tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22315017659114099102024-03-04T19:38:40.144-09:00 Ptarmigan PtracksPtarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-63460544011482735542018-01-07T16:12:00.001-09:002018-01-07T16:58:47.909-09:00Here we are againIt has been a year, my friends, (if any of you are still checking in on this blog) since I posted here. I'm afraid events grabbed me by the...something and rattled my brains, my emotions, my energy, my orientation into another dimension where there was no blogging.<br />
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I check in every single day on this blog, and have done all year. The faces of the people in the last post wearing my pussyhats smile on me every day as I use the bloglist sidebar to see what new posts are available on the blogs I follow. Fortunately, most of these have not been affected by the same paralysis. The <a href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/" target="_blank">Yarn Harlot</a> has blogged through the sudden loss of her mother and its aftermath. <a href="https://katedaviesdesigns.com/" target="_blank">Kate Davies </a>has created a new yarn line that she is about to launch to the world. Mason Dixon has created new knitting challenges; Gale Zucker has kept on taking great photos; Dottie at the Net Loft is working on another knitfest in Cordova AK---you can check it all out on that list on the right-hand side just as easily as I can do it for you here. Easier, in fact.<br />
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I have had blog paralysis, but not knitting paralysis. Indeed, as admonished by Saint Elizabeth Zimmerman I have "knit on with confidence and hope through all crises." The <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan/peace-de-resistance-mittens" target="_blank">Resist mitts</a>, 3 <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan/wild-cowls" target="_blank">Wild Cowls</a>, the <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan/white-cockatoo-scarf" target="_blank">Cockatoo Scarf</a>, the <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan/larus" target="_blank">Red Larus</a> sweater, a <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan/wonder-woman-wrap" target="_blank">Wonder Woman</a> shawl, and incredibly crazy <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan/sleepy-monkey-blanket" target="_blank">Monkey Blanke</a>t, and a whole lot more that you can dig up for yourself, if you're interested, on my <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan" target="_blank">Ravelry page</a>.<br />
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And now here we are a year later, a year that has been as awful as we feared, and yet a year that has shaken a resistance into action and will mark the anniversary with a <a href="http://www.powertothepolls.com/" target="_blank">main march in Nevada</a> and sister marches <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/sisters" target="_blank">all over the nation and world</a>. Yes, even one in Anchorage, Alaska.<br />
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Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-29819560168535331272017-01-23T14:11:00.000-09:002017-01-23T14:11:39.070-09:00Hats On! Forward March!The weather was terrible, driving was atrocious, but we put our pussyhats on in Anchorage, Alaska and did it anyway. We went downtown in our thousands to manifest our unity and our resistance to the promises of the incoming president.<br />
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It was beyond exciting to see that the <a href="https://www.pussyhatproject.com/" target="_blank">Pussyhat Project</a> succeeded exactly like the wild dream of its creators--a sea of pink not only in Washington, but nearly everywhere in the nation and abroad that people gathered in the name of tolerance, inclusion, and human rights. The hats were a wonderful symbol of our reasons for being there--handmade, very individual, and yet expressing the same theme. It made me so proud to be a participant.<br />
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When I sent hats to Washington, I included a tag with information the wearers could use to communicate with me. I got lovely responses that included pictures. Here are a few:<br />
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And then there was this family who got two of their four hats from me:<br />
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Closer to home, there were friends who made and wore their own hats:<br />
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And friends and family near and far who got their hats from my pile:<br />
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As wonderful as it was to physically be a part of such a (dare I say?) huge event, we would be kidding ourselves if we thought that our mere presence would budge the incoming program. Next comes the hard graft of working to minimize the damage being done, and to make this aberration in the arc of progress as short as possible.<br />
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None of us can do it all, but all of us can do something. Find a place to invest your effort, find others to help, and never let up. There will be causes that need your time and money, lawsuits to file, candidates at all levels to support, representatives now in place who need their feet held to the fire. One easy place to start is the <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/100/" target="_blank">10 Actions in 100 Days,</a> an immediate offshoot of the march. Or contact organizations like <a href="http://nipnlg.org/" target="_blank">National Immigration Project</a>, <a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/" target="_blank">Planned Parenthood</a>, the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/" target="_blank">ACLU</a>. The pussyhat is now a thinking cap and a warrior's helmet!Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-72353464980573382772016-12-07T18:10:00.000-09:002016-12-07T18:10:19.049-09:00What's New, Pussyhat?Woh woh woooh! My daughter introduced me to this, and I've been a maniac ever since. On the first day of the new presidential administration, a great mass of women will <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/" target="_blank">march on Washington</a> to give notice that we are here, we are aware, we are watching, and we will resist any attempt to diminish the rights we have now and any attempt to curb efforts to set us back on our road to establishing women's rights and all human rights.<br />
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I had heard about the march, and was wistful that it was so far out of the question for me to go and participate. The cost of transportation and housing could be so much better deployed supporting the organizations we are going to need to see us through the next four years.<br />
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And then came the news of the <a href="https://www.pussyhatproject.com/" target="_blank">Pussyhat Project</a>. The nation's makers making pink pussy-eared hats for as many marchers as possible. I loved it. Just because the march has a serious purpose doesn't mean there can't be fun and joy. In the words of marchers 100 years ago--<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_Roses" target="_blank">bread and roses</a>. And pussies to take back the term the grabber-in-chief used to brag about sexual assault, and also reclaim the definition of pussies as weak and wimpy. We are anything but!<br />
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I have for a long time had a problem with the color pink. First because it has become a color code for that which is feminine or reserved for females and therefore anathema to males. I absolutely hate that pepto-bismol pink that's used to code the "girls' " toys, girls' clothes, bikes, you name it. And then the pink ribbons came along, and corporations tried to boost sales by packaging their goods in pink and donating a pittance to breast cancer research, somehow trying to convince the public that you can cure cancer by buying yogurt.<br />
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But I'm fine with this use of pink. It's not for the enhancement of any corporate person's bottom line. It's not for marking out girl-cooties so as not to infect the y chromosome. It's just--yeah, we're female; deal with it.<br />
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Trouble was, with my longime attitude to pink, when I entered the stashcave to seek materials, almost none were to be found. Just a few balls of pale pink wool fingering left from making a brain hat. I made a start, using it double to get worsted weight. And then I realized that there was a part of the stash I could use--the various knit-in threads I've accumulated. So in went the gold thread and what came out was the first pussyhat:<br />
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It will subtly twinkle in the sunlight.<br />
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After a trip to the store and another stash dive, I was ready to start production in earnest. Next came the glamourpuss, magenta acrylic with a topping of silver sequins:<br />
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With each hat, I am refining the pattern to suit my yarn and gauge. I have enough trimmings to make all of my hats uniquely endowed with extra flash. Pale pink and sequins yielded this beauty:<br />
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And Number Four was back to the magenta with yet a different sequin treatment:<br />
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I now have switched to knitting in the round, with a 3 1/2" rib and an 8" overall length. I am a little apologetic about using the acrylic yarn, but it does have a nice, not "plastic-y" feel, and anything else would be financially unfeasible in the quantity required. The same amount of love goes into the making as if they were made of handspun angels' bellybutton lint. Last of the pale pink wool with a band of the last of the silver sequins:<br />
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I will be posting each hat on Instagram as I finish it. (button in the sidebar) Go take a look at the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p_ssyhatproject/?hl=en" target="_blank">wonderful variety of hats</a> folks are making and revel in the creativity and determination being unleashed. And maybe pick up your needles and knit a hat or two yourself!Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-35638892498497481242016-11-21T13:08:00.001-09:002016-11-21T13:08:45.030-09:00A Finished LassieThe Lassie's done! Actually, she's been done for about a week, but the combination of short daylight and too much to do has made photography difficult. But at last, here she is:<br />
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The sweater was conceived in a class at the <a href="http://thenetloftak.com/" target="_blank">Net Loft</a> Fiber & Friends event in Cordova AK this past summer. I had a wonderful 2-day class with <a href="http://chicknits.com/" target="_blank">Bonne Marie Burns</a>, the designer. Check it out <a href="http://ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/2016/08/fiber-friends-4.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It has a novel construction: upper fronts are made first, then the upper back is knitted on with a cast on for the back neck.<br />
