Fiber Arts Friday: Adding Twist

While I was working on the Recycled Wool Nightcap I swore to myself that I would add twist to and relax the recycled yarn before I used it again.

Before:

I'm not sure if you can see in this photo that it's really acting like 3 strands of yarn rather than a 3-ply yarn. But you can definitely see that the kink from it previously being a sweater is still very much present.

As you can see, I still had a lot of tiny balls left over from the Recycled Wool Project.  So I separated the yarn into bigger balls and smaller balls, tied them together as I was plying and then gave it a good long soak.

After:

I now have 1268 yards over 3 skeins and 7 5/8 ounces of recycled lamb's wool in a lovely 3-ply yarn, all ready for my next project.

I will make a mental note to take more care when separating the panels of the next sweater I recycle.  Fortunately the plan I have for the yarn means the knots should not be issue... let's hope that's true.

In the meantime, I hope you are having a lovely Fiber Arts Friday.  Be certain to see what everyone else has been up to over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

Fiber Arts Friday: Too Many Projects

My last  three  projects have taken a lot of time and energy to complete, so I haven't been feeling inspired to start anything new lately.  Which is fine since I have way too many WIPs.  Some are snoozing, some are actually in work and some barely count as being started.  Regardless, I would like to have all of them completed or dispatched before I dive into the host of interesting items on my To Do List.

A quick look at my Ravelry page doesn't show much in work, but the reality is it's way more than the 2-3 projects that I feel most comfortable with.

Spinning Black Huacaya Batts of Wonder

My feet get too cold to spend much time spinning in the winter.  Yes, I suppose I should knit myself a pair of socks or slippers, but I haven't yet.  So I have only spent a few minutes spinning here and there over the last several months.  Which has me about half-way complete with the Black Huacaya Batts of Wonder.

Technically it's not winter anymore, but we have had a mostly cold and rainy spring.  I finally gave up and turned the heat back on yesterday.  So I suspect I won't be spinning much for a while.

Spin Tibetan Mastiff

When last I wrote about the TM fur, I had just finished carding it.  I am looking forward to spinning it.  I suppose this is why spinners have many wheels... I'm afraid though.  If I had more than one wheel, I would definitely have too many spinning projects in process.  It's a good thing our Breeder isn't in a hurry for this yarn.

Recycled Wool Nightcap

I have been quietly working on this hat when I need a little mindless activity.  I still have a ways to go and will have a zillion ends to weave in when I get there.

The Simple Scarf

I'm using this yarn to teach the ladies at the office how to knit.  I didn't really intend to make a scarf, but I like this yarn and think a simple red scarf is good to have around.  Of course, it's been ripped out and re-knitted several times, so I'm not entirely sure this scarf will actually happen.

A Baling Twine Doormat

I haven't posted about this project yet.  Mostly because the photos look like poo but also because I haven't made much progress.  I think I need a larger hook and the puppies have decided it's super fun to play with, so I may let it go and start again.

A Blanket

I haven't posted about this project either.  It was started as something to do mindlessly, but the Recycled Wool Nightcap has taken over that role.  I'm not entirely in love with it.  I may frog this one but I don't have any other plans for the yarn, so languish it does.

The Twitter Knit Along Shawl

I shelved this project in March 2010, that's more than a year ago.  I'm not really a shawl kind of person, but I joined in because of the skills this project could teach.  I reached an extreme level of frustration with 3 sessions of ripping back, culminating with the near-miss of a complete rip out.  I think with the extra year of experience I now have, I should be successful with the lace portion.  I do have a couple of recipients in mind, so I would like to finish it.  But it has become my Everest, so I need to make sure I am in the right frame of mind before I pick this one up again.

So this is my way too long list of WIPs.  I can't really call it the result of Fiber ADD, because I am only actively working on a couple of items.  But I don't like having such a large list of incomplete projects.  Especially since I have several other projects in progress.  But this is Fiber Arts Friday, not Day Job Friday, nor Gardening Friday, nor Alpaca Farm Infrastructure Friday, nor Home Improvement Friday, nor... so be sure to head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what the others have been up to.

Fiber Arts Friday: Recycled Wool Project

Earlier this year, I embarked upon a Sweater Recycling Project.

