Fiber Arts Friday: Re-versioning a Wrap

This started out as a Surfinia Wrap.

I cast this piece on before I started the Rocky Mountain Raptor piece in early 2017.

The color of the yarn reminded me of the Great Horned Owls that we have in our area.  So I thought I would make this piece for myself... some day.

It spent most of the last two years resting, but I've been working on it more over the last month or two.  I was feeling like it might be ready to start the lace portion soon.... then I saw this Copperbranch pattern on Ravelry.

This pattern is much more in the direction of things I like.... more structural and not overly feminine.

I briefly thought that I would make the Copperbranch pattern with my second skein of this same cashmere+merino yarn... then I realized that I could just change the end of the shawl I'm currently working on.

So the first step was to move the markers from every 12 stitches to every 16.

I did that by adding safety pin type markers at 16 stitches then removed the hoop type markers as I knit the next row.  Then I counted every stitch on the following row to I hadn't made a mistake.

Now that the markers have been moved successfully, I'm in the process of knitting to the appropriate amount of stitches for the lace pattern.... repeats of 16 + 3 stitches on each end.

My current plan is to finish the small ball prior to starting the lace portion, which should finish out at 22 repeats.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Mending Holes

I noticed a small hole in my Palindrome Scarf before Thanksgiving.  :-/

I set the scarf aside and then fixed it over the winter holiday.

I didn't do a good job, but the stitches are secure.  I'm going to have to research on how to do this better since I have a bigger hole to fix in something else.  :-/

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Be sure to share what you've been up to.

Fiber Arts Friday: Socks for Me

After finishing my Replacement Hat in early July, I only had my Palindrome Scarf and Alpaca Cape left on the needles.  Both are big and warm.  So with it being July... a mild one, but still it was July, I wanted to work on something smaller.

I had 3 false starts with the last pair of socks I tried to make for myself, so I decided to go with Sock it to Me.  It's a simple, toe-up pattern.  I have successfully made it twice for Hubba and I have two skeins of a Bamboo+Merino+Silk yarn.

I figured this is exactly what I needed.

9 sts per inch is way too big

Insert expletive here!

I had already ripped them out twice before the above photo was taken. First for not following directions and second for gauge.  Both times I re-checked my gauge and measurements, but when I knit Hubba's version I used 8 sts per inch instead of the nearly 9 sts I am getting.

So I ripped them out a third time... knitting the same gauge, but using 8 sts per inch for the math.  It's still not correct.  :-/

8 sts per inch is still too big

I don't know what I'm going to do.... other than rip it out a fourth time.  :-(

I'm not crazy about the camo effect either, but I like working with the yarn.  I think they would be comfortable socks to wear and I really want a pair of my own hand-knit socks... but *#^%!, this was supposed to be relaxing.... and done by now.  :-P

Make sue to check in with everyone over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder for Fiber Arts Friday, even though it's Saturday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Palindrome Scarf, part 3

Since last time, when I realized I would need to buy ~5.75 ounces (~163 grams) of yarn to finish my Palindrome Scarf, I have acquired more yarn and changed needles.

I went to the to the LYS  to find a complimentary color of the same yarn, but they no longer carried it.  :-(  So off to Ravelry.... but was not successful in finding anyone state-side willing to de-stash.  :-(  So off to the Bella Yarns website in Rhode Island, who as far as I can tell is the only source for Lang Yak in the US.  :-)

The yarn is milled in Switzerland and my original stash came from a trip Hubba took to Japan a few years ago.  So I'm happy to now have enough yarn to finish this project.

Also a comment from ChrisKnits helped me realize that I was using bamboo needles, which are not my favorite and that I most likely had metal ones in the same size.  I added a life line so I would know where the needle change happened and made the switch.

The Yak+Merino yarn is a bit sticky coupled with the bamboo needles which are also sticky and while the cable is a little short on my circs, I am happier with the metal needles on this project.

