I Made Yarn!

I have wanted to learn to spin almost since I first learned to knit. It was an idea I toyed with for several years. I'm not entirely sure when I got serious about it. Perhaps it was when I saw the book "Respect the Spindle." That book planted the idea in my brain that I might be able to learn to spin without investing a small fortune in a spinning wheel. I could get a spindle, some fiber, and a book or a lesson, and for under $100, I could give it a try.

Still, it took the right atmosphere for me to take the plunge. A weekend knitting retreat with my favorite fiber fanatics, a trip with a feel that combined adventure and indulgence, set the mood I needed. When we found a yarn shop that specialized in spinning supplies, it seemed like a sign. I bought the supplies and the book. The shop owner gave me my first brief lesson in spinning, and I ran with it.

Like any newly acquired skill, spinning felt awkward at first. I wasn't sure how to get the spindle spinning and keep it moving. I didn't know what to do with my hands and the fiber. I kept at it, figuring that, like knitting, my body would figure it out eventually. My first spun single is not consistent in diameter. It has some "slubs" in it. It took me darned near 3 months to spin in. The second one is much more consistent and didn't take quite so long. Still, I wasn't exactly impressed with my skill. Neither of these singles looked like something I would want to knit.

Then, I plied the two singles together, and it was like magic or a chemical reaction: I got a product that was completely different from the input. I got a yarn that actually looks pretty nice, feels pretty strong, and that I am excited about dyeing and knitting up!

Two more miracles and I can apply for sainthood.

A New Technique: Learning Double Knitting

It's been a while since I really learned a new knitting technique. Lately most of my "adventures" have involved using techniques I already know in different ways. And, to be perfectly honest, a lot my recent knitting hasn't been particularly adventurous. It's been practical. I recently moved to a colder city, and I've felt the need to knit useful items for myself and my children.

One of the lovely things about knitting is that it can be practical and fun at the same time. Right now, double knitting is both for me. It is practical because double-knit items are very warm, having two layers of knitted fabric. It is fun because it is new to me and because it can create endless interesting patterns.

In case you are wondering what double knitting is, I'll try to explain. Double knitting involves working with two strands of yarn (usually of different colors) in a manner that creates a two-sided, reversible fabric. One strand is knitted, creating the front, and the other strand is purled, creating the back. If you swap the two strands, you'll get a stitch of the opposite color. By doing this in pattern, you end up with a reversible fabric, with the same pattern in opposite colors. There are many helpful videos available.

As I usually do when learning a new technique, I started with a small project: a cell phone case. If this works well, I'll probably try something a little larger for my next double knitting attempt, maybe mittens or a hat. Now that I live someplace with real winters, those would be very handy!

First ever knitalong

Knitting for 3 years, and I'm just doing my first knitalong (KAL for short). I'm participating in the first ever Google+ KAL. The pattern is beautiful: Bashful Butterflies by Julia Temiseva.

Of course, being me, I can't just do it like the pattern says. It calls for fingering weight yarn, but I'm using lace weight. Because I bought 100g of laceweight, I've got 925 yards of yarn. And I want a bigger shawl, so I decided to add repeats to the pattern. That involved some math. Actually, a lot of math. A lot of intimidating math. It took me over an hour to figure it out and I had to break out the good ol' 8th grade algebra skills. Yeah, I'm a nerd. What of it?

But I'm pleased with how the shawl looks so far. It might not be done in time. But it will be big and gorgeous, which makes it totally worth it.

Finally, a new post!

For a while there, I really wasn't knitting anything adventurous. Then, I just got out of the habit of blogging about what I am doing. But lately, I have taken on some new knitting adventures, so it is time to post again.

One new adventure I set for myself involved converting a pattern for a baby bunting that was written to be knitted in pieces and joined by seaming into a nearly-seamless pattern. This was very complicated. I managed to do it, but I am not sure I would do it again. I certainly would not for such a complexly-shaped piece.

Another new adventure was knitting a project I designed myself: baby boots. That went very well, and I am considering making the design available on Ravelry.

And, the adventure in which I am currently immersed (mired?) is knitting a sweater for my husband, on size 3 (very small) needles. This could take a while. If I'm lucky, I'll finish it by his birthday in January. Wish me luck!

Ravelympics: decisions, decisions

I'm excited about the Ravelympics coming up. This is an event Ravelry sponsors, in which knitters or crocheters may sign up for teams or participate individually. There are numerous "events," and one may choose how many to enter. The general idea is to challenge oneself to make an entire project, from cast on to bind off, during the Winter Olympics. You may swatch before the opening ceremony, but may not cast on until the torch is lit. And the project must be done by the time the torch goes out, 16 days later.

The decisions:

1) Should I join a team? I am a member of many groups on Ravelry, but teams are pretty much already formed up. I would prefer to be part of a small local team, but the local knitting groups I am in did not make the deadline for team sign-ups. So, I think I probably will not join a team.

2) What should I make? I had originally said I wanted to make a shawl called "Ishbel," but there are some truly beautiful free shawl patterns out there, so I have a hard time bringing myself to pay for a pattern I will probably only make once. I think I will substitute a pattern called "Haruni." I looked at it today, and doing it in 16 days would be a definite stretch for me, but isn't that the point?

So, I guess I will be going it alone in the Ravelympics, making a complex lace shawl that uses 460 yards of sock weight yarn. Wish me luck!

New Year, New Adventures

I've decided to try something new in 2010. I used some of my Christmas money to buy undyed yarn and dye from Knitpicks.com and I plan to start dyeing my own yarn. I might even start tomorrow.

I got the box today, and I am very pleased with the texture of the yarn. I'm particular about yarn being soft, so I was very leery of buying yarn without the opportunity to feel it first. I ordered two different types of undyed yarn: a merino/nylon 75/25 blend, and a merino/silk 70/30 blend. Both are fingering weight, and are nice and soft, although the wool/nylon blend is actually softer than the wool/silk blend.

It will be interesting to see how the yarn takes dye. I have some ideas about the kinds of effects I want to create, and how I might get there. I imagine it will take some experimentation. I hope I bought enough yarn.

Christmas is Over...

... which means I now have time for blogging again. A lot has happened in the month and a half since I last posted. The new digital camera arrived, so I have pictures again. Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone. I knit like a fiend in between, and finished four pairs of fingerless gloves for Christmas presents. I also knit myself a hat. I gave my dad the Celtic cross sweater, and he wore it for the next two days straight.

It's finally time for me to finish my own fingerless gloves, which I began several months ago. There are a lot of projects in my queue that I've put off until Christmas was over: a hat and mitts for my dad to match his sweater, a hat for Paul to match his brown cardigan, an MP3 player cozy and a journal cover for myself. I'd like to crochet Paul a cute afghan with a checkerboard on it, and the checkers to match. I also have a couple of "impulse" skeins of sock yarn that I need to decide what to do with. One is handspun that I bought at a local fiber festival; the other is Lorna's laces shepherd sock in a colorway that I couldn't resist.

On top of all that, I got some knit-related Christmas gifts that I will need to use as well. I used some of my Christmas money from my in-laws to buy undyed yarn, a ball winder, and a basic dyeing kit from KnitPicks. I also got a gift certificate to my favorite LYS. I promised the giver that I would use it to buy supplies to knit something for myself, but I may subtract the yarn I bought for the hat I just knit, since that was for me. Maybe it's cheating, but I will knit something for myself at some point soon, so that counts, right?

Anyway, the holiday was nice for my family, and I hope it was for everyone else, too. Now, back to knitting!