Knitasha von Stashenskeins

Time Keeps on Tickin'

I always plan to make my posts quick, but today I mean it!

Salto socks are done and they are gorgeous!

That's what you get when you take a fabulous pattern and mix it with really great yarn.  One of my favorite features about these socks is how long they are.  Left to my own devices, I usually make cuffs a little short 'cuz I get impatient.  They are almost too pretty to wear, but I guess I'll just have to try!
















There has been a little more spinning of the pencil roving.

Here it is hanging in my laundry room after a good soak in Eucalan.  It did soften up a little, but it is far from cashmere.  I should have enough roving left to make my total amount about double of what you see here.  Probably not enough for a vest.  Hat?  Industrial strength mittens?










My next project is a big secret and I've got an ambitious deadline.  I can only give you a teeny peek here.

















For full details, you can go to Ravelry.  If you can't access Ravelry, then maybe you aren't supposed to know!  All will be revealed in time.  (Tick, tick, tick...)

It will be interesting to come up with blog fodder while I can't show you my knitting.  Luckily for me, I am only posting once in a blue moon these days.  Another month or so, and I really think life will slow down a little bit and I'll have more time.  Before that, I have a birthday, a graduation, and visiting grandparents (both sets, overlapping!) to get through.  Send any spare happy thoughts my way!

Many Verbs

My life is full of verbs these days.  I've been cleaning, sorting, folding, washing, sweeping, driving, weeding, and doctoring.  Blogging - not so much. Not a lot of time for the fun stuff.  I didn't even make it to knit night Tuesday - too tired!

A few fun verbs have managed to survive the rush.  First of all, reading.  Did I ever mention that I got myself a Kindle?  Well, I did, and it has become the love of my life.  It is so easy to take it everywhere and I never have to worry that I might finish my book and be trapped with no reading material.  I can download another book in a flash without needing to find Wi-Fi.  My latest book is The Subtle Knife, which is the sequel to The Golden Compass.  I'm hooked on this series now - Philip Pullman is so inventive!

Another fun verb is spinning.  I have lots of soft stuff to spin, but at the moment I'm obsessively spinning some scratchy stuff instead.

That is a #2 needle included for scale.  This is bona-fide "wooly" wool, it even smells sheepy.  Far too scratchy to wear next to the skin, but I might be able to make a very warm outer garment for my daughter to take to Montreal.

I'm spinning it out of pencil roving, which I had been meaning to try for quite a while.  Pencil roving is drawn out in a continuous thin strip and comes in "wheels".

That is the giant cream wheel.  (The brown came in two smaller wheels.)  Because it is pre-drafted, you can spin it as is.  So easy!  You really just keep treadling and feeding it into the wheel. 

The resulting two-ply is so thick that I can only fit a small yardage on the bobbin.  I have three short skeins so far - yardage unknown.  I ordered 8 oz of each color, so it will be interesting to see what I actually end up with.  If I could sneak a vest out of it, I'd be pretty happy.

There has also been some knitting.



I cannot believe I haven't finished this sock yet.  It is draaaaging on forever, but part of that is probably the fact that I am itching to cast on the next project.  Only my loyalty to Kate is keeping me on track. 

By the way, if you are feeling lonely or in need of attention, work on a Salto sock in the middle of a yarn store.  Every passing knitter does the inevitable quick pause to check out the yarn and then the cables suck them right in.  It was lucky that I had a finished sock for strangers to fondle or I wouldn't have held the working sock long enough to get anything done.

There may or may not have been a little shopping.



This colorway is "Flamingo" and you will not believe how pretty it knits up.  It was a featured yarn for the store's sock-of-the-month club, so I have seen a lot of it and it made me drool every time.  When they put the sock club leftovers out for sale, I snatched it up.  Monkeys maybe?  It has to get in line behind the Wollmeise.

I've got half of Sunday left and most of my chores done, so I think there are some happy verbs in store.  Hope your day has some as well.

Porch Knitting!!

Last Tuesday night it was finally warm enough to knit on the porch at Yarn Haven.  Woot, woot!!