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Instead of knitting the sleeves after the body was finished, I added the sleeves before I joined the body sides. Knitting on sleeves while flopping the majority of a sweater around and around in my lap drives me crazy, and doing it while the whole was smaller and lighter suited me just fine!<br />
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When the sleeves were done, I tried the thing on and discovered that the ridge at the end of the texture pattern hit me in an unbecoming location, so, disappointing as it was, I ripped back to the end of the last repeat and added one more, and that made everything come out just fine. Other modifications were using 2x2 ribbing instead of 1x1, and adding an 8th button and buttonhole.<br />
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Here's a closeup of the finished front showing the texture pattern and the super tweedy-looking buttons that are just right for the fabric.<br />
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This cardigan has already become a big favorite. It's substantial but not heavy, smooth and not wooly-scratchy, and fits great. It's going to be the one I reach for this winter when the evening starts feeling chilly. Thanks, Bonne Marie and Net Loft!<br />
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-49089503878872668242016-10-25T10:35:00.000-08:002016-10-25T10:35:29.040-08:00Retreating to HomerOur knit group took a walk on the wild side and held our fall retreat at a new venue out of town. Once in a while it's fun to shake things up a little. With the complicity of Dawn, temporarily located in the end-of-the-road community of Homer, Alaska, we booked accommodation at a beachside lodge that's part of the venerable <a href="http://www.thedriftwoodinn.com/" target="_blank">Driftwood Inn</a>.<br />
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After a brief game of musical lodges, we settled into the <a href="http://www.thedriftwoodinn.com/seaside-lodge.html" target="_blank">Seaside Lodge</a>, which proved to be the perfect place for us. We filled only two of its rooms, but owing to the late season had the huge common area to ourselves.<br />
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Lots of comfy seating, lots of light flooding through huge windows, splendid view of Katchemak Bay outside those windows. An ideal place for hours of knitting!<br />
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And even better during the daytime was the sunny deck:<br />
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If you're not familiar with the local climate, you may not appreciate how extraordinary was the warmth and sunshine. It could just as easily have been raining sideways, in which case the retreat would have to retreat indoors with our wine and chocolate. (Still not a bad option, see lodge common room above.)<br />
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We had visits from local Homer knitting groups, which were such fun we forgot to take pictures. We had al fresco meals:<br />
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Visits to the nearby yarn store, <a href="http://knittystash.com/" target="_blank">KnittyStash,</a><br />
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great meals, and many, many laughs.<br />
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The clear weather meant that one evening a giant "hunter moon" was rising over the mountains to the east:<br />
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while the sun set behind Mt. Augustine volcano in the west:<br />
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By Sunday evening, though, change was in the air. Clouds were moving in, and the wind was up.<br />
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And we awoke Monday morning to a different world:<br />
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Yup. It SNOWED. Hardy Alaska Woman Judy dashed out to rescue a cushion from the deck:<br />
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and we cleaned up, packed up, warmed up the cars, and departed over the mountains toward home, still laughing:<br />
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-76368393413094507772016-09-28T10:23:00.000-08:002016-09-28T10:24:31.708-08:00We Interrupt This Program...The knitting continues, and eventually I will get around to telling the last of my tales from Cordova. I've been away from home a lot this summer and fall--not just Cordova--and I have a thing to show you from my travels. It's not knitting, but it's a bit fibery and important, and I think you'll find it moving, as I did.<br />
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I'm just back from a cruise in the Columbia River gorge, in the course of which we visited the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Hanford_Reach/About.html" target="_blank">Hanford Reach National Monument</a> near Richland, Washington. There's a small <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VisitTheREACH/" target="_blank">visitor center</a> there with museum exhibits about the local nature, the original people, and the place's history as a center for nuclear research, fuel production, and waste disposal. It is the lesser known partner in the WWII Manhattan project with Los Alamos in New Mexico. The plutonium for the Hiroshima bomb was produced there.<br />
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A small round room in the visitor center is an exhibition of art works that relate to Hanford's nuclear past and present, and in the middle of the room was this:<br />
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At first glimpse, I thought it was a visual pun on a mushroom cloud. You can see, I'm sure, how that could have been my first thought. It's vaguely mushroom-shaped and definitely mushroom-colored. The square top is a little bit odd, but it's art, right?<br />
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It dominated the room from floor to ceiling, but information about it was hard to find. Close inspection showed that in addition to the Japanese writing, there was hair. Black hair that had to be there on purpose, and in fact was maybe the thread that sewed it together.<br />
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If you look carefully at the closeup, you can see the fine black stitches and odd bits of the hair.<br />
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Eventually I found the information plaque on the wall and discovered that it is a life-sized cloth sculpture of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, made by a descendant of a Hiroshima survivor using 1940s kimonos, her own hair, and the poetry of Matsuo Basho. Here's her full statement:<br />
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I was stunned. Here are a couple more pictures of the work:<br />
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And this one is a view of the inside taken through a hole:<br />
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I find the haphazard patchwork and worn holes in the cloth especially affecting. Ghosts of the real people who once inhabited the garments. Ghosts of the real people who once inhabited a city.Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-85511895275899132182016-08-05T09:03:00.002-08:002016-08-05T09:03:45.221-08:00Fiber & Friends #4 Continued--My Fisher LassieIf you haven't read the <a href="http://ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/2016/08/fiber-friends-4.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> about Fisher Lassie, you need to do it now. I'll wait right here till you're done.<br />
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Ok. So. My own Fisher Lassie is made with <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/jo-sharp-classic-dk-wool" target="_blank">Jo Sharp Classic DK Wool</a> in a heathery shade called Ink. I picked the color (a navy blue with grey doing the heathering) because it looked so much like denim, not only a work clothes fabric, but one of my all-time favorites whether woven or knitted. (see weakness for <a href="http://ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/search/label/Rowan%20denim" target="_blank">Rowan</a> and other <a href="http://ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/search/label/denim%20yarn" target="_blank">denim</a> cotton yarn)<br />
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Once I began knitting those first patterned sections, though, I had a brief freakout about the color choice. A gansey is all about texture patterns, and it was looking like a heathered field of moosh. Pattern submerged in the randomness of blended grey and navy.<br />
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Fortunately, when I backed away from the knitting, the texture was unmistakable. It was there! It is visible! But a new mental post-it note for my knitbrain. Absolutely solid colors are the best for textured patterns. I might not be so lucky the next time.<br />
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There was also another mental warning embedded here. When it's hard to see texture up close, it's hard to spot knitting errors in time for an easy fix. I had jolly well better get through the patterned upper sections before the summer light wanes, or I will be a crazy lady with a crappy looking sweater next spring. Once the armholes are joined and the texture finished, it's smooth stocking stitch sailing with the sleeves and the remainder of the body.<br />
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So here I am just before the Joining of the Armholes:<br />
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Armholes were joined, and carefully I made my way to the end of 5 pattern repeats. While spraining my arm patting myself on the back in congratulations, a Wonderful Idea sprang into my joyous knitbrain. Why not do the sleeves <i>now</i>? The entire armhole is waiting and ready. And by making the sleeves <i>now</i>, I can avoid my least favorite part of the knit-in-one-piece sweater. The part where the entire body is done and you have to do the sleeves by tossing this big hot pile of wool around and around in your lap, with associated tangling of needles and yarn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1rpqAX8VKRRMwQeMe1v57SbkuHpzOxAKnka6k43FL70yFebYkX_HZCjkXoNWOnr4TQyapeJSzAjPTfzueh7-4EZsNcCvna-OQ-1rT5ZIniM-7fqZzNx0ulOpiF-B1ks3FN_u9nBkfgEk/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1rpqAX8VKRRMwQeMe1v57SbkuHpzOxAKnka6k43FL70yFebYkX_HZCjkXoNWOnr4TQyapeJSzAjPTfzueh7-4EZsNcCvna-OQ-1rT5ZIniM-7fqZzNx0ulOpiF-B1ks3FN_u9nBkfgEk/s640/IMG_1937.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, Reader, that's exactly what I'm doing. Tossing a little bolero around and around instead of a full-grown sweater. Putting the main sweater body on spare yarn also enabled a try on of said bolero. Hm. Fit is as expected, but the end of pattern hits not quite at the bottom of the boobage. On the pattern model (refer to previous post) the ridge is somewhere midway between bust and waist. As the sleeves go round and round, I am contemplating doing an extra vertical pattern repeat so the ridge hits in a more flattering place.<br />
