Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Counting on my fingers.
I've been feeling a little torn lately but only realized this morning what might be the problem. I started counting...
1. Baby bonnet - It's getting along and I'm on the last round. I changed the last round a little to match the photo. It was the only instructions in the whole pattern that wasn't completely clear but the photo was really good so I think this is a good representation and I think it will finish it off nicely once I get the ribbons in it.
2. Baby sweater. A friend just had a baby so I'm back in baby-land. Know how hard it is to pick just one thing? I always decide I'm going to dress the baby until they're 18! It's so hard. But as soon as I saw this little vintage matinee jacket, I knew it was the very thing. The new parents are Canadian and this is a vintage Canadian pattern. Seemed just the thing. The top section is smocked with a contrasting color and their nursery is yellow and lavendar so I decided just to go with those colors. Besides, I already had the yellow and I think it's such a great color to brighten up the winter.
3. Clun Forest wool being spun for socks. I've got 2 bobbins and need just 1 more to finish it off. This is the first time I've ever spun Clun Forest and everything I've read talked about it being difficult and not so fun to spin. Once I kind of got used to it, it hasn't actually been so bad. The difference between this and other wools is that it's a very short staple. It's got a lot of bounce but it's short. I'm spinning it using a pretty high ratio. It's not really soft but it's supposed to be great for outer wear and supposed to be really great for socks. I'll let you know.
4. White on white project 1. One of my spinning buddies, Mary, made a comment about a white on white project. It really caught my interest so I decided to do something with white on white on white. This is the first white - it's 1oz of merino/tussah silk mix and 1oz of cashmere/tussah silk mix. It's going to be a 2-ply of the the two. You can't imagine how rich this fiber is. I'm spinning it on my Fricke wheel.
5. White on white project 2. The second white of the project is silk being spun from these silk hankies on my Kromski Minstrel.
6. Gray Lace. This is not a part of the white on white project. This is some gray wool roving that I'm spinning on my new Country Craftsman. When I first got the wheel, I read that it's supposed to be particularly good spinning lace and this was on top of the pile. Spins like buttah.
7. Sock and shawl. I was running out of time to take photos so I put some of these together. Socks with Berroco Sox (my favorite sock yarn) and a "Half Square Shawl" from an 1850's knitting book. Wait until you see this. It's made with fingering weight and lace yarns using a lozenge pattern. When I decided to try it out, I went straight to the stash. I'd forgotten about the fingering weight yarn but it's a silk yarn that I've already used to make 1 shawl which I wear all the time. I decided to pair it with a matching alpaca lace yarn from KnitPicks.
8. Lace and Lace. Since I'm still able to sleep a couple of hours each night, I guess I've decided I've got too much time on my hands. I started this orange shawl from "Victorian Lace Knitting" about a month ago. As you can see, I haven't gotten too far but it's beautiful and I love this yarn. It's got a light variagation and is merino soft. Next to it is some blue-faced leicester from Frabjous Fibers that I recently finished spinning. It's the one that I loved in roving but wasn't so crazy about once it was plied and finished. Well, I just got looking at it this morning and decided I did like it so not it's ready to be cast on and I know exactly what I want it to be. I won't say it out loud yet, you'll just have to wait and see.
On top of these projects, I've got 3 classes at Lincoln Land, starting the new Heritage Knitting program with the Old State Capital folks and having a full-time job.
It's all beginning to make sense now.
1. Baby bonnet - It's getting along and I'm on the last round. I changed the last round a little to match the photo. It was the only instructions in the whole pattern that wasn't completely clear but the photo was really good so I think this is a good representation and I think it will finish it off nicely once I get the ribbons in it.
2. Baby sweater. A friend just had a baby so I'm back in baby-land. Know how hard it is to pick just one thing? I always decide I'm going to dress the baby until they're 18! It's so hard. But as soon as I saw this little vintage matinee jacket, I knew it was the very thing. The new parents are Canadian and this is a vintage Canadian pattern. Seemed just the thing. The top section is smocked with a contrasting color and their nursery is yellow and lavendar so I decided just to go with those colors. Besides, I already had the yellow and I think it's such a great color to brighten up the winter.
3. Clun Forest wool being spun for socks. I've got 2 bobbins and need just 1 more to finish it off. This is the first time I've ever spun Clun Forest and everything I've read talked about it being difficult and not so fun to spin. Once I kind of got used to it, it hasn't actually been so bad. The difference between this and other wools is that it's a very short staple. It's got a lot of bounce but it's short. I'm spinning it using a pretty high ratio. It's not really soft but it's supposed to be great for outer wear and supposed to be really great for socks. I'll let you know.
4. White on white project 1. One of my spinning buddies, Mary, made a comment about a white on white project. It really caught my interest so I decided to do something with white on white on white. This is the first white - it's 1oz of merino/tussah silk mix and 1oz of cashmere/tussah silk mix. It's going to be a 2-ply of the the two. You can't imagine how rich this fiber is. I'm spinning it on my Fricke wheel.
5. White on white project 2. The second white of the project is silk being spun from these silk hankies on my Kromski Minstrel.
6. Gray Lace. This is not a part of the white on white project. This is some gray wool roving that I'm spinning on my new Country Craftsman. When I first got the wheel, I read that it's supposed to be particularly good spinning lace and this was on top of the pile. Spins like buttah.
7. Sock and shawl. I was running out of time to take photos so I put some of these together. Socks with Berroco Sox (my favorite sock yarn) and a "Half Square Shawl" from an 1850's knitting book. Wait until you see this. It's made with fingering weight and lace yarns using a lozenge pattern. When I decided to try it out, I went straight to the stash. I'd forgotten about the fingering weight yarn but it's a silk yarn that I've already used to make 1 shawl which I wear all the time. I decided to pair it with a matching alpaca lace yarn from KnitPicks.
8. Lace and Lace. Since I'm still able to sleep a couple of hours each night, I guess I've decided I've got too much time on my hands. I started this orange shawl from "Victorian Lace Knitting" about a month ago. As you can see, I haven't gotten too far but it's beautiful and I love this yarn. It's got a light variagation and is merino soft. Next to it is some blue-faced leicester from Frabjous Fibers that I recently finished spinning. It's the one that I loved in roving but wasn't so crazy about once it was plied and finished. Well, I just got looking at it this morning and decided I did like it so not it's ready to be cast on and I know exactly what I want it to be. I won't say it out loud yet, you'll just have to wait and see.
On top of these projects, I've got 3 classes at Lincoln Land, starting the new Heritage Knitting program with the Old State Capital folks and having a full-time job.
It's all beginning to make sense now.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Real Thing
When you talk about historic knitting, it's usually about knitting old patterns. This puts a whole new slant on it:
Can I tell you how cool it was to sit in this room and knit? Talking about the spirit of place. The next session will be a knitted mittlet class which will be held in the Senate Chamber of the Old State Capital. There are still places so be sure to contact Tinsley Store at (217) 525-1825 or go by 209 South Sixth Street to sign up.
The 1925 baby bonnet is moving right along. I had hoped to have it finished this weekend but I got distracted with a few other things! It's been one of those magical projects that didn't look like anything until the medallions got attached to the main section. Then, all of a sudden it becomes this little baby bonnet. Enchanting.
The 1925 baby bonnet is moving right along. I had hoped to have it finished this weekend but I got distracted with a few other things! It's been one of those magical projects that didn't look like anything until the medallions got attached to the main section. Then, all of a sudden it becomes this little baby bonnet. Enchanting.