Fiber Arts Friday: Modified Sandbank, part 4

Last time was the beginning of October, and I was ready to embark upon Repeat #7, with the remainder of Skein #2.  I was using 21% more yarn for each Repeat and predicting a total of 11 Repeats.

In the midst of Repeat #7 and mid-October (10/15/23) I discovered a dropped stitch from several rounds back...

I captured it with a stitch marker, then fixed it when I reached the appropriate column.

The repair is a little tight but surprisingly doesn't look bad in this photo.  I do think it will even a bit during blocking.

Also toward the end of Repeat #7 I printed out a second copy of the bulk of the pattern since my mark-ups were filling up the white space and I think I have at least a few more Repeats to go.

***

Today is Christmas Eve, and I am finally getting to the point of finishing this post.

I finished Repeat #7 Thanksgiving Weekend (November 22).

Repeat #7 used 18g, which is 6% more than Repeat #6.  I am still using skein #2.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 6

 At the end of Part 5, we were here...

While doing some unpacking/organizing/looking-for-something-else I found this Needle-Felted Flower that I made in a class several years ago, when we were new to alpacas.  It needs to be finished a bit, but I think this might be a good way to complete this hat.

So after weaving in the ends, I pinned the flower in place and tried the hat on multiple ways, to settle on its final location...

  

and I don't love it.

So I decided to go ahead with crocheting a brim-edge.  I like this a lot better, but I still don't care fore the dark red "v" at the front.

  

So I wove in the ends and fastened down the flap with the minty yarn, while aligning the dark-red section.

  

I like this a lot(!) better.

I am still debating whether to add a small embellishment to the peak of the flap, but for now I am of the mind that less is more.

So I will live with it for a while and call this one good, finally.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 5

Part 5?  Who would have thought that such a simple pattern would have so many things to talk about?  Not me... but here I am, with Part 5.  :-)

As a reminder.... I was contemplating accents at the end of the last post.

I knit a couple of rows with the gold and decided I didn't like it.  Then I knit the remainder out with the dark red-wine color (because it has matching blue flecks in it) but did not bind-off or join, because I was still not certain I liked it.

I sat with it for a few days and shared the above photo with a friend... and the more I looked at it, the less I liked it.  So I set it aside.

This is why color can be so challenging for me and why I generally prefer to work with un-dyed fibers!!

After letting it sit for several weeks, and growing impatient with the number of nearly-complete projects I had, I decided to bind-off with the wine-colored yarn over the Independence Day Holiday.

At this point, I don't hate it.  But I don't love it either.

The pattern calls for a button to hold the flap in place and, of course, the ends still need to be woven in.  

My current plan is to crochet a brim-edge in the wine-color and then likely add other embellishments.

So, clearly there will be at least a part 6 to this project.  Stay tuned.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Modified Sandbank, part 3

As I mentioned in my plan last time,  the first thing I did was move this project to two 60-inch circular needles.

The first needle was a bit grabby with the yarn, so I wiped down the second prior to using it and both are running smoothly, after the first couple of rounds.

I finally finished the first skein about 3/4 into the 5th Repeat.

It is interesting that Repeat #5 used the same weight of yarn as Repeat #4 (14g each).  I can only assume that one of my weights was not measured accurately, since I have a habit of using my scale where ever I happen to be.  I'm curious to see what happens in Repeat #6.

In thinking about it further, I suspect that the finish weight for Round #3 was incorrect, which means the delta that gave me 27% increase was also incorrect.  This is a good reminder that each and every step matters when it comes to an accurate predictive analysis.

Finally more than a month later, and earlier this week, I finished Repeat #6.  The yarn used was 21% more than Repeat #5 and I'm still in Skein #2.

The wrap is starting to show it's Kidney Bean shape, and is still on a pair of 60-inch needles.

If the 21% increase in yarn per Repeat continues, then I should be able to get 11 total repeats out of the yarn I have.

I am continuing to work on this project primarily during the mornings.  Each Round is now taking more than 2 hours over several days, and each Repeat has 13 Rounds.  Which means that my forecasted end date is continuing to move out.  ;-)  Currently I'm hoping to be complete in early March 2024.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 4

Since last time, I have been contemplating what to do with the last inch of my Dutrieu Hat....