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Oh yeah, and I found just the right heathery denimy buttons already--See?<br />
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Wish I could get the photo to show how well buttons and yarn match. You'll just have to take my word for it. Navy is fickle to photo.<br />
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So round and round and round we go, and where the pattern's gonna stop, nobody yet knows!Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-54008829379850704542016-08-02T13:42:00.000-08:002016-08-02T13:42:44.858-08:00Fiber & Friends #4Possibly the biggest-deal class I did at Fiber & Friends was the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fisher-lassie" target="_blank">Fisher Lassie Cardigan</a> class with Bonne Marie Burns, the designer. What an eye-opening pleasure it was to approach the making of a complex sweater with its designer by your side!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-SLmuX05mFQtQyN8GdUDpAhX1NwJRMO8gCzMFcv2UgANcv8OYKqSovXr5kcbgJvbEKNZlcFR8M5yylK1Xq-x2YQOG_1kLusT6NPiCtN9zfEw16MqAFwIpr5cJnJgJck72-bGAk_z6tm4/s1600/Fisher-Lassie-0706_small2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-SLmuX05mFQtQyN8GdUDpAhX1NwJRMO8gCzMFcv2UgANcv8OYKqSovXr5kcbgJvbEKNZlcFR8M5yylK1Xq-x2YQOG_1kLusT6NPiCtN9zfEw16MqAFwIpr5cJnJgJck72-bGAk_z6tm4/s400/Fisher-Lassie-0706_small2.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Bonne Marie Burns</td></tr>
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The Fisher Lassie is a modern adaptation of the traditional fisherman's gansey design. The <a href="http://thenetloftak.com/" target="_blank">Net Loft</a> has been undertaking a major gansey project in Cordova for over a year, learning about and recreating the historical garment for contemporary fishers in a location as dedicated to commercial fishing as the British and Dutch herring towns were in the 19th century. In the days before synthetic waterproof clothing, tightly knit wool was the best choice for keeping warm when wet. Ganseys had special design features to enable vigorous movement, yet were also displays of beautiful textures that showed the knitter's skill and imagination.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8SiLs6RyMezN_EsRN6Lf0upONMq8vZ-Hu1nq1Us1_LVyiEcQddHA0yBTGv_0RiXCIcJ-DTs6VA455FIgG3GX3sd5T5ZvXE3HULrGDKynTjmsGlt08AoA-sk4Lg9NGy7qSj13dRJ-t9aJ/s1600/Dutch-Ganseys-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8SiLs6RyMezN_EsRN6Lf0upONMq8vZ-Hu1nq1Us1_LVyiEcQddHA0yBTGv_0RiXCIcJ-DTs6VA455FIgG3GX3sd5T5ZvXE3HULrGDKynTjmsGlt08AoA-sk4Lg9NGy7qSj13dRJ-t9aJ/s640/Dutch-Ganseys-2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncredited photo of Dutch fishermen in their ganseys</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Bonne Marie Burns designed the Fisher Lassie as a cardigan partly because in modern centrally-heated times we go in and out of warm and cool, and a cardigan is easier to put on and take off as needed. Out of respect for tradition, it is made with a wool yarn, but a substantial dk weight that is still less dense than the traditional 5-ply.<br />
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Over the two days of the class, we learned about measuring for size, and how to choose the right size to make based on the amount of ease the garment was designed for, and the amount of ease we personally prefer. Gauge, of course, is a major factor in the size of the sweater that actually turns up on the needles. We swatched carefully and thoroughly, thinking about needle material and knitting location as well as simply needle size. It all makes a difference!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZQFuVHv_W3M9J-zH3Ynsuq5hLafFH-Gwo4T5YobMRRK6Dr-8DbOk7Vj0Xdh5OF8sSkTpjnM0VOiFsJDLnBxGbke85ToObH9xogiil3_ELLd7caameU9RuzdD2uFbeme-9wXctgoSyRpQ/s1600/IMG_1862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZQFuVHv_W3M9J-zH3Ynsuq5hLafFH-Gwo4T5YobMRRK6Dr-8DbOk7Vj0Xdh5OF8sSkTpjnM0VOiFsJDLnBxGbke85ToObH9xogiil3_ELLd7caameU9RuzdD2uFbeme-9wXctgoSyRpQ/s640/IMG_1862.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This sweater has a rather unique construction, and it was terrific to have the designer there to explain it in detail. Overall, it is "knit in one piece", but sequence is important. First the patterned two upper parts of the front are knitted. Then the upper back is picked up and knit into the fronts, with the back neck cast on in the middle. When front and back are the same length (and on the same row of the texture pattern!) the armhole bottom is cast on and the whole thing is worked from side to back to other side. Almost as if it were in the round, but you have to stop at the button bands, turn over, and go back around with the other side facing. It's a little more complicated than the average sweater.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonne Marie (center) explains some concepts</td></tr>
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We had Bonne Marie's own original to examine up close and personal, which was a great help. In addition to the particulars of this sweater, she taught us some great techniques to use in all our future knitting: a sturdy same-row buttonhole, a pick-up-and-knit that is as strong as a sewn seam, how to sew on a button that will <i>never</i> come off.<br />
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Eventually we were fully prepared to cast on for the Real Thing.Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-3680527883103415052016-07-30T21:58:00.000-08:002016-07-30T21:58:53.469-08:00Fiber & Friends #3I've wanted to dye with indigo for a very long time, probably about as long as I've been fooling around with fiber. Indigo <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=indigo+ikat&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin5tz6r5zOAhUOzGMKHTTLAE4QsAQISA&biw=1348&bih=697" target="_blank">ikat</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+textiles+sashiko&biw=1348&bih=697&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjs25--rpzOAhVJ1WMKHWBdAnAQsAQIJw" target="_blank"> sashiko</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=indigo+shibori&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwii0vzus5zOAhVV_mMKHYUpCNcQsAQIOQ&biw=1348&bih=697" target="_blank">shibori</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+textiles+sashiko&biw=1348&bih=697&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjs25--rpzOAhVJ1WMKHWBdAnAQsAQIJw#tbm=isch&q=indigo+batik" target="_blank">batik</a> have always been favorites in shades of blue. I even own an indigo dye kit that I have never felt competent to use.<br />
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So I was absolutely elated to find that I could take a class in Cordova from a true natural dye expert, Kathy Hatori of <a href="http://botanicalcolors.com/" target="_blank">Botanical Color</a>s. I had read enough about indigo to know that it was an art, not just a 1 2 3 set of instructions.<br />
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The class was held outdoors, at a cabin by Eyak Lake. It's a great idea to dye outdoors, for obvious color-drippy reasons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCAQkq7tm3j0ayFAQKUldb0kEO9hXGjS-VciuJ_uka0BAJTjkJgh1ExOMjrRPvQw9k3y6KmgW5rUeRqoP8zr63ser3jVc2UwLwscCYtKyZ6n6aTU6WKGxjCHmHQxUOoV5OtmTBPOg1Dna/s1600/IMG_1764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCAQkq7tm3j0ayFAQKUldb0kEO9hXGjS-VciuJ_uka0BAJTjkJgh1ExOMjrRPvQw9k3y6KmgW5rUeRqoP8zr63ser3jVc2UwLwscCYtKyZ6n6aTU6WKGxjCHmHQxUOoV5OtmTBPOg1Dna/s640/IMG_1764.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Here's our class space--a propane burner and vat for each student, with various dyed and undyed skeins hanging about. The magenta and golden skeins were for overdying with indigo. I was so preoccupied with turning white yarn blue, I never got around to the overdyes.<br />
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My main aim was to dye my <a href="http://ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/2016/02/yarn-matters.html" target="_blank">6 skeins of Cormo wool from a Juniper Moon CSA share</a> bought last year. My plan was to just plainly dye two skeins, dye two skeins shibori-style with resist areas, and do an ombre job on the last two.<br />
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First up was the process of making the vat: stirring up the indigo powder with a little henna and calcium hydroxide. We started in quart jars and eventually progressed to the big pots of warm water. Because making indigo dye is an organic process, there's some waiting time, but eventually you get your vat ready to go, and it looks like this:<br />
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Bubbly scum on top, and a metallic sheen. The top of the vat is blue because the dye has oxidized in contact with the air, but the liquid below the surface is a green tea color. As you proceed with your dyeing, you must constantly check the color of the dye solution, and rebalance it with additions of fructose when it veers from that tea green.<br />
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One thing you quickly learn about indigo is that your fiber exits the vat not blue, but green. Then with exposure to air, the dye oxidizes and turns blue. Intensity and depth of color is not so much the strength of the dye solution, but the number of times the item has been in and out of the vat, each dip with a pause to air and oxidize.<br />
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Here is the pair of cormo skeins tied with rubber bands and ready to go in:<br />
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And here is a pair of the plain skeins after a couple of trips to the vat: </div>
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They look a bit uneven because they have picked up some of the powder from the bottom of the vat. A plain water rinse evened them out and neutralized the pH from the dye solution.<br />
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Here are my products of the day, posed with some fishnets for added ambiance--The darker blues are the plain skeins, the lighter ones the shibori and the other two. Plus the colorful non-overdyes. Time and the waning strength of my dye vat made my later skeins much lighter than the first two, and the ombre version a goal for the next time.<br />
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Yarn is famously not the only thing that turns blue on indigo day. Indigo dyers are known for their blue hands. Though I wore gloves during the actual dyeing, I got a little blue in the paws just from handling the yarn to reskein it before its final rinse. </div>
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-39126310044246910912016-07-21T11:37:00.000-08:002016-07-21T11:37:50.646-08:00Fiber & Friends #2The Net Loft encourages its community to be multi-craftual, and in keeping with this aim, many of the Fiber & Friends 2016 classes were not about knitting or spinning. The first one of these that I took was net making, a chance to learn the basics of fish nets, while making small decorative samples.<br />
