Questions

Sorry for lack of entries. So Rosa is done, I started a little of Ruby, and I have most of my ongoing pairs of socks finished. I have the Christmas socks to finish. I think I have one more repeat or so left in the leg portion of the sock, but in truth, I haven't felt like knitting on it. I'm also frustrated that since my size twos are in those socks, I can't start the other pairs I really want to start. Any suggestions on how to motivate myself or help avoid second sock syndrome here? (I already know how to avoid it when you start a pair, but one is already finished. I'm asking how to make this more interesting.)

On other notes, I started spindling up the wool I bought at the Wool Gathering. I have been on a hiatus from spinning for a few months, mainly because I ran out of the other wool, and this smooth, soft wool requires a slightly different touch then the sticky, rougher wool I was using before. I spun up some wool on a toy spindle *gasp!* and when I bought a Schacht Hi-Lo spindle, I had to get use to the extra weight. My first spinning attempts from the Sarai(that is the sheep's name!) wool failed because my yarn kept breaking. Interestingly enough, I learned on a toy bottom whorl spindle after reading a lot about spinning, but now use my Hi-Lo as a top/high whorl. I did not have a real spindle at the Wool Gathering, and thought about getting one. I didn't try to purchase a spindle there, although I did get a neat lucet, but I'm don't think I would have wanted to purchase my first real spindle there anyway. For one thing, I was fairly miserable all day and unable to enjoy the experience of my first ever fiber fest properly because I was catching a cold and for another thing, I think I would feel more able to try it out and choose one in a store. I ended up buying mine in person at the Weaver's Loft. I think I might just need more wool, and some of the wool I've seen on the internet is lovely looking. However, I am afraid to get anything with more than one color, because I don't know how to spin it. Also, my only attempt at plying with the spindle did not encourage me. I suppose I might try the kick spindle plying technique in Spindlicity, but I like my Schacht and don't want to kick it. Another reason I didn't get a spindle at the Wool Gathering was that I was fairly unsure which way I wanted to use it and the spindles there all seemed sort of fancy. So have any tips about spinning with dyed wool or plying on a spindle?

In case you were curious, I have a project in mind and have started knitting it. (Probably a bad idea, but I all ready started! ) I am combining the ideas of the Fingerless Mitts in Homespun, Handknit and the Mitts in OneSkein. I am using size 5 knitting needles. I have not dyed the main part of the mitts and don't plan to. I think if I have some extra wool though, I might dye a little to see how my handspun will do. I might make an accent, or perhaps knit a band for my watch face. I will probably be dying with KoolAid if I do.

Also, I encountered the Cascade Fixation Ankle Sock KAL and am thinking I might try a pair. Apparently they only take a ball for a pair. But do you think I should order Espirit from Elann, purchase Fixation online or get Fixation from my not so LYS (Not so local because it is somewhat out of the way. But then, the only not very out of the way places for me where you can get yarn are the big hobby chains or a few grocery/general merchandise stores that carry it around here. I'm not sure what it would mean if it weren't so yarn shop...) ?

Another note is that I hope to be able to place the green Homespun sweater in the FO column. This thing is my first sweater (and I haven't finished any others yet, though I have started another sweater, as you can probably see from the WIPs sidebar). It is getting to be a PITB. PITB is similar in meaning to "PITA" however, it sounds more like something I would say, because the only occasion I use the a word in is in antiquated sounding references to donkeys. I did not know much about gauge for some reason when I started the sweater, and over that, I picked the size that was identical in finished width to my bust size at the time. *See Digression at bottom of post* Unfortunately, I am about an inch bigger around now and although my gauge is somewhat off, I'm not sure it will fit. All I have left is the end of the second sleeve, but the sewing up may be a nightmare, partially because the Homespun won't work for seaming and I am having problems finding matching yarn for "Spring Green". On top of everything else, although it may not matter much, I stopped creating crossed stockinette stitch about half way through the sweater. My other sweater also has this. Also, I have maybe 1/2 or 1/3 of a skein left (a half is probably really stretching it), about an inch to two inches left on the sleeve, and I have no hood done. I am hoping to finish the sweater by Monday, though. What shall I do for the neck finishing?