At 20.5 inches long, I only have 39.5 inches to go.  ;-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Knit Worthy and an Accident

Some people are absolutely Knit Worthy.

These people graciously accept a hand-knit gift.

They love and adore the item for years.

They tell their loved ones how much they love it every time they put it on.

Then one day the item gets misplaced and they frantically search for days.  Only to discover that it found it's way into the laundry.  :-(

When someone loves a hand-knit gift this much, they get a replacement.  :-)

And for this, I love Ravelry!  I did not have much of this yarn left, and had modified the original pattern somewhat.... but I had put the appropriate notes in Ravelry.

Knowing that it had been several years and a completely different state since I purchased this yarn, I took my notes and the tiny bit of yarn to one of my LYSs.  I set out to find something comparable.... a hard thing to do when you know the person loved the original so much.  I came home empty-handed.  :-(

So I decided the check Ravelry on a whim... I found out that this yarn is discontinued, but that several people were interested in selling their stash.

I found a large amount of the same yarn in the same color.  I sent a note inquiring about the stash and crossed my fingers.  By the end of the day, we had an agreement and my new yarn was on it's way.  :-)

I just love Ravelry.  What a tremendous resource.

The yarn arrived earlier this week.  I sent a note to the sender telling her that it arrived and to thank her again.  Then went to add it to my Ravlery stash... only then did I find out that the yarn I just bought was not only the same color, but also the same dye lot!  Wow!! What are the chances of that happening?

And now I not only have enough to replace the hat, but I also have enough to do something larger which I had been wishing I did with the original yarn.  Win-Win.  :-)

The Replacement is now in progress:

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Acadian Shawl, part 2

I'm still surprised by how quickly the Acadian Shawl is moving along.... Yes, I've been spending more time on it and there's the whole fatter-yarn-fatter-needles thing.... but mostly, I think the diamonds make the progress easier to see so it's a lot more fun to knit.  ;-)

I am challenged by lace.... even the tiny bit that's in this shawl.  I have had one ripping-out episode since my last post and there are a few mistakes that I decided to leave in place.  I think I know what I did wrong, but it's amazing how even the simplest lace can still trip me up.  ;-/

I am into the last ball and have just begun the return portion of the shawl.

In other news, we've seen a lot of Chinook Helicopters overhead this week rescuing people and transferring supplies and here's a video from a few days ago showing the areas closest to our location.

Personally, we are on the recovery side of the floods.  We are down to one area of standing water and most of the mud has moved beyond the suck-the-boot-right-of-your-foot stage.  :-)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Wingspan, part 10

My Forever Wingspan continues...

It hasn't seen much activity since February, but I got new tires for the truck yesterday so I brought it along thinking I might have to wait...

About an hour later... the truck had new shoes and I had finished off the 10th wedge.  Which makes the Wingspan officially one wedge larger then when I ripped it out.  Woo Hoo!

I think this will end up being 16 or 17 wedges total, so I'm sad to say that you may be hearing about this scarf for a while.  ;-)

I hope you're having a great Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2012, part 3

Hi Everyone, Happy Fiber Arts Friday.  Today I share part 3 of my Tour de Fleece.  :-)


Friday, July 13
I was so excited about remembering to get my FAF post out this morning that I nearly forgot I was supposed to spin something. ;-)

So I squeezed in about 15 minutes of spinning time between the Day Job and Evening activities.

Saturday, July 14
I love Saturdays... This week I managed a leisurely morning at the Farmer's Market with Hubba and Lil' Miss Wonton, Farm Chores, Spinning and a Nap...

and another very energized single.  :-)

109.5 yards of Camel+Merino - camel and white
Unknown origin - purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market from Your Daily Fiber
1 7/8 ounces
~16 wpi

I then got a second wind.  So I spun

and plied 1 ounce of Corriedale.

I plied using the inside and outside ends of the same cake again.  I figured a little more practice wouldn't hurt.  ;-)

This one is softer than the grey Corriedale that I started the Tour with.