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The class was taught by Bonnie Phillips, who mended nets in the original Net Loft when it was exactly that. She has had varied careers since, but has always made artistic use of net materials, buttons, beads, bones, and feathers. For a picture of Bonnie in her net mending heyday and the story of how she inspired Dotty Wideman to start a craft paradise called the Net Loft, look <a href="http://thenetloftak.com/blogs/news/17795156-cordova-gansey-project-the-long-story" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Our classroom table was set up with a 2 cup hook jig at each place on the table, and with a packet of supplies and some instruction, we wound our needles with waxed linen cord and began:<br />
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The knots in a net are a simple pattern of half hitches, but it takes a lot of practice to remember the sequence and form the loops evenly. In imitation of the real thing, decorations are strung along the top like floats, and on the bottom like weights. Because it is a fanciful art project, beads and things may be scattered around the netting as well. These are examples of some of the students' work:<br />
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Here's my first effort:<br />
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Pretty uneven, but, then, I don't need to catch any fish with it, I guess. My first knitting was probably pretty uneven, too. Decorations were some beads on the top and mainly some single earrings saved after I had lost one of the pair.<br />
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Notice the boo boo extra loop on the right side. Easy mistake to make, hard to correct. But, as I'm sure thousands of knitters and crafters have thought since the beginning of twisted fiber, what happens if I make that error <i>consistently</i> and <i>on purpose</i>? It's a <i>pattern</i>! It's a <i>design feature</i>!<br />
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Another mistake I made from the beginning of signing up for the class was the intended purpose of these little nets. From the git-go they looked like necklaces to me. I was a bit surprised that this had not seriously occurred to anyone else, and that the original vision was for them to hang in a window (light through glass beads) or in a frame or pinned to a board.<br />
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So in the afternoon session I laid out my journeyman effort with the intention that it should be a necklace and that a different shape would make it better to wear. Having used up most of the decoration stuff I brought, I had to repair to the shop downstairs for more dangle supplies. In the end, this is what came together:<br />
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Shell pieces, metal charms, bone and wooden fish, and a somewhat more even net! A necklace! A net-klace!<br />
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-16241174429710809562016-07-14T09:03:00.001-08:002016-07-14T15:12:51.416-08:00Fiber & Friends #1In spite of my good intentions, I just couldn't manage to blog during the Net Loft Fiber & Friends event in Cordova AK. It was all I could manage while attending daylong classes to poop out a few Instagrams; hope you enjoyed them. But I do want to tell you about it all, so here goes in a post-happening series of posts.<br />
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Because the <a href="http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/comm/cordova.shtml" target="_blank">ferry schedule is so awkward</a>, (so awkward, indeed, that the web site is hopelessly out of date and you'd better phone them if you're serious about going there) I had to arrive a day ahead of the start. This turned out to be a useful opportunity to scope out the town and environs. And at the Chinese restaurant just before I crossed the street to sign in, this was my fortune cookie:<br />
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The first Saturday and Sunday: a two-day workshop about hat design. Whaat? Two days to figure out how to knit a topper? Well, yes, if your teacher is the brilliant <a href="http://chicknits.com/rambles/" target="_blank">Bonne Marie Burns</a>.<br />
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She used the humble knit beanie to give us insight into the design process of all knit garments. This means some serious and diligent swatching (stitch <i>and</i> row), and serious thought about sizing, materials, construction, and an historical detour into the development of the knit hat from the 1400s.<br />
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She taught us how the math of the top decreases rules the process, and how the designer can fiddle, fudge, frog, and maybe some other f-words, too, to make inspiration mesh with stitch counts and create a realistic plan for a real product.<br />
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We learned about using tear sheets for inspiration, and wrote our own design concept statements, followed by the hard graft of the actual plan for the design.<br />
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We measured heads, swatched swatches, swatched potential stitch patterns, tried out this 'n' that, so that by the end of the two days, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do, and a definite plan for it, but had not cast on a serious stitch yet. Eventually I did cast on, and in fits and starts and odd moments managed to make most of what I call the rough draft version of my hat.</div>
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The Big Idea was to make a 4-panel hat featuring a scallop shell texture motif in each one. The shell was based on one in an <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cape-cod" target="_blank">Alice Starmore sweater</a>, Cape Cod by name. Executed in a different gauge and fiber, however, it was a miserable squashed caricature of a shell, so needed a good bit of revising and rescaling. Likewise, the panel dividers went through several iterations, as did the crown decrease method. I can now say with confident experience that as the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of the pattern is in the knitting. You just don't know what it will look like till you know what it looks like. </div>
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Here's the finished product, with rough draft huddled below.</div>
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3/4 view:</div>
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And the top. Just love that p2tog "button" as the center finish:</div>
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I have to say I'm really proud and pleased with myself, and massively grateful to <a href="http://www.chicknits.com/" target="_blank">Bonne Marie</a> for all she taught us.</div>
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Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-88147527628164990052016-06-18T11:53:00.000-08:002016-06-18T11:53:27.878-08:00Oops! She Fumbles! She Recovers!Remember when I said in the last post that you can't tell for sure how a sweater will be until you sew the pieces together. Welp, that goes double and triple for the current item under construction. Sewed Sleeve #1 on, no problem. Got sleeve #2 ready to pin and, um, let's just take a look, shall we?<br />
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That's #1 in place, fine and dandy. Here's #2:<br />
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Compare and contrast. One of these things is not like the other. If you said there seems to be a triangle missing from the edge of #2, you'd be absolutely right! This is what comes of knitting the first sleeve as a "swatch", then the body, then the second as an afterthought. You stop increasing too early and end up with two utterly different sleeve shapes. Sigh.<br />
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My life flashed before my eyes as I initially thought I would have to frog <u>all.</u> <u>of.</u> <u>the</u>. <u>pattern</u>. <u>area</u>. <u>of.</u> <u>the</u>. <u>sleeve</u>. and do it again with edge increases. And how would it look made with partially shrunken and frogged crinkly yarn and partly with new yarn? Or knit a whole new friggin' sleeve and shrink it?<br />
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In the midst of the Slough of Despond (where the frogs live), I realized that this is a gansey. (I know, brilliant deduction, Sherlock, but stay with me.) One of the design features that marks gansey construction is the <a href="http://www.ganseys.com/knitting-ganseys/techniques-for-knitting/gussets-1-getting-started/" target="_blank">arm gusset</a>, a diamond-shaped piece in the armpit area that makes for freer movement of the fisherman's active arms. I could make a half-gusset, a triangle rather than a diamond, to add the missing shape! Counting rows and stitches of the missing area, I came up with this:<br />
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I sewed it to one side of the misshapen sleeve (easing to account for its non-shrinkage) and washed the whole sweater again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFx34BI_4SpA1dyWKCfiEcWeIixO965uwmWf0TR-gPoApUROOI9os0gVx9CNRvZPzm05mEmtg0fRgtZu1Wpk2BM1Foqp8cB-4mQ5JrGKRiNzXtisOMhaetEP4M30iERSoOmTr-RCKPjBcp/s1600/IMG_1702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFx34BI_4SpA1dyWKCfiEcWeIixO965uwmWf0TR-gPoApUROOI9os0gVx9CNRvZPzm05mEmtg0fRgtZu1Wpk2BM1Foqp8cB-4mQ5JrGKRiNzXtisOMhaetEP4M30iERSoOmTr-RCKPjBcp/s400/IMG_1702.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is in its pre-shrunken state. Notice color difference as well.</td></tr>
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Now what do you think?<br />
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According to the <a href="http://www.masondixonknitting.com/creative-odysseys/accessories/back-rectangle-one/" target="_blank">trotting horse theory</a>, it's game over and fix accomplished, all within the tradition! Anyway, it's in the underarm area, and anyone who is inspecting my sweater armpits can go sit on a fishhook. Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-26551040312594765222016-06-10T15:06:00.002-08:002016-06-10T15:09:08.764-08:00Less Banging, and Some HomeworkNot much to see here, folks. The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/blaer" target="_blank">Blaer</a> banging out has slowed to a glacial trudge for sleeve reasons, as explained in the previous post. And when the knitting gets slow, the motivation slows down, too. When I just couldn't stand it any longer, I picked up another project, the one I neglected for my banging-out exercise, the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cornish-knit-frock" target="_blank">Cornish Knit Frock</a>. Much more gratifying, even the tight gauge ziggy zaggy neck ribbing. And whizz bang (relatively) I had banged out all the knitting of it. Bang into the washer; bang into the dryer, a little hanging about to finish drying, and here it is ready to sew up!<br />