Note Karen's dazed expression.  In celebration of Sarah's birthday, Karen had recently put away four blue margaritas and had been deemed too impaired to knit.  She was trying to hydrate (water bottle she's clutching) and sober up so I might allow her to drive herself home.  (If you hadn't heard, the physician in the group is responsible for all necessary sobriety checks.)  At the time this photograph was taken, Karen was meeting motor skill milestones for a typical 3 year old, so I prescribed more water and a piece of the peanut butter pie (which Karen made for Sarah's birthday - it was completely awesome).

With all this chaos and hilarity, was any actual knitting completed?  Well, I am happy to report that I have finished my Southwest Ocean Toes.



I really like the Comfort sock yarn.  I love my new sock blockers.  I REALLY LOVE this sock pattern.  Cat Bordhi is a freaking genius.

Now, this pattern is not a walk in the park.  I had to have the pattern with me at all times and consult it every row.  The only "mindless" knitting was the 10 extra rows of stockinette I added before the toe shaping so they would fit me.  That being said, there are not any advanced techniques or complicated maneuvers once you get past the very top of the cuff.  Cat's pattern calls for Judy's Magic Cast-On, which I have decided is only magical if you are using two circs.  For a double-pointed needle gal like me, it becomes Judy's #@$%@ Cast-On.  For sock number two, I used a provisional cast on instead and was infinitely happier with the process.

Now that the Ocean Toes are done, I'm back to Salto.  Kate hasn't posted any progress for awhile, so I'm not sure where she is but I have just started the cable pattern on sock #2.



Dude, that yarn is pretty.

Theoretically, I should be farther along on my socks, but I've been spending some time at my wheel as well.  I used cream, yellow, and orange for my second color-blended batt on my drum carder and spun a two-ply FINGERING weight that I have christened "Peachy Keen"



I am so excited to have finally achieved fingering-weight.  I have two little skeins of this, so a pair of little socks is possible - maybe for my little niece Aidan who I just realized has a birthday coming up very soon.  Something with a lacy cuff - dontcha think?

One more skein to show you - this one is teeny.



It was also nearly impossible to photograph.  This is a 0.2 oz two-ply skein I spun from a tiny fiber sample that was included with a roving I ordered from Enchanted Knoll Farm.  Look, Sarah , it's sparkly!!
There is only enough of this to make a stripe on something, but I might just keep it as a pet.

I have to do some cleaning up today, but then I might just take another swing at spinning the gray alpaca blend.  I'd be pretty thrilled if I could get some fingering weight from that if the peach yarn wasn't just a fluke.

Anybody got special Mother's Day plans?  I'll be on-call, which probably means a hospital visit for a mom and baby celebrating their first ever Mother's Day.  Awwwww!

Loot!!

Indulge me for a moment while I tell you about my clever girls.

First of all, Miranda made a cake.  A pirate cake!



Is that awesome or what?  The cookie crumb stubble really makes it for me, that and the Sugar Babies nostrils.

Lindsey designed and knitted me an iPod cover.  Out of embroidery floss.  With toothpicks.



Gotta admit it,we've all thought about knitting with toothpicks, but Lindsey is the only person I know to actually try it.  I asked her why she didn't just use some of my sock needles, but she said she was afraid I'd catch her looking for them and ruin the surprise.

My very last birthday present for this year came to me last night from Sarah Lou when I saw her at knitting night.  She sewed me a beautiful bag!!



It is lined and everything!  And that flowered material is a really soft corduroy. Thanks again, Sarah!

There have been a rash of knitter birthdays lately.  Karen's was a couple of weeks ago and I spun her some yarn which was enthusiastically received, but tragically went un-photographed.  Barb has her birthday later this week, so she was forced happy to wear a festive crown that Karen made during knitting night.  There may or may not be a photo of me in said crown as well, but you won't see it here.  And next week, it's Sarah's b-day!!  Yay for birthdays, cake, presents, yarn, and friends!!!

Unbeknownst to him, my husband purchased me a wonderful present this year.  I actually asked for this item for Christmas, but it had to be ordered, and that kind of advance planning does not fit into his gift-buying style.  If you can't find it at the mall on December 24th, homeboy ain't interested.  So I took matters (and the credit card) into my own hands and ordered my latest dream gadget.