Speaking of sweaters, I think my next big sweater or sweater-ish project might be an EZ pattern. (Not EaZy, Elizabeth Zimmermann for anyone who thought otherwise.) Either: A basic seamless sweater with one of the fancier seven seamless sweater shoulder shapings and perhaps the Jewel Cross Rib; or the Faeroe patterned vest from Sweaters from Camp with the ribbing. And possibly without the "noses". Isn't "seven seamless sweater shoulder shapings" a tongue twister? I think I'm adding a word, but they are in her (EZ's) Knitting Workshop.

Here is your very long entry on the first of February.
~Arachnera

Digression: If you somehow have read Stash Envy, which I believe is written by Lisa Boyer, of the quilting world, this gauge issue somehow reminds me of (I am paraphrasing, since I don't have it in front of me "When I purchased Spot, my QAS (Quilters Alarm System) should have warned me against it, but it was not fully active yet." I had read books, and I am sure they preached "Check Your Gauge!" "ALWAYS BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE!" et cetera but I still ignored the gauge issue.

Short Randomness

Kromski has a new wheel: Sonata. They are very musical.

No Kromskis at the Wool Gathering, at least not for sale; in fact, I saw very few spinning wheels for sale at all. It's possible that someone brought a Kromski to spin on, but I'm not sure. I did try out an Ettrick Windwheel at the booth of the something or other of the Greater Miami Valley(?). Why such a wheel? I just wanted to try spinning and that happened to be the wheel I tried on.

I bought an ash lucet from the Rouge Lucette. I finally figured out how to use it that Saturday night.

"From the Archives": (Not really, after all, there are no archives!)

HOW KNITTING SAVED A SCIENCE PROJECT:
The junior high student had been sick over Christmas break and she had to start her science project that day. She finally found most of the items she needed for her weather instruments. However, the type of shoelace needed for the psychrometer could not be found. Thinking about it, she realized that a tubular shoelace could be simulated with that type of knitting known as I-cord. So she got out her U.S. #4 dpns, and some white Sugar 'n' Cream and saved her project with I cord. Horray!

Wishes...

At last, some pictures:

What I wish:

I could have at least one of the following (ONE, probably not more!):


Kromski Polonaise


Kromski Minstrel


Kromski Mazurka


Kromski Prelude



Kromski Symphony, especially

Or even one of these:

(Why, I don't know, but the Ashford pictures did not appear...)


I wish I might get one of these as a beginner's model:



Schacht Wolf Pup

Wishes will be continued next week!

Busy-ness

I haven't forgotten my blog, I've just been busy. All three pairs of socks in progress are at least half done. I learned to spin on a spindle last night. (Needless to say, I still have slubs.) I tried nalbinding using this tutorial: Phiala's Nalbinding page. I have been taking swimming lessons at the local Y(MCA). I have been to the Weaver's Loft. I got a latch hook kit (Rainbow Flyer from Caron, but I call it Odonata [toothed; the order to which dragonflies and damselflies belong. Because, at least I think, that's a dragonfly.]) I have been working on watchbands for a watch face I got at the local Jo-Ann's Fabric Store. Unfortunately, I still have problems getting pictures up. (If you must know, 1.44 MB, the capacity of a floppy, isn't very much space for pics of socks, bracelets, etc. )

About spinning(And nalbinding):
A good friend of mine very generously taught me to spin on a (very tiny) spindle and gave me some fleece to get started last night. I think the fleece still has some lanolin in it, making it soft on my hands (and face!) (also, my hands aren't that sensitive to scratchiness), but the yarn is slightly scratchy. I already love spinning, though my yarn is thick and thin still and I am not spinning on a wheel, which I thought I would prefer. By the way, don't ask, but don't try spinning using cotton balls and a homemade spindle, or nalbinding using a small tapestry needle (similar to ones I used for needlepoint on 7 count plastic canvas) and Wool-ease. That nalbinding does not work out too well because I get the impression that you need slightly loose stitches and you will get small ones with this, plus somehow the process seems to be contrary to the twist of the Wool-Ease and the Wool-Ease won't felt. Nothing wrong with the materials, they just didn't work for my purpose (With the spinning, however, not so.)

