Swatch-a-Palooza

ArtFibers Yarns, L to R: Nirvana, Golden Chai, Kyoto, Galicia, Valparaiso (Clickable)

My ArtFibers swatch order came yesterday, and I wasted no time. This is a lovely grouping – heavy on the silk. Here are my reviews.

Notes:
• I’m a very loose knitter, so I generally use a needle 2 sizes smaller than what is recommended.

• I’ve included 2 price listings, one for the smallest skein or cone offered, and one for a theoretical “sweater” quantity.

• For more information on ArtFibers, please see the paragraph which follows the reviews.

Valparaiso
50% baby alpaca, 50% merino
My gauge: 4.5 st/in & 6 rows/in
My needles: #4 bamboos
Price: 290 yard cone / $19
1015 yards/$66.50

This sport/light worsted weight 10-ply yarn has a soft, cottony hand – so soft, in fact, that I kept going back to it in wonder. There is NO itch factor (I’m sensitive to wool), so if you’re looking for a good wool blend for next-to-skin wear, this one should be perfect. It comes in 10 softly variegated solid-ish colors. I swatched this using a size 4 needle, but probably should have used a 3.

Kyoto
69% silk, 25% super kid mohair, 6% extrafine wool
My gauge: 3.5 st/in & 4.5 rows/in
My needles: #9 Brittney birch
Price: 220 yard cone / $22
990 yards / $99

I love this yarn, but I don’t think the color I chose really shows it off to its best advantage. Kyoto is a great combination of silken shininess and mohairy fuzziness. It feels fluffy on the skin, and should make great hats, mittens and scarves. There are 19 colors offered, each a super-subtle variegated solid. This yarn feels quite luxurious – I’m hard pressed to think of anything in my LYS of comparable richness, especially for the price.

Golden Chai
100% Golden Tussah Silk
My gauge: 4.5 st/in, 5 rows/in
My needles: #4 bamboo
Price: 330 yard cone / $22
990 yards / $66

In terms of general **sigh** factor, this yarn delivers. It’s a thick and thin silk single-ply that just dances on whatever needles you put it on. And while the silk wows with its rich patina, the varying thickness of the yarn supplies a terrific rustic counterpoint. This really is one of my all-time favorite yarns. And I can’t think of another 100% silk sport weight yarn available for this price. 18 marvelous colors – everything from subtle and girly to metallic and mod. In addition, 9 solid colors are offered of essentially the same yarn under the name “Golden Siam.”

Once again, I should have swatched this with a smaller needle. I do think it would be tough for a loose knitter like me to get a “solid” fabric out of one ply of this yarn -- perhaps double-stranding it might fix this issue. I dream of a slightly oversized, drapey simple pullover made out of Golden Chai.

Nirvana
50% cashmere, 50% silk
My gauge: 5 st/in, 6.5 rows/in
My needles: #4 bamboo
Price: 274 yard cone / $18
959 yards / $63

I wasn’t bowled over by this yarn. What’s not to like about silk and cashmere? Rubbing my fingers over the firm strand I thought “Great cabling yarn . . .” but when I rubbed it on my neck I felt a definite itch! From cashmere? Hmm.

It swatched up nicely, and of all the yarns I sampled, Nirvana seems the most forgiving of uneven tension – the stitches lined up perfectly no matter what I did. After washing, the little swatch “bloomed” and turned into a lovely fabric. The itch was still there, though. Perhaps there are issues with the quality of the cashmere? Seven colors offered, mostly semi-solid pastels.

Galicia
90% silk, 9% super kid mohair, 2% wool
My gauge: 4.5 st/in, 5.5 rows/in
My needles: #5 Brittney birch
Price: 216 yard cone / $24
972 yards / $108

This is subtle 2-ply tweed, and it is my favorite of the lot. I am always overheating, so most wool sweaters are just too much for me. This clever mostly-silk yarn has a definite wooliness” (that’s the mohair) that makes me think of winter sweaters I will actually wear!

Galicia is similar to Kyoto (reviewed above), but on a much smaller scale. The silk gleams under a subtle cloud of mohair. It is currently offered in just 4 jewel-tone colors. And of course, since it’s my favorite, it has to be the most expensive. That being said, $12 per 100 yds is still a great deal for yarn of this quality.

About ArtFibers
ArtFibers is a yarn store in the San Francisco Bay area that also makes yarn under the ArtFibers brand name. They are currently offering free yarn "tastings” to bloggers (see full information below). I’ve ordered from them in the past, and am always amazed at their cost/quality ratio (low/high, respectively).

AF has recently reworked its website and pricing. I like the new pricing structure, but it is somewhat complex. Their yarns are sold on cones of 100, 150, 200, and 250 grams. The nice thing about this is you can combine cone sizes to get the precise amount of yarn your project requires with a minimum of waste and weaving in of yarn ends. Yarns are also available undyed at a price about 30% less than the dyed versions.

