these goodies from one seller: Pigeon Roof Studio. She hand paints roving in one-shot batches of a few ounces, and she also handpaints yarn (and occasionally sells handspun). The prices are quite reasonable, and she has free shipping. She's located in Oakland, actually, so she's pretty close to me. Check her out; there's always something gorgeous.

Here are the things I bought (total cost: about $85):

Thing one (on the left): Purple with olive, brown, and white sock yarn (Schaefer Anne weight or a little heavier). You know, one thing I love about handmade socks is that they don't have to be subtle, or match your pants- pick electric pink and yellow; it's OK, thry're handmade. (In fact, I am wearing my own handmade socks which are red, purple and orange.) Handmade socks don't even have to be in colors you'd normally wear. I certainly wouldn't wear an entirely bright green outfit, but I have no qualms about green socks. I'm looking forward to knitting these up.

Thing two (on the right): 220 yards of "Celadon" (celery greens- both warm and cool shades) handspun in about the same weight as above, or a little lighter. So, not enough to make a pair of socks, but perhaps anklets or a lace shoulderette or something. There is something decadent about buying someone else's handspun because it's that perfect amount of unevenness that screams handspun, but you didn't spin it yourself, so it's almost like a gift.

Thing three: 4 oz. of pale blue-green with white, medium warm green, and touches of gold superwash. I have no idea what I'll make of this, as usual with fiber. But it's really, really pretty, and I wonder how I'll get the gold to stay it little splotches, and not blend too much (although that would look good, too). And on the other side, I do want the greens to blend into subtlety. It makes me think about that whole "boyfriend's sweater curse" and how you shouldn't give a knit item to someone who has no appreciation for the effort put into it. There should be a rule about spinning, too. Don't give handspun to someone who won't understand what you went through to make it just so.

Thing five: 3 oz. of roving in reds with some pink and brown. It's surprisingly mellow, probably because there aren't very many colors, so this yarn will end up having subtle color shifts in a way that would probably please Eunny.

Thing four: 3 oz. of roving in Autumnal colors (mainly red, with yellow, orange, brown and olive). The fiber content is that of Lamb's Pride: 85% wool, 15% mohair. This is the only roving that might have color-blend issues. I don't want it to become too muddy, and the olive and brown could really drag down the vibrancy of the colors if I do it wrong. (Sorry for the flash shot, but the daylight one was ultra blurry, and the colors are darn close here anyway. I've got to learn more about my camera.)

I leave you with a slightly blurry, but still gorgeous closeup of the superwash.

New project in progress

On Monday, as I was travelling to my knitting group, I decided to take a break from knitting some crazy socks (1x1 cables on size 0s are not condusive to relaxed hands) (pics to come when I've got a little more done), and stepped into Noe Knit to pick up some yarn and needles for a hand-friendly project. I bought some Cascade 220 (a yarn I was reticent to try, but it's turned out to be one of my favorite yarns) in dark plum, beige, gold, and mauve. Naturally, I was intending to make some sort of Fair Isle hat.

As it turns out, the size 7 circulars were too long, so I cast on way more than was necessary for a hat (I'll just felt it, right?), and was winging a design. In which I offset an entire row by one stitch. No problem, I'll just design past it, right? So I get home, do a little Internet browsing, see the whole "multiyarn shrug" thing, which made me browse the free shrug patterns, where I found a simple pattern that I decided to modify to suit my current purposes: Fair Isle.

So, I ripped the work I'd done at knitting (no problem for me- I've had to rip Fair Isle before, and Cascade 220 is very forgiving), and started a new project. Behold: a tapestry-like Fair Isle shrug. (OK, it's the sleeve, which I've worked on since I took the picture earlier today.)

In the first pic (sorry for the headache-inducing angle), you can see how the design is turning out- the cream is more prominent than the purple, but the purple is going to be all the edging. Also, this pattern is great because it's not directional, so I don't have to make two sleeves and graft them together to keep the visual flow. In the second picture, you can see how it sits on my arm. The wrist is pretty tight, but not so tight I needed to rip it. One interesting thing about having a totally basic pattern and running with it is figuring out what kind of increases and where. So far, it looks OK, but I'm not looking forward to the decreases- I'll have to learn, finally, which ones do what, and in what direction.

I am so freaking behind!