Anyhow, I never got the Macreme Pouch up to my website, nor did I ever get to do the neccesary research for the other item I wanted to write. But I am starting something: yarn reviews! These are not yarns I buy specifically to be tested, and thus may not be exactly periodical. They are just yarns I happen to encounter in my knitting life. And another new feature: yarn splurges.

I have to be allergy tested today. Blah.

I am not, contrary, to what my comment on acrylic might have lead you to believe, what you'd really think of as a fiber snob, nor do I really have anything against Red Heart or the company that makes it. I simply find that certain colors/types of Red Heart are very scratchy and that the plain colors can get a little boring. If you can believe it, though, for most of the first years that I knitted (not too long ago; I learned during '00 or '01) I used plain, untextured acrylic. Now I use some of Lion Brand's yarns and plan to order some more yarn from Knit Picks. Which brings us to the first yarn review. If only I could keep from jumping around.

Dancing
From www.knitpicks.com

Color:
Unfortunately, as you can guess, I don't have a picture, but you can see it at www.knitpicks.com. I ordered the color Swing, which ended up as my Swing(or Dance) over the Rainbow socks. I believe they no longer have that particular color available, but it, if you wish to know, it has most of the colors of the rainbow. It does have one problem, or at least it might seem that way to some people: the colors make little pools, and sometimes the yellow and purple in the yarn made pools of stripes. This wasn't much of a problem to me. I would not advise using a complex pattern that you want to be able to see with this yarn (or at least not with this color). I used Elongated Corded Rib from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks; though I couldn't see the pattern, it made the sock lacy. Oh, by the way, there is a white strand of something or other around the yarn, which gives it an interesting look.

Quality:
Well, this yarn is soft. It's a Cotton/Wool/Elastic blend, but I didn't really notice the elastic. (I don't know... I've never knitted with Cascade Fixation(cotton/elastic), but this didn't seem to behave like I thought elastic blend yarn would.) I personally thought it behaved like slightly stretchy sock yarn. It's from KnitPicks, so the value is pretty good to me. I had one minor problem: I bought two skeins of course, to make a pair of socks, and each skein had at least one knot in the yarn. To me it didn't matter a whole lot, but to you it might. I did have a comment from a fellow knitter at last night's knitting group on the softness of the yarn. I do, although I didn't mention it previously, have what's known as atopic dermatitis, also known as ezecma, and it's really bad on my hands and feet. Ironically, the dryness makes the palms of my hands pretty tough, but the other parts of my feet are pretty sensitive. These socks did not bother them at all. I knitted the socks on size US. 2's. I have a bit of a problem with gauge on socks, more on that later, but I didn't measure the gauge.

Overall:
I'd give it 8 on a scale of 10, 1 being "Don't buy this stuff, it's the worst yarn in the world" and 10 being: "You must have this yarn."

First splurge:

At www.knitpicks.com:

1 ball of every color of all yarns except sock yarn and

2 balls of every color of sock yarn except those in 100 gram hanks=

As of 8/8/2006

547 items

$1,878.33!

Wow!

This is how the splurge works:

I go to a website, look at the stuff and place it in a cart. Nothing is bought, however. Then, I record it here at the blog. This feature should run until '07 at which time, ASAP, I will tally up what I would have spent and bought with these splurges. Also, I may revisit a site to (suposedly) buy more. I thought about writing down each and every item, but I don' t think that would work too well since today I had 547 items. Plus, I, not thinking about it, closed the window after writing down the price, so I don't have an exact record.