Give up?  It's a drum carder!  Any random spinners who wander past will tell you this is super cool and an item to be coveted.  And it's mine, all mine!  Mwaa-haa-haa!

OK, let me 'splain.  Carding is when you comb out fibers to get them smooth and aligned in preparation for spinning.  The low tech way to do this is with hand cards, but those will only card a little at a time.  A drum carder can comb out a big hunk of fiber and turn it into a fluffy, well-behaved batt. 

Now, I have yet to buy any unprepared fiber that hasn't been combed yet, but you know I'll come staggering into the house with a whole fleece one of these days.  Until then, a drum carder is also ideal for blending different color fibers together.  And for my first batt, that is what I did.



This is only half of my first batt - I was so excited to spin it up that I forgot to take a picture!  I used a lot of cream and a little hot pink and purple and the resulting berries-and-cream colorway pleased me enormously.



Here's the single, still on the wheel.



Here's the finished two-ply, a sweet little 1.15 oz skein.

I'm fairly certain that I can fit much more that 1.15 oz of fiber onto my drum carder at once, I was just nervous about overfilling it and anxious to see the finished project.  My next batt will be bigger - FedEx is fetching me some solid colors to blend as we speak.  (Gotta love Etsy!)

Ocean-toes #2 is well underway, so I'll have a progress photo soon.  Then I'll finish Salto, and then I really want to use my birthday Wollmeise.  What do we think about this pattern?  Vote early, vote often.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks to everyone for the Happy Birthday wishes!  I had an excellent day which started with knitting with Karen, ended with a festive dinner with my family, and featured a massage AND a nap somewhere in the middle.  Heaven!

I have to show you the spectacular yarn that Karen gifted me with.



Have you ever seen anything so scrumptious?

What's that?  You can't read the label?  Let me help you out with that.



Why, yes, I do think I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  I had to solemnly swear that I would use this for socks for me.  (Like there was a snowball's chance in hell I'd give it away!!)

Another gift, this one to myself.



I finally have sock blockers, just like all the cool kids!  I ordered these from Chappy on Ebay and I love them dearly.  She also threw in a cute little stitch marker.



For someone who doesn't use stitch markers, I am building quite the collection!

Now that my lovely sock blockers are here, I can show you Salto #1 in style.



This pattern is well-written and has been an enjoyable knit.  My favorite part is how the center instep cable springs organically from the braided side cables.



Can you see it?  Not easy to photograph. 

I am enjoying the Dream in Color Smooshy too.  This colorway is called China Apple, even though it looks like an Autumn forest to me.  This yarn really is smooshy and doesn't split at all.  That is an attractive quality when you are cabling without a cable needle, let me tell you.

Because Kate had to frog her first Salto attempt, I have decided to go back and knit the second Ocean Toe sock before I finish the Salto's.  Her husband has mistaken our knitalong for a race, but there is no honor in winning when your opponent is sprinting back to the starting line! 

I was hoping to show you my new toy today, but I think it will have to wait until next time.  The vacuum is calling me and then we have to take a big truckload of stuff to Goodwill.  My dining room has been full of boxes for two weeks now - it will be nice to see the floor again.

Gotta Make This Quick

About to head into a seriously psychotic weekend.  After a full day's work, hubby, eldest and I will jump in the car tonight and drive 11+ hours to Montreal.  (Lucky youngest is staying with a friend)  We are going to see McGill University and we have to drive straight through because the only tour time that was available was 10:30 tomorrow morning.  It is lucky that she was already accepted, because we won't be making much of an impression after driving all night and not showering.  We can't check into our hotel until 3pm, so I guess we'll wander about glassy-eyed until then.

We are really hoping eldest likes McGill.  It is way closer and WAY cheaper than USC, which is her other top choice.  We have heard very good things about the school and the city, but it is impossible to predict what she'll think.  My one consolation is that May 1st is fast approaching, so a final decision is just around the corner.  It will be so nice to know for sure!

Will hopefully get some knitting done while I'm away.  Salto has been started but progress is pathetic.

