Spring? April 7 before 8 AM

Sunday afternoon, I was sitting in the sun, knitting. The pups froliced around the back yard, and now this:

click pics to few full size (I've got a new camera, which I'm still trying to figure out)




The pups think the world is in order again, now that snow is back!




Biko was miffed because she had to sit still for a second.










In the end Biko had no trouble taking away Sam's ball, even under heavy protest.

Spring time urges

Every year when Spring comes around, I get the urge to sew, and to dye. The urge to do some spring cleaning is there too, but very weak. I turned over the basket where I keep my sewing threads, they were all tangled, and I had to wind all of them, so I arranged them by color. I even found a 1 Schilling coin, which was the currency in Austria, before the Euro. I gave the coin to my son, who's very sentimental about things like that.


So, out came the sewing machine and since I like all kinds of bags, I was looking for a project bag pattern. I found one too! It's called the Two Kates project bag, and I could not stop at one!



It was so much fun sewing them. The only regret I had was, that I used fabric from my very old stash (some are a little newer), still left over from my patchwork and quilting days. I still have lots of left over. They all have a different fabric on the inside, but they are not really reversable, but very roomy. I like them, because they are not drawstring bags, although I like those too.



If you are shaking your heads, thinking, "What's she going to do with all those project bags?", I'm telling you. I'm going to give them away as gift bags. No contest though, I'm going to decide as the mood strikes me. Coincidentally, April is the anniversary of my blogging life. I've started blogging three years ago! I would have stopped several times during that time, would it not have been for YOU, my readers, and especially those, who leave comments on a regular basis. Thank you all very much!


(for some reason this yarn was VERY hard to photograph, it was not the colores, but my camera wouldn't focus right)

This weekend I grabbed the dye pot again, and decided to give the yarn cake dyeing technique another try. I DO really like the results I'm getting. It's just a time consuming thing to do, and I think I'm done now for a while. Here you see what I call "Mountain Lake" and "Key Lime" sock yarn. I've already cast on for socks with one colorway. It took me a long time to find a stitch pattern for it. I hope it works out like I want it too.


(our front yard has no color so far, the tulips are just peeking out, and you can see the "bloody toes socks" in progress, as I call them)

The other colorway will be Bea's socks again. I like the pattern that much. :o) It's going to be available for free in German and in English as well, as soon as the test knitting is done. Bea, correct me if I'm wrong! You can find instructions on this dyeing technique in Bea's blog post.
Now, I better get back to work, so I'll get to the fun part sooner.

Handspun Friday - Roses in the Snow

Roses in the Snow, 5.6oz

Dave is in Happy Hooves Sock Batt Club from Enchanted Knoll. The February Club Batts were called "Roses in the Snow". He felt he didn't like the colores for himself, so he offered them to me. I saw finished yarn from these batts on ravelry, and liked the shiny sparkliness of it, and so I agreed to take it off his hands, and traded some FatCatKnits fiber I had in my stash.



Well the batts came, and he snuck in this gorgeous sock yarn as well! I've always wanted to give Dream in Color Smooshy a try! Thanks, Dave!



Here are the batts all spun up. Each batt had lots of sparkle in them. I started with the pink one. It was really easy to spin, which made me question my dislike of batts. Next up was the whitish batt. This one was a major PIA to spin, and it confirmed my opinion about spinning batts. All I wanted was just to get through it. I think for batts to be spun nicely they have to be carded many times. The white stuff was just horrible. Last was the yellow batt, which sparkled golden on the bobbin, it was in between the other too. Not a total mess, but not as easy as the pink stuff either. I was really glad when I was done with it.



With all that sparkle and glitter stuff going on I expected the finished yarn to sparkle like a lit Christmas tree, but to tell you the truth, I was disappointed with the finished yarn. It looks all frezzled and worn. It got too much twist as well, because I didn't realize that the lazy Kate was holding on too tight until I was almost done with it.



These batts were supposed to be spun as 3-ply for socks. Well it's 3-ply already and there's enough yardage to make socks and than some. I don't know what I'll do with it, this one's just a twisted mess, and I think the fiber is too soft for socks.

fiber: Roses in the Snow, 5.6oz (don't know what's in it, besides glitter stuff), Happy Hooves Sock Batt Club, from Enchanted Knoll, February 2009

yardage: 565yds, 3-ply

WPI: 25





Sam's ever so helpful, always underfoot. :o)


Biko's never far away either. Both start to snore as soon as I start pedaling.


Here's it one more time with some lace yarn I dyed. Last year around this time I dyes some yarn, two skeins of lace weight yarn among them. This year I took them out and didn't like how plotchy they were, so I overdyed them. The color in this picture is pretty accurate. It's KnitPicks Bare lace weight merino, 880yds a skein. I like it much better now, that it is almost solid.

