It’s the busiest time of the year

Bobbins full of wool for the past 6 months are finally being completed and plied into finished yarn. Results:

First up: a mohair/wool 2 ply (left) . The small ball to the right is navajo-plied. I normally n-ply the remainder when I run out of single on one bobbin.

Next, a teal 2 ply that is yards and yards and yards long. It’s probably on 700 yards, but it feels like 1000. It is sitting in a basket of unspun purple/pink batts. There is a little skein (see the grey tie?) That’s Nply of leftover.


Yarn on the left is a scratchy Romney mix that I will NEVER spin again. (Life is too short). And the yarn on the right was dyed by Tuulia Salmela and was a 50th birthday gift to me in July. I started spinning it soon thereafter and just got it off the wheel. It’s navajo-plied and is Merino (and maybe some silk?)

Some recent wool out of the dyepot, subtle, to match the season. Soft alpaca wool:

And, for a few finished projects: a slouchy hat made using my Lifestyle Hats method made from an AllSpunUp Spinalong fiber of a year ago. Love, Love Love. This hat was so easy, and is so pretty.




And lastly, a “hipster-man-scarf” for my son. I dyed the blue/brown. Ordered the gold and put this on hold until it came in a few months later. Very fast knit. My son immediately said, ‘Oh, it’s a keffiyeh. It’s what hipsters wear.” So it instantly became his Solstice present. The pattern is Daybreak by Stephen West.

EZ’s BSJ – SKG KAL

How is that for acronyms?The Snohomish Knitters Guild (SKG) is having a Knitalong (KAL) using the pattern for Elizabeth Zimmernan’s (EZ) Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ).The BSJ is knit in one piece and is a marvel – it’s knitted origami. You fold and, Viola! – It’s a jacket.




Info about this project:
Pattern BSJ by EZ (link to Wiki for the BSJ)
Yarn: James C. Brett Marble Chunky 200g – every last ounce of it; MC13 colorway; purchased at Village Yarn  & Tea
Needles: KnitPicks US 9; Icord edging: US 8
My modifications: Instead of building buttonholes into the jacket, I bound the sleeves and all edges with applied I-cord, making buttonholes as I went down one side of the jacket.
My assessment: I’m definitely making another, next time, seamless.

Brooklyn Tweed Trunk Show

Seattle-native, Brooklyn Tweed blogger (Jared Flood) was on the West Coast this week and spoke at the Seattle Knitters Guild on Tuesday, 11 November. He comes at knitting with an engineering mind and an artist’s eye. He has a youthful exuberance, is intelligent, charming, and his talent is born of many many hours of knitting.
His recent small book, “Made in Brooklyn”, is all designed, knit and photographed by him – revealing his love of knitting and control. The yarns are all Classic Elite (publisher of the book.)






If you’ve followed Brooklyn Tweed’s blog you’ve probably often wondered what he looked like – his writing  and photography are so helpful (see his eloquent visual guide to steeking here), and inspirational (see his lovely Girasole) – but what does he look like!?! Wonder no more:


The evening ended with a verrrry long line of knitters getting his autograph and new book. I took too long with the photos and did not get a book (sold out) or a signature. But I did ask him to come speak at Snohomish Knitters Guild – so maybe I’ll get that autograph yet.

Fall – Angora Bamboo Shawlette

 

This has been the most beautiful Fall that I’ve seen. The colors have been glorious. Truly. When I saw this Paton’s Angora/Bamboo mix I knew it was destined to be a remembrance of this amazing Fall.

Shawlette
Materials: Paton's Angora Bamboo Blend: 4 skeins
Needles: I used a US 6, Addi Turbo Lace Needle
Gauge: I have no idea

Cast on 2 stitches.
Knit 6 rows.
Next row: pick up 5 stitches, one in each garter ridge. You'll turn the corner and pick up the two you cast on too. Now you have 7 stitches on the needle.

Set up Row 1: K2,place marker, YO, knit stitches, YO, Place marker, K1 (center stitch), Place marker, YO, Knit to last 2 stitches, YO, place marker, K2
Row 2: K2, purl to last 2 stitches, K2

For the rest of the shawl:
Row 1: K2, slip marker,YO, Knit to marker, YO, slip marker, K1, slip marker, YO, knit to marker, YO, slip marker, K2
Row 2: K2, purl to end, slipping all markers to last marker, K2.

When I was almost out of color in one skein, I K1 in this color K1 in the next color (on a knit row). This created a little interest in the transition row. I knit a few stripes to kick off the shawlette, then knit large color block stripes.

Border:
Row 1: K2, slip marker,YO, Knit to marker, YO, slip marker, K1, slip marker, YO, knit to marker, YO, slip marker, K2
Row 2: K2, Knit to end, slipping all markers to last marker, K2.
Row 1: K2, slip marker,YO, Knit to marker, YO, slip marker, K1, slip marker, YO, knit to marker, YO, slip marker, K2
Row 2: K2, purl to end, slipping all markers to last marker, K2.

Cast off when you are out of yarn, Hint about this yarn: slippery! Weave in LONG ends. I like to leave a little tail out until after I block.

Soak in lukewarm water, spin out water. Block.Then trim the yarn tails that poke out after blocking.

Just a small sample of the beauty we’ve seen in the Pacific Northwest this Autumn. Lower res than usual, shot with my phone.

October Was A Busy Month (and it's only the 18th)

Lots to share. Let’s start with some finished projects, because that always feels good. I have been meaning to try free-felting with my hand dyed fiber for the longest time. So, as Fall was starting to do just that, I went outside and rubbed water and soap into thin layers of wool and created 70” long scarves. The first has novelty yarn laid on top of the unfelted fiber, so as it felted it locked in. Both are thin and beautiful and warm. I’ll have to do more of this come Spring. Falling needles felting into scarves just doesn’t work. And this messy process is definitely an outdoors thing.




Next up, a mix of my hand dyed and purchased wool to make a watery, forest-y shawl. Design by Stephen West, this Daybreak shawl is more like a mermaid’s wrap:
 

Folks in Snohomish, Washington got a very rare treat in September. My partner, Carol Brozman, had a few of her paintings on display for the month of September. View her whole catalog at her Web site. 

And lastly, the Snohomish Knitters Guild had knitting author Cheryl Brunette come speak and give us a delightful talk on Sweater 101 basics. I had the good fortune of being able to entertain her for a bit and take her to breakfast the following morning. It felt like I had met an old friend. And, no, her sweater was not knit with Noro, it’s a Kaffe Fassett design and each color change is a different yarn.

And to wrap, let me leave you with a sweet goodbye from Shawn Colvin. I bootlegged the shots and music with my point and shoot. She serenades you for three minutes from the Edmonds Center for the Arts. If you wait for the end, you’ll get lots of great suggestions to hear more from Shawn on You Tube.