Knitknacks

MUD

Help! I’m caught up in quicksand; I am muddling my way through several complicated procedures, in both knitting and weaving, and my arms and legs and brain are operating in slow motion. It’s also possible (probable) that I have made several relatively simple procedures far more complicated than they need to be.

Let me explain.

Swatching for the East Meets West Jacket from Knit One Below has left me convinced that I have to start from scratch with entirely different yarn. My first swatch was shaping up to be so lovely, I scrapped it and cast on for a sleeve. Might as well get some real mileage out of a swatch, right?

But the so-called sleeve quickly showed me that even though I was spot-on gauge, it was knitting up into a loosey-goosey fabric. Far too flimsy to hold any shape later on.

It was suggested that I swatch to get a comfortable fabric with just the solid color yarn (Silky Wool) and adjust my numbers from there. This is all clear as mud, right? But I narrowed my focus into doing exactly that, because I sort of understood how that would work. The new swatch quickly showed me that I would have to knit this sweater on a size 3 needle at best to get a fabric that might work out okay.

Not doing that.

Back to the drawing board and starting over with at least one different yarn….possibly swapping out both. Depends on what I can find both color and weight-wise to please my senses. Right now my senses are perceiving a muddy brown, and that doesn’t please me at all.

ON TO THE WEAVING

I am fresh from my first adventure in floor loom weaving. I have a set of successfully-completed napkins….

and I am ready to tackle a baby blanket. Maybe. I want to warp the loom for double-weave, so I can make one whole blankie instead of having to weave two pieces and seam them. Have I ever mentioned how much I detest seaming?

I am being a good weaver and I am warping the loom right now with a small sample to make sure I understand the principles of double-weave before I commit to using this beautiful yarn:

(LynnH Colorsport and Debbie Bliss Prima)

I would like to be one of those bloggers who explains my thinking process SO clearly and effectively that weavers far and wide would turn to me for advice.

Not gonna happen.

This next paragraph or two will make no sense at all unless you are a weaver. Even then, it’s questionable. Feel free to skim. I have a 12 dent reed. My yarn requires a sett of 6 epi. Normally I would sley one thread every other dent to get that sett. But it’s doubleweave (two layers, joined on one side, so the fabric opens up to twice its width when it comes off the loom. Clever, right?) so I should sley two threads per dent. I warped the yarn accordingly.

Then I decided that was incorrect. That would be equivalent to a sett of 24 epi. I should sley two threads every other dent. No, I should sley one thread per dent….half would be on the top layer; half on the bottom, giving each layer a sett of 6 epi.

Layers of pure mud, I’m telling you.

I am in the middle of threading the heddles right now. I striped my yarn as if it were a single layer; it’s not going to create the plaid effect I want. I have no idea what it’s going to look like. I’m just muddling through now, curious to see what I will end up with. The most important information is whether I got the sett right, and whether it works to create a pleasing fabric. (Soft, drapey, perfect for a wee babe.) If I get that part right, I’ll seek out some expert help before I warp for the real thing.

This is not intuitive for me. I need a clear set of directions to follow. First, do this. Then do that. Precise numbers. Clear diagram. I am trying to make up my own draft pattern for this blanket, and it should be simple. It should be clear.

Clear as mud.

A TALE OF SEVERAL SWEATERS

Once upon a time, I started a sweater. Or two. As these things go, they both took a back seat to other projects. No particular reason; they aren’t misbehaving, I still like the patterns, I still like how they are shaping up…..slowly…..but no reason to think about the A word (Abandonment) in regard to either of them.

Until a few days ago, when I used yarn from each of them to swatch for something else. WHOA! This needs rethinking.

Sweater #1 is a Sally Melville Faith Jacket. I started it at least two years ago when I was in need of truly mindless knitting. No offense to Sally; this is not a slam to call it mindless. It is what it is. Lots of garter stitch stripes which end up making an incredibly good-looking and flattering jacket. In an attempt to gussy it up just a little, I am combining several different yarns and weights, all in various shades of mostly green. I think I am not quite halfway. One of the yarns I’ve been using is a lovely green/blue blend of Mirasol Hacho. Hold that thought.

Sweater #2 is the  Phyllo Yoked Pullover sweater from Norah Gaughan’s Knitting Nature book. I’m using Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool in an oddly interesting shade of blue. I have completed the sleeves, and maybe two inches of the body.

As these two sweaters have been languishing for long enough to make me wonder if I’ll ever really finish them, I occasionally give thought to what else I might do with the yarn. Which is why I considered the two as a combination for the East Meets West jacket in the Knit One Below book. This sweater will be a KAL project for my Thursday morning coffee/knit-in group, beginning in several weeks. (Anyone? Care to join us?)