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I have unraveled the swatch I shrank in order to have shrunken yarn to sew with, so all that's left is to put it together. I am a bit worried about potential fit. In spite of all my measuring and calculating and swatch-shrinking, the body seems like it is way too long. But the only way to know for sure is to get busy and see what happens.<br />
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This is the nervous part of sweater making. You can spend hours of your time and lots of your money, do your very dangdest to get it right, and still be subject to the whims of the yarn gods as to whether you will have a garment you will love, or one that you will give away. This is probably what separates us merely prolific knitters from the ace knitters of the world who can create an exact replica of their vision.<br />
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I've also got homework to do. My homework package arrived from the <a href="http://thenetloftak.com/" target="_blank">Net Loft</a> in advance of the <a href="http://www.rsvpbook.com/event.php?593491" target="_blank">Fisher Folk knitfest</a> in <a href="http://www.cordovachamber.com/" target="_blank">Cordova</a> in 2 weeks.<br />
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There are swatches to make, needles to corral, seaglass to select, bits and bobs to use in my net necklace, and should I take a project of my own to work on in between whiles? There will be a 6 hour ferry ride over. On the 6 hours back, I'm sure I'll be working of my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fisher-lassie" target="_blank">Fisher Lassie Gansey</a>. But excuse me for now--I've got lots of work to do!Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-20940636144232196662016-05-06T10:19:00.001-08:002016-05-06T10:19:32.007-08:00Bang the Sweater Slowly<br />
The neck, the lace, the shoulders, the body, contrast bands, button and buttonhole bands, all banged out quickly.<br />
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All that's left is the sleeves, and the banging has slowed to a lazy thud. Why? Not for lack of effort, let me quickly say. Sleeves are the worm in the apple of top-down sweaters. When you do them one at a time, you constantly are throwing a big ball of sweater around and around in your lap as you knit these smaller tubes attached to the main bulk. This time, I essayed two-at-a-time on two circular needles. They're more likely to match, another knitter said. (True. I often knit flat sleeves simultaneously on straight needles and they do match better.) It's easy, she said. So much faster, she said. Well..... not so much, in my experience.<br />
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There's the skootching of the stitches down to the needle end ready to go. Then finding the other end of the correct circ. Finding the right yarn. Untangling said yarn from the other sleeve's yarn. Tugging the first couple of stitches tight so as not to have a gappy column between needles. Four times on every round. A method for even sleeves it might be; an aid to rapid banging it is not. So while I skootch and untangle, here's a video to watch. Kinda dirty, pretty weird, pretty misogynistic, outstanding male beauty, great tune:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q5lDG9Wmc_4" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-63660922130492512102016-05-05T12:25:00.000-08:002016-05-05T12:25:12.516-08:00Banging OnIt's been a bit more than a week since I started #bangingout the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/blaer" target="_blank">Blaer</a> sweater. Got the hardest part (the lace and shoulder increases) done at the knitting retreat, and since then it has been simple smooth sailing with plain old stocking stitch back and forth, back and forth.<br />
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Right now with its curliness, unblockedness, and gathering on the needles, it looks a bit like a baby's romper, but I assure you it is on its way to becoming a full size adult cardigan. Couple more inches of this and it will be ready for the bottom contrast bands, then on to the sleeves!<br />
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Warning: Possibly NSFW Section Ahead! </h3>
It may depend on where you work. A bar, no problem. A kindergarten, close the window <i>now</i>! It's also not knitting related, but it gave me such a case of the giggles, I had to share it.<br />
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The origin is a random browser ad I caught in the corner of my eye. Did I really see that? For once, I had to click on the ad to see what the heck this actually was:<br />
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It had to be yellow, didn't it? Turns out, when divers need to take a whiz underwater, they just have to let 'er rip in the wetsuit. That plus sweat and any other body secretions tend to make the neoprene stinky and deteriorated after a few uses. Piss Off (and other wetsuit shampoos) to the rescue! It neutralizes the nastiness and makes it much more pleasant to don the garment for your next underwater adventure. And I discovered all this on the very day I was making this in my British swear word coloring book:<br />
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You're welcome.<br />
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-77892130377472815952016-04-27T09:18:00.000-08:002016-04-27T09:18:06.553-08:00The Retreat Goes ForwardFriends, has this ever happened to you? You make meticulous plans for a project, let's say just for a random example, banging out a sweater at a weekend knitting retreat. You print out your pattern, order and receive your yarn from exotic foreign sources, swatch, assemble correct needles plus extras just in case, add measuring, cutting, and sewing tools. You pop it all in a bag and haul it off to said retreat.<br />
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That was me this weekend, all geared up to #bangoutablaer. (See previous <a href="http://ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/2016/04/banging-out-blaer.html" target="_blank">post</a> for all the sweater-banging-out background.) I cast on the minute I arrived at the cabin, and by Friday evening had made excellent progress, to wit: the contrast neck band and lace section.<br />
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It may not look like much to you, but lace doesn't get banged out quickly. In fact, some of the lace areas had to be knitted more than once. Let's just say that liquor and lace are not an ideal combination for fast progress. Well, fast and <i>correct</i> progress, anyway.<br />
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This being a top-down yoke cardigan, what followed on Saturday was a whole lot of horizontal knitting as the number of stitches expanded for shoulders. At one point there were 300+ stitches per row. By Sunday morning, the yoke was all banged out, sleeve stitches separated and held, then the fronts and back joined for the body of the sweater.<br />
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After that, it's just straight back and forth stocking stitch down to the contrast bands that finish off the bottom of the body. By the time I headed home, I had added about another inch to what you see in the photo above and was mightily pleased with myself. The hard, fiddly part was all banged out and the rest would be plain, if fine gauge, sailing.<br />
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And Then. And then I check my email when I get home and OMG at the top of the pile is a cheery note from Ravelry inviting me to download a revised corrected version of a pattern in my library--BLAER! Consternation is the polite word for what I felt. Deep, screaming, table-pounding consternation. From the peak of self-congratulatory progress to the weedy bottom of the Slough of Despond. Instead of banging out a few more rows before bedtime, I had to compare new and old pattern versions to figure out what had changed. (Note to Ravelry: you might want to help a knitter out by highlighting changed text in a new pattern version. Just sayin'.) Good news/bad news is that I can't find anything different in the size I'm making after (bad news) spending an hour comparing old and new. If something's off in the lace chart--pffft! I've done it and it looks ok, and I'm not going back there. I'm banging on undeterred.<br />
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But back to the retreat. As always, it was a joy to be with the amigas, eating delicious meals<br />
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Grilled fresh halibut, Mexican spoon bread, and salad, for example, drinking various potations, eating chocolate, soaking in the hot tub, and knitting, knitting, knitting.<br />
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Here are the members of our merry band:<br />
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Judy, in her regular clothes, banging out a beautiful green Aran sweater.<br />
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Anne, our super host, banging out a Rowan denim gansey.<br />
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Jere, showing off her first pair of socks on her beautiful pointed Pilates toes.<br />
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Linda, who not only crocheted a scarf, but learned to knit!<br />
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Camden working on her heirloom Kaffe Fassett sweater.<br />
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You guys are all so beautiful and skilled!<br />
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And though we were inside knitting knitting knitting, browsing, and sluicing a lot, we did pop outside from time to time to admire King Mountain across the valley still wearing a lot of its winter snow <br />
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and watch the tiny new leaves emerge. They seemed to visibly expand by the hour.<br />
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-42980587065537058532016-04-07T15:44:00.003-08:002016-04-07T15:44:48.200-08:00Banging Out a BlaerFollowers of the <a href="http://www.masondixonknitting.com/" target="_blank">Mason Dixon</a> blog will recall from a short time ago their <a href="http://www.masondixonknitting.com/knitting-odysseys/yarn-strategies-to-bang-out-a-sweater/" target="_blank">#bangoutasweater</a> project. The idea was to pick pattern and gauge that would be quick to knit, and to make a sweater in a short enough time to enjoy wearing it before the weather turned too warm. The pattern was <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stopover" target="_blank">Stopover</a> in an <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/istex-lett-lopi" target="_blank">Icelandic aran wool</a>, very light and airy yet warm. It turned into a big knitalong where many knitters did indeed <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bangoutasweater/" target="_blank">#bangoutasweater</a>.<br />
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I was enchanted by the concept, but not really on board with the chosen pattern. I even had been lurking in Icelandic yarn stores on the web, electronically drooling on the yarn, but not ready to commit. And then the very same Mason Dixons flashed <a href="http://www.masondixonknitting.com/creative-odysseys/sweaters/icelandic-spring-cardigan/" target="_blank">this</a> in my receptive eyes.<br />
