Never Say Never

I love to knit, and said I'd never dye my own yarn or write patterns (bunch of hippies!).  Now that I've written a few patterns and regularly dye and sell hand-painted yarn, I hold firm that I will NEVER, NEVER be a spinner (little old ladies!). 

And then I was a vendor at Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene Oregon, and sat across the aisle from a spinning wheel and really nice gal who is definitely not old- Patti from Sweet Grass Wool .  Really, there was just nowhere else to look, so I watched her spin, and bugged her to death with all of my questions (for informational purposes only of course).  By the end of the weekend I had convinced myself that 'as a souvenier' I'd buy a drop spindle - "just for fun."

Enter the Jenkins Turkish Drop Spindle - and the extremely friendly proprietors from Jenkins Woodworking.  In ten minutes I'd had a lesson and purchased a spindle.

The folks at Jenkins Woodworking also had an inexpensive booklet and DVD that tell everything you need to know to get started (not that I was going to spin or anything) - and it really did.  The first 30 minutes was like trying to run backward, rub my head and pat my tummy at the same time while saying the alphabet in German (I don't speak German).  But by the end of about 60 minutes I was spinning away, and by the end of the first 2 ounces I had a good handle on spinning evenly (sort of).  Within 48 hours of returning home I had spun 4 ounces, plied it, set the ply, and skeined up my first homespun yarn (a bit more purple IRL) from some BFL top I obtained from my booth-mate, Sharon Spence.  The colorway is Bollywood, and it's really - bright.  I'm hoping there's enough to make some fun mittens for this winter.

In honor of my new acquisition and because Patti is just so darned nice, I also bought from Sweet Grass Wool some really yummy 80/20 merino/cashmere handdyed fiber in a peridot colorway. 

I really want to spin this into a 2-ply lace weight, and was concerned that I couldn't spin that fine a thread (on purpose), but it's going pretty well!

I also met Cathy from Beacon Bend Alpacas, who was right across the aisle from me.  She had the most interesting fiber - and I finally got up enough nerve to go ask her what the heck that stuff was.  It looked like this:  It's alpaca with silk (the white blobs) roughly combed through it that spins up into the softest, most interesting yarn.  Cathy and her husband raise alpaca, and angora bunnies.  Loved those guys! 

All in all, it was a very successful weekend on several fronts.  I sold lots of yarn, met some hilarious, wonderful shoppers, made some fiber friends (not cyber, - f-i-b-e-r), learned how to spin, and found another way to multi task when reading and watching TV at the same time are not enough. 

Thanks Patti (who is not a little old lady or a hippie).

Ritz Lace

I'm such a sucker for really high end yarn - what can I say?  My mother raised me well.

I've been on a search for the 'perfect lace yarn' for some time now, and my supplier has answered the call and really outdone herself!  Introducing: Ritz Lace!  This yummy, soft, shiny fiber is 80% alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere - the drape of beautiful and the yarn reflects light.  As with all fiber with silk content, it takes the dye beautifully - and even the most subtle colors are nice and saturated.  The skeins are nice and generous: 100 grams and 1300 yards!

Here's a sneak peek at a few colors that just loaded to the shop. 

Sterling - it's as shiny as the real thing - a very cool gray that halos blues and pinks.  This was an experimental dye lot - I'm not sure I can even recreate it!

Tulip - rose, green, blue, and gold - all in Spring tones.

Mink - taupey browns with a bit of gold and  bronze highlighted passages.

Regina Mittens - Bobbles and Bobbles of Fun!

I started my 2nd 'ravolympic' project a few days ago.  I wanted to knit up some of my Lamb Silk in a purpley-orchid color.  I was looking for mittens or gloves, and came across Regina Mittens.  The original pattern is for fingerless mitts, but I will be finishing off the thumb and working a full mitten top. 

This yarn knits so nicely - 50% extra soft merino and 50% super shiny silk - warm and soft all at the same time.  The interesting thing about this pattern is the bobbles.  I've done other lace projects that have 'knupps' - which are bobble-ish, and look pretty nifty when done, but they are difficult to work, at least in lace weight.  This bobble, on the other hand, is very round and easy to do.  You knit 5 stitches into 1, turn, purl all 5, turn, slip the first 4 over the last stitch, and then knit off the last stitch and continue on with the row/pattern.  Brilliant.  The finished bobble is very round and compact.  I'm not sure I'd like them in a bigger yarn, but this size is great, and I'd do them in place of a traditional knupp in lacework for sure.

I also changed the cuff from a traditional ribbed cuff to my favorite picot edging.  The yarn is so luxurious that I thought it needed a daintier edge.  I hope to finish off the first mitten in the next 2 days so I can complete both by closing ceremonies of the olympics.  Fingers crossed!

An Opportunity to Change Lives

Each of us living in the states have so much to be thankful for - roofs over our heads, food on the table, access to healthcare, and a free education.  Even in this recession when things are very hard for so many, we really are very blessed in comparison with much of the world.  When I travelled throughout Peru in 2008 with my son, Tyler, this was brought home to me in so many ways.  I met wonderful people who were living in circumstances that were hard to imagine - people who worked very hard for very little, and have no real opportunity to improve their situation. 

