Knit, Purl, Spin, Spin, Dye, Dye, Dye . . .

Ah, February. The time of year when my sister and I call each other and say "We must have that seasonal affective disorder thingy." The time of year my neighborhood looks the most like the subdivision Pete Seeger describes in his song "Little Boxes." Indeed, they are all made out of ticky-tacky. . . and I'm living in one . . .

(Pausing to slog through a ditch chock-a-block with existential angst.)

Back again! However: bleak as it is, February would be so much worse without knitting, spinning and dyeing. I've been forcing myself to work with bright colors lately. Knitting grey in February would be too funereal -- I'd feel like Morticia Adams. (Wasn't she always knitting her own shroud?)

Here's Exhibit A, a Forest Canopy Shawl I'm working on, using some lovely autumnal sock yarn from Fleece Artist:

I think I get to keep this one, as no one else I know wears orange.

This next one goes to an unnamed relative, however. It is the Shetland Triangle pattern from Wrap Style, in a cashmere/silk yarn from Sarah's Yarns. I hand dyed it a deep purply-pink:

And I dyed several batches of sock yarn . . . to varying degrees of success . . . which might also end up becoming shawls . . .

Gee willikers, Batman, it might be time for this snore-inducing yarn to get OVER-DYED!!

My favorite of this batch . . . forgot it in the crock pot and when I came running downstairs at 1 AM, it was GORGEOUS! (Note to self: Forget yarn in crock pot more often . . .)

Eh. It's okay. Pretty, blue . . . better than a sharp stick in the eye.

And I knit a second pair of toe-up 2-on-one circular socks bases on tutorials found here and here. The first is a web tutorial from Silver's Place, the second is a free download from Knitpicks. I combined the 2 and got actual wearable sockage! My sock knitting skills are remedial, so wearable sockage is never a sure thing . . .

The next sweater, knit from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, started life PUCE. It must have been a really good sale . . . who looks good in puce? What yarn designer says: "Our spring line will not be complete without at least a nod to the puce contingent"?

You think I'm joking . . . hold on . . . I'm digging through files with one hand, typing with the other . . . Voila! I challenge you to think of anyone who would look good in this:

GACK!

Guaranteed to wash out a bevy of homecoming queens with one sleeve tied behind its back.

I actually finished this pinky-mauve monstrosity about 2 years ago and wondered why I never wore it. This year I pulled it out of a drawer and a long dormant epiphany squawked in my ear: "IT'S THE HIDEOUS COLOR!"

Yes, yes it was. And, speaking of hideous color, it's time to do my grey, grey roots. Until the snow melts, I recommend you knit something bright, think aestival thoughts, and avoid ruminating on subdivisions, Pete Seeger, or existential angst. Beyond these frosty borders, there be dragons . . .

Darth Vader Vanquished

Ding dong, Darth* is dead – er – finished, I mean. Ellen from Spinners With Altitude did the math, and estimates there are almost a quarter of a million garter stitches in this behemoth:

Hanne Falkernberg Ballerina Project Notes:

First off, I used a size 2 needle, and should have used a 1. (My regular readers will notice a pattern here . . .) I thought I was getting close-enough-for-me gauge. I hoped. When the last stitch was bound off, I tossed on Miss Ballerina, and the fit seemed okay. Then I made an error in judgment: I decided to wet block the ballerina on Mitzy.

I had good reasons for doing so: Since Mitzy is a double of my figure; I could block my jacket precisely to my measurements. I thought I would experiment with string blocking the hem, to make sure the drape was right. On Mitzy, I could fuss with the hem length so that it was ‘just right.”

What I didn’t think about is: Water makes wool heavy. Garter stitch likes to stretch, and all that water weight made my ballerina grow to alarming proportions. I did not take pictures, but the sleeves gained at least 4 inches. A 6’2” Amazon warrior would look great in this jacket: I looked like little bunny foo-foo dressed in Mommy’s clothes.

At this point I retired to the davenport to gather my thoughts with a cool rag on my forehead and three fingers of Bushmills in my clenched fist. (We knit to relax, right?)

The next day I re-soaked the amazing expanding Ballerina, and attempted to flat block it back into shape with wires and about 200 blocking pins. Let it dry. (I’m in Colorado, things dry fast.) Unpinned, flung it on: ARGGH. Sleeves at least 2” too long STILL. I tried tacking them up, which looked like crap. And the fabric was way too flimsy – it looked as stretched and tired as last year’s underpants. I untacked the sleeves and considered my options. These included:

1.) Frogging the whole damn thing. Which brings to mind:

2.) Impaling myself on my Addi Turbo laceweights (messy).
3.) Seeing if I could find a VW bug that needed a cozy (unlikely).
4.) Throwing the beast in the washer and praying for mercy.

Well. Based on my experience working with raw Cotswold, wool from the harrier breeds of sheep doesn’t felt too easily. And while I know there’s a fair amount of difference, fiber-wise, between Cotswold and Shetland (what the Ballerina is made of), I was willing to risk it. I stuffed the acres of ballerina in a big mesh bag, and put it through a wash cycle. I did not hover, I was beyond hovering. I went and cleaned the kitchen and tried not to think about what wooly horror I might be birthing. I was feeling a little dramatic.