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The Blaer Icelandic cardigan! Not in the big gauge of the other one, but still a swell excuse to venture into Icelandic yarns. Being a creature of weak will, off I went. A couple of weeks later, a genuine parcel of yarn from Iceland plopped on my doorstep, and it is very exciting.<br />
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It smells not of sheep or lanolin, nor of dye and processing, but has a very pleasant herb-y soap-y scent. If Yankee Candle tried to capture it, might it be called Clean Wool?<br />
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And pondering (yet another) delicious new pile of yarn, it occurred to me that I maybe should try to #bangoutablaer. Yes, this is finer gauge than Stopover, but the spring knitting retreat is coming soon, and wouldn't it be fun to see how much of a simple cardigan I could #bangout in a weekend dedicated to hours and hours of knitting in the company of like-minded souls? Stay tuned to this station for thrilling updates!<br />
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P.S. No worries about finishing too late to wear it. It's always sweater weather in Alaska! Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-76306378847852922382016-03-29T11:02:00.000-08:002016-03-29T11:02:48.116-08:00Yet More Yarn YarnsTrawling (appropriate for fisherman sweater, no?) through denim yarn patterns, I think I've found what my ecru Rowan pile wants to be:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cornish-knit-frock" target="_blank">The Cornish Knit Frock by Jane Gottelier</a> from the book <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/indigo-knits-the-quintessential-guide-to-denim-yarn-from-the-founders-of-artwork" target="_blank">Indigo Knits</a>. I had a flirtation with the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/whitby-sweater" target="_blank">Whitby Sweater</a> from the same book, but decided that in ecru it would look like any old aran, as it would not have the lightening effect that makes the cables stand out when using a colored yarn. Besides, Whitby is in Yorkshire, not Cornwall.<br />
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An added attraction is that the Cornish sweater was made by one of the Knitting Goddesses, Kay Gardiner of <a href="http://www.masondixonknitting.com/" target="_blank">Mason-Dixon</a> fame, and was done with the same yarn substitution I am using, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/rowan-denim" target="_blank">Rowan Denim</a> for <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/elanncom-den-m-nit-pure-indigo-cotton" target="_blank">elann.com Den-M-Nit</a>. Happily for me, Kay demonstrated that <a href="http://www.masondixonknitting.com/hints-tips/denim-yarns/the-touch-the-feel-the-fabric-of-our-beach-knitting/" target="_blank">the shrinkage of the two yarns is the same</a>.<br />
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Plus there is the connection to Cornwall. My DH is from there, and we have visited family there many times.<br />
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Fisher ganseys are also on my mind because I am happily anticipating my sojourn to Cordova, Alaska this summer for the <a href="http://www.rsvpbook.com/event.php?593491" target="_blank">Fisher Folk knitfest</a>:<br />
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I have always loved gansey sweaters, the look of them and their lore. I have knitted a few, and will enjoy knitting more. They are a garment that looks great on everyone, men and women, big people and little people.<br />
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And when I'm in Cordova, one of the workshops I'll be attending is an indigo dyeing session. I'm going to take my now-foofed 6 <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/juniper-moon-farm-spring-2015-yarn-csa-share---dk" target="_blank">Juniper Moon CSA cormo</a> skeins and dunk them in the pot.<br />
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For a while, I was conflicted about whether I should just do them plain indigo, or go for spaced shades of blue, or tie them up to get white spaces in the blue. Wait. Three techniques into six skeins divides evenly--I could do 2 of each! Hope the teacher agrees...Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-32689811170319595192016-03-21T21:43:00.000-08:002016-03-21T21:43:19.152-08:00Another Yarn YarnI'm sure this has happened to you. You nip to the local yarn store for just one skein that you need immediately to finish/enhance a current project. Their friendly personnel help you find said skein right away--hurray! But since you're in this yarn store and you haven't been to this particular one for a while, it would be a good idea to have a quick scout around to see what they've got these days in case you have another yarn emergency. Emergency preparedness, right?<br />
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And so it was with me. Just running my eyes over the goods until--oh my stars and garters!! A big ol' heap of one of my very favorite yarns, now discontinued, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/rowan-denim" target="_blank">Rowan Denim</a> by name. On sale! 50% off! OK, it wasn't in one of the actual indigo blue shades that behave so bluejeans-y when washed and worn. It was ecru, but still...<br />
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Reader, I succumbed. To all 26 balls:<br />
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If you're not familiar with this denim yarn, you may not know that because of its built-in shrinkage, it must be knit to its own specific patterns. There's no substitution. For a while, Elann.com sold a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/elanncom-den-m-nit-pure-indigo-cotton" target="_blank">knockoff yarn</a>, that was much like the Rowan, but sadly, it, too, is no longer with us.<br />
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Once home with my bulging bag of cotton, I hauled out my old Rowan magazines to hunt for the sort of gansey pattern I dimly remembered from those august publications in the '90s. I knitted a plain blue gansey with Rowan denim long ago, and finally had to part from it when the denim wear pattern began to lighten up the boobage area on my front and to highlight the girls in a way that was most unseemly. (At least that won't happen with ecru!)<br />
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That was when I fell down a nostalgic rabbit hole. Do you remember Rowan in its heyday? The tunic lengths! The baggy volume! It was a heckofa way to sell a ton of yarn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qdz8MlZUs63NuQzBzTBpNp0nwMqo9ju1UBhppAtKKUOTxO9Vf3gyItlT50bp08wf6wVGtawzx9nRq0F_wRu2_UABk6kZ8mX9eoyr3hsG7IgOSOGE3SSPcxNakaB77qsvSoVPxt3pNpd7/s1600/IMG_1489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qdz8MlZUs63NuQzBzTBpNp0nwMqo9ju1UBhppAtKKUOTxO9Vf3gyItlT50bp08wf6wVGtawzx9nRq0F_wRu2_UABk6kZ8mX9eoyr3hsG7IgOSOGE3SSPcxNakaB77qsvSoVPxt3pNpd7/s400/IMG_1489.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In Rowan's defense, it was a British company conceiving garments for a British climate, and of <i>course</i> people needed to show off their knitting chops while chilling in houses without central heating or walking colourfully on the windy heath. Plenty of room under there for more woolen layers and maybe a hot water bottle or heated brick or two.<br />
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But not only did the large mass of the sweaters demand a lot of yarn, there was an insane intarsia design trend, possibly the acme of this technique, that required the purchase of many, many balls of yarn, of which you would only use a few yards. Stocks of knitting bobbin companies soared, I'm sure. And it all probably peaked with this amazing pattern:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKQHPggXWjshfydURg5zIxxeCSi-98HYV7YNTZKjgo4nk6kzFJQCdNAAJcIYT3v8Bp1DejEIJvV59rmhUwpCStj4M51PbUZ5oPPQ-E_dzoenHuJrpNws89gv4ykcychnibzTDQcptMf_B/s1600/IMG_1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKQHPggXWjshfydURg5zIxxeCSi-98HYV7YNTZKjgo4nk6kzFJQCdNAAJcIYT3v8Bp1DejEIJvV59rmhUwpCStj4M51PbUZ5oPPQ-E_dzoenHuJrpNws89gv4ykcychnibzTDQcptMf_B/s400/IMG_1488.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-RTYqn6ia9dbFqC6HNrzvs4Oy8_DwtjFMEIKqz9fdCqu39Wy0PD_s5gYGWWUSsidlOv918nWgEBOspiFvp-tXeiJq8PznrvVTSl2u-jkllMQm6nk-DQ5eZrTqoKMwAJUtR5CtYajAdl_/s1600/IMG_1493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-RTYqn6ia9dbFqC6HNrzvs4Oy8_DwtjFMEIKqz9fdCqu39Wy0PD_s5gYGWWUSsidlOv918nWgEBOspiFvp-tXeiJq8PznrvVTSl2u-jkllMQm6nk-DQ5eZrTqoKMwAJUtR5CtYajAdl_/s400/IMG_1493.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Persian Carpet, by Donna Lauren. It calls for 30 (30!) different shades of Rowan DK yarn. I don't know how you could use the chart without blowing it up to the size of a table top. 30 colors means 30 different chart symbols. Did anyone ever actually make this sweater? I <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/persian-carpet" target="_blank">checked on Ravelry</a> to see. <i>No</i> projects, and in only 2 queues. How long would you dangle this thing in your queue before you cast on? Probably forever, in my case. There would always be something I wanted more than to fiddle with over 30 bobbins and weave in umpty-gazillion (an actual count) ends.<br />
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The end of this trawl through nostalgic Rowanland was to wonder if these dead tree publications have any resale value. The answer is <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Rowan+knitting+magazine&_pgn=2&_skc=50&rt=nc" target="_blank">yes, indeedy</a>! Many of mine weren't shown on Ebay, but the older numbers seem to go for $20-$40, and one rarity for $120. Don't get your hopes up or your bankrolls out yet though, folks. Old Rowan magazine $20, knitting nostalgia--priceless!Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-66455528258596315182016-02-23T09:41:00.000-09:002016-03-21T21:45:57.558-08:00Yarn MattersGood old Ravelry. I got my CSA share from <a href="http://www.fiberfarm.com/" target="_blank">Juniper Moon Farm</a> a few months ago. Checking to see what others planned to do with their dk Cormo yarn, I read that the first thing was to foof it out by soaking the skeins in water. Whoa. Glad I heard to do that--it makes a b-i-i-i-g-g difference!<br />
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Here are the skeins as received:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G60OY2IIXc2jOc9z3oyb9PT3XNozaR7cOI-XVtBr3u8Fnak21-SZa7TP8KhTPK4-bgtwirQXhwVMxInjjX66bQ8waNXJUY788ntWIEU9PsMc-yLqpKIBL-iY1WWEudqXuvvgLFpTso9Y/s1600/IMG_1426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2G60OY2IIXc2jOc9z3oyb9PT3XNozaR7cOI-XVtBr3u8Fnak21-SZa7TP8KhTPK4-bgtwirQXhwVMxInjjX66bQ8waNXJUY788ntWIEU9PsMc-yLqpKIBL-iY1WWEudqXuvvgLFpTso9Y/s400/IMG_1426.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color is yellower than real life</td></tr>