Tyler is in college now, and he and his new wife (America) are going to El Salvador May through August of this year for humanitarian work. Tyler has been appointed one of the Country Directors, and will be coordinating the volunteers in country for HELP International. HELP In'tl provides assistance in orphanages, garden plots, health and hygiene programs, and medical assistance to impoverished nations. America is graduating in April as a linguistics major, so she will be coordinating and teaching english classes and assisting Tyler with the admin tasks as a volunteer. Tyler is working on his international healthcare degree, and working with this non-profit is another step towards their planned future in humanitarian efforts abroad and at home.

As college students, they are poor (aren't they all??), and need help raising funds for America's travel and a portion of her living expenses (Tyler's are covered), as well as service project-related funds. They need to raise about $3,500, and while a private grant foundation may be covering a portion of this amount, they still need about $1,000 for the rest of their travel/living expenses. Any money over and above that amount that is raised before they get to El Salvador goes directly to the cost of the humanitarian projects on the ground.

We are so proud of these kids, and would like to help them raise funds for this very worthy cause.  If you would like to donate, this can be done through the HELP International website.  Donations in any amount can be made via the link above on the Donate tab - and should be earmark for 'Tyler and America Nelson' in the memo field. Any donations raised above the actual travel expenses needed go directly to the HELP project funds in El Salvador.

One Skein Wonders

For those who don't knit, you might not know about Ravelry. Ravelry is an online forum for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and yarn dyers.  I find most of the patterns that I use on Ravelry, and am always inspired by the projects and yarn art posted there.  Ravelry is supporting the winter olympic spirit by holding the ravolympics.  I'm not much of a 'joiner' - but decided to join a team at the last minute to challenge myself to complete several knitting projects in the two weeks the olympics run. 

My first project was a 24 hour sprint:  Leafy Cabled Scarf by Grace McEwen.  I found Grace's designs on Etsy and Ravelry, and think they are really beautiful.  I'm always excited to find great knits that can be done quickly with a single skein.  Art yarn can be expensive, and while most people can splurge on a skein occasionally - but it's not always easy to find a single skein pattern that is exciting.  I recently dyed some DK superwash in a winter multi-colorway that I wanted to try out.  I used Kathee's DK in Winterscape, and ended up with this:

I thought at first that the colorway might be a bit too busy for the pattern, but as you can see, the design is quite distinct and the leafy pattern shows well.  I modified the pattern just a bit: I eliminated the cables on the neckband so that it would lay open wider, and put a slit on one side so that one leaf cluster would feed through the slot and the scarf would stay closed on its own. 

I am so happy with the way this DK superwash handles and will be carrying it on a regular basis. 

I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing for my second project - it's a toss up between nordic stranded mittens or lacy cabled mittens.  Spring is not quite here in the Pacific Northwest, so there's plenty of time to enjoy mittens and scarves.  Take a look at the rest of KnitChickGrace designs - there are several fantastic one skein wonders!

This is Who I Am - You'll Just Have to Deal With It!

OK, so I'll share a bit about myself, and then only bore you with info on my amazing family if I just can't keep it in.

2-At-A-Time - or just 1

I first discovered knitting when I was about 4 years old. My brother and I would play under the dining room table while our mother knit. She would knit little 1x3 inch swatches (probably her gauge swatches) and then throw them under the table for us to play with. I was fascinated that something could be created from a skein of yarn.

I learned to knit continental style when I was about 10 in a community knitting class, but didn't really get into it until my kids were small. I thought when I had a neck injury several years ago and then developed RA my handwork days were over, but have found it very therapeutic, and so I've been happily knitting away again!

Currently, my favorite fiber combo is Cash-Ewe, merino, cashmere and nylon (80/10/10). I dyed up some stock last week, and ended up with a soft color blend of ivory, and fleshy pink colors. It reminded me of my sister's cat, Fletch, a pale tabby, hence the colorway Tabby Cat.

Here's where I am so far with Belle Epoque by Melissa Oakes.

Oh, and by the way: LOVE doing the picot edging. It may end up on every pair of socks from now on! You knit some rows, do the picot row, knit some more rows, then fold the edge to the inside and knit a round, catching the cast on edge with each stitch. Voila! Picots!

The mock cables are very cool - and I think they really enhance the lace panel in a delicate way. I omitted the panel up the back. I know - it's supposed to be knit 2 at a time with the magic loop, but I just can't do it! I've tried 3 times now. I didn't want to pull out a 2nd ball of yarn, so I decided to just do 1 at at time on 2 cables. I use a blue one and a gold one so that I don't get confused about which needle to to pick up next. I'm pretty happy with the variegated colorway and how softly it's knitting up. I liked it so much that I did the colorway in lace and worsted weights too. It looks like I'll be able to complete both socks easily with the 1 skein. I also really like Melissa's heel mechanics - I have small, narrow heels, and this narrower heel fits much better.

EDITED: HERE'S  THE FINISHED PAIR - SO SOFT AND COMFY!

I'm also working on a Travelling Woman shawl, which I think I'm going to modify. This is one of those 'everthing but the kitchen sink' colorways - a happy accident. I had 3 skeins of SW fingering that turned about a blah, mousy brown. I pulled it out at the end of a dye session and literally poured all of the leftover dyes onto it - and ended up with autumn colors that I love. They are much more intense than my photography skilled...