If I could change one thing at the ArtFibers website, it would be their color numbering system. I greatly prefer a name to a number. Any description, say “a mix of silvery grains,” is better than “#7”. I’m not sure why so many yarn companies don’t use color names / descriptions any more – they can be so helpful, especially when shopping on the ‘net. I spend a lot of time on the AF site puzzling over little swatch pictures, thinking: “Now is that silver, or taupe, or what?”

Next up: Taos. Wool. Really.

(My color names, top-to-bottom:

acorn, silver shale, electric mango, spring bud, basil)

(hint, hint.)

So, about the Taos Wool Festival:

I have wanted to go to this shindig for years, but never seem to have the wherewithal to get organized and make the trip. Last month I made the decision: I was going. I called around to a bunch of Taos hotels and listened to the hoots of laughter: You want a room when? Don’t you know that’s the Wool Festival weekend?

Well, yes, I do.

I finally found a hotel willing to give me a room. I have very mixed feelings about this hotel. On the one hand, it was one of the worst hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in. On the other hand, it wasn’t THE worst hotel room I’ve ever stayed in (that honor belongs, coincidentally, to another Taos hotel). E-mail me if you want to know its actual name. For now I’ll just call it Casa Cucaracha.

The grounds of this hotel are nice, with the biggest cottonwood trees I’ve ever seen towering over the little hotel complex:

Also, a nice little courtyard:




But as I approached the door, I had a sinking feeling.

And then I went inside.

I wish I could blog in smell-o-vision, because that was at least half the problem. Musty cigarette-y mystery smell splashed with copious amounts of “Oust” or some similar liquid stink-masker. To my Calvinist soul it smelled like “Eau de Mortal Sin.”

But this was it. There were no other hotel rooms. I shook out the cotton blanket I travel with and covered the bed. I did a closer inspection, and discovered there really wasn’t anything super objectionable . . . the bathroom was passably clean, although in a sad state of disrepair . . . ditto the main room. . .



And then I saw it. In the framed artwork. Ack!! . . .

Maybe it’s not a roach, but it looks mighty roachy to me. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I decided to not think about it (never underestimate the power of denial) and walk over to the Wool Market. I would deal with Casa Cucaracha when I absolutely had to and no earlier.

Tomorrow:
Woolly Goodness.

Darth Vader, Wool in Taos and Herbert

Hello all! Yes, it has been a dog’s age since I posted. There are various forces which have conspired to keep me from the blogosphere. Nothing sinister, just life and its constant mutability.

First off, I have been doggedly garter-stitching along on my Hanne Falkenberg Ballerina jacket, which I have nicknamed “Darth Vader.” Why? Because it is big and black and it is kicking my butt. My advice to you: Never knit a HF kit in black unless you possess youth and a sunny disposition.

I, however, have neither -- and knitting gazillions of black stitches on size 2 needles tends to give me a headache and the blues simultaneously. Ick.

But I persevere, because I will finish this jacket or die trying. (Note to spouse: If I do die trying, I want to be buried in however much of it I’ve completed.)

Also, as much as the Mystery Shawl 3 was fun to photograph – you could really see progress on the shawl from week to week – the Ballerina is not. I can work on it for 2 days and all I have to show is . . . 2 more inches of black garter stitch. On a really exciting day, perhaps half of a striped gore.

So while I will post some updates on the Ballerina in the future, I don’t think I will be taking many pictures of it.

And, in other news, I have been spending much of my crafting time spinning and working with various fibers. I’m going through a honeymoon phase right now with all things spinning-related, and I just wasn’t sure if my blog readers cared how I (finally) got most of the poop out of the Tunis.

So, gentle reader, this blog will have a subtle shift of focus, at least for a while. . . I just got back from the Taos Wool Festival, and I bought 2 lovely fleeces. One is soaking in my bathtub right now, and I will try to have pictures and more information soon. . .

And finally . . . there may be an addition to my family. Yes, we may soon be hearing the pitter-patter of little paws. Our kitty, Bailey, really needs a playmate, and I fell in love with a Tonkinese named Herbert at a recent local cat show. Herbert is a foster cat in Siamese Rescue, and I have to fill out about a metric ton of paperwork in order to be considered as an adoptive kitty mom. (Getting a kid is much easier than getting a cat.) But I have my hopes up. Here he is:

"Dear Bailey: Here's how to look dignified. Your pal, Herbert."

Artfibers Has Such a Deal for Bloggers!

I had to pass this along: Artfibers in San Francisco (see their web site here) currently has a great promotion going for bloggers. You can receive 5 free "tastings" of their yarns (It's about 10-15 yards per "taste"), if you e-mail them and let them know:

1.) which yarns you would like, including colors
2.) your blog's URL
3.) your shipping address.