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Soaking:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlE15pvSN-M-WavkdYq0guzX19BAe0Rp2x253bN7vFCdbH9utqMcQR5ed4HpWOApzKYjc06SiiYHTN9JrTfbpQgg3tABiu-Hi6v5S-50R5o6k4HmnkKv3pl4q1P3V4rrZvfF2fS4VLc_c/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlE15pvSN-M-WavkdYq0guzX19BAe0Rp2x253bN7vFCdbH9utqMcQR5ed4HpWOApzKYjc06SiiYHTN9JrTfbpQgg3tABiu-Hi6v5S-50R5o6k4HmnkKv3pl4q1P3V4rrZvfF2fS4VLc_c/s320/IMG_1427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And post-soak. All foofed out, as you can see!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSmRw8o29XeY1Fft7wi5nLgMNU5LfT3YtcrmDkALMD_O341CU8-Dmz1yb7WHHD7K608G_Uy_ihmHvsbn4hFKENlezFTwb5IYGvmsC7gaMnJkO9gSGTxBSb1KaHLG5iHPCi-kygp9EGy4h/s640/IMG_1432.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It wouldn't even fit in a square frame!</td></tr>
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That could make such a big difference in the final product! Still haven't figured out what I'm going to do with it. It's not quite a sweater's worth, but more than a scarf. Perhaps I'll experiment with indigo dyeing it and figure out for what later.</div>
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Lately I've been having fun using up stash with the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/ptarmigan/crazed-scandinavian-cowl" target="_blank">Crazed Scandinavian Cowl</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrn87JFquCO_TI530_3rolm3iv_1oGFLkfy_9W1qroAm6v5vCuZBMsdVYQpwg7FNiQoU6csOsBFbDi_uD3FyJNliGufKDjVl6McLfobzai2haOz1f9_mi6nI1NhPqyrdCKula1Vi0gJZs/s1600/IMG_1425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrn87JFquCO_TI530_3rolm3iv_1oGFLkfy_9W1qroAm6v5vCuZBMsdVYQpwg7FNiQoU6csOsBFbDi_uD3FyJNliGufKDjVl6McLfobzai2haOz1f9_mi6nI1NhPqyrdCKula1Vi0gJZs/s400/IMG_1425.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's fun because the pattern changes frequently--all sorts of traditional and modern Scandinavian fair isle that I decided to mix up further with various selections of <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/knit-picks-chroma-fingering" target="_blank">Knit Picks Chroma</a>. Then at nearly the half way mark (300 of the 600 rows), I looked back and found this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQrlPBMM70P4pNZSYvV5Q9drP7a3uptteldPkV-uxcK_BqawtYHogLzW1z34YWlIYanr9L5iLEFItAH_KPrZQMxcvNfvtGRAyQu5u9ZBCwoUUk0AKSXSuoXV1P4d19aqyjeQYfZyQR_Pc/s1600/IMG_1448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQrlPBMM70P4pNZSYvV5Q9drP7a3uptteldPkV-uxcK_BqawtYHogLzW1z34YWlIYanr9L5iLEFItAH_KPrZQMxcvNfvtGRAyQu5u9ZBCwoUUk0AKSXSuoXV1P4d19aqyjeQYfZyQR_Pc/s400/IMG_1448.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's what happens when you knit in dim winter light. Some of my "white" wasn't so white. Some of it was ivory! I decided to laugh and consider it another element of crazy in the crazed cowl.</div>
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As the tube grows, I am thinking I might stop well before I do all 600 rows. Doubling what I have at the halfway point, this thing could be 6 feet in diameter! That is way more cowlage than one person needs or possibly could even see over. Maybe I could do it as two cowls?</div>
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One more yarnly yarn. Handmaiden's <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/handmaiden-fine-yarn-great-big-sea" target="_blank">Great Big Sea</a> has been discontinued. I found some beautiful skeins on sale intending to knit for a special event. Then my idea got bigger, and the yarn was still available, and somehow my pile got bigger. And then the event was cancelled. The yarn makes a beautiful arrangement in a basket on the coffee table. I wonder what it wants to become now?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNo1vqhcLVmkLoNtNi2XBufVpTl76S-B48PBwNf6Wm-ScnJ__MfV0k-yBhFedBlNFnkdZ3-jqswvIbKyc4vmxHlrV2UAvErOQLJgWCmsUfmpDQXBEHjdrUY3ZJIcY-MSZRsRmiTYxDYdm/s1600/IMG_1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNo1vqhcLVmkLoNtNi2XBufVpTl76S-B48PBwNf6Wm-ScnJ__MfV0k-yBhFedBlNFnkdZ3-jqswvIbKyc4vmxHlrV2UAvErOQLJgWCmsUfmpDQXBEHjdrUY3ZJIcY-MSZRsRmiTYxDYdm/s400/IMG_1434.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-28248295902387504112016-02-17T17:49:00.002-09:002016-02-17T17:49:45.960-09:00Owl's WellI've been not-blogging for quite a spell, so there's quite a bit to catch up on.<br />
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First up is the Tale of the Owl Mitts. It started with a friend's Instagram post of a pair of fingerless owl mitts captioned merely "Want!" I knew she A. was not a knitter, B. is a big-time bird lover, and C. there was a good chance the pattern or something very like it was on Ravelry. Found the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fingerless-owl-gloves-2" target="_blank">pattern</a> in about 2 minutes and told her about it, offering to make her a pair.<br />
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Like many passionate knitters, money can't buy my work. To put a real dollar value on the time it takes to knit something, even a small thing, makes for a ridiculous price tag that seems all out of proportion. To set a nominal price is to trivialize the effort and possibly make the item undervalued in a non-monetary sense. So barter is often a good solution. A chunk of my skill and time for a chunk of yours. We still haven't hit on exactly what her part of the trade will be, but figuring it out is all part of the fun.<br />
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Meanwhile, I took some measurements, bought the pattern, and pulled the perfect <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/cascade-yarns-pure-alpaca" target="_blank">owl-brown alpaca</a> from the stash. I cast on. Knitting the mitts was a fun, cable-y time. But what about the eyes? Eyes are crucial to the appearance of the owls. Most of the versions of the pattern (and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owls-9" target="_blank">Kate Davies' Owls sweater</a>, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owligan" target="_blank">Owligan</a>, and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owlet-6" target="_blank">Owlet</a>) use small buttons, so off to the store I went. What I found were exactly four small stuffed animal eyes with black pupil and clear plastic iris. Pretty good, but even better if the iris was a bright yellow. If I could find the right nail polish, I could paint the back of the clear area, and, reader, I did!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKryaERGRvfHtHNHstJFC8V1or3zvtogkDh3hDaa4DENPezWSbCswnDNmiukxuXFafMcnGFKj9GrYKh7lZOs_50dA1nBHgE5lUQGYhsiTkxIPsHFt6eSLOQ878Vy4ue5T64qaNAApD3IYI/s1600/7FA5B859-4A74-4F2E-9798-39F8D875B1DC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKryaERGRvfHtHNHstJFC8V1or3zvtogkDh3hDaa4DENPezWSbCswnDNmiukxuXFafMcnGFKj9GrYKh7lZOs_50dA1nBHgE5lUQGYhsiTkxIPsHFt6eSLOQ878Vy4ue5T64qaNAApD3IYI/s400/7FA5B859-4A74-4F2E-9798-39F8D875B1DC.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Bottom portion shows upended eyes with paint/polish drying)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Add eyes to owls, and the effect is perfect piercing owl stare-eyes!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXAyzuvdFMtS7HtPFQmoRmYSDUofN-Nn-cn9i9vwh-qRZ0u7dy70ejt6HuKHHmC8SLdwjxlZ1Fe3z4dsnWEsyVF7sFgnFzfrYKO5YhoOd-oaD1w_3KNuiTHTAllH4a5lVbScFZjF_nr7j/s1600/IMG_1298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXAyzuvdFMtS7HtPFQmoRmYSDUofN-Nn-cn9i9vwh-qRZ0u7dy70ejt6HuKHHmC8SLdwjxlZ1Fe3z4dsnWEsyVF7sFgnFzfrYKO5YhoOd-oaD1w_3KNuiTHTAllH4a5lVbScFZjF_nr7j/s400/IMG_1298.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Mitts were ready for their wearer, and very happily received to keep hands warm in a cold studio.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRTkKWKopi5wFFxr66N6hwAfZnJSDZwnxi4eQa8YKkQCTV5FhC5qHZy9D0TRGKcikDhhhnkGUY06LMA6HKzfqA7cxtU2H_ERWbF3yC6A7k4SWwj_f123nZMG2kPIuzVpK5z7oqBkBwlv5/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcRTkKWKopi5wFFxr66N6hwAfZnJSDZwnxi4eQa8YKkQCTV5FhC5qHZy9D0TRGKcikDhhhnkGUY06LMA6HKzfqA7cxtU2H_ERWbF3yC6A7k4SWwj_f123nZMG2kPIuzVpK5z7oqBkBwlv5/s400/IMG_1316.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The owls' stare has also come in handy for admonishing family members. When held up as outward-facing fists, her kids call them "the Owls of Justice." As in, "don't make me get out the Owls of Justice!"<br />
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And just to confirm the lifelike gaze of the Owls of Justice, take a look at a Great Horned Owl that once perched on my deck:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh_kxePdG8czP_dfWsziSFFXYLvMwXvCeYwdajusJGhuA6EefjxzxvGLly-VWAYMXMAGctunEPisPSCnDHTC79VWZfl_P4uk2crd35aPn2R0WpK6QRKxaXI06T6muLPD6tn4BZlFFo5e6/s1600/IMG_1440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh_kxePdG8czP_dfWsziSFFXYLvMwXvCeYwdajusJGhuA6EefjxzxvGLly-VWAYMXMAGctunEPisPSCnDHTC79VWZfl_P4uk2crd35aPn2R0WpK6QRKxaXI06T6muLPD6tn4BZlFFo5e6/s400/IMG_1440.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-86159038342881462632016-02-16T10:31:00.000-09:002016-02-16T10:31:27.696-09:00Small Things<br />
My next Seven Skeins project is the Stranded Bunnet, but it's not my best work. This happens to me sometimes with Sudoku, too. I go crashing along and then find out when I'm nearly done that I've screwed up back there somewhere and it's too late to find the mistake without erasing/frogging everything back to the beginning.<br />
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The gauge or something was off, and it ended up somewhere between a beanie and a slouch. My double decreases were wrong, and they look like rubbish. On only 1 of the 5 decrease lines the Coo color predominated, so I stitched it over with Ptarmigan in order to make it look a little more like the others. Bleh. Still keeps the noggin warm, though.<br />
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One of the fun things that happened with the hat was needing new needles. Yes, although I have many many needles of many many kinds in many many sizes, I did not have a set of 4mm dpns. I'm sure this never happens to you, right? So I hie me to my nearest yarn shop and come away with these beauties:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the points? Half blunt end up, half pointy</td></tr>
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Addi <a href="http://www.addineedleshop.com/addi_dpns/flipstix.htm" target="_blank">Flipstix</a>. One end of each needle is sharp; the other is rounded. A handy feature, but you do have to pay attention every time you start on a new needle that is the way round that you prefer. I think it's delightful that each set is multicolored. I'm not sure what benefit that confers, but it makes them look fun, and just right for knitting the great colors of Buachaille.<br />
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But all is not Buachaille all the time. Like a true acolyte of the Yarn Harlot, I get sidetracked by other projects, to wit: The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-bone-scarf" target="_blank">Fish Bone Scarf</a> from a <a href="http://www.morehousefarm.com/" target="_blank">Morehouse Farm<i> </i></a>kit.<br />
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I bought a bunch of kits from them, and this was one. It was a quick, fun knit, but not a terribly practical scarf. Nice and soft, but too lacy to be very warm, and it needs to be worn as in the picture to display what it is. I made the tail bigger than the pattern said, and added a yarnover eye to make it look fishier.<br />
