Fiber Arts Friday: Save Our Sheep Sweater, part 18

Since last time I have Kitchener'd the armpits closed and sewed on the buttons,... and, on the night before we got our home back after the major remodel, this is Complete!

AND now that it is complete, I think it is important to capture how large an achievement this is:

• This sweater is 100% Hand-spun by me from Rare-Breed, American Wool.  Some of which was grown very close to my home.
• Each of these yarns are their natural color.  Nothing is dyed.
• I began spinning the yarn used in this sweater in April 2019. 
• I started thinking seriously about this sweater in early-January 2022.
• Cast-on in late-February 2022.
• Final Bind-off and Finishing happened in late March 2023.

With four urgent projects (Wavy Scarf, Black Hat, Baker's Hat, Twisted Rib Stocking Cap), a little bit of time-out for one hot summer, finishing out the other WIPs (Summer Cardi, New Normal Socks, Clown Fish Socks, Very Berry Socks, Brown Socks) and Two Tours de Fleece interfering with knitting progress over the last year, I'm very pleased with this sweater.

Especially when considering at early February last year, I was just restarting regular knitting after moving our farm and getting our former home ready for sale...  so I would say that this last year has been quite productive.

So my Save our Sheep Sweater has been 4 years in the making.  :-)

There are several mistakes and I could have made the button holes 2 stitches instead of 3.  The final result is rustic and I love it!  This is my first, fully-hand-spun, sweater and I love it!  I expect it will get lots of wearing for years to come.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Save Our Sheep Sweater, part 17

Well, I thought I might get this project completed under the 1 year of knitting mark, which happened toward the end of February... but I avoided weaving in the ends and re-doing the Button Band Bind-off for two long.

Finally on a few cool days in mid-March, I decided it was time to get them finished.... and both were not terrible.

Weaving in ends is tedious and took a few sessions, as expected.  Redoing the Button Band went much easier than I expected.

I replaced the "standard" bind-off with the Simple Stretchy Bind-off as described in this video.

Pulling out the Bind-off was surprisingly easy...

With the new Button Band Bind-off and much less bunched-up looking...

Remaining now are sewing on buttons and Kitchenering the Armpits closed.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!!

Home Improvements, Temporary Housing

While our Kitchen/Laundry/Floor remodel was going on, we rented a small house in town.

We were fortunate to find a small, furnished home, with a full kitchen, laundry, and internet, that was very close to our home.

It was a sweet little place with a lot of charm that had been recently updated and the owners were very nice to work with.  

It was clear that it was an old house, but I didn't realize how old until a very snowy day, and I noticed this mark in the sidewalk.

Then I discovered this article about the builder.  Apparently he was quite a scoundrel, though I suspect we would use a different word today.  Anyway, it was fun to find some history on our temporary home.

The neighborhood we stayed in was quiet.  Surprising to me since the houses are so close together.  We could hear the neighbor sometimes working in his shop or chatting with another neighbor... but it was never to the point of being able to understand what they were saying.  Also we could hear the train sometimes and a few barking dogs.

There are a lot(!) of squirrels in town and they are all very-well-fed.  One would site on the fence and watch me thru the window while I was working.  lol.

There are murals in the alley and the neighbors we met were quite friendly.

Jazz Band Mural

Abstract Mural

Toy Fire Hydrant with a note saying it's for Dogs Only

Honestly it was a very cheerful neighborhood and we would definitely stay there again.

Fiber Arts Friday: Modified Sandbank

According to Ravelry, I first saw this pattern in June 2017, nearly 6 years ago.

In the most recent December (2022) an image of this project kept popping into my head.  So I had started looking for it in my queue and list of favorites.  It took a while to find because the image I had was of my intended version, not the published version. lol.

Then, a couple of weeks later, on NYEE, I saw a note from the publisher of Knitty Magazine that said Shibui Knits was discontinuing their yarn brand.  So I went straight to their website, looked around and happened to find the exact color and weight that I had in mind for this project.

It's a Merino+Silk blend, with 40% being Silk.  So the result should have lovely drape.

So I bought the pattern, printed it out, promptly made the notes of the modifications I wanted to make, and ordered the yarn.... and THAT is how easily my actual queue/active project list gets too long.  This project had been percolating in the background for nearly 6 years and then came together in about 10 minutes on New Year's Eve Eve 2022.

The yarn arrived as our remodel was starting.  So I set it aside in the tiny office of our temporary housing, thinking I would get started within a few weeks.