I pulled open the mesh bag, grabbed Darth, and saw that he had hardly changed at all! The fabric had tightened up some, but not enough. I returned him to the bag, and washed him again. After this wash, the size seemed about right. I flat blocked him, and that is where I am now. So, here’s how this project is currently breaking down:

What I like:
1. After felting, the fabric is much softer and fuzzier, and the drape is still good.

2. The felted fabric blocks the wind, and is warm enough for me on all but the coldest day.

3. Darth is, to my way of thinking, classic, stylish, lightweight and warm: a good coat for running errands, shopping, etc.

What I don’t like:
1. No pockets! I am still thinking about how to fix this one . . .

2. The back hem is not right. I need to reblock yet again, and currently can not face the task.

3. Sometimes (when it was cold and windy) the Ballerina just whipped around me. Brrr. I wanted a simple closure for those times. I tried using a nice shawl pin, but it kept falling off. I finally sewed on a couple of large snaps. So far, I’m liking this solution. Still considering adding a toggle closure, but need to look at what’s available out there. It would have to be just the right one.

About the photos: There's no arguing about it: Pictures of knitted wearables are more helpful if they show the item modeled by an actual human. I'm working on it -- I've had a month of bad hair days.

* Early on I named him Darth because he was big and black and kicking my pale Scottish patookey.

Who's laughing now, Darth? Hmm? BWAH-HA-HA!

Did you ever have one of those days . . .

. . . when the Christmas tree is still up and threatening to spontaneously combust, and the kitchen looks like a bomb went off (which it sort of did; more on that later), and you're still in your pajamas at noon-ish and every plant in the house looks like it hasn’t been watered in a month (which it hasn’t), and the public library is about ready to hunt you down with bloodhounds and an elephant gun to get back that monstrous stack of overdue books moldering by the back door . . .

. . . And you think: Wow! What a swell day to catch up on my blog! As a matter of fact, why not make a public proclamation? Officially, January 8 is now Catch up on Your Blog (C.U.O.Y.B.) Day. I’ve never been any good at snappy acronyms. First off:

New yarn! Old projects! Really old projects!

(some clickable)

Somehow or another, an aggressive band of houligan yarn has breached my security perimeter and infiltrated my house. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Offenders include:

Jojoland Melody Superwash, color #17
I saw this Swiss Cheese Scarf (free pattern by Winnie Shih) on Ravelry and had to have one immediately. However, this is NOT mindless knitting, as some Ravelry comments indicate. There is a 17 row pattern repeat which you do need to follow. It’s an easy pattern, but it ain’t mindless. As an adjective, I think “mindless” is way overused in the knitting community. Either that or I’m this village’s idiot.


Brooks Farm Yarn Duet
I originally bought this yarn for me, but when it arrived, it screamed the name of a RELATIVE, damn it. I tried reasoning with it, but come to find out the yarn has been to Sunday school. “It is better to give than to receive,” said this lovely mélange of mohair and merino. Crap. It is going to be another clapotis.

Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Moose Creek
Alright, alright, I bought this mainly because I am THIS close to completing my frequent shopper card at Table Rock Llama & Fiber Arts, which is kind of a big deal. You spend $200 at Table Rock, and they give you a gift certificate for $40! Also, I do really like the yarn . . . um, until it turned aggressive on me and threatened to shave my cat unless I brought it home. Immediately.

Debbie Mumm Traditions in Midnight
I never knew what “worming” was until I met this yarn. Bad, bad yarn. No soup for you! It went right back to Joann Fabrics. What was I thinking, buying mystery yarn at Joann Fabrics?

(clickable)

Old Shale Smoke Ring (by Cosette Cornelius-Bates)
... in Malabrigo lace weight Verde
I really enjoyed this project. My pattern notes: knit 10” on a #6 circular, 6” on a #7, and 6” on a #8 to finish. I wanted a lo-oo-ong smoke ring, so that when I use it as a hood it still has plenty of fabric to cover the back of the neck and upper back. Also, used a loose sewn bind-off for a super-stretchy edge. Sometimes I wish I could live in a cave lined with Malabrigo lace weight. I’d be the grouchy one yelling at the other cave-dwellers’ kids to get their rocks and pointy sticks out of my yard.

Shoulder Cozy from Wrap Style
...in some really nice Reynolds yarn I can’t remember the name of …
This has been finished for a dog’s age, but I’ve never like the way it fits. I’ve decided it needs a good blocking: pins, wires, other instruments of discipline. . .

Eunny Jang’s Anemoi mittens in koigu print and Knit Picks bare. One mitten done. Fun Pattern . Need to re-do the thumb on this one; I knit it too short. Don't you just hate that?

Adrian Bizilia’s We Call Them Pirates hat for Techboy.
Here you see him wearing it on his 17th birthday. I tried to make him a from-scratch chocolate cake earlier in the day, and the $%^! Thing literally blew up in my oven. So he ended up with a turtle cheesecake from King Soopers. Tasty.

Not tasty.

And my Ballerina is done! Since real life (ack.) is calling, I will save that saga for tomorrow. Cheers all.