Time for Heritage Knitting

Time is getting close for the Heritage Knitting Retreat in Petersburg, IL, in June.  If you've been interested in the the retreat, you'll want to get your registration in soon.  We've got a very full, very fun program planned so come join us.  You can find more information and a downloadable registration form at the link above.

Lest you think all I've been doing is crocheting, I wanted to post some pictures of a spinning project I've also got going. 

It's Blue-faced Leicester roving hand dyed by frabjous fibers in Vermont.  The colorway is Potash.  This is the second batch I've spun from frabjous fibers - beautiful colors and spins like a dream.  Boy, that link is dangerous.  I got a little lost there - but I'm back now.

I'm spinning part of it on my new Fricke spinning wheel.

Since I haven't had time to share some pictures of my wonderful new wheel, here's a view of the whorls.  Very industrial, right?  I like it.

And that's a view from the front.

And part of the fiber, I'm spinning on my Ashford drop spindle. 

Of all the spindles I've got, I always go back to my Ashfords.  My very first spindle, and in fact my very first contact with fiber, was with an Ashford drop spindle.  I always go back to it.

I can't tell you how much I love this fiber.  I saw it and immediately could visualize a shawl.  I wanted to do the test to see how different the yarn would come out depending on the method of spinning.  As you can see, I've got one bobbin done with the spindle; with the wheel, I've almost finished the first bobbin and will start on the second bobbin. 

In case you're wondering where I got the bobbin, it's a noodle bobbin.  Noodle, you know the things you use in the pool?  Cost a couple of bucks?  They make great bobbins - just cut them to length and trim down the middle.  It already has a hole in the middle for the lazy kate so it's ideal for storage and plying.  And that's our top tip for the day.

TeleSheep

A friend sent these photos from a CNN report and I thought they were hysterical. 

Made totally of old phones and phone cords, this Jean-Luc Cornec display is at the Museum of Communications in Frankfurt, Germany.

Adventures in Crochet

I've got started on my next round of doilies and I've found a really interesting one.  This is from a vintage pattern book.  Part of the first page is torn off so I can't find a date but I suspect from the typeface and pictures that it's from the 30s or 40s.

Looks like a normal doily, doesn't it?  Here's what makes it interesting:

Normally with a crochet doily, you start off either with a few chain stitches that are joined to make the beginning circle or by wrapping the thread a few times around the pinkie then single crochet stitches around to make the first round.  You can tell by looking that this one doesn't start that way.  Isn't it pretty?  Here's how it starts:

1st Round: Chain 5, slip stitch in 5th st from hook for picot, ch 7, sl st in 7th st from hook for picot, ch 5, sl st in 5th st from hook for picot, sl st in base of 1st picot for picot cluster, ch 4, dc in 4th st from hook, repeat from beginning 3 times, join.

In all the years I've been crocheting, this is the first time I've ever seen this start to a doily and I dig it.

The other outstanding aspect of this pattern was a completely screwed up pattern for round 7.  I know people think that vintage patterns are full of errors but, from my experience, this is much more often true of knitting patterns than crochet for some reason.  In fact I tried this round about 6 times before I finally came to the conclusion that is wasn't just that I was tired or that I wasn't reading the pattern correctly.  Fortunately there was a really good picture of the finished doily so I was able to figure it out from that. 

I also wanted to show a sample of the difference the size of the thread makes in the finished product.  Remember the Ducks and Drake doily I did with the size 100 thread and size 14 needle?  It's in the same book so I decided to do it again in the size 10 thread.  It takes on a completely different face.

Can you believe it's the same pattern?  It's pretty both ways, I think, but nothing can compare with the daintiness of the smaller thread.

Days Like This

Mother told me there'd be days like this.  Or weeks like this.  About all I've had energy for is staring at the wall and crocheting.  I did get 8 doilies out of it and the friend who'd asked for them seemed very pleased.  Although I said I'd try to get a picture of all of them, I forgot and they're away now.

But all is not lost.  Tonight at knit night a very generous person gave me:

Crochet and vintage.  How could life be better?  I feel a whole new round coming on!

There was a new addition to the household this week. 

It's my new Fricke spinning wheel.  I've been researching travel wheels, trying them out in different places for a wheel that I could easily carry with me for events and meetings.  I was always scared that I was going to do damage to my Kromski.  Of all the wheels I tried, this one had the features that I wanted - multiple whorls, easy bobbin changing, smooth treadling, scotch tension and a adjustable hook for advancing the yarn.  It's absolutely gorgeous to spin on and I've got a project started on it already.  This is Blue Faced Leicester that I'm spinning to very, very light lace weight.  I've done part of it on a drop spindle and now I"m finishing it on the wheel.  I wanted to see how the 2 different processes would compare.  I've got this on the middle whorl and on the lightest possible tension on the Scotch tension and it's probably the lightest weight I've ever managed.  I even got to break it in last week meeting with some other spinners in the local park for a very windy session.  Spun like a dream.

More, more, more

I've been doing more socks, more crochet doilies and more tatting.

I actually haven't been doing too much because work has been so intense lately.  By the time I get home, I literally have no energy to do anything but stare at the wall and crochet.  So I've done a lot of crochet.  I've now completed 8 crochet doilies in the last 3 weeks.  It's been so therapeutic.  Before they go, I'll try to get a photo of the whole line-up.

Saturday I got the newest issue of PieceWork magazine and was so thrilled to see a lace issue.  There was knitted lace and bobbin lace and, yes, tatted lace. 

I just had to try it out.

Sweet.

I messed up on part of it but now that I understand how the pattern works, I'm going to cut it and start fresh.  I've never seen anything like this, I think it has such an Audrey Hepburn sort of look to it.  Maybe that's just the black and white thing but I do like it.

I meant to post about this earlier - just refer to previous discussion about work - but I wanted to show you the finished product. 

Doily Land

I had someone ask me to make some crocheted doilies and, you know, it was exactly what I was wanting to do.  You know I love to knit. And I love to spin. But every once in a while I just have to crochet.

And one tatted doily for good measure!

Time to tat

You know I'm going to be talking tatting for a while, right?  Whoever thought it would be so much fun?

Variegated bedspread weight edging:

White, size 30 thread, doily:

I really wish my Grannie could see this.  She'd love it!