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Also from Morehouse is a kit for their <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dinosaur-scarf" target="_blank">Dinosaur Scarf</a>, which I made into a Dragon Scarf, mainly by making meaner eyes and trying to rig up some fire breathing instead of a flat round tongue. The shaping of the piece is really genius. Except for separate upper and lower jaw, the whole thing is knitted in one piece. Really fun to knit and pretty cool looking.<br />
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Morehouse has designs for lots of animal scarves--alligator, fox, raccoon--a bunch of them are in their book <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/morehouse-farm-critter-knits-20-easy-patterns--designs-for-animal-scarves-hats--mittens/patterns" target="_blank">Critter Knits</a>.<br />
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Finally there has been enough clear weather and daylight to photograph the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/solar-system-blanket" target="_blank">Solar System Blanket</a> in all of its glory. (Pause to consider the irony of depending on sidereal conditions.) It was given and, I think, much appreciated, to my friendly local astronomer for Christmas.<br />
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Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-52324716882123083342015-11-03T14:55:00.000-09:002015-11-03T14:55:03.800-09:00Buachaille MadnessThe <a href="http://katedaviesdesigns.com/yarn/" target="_blank">Buachaille yarn and the Seven Skeins Club</a> has been almost too much fun thus far. The yarn is so wonderful to work with and the colors are so beautifully made for each other. The multicolor idea I had for the <a href="http://ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/2015/10/buachaille-cowl.html" target="_blank">cowl </a> has infected my view of the next pattern release, <a href="http://katedaviesdesigns.com/2015/10/30/pawkies/" target="_blank">Pawkies</a>, the fingerless mitts.<br />
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At first I was dead set on the stranded version, fondly imagining how warm the double layers of this wool would be. But then my eye landed on the striped version, and I counted seven stripes on each mitt. Seven stripes, seven skeins! How could I <i>not</i> continue the theme? I had at least a smidgen of each of the seven colors. It was totally possible!<br />
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The pattern prescribes a rolled-edge cast on, and gives some resources for learning how to do it. I tried making a small swatchy trial, and got basically nowhere with it except a little balder from pulling my hair out. But casting a wider YouTube net, I found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-EiOv-2pSU" target="_blank">this one</a>, which has you make a temporary waste piece half as many stitches wide as your eventual ribbing, do the business, and then pick your "real" knitting off the waste.<br />
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It makes as fine a tubular edge as any other method, with no dangling "udder" needle (thanks for that image, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RybPvCNfrT8" target="_blank">Cat Bordhi</a>!) or shoogling stitches back and forth and reaching around here and there.<br />
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And here we are, tubular edge, seven-color pawkies all done:<br />
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Did you notice the color order is reversed on the pair, but still looks balanced by the Highland Coo in the center? Total accident. And the smidgen of Haar was not quite a big enough smidgen so I had to fake the second gray stripe with another yarn, but I don't think it's very obvious, do you?<br />
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I took a picture of both cowl and mitts to see how they'd go together, contrasting dots and dashes in the same color suite.<br />
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But the real stunner is how both pieces completely coordinate with the colors of my purse:<br />
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Amazing, and another total accident! <br />
<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-7646397313622179622015-10-27T15:52:00.001-08:002015-10-27T15:52:45.157-08:00Buachaille CowlThis week's Seven Skeins pattern releases were much more the sort of things I'd like to knit. <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kokkeluri" target="_blank">Kokkeluri</a> looks like they would be really interesting to knit and great to wear--a firm yet soft fabric that would make wonderful warm mittens. Trouble is, I rarely wear mittens, as most of my venturing outdoors in winter involves driving, for which gloves with grippy palms are better suited. Reluctantly, I will have to pass on these until I find an important use (or user) for mittens.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cochal" target="_blank">Cochal</a>, though, is something I certainly would wear. I find scarves and cowls really essential to keeping warm, and the soft touch of Buachaille is just right for something that will snuggle the neck and face. But which of the colors to choose for it? They're all so lovely and all of them go together with all the others so well! They're beautiful together just as they are:<br />
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See what I mean? It's almost a shame to break up the bouquet! But I finally decided to use two of the natural shades because they are just slightly softer than the dyed ones. Squall and Haar it is, then, saving the white Ptarmigan (!!) as a contrast for whatever I make with the dyed shades. An added plus is that these neutral shades will go well with any coat or jacket.<br />
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And then I noticed in one of the pattern photos a bright Highland Coo "cell" in the grey and green version. I loved that little accent and read the pattern eagerly to find out how it was worked in. Turns out it's not just a single cell, but a row of cells only one of which shows in the photo. Hmm. so much for trying to figure out how to achieve that little spot in the overall circular knitting.<br />
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Then lightening struck. Well, OK, a minor inspiration hit me. I could have ALL the colors! I could make this cowl a celebration of all the Buchaille colors at minimal yarn expense if I used Squall for the main color (the framework), Haar for the contrast color (the cells), and duplicate stitch a little of each of the other colors in random spots. Eureka!<br />
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On I cast and away I went. It's a fast pattern and the yarn feels lovely moving through the hands:<br />
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Here's the finished item, with its little colored cells looking like jewels in settings! And take a look at how well the yarn usage was calculated. I made it exactly to pattern and the little coils are all that was left over from the main colors. Very impressive.<br />
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Having said that, when worn the cowl feels a little too tall for its diameter. If I made it again, I think I would knock off about 3 rows of cells. And being less scrunched, the "jewels" would show off better!<br />
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And now, back to our previously scheduled projects. I've just amassed this pile of <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/handmaiden-fine-yarn-great-big-sea" target="_blank">Handmaiden Great Big Sea</a> with the intention of making a shawl. What kind of shawl does it want to be, I wonder?<br />
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<br />Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2231501765911409910.post-5890842812778656492015-10-16T07:33:00.000-08:002015-10-16T07:33:47.655-08:00The Seven SkeinsI am crazy about the following: the <a href="http://katedaviesdesigns.com/" target="_blank">designer Kate Davies</a>, <a href="http://www.scotland.org/" target="_blank">Scotland</a>, yarn, new stuff, posh yarn, and, occasionally knitting clubs & schemes. How could I not jump at the Seven Skeins yarn club, concocted by Kate to introduce <a href="http://katedaviesdesigns.com/yarn/" target="_blank">her own yarn line produced from Scottish wool</a>?<br />
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The deal is, you pay up and receive a package containing one each of the seven colors produced. Plus a bag to keep them in, plus patterns, and eventually a print book with the patterns and extra goodies. I paid, I waited, and now the yarn has arrived:<br />
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The yarn is called Buachaille, named for two Scottish mountains whose Gaelic name means "herder". Colors, from left to right, come from the Scottish countryside: Between Weathers, Squall, Yaffle [a green Scottish woodpecker], PTARMIGAN!!, Islay [KD's favorite Hebridean island], Haar [Scottish fog], and Highland Coo [the red shaggy Scottish cattle]. I love how the coo skein is twisted in the opposite direction from all the others. That's a contrary redhead for you.<br />
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What's the yarn like? It's a loose 2-ply, fingering/sport weight, with a haze of long fibers. Three colors are natural undyed wool and they are as soft as kittens. The dyed skeins are just slightly less cuddly, but they all would feel fine worn next to the skin.<br />
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Patterns will start arriving soon, 1 per week. It makes me smile that in thrifty Scottish tradition, the complete set of club patterns will use up every scrap of the 7 skeins, and to that end, Kate recommends that you obtain a scale that weighs to the individual gram, and she provides a spreadsheet-cum-calculator to help you figure out how much of which skein to use for what. Meh, I doubt that I'll want to make <i>all</i> the patterns, and I really don't want to buy another scale, so I'll bumble along as I usually do. And anyway, two of the skeins have a knot in them, so that will mess with what I do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiGN5Sjo7H0hn5gaF9FYYag7F6xGMiJgBhY9Ee9xcXT-Wdfkx9QKOJUTl37UxcwRpLrNg5mW5eeOh5mhnn18gkT1lMLa52AnKgl1e5x8CN9d3csjiI1bRjz3zUZDNwnBZOVG6Ae__NPSC/s1600/IMG_1147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiGN5Sjo7H0hn5gaF9FYYag7F6xGMiJgBhY9Ee9xcXT-Wdfkx9QKOJUTl37UxcwRpLrNg5mW5eeOh5mhnn18gkT1lMLa52AnKgl1e5x8CN9d3csjiI1bRjz3zUZDNwnBZOVG6Ae__NPSC/s400/IMG_1147.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Well, all wound up and ready to go! Bring on the patterns!<br />
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P.S. The first patterns have been published, and meh, indeed, I'll nae be makin' <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/buachaille-at-home-in-the-highlands" target="_blank">baffies</a>! Ptarmiganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792487871943091260noreply@blogger.com0