That's it -- free for nothing! Tastings are retail priced at $2.50 each, so this is at least a $15 value, as postage is free as well. Yes, I will be doing reviews when my Artfibers freebies get here!

I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph . . .

Here are some recent projects . . . in no particular order:

My Hanne Falkenberg Jacket thus far. This is the left front, side gore, and part of the left sleeve.

Dirty, dirty alpaca batt.

Anyone know how to remove this crap?

Cotswold I'm selling on e-bay.

Ho, ho, ho!

Some of the discount fiber I got at the Red Needle's going out of business sale. This is about half of a 4 ounce bundle of hand-dyed roving I bought. It's very fun to spin, and is inspiring me to dye some more roving . . .

A close-up of the merino/cashmere 2-ply I'm spinning. This is soft as a duck's belly, and the brown is very complex and interesting. There are hints of lavender, gold, teal and purple throughout. Click for a close-up, and you'll see what I mean . . .

This skein is a little over 200 yards. That brings my grand total spun so far (of this fiber) to about 450 yards. I still have a fair amount of this to spin -- not sure exactly how much.

And now, because I am trying to be a good, disciplined girl, I will sign off and peruse the want ads. Ick.

Eentsy-teensy Update

We don’t have pictures, but we do have UPDATE:

I am up to the first sleeve of the Hanne Falkenberg Ballerina jacket. The pattern is intimidating, as it is printed in a puny font, and assumes that I am a way better knitter than I am. I enlarged it 200%, and generally need to read each section of instructions 3-4 times before it gels in my brain. Many times, when the instructions seem incomprehensible, I am reduced to "sleeping on it."

It's a vague magic, but it seems to work, The next day I stumble on, one row at a time. So far (knock on wood), so good.

I knitted about half a sock in the padded footlet pattern before I decided I would rather gargle tacks than knit one more row. I tore it out, and started a similar pattern from knitty. com (find it here), which seems much more congenial.

Washed, picked, and bundled up about 2-1/2 pounds of Cotswold (So why did I buy a Cotswold fleece, if i didn't really want a Cotswold fleece? I think I had it confused with Corriedale . . .) and am selling most of it on e-bay. Cotswold works great for Santa beards . . .

In the process of processing a 3.5 lb Alpaca fleece that is full of grass, hay and ?&*!!. The alpaca itself is lovely, if only I could remove all of the grass, hay and ?&*!!. Any suggestions?

In general, spinning like a mad woman. I have almost a pound of a fabu merino-cashmere blend, and I’m hoping for enough 2-ply to make a sweater. So far I’ve spun about half (8 oz.), and I have one large bobbin full currently waiting to be skeined and set.

Still looking, lackadaisically, for a job. Since it seems that one is not going to crawl up my front walk and accost me, I might need to be a wee bit more vigorous in my search. As you all know (sigh), fiber ain’t free.

Tomorrow: Photos! Lord willing or the crick don’t rise!

Field Trip to Franktown / Warming up the Pfaff

Occasionally, Bailey channels Janis Joplin.

"Oh Lord / Won't you buy me / a Pound of Catnip?"

I forgot to put the link to Melanie's site in my last entry. She is the multi-talented knitter/ spinner/ designer of Mystery Stole 3 (the "winged" stole shown below). If you're interested in purchasing the pattern, she will have it available at her web site somewhere around the end of August/beginning of September. Find all things Melanie -- including additional lace stole designs – here.

I've started a few new sewing projects:
Mostly because I'm cheap and refuse to spend $115 for a spinning wheel carry bag, I'm designing and making my own. I'm using some old upholstery fabric I had left over from another project, so even if the bag doesn't work out, I'm only minus the cost of zippers and lining. If all goes well, I will try to post photos later this week.

I'm also sewing little carry bags for my new swift (alas, a cheap and ugly metal version, but it seems to work fine -- much better than my knees), extra spinning bobbins, and niddy-noddy. I love this type of project, as these bags are quick, easy, and use up fabric I already have.

Wonderful Pat in Elizabeth, CO sent me an e-mail a few weeks ago letting me know that The Red Needle (knit/spin/weave store) in Franktown was closing up shop and liquidating their inventory.

So of course I had to go and have a look-see. The half-hour drive was glorious. Animals I saw on the way there: Clydesdale-typehorses in pasture, buffalo (bison?), sheep, llamas, cows (of course), lots of lovely horses, alpacas, hawks, bluebirds, yellow finches, and more. Tumbleweeds rolled across the road, and I thought about how I would love to live in the country . . . with llamas and antelope for neighbors. . .

