My amazing Spin to Knit pal

My Spin to Knit swap pal is awesome. A gorgeous skein of luscious brown yarn, a blank book I plan to use as a handspun-yarn album, lemon drops, und ze chocolate (of course!) and an personalized card. But the best part is the yarn. Ok, sure Lori, you're a good spinner, what's so special about this yarn? Look at it. Closer.

This is fluffy three ply, totally and completely different from the yarn I spin - really, I have to try hard to make yarn that looks like this. And the very best part, the hugest show of generosity, is something you cannot simply see. This is my swap pal's First Skein from her new wheel! Seriously, I'm bowled over by the sentiment, and feel so honored to have such a thing. I'm not sure I can knit it, it may just become my desk pet.

I got a quasi-decent photo of Alpengleam in the mirror today, though the light still lacks a certain je ne sais quoi...

Ok, I lied, I know precisely what the light is lacking - it's not snowing today, it's raining. We shall not speak of this travesty of winter.

On to newly dyed roving, a much more cheerful subject than the sodden disgusting drippy slushy melty mess that is my yard *ahem* weather.

The first two rovings are each 4 oz. of merino silk (80%/20%) and I'm looking forward to spinning them.

"Blue Violets"

"Sailor's Delight"

The second two rovings I dyed are a 50/50 superwash merino/tencel blend, which I decided I wanted to use after receiving some beautiful sock yarn from the same fiber from Rae. I love the way the fibers take the dye with a sheen, and it's so silky soft it will be a joy to spin.

"Neptune"

I named this one "Orion" after I saw this.

So it appears I have a busy spinning schedule ahead of me. And honestly, I think I'm done with sweaters, for a week or two at least. I'm going to knit some mittens. And some socks, you know, for a change.

Weather Report: I told you we would not speak of this! 37 degrees F. Sunrise 9:31, sunset 17:07.

All for now.

Alpen-blizzard

So today I experienced my first Alaskan blizzard. Understandably, everyone around here tends to be pretty non-plussed about snow, but this one apparently impressed even the locals. This was the view when I came home today around 3:30pm; at 5:30 it's still falling (read: blowing horizontally,) though the worst of the storm seems to have passed.

I had to shovel to the door, it was over my knees.

In other news... I finished Alpengleam, but the light was too poor to take mirror photos, so those will have to wait. But here is the sweater, unblocked and on a hanger.

Detail of the color change at the yoke

I love it, and it fits beautifully. I shall introduce it properly tomorrow after blocking.

All for now.

Personal landspeed record

I have to admit, I'm a little shocked too. The "mystery project" I talked about in my last post is my first top down raglan sweater, and I loosely followed the pattern for the Faux Fair Isle sweater in the Spin to Knit. book. I cast on Monday night in a fit of inspiration after laying the Red Sweater out to block. I looked over at the underused shelf of handspun, and saw this yarn in a different way, recalled the sweater pattern, and cast on as a whim. I had no idea it would go so fast. This is absolutely a record for me.

I have to blame most of the quick progress on the ease of the pattern (very minimal shaping) and the size of the needles (6mm/US10 for the body,) which seem enormous after working mostly on 2-4mm (US0-6) needles.

Not only that, but it fits, and the colors of my handspun look like they were made to go with the Cork (they weren't. I dyed it, and I know.) The handspun is my favorite from this post, which I ended up calling "Alpenglow." There are portions of it that precisely match the color of some Rowan Cork I had lingering in the stash, which is conveniently called "Gleam." Thus, I dub this sweater "Alpengleam."

And now if you'll forgive me, I have some sleeves to knit. Oh, and I have some roving in the oven that I'll have to share tomorrow... What a blast of creative productivity!

A Northern Exposure moment

I was sitting on the downstairs sofa this morning, knitting and minding my own business, when I heard a thump-stomp-snuffle quite near the back of my head. I opened the blinds to find the hibernating columbines becoming a snack. Yikes! It's a bit disconcerting to see such a massive creature so close to your head! But she is apparently quite tame, and not at all camera shy. I guess I'm glad they're back; will have to remember to check before letting Rudy out though. In non-moose related news, I finally finished the Red Sweater. It's still slightly damp, but I had to try it on anyway.

Saddle-shoulder detail

Quite pleased

"Red Sweater" aka "Not Salina" Begun as an experimental Salina (from Vintage Knits) knit in the round Morphed into Elizabeth Zimmerman's Saddle Shoulder sweater Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, Black Cherry, 12 or 13 balls (not certain)

I'm quite happy with it, a nice comfy sweater with enough class to leave the house in. And, unlike store-bought sweaters, the sleeves are actually long enough for me! (I knew there was a reason I do this knitting thing...) Because I'm a sucker for punishment, I started another big project while the Red Sweater was blocking. This one promises to move a bit faster, as it's knit on size 9-10 needles. That's it, you heard correctly - the sock knitter is using paper-towel tubes to knit... well, can you guess what it is? Hint: it's based on a pattern from Spin to Knit, and is using 250 yards of my favorite handspun along with 8 balls of Rowan Cork.

