June Books and Events

On the Book front I put down my non-fiction book about the escape from Alcatraz - I didn't like the over-all structure of the book.  I found it hard to figure out who all the players were...  Anyway...

I picked up Yarn: Remembering The Way Home by Kyoko Mori.  I'm about 2 chapters in and she's so compelling.  I hope she lands on her feet, especially since she's a knitter :)

I have been to the Midwest Folk and Fiber.  It is a 3 day Fiber festival and folk art thing.  They had a small display of work, quilting and weaving and things.  There was a market floor with about 2 dozen venders and some outdoor vendors selling foods.  There were bunnies on the market floor.  Sweet angora rabbits some sheered, others a-fluff.  I took no pictures.  It was not really worth the $10 entry fee.  Although I didn't take any, the classes were pretty good with great teachers.

I did take home a small grocery bag full of fiber.  One project for spinning and one for knitting.  I picked up some Gradients in Merino Silk from Fiber Optics in the Fire in the Sky colorway.  I also got some great turquoise yarn from Lost City Knits in the DK base.

On Saturday we start Tour De Fleece.  I am going to try to finish some of the long term projects on my bobbins and spindles.  :)  It includes the Blue Moon Fiber Arts mystery fiber in Briar Rose that I've been drop spindling for about a year and change.  I picked that up at the Sewing Show in Schaumburg in March 2012.  It's a nice prep and the colors are reds and greens.  I am going to have to sample to see what I can do when plying this up.  I worry about the muddying of colors.  I have 5 pounds of llama from Christimas 2011, I talked about that fiber in last post.  I also have green BFL from Miss Babs, in Envy Me and Dew, about 24 ounces of it total.

Now I've been putting off seaming a sweater long enough, I can't wait to show you my WIPS and FO's.  I do hope that the sweater makes it to the FO pile!

June Classes and Spinning.

A few things are going on while I twirl fluff to yarn.  And they are all very old things.  Currently working on some spindle spinning.  BMFA fiber in base unknown in a color called Briar rose.  Very pretty, about 1/2 way done with the singles.

I started working on the llama fiber from my aunt again.  I was not impressed with the prep on the fiber I was working, second cuts and lots of vegetable matter.  However, about 3/4 through what I was working on my lap, I got to some well prepped fiber.  It was drafting, very little matter, like the first stuff I tested.  Oh my.  I think there's just a bit of 'bad' stuff in the bag.  My attitude has improved.

The first sample ounce I got turned out like this.  So pretty.

I am also working some BFL from Miss Babs in Envy Me and another green colorway that I will be mixing up.  I've been switching between the colors whenever the fiber "breaks."  So bright and electric!

I have finished the Two if By Hand Polworth.  I made a gradient yarn, it moves from gold to purple and back to gold.  About 190 yards of a fingering weight.

Here is my finished work.

I signed up for SOAR this week.  It's in my backyard - St Charles IL, and I might not get to go again.  It's exciting to take a class from another member of my guild, and learn about the mechanics of my wheel.

Oh, I put my Ashford Traveler wheel in the back seat of RachelCables' car last weekend, I hope she's having fun with it.  I know that when I was starting on the wheel I feel pretty self conscious when the owners were watching.  So I hope the alone time helps her and she gets some pretty stuff to come out of it.  

On the classes front:

I'm teaching a navigating ravelry class and a two at a time on two circulars Sock class.  I love both of those classes.  They are both fast paced and fill the time completely.  I really like those kinds of classes.  You can find my classes at Fuzzy Wuzzy in Arlington Heights.

I recently took the Anne Hanson Class on Bittersweet Vines.  She did a great job working through any elements that you might have problems with and walked us over why different executions of the yarn-over might look bigger or smaller depending on the stitches surrounding it.  Very helpful, but I still am at a loss about what to do with that...

Here's some hexapuffs drying...

May FO's and WIP's

So, some knit alongs started this month and deadlines are approaching and rather that post, I knit.

So here's what I've been working on and finishing.

First I've been slogging along on a bee keeper's quilt and have made some great puffs.  Here's a couple in the Rick Goes to Crazy Town color from Knit and Fiber Creation's Walking Dead club.

I finished mom's fun-fur scarf.  She loves it.  And that's what matters, not my pride or my achey hands...

I finished 2 pairs of socks - one in more Walking Dead Yarn - this one in Lori's Ghost and it's very pretty, in a pattern I made up myself.  A cabled slip stitch pattern.

And the other a pair called All Dressed Socks in a color from Unwind Yarn Company, Feriade Valencia, and they are amazingly bright!