...and to prove it to you: A mohair shawl I finished in the summer that you didn't even know I was working on until I put it in the FO sidebar (which is, of course, not up to date). Pattern and yarn from Royale Hare. I ordered this yarn specially (for color continuity, you know) before I even knew what a yarn over was, let alone how to read a pattern. And it's a simple pattern. I really like this shawl, even though a) my mother questions my color choice every time she sees it, b) I don't really do orange, c) it's sort of longer than it needs to be.
BONUS: the crown I'm wearing was a GS Women's Weekend craft. I based it on this designer's work.

Mmm... more SOAR haul:

Ah! Another drop spindle added to my small group. It's an ultralight, and I find that I've only been spinning on this lately, and I've been making 2-ply sock yarn (possibly Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock weight). Seriously in love. This spindle gets banged up pretty easily, though. (Note to self: try not to drop things so often.) I don't know what it's made of (and I've of course forgotten who I bought it from), but it's lovely and dark and the shaft has these little rings that add a nice touch and that I use to regulate my singles placement. The fiber on there was a 0.5 oz. sample of superwash merino from Royale Hare (man, the goodie bag at that thing was big); it's a true violet- I think it looks purple, but there was no way I was getting my camera to show anything but blue. I don't know why people get so freaked out about spinning superwash; I haven't had any bad experiences.

Those two 2 oz. Merino/silk rovings are from Carolina Homespun. I know CH is in my city, and Morgaine has always got this kind of thing to buy, but how could I possibly resist those colors? Seriously? Reds and yellows that a poetic person might call Sunset, or possibly Magma, and greens with yellow and blue touches that could be called anything from Jungle to Margarita or some such. I haven't started spinning this yet, and I'm eager to do so when my wheel stops being fussy and slow. In fact, not only did I just recently buy more merino/silk handpainted from Morgaine, but I still haven't finished the first 2 oz. hank I'd bought from her months ago; I spun about half of it on the wheel, then Andean plyed it on a plying spindle (because I was way too impatient to fill another bobbin).

Lastly, the last of the yarn I bought at SOAR, destined for greatness as a Fair Isle hat (and probably mittens and/or scarf, seeing as there's a ton of yardage). The big skein is 100% Polwarth in a not-quite-chocolate brown, which I would love to work with even without the smaller skeins, which are a very tightly spun Polwarth-silk, and handdyed (pink, purples and peach, all very mellow- not overwhelming at all). Speaking of handdyed, as I wound the yarn into cakes, I discovered that while they're from the same dyelot (as far as I know), the colors are pretty different. As I expected color changes in any Fair Isle I did, this isn't an issue, but it was pretty wierd to see.

I did buy other things as SOAR: silk caps in purples and also in greens from the same people I got my buttons from, a kumihimo kit (and a ton of cotton thread for that purpose) that I worked on while listening to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, some small bits of fiber (baby camel/silk, peacock sparkle), alpaca/silk roving, 4 oz. of BFL roving from our Socks that Rock buddies in Rooster Rock, and tiny stick shuttles for cardweaving (which I forgot to take to the class, and the thin air at Granlibakken was a major factor in whether or not I was willing to walk down to our townhouse to get something that small).

Cool new idea!

I was just browsing the "Recent Keyword Activity" on my blog tracker and noticed someone had searched for "unique multiyarn shrug." What a freaking cool idea! I already have tons of novelty yarn in single-ball increments, and I make multiyarn scarves. The next step in my evolution as a knitter: multiyarn shrugs. We'll see how it works out.

Maybe I'll use this pattern, or this or this with short sleeves or this. Man, I love shrugs.

Here's a couple of pics from my SOAR haul.

This here is some natural chocolate alpaca destined to be a 1/2 sleeve, fitted, possibly cropped, shawl-collared cardigan. This stuff is seriously soft. I went on a total rampage. I told myself, "This is a spinning event. No yarn." In the end, I probably bought as much yarn as fiber.

...and here are the buttons that will grace my chocolate alpaca cardi. The Perfect Buttons booth didn't have very many brown buttons, but I did find some. Brown dichroic glass with green iridescence- yummy! They sort of look like animal eyes, but not in a creepy way. I hope the buttons are an OK size, because they seem a little small for the project.

*Drool drool drool* This unremarkable natural grey yarn is polwarth wool and silk. It is destined not only for greatness, as it is one of the most luscious yarns I've ever handled, but also some sort of cabled scarf, which I may or may not be able to give to my dad (it's so delicious, I don't know if he'll be able to appreciate it fully). Polwarth, by the way, is a very soft wool (yes, like Merino), and not a very common breed, so it was a treat to buy some.

Bleargh!