 

I did get Southwest Ocean Toes #1 finished AND it fits!  Such a fun sock to knit that there will be no possibility of second sock syndrome.

 

I didn't knit at all last night because I had a new spinning tool to play with.

 

This is called the Handy Andy Plyer, and it is meant to make Andean plying easier and more convenient.

Typically to make a two-ply, you spin two bobbins of single and then ply them together onto a third bobbin.  Unless you are really lucky, one single is always longer, so you have some wasted single at the end.  I wind all those leavings onto a spare bobbin and use them to practice Navajo plying, resulting in some shockingly ugly yarn.

Andean plying is when you 2-ply a single by putting the start and the end of the single together so there is no leftover.  There is a magic way to wrap the yarn around your hand so that the two ends will feed off smoothly and not tangle up while you ply.  The problem with this is that you can't really stop in the middle of winding or plying, so any interruption can be a problem.  I have also read that the winding can get uncomfortably tight around the middle finger and cut off circulation.  Ouch.

My Handy Andy substitutes for a hand and it has a base it sits in so that you can ply off it and have both hands free.  I tried it last night and it's pretty dang slick.

 

Big ol' bobbin of single.  ("Fall" colorway, superwash merino from The Ranches Angora)

 

Two ply! (Sorry, the light was not great)  No time to wind off the wheel this morning, so it will just have to sit there and await my return.

I did remember to pack my camera and battery charger, so I hope to have some Montreal pictures to show you next week.  Everybody take care and have a good weekend!

Dude, She Held My Sock!!

Got to see the Yarn Harlot on Friday night in Ann Arbor.  For the record, she is a teeny tiny rock star AND she's freaking hilarious.  A good time was had by all.

While the rest of you stare enviously at the photo, Kate is squinting at the sock Stephanie is holding and saying, "Hey!  That doesn't look like Salto!"

Ummmm....that's because it isn't, but I can explain.  Kate and I had a deal to start knitting Salto this past weekend.  But the problem was, I finished the ladylike cardigan on Wednesday night.



Well, mostly finished.  A couple of ends are left to weave in and I haven't bought buttons.  But the knitting was done with two days until the weekend.  Two days AND a winter sports awards assembly to sit through.  A new project was mandatory.

I thought about starting Salto early, but I didn't want to cheat.  A logical knitter would have gone back to the Rambling Rows afghan or maybe the long-dormant Denim Leaves pullover.  I've been called a lot of things, but "logical knitter" ain't one of them.

Instead, I grabbed the skein of Berroco Sock that has been taunting me from the top of my bureau for the past month.  I grabbed my new set of Knit Picks Harmony DP's, I grabbed New Pathways for Sock Knitters, and I hit the ground running.

It is my pleasure to present Ocean-Toes.  (Have I mentioned that Cat Bordhi is a genius?)



This pattern is somewhat intricate, requiring me to look at the instructions every row, but it is also really addictive!  The cuff flew by and the heel shaping is fascinating.  I took it with me to see the Yarn Harlot because I couldn't bear to put it down.



Dig that crazy heel shaping!!

While the rest of you are admiring the heel, Kate is squinting at the calendar and saying, "But it's Tuesday. (She's 16 hours ahead)  Surely she started Salto by now."

Well...sort of.  I attempted to swatch for Salto, and found that my gray handspun will not work.  It seems it "bloomed" in the soaking and hanging process and is nowhere near the fingering weight that the pattern calls for.  To get gauge, I'd need 000 needles and the socks would be so tight they'd stand up by themselves.

I found this rather discouraging, so instead of searching my stash for a suitable replacement, I sought solace in my spinning wheel and all knitting came to a temporary halt. 

But fear not.  I got my second wind today.  Suitable yarn has been located and a swatch is in the works.  And if I can get gauge, I may even show it to you.  Keep knitting, Kate, I'm right behind you!

Pssst! Wanna win some Wollmeise?

A CONTEST!

I cannot claim to have any personal experience with Wollmeise, but apparently it is fairly cool stuff.  From what I can gather, anytime it goes on sale the website sells out in 5 - 15 minutes.  The colors do look breathtaking, but I stopped browsing when I realized I had very little chance of ever getting my hands on some.