All for now. It's snowing, and I'm cozy inside, enthralled with my new project!

Socks and sock yarn everywhere...

Difficult as it was this weekend to make time at the computer to blog, I had no trouble finding time for knitting and spinning (are you surprised?) I finished Andy's socks.

Another pair of socks for Andy, plain K3P1 rib over 68 stitches.

2.25mm (US1) needles

Paton's Kroy 4-ply, all of two 50g balls, plus a little Knitpicks Essential in Navy for the toe.

I also finished the first sock for my Sockret Pal, and the second one is zooming along.

Juta's Stocking from Folk Knitting in Estonia,

(Pattern adjusted for size to 52 stitches around)

My own handspun, from Paradise Fibers microblend roving:

superwash wool, mohair, and nylon (60/25/15)

Knit on 2.5mm (US1.5) ebony wood needles

I also finished spinning the sock yarn for my Spin to Knit (heretofore S2K) pal. As promised, here are photos of the process. The wool is hand-dyed superwash merino.

"Dark" single, on the bobbin

"Light" single on the bobbin

Together in a 2-ply yarn

I ended up with just over 440 yards of sock yarn, which I skeined up into two 220 yard hanks. Andy declared it "the best yet," as he has been prone to do with each specimen of handspun lately. I am very pleased with the way it turned out, as my method of dying the roving in halves produced a result that is just what I was looking for.

As for the weather, the temperatures have remained in the pleasantly chilly mid-20s, with nightly lows dipping down into the teens. Snow showers have been a common occurance, with patchy sunlight between. Currently it's snowing rather heavily, which should make for another great ski day tomorrow! Sunrise today was at 9:39, and sunset will be at 16:57, for a full 7h 18m of sunlight.

All for now.

Methods to my madness

I was hoping to get a good photo of the first bobbin of singles I've been spinning, but the light is terrible so far this morning, (it's snowing again) so y'all will have to forgive me until later... But I mean to answer the questions from yesterday's comments. Jenknits said: "...I'm intrigued by your method of baking roving to set the dye. Since I've been having trouble getting my fuschias and blues to 'stick' I'm wondering if that method might work better than steaming on the stovetop. What do you think? Any hints on getting difficult colors to 'stick'?" It's a really good question. When I first started dyeing wool (all of six months or so ago, so I'm not expert, just successfully experimental so far,) I first tried doing yarn using the near-boiling-water- in-a-giant-pot method. It didn't work so well. I felted a whole shawl's worth of laceweight (from Knitpicks, don't cry for me) because I had trouble keeping the water temperature steady. Then I used the paint-with-dye, then-wrap-in-plastic-and-steam method, which works very well for both roving and yarn, but is a pain for doing bulk dyeing. Also, I often find my little plastic packages melted or steamed open and dribbling dye all over each other, which produces interesting, but unplanned, results. I always have a lot of dye run out in the rinse water after using either of these methods as well, which can be very disappointing, as I feel like I'm wasting dye. I was reading through Knittyspin articles, and found a very interesting one about dyeing and spinning. Given that the two wool artists featured run successful dyeing businesses, I though I'd give their method a try - simply paint the wool, put it in a roasting pan, spritz with vinegar, and bake for 30 minutes at 250 degrees. Given that it is heat that sets the acid dyes, and the wool already contains the moisture and added acid (vinegar) I couldn't see any reason why using the oven wouldn't work. Turns out, it works fantastically, and I've found that there is very little dye not absorbed by the wool. For the most part, the colors I put on stay on, and there is no running or smearing or blobbing while they set. Perfect. And it lends itself well to bulk dyeing; I can paint an oven-full, then prepare the next batch while the first heat-sets. There seems to be very little risk of felting, which is the bane of my existence. Beyond that, the oven is well insulated, so the kitchen doesn't become a sauna during a day of work. (By the way, I've found it works just as well with a large metal bowl covered with aluminum foil, if you don't have a roasting pan, or if you want to do more than one batch at a time.) Another thing that might help the blues and reds "stick" better is to mix the acid into the dye when you make a stock solution. I bought some dyes and citric acid crystals from Halcyon Yarns, and their instructions said to mix the citric acid directly into the stock solution after the dye powders were mixed with hot water, so I tried it for the first time. I'm not sure what sort of difference it makes, but the magenta I used was prepared in this way, and there was not excess dye at all in the rinse water. Cayli said: "I am interested to see how that 2ply works out. That is an idea I have not seen done before. You must post pictures." I haven't done this sort of dyeing intentionally before, but I'm taking a hint from the way Teyani at Crown Mountain Farms does her roving for her amazing Sock Hop yarn. From what I've read, she dyes the roving in sections, each with increasing levels of dye saturation, then spins two bobbins with equal amounts of each section. Once plied together, it helps blend the colors so you won't end up with one dark sock and one lighter one, or one more stripey than the other. I figured doing something similar with this yarn would make a nice even skein. I'll be sure to post photos along the way. For Tala, the only advice I can give on spinning sock yarn is to make sure the roving is very "fluffed" and pre-drafted as much as you can make it without letting it fall apart. I probably spend 15 - 20 minutes preparing 4oz. of fiber, pulling it out so it is loose, before I start spinning. It makes it much easier to spin a thin single if you don't have to tug hard to draft. I hope this post helps someone out along the way. When I first started spinning and dyeing wool, I relied heavily on bloggers' posts for instruction and ideas. When some brainstorm or "new" method (there's really nothing new under the sun, I'm sure) works out well, I want to share it - the more good spinners in the world, the better, right?