Hannah's Hooded Pullover

Before Hannah left for University, she picked this Hooded Pullover from Vogue Knitting Magazine for me to knit for her. She wanted it in the same color as in the magazine, and Angelika made it happen, since I couldn't get the yarn anywhere around here. Thanks, again!



January seems such a long time ago, I have to think back hard to remember all about that Pullover (I've finished thirteen other knitting projects since then, even sewed some, blog posts about the ones you haven't seen yet, to come). Hannah's just gotten around to taking pictures last week, after I pestered her on a regular basis. She's incredible busy studying, but here you go.



specs:
pattern: Hooded Pullover by Mari Muinonen, Vogue Knitting Magazine, Fall 2008, project # 28
yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky, color # 186 Amber, 5.5 balls
needle: 6.5mm
size: S, cast on 117
start-finish: January 28 - February 8, 2009


It went pretty well until I came to the yoke and neck shaping. Boy the instructions were confusing to me. I even left out some instructions, just skipped over them, because it would not have worked out with the stitch numbers. Getting to the hood was an adventure. What really helped me a lot was, to lock at pictures on ravelry, of finished Pullovers. Thank god people took them from all angles. Don't be too critical, because I screwed up the cables. I saw it, but I was way up on the body, and there was no way that I was going to rip that out. You all know how much I love to knit sweaters! Cables and I are just not good friends. :o) Still, I think it's a pretty design.




If you look at the pictures you see the color amber beautifully where the sun shines on the yarn. The yarn really looked that way, but only with sunshine. It looked exactly like in Hannah's photos, in artificial light, very weird.



I've sent this Pullover as part of a care package and slipped (besides other stuff) some yoga socks in there too. I don't do yoga, so I'm not sure they are really practical.

Since some of you like to read about my pups, I thought I had to share this, but I'm sure you are all more than thankful, that I don't show you photographic evidence.
Sam's on several medication. Because of prednisone he's always hungry. We give him fruit and veggies throughout the day, treats as well and lots of water. Recently he found out that he likes to eat tissue paper, which he rips out of the box one by one. My pup is a real artist, he makes papier-mache sculptures! If you own a pet or two (or more) you understand, that any squeamishness you might have ever felt, goes away quickly with being a pet owner. :o) I get to admire his art, and remove it discreetly. :o)

Have a wonderful week you all!

Earth Hour Day!

I can't believe it's been a year already. Earth Hour is here again! I'm going to participate again this year, what about you?

And because I think my pups are so cute:


Sam, looking for shade at +8C. There are still some icy patches in shady places. He looks beautiful, all white in this picture, but the side you can't see is totally black and muddy.


Biko is showing me that she can be a good girl, and listen for once, but I've got only one ear, the other one is making out some kids in the distance.

Handspun Friday - Team Spirit

Even though I have been spinning during the last two weeks, I haven't actually finished any yarn. This one's the last one to show from the time BEFORE I decided to start Handspun Friday. I always try to fill all my bobbins, before I start to ply, and lately it seemed to take forever to fill them! So if I want to have to show you something for next week, I better get going.



I've got this fiber at Christmas 2007. It's FatCatKnits fiber. I have several colorways in my stash. I like her stuff, but haven't bought anything new lately. I liked this particular colorway, because it has one of my favorite color combinations: orange and blue.



I could not imagine how it would look spun up, and once again was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Since it's merino/tencel blend it's a bit shiny too, me likes! :o)



***

fiber: 70% Merino, 30% Tencel, 4oz
source: FatCatKnit's Handpainted Fibers and Yarn
yardage: ~ 323yds
plying method: 2-ply
WPI: average 16



***
I've also tried dyeing yarn cakes again. This time it's worsted weight yarn. I wound it very loosely, but the color didn't penetrate further any better than the last time. To my surprise it looks almost the same as my first try, even though I used "Sugar Plum" & "Blueberry" last time, and this time "Sugar Plum" & "Deep Purple". Where did the purple go?



I like sheep, I really do.

Because, you know I also dyed this "Deep Purple" lace weight yarn, and it IS purple. Mystery to me! I overdyed this purple yarn with black, to take the purple down a notch. At least that's what I wanted but once again, where did the black go? Dyeing is very interesting (and time consuming). I will continue to dabble in it. :o)

Vernal Equinox Surprise Shawl finished!

The surprise for me was that it turned out to be a half circle shawl. Hmm, don't like half circle shawls, will never wear it. The other surprise was, that it seemed not photographable for me. That rarely happens. Maybe it felt it was not loved?
I have tried to take pictures of it on several days, with different light, outside, inside, it's just not happening.


Even Biko was an unwilling model.

I knew, as soon as the last stitch was done, that this was not a keeper. It's a pity, really, because there is nothing wrong with the pattern at all!
It was very much fun to knit, well written (charted), I was looking forward to each and every clue. It's a beautiful shawl, and there are pictures to proof it (click on the picture in this link and see a wonderful gallery of finished shawls), just not mine.