My first reason for posting is to assure my upstream Handspun SP that I do exist. Hey there person I don't know!

Second is to present some pictures, because I so owe you.

The first is the group of women I hung out with at SOAR (Tahoe City, CA). I'm in the back, second from the left (yeah. Not very clear, I know); the woman on the left in front is Nancy Alegria, who is not only the president of my spinning guild, and in my weaving class, she's also a Girl Scout troop leader in SF, and her daughter goes to the Summer camp I work at. It's seriously bizarre how often we run into each other. She's like me, but way better, and with more experience.
The second picture is my nervous fandom making itself known. That, my friends is Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the SOAR guest speaker (squee!). I know, I know- it's not like she's Brad Pitt or Paris Hilton, who have paparazzi following them everywhere, and rabid fans asking for their signatures, but I was close enough to touch her hair. No, I restrained myself (I was too reticent to say hello or anything, cuz I didn't want to be scary and she seemed so calm and normal). That white blur on the right is my SOAR roomie Heidi spinning. I was afraid it'd be wierd between us, as I've had bad roommate experiences, but she's really nice (and she has a Majacraft Rose- *drool*). Too bad she lives in Reno.

SOAR was great otherwise. Took some fun classes: Felt Soap, Synthetic Dyeing with Deb Menz (oh man, that was awesome), New Wave Fibers (I officially hate Ingeo), and Card Weaving.

More pictures and recountings to come soon. I'm off to knitting!

A swap I think we all should join

I, as usual, have been browsing Swap-Bot which, while it does leave some things to be desired, has quite a few neat swaps. A lot of the swaps are Artist Trading Card (ATC) swaps, which I tried, and didn't really like, although I had fun making "stained glass" ATCs on cellophane.

I'd like to give a little shout-out to some recent upstream pals: Morgsarah, thankyouthankyouthankyou for all the fab spinning things, Ms. Pryor, I love those handwarmers (and your calligraphy) (and that stamp).

The swap I'm talking about now is a knitting kit swap. I really like the idea of this, because it's very personalized, and you could come up with pretty much anything (including using your own patterns or handspun yarn).

There's still a lot of time to sign up (hint hint), and the swaps are sent out in late November (just in time to maybe make a pair of socks or mittens.

General Update (no pics today, sorry)

First, I'd like to thank my One Skein Angel for the great yarn she's sent me. It's a wool 2-ply (one white, one blue-purple-green), and there's a lot of it. I think it's destined to be some kind of babywear (man, someone I know has got to have a baby; I need to make things!). It's very plush and squishy. Before this yarn, I'd seen people describe yarn as "squishy," but I never knew what they meant. I do now.

Other than that, I've been working on some of my various WIPs. I finished a sock in Trekking XXL from my MellowSP2 pal (unfortunately, I think the sock may be too small for me- I'll have to try it on); one down, one to go. I've continued tackling Hedera. Which reminds me- the heel flap seems really long, even compared to the pictures, but I'm following the instructions word-for-word. Has anyone dealt with this issue? Small progress on Yorick, and my Funky Scarf Swap scarf. No progress lately on my bobbin-knit felted bowl.

I also need to make a pair of handwarmers for my Warm Hands, Warm Hearts swap. It'll probably be a pair of Fetching, because I really like the pattern. I think my partner is partial to blue- especially blue-grey. I wish Swap-Bot had a questionnaire ability, because wearables are so personal, especially color choice.

Speaking of Fetching, the daughter of a friend of mine asked me to teach her how to make them. She asked me in July, when I'd made a pair for her mom's birthday*. She reminded me recently, and I asked her a couple of questions about knitting, only to discover that while she knows how to cast on, knit and bind off, she doesn't know how to purl. I leant her my Stitch 'n' Bitch so she could read up. I called her mom today for a progress report, and we now have an arrangement: because her daughter was having a tough time deciphering the instructions**, we'll get together this Saturday, go on over to one of our LYSes, select yarn, needles, and practice yarn (probably from my mom's acrylic stash), have a nice sit-down with a step-by-step walkthrough of both Fetching and the purl stitch. I guess I'll find out if I'm any good at teaching knitting.


* You can't understand how cold your hands can get while selling Girl Scout cookies until you've stood outside for nine hours in March in San Francisco, possibly while it's raining, and definitely when it's windy. This experience explains a gift of handwarmers in July.
** I'd just like to say that her daughter is very bright, and I was surprised she didn't glean useful info from the book that taught me to knit. Then I remembered how I could never understand weaving directions until I finally took a class. Sometimes, you just need that hands-on, one-on-one learning.