In early-February, I decided to wind the first ball and swatch the project.... but since my winding tools were packed away, I improvised with my knees...

Gauge is not important for this wrap, so my swatch is just a few rows to ensure I was getting the fabric I wanted...

I am using the same US0 needles as the Clown Fish Socks and I ordered a couple of longer ones for the later stages and set everything aside again.

After finishing what is hopefully my last urgent project for a while, completing my Yarn Fest Homework, and winding down on my Save Our Sheep Sweater, I finally cast on in mid-March 2023.

Since I want a generous scarf/wrap when complete, and am using US0... or 30% smaller than the prescribed US3 needle, I thought I would aim to cast on 30% more stitches than the pattern called for, but ultimately just pulled out a length of yarn and cast on until I ran out of tail, using Judy's Magic Cast on, which is essentially, my preferred Long Tail Cast on, but using two needles.

I ended up casting on 422 stitches while watching the Live Broadcast of the Flyball Competition at Crufts.

It doesn't look like much on these tiny needles.  lol.

Over the rest of the weekend, I set up for the end increases and knit a couple of rounds, using my 16-inch circulars... I'm definitely going to need the longer needles sooner than I expected.

This project is being worked from the center-out, which I think this will be an interesting effect.

I have a long way to go, so you'll likely see a lot of it here over the next several months.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Home Improvements: Kitchen Remodel

One of the things we knew we wanted to do sooner, rather than later, was to update the kitchen in our new-to-us place.

So after mostly settling in and living in the house for several months, we embarked upon the design portion of our Kitchen Remodel last September (2022).

This project would require us to move out for a few months because we were also planning to replace all of the flooring.

What was two different Vinyl floors that were two different colors and textures, as well as two different heights, along with some carpet, is now a Hickory Plank floor, throughout.

A long-term dream has finally been achieved, and I love it so much!

The construction portion of the project began in January (2023) and we got the house back at the end of March (2023).  We are taking a slow and deliberate approach to moving back in.

At this point, a couple of weeks later, most of the shelf liners have been placed and many of the necessary items have been located, unpacked, and organized.  So for Easter Dinner, we had our first proper meal in our freshly remodeled home.

The footprint of the kitchen is the same, but the flow between the sink, refrigerator, and stove is improved and the storage has been maximized.

The Bay Window now feels like part of the kitchen, rather than a separate room.  I love the new window bench, which will be getting a custom cushion to make it more comfortable for sitting.

We also have storage in the Laundry Room now... and revisions were made to improve the venting of the Dryer and shore up the Floor.

There are still a few things outstanding, including the range, as well as a bunch of punch list items.  Fortunately, we heeded warnings and kept our old appliances.

Once we're feeling settled again, we'll embark upon the next project. :-)

Happy Spring Everyone!

Fiber Arts Friday: Yarn Fest 2023, part 1

In late January (2023) the Yarn Fest Schedule was released.  So I took time to review the offerings and list of expected vendors.

For the first time I can remember, I made a list of classes I was interested in for an event/semester and every single one worked together in a schedule.

This is remarkable.  There is always at least one (usually a lot more) that have time conflicts.  I took this as a sign that I would be able to take at least one class at Yarn Fest later this year (April 2023).

These are the classes I was interested in, with Spinning and Steeking as my highest priorities:

• Spinning Long Draw
• Estonian Lace
• Orenburg Lace
• Kitting with Beads
• Thrumming
• Fixing Mistakes in Knitting
• Steeking

As March began, it became clear that my Twisted Rib Stocking Cap would be completed soon and that I likely would have time to complete the homework for the Steeking class.  Also one Saturday afternoon class would be ok, both in time commitment and amount of new information, as well as not impact my vacation budget from the Day Job.

So I stopped by The Loopy Ewe to pick up some Cascade 220.... I have other colorways of this yarn in my stash, but would be unable to access them until well-after our remodel was completed which would not give enough time to complete the homework.

I have been working to get Cascade out of my stash, but the reality is that it's a good option for learning/workshops.  Mostly because it is consistent/predictable, 100% wool, and not very expensive.  Therefore I don't care if I damage it in the process of learning new things.  So now I have a few more colorways to work with.

It only took me about 8 days to complete the two swatches.  However, I am happy to have it complete prior to moving back into our house, because I have not had time to work on this over the last couple of weeks.

Now it's time to get all of the other required supplies organized.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!