Until now!!  Now, thanks to Karen at Knoobie Knitter, I do have a chance, and so do you!  She's having a raffle, and two of the glorious prize packages include Woolmeise 80/20 sock yarn.  Click on the link, read the story, and make a donation for a chance to win.  (You may want to cover your keyboard before looking, as drool can lead to dangerous electrical sparks.)

LATEST UPDATE FROM LAND OF BEIGE

Well, I now have a neckband...



...and three-fifths of a left front band.



It is coming down to the wire here in the madcap land of beige, and not a moment too soon.  This weekend, Kate and I are going to embark on a two-person KAL of these socks.  I am hoping I might be able to use my gray hand spun for these, but I need to...gulp...swatch.  My yarn might not be thin enough to get gauge, necessitating some stash-diving.

MEAN PEOPLE SUCK

I made it to knitting last night (yay!) and heard a very sad tale.  It seems that Dale Ann and Bobbie, who own Yarn Haven, have received a cease and desist letter from a lawyer in Tennessee who represents The Yarn Haven.  They are demanding that Dale Ann and Bobbie change their name immediately or face legal action against them.  The unreasonable crone shop owner claims that two yarn stores of the same name (several states apart!) is too confusing for consumers.  I say that consumers who are smart enough to turn a heel on a sock are smart enough to know the difference between Tennessee and Ohio, but Dale Ann and Bobbie aren't up for a legal battle.  So, our beloved Yarn Haven will soon go by a new name, but they will still have the same great yarn and friendly faces.  I suggested "Yarns Ewe Love".  Hey, maybe they'll have a name the store contest and give away some Wollmeise!  I'll keep you posted.

Behold!!

It's an honest-to-goodness flower, growing right outside my bedroom window.  Can you see the way the leaves grew right up through a dead leaf.  That baby was determined!

It actually feels warmer outside than inside today for the first time all year.  I have resolved to get out and walk today.  (Of course, first I have to go to the bank, the school, the tax accountant...)

Ladylike cardigan has grown.



For once in my life, I did not quit knitting on the body when I got tired of it, but actually continued on to desired length!  The 1x1 ribbing answered the age old question "What's more tedious than miles of beige stockinette?", but now I've made it to the blessedly short sleeves and things are moving along.  Dare I hope to complete sleeve #2 during the NCAA championship game tonight?  I'll be watching, despite the fact that my bracket broke into pieces long ago.  That Kansas/N. Carolina game put the final nail in the coffin.

Spurred on by weeks of Knitting Daily emails, I decided to add a little waist shaping to the sweater.  I tried it on once I divided body from sleeves and figured out the approximate location of the waistline.  I used paired decreases down each side seam to taper it, knit about two inches straight, and then used paired increases to flare it out again.  Due to the (ahem) imbalance between my top and bottom, there are four pairs of decreases, six pairs of increases.



Pretty little decreases all in a row.

It is hard to tell before I add the button band, but I think the shaping will add to the design and make it fit me a little better.  A few more days and I should be button shopping!

(Did I mention I want to knit something in lime green and magenta next?  Honestly, this beige is boring me blind!!)

Spring Break - Short and Sweet (the trip, not the post)

We're back from our Spring Break relatively unscathed.  We went to Orlando for a few days with the youngest.  (Oldest is too cool for us and went to Philly to see her cousins.)  Youngest had never been to Orlando at all, hubby was last there in high school, and I was there waaaay back at the age of 4.  I only remember two things from that visit: 1) drinking orange juice out of a little plastic orange with a green straw and 2) being traumatized for life by the horror of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  (Hey, I was four, it was scary!)

Our hotel was nothing special, but close enough to all of the action.  I had pre-purchased tickets to Universal, so that was what we did on the first day.  We chose Islands of Adventure because the rides looked cooler on the brochure the hotel gave us.  They did not disappoint, especially the Incredible Hulk coaster which I had to ride TWICE because my daughter said she missed it the first time because she was distracted by holding her glasses on.  Likely story.   It nearly snapped my neck, but I survived.