I went thru my stash of wool yarns and pulled out the close-to-sport weight.  Then kept out the few yarns that appeared to coordinate with the hat...

with undyed Targhee

with the white used for the
Provisional Cast-on

with unknown wool - gold and wine

While the hat sat with the potential stash members, I also took a snip of the yarn with me to the Estes Park Wool Market and happened to find an interesting coordinating yarn from ModeKnit Yarn, of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

So now, I have four-ish options that are marinating...

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 3

So, last time I was just beginning the last panel of this six-panel hat and expecting to play a game of Yarn Chicken.

Soon after writing that post, I found the few grams remaining from my Minty Mitts...

While I am feeling a little better about my supply, I'm not confident that I have enough of this Possum-blend yarn to complete this hat.

I got ~25% into the last panel with the remainder of the first skein...

And another ~50% with the remainder of the Minty Mitts Skein.

Which means I have ~25% or 10 rows plus the bind off and join remaining to complete this hat.... AND that I lost at Yarn Chicken twice!  ;-)

So my mind has been turning toward my stash, wondering if there's something suitable to compliment the end of this project.

The ending stripe will be about 1-inch wide.

Do I go with white and drive a summery feeling?  Do I go with a natural, undyed color for a more cozy feeling?  Or something completely different?

I'll be pondering these questions for a while...

In the meantime, I hope you are having lovely weather and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat, part 2

Last time I was just beyond 50% complete and now after a couple of  Dog Shows, this project is nearly complete...  I have just begun the last panel, and it looks likely that a game of Yarn Chicken is in my near future...

Stay Tuned and Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Camo Socks

When I was attempting to make a pair of socks for the first time, I used this yarn.  It didn't go well.  

Now that I have more experience, and am better at counting... ;-), I decided to try this yarn again.. Having been reminded that this yarn is camouflage-like when knit up, I offered to make a pair of socks for Hubba and his hunting trips.

I cast on in mid-May (5/11/23) with the intent of having the toes complete and set up for travel at the end of June.

This trip would involve airplanes and airports... and therefore a lot of waiting in uncomfortable spaces.  Which meant my Sandbank would not be as appropriate as I had hoped... Then it turned out that I was further along on this project than I expected at the time of my trip, so I brought something else.

I primarily use two longer circulars and occasionally a set of double-pointed needles on socks or hand-related projects.  So this will be different... especially since the needle portion is much smaller on these short, 9-inch circulars.  Therefore holding them feels a lot different.

But there were able to hold everything, including the heels while in progress.

I finished these up several days after my trip concluded.

As much as I am enjoying making socks, I am having a hard time understanding how much negative ease is the right amount.  So these are still a bit big for Hubba.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Dutrieu Hat

In looking for a simple project appropriate for waiting for services, I settled on Dutrieu by Wooly Wormhead.

I previously mentioned that I have wanted to make one of their patterns for quite some time.  I have also wanted to make a Cloche for several years.  Add in plenty of yarn left over from the Minty Mitts, and this seemed like the right one.

In searching the interwebs for how to pronounce Dutrieu, I learned that this is for Hélène Dutrieu, a Belgian Cyclist, Stunt Woman, and Aviator.  Very cool, indeed!

My French is not very good and my Flemish is non-existent, but at least I can hear the pronunciation in my head, even if I can not actually say it correctly.  :-/

This is an interesting construction, as is typically the case with Wooly Wormhead designs.  You can see the crown is starting to be shaped at the top of the piece, and the flap is beginning at the bottom.  There will be a total of 6 panels when complete.

I did take the opportunity to upgrade my tools in this size... I'm surprised by how much I don't like working with my original wood- and bamboo-tipped tools.

And with my new tools, I'm much further than I expected to be at the end of Memorial Day Weekend... currently just beyond 50%.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Fiber Arts Friday: Modified Sandbank, part 2

Since last time, I tried to put this project on one circular needle, but it wasn't quite ready...

So I moved it to two of my longest US0s.  These are 40 inches long...

This was a dedicated project until about  the end of March 2023, when it started to get boring.  So I did some work on other projects to give my mind something else to focus on.