Spinning SP haul

Ok, so when I signed up for the Spinning SP on knitty, I was quite eager, because I love spinning. I was not disappointed.

My SP (who has yet to be uncovered, because I'm supposed to figure out who she is), has been the best SP I've had to date.

Take a look:

In her first package, she sent a bunch of tastes of fiber (including superwash merino, kid mohair locks, corriedale) that I know will be fun to spin up.













Here you can see a sweet-smelling WPI guage (I've needed one!) and a sock pattern to be made from this...

















Totally Tubular from Crosspatch Creations and Three Bags Full! The colors are reds and blacks. I've eyed these spinning kits at Carolina Homespun before, but never got one because I just could not justify it, because I didn't know what to make. These tubes are totally packed full- when I first opened it, the wool practically leapt at me. Also, it's pretty amazing to see how much fiber goes into yarn, and then a knitted project. I mean, this tube is 14" and I can make a pair of socks (which are going to be utterly delicious, by the way).












Then I got her second package, and opened it to find an adorable sheepie that is a tape measure in disguise (I've wanted one of these since I knew they existed). And in the best SP traditions, she wrapped the gifties in purple tissue paper.













And under the purple tissue paper was this: Berry-colored yak/microfiber roving. Amazingly soft, and just begging to be made into a baby sweater* (which I won't do, because I neither have or know any babies).












*I know, most people think babies should be dressed in pastels and fluffy cartoon animals, but I'm determined to dress my child in a) colors that look good on him/her and b) colors I don't find too repulsive. So, jewel tones it is! (I'm assuming my future child will look good in some richer colors, of course.)

And a gorgeous merino/viscose roving in Fireweed, which my computer refuses to upload. Seriously, fireweed is one of my favorite flowers, and it's abundant in Alaska especially, though it grows all over the northern hemisphere.

Yarn Porn & status update

Ok, so while I haven't been posting, I have been knitting (I swear).

I'm almost done with knitting Yorick, and then I'll felt him.

No progress on my Trekking XXL socks, although I did start a pair of Hedera in Mountain Colors Bearfoot (squee!) in Wilderness that I got from my MellowSP2 upstream SP.

Also, I've been messing around with Fair Isle, and have knit two small childs' hats (not because I'm giving them to kids, it's because that's the size they turned out to be after the double thickness knit exerted itself), and am working on a third. The hats will have a post all to themselves at some point.

I recently bought one of those plastic mushroom things that everyone but me had in their childhood. You know what I'm talking about- what my mother fondly remembers as a wooden spool with four nails in the top- that's right, the thing that makes knit cord, and is a lot less tedious than I-cord, but does require another peice of (inexpensive) equipment. Anyway, I'm using some wool singles in autumn colors that I bought from eBay a year or so ago (thinking it would be soft, I bought lots of different colors of 3-ply. Oy.), and as I knit the cord, I sew the cord in a coil, because I'm making a felted bowl. Yeah, jumpin' on the felted bandwagon and all that. It's a lot of fun, though. And easy.

Here, because I have no pictures of WIPs, is some yarn porn. I recently bought some potluck Spunky Eclectic yarn, and the colors are delicious:

Handspun, and my first guild meeting

On Sunday, I attended a Spindles and Flyers guild meeting. The September meeting is the show and tell and sell stuff you no longer want meeting, because in July and August, they don't meet.

There were about thirty people there (3 guys, which I think is pretty impressive), and while it was neat to chat and see how/what others are spinning, the show and tell was a bit lengthy- not everyone is a concise speaker (I know I'm not, but I tend to be verbose instead of incoherent).

The meeting really made me think about how much I'm enjoying my weaving class (and how, if I ever want to own a loom, I'll have to get my own place).

I bought some stuff (of course), but it was all pretty cheap. I got two Leclerc boat shuttles, pretty much because Nancy Alegria (who is in my weaving class, and whose daughter Olivia goes to the Girl Scout camp I work at) told me to, because they were a good price ($10 each). I also bought a bit of hand-dyed wool, and quite a bit of silk, in caps and roving. Also, a baggie of roving that I thought was silk, because of the feel and luster, but when I compare it to some of the other stuff that definitely is silk, I'm not so sure.

Anyway, I'm happy to have picked up some super-cheap silk, and it's totally gotten me in the mood for spinning. (Oh, and I joined the guild. Hee.)