I decided to swatch with the two yarns in the K1b pattern, just to see how they would work together. I did not expect them to be a perfect couple.

But they are. The odd blue of the Silky Wool turns out to be a perfect frame for the variegated colors of the Hacho. I am not sure yet what will become of Sweater #1 and Sweater #2. But I am certain that I will use that yarn to make Sweater #3. I’m so excited by the combination that I plan to start my sweater even before the KAL officially begins. Ssh….don’t tell anyone.

PEEKABOO AGAIN
I didn’t like the way the crocheted trim looked on the Peekaboo sweater. I re-did it using a smaller hook, and I am much happier. I enjoyed the crocheting just as much the second time. Note to self: crochet more.

I also paired it with a little sundress from Baby Gap. The dress looks huge with the sweater in this photo, but in real life the proportions look a lot better. I wish I could be at the baby shower when this is opened, but since it’s a California baby it went off in today’s mail.

LOOM LOVING
My Baby Wolf is warped and I am loving how the first napkin is turning out.  (Ignore the blue stuff...that's just waste yarn to get the warp even. Think provisional cast-on)

Stay tuned. Seven more to follow shortly. Weaving is fast!

(Hempathy for warp and weft. 12 dent reed)

THE LURE OF THE LOOM

I am on Loom Overload. Since my last entry, my loom population has grown. I now have an adorable Baby Wolf (a 4 harness floor loom) to accompany the three rigid heddle looms. (The three little pigs and the big bad wolf?) This means four hungry mouths to feed with appropriate warps. In addition, since I’m currently taking a floor loom class at Woven Arts, there is a fifth loom that needs to be kept busy. I keep making lists of projects currently in progress, along with a queue list of what to plan for next. It looks something like this: 

Cricket: Currently weaving a scarf using Nashua Snowbird alpaca for the warp and weft. This is a sample for a larger afghan project. I love how it’s looking, but I won’t know for sure if I have the right sett (equivalent to gauge for knitting) until it’s been washed.

 

When the sample scarf is done, I’m starting a cream-colored silk scarf with purpley designs on the borders. This is possibly for my daughter, if she likes it, in place of a beaded scarf she wanted me to knit. I may still have to knit the beaded scarf, but we’ll see.

 Harp: Empty at the moment. I am intending to start a baby blanket on this. Details to come.

 Flip: Still has the sample warp from the double heddle class. I need to continue sampling. I need to try out using the double heddles to make a double width fabric. Once that’s done, I plan to use the Flip to make the Snowbird Afghan. On the other hand, I may slip in a pretty stole first with yarn just acquired yesterday. Decisions decisions.

Woven Arts class: Currently working on a sampler. I am planning a set of tea napkins next. Details to come. 

Wolf: I was going to make placemats, but my weaving instructor suggested I made an additional set of tea napkins to mirror what I do in class, and cement in the learning. Excellent idea. Details to come.

 Lest you think I am all about the details to come, and not about finishing anything, here is the Fiesta Placemat I was working on.

 

Isn’t she pretty. I do plan to make more. Soon. Details to come.

KNITTING

Yes, this is still a knitting blog. I haven’t given up knitting. Knot at all. I’ve finished and blocked the Gracie Shawl, and I do love it indeed.

And I’ve finished the Peekaboo Sweater from Heirloom Stitches and every time I do a little crochet, I wonder why I don’t do more of it. The crocheted edging on this sweater was just plain fun to do, and it makes the sweater.

 Cashmere Merino Silk DK by Sublime

Haven't blocked it yet. This is for one of those many babies I mentioned a while back. The entry on 3/29/09… I mentioned several times that I have a lot of babies to knit for. I had to be sort of subtle then. Did everyone get that there is a new grandchild in production? The Antarctica boy and the Antarctica girl got married and now live in Denver, and are having a Colorado baby. But this sweater isn’t for that baby. It’s for another baby. Babies are everywhere, I’m telling you.

 ATTENTION SPAN

I don’t have one anymore. It took three sessions at the computer to get this blog entry posted. Right now I am trying to decide between relaxing with a book, weaving at home, or weaving at Woven Arts. I need three of me. Have a good holiday weekend, everyone. 

 

BUSY HANDS

These hands seem to be busy all the time lately. The weaving engrosses me completely. I will be starting a class soon using the big guys…..table and floor looms. 4 and 8 harnesses. This is a dangerous path I am on wandering along on. I find myself thinking….hmmm….if my next-door neighbor moved out (not Lynn, the other next-door neighbor), I could rent his apartment too and have room for looms.

Yeah, right.

In the meantime I am using up warp! I finished a pretty scarf using Malabrigo Silky Wool DK for the weft, and a mix of Hempathy and Prima for a very subtle striping warp.