This was also the point of leaving our temporary housing toward the end of the major portion of our remodel.  It was in to the second part of the first pattern repeat and about 2.5 inches wide.

Working on it a little here and there for much of April, I am complete with the 2nd pattern repeat as of early May 2023.  The project is about 4.5 inches wide, and I have used less than half of the first skein.

These are still the 40-inch needles...

This project then spent most of May and June resting, only picking it back up in early July 2023.

Since then I've been working with a less-is-more strategy.  Generally I only work on it in the morning while I'm having coffee and catching up on the news from the previous day.  Then spending any other available time working on something else.

Each round is currently taking about an hour and 15 minutes to complete, usually over two days.  Each round also increases by at least 4 stitches.

As of this writing, in mid-August 2023, I have completed Repeat #4 and used most of the first skein.

Repeat #4 used 27% more yarn than Repeat #3.  So assuming this rate stays constant, I should be able to complete 10 total Repeats.  Which means that I am 40% complete if you count Repeats, but only ~15% complete if you count skeins used....  lol.

Each Repeat adds two inches to the width of the wrap.

I will continue to keep track of yarn usage since the yarn is discontinued, and I, therefore, only have what I have.

I have also filled out my two 40-inch circulars and will be moving this project to two 60-inch  circulars next.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Larimer County Fair, 2023

I'm in the county's new system now, so I received an email on May 16 that the county fair was ready to receive entries.

The fair itself is held in early August, but I do appreciate being reminded that it's time to think about my entries and get them finished.  :-)

I downloaded several categories and had some thoughts about branching into several of them, but ultimately decided to enter in the following categories, which I have entered before:

• Photography
• Spinning and Weaving
• Knitting, Crochet, and Felting

As we got into July, I started setting items aside as well as washing and blocking the candidates.

The entries ended up being as follows:

• Minty Mitts - these are made well and match quite closely.  I also think the thumb join was executed well.
• Inigo Socks - these have two mistakes that I know of.  One can be viewed as a design feature.  Neither are obvious, in my opinion.
• Save Our Sheep Sweater - this has one obvious mistake, but I think the overall body of work and composition is good.  It should receive high marks for the variety of yarns made and used.
• TM 2-Ply Yarn - this is one of the better Chiengora yarns I've made.
• Peek-a-boo Photo of Wilma - I love the personality of this photo, but have no feel for how photos are judged and therefore placed.

The Minty Mitts and Inigo Socks are in the same class.  I only realized that one entry per class was allowed in the Knitting/Crochet/Felting department after I completed registration.  So it seems odd that the registration system allowed for and confirmed both.

So upon confirming with the Check-in Staff and then the Special Check-in Staff my second entry was cancelled.  Then as I was speaking with the Department Steward during Drop-off, She confirmed they were both allowed because socks and mittens should not be in the same class and they would be judged separately, but they would not let her break the class, so I re-entered the second entry.

There was also a change in the Photography Department to disallow matts, even though it is called out as specifically required in the Premium List.... and to be clear, I would not have mounted my photo unless the Premium List said it was required.

I also confirmed that the Premium List Posted still states the matt is required the morning after Drop off.

Annoying on both accounts but alas, all of my entries were dropped off to their appropriate departments.

Judging happens the day after Drop Off and is open to the public.  However, I've never been able to attend judging due to day job commitments.

Upon visiting the Fair over the weekend, I saw that my entries placed about where I expected them to.  It's always fun trying to find them in the display...

My Sweater was displayed prominently, with no ribbons.

I have to acknowledge that the Sweater Competition this year was quite good.  With the Brown one receiving the Grand Champion placement.

My Tibetan Mastiff yarn received 1st place and a Special Award.

The Minty Mitts received 2nd place.

The Inigo Socks received 3rd place.

.. and Wilma's Peek-a-boo photo was placed prominently in the Amateur Domestic Animal Display (directly under the Labrador/2nd place photo), with no ribbons.

So I am pleased that my entries placed about where I expected them to as well as looking forward to getting everything home and seeing what the comments are.

The written comments received were minimal.  I did not receive the written comments/score sheet for the Mitts, but I did receive some oral comments on the photo as I was checking out.... so I now have something to focus my attention on.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!