In honor of my first-ever guild meeting, I give you some handspun porn:

Silk and baby camel sample (1 oz.) spun 2-ply into something like fingering-sock weight. (Top: in one of my dad's silver Navy gravy boats. Bottom: detail)














Wensleydale from Winderwood farm, chain-plied, worsted weight, I think.. It's over spun, so I'm letting it rest before I decide what to make with it.

Woot- Go me!

Pure Nerd 60 % Nerd, 47% Geek, 30% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd. The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations! My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 56% on nerdiness You scored higher than 75% on geekosity You scored higher than 45% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Funky Scarf Swap Questionnaire

Yes, indeed, another swap. There's a link in my sidebar.

Here's to you, mystery scarf maker!

Are you allergic to any fibers? No.
Do you prefer any fibers over others? Not really. Go easy on the novelty yarns.
Thinking back to Scout’s post about what funky means to you, post an image of something that you think is funky! First thing that came to mind: a pimpmobile, an example of which you can see below. This yarn is also very funky, but in a totally different way. It's from Luxe, but I just picked it to give you an idea of funky.

Would you prefer funky yarn or a funky pattern? Funky pattern, unless it's made of a handspun yarn- that's my kind of funky!
What are your favorite colors? I guess I really like greens and reds (but not together)
What is your favorite piece of art? I don't have one in particular, but I'm a fan of everything Art Nouveau.
What colors would you never have up close to your pretty face? Orange, pastels, cool blues (teals are OK), bright pink.
Would you prefer an actual scarf or a cowl? I'm glad to get either.
When you wear a scarf do you prefer a wider/shorter scarf or a thin/long scarf? I tend to wear pasmina-type things, but I make long, skinny scarves.
What is the climate like where you live? It's temperate, but it can be foggy and windy.
Would you prefer a functional scarf (to keep you warm) or one just to funk-up your wardrobe? Whichever.
What else would you like your partner to know about you? I'm a spinner.

Goin' On Vacation!

As I sit here, considering my words carefully, I reflect back on the fact that I was so worried my upstream Mellow SP wouldn't know I'd gotten my package before I got back from vacation (next Monday) that I was- am- willing to put off much-needed sleep in favor of writing a blog post.

Yes, Jocele, I have gotten your July package. THANKS!! [For those of you who somehow manage to mail your gifties on time, I'll have you know that Jocele and my other SP and I all adhere to "fashionably late."] I have received the following (pictures coming soon- when I get back from vacation): an adorable puppy card, which I thought was nice, seeing as I don't have any dogs; a book (mmm... reading), called Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales, an amalgam of vignettes and essays and short stories and anecdotes by various famous craft people; and three skeins of yarn- Fiesta Kokopelli in Choke Cherry (a very nice, deep red), two skeins of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in what I'm guessing (the yarn is not right in front of me) is Oatmeal and Wild Oak, a couple of neutral, very complimentary colors. Thanks again, SP!

I'm going to mail my downstreams' August packages when I get back, for two reasons. One, my One Skein SP's knit gift was being worked on the other night, and was nearly completed, when I discovered that I'd added a stitch halfway down the piece, and couldn't manage to get the needle in right for a lifeline when ripping. I had to rip the whole thing and start over. Yeah. Two, USPS has an online address book feature, which is where I've stored my SP addys. The link to "Print a Shipping Label" was broken. Broken- you know, that 404 error page. I thought that was interesting, seeing as so many people use the tool on a regular basis (oh the Postal Service). I ever-so-calmly took this as a sign from the SP gods that I shouldn't mail my gifties until after I return from my trip.

Where am I going for vacation, you ask. Why, I am going to one of my favorite places- Ashland, Oregon, to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. My parents and I are driving up (an 8-hour drive), and we're going to see some plays on Wed-Thurs-Fri before moving on to Bremerton, Washington, where my dad is going to volunteer on a historical ship for the weekend. My mom and I will just schmooze around Bremerton/Tacoma during that period, maybe check out the glass museum, because our thing on this trip is Ashland. We're going to see A Winter's Tale, King John* and Cyrano de Bergerac (which is admittedly not Shakespeare, but the OSF is hardly limited to the Bard, and it's my mom's pick). I'm very excited to be going, not least because there's a great yarn store there. (I recommend Ashland to everyone. Seriously. If you're looking for a bohemian, intellectual, crafty place to go for vacation, consider Ashland. Half my best friend's family lives there. And the huge, fabulous park was designed by the same guy as designed Golden Gate Park.)