Wisely, we saved the water rides for the end of the day.  Unwisely, we didn't stop after ride #1 when we were merely damp, but continued to ride #2 where we got completely soaked.  Nothing like drenched jean shorts for maximum comfort!  Hubby is smarter than me and stayed off the water rides altogther, so at least my bag with camera and phone stayed dry.

Proof that I took my camera and actually pulled it out now and then:

No daughters were nibbled in the taking of this picture.

Our aching feet made it clear that day #2 would have to be a break from the amusement park circuit.  The weather was hot and sunny, so we hopped in our rental car and drove about an hour east of Orlando to Cocoa Beach.  The water was too cold for me, but the polar bears in my family jumped right in.

Hubby and daughter far in the distance. (I was too lazy to leave my beach towel.)

Day 3 was our last full day in Orlando, so a Disney park was inevitable.  Daughter agonized over the brochure for hours, debating the merits of each of the four parks.  Much to my surprise (and delight), she chose Epcot, which I have always wanted to see.

We rode a couple of the space rides, and then spent the rest of the day walking around the world showcase.  The buildings are truly amazing,  with Disney's customary attention to detail.  I didn't take half enough pictures, but here is a shot of the China exhibit just to illustrate my point.

The little red carpet in the foreground is where we watched a troupe of very young Chinese acrobats.  We also saw Paul Revere and the Raiders, a Beatles tribute band, and a very loud Moroccan ensemble complete with belly dancer.

I thought daughter would get bored, but she became fixated on collecting a smooshed penny souvenir from each country and that kept her busy.  The shiny penny stash in my change purse held out and she accomplished her goal and dragged her exhausted parents back to the car.  We could have visited Epcot for twice as long and not seen everything, so I really hope we make it back there someday.

On Sunday morning, we had to get up at what my eldest calls "the butt crack of dawn" to get to the airport for a 6:35 flight.  Imagine our delight when the ticket agent informed us that our flight had been oversold, there were no seats left, and the next possible flight was until 4:30pm.  We had to pay extra for another day of rental car, but my husband managed to finagle us back into our hotel room by pretending we had locked ourselves out by accident.  We crashed for another 3 hours of sleep, had a nice lunch, and headed back to the airport nice and early so they couldn't screw us over again we could get through security with time to spare.  Our modified itinerary meant we didn't get back home until after 9 last night, so I was extra excited to climb back into my own beloved bed.

Okay, enough travelogue, on to the knitting!  Before our trip, I started a Rambling Rows Baby Afghan.  (Check out some Rambling Rows on Ravelry if you can, there are some really pretty ones.)  Baby stuff should be soft AND machine washable, so I'm using Berroco Comfort.

Forgive the wonky camera angle - it was hard to get it all in the frame.  This pattern is easy, has miters, and is seamless.  What more could you want?  The only problem is that it requires 5 different colors, meaning you have to schlep 5 balls of yarn around all the time.  Not a big deal at home, but not exactly convenient for travel.

I was worried that sock needles wouldn't get by airport security, so I started a neckdown sweater on circular needles on the way to Detroit.  I've had the pattern for quite awhile and hadn't tried it yet, and I found a bag of DK yarn that I don't exactly remember buying stuffed under my bed.  The pattern is the "Summer Cardigan" from Knitting Pure & Simple and you can see it here if you scroll down a little.  Very ladylike, don't you think? 

The simple stockinette proved to be the perfect knitting for planes and standing in lines at the parks, so I made good progress.  I put the sleeves on hold while we waited in the airport yesterday and now I'm working on the body.  I did add an eeny-weeny subtle cable to the front edges just to keep me from going completely crazy.

I have never knit a beige sweater before, so it will be a relief to return to my gaudy Rambling Rows, but I'm going to try to finish the cardigan first while I have forward momentum.  It will be a perfect sweater for my office this summer when the nurses crank up the AC.  (Mmmmm...summer - can't wait!)

Anything exciting happen while I was gone?

P.S. Yarn for cardigan is Meredith Bay from Patternworks, 95% wool and 5% alpaca, in (yawn) beige.