You leave me no choice but to dye it myself...

I'm participating in the Spin to Knit swap, where one spins and sends a skein of yarn to a pal during the months of January and February. It took awhile to get in touch with my pal, but I finally got her fiber and color preferences. Turns out she really doesn't like brown. At. All. Guess what color is in nearly every one of the rovings I have already available to spin? My favorite neutral, brown. No problem, I'll just dye some up for her...

Dyeing: 4oz. of superwash merino, painted and "baked" at 250 F for about 30 minutes.

Drying

Luckily, she's into socks, and sock yarns, and vibrant colors. So for the very first time ever, I got to dye roving with a particular project in mind. I split the roving in half, and dyed both with the same colors, but one with more "negative" white space and one nearly completely covered. I'll spin each 2oz. section onto a seperate bobbin, and then ply them for a medium-colored look. (I hope!) This was the sky this morning around 10am.

I love the little birds in the top of the tree. And here is a photo we captured the Saturday of the majestic (juvenile) American Bald Eagle. Silly creature. They have an overabundance of food in the summer months (fishermen's scraps and tourist's insistence on feeding them assure that) but in the winter there is not enough natural food to sustain the huge eagle population that has been drawn to the area. Dump diving is the inevitable (and very commonly sighted) result. This fellow was so tame he didn't shy away at all as we drove up to snap many photos. Kinda takes the "dignified" eagle down a notch in one's mind to see them munching away at discarded fast food. (Or to see one chasing a raven that has stolen said fast food - that's actually quite funny.)

500 words or less

I'm not feeling very wordy today (imagine!) so this post will speak mostly in photos.

Beautiful merino-tencel yarn from Rae, my talented Handspun Sock Yarn Swap pal, with a handpainted superwash roving gift - perfect! I can't wait to knit and spin it!

Progress on the red sweater - I've left Sleeve Island and am going to use EZ's Saddle Shoulder pattern from here. It shoud be ready for wear very soon.

Sock begun for my Sockret Pal, with handspun superwash/mohair yarn, in Juta's Stocking from Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia

Andy's socks in progress: Paton's Kroy 4-ply, with Knitpicks Essentials navy toe (Sock holder from Autumn House Farm)

Lace leaf shawl in handspun leftovers, moving along nicely

Fresh off the bobbin: 100% wool from Spunky Eclectic, in Hot Dog, spun 2-ply DK weight

Weather Report: Temperatures have warmed up to the mid-20's to low-30's, with unabashed sunshine from 9:52 to 16:39. The snow is great for skiing and sledding, as demonstrated at a sledding party we attended yesterday - take 15+ kids, and their respective grown-ups, add a good hill, great weather, and many sleds, a generous dose of hot cocoa and soup, and you have the recipe for a fantastic afternoon. Highly recommended.

All for now.