Next post will cover something along the lines of:
-new projects being started/WIP (colorwork- cascade 220; kureyon trinity pillow; persimmon lace; maybe a fab aran pattern; maybe entrlac w/sp gift)
-How fabulous Ashland was
-SP yarn porn.


*King John is one of the Histories, and it's not produced very often (think Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, or Antony and Cleopatra). This will be my second time seeing it. We saw it in Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace) when we went to England, which was weird enough. A year or so ago, we went to a performance of the Abridged Shakespeare Company, and the way they introduced the third actor (who was sitting in the audience) was by asking who had seen King John. Besides the player, we three were the only ones who'd seen it- in an audience of 100-200.

And Another One

I have just joined the Spinning SP on the Knittyboards. I know, I know. I'm probably biting off more than I can chew, but it's only one month, and I love spinning soooo much!

Here's my questionnaire (it's similar to the Mellow SP I participated in):

Preferences:

1. How long have you been spinning? About 2 years

2. What types of fiber have you spun? What have you spun that *isn't* "fiber"? I've spun soy silk, alpaca, and wool. I have many other fibers (like yak, cotton, silk, cashmere, camel) that are waiting to be spun. I don't think I've spun anything that isn't a fiber, but I have plied with binding thread, and I have plans to incorporate sequin strands into my yarn.

3. What are your favorite colors? I'm a jewel-tone and brights sort of person, but I am most attracted to things that are variegated (subtly or wildly). I really like greens and reds, though.

4. Are there any colors you absolutely do NOT like? If so which? Neons, and generally I dislike pinks and blue, but I'm not that much against them if they're not alone.

5. What are your favorite fibers? Wool. Um... yeah. Wool.

6. Do you have any unwelcome fibers (stuff you just don't need more of or like?) I'm not really interested in plant fibers (even though the soy silk was cool).

7. What is your Dream Fiber? Some fabulously-colored roving or other that is soft, has sparkly things, and the colors won't look muddy after they're spun.

8. Have you ever started with raw wool - and gone from raw to spun? Would you want to? Hahahah! Oh yeah, I've started with raw wool- major mistake! I don't like washing and carding, I've learned.

9. Do you own a drop spindle(s)? Wheel? What type/how many? I own 3 top-whorl spindles (one's a Bosworth <3), one of which is supported, I have a tahkli (the dinky brass-whorl kind). I also have an Ashford Traveller that, despite what my LFS says, is a great wheel.

10. Have you ever painted roving? Yes, with KoolAid. I have the materials for more advanced dying, but I'm not "more advanced" yet. I like dying.

11.What is the next thing you want to learn (techniques etc)? Spinning cotton (got the fiber, just waiting for the inspiration), silk, and making ultra-funky yarns.

12. Do you card (or comb) your own or purchase rovings or top ready to spin? I mostly buy roving, but I do have some locks I hand-draft, and I also have a small amount of shearling cria (that I love) that I do hand card, because I'm crazy.

13. Do you own hand carders, a drum carder, combs, etc.? I have a pair of handcards, but that's it.

Wants and Nots:

19. Allergies:
a. Do you have any food, fiber, smoke, pet allergies your SP should be aware of? No.
b. Do you smoke, have pets, or process peanuts where you store your yarn? If so, please declare them here: We have cats, none of us smoke, and I have no idea about the peanuts (I sort of doubt it, because we rarely eat them, but we have peanut butter in the house).

20. Do you have an Amazon.com or knitpicks.com wishlist you'd like to share with your SP (please add URL if applicable)? My knitpicks.com wishlist refuses to show itself, and my amazon.com wishlist is here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/2OM6BXYLY5VZV/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go/002-8208100-7895205?ie=UTF8

21. Anything you’ve been longing for or would really love to get (spinning related or not)?: Something handpainted. Like roving, or a drop sindle. Heh.

22. What about stuff you don't need at all? I don't think there's anything I'd say no to, except flax or hemp.

23. Do you have hobbies other than spinning (knitting, other crafts, tv, sports, collectibles, fave things)? knitting, crochet, general crafting, and I play on the computer a lot (heh).