Then I went cowl crazy!  I made a cowl in 4 days.  Size 10 needles helps though. ... The Sallah Cowl from knitty.com  And it's amazing.  I may have blocked it a little aggressively, but I thought it was choking me... 

The doubling of the loop means I get a mustache!  Great fun.

I have started the Bittersweet Vines Cowl and Mitts set by Anne Hanson, who came to visit the Windy City Knitting Guild last weekend.  I chose Plymoth Mushishi to knit it out of.  It's a one ply aran weight, wool and silk blend.  And here's my cowl in progress with Anne.  She is so sweet.

I didn't go alone - with DizzieLizzie and RachelCables we worked our cowls.  I love Rachel's - look at that green!

Also on the needles - no photo  - is the Stoker Sweater from Amy Herzog.  I finally did the math and read the 3 sleeve articles from knitty.com to figure my fat-arm-skinny-sleeve problem out.  Conclusions being 1. Lose some weight so I don't have this problem and 2. knitting is all math.  

Conclusions looking at the above pictures, everyone's getting cowls for Christmas!

Knitting with Intertubes

I saw this on buzzfeed ...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/gigantic-knitted-things-youd-love-to-cuddle-up-with


And it had a link to Phat Knits and this picture:

Yeah, it's made from thread (a lot of them I suppose) but if you made it out of intertube.  It would be so SQUISHY!

May Events!

So at the end of April I went to Yarn School in Harveyville, Kansas with a friend from my knitting group in Green Bay Area.

When you move away from an area, you leave good things behind, Ann & that knitting group was just one of many things I left to move to Chicagoland.  She is probably the only one that has kept in touch.  She reached out about meeting up for a yarny event and finally stars aligned for a road trip to KS!

The drive was a long one, the vehicle was a full one, and good time was made.

We arrived and were amount the first to check in.  The retreat is held in an older rural school complex owned by a fantastic family.  Nikol has a little farm around the schools they live in and runs a little knit/fiber shop out of the old school office.  We had our spinning wheels set up in a big circle in the gym.  

And we had our dye lab taught in the old chem lab.

And the fiber hung to dry above our heads! 

And we slept in the elementary school building.

We visited an alpaca farm where we could buy their locks or roving.  And visit the babies.

And Nikol cooked us leisurely late gourmet meals.  And I knew something amazing was coming when I could smell the smoker going.

Smoked cheese!

I learned so much, met amazing women and feel so blessed to have been a part.  I will be back, you can check out their site where they offer other retreats and can accommodate group activities too!

I have unloaded all my things and started spinning up some of the goodies that I dyed or batted or bought while there...

May: Books!

 I haven't really been devouring books the way I did at the beginning of the year. But have been working on the Craftsy class and book Knit to flatter by Amy Herzog.  The book is very well photographed and the sweaters are great staples for anyone. I opened the book this weekend to look at starting a sweater. I am in a couple sweater knit alongs and I've decided to use the Berroco Flickr yarn that I got from fuzzy-wuzzy yarns. Here is a picture of my swatch

My mom my measurements & Then I could make my final sweater choice and With a Good Plan and the Rest of Amy's Class To guide me I started.  And then I ripped back.  My hips, I need to cast on again thinking of my hip measuements.  The negative ease in my hips would be over 8" otherwise.  It also explains why shirts don't fit both my hips & chest at the same time!

I do need to work more math for my biceps, but Amy's book does not tackle that.  The class makes a point to tell you why you need positive ease in the arms - but then doesn't make any attempt to help you do it :-/  not cool.

The other book I am very excited to come is Botanica Knits. Nature inspired sweaters and accessories from my favorite designer is always a treat. I think I saw on her blog that the books were delivered a couple weeks ago. I think that means that soon I should be seeing my own copy I'm in the mail. I can book on digital for a while but I really love the tactile nature of knitting books.

May Spinning and Classes

My spinning life has taken off.  The trip to Harveyville for Yarn School really did that for me.  Being around 40 passionate spinners rubbed off on me.  It also empowered me.  I feel like I could try any technique and without hesitation.  I have tried some coils - they were fun and tricky and fiddly.

I have spun some batts.  I carded some stuff and it was based on some Miss Babs BFL/Silk blend that I got from the website.  The color was called 'Cats Cradle' and I thought it was great in the picture, but it was a lot more salmon than I cared for.  I blended it with some browns and whites and some add-ins from Yarn School, sparkles and the like.

It looks fluffy and warm.

The next thing on the wheel is the Two if By Hand Polwarth.

It's spinning fine.

It was so nice to spin outside.  Although spinning in the wind is a new sensation.  A fun fun sensation.

On the classes front, I'm teaching the garter class.  I had fun knitting it up, and pinning it out was so satisfying.