17.5 yards of Corriedale - white
Unknown Origin - purchased at the Estes Park Wool Market
1 ounce
2-ply
~9 wpi

Sunday, July 15
Yesterday I stopped by Your Daily Fiber to pick up some Alpaca Roving since I was out of prepared alpaca and was wanting to spin more.

This is a Medium Rose Grey Alpaca blended with silk into a lovely pencil roving.  I met the farmer while I was there.  She has been breeding alpacas and llamas for 20 years.  :-)

Monday, July 16
I finished spinning this morning.  Nothing quite like a 2-ounce bump to make one feel very productive.  ;-)

94 yards of Double K Diamond Alpaca+Silk - Silk Feathers
Wellington, CO
2 1/8 ounces
~18 wpi

Tuesday, July 17 - Rest Day

Wednesday, July 18 - Challenge Day
I have a small stash of unusual fibers in cloud form.  I've been nervous to spin them for fear of messing them up.  So I thought this 1/4 ounce of Paco-Vicuna would be a good thing to try on Challenge Day.

I chose my wheel over my drop spindle because I figured the less things my hands have to do, the better.  ;-)

This preparation wasn't skirted very well.  There was a lot of vegetable matter, some second cuts and I found a couple bits of fleece that were definitely not blanket.  It is also quite dirty so the color is dull.

The more time I spend thinking about it, the more I think this was raw Paco-Vicuna and not a cloud.  There were some clumps of fiber that I think would have been opened up if the fiber had been through a picker... and frankly if it had been through a picker, I suspect there would have been less vegetable matter.

All that being said, I did make something that looks like yarn.  :-)  I plied it since the gauge was not consistent and the resulting 2-ply is very squishy.  I think it will be nice as an accent on something... after a good bath.  :-)

7.5 yards of raw Paco-Vicuna - Dark Fawn
Unknown Origin
1/4 ounce
2-ply
~12 wpi

Thursday, July 19
A different blend with the same Double K Diamond alpaca from earlier this week... Alpaca + Bamboo.

Only a few more days to go with this year's Tour de Fleece.

I hope you will head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder today, since you know it is Fiber Arts Friday.  :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Tour de Fleece 2012, part 2

More Tour de Fleece this week...

Friday, July 6
I decided to go back to thick again.  :-)

This is a Lincoln roving that came from the same farm as the Corriedale I spun last week.

My intent is to spin a similar weight yarn so that they can be used together in the same project.

I must say that this is a whole lot different than that amazing Grade 1 Alpaca also from last week.  This is my first time spinning Lincoln, and I am liking it so far.  :-)


Saturday, July 7
I had plenty of time to spin today, including a little time during the Tour de France coverage this morning.  :-)

Sunday, July 8
A little more Tour de France coverage saw me finish the single.

Then I wound it into a cake

and plied into a 2-ply yarn.

This time I plied from the center and outside strand of the same cake.  I had a few issues with tangles, but in the end I used all of the yarn in the final 2-ply.

I love the sheen in this yarn.

64 1/2 yards of Maplecroft Woolworks Lincoln - white
Boulder, Colorado
4 1/8 ounces
~9 wpi
Again, pretty close to what I was going for.  :-)

Monday, July 9
I had a hard time deciding what to spin next since I didn't really expect to complete this much already.

So when I don't know what to do, I usually spin alpaca thin for a big long-term project I have planned.  But since I'm out of prepared alpaca, I thought this camel+merino would be nice.  :-)

Which it is.  :-)

I don't know where it's from other than I picked it up at the Estes Park Wool Market last month.

Tuesday, July 10 - Rest Day

Wednesday, July 11
It's a good thing that I have that 1/2 inch goal.  I didn't think I would have any time today, but I found 10 minutes for spinning.  :-)

Thursday, July 12
About a 1/2 hour before the day job started.

I sure like starting the day with a little spinning.  :-)

Happy Spinning and Happy Fiber Arts Friday.  Be sure to join in the fun over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.