24. Books you would like (spinning or not): I would really like "Spinning Revolution"

25. Magazines you would like (spinning or not): Old issues of Spin Off (like before 2002).

26. For those of you who live outside the US, is there anything you'd like that you can't get your hands on? n/a

27. In the event your SP lives outside the the US, is anything you'd like that you can't find in the US? nope.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things:

28. Who/What is your favorite...
a. Chocolate: Valrhona
b. Muppet: Beeker & Bunsen
c. Cartoon Character: Malificent from "Sleeping Beauty"
d. Flower: Little tiny ones that grow wild in damp, shady places
e. Ice Cream flavor: OMG... I like so many... but I think I'll choose Vermony Python (Ben & Jerry's).
f. Fragrance: Honey, or other food flavors. Tea.
g. Shoes to wear: Cute flats that make my feet look French.
h. Type of garden: The kind that is very carefully tended to look wild. (Like English or Japanese gardens.)
i. Animal: Horse, I guess. Cats.
j. Beverage: Cream Soda. There's a green tea drink from China I like, too.
k. Author: Terry Pratchett all the way!!
l. Musician: Um... I do like a lot. Tchaikovsky, Mediaeval Baebes, and many others.
m. Holiday: Haloween
n. Time of Day: Any time I don't have to do anything strenuous.
o. Bath or Shower: Shower.

I Want to Get To Know You Better:

29. How did you learn to spin? I took an hour-long class at a Girl Scout event. A few months later, I bought a wheel. So, I was tought the basics, but have learned most other things by myself.

30. What is the most exciting this that happened to you this month, year? Exciting? We're about to go on a trip to Ashland, Oregon (one of my favorite places, and home to the Ashland Shakespeare Fesitval!).

31. What is your favorite thing to do to waste time? Heh- spin. Or read. Or play on the computer.

32. The things that make me the happiest: This is a very open-ended question. I love finishing a skein and showing it off. I love when people talk to me when I'm KIP/SIP/CIP. I love getting stuff in the mail (seriously- it makes me happy). I love having big family dinners during the holidays.

33. If you were candy would you be sweet, sour, or cinnamon? I think I'd be like tablet (a Scottish confection) that's so sweet and rich you can barely stand it, but you want more. Also, it has few ingredients, which I think is cool.

34. If you were a fruit which would you be? A durian? Hah, no. An interesting variety of apple or maybe blackberries.

35. Are you a Java Junkie? Nope. I've pretty much turned myself into chai-only.

36. Your birthday, in case it falls during the swap and your SP wants to send you a card: It doesn't, but it's January 26, 1986.

37. Do you have a personal mantra? Credendo Vides. It means, "Believing is seeing."

38. How do you feel about holidays? I love them. Food holidays, and present holidays are especially good.

39. How do you really feel about socks? I love socks. I even like making them.

40. What is your shoe size? 9

41. How do you feel about ponchos? No way. Fat girls should not wear things that make them look like mountains.

42. What kind of music (and/or which artists) do you listen to when you are happy? I listen to rock, classical, and wierd (medieval, new age, celtic, goth).

43. Rate yourself on a girly/fruh fruh factor from 1 - 10: 6

44. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I live with my parents (man, that sounds dorkier than it is), and we have 2 cats.

45. What are a few of your life dreams? I want to have my own business, probably in the fiber arts.

46. What languages do you speak (besides English)? French, fluently. Chinese and Spanish, tourist-level.

47. If you could live anywhere, where would that be? In a defensible castle (cuz it's cool) with electricity and plumbing (because I'm not a masochist). I don't really care where that'd be.

48. If you could do anything for a living what would it be? See question 45.

49. If you could have any "super power" which would it be? The power to control the weather. Hey, no one said it had to be practical.

50. You're given $10,000 for traveling. Where do you go and why? Antarctica, I guess, because there'll be few enough opportunities to go, and I'll be able to say I've been. Or I'd go to India, because I've always wanted to.

KNITTER'S GEEK CODE

-----BEGIN KNITTER'S GEEK CODE BLOCK-----

Version: 1.1

KER++ Exp+ SPM Bam++@ Nov(-) Wool++ Lux+ Cot- Stash++(+++) Scale+ Fin Ent? FI?>+ Tex+ Lace++ Felt Flat(+) Circ(+) DPN+ ML? Swatch- GaugeF@ KIP++ Blog+ SNB WIP+ FO+ ALTCr+Sp+++Wv>+

------END KNITTER'S GEEK CODE BLOCK------

Thanks to The Purloined Letter, who brought it to my attention. Or rather, she posted about it in her blog.

Lambtown!

This is the first time I've been to Dixon (it's in the same general region as Esparto. Heh). I went with my parents, even though it was originally going to be a mom-daughter thing. We were going to take a class, but there was only one that interested me, and it was going to be 6 hours, which left no time to browse the vendors or enjoy the sheep-to-shawl.