I finished disassembling it months ago and ended up with a lot of short pieces of yarn.  I'm certain if I had taken more care in separating the panels of the sweater, I would have more longer pieces to work with.  But this was my first time, so live and learn.  Right?

The disassembling portion of this project took a lot longer than I expected, so I bagged up the yarn and put it in my stash until I felt ready to come back to it.

Finally in early October, I didn't have too many projects in work, so I decided it might be time to go back to my recycled wool project.

Initially, I was planning to make socks.  But since there are so many short pieces of yarn, I think I would have lots of knots in my socks.  Knotty socks would be uncomfortable and the wool is really too scratchy to have right next to the skin.  So instead, I have decided on this nightcap which I have wanted to make for a while.

Since the pattern has a lot of detail, I decided to knit it exactly as written.  I didn't want to take a chance of messing it up by making a different size.  However, since I do not own any US#0 needles, I knit a gauge swatch with US#2 needles.

Fortunately the gauge came out about right.

Initially I was challenged by the yarn over (YO). Making it is fine, but knitting the YO stitch on the next row was an issue.  I dropped several stitches.  Which means I started over a several times since I don't know how to make those corrections.

Finally, after a few tries and a few rows I got the hang of knitting the YOs and could read the stitches pretty well.

Anyway, I've been working on this nightcap when I want a break from the plumber sweater.  So there isn't much progress to show, but here you go...

Please be sure to head over to Wisdom Begins with Wonder because it's Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: WIP List Vanquished

Last May I listed seven items that were on my WIP List.  I complained that it was too many and that I wanted the list completed or dispatched before I started anything new.

With the exception of the Paco-Vicuna that I started spinning during during the Tour de Fleece and washing some Rocky Mountain Goat, I held to my word.  :-)

Spinning Black Huacaya Batts of Wonder - Complete

In a surprise (even to myself) this is complete.

I spun one bobbin prior to the Tour de Fleece, half of the second bobbin during the Tour de Fleece and the second half of the second bobbin since the Tour de Fleece concluded.  Then, I apparently hit a whole new level in my spinning and spun two bobbins in two days.

I'm all of a sudden spinning a much better yarn, faster.  The last bobbin only had one small bit that was over spun.  :-)

The final result is four skeins for a total of 850.5 yards and 17.25 ounces.

All four skeins have had a bath and are now drying.  Yay!

Spin Tibetan Mastiff - Complete

I spun this up during the Tour de Fleece and sent the yarn off to our breeder.  She loves it and is bringing more fur when she's at a nearby dog show in a few weeks.  :-)

Recycled Wool Nightcap - Complete

I resolved the hugeness by sending it through the washer and dryer with a load of towels.  It felted and shrunk and is now quite soft and nearly fits.

The Simple Scarf - Frogged

I never really made it much past what this photo shows because I had re-started several times as I showed the ladies at the office how to do different things.  I still like the idea of having a simple red scarf around, but this one isn't going to happen any time soon.

A Baling Twine Doormat Dog Toy - Modified and Completed

The original was given to the puppies to play with in May.  It was subsequently tossed out after Noodle's emergency surgery.  This was not the reason for the surgery, but I did not want it to become the reason for a second surgery.

I have since found a S (super honking big) hook and plan to start the Doormat again.  Although I will make a swatch, because the hook really is super honking big.

A Blanket - Frogged

I decided to frog this blanket.  I think the needles are a little small for the yarn.  Another half or whole size up would be better.  Also, I recently realized that I don't have enough yarn on hand to complete this blanket and frankly, I don't love the yarn enough to buy more.

The Twitter Knit Along Shawl - Completed

 
As I said last week, I'm pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.  My mistakes are there and visible, but not so visible that the garment is un-usable.  :-)

Spindling Paco-Vicuna - Completed

This was not on my list last May when I said I wouldn't start anything new, but I needed a fiber to travel with during the Tour de Fleece and wanted to work from a roving.  The final result is 1 ounce of Paco-Vicuna at 120 yards.

It's interesting to realize that this has really been a traveling project.  I have spun this at home, at a park, in the airport, on an airplane, in a hotel, at a friends house and at the office.

Processing Raw Rocky Mountain Goat - in progress

This is a new project as well.  I will tell more about how it came into my life another time since I haven't spent much time working on it yet.