Busy Bee

I promise I've been busy with everything except blogging. I finally spun up some of the alpaca that I got this summer. Here are two skeins, the top from Chilli B (250 yards) the bottom from Clover (175 yards,) both from Funny River Farms Alpaca Ranch, which we visited this summer. Both yarns are fingering to sport weight, as I was on a learning curve. Alpaca is fairly different to spin than wool; not necessarily harder, but it seems to require a lighter touch when drafting, and there is a balance to find between enough twist to hold the fibers together and too much twist, which makes a hard and wiry yarn. I have enough Alaskan alpaca fiber from different coats that I am aiming towards a substantial shawl (I do love my shawls!) that moves in gradiated color from one critter to the next. I have been plodding along on the Red Sweater, with one sleeve nearly finished. As it's 16" of stocking stitch, I'll spare you until they are both done. And there is a pair of boring, but requested, socks for Andy that are close to finishing. I started a new shawl from bits of leftover handspun. It's Evelyn Clark's Lace Leaf Shawl pattern, and I'm knitting on 3.5mm (US4) needles. I found all the mini skeins of handspun (50 - 100 yards) that were similar weights, and spliced them together so the colors flow from one to another, starting with grey and moving through blues to green. I'm only just getting into the blue section, but I really like the way it's turning out so far, and I'm glad not to be wasting any of my precious spinning! For the record, I have to show the spoils of my last yarn splurge, which arrived early this week. I'm planning a fair isle yoked cardigan, a la Elizabeth Zimmerman, and bought the Jamieson's Spindrift to make it from Two Swans Yarns. Below are two hanks of Satakeili, which are destined to become a pair of mittens from Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia. It's very rare for me to knit a project with the yarn called for in a pattern, but here I'm attempting to do it twice over.

I also bought some things from Beaverslide Dry Goods.

This, my friends, is a one pound ball of wool and mohair roving, dyed in the "Barley Heather" colorway. It's got some neps, but is very soft and fluffy, and the sample spinning I did on my drop spindle shows it to produce a fine and fluffy yarn. I look forward to spinning it soon.

After knitting the scarf for the International Scarf Exchange, I was lusting after a sweater made of Beaverslide yarn, so I gifted myself with seven skeins of "Mountain Mahogany," a rich brown with flecks of red and grey-green.

It is destined to become Arwen's Cardigan from the most recent Interweave Knits.

So that's all the yarn purchasing for the time being, and I feel pretty good that I'll be able to concentrate on the projects I have picked out for the yarn I have stashed away...

The weather has been VERY cold, well below freezing for over a week. I went out skiing on Sunday and felt very brave when I found out it was -2F. (That was after I got back, of course; otherwise I probably wouldn't have gone.) It has been mostly overcast, with snow showers adding to the already-high drifts, but today the sun came out for awhile. More snow is predicted for tonight, however. Guess I got what I asked for - a real Alaskan winter...

Sunrise was at 9:59, and will set at 16:28, which puts us back up to 6 and a half hours of sunlight, but the days still feel short.

Last Finished Project of 2006, and spinning

Belated wishes for a good new year. We celebrated in a very mellow fashion - watched the Times Square ball drop with the kids before sending them to bed (at 8pm, Alaskan time) and then Andy and I hung out for a few hours. Uneventful, but I'm not complaining. A lot of folks have posted lists of finished projects from 2006, but I'm not up to thinking so hard today. I know I knit much more that I ever had before, and I intend to get even more done in 2007. I can't say that I really made any resolutions either, other than to try to live in a (slightly) more organized manner, and to try to watch my health a little better. I am still sticking to the Stash-a-Thon, and did do some online yarn shopping just after Christmas. I freaked out a little around 9pm on New Year's Eve, when Andy expressed astonishment at my "(Nearly) No New Yarn For Nine Months" plan. I almost ordered a bunch of yarn right then, but gathered my resolve and restrained myself, knowing that my better-planned purchases will arrive in the mail by the end of the week. I finished the Monkey Socks before the end of the year though, and wore them all day January first. I like the pattern, though the lace makes them a little loose on my narrow feet. I knit them in Fleece Artist superwash merino sock yarn, in the Midnight colorway, on 2.25mm (US1) needles. I needed six pattern repeats down the instep (after heel flap and turning) to fit my size 10 feet, and I had a little yarn left over. This morning I finished spinning the silk singles I started awhile back, and two-plied the yarn to make the weight a bit more even. This was my first attempt at spinning pure silk, and there was a lot of variation in the singles, though it evened out nicely to a fingering/sport weight yarn once it was plied.

I got approximately 360 yards from 2oz. of bombyx roving, which came from Chasing Rainbows dyeworks, and is the Moody Blues colorway. I really like the juxteposition of luxurious silk done with the humbleness of handspun. I'm not sure what I'll do with the yarn yet, besides pet it to death, but I'm thinking a pair of fancy fingerless mitts, or a lining for a wool hat.

Weather Report: It has remained cold, with lows in the teens and single digits, and highs only reaching to 20 degrees. The skies have been mostly cloudy with snow flurries during the evening. The sun came up this morning at 10:04, and will set at 16:16.

We've been keeping the bird feeders full, as the winter guests have been taking advantage of our hospitality.

This little fellow in particular seem very curious about the goings-on in the Wool Room; he keeps peering in the window, taunting the kitten waiting harmless on the inside sill...