We spent pretty much the entire time listening to the fleece judging. It was very educational, and the judge was concise and funny. We heard some nice anecdotes about Black Sheep Gathering, which sounds like it's ginormous.

I got some lincoln locks in blue-greens. I'm not a locks sort of person, but I've made a little skein on the Bosworth drop spindle* I got (mmm... Bosworth...) already, and it's very tweedy.

I also met the president of Spindles & Flyers who I've met before- her daughter goes to the Girl Scout camp I work at! I've only seen her twice, on the campfire night- the one night we all sleep at camp, where we cook dinner and have a compfire that the parents are invited to. In fact, last year, I selected her in the parent participation song ("An Austrian Went Yodeling")- she played the avalanche. This year I picked a mother from her same troop to play the cuckoo. Both years, she's worn this cute knit hat; I always assumed she'd bought it (cuz that's what sane people do), but when she saw me at Dixon, I realized she'd knit it herself.

She was one of several moms at Lambtown supporting the all-children sheep-to-shawl team. Like most things that are relaxed enough to allow children, their team won. That's not a bad thing, either. This will encourage the kids to continue spinning. In fact, there was a mom there who was joking that her son had a better wheel than she did (an Ashford Joy- better than my Ashford Traveller, certainly!).

Yes, it was fun, even with the various medical incidents (around lunch the women's bathroom of the fiber building was closed off because someone had collapsed or fallen or something- the cops were there. Later, as we were leaving- 4:30-ish- an ambulance had just arrived to take care of a little boy who had been hit by a falling branch. A branch. From a tree. How often does it happen that a branch falls off, and how often of those times does it hit someone? Wow).

*It's perfect for me. It's a fast and long spinner. 1.39 oz. It's made of bloodwood, which I've never heard of, but I think it's appropriate, considering my occasional morbidity. Heh.

WWKIP Day

I was just glancing over my previous posts and noticed that I enthused about WWKIP Day for months, and then never told you anything about it. (I am an idiot.)

It was great. My mother and I got there a bit early to stake out a spot, and started knitting immediately (in her case, crocheting). Kathy of Chicks with Sticks SF arrived not long after, and we accumulated some more people.

We also acquired a homeless guy who sort of mumbled to himself, fondled my knee (I am never wearing a skirt to WWKIP Day again), and smoked a joint. Kathy asked him to move off to smoke, because she's allergic (I don't know if that's true, but who cares?). After about a half-hour of him sitting with us, a security guard (Union Square has security guards, naturally, because all those fancy stores want tourists to be as comfortable as possible) asked him to go away. Kathy and I chuckled uncomfortably that we'd each been trying to think of a way to politely get him to leave.

Other than that, it was great! We knit for a couple of hours. I think the most people we had at once was about 17. Not as many as I'd have liked, but better than nothing. I know of at least two people who came in from the East Bay, which is funny because I'm sure those places were having get-togethers, too.

That reminds me: the day before, I checked on the website to see what other kind of places were participating. There were many countries represented, with the US being #1. I was looking over the state participation, and discovered that most states had one or two gatherings, and Florida had the second-highest amount with 8. Who's #1? You got it... California with 15, most of them in the Bay Area (I flatter myself I had something to do with that- I posted enthusiastically on Bay Area Knitters months in advance). Eee! Imagine the turnout for next year!

I think there were 3 guys actually knitting (that doesn't include the various SOs that stopped by). One of whom, when I was recounting my Spartacus story, knew of Esparto (first person ever!). He then realized that the reason he had heard of Esparto was because he'd read my blog. (Dude, if you're reading this, you know who you are!) He was knitting with a reclaimed cashmere yarn double-stranded and was using, oh, size 0. Gah! A bunch of people (including me) asked what he was making, but he was just swatching. But I foresee a baby jacket or a lacy wrap in his future.

Another guy was knitting a pouch. When I asked what kind of pouch out of Noro Kureyon, he thought I was making a double entendre, which I wasn't (for once). His project recalled to me my eternal search for a good one-skein Kureyon project (I started my search for a cute felted bag, but I'm now thinking maybe felted sachet pillows or something).

Since all the knitters were from SF, or at least knew of the stores in the city, my 100 copies of the local LYSes went utterly unused. Even during the event, I realized I should be handing the sheets out to tourists who were taking our pictures, but I know how much I dislike having handouts forced on me by strangers on the street (and knowing SF, it's probably illegal to do so in Union Square, anyway- those tourists should not be faced with any discomfort). Oh well. At least paper is recyclable.

A good time had by all, I think.