I’m also working on placemats from the book Weaving Made Easy by Liz Gipson. I guess my choice of yarn is quite different from the 3/2 cotton she recommends. I had calculated that I would need 92 yards of weft for each placemat. Instead, my choice of Panda Cotton is resulting in a full skein of 182 yards used so far, and I have 5 inches to go. But look how nicely it’s coming out.

I am calling these Fiesta Placemats since they are intended to match my Fiestaware dishes. Each mat will be different bright colors on a green warp or a yellow warp. Unless I decide after washing this first one that it doesn’t work. We’ll see...I'm treating this first one as a sample (think swatch).

So…um….am I knitting? Well, yes, really I am. I did finish a pair of socks….The Tipsy Turvy pattern created by Rob for the shophop last fall, using Creatively Dyed yarn. The yarn is lush and I love the way they turned out.

And I have been slowly slogging my way through my shapeless blob of a shawl….the Gracie Shawl from Myrna Stahman’s book. I’m using a lavender shade of Kathmandu DK. This worked up slowly but steadily while I was on the garter stitch portion, and I looked forward to getting into the meat of the lace. HAH! I have HATED this lacework. I made mistakes in the count on every single row. I ripped out the first 7 rows of lace and started them over. I corrected some mistakes, but made new ones.

I decided I didn’t care if there were mistakes.

I decided to abandon the whole project.

I decided to try again.

I made more mistakes.

I decided it was time for this shawl to be done, ready or not. I blocked it yesterday to see if was anywhere near long enough. Why, it is. And bigger surprise….I can’t see the mistakes. So I’ll opt for a plain garter stitch border, and be really done in a few nights.

I may decide I love it after all.

REBIRTH

Three weeks ago I started a Rigid Heddle Weaving class at Woven Art with Nancy McRay. It might be premature to say this, but I am feeling like this might have been one of those life-changing decisions that we sometimes stumble into and don’t usually recognize until after the fact.

But after the final class wrapped up this week, I realized that I had been in a flow state during the three hours of class each week. The entire rest of my world melted away while I immersed myself in a constant process of learning a new skill.

I’m in deep. I’m reading everything I can get my hands on. Books from the library; books I’ve purchased; tons of old Handwoven Magazines that a wonderful knitting friend lent to me; websites; Ravelry forums.

I’m in way deep. I have the 16 inch Kromski Harp. And I have the 25 inch Schacht Flip. I have extra heddles and extra shuttles and extra pick-up sticks. There are differences between the two brands and I’m glad I have one of each. I have the best of both worlds.

Both looms have double heddle capabilities. But what good is that if I don’t know how to use it. So I am taking a workshop on Sunday with Jane Patrick to learn how to warp and use double heddles.

Here’s what I’ve done so far with the single heddles:

Scarf
Warp: Tofutsies
Weft: Chameleon Colorworks Evolution
12 dent heddle
Plain weave

Scarf
Warp: Brown Sheep Naturespun in black
Weft: Noro Silk Garden Lite 2034
10 dent heddle
Mixture of plain weave and 5/1 lace

Both sides of the Noro scarf are different, but equally interesting.

Nancy thinks I was probably a weaver in a past life. I think she's on to something.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

I wrote the following post a week ago:

My Sophia cardigan is beautiful to look at. Simply beautiful. Everything I had envisioned when I started this sweater to chase away February blues. Except for the excessive stretching in length….that part I had not envisioned. This process of trying to get perfect fit for an imperfect body is wearing me down.

I did want the sweater to be longer than the pattern called for. I wanted it to just skim the bottom of my hips. After I joined the sides in the very clever invisible side seam this designer has devised, I knit a few inches and tried it on. This is where I would have ripped back and changed the length if I’d had any inkling that it would be too long. But at that point in the knitting, it was exactly right.

That should have pushed a few alert buttons. I do know that the sheer weight of a finished sweater pulls things down, sometimes dramatically. But this felt like such a lightweight yarn; I really didn’t think about it. If I gave it a second of consideration, I might have thought so what if it were half an inch, or even an inch longer.

I DID NOT EVER THINK IT WOULD GROW SIX INCHES!

I did not ever think it would be down near my knees instead of just skimming my bottom.

My fellow knitters are trying to tell me it’s not as bad as I think it is. Maybe they are right.  Maybe I can figure out how to make this length fashionable instead of foolish.

Maybe I can find a really tall person who adores this sweater and would actually wear it.

Maybe I can learn from this experience….even though I haven’t seemed to learn much from past fitting mistakes.

That was a week ago. Then I had an epiphany! I could not shorten the sweater. The only solution was to grow taller. So I did. I grew 4 inches taller overnight. Here I am wearing it. Don't I look a smashing 5'10"?

Yes! I love it.

Sophia Cardigan from French Girl Knits
Louisa Harding Kashmir DK