There was much lovely fiber at the Red Needle, all at a very tempting discount. I browsed and browsed, and ended up taking home a little cashmere/merino blend, some flax, almost a pound of BFL, and other goodies.

I was about ready to drive home, when I saw that the store next door (which looked like a nail salon), had a sign in the window saying they also sold spinning wheels! Now this is my type of establishment -- get your nails done (mine always look like gardening implements, which they are), buy a new drive band, peruse the mothers-of-all. I went in.

It was a very cool multi-purpose store. Several "dabs" of products nicely arranged: craft books, jewelry, knitting needles, hand combs, weaving doo-dads (I don't weave, so I can't do any better than that.) And tucked in a corner: A yarn swift marked 40% off. I pounced.

I got home with my booty and sorted it into ziploc bags. Set up my ball winder and wound away. The cat lounged very close to my merino fleece, until finally I caught him with his head in the bag and his motor running at full throttle.

I did not get a manicure. I ran out of cash. The bottom line: I'd rather have a new swift than professionally tended nails. Can I get an "Amen"?

Just the Facts, Ma'am / Photo Lagniappe

My son (aka “the black hole of need”) came into my room last night to ask me for lunch money and I hissed at him. I was on row 190 of my mystery stole, and like a horse smelling the barn at feeding time, I was undistractable.

Never has a bind off seemed so long. I felt like I lived a whole alternative life while binding off this stole. Cool bind-off, though. Will definitely use it again.

Finally! The Last stitch was bound off and soon the ends were woven in. I soaked the rascal in Eucalan for 15 minutes or so, wrapped him snuggly in a towel, and dragged out my “blocking towel” – a huge beach towel that I like to block on because it is printed with large squares that make blocking easier – as well as blocking wires, pins, yard sticks, etc.

The ugly, though useful, blocking towel

For those of you who like all the details, here is how my stole measured up in the end:

Length: 70.5”
Width: 22.5”
Section #1 length: 40.5”
Wing length: 30”
Wing curve length: 41”
Depth of wing (at midpoint): 26”

Other details:

Yarn: Malabrigo “Velvet Grapes” lace weight – a dream to knit. I used 2 skeins, and have approximately 150 yards (15 grams) left. So I used about 790 yards for this stole.

Finished Weight:
Total weight: 114 grams (about 4 ounces)
Yarn weight: 85 grams (3 ounces)
Bead weight: 29 grams (1 ounce)

*I made all of today’s photos clickable for those who want close-up views.

And looking at my MS3 now, I’m pretty tickled. The merino is so soft, and I love the variegations that run throughout. The weight of the beads helps it stay on. I used 2 different kinds of beads, and that combined with the variegated yarn makes the stole feel a little gypsy-ish. Maybe a little more Carmen than Swan Lake, but that’s fine, too. There are definitely mistakes here, but they aren’t bothering me.

Right now I’m sitting in bed wearing the thing. With the air conditioning on. Feeling a wee bit princess-ish, in my luxury stole – even though I haven’t yet changed out of my pajamas or brushed my hair or teeth. Life is good.

Thanks, Melanie! (Times 100, at least. What a good, generous heart she has.)

And for those of you feeling sorry for the kid whose mother hissed at him: Don't. The kid is 16, and is more effective than the IRS at getting money out of the 'rents. Plus he has a job, and has more money in his checking account than I do in mine. (Of course, HE doesn't have a spinning/knitting jones.) And yet I still feel guilty . . . where is that wallet ?

beading close-up, straight section


Beading close-up, wing

Fetching rear view

The Wing is Flapping / Clue 6 Done

Shows the join -- a little funky, but not too bad.

(clickable for detail)

I love how the variegated yarn camouflages my mistakes! (also clickable)

The wing looking -- well -- wing-like.

One pleasant surprise of working this clue was how the variegated yarn co-operated with the pattern. I started my second ball right before the join, and the new ball was ever-so-slightly more vibrant than the old one. Those "feathers" really pop. My stitch count was off at the end, so something will have to be fudged in the future.

Hopefully, when clue 7 is released I'll figure out how to deal with the stitch weirdness. I'm hoping clue 7 is heavy on the beadwork. If not, I might have to do some wee pattern alterations. Love doing the beading, and love the elan they give this stole.

Off I go to spin some nice blended top.

Clapotis Reminiscing

click for close-up view

I knit this Clapotis Shawl last summer -- the (much simpler) equivalent to MS3. It really is a fun knit, once you get used to the pattern. Very modern and un-fangled, but still lacy. I used almost every bit of one skein of Brooks Farm Yarns Riata for this. If you don't know Brooks Farm, click here to visit them -- some of the nicest yarn I've ever knit with.

The pattern is a free download from knitty.com. If you are craving more lace, but want something simpler, have a look at this pattern. It's a great way to show off a variegated yarn in lace.