Angelika suggested to offer it for trade. Don't suppose anybody would want to trade it for fiber or yarn? Otherwise I'll just rip it out. I haven't woven in the ends yet, because of that.
Thank you Paivi for designing it and offering this shawl for free, it was a pleasure to knit!





pattern: Vernal Equinox Surprise Shawl by Paivi of Lankakomero
yarn: Spritely Goods, limited edition "Spring Greens" 100% superwash merino, 2 x 110g, 980yds
needle: 3.5mm circular
size after blocking: upper edge ~ 70", deep ~ 32"


I think in this picture the color comes closest to the true color.

The shawl found a new home. Thank you!

***

Since I've seen Bea's socks, I wanted to dye some yarn the same way. So I got the dye pot out over the weekend and the result was this:



I used a different color combination, obviously.

It was a learning experience. Since I'm a dabbler in dyeing, I know shit about it, that's why the results are rarely what I envisioned. But I'm always willing to learn from my mistakes. Two things about this yarn, or maybe three:


1. I like how it looks.

2. at the beginning I thought I was going to knit socks with this yarn (2x Knit Picks Bare, merino/silk, 440yds each), BUT I lost this pair of socks this weekend (after I wore them maybe 5 times) due to holeitis in the toe area, I doubt that I will knit socks in merino or merino/any blend without nylon etc. again. I'm sick of loosing socks, just because the yarn is too soft. So I have, as I think, the perfect pattern in mind, for one of these skeins - NOT socks.


3. I'd like to try this method of dyeing again, but with 50g yarn balls, 100g yarn cakes are just too big to get the result I want, and I have to find undyed sock yarn, which is not merino etc. you get the idea. :o)

By the way, I'm (test) knitting (I'm a terrible test knitter) Bea's socks (with Regia sock yarn, yes siry), I like them A LOT.

***

Handspun Friday - Girl with A Pearl Earring

Happy Vernal Equinox! Or I should say, Spring is here! Yeah! Well, there was nothing wrong with Winter either, Spring is in the beginning rather messy.
Today I should show you my finished Vernal Equinox shawl, but that would mess up my handspun Friday, so the shawl will have to wait.




I was looking for fiber for my next spinning project, when this roving kept falling into my hands. I pushed it aside several times, but it always came back, so I thought, what the heck, it really wants (needs) to be spun.

I've got this back in 2007, when I started spinning. Back then I joined two fiber clubs and this was one of the installments. Since then I've long canceled my membership with both. Sometimes I regret it, but not really.

I have to say, this fiber surprised me in a good way. From looking at the fiber, I didn't expect much, but I really like how the yarn turned out.



The colorway was inspired by a painting by Johannes Vermeer and is called "Girl with a pearl earring. I've seen others using this painting as inspiration for their dyeing fiber as well, not just Electric Sheep Fiber Arts. I haven't found a recent update from Amy. Don't know if she is still dyeing fiber and yarn. Anyway, as I said, it was a pleasant surprise to see this yarn finished.



Can't wait to see how this looks knit up!


***
fiber: Corriedale, 4oz
source: Electric Sheep Fiber Arts, club fiber, I think from 2007
colorway: Girl with a Pearl Eaaring
yardage: ~ 229yds
way of plying: navajo plied
I've put it away before measuring the WPI, but it's around DK weight
***


***

How bored can shepherds get?

Very - watch this !

I missed Pi-Day!

I wanted to thank you all for your comments on my "Frost Flower" post. I was "under the weather", or "out for the count" over the weekend, flu like symptoms, but I'm O.K. again. I usually respond to your comments individually, but was not able to do so this time.

****

Saturday, March 14th, was Pi-Day! I'm no math-nerd, but thanks to Elizabeth Zimmermann, I'm familiar with a very practical use for Pi - her Pi-shawl.

I wanted to knit this shawl for quite some time now, and during some "in between projects" time, while I was looking through my stash, this left over (from my Queen Anne's shawl ) yarn cake fell into my hands. I love this colorway so much, and was delighted to see it's natural occurrence in Kathy's picture:

picture used with permission

Since this was just left over yarn, not a full skein, I knew it would not really make a shawl, but I wanted it to be a center piece for our dining room table anyways. It turned out exactly the way I wanted it, that's to say, I'm very pleased with it. Since this was a small project, I think I'll knit the pi-shawl again in the future. There are many variations out there, but I like the simplicity of it. I did my usual crochet bind off for the border. It's easy and I like it.

specifics:

pattern: by Elizabeth Zimmermann

yarn: Evilla Artyarn 8/2, color A-8

needle: 4mm circular, DP at first

size after blocking: 28" in diameter (blocking it into a circle was really hard, and I didn't do a good job, it's a little oblong)

start-finish: February 21 - 24