Elevation Profile Scarf - in progress

I was a good girl and did not cast this on until after the Traveling Woman was in the block and there was literally nothing on my needles. :-)

So here's the score:

• Began - May 20, 2011
• 7 Projects in Work
• Ended - August 26, 2011
• 6 Completed Projects
• 2 Frogged Projects
• 2 Projects in Work

Now I'm off to check out the other Fiber Arts Friday posts and do my best to keep the WIP's at a small number. :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Recycled Wool Nightcap is Progressing

It has been cold and rainy for much of the last few weeks and I have been on the road some, so I've had a lot of knitting time recently.  Which means I have made a lot of progress on my Recycled Wool Nightcap.

If you've been reading my brain for a while, you may remember the bag of a zillion tiny balls of yarn...

Once I made it past the main body of the hat and all of it's yarn overs, I decided the plethora of knit and purl rounds on the peak was the perfect place to use up these tiny yarn balls.  I don't think I'll use them all, but certainly most will be consumed.

I made the big move from circular needles to dpns.  This step always gets me excited because I know I'm getting close to being finished.

However, I'm really slow on the double-pointed needles.  So I decided to try out the two circular method...

I'm definitely faster with the two circulars and since this hat only decreases 4 stitches every 3rd round, I can use all of the speed enhancers I can get.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  Please be sure to visit the other Fiber Artists because you're sure to see some interesting work.

Fiber Arts Friday: Elevation Profile Scarf Continues

The Elevation Profile Scarf has been neglected while I was working on Hubba's first pair of socks and taming recycled yarn.  And now it's being (mostly) set aside for a couple of secret projects that I won't tell you about... at least for a while, anyway.  ;-)

Isn't that how it goes?  The thing we're doing for ourselves always gets pushed to the bottom of the list.  :-/  Of course this means I currently have three knitting projects "in work" plus one spinning project for a total of four.  This is my self-imposed maximum.

Anyway, I have made some progress since the last time I told you about this Scarf...

I had a few more episodes of ripping out on the second half of the third chart.  It was really bunching up in the valley, so I added a few rows without any increases or decreases to alleviate some of the stress between the two extreme ramps.

The scarf is in the "doesn't require a whole lot of thought" state now... I've been doing the same two rows for about a mile and a half...  Ok, not quite that far, but I still have about 15 inches to go before I start the final chart.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this baby looks like after blocking.  It's recommended in the pattern and after seeing what happened to the Traveling Woman Shawl, I have to think this will look awesome when it's finished.  :-)

Be sure to visit everyone else over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder because it's Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday: The Traveling Woman is Finished!

I had thought about putting this in my WIP List Wrap Up, but I figured since she's caused me so much grief over the last 19 months, she deserved her very own I'm Finished post...

The end-weaving didn't take much time since there was only a little over 3 skeins used.  Which was awesome after the major weaving-in I did for the Recycled Wool Nightcap.

This was my first time blocking.  Can you believe it?  I've been a serious knitter for more than 3 years and have managed to not have to block anything... until now.  I figure it's just a matter of soaking, squeezing, stretching, pinning and then waiting for it to dry.  So I rummaged thru my sewing supplies for pins and the blocking began...

At first glance, it doesn't look too bad.  But closer inspection reveals three zig-zags on the left and...

left side


and only two zig-zags on the right along with a group of tear-drops in the middle.

right side

There's also a weird little pool of yarn to the right of the peak in the lowest section of lace.  So honestly, it isn't as bad as I expected.

It only took at day or so to dry.  So here she is, all finished.  :-)

The elation associated with taking the shawl out of the block is something I haven't experienced before.  Wow! No wonder people like blocking.

I love how it flows and drapes now.  So much prettier than when it was on the needles.

So overall, I guess I'm happy.  It definitely looks better than I expected, but I don't think I'll be rushing out to make any more lace for a while though.  ;-)

With that, my WIP List is essentially complete.  I say essentially because the Black Huacaya Batts of Wonder are still in progress and having no projects on the needles is not something I want to experience for very long.  ;-)

As you know, today is Fiber Arts Friday and there is always something interesting to see.  So please head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder and check everyone else out.