I'm taking the Amy Herzog Craftsy class on Knit to Flatter.  I am enjoying it, what I love the most is that I can go at my own pace.  Diagnosing my shape I've learned I need a better bra.  I also am bottom heavy (no kidding) and what kind of sweaters should I have been knitting for myself.  And I have been swatching for a new sweater with Amy's guidance.

It's Berroco Flicker on a size 11 and 10.5.  I can't wait for it to dry!

April's FO's and WIP's

With my trips out of town and a death in my partner's family, I'm a little behind.  It's ok.  Super pretty stuff is worth the wait I hope.

Trip was safe, learned some good things, got lots of pretty treats.

On the Needles:

I've been doing a few hexapuffs for the beekeepers quilt.  I've been using scraps of sock yarn, the latest puffs came from a pair of socks I made for my mom for Christmas in 2009.

Those puffs are very colorful!

I have been working on a hooded scarf for my mom out of yarn that is similar to muppet pelt.  No pictures of this, I will deny working with fun-fur.  I'm a "real" knitter after all...

I am going to work on a sweater soon, very soon.  If I blog it, it makes it true.

I am lastly working on some sock out of Tough Sock from Knit and Fiber Creations.  The color is inspired by The Walking Dead Season 3.  Yay!  I'm making up the pattern.  Sprial Slipped Stitches...

So pretty.  A deep brown on white with hints of pink.  

FINISHED OBJECTS:

I finished stuff, oh yeah!  

I finished a pair of plain socks also with the Walking Dead season 3 sock yarn ... 

Browns, greys, white and blue, inspired by Rick.  mmmm.

I finished working up a pattern with the help of test knitter RachelCables, and here we are on my front porch modeling our socks.  I have the little feet, my feet are child sized, she's a normal human being.

I also finished a sample for Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns, a garter stitch lace garter.  A wedding keepsake!

Classes are on May 14 or June 11!  I used a lace edging from Franklin Habit's Knitty.com article and went at it with excel and swatches.  I think the result is very nice.

And lastly, 2 shawls.  A very special couple is getting married next month, the colors of the wedding are Bird of Paradise colors.  Her shawl is here in black and white.

The other shawl is likely what I will where to the wedding...  it's a WIP picture, but I will get better pictures for my ravelry page later.

To get back on track you can expect a double May entry in a couple days!

April Events!

There have been goings ons.  I have been busy the last few weeks.

In March for "Spring Break" I went to Arizona to see my brother.  We looked at the Grand Canyon.  And I did not do anything yarny except knit on the plane and in the car and showed a 10 year old how to knit.  I wish I had brought a starter kit with me.  I would have left some knitting with my brother's home...

I also got to birthday tickets Book of Mormon.  Fantastic Show!  And a long trip to downtown Bank of America Theatre was great for knitting!  I also went to YarnCon.  I wasn't planning on being first through the doors, but I was up early and headed down after chores.  Was probably number 25 or so.  I got a great good bag, with patterns and yarn and YarnCon swag.  And then I went into the gym with all the fun vendors in it!

YarnCon is like a live Etsy Marketplace.  It is fantastic.  A good vibe, the Plumber's Hall is an amazing venue.  I got to meet Tammy of Knit and Fiber Creation Etsy shop.  She runs the Walking Dead yarn club I'm in.  LOVE it, and since it was shortly after the season finale, it was good to talk about the show too.
I spent about an hour and change there.  There were shops selling scented goods and it started to bother me.  A big thank you to all those who worked hard to put on the show!

I head off tomorrow for Yarn School in Harveyville KS and I can't wait to give you a full report :)

Books For April

So, I have been reading a lot lately.  I got books for Christmas and they included The Hunger Games series and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I tore through the Hunger Games books and had started reading a book I picked up on vacation a while back, Breaking the Rock.  It's about the escape attempt from Alcatraz.  It's interesting, but I don't know that I care for the writing style much.  Bounces around a bit, switches between calling people by first, last, and nicknames.  Hard to follow.  But I'm over half way through.  I NEED TO KNOW!

All this other reading really has led me to open some of these other knitting books.  And I got a couple new books, The Spinner's Book of Yarn Designs.

I'm going to take this one to Yarn School with me.  I hope to have some time to really look at it and find out who has tried what.  I like the section on plying.  The Visually Learning book for spinning really does a lousy job with explaining plying.  My favorite part is that there is a swatch knit up in the sample yarn.  I like it.  I think this is a great little resource book!

I have a couple fit for your body books I'd like to get a little further into before I talk about them here.  I also have the Craftsy.com class for Amy Herzog's book.  I hope to cover them together.