Yarnist

Here’s Elizabeth

Here’s my new spinning wheel…Elizabeth!!Okay, I know it’s an Ashford Elizabeth 2, and Elizabeth isn’t too original, but I really like the name Elizabeth, and actually, it fits

I also got a lazy kate and 3 bobbins with the wheel and as a bonus gift, I got 8 oz. of beautiful copper colored Corriedale Top, a niddy noddy and 2 extra bobbins.

And here’s what my bobbin looks like after about a week of spinning:

I never knew how easy (and fun) spinning on a wheel could be!! Maybe I just got lucky getting this for my first wheel, but I think I picked a winner :)  

Now I have to learn to ply. I’m thinking I might try Navajo plying , it looks like a great way to make a 3-ply yarn from one single…but I’ll have to research a little more before I make a definite decision on that.

What’s the…..

…rush? With knitting, I mean. Why rush from project to project, picking ones that are smaller and smaller so I can complete them faster?  Well, I’m starting to get the idea that to keep up like this, I’m only avoiding learning patience. Really, when you think about it, what’s the difference between working on a project that takes a long time, like blocks for an afghan, instead of several scarves or hats?

Why is it so boring to work on one big project verses five little ones?

Patience is the key here. Mature patience that makes those big projects just as enjoyable as the little ones.

What do  you think? I’d really like to hear opinions from other knitters out there.

Yada Yada Sock Kit Swap

Look what Dawn sent me for the Yada Yada Sock Kit Swap:

Tofutsies yarn

Hand made sock knittng bag with “Take Time To Unwind” embroidered on the front.

The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith

Kid’s Easy Quilting Projects by Terri Thibault

Hedera

Kew

Truffles and chocolate squares

The Sock Kit Swap was for the Christian Book Group I belong to on Ravelry . Now the big question is, do I knit “Hedera” or “Kew” with my new Tofutsies?

My New Spinning Wheel

Oooh! Look! See what my sweet hubby just ordered for me:

          ASHFORD ELIZABETH 2    

Isn’t she gorgeous?! He ordered her from the Village Spinning and Weaving in Solvang, California.

Also, I got (as a bonus gift w/the purchase of the wheel):

“two (2) extra bobbins in the same finish as your wheel, an Ashford 1.5 meter niddy-noddy, & 8 ounces of nicely prepared wool for spinning.”

I’m sooo tickled!!! It’s my Mother’s Day present and it’s just my size and color, hee,hee!!! I’m so blessed by such a sweet, caring, attentive hubby!!

I cast-on some lace socks the other night with my Jojoland Breeze yarn.

Here’s what they should look like when finished.

I originally got the pattern from MagKnits, but sadly, it is closed now. Here’s the good-bye letter:

Dear MagKnitters

I am really sad to have to tell you that we are no longer going to be
publishing free patterns on MagKnits. This has been one of the most
exciting web ventures I have ever been involved in, I am really proud of
the site and of what I managed to develop over the 4 years of running the
magazine.

However, MagKnits has always been a huge investment in terms of time
and effort and to date hasn’t actually paid me any kind of salary.
The advertising has always just about covered the cost of the payment to
tech editors, designers, web hosting and other sundry expenses. This was
not a problem while I had the free time and while I was enjoying the work.

However, over recent months my workload in other areas has increased
dramatically leaving me less time for MagKnits. I had hoped that by
combining Yarn Forward Magazine and MagKnits at the beginning of
this year we would be able to continue with the site but it is now
apparent that this is not going to work.

Lou and I have thought long and hard about what kind of action to
take, and as hard as it is for me to give up MagKnits I know that it
is the right thing for us to do. The amount of negative feedback we
have been receiving has hugely increased this year and to be
perfectly honest there is only so much of ourselves that we can give
to the site. Someone made a comment about us earlier in the week that we
would be stupid to run a business that didn’t pay us a salary, this made us
sit back and think “Yes, you’re right. We would be stupid to carry on
giving so much and getting little in return.”

The copyright on all of the patterns published by MagKnits remain
with the designers so they are all at liberty to publish the patterns
elsewhere, perhaps on their own blogs. We will be publishing free patterns
on the yarn forward website and would love to hear from any MagKnits
designers who would like us to consider a pattern previously published on
MagKnits for publication on Yarn Forward magazine.

Unfortunately giving up the site means that we will be giving up the
server space so will be unable to transfer the archives over as they stand.
We aim to have some of the archives rebuilt into the yf website in the
future but will need to negotiate with each designer before this can
happen. We’ll keep this list updated with progress and free pattern links.

Thank you for all your support over the last 4 years, you’ve been great. I
really mean that.

For more information please contact either Lou or myself on
magknits@yarnforwardmagazine.co.uk but note that although we may not be
able to reply to you immediately, we will get back to as soon as is possible.
Warm Regards

Kerrie

Many thanks to Kerrie and the rest of the MagKnits crew for all the patterns and a great online magazine!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have another pair of BBS in the works:

I am hoping to knit one pair a month for the rest of the year. I’ve put myself on the list to do so at the SSF Ravelry group. This really motivated me to get on my BBS (big black socks) for soldiers!

And besides knitting, I’ve been spinning! Here’s a pic. of my progress so far on the other 2 oz. of roving I talked about in my earlier post:

Tanks, Socks and Merino

Just an update on what I have been knitting, and also what my 7 yr old has been knitting.

First, presenting her first pair of knitted socks (on dpn’s), here are Ky’s socks:

Aren’t they adorable?! She decided to give them to her little brother so he’d have some house socks. Isn’t that sweet?

These are the tank tops I made for the girls. They’re made of acrylic ribbon yarn from Dynasty Yarn. I really like how the varigated colors turned out.

I bought one of these balls of 100% Merino top from Copperpot Woolies on Etsy . The description said 4 oz. and when I got it in the mail today (got it 48 hrs after ordering), they had added 2 more ounces!!! Squeal!!!! Mine is undyed Merino, but if you’re looking for some beautifully dyed roving, they’ve got some very pretty stuff!

I’m currently working away at a pair of Big Black Socks for the Socks For Soldiers Organization. And also, I have the body of my Norweigan sweater done and am working on the sleeves.

Spinning

 Today I wanted to share some fun, informative blogs and books that will help you learn about this amazing craft.

I have only been learning on my drop spindle for about a month, but I’m hooked! I’m still not finished with the 4 oz. of roving I got here , but I can’t hardly wait to get some gorgeous tie dyed roving from Dudley Spinner. If that isn’t tempting enough, I have to wipe the drool off my chin when I see the batts dyed and carded by Terra Bella Spun (It makes me think of Tinker Bell with all that sparkly fiber in it). And who can resist the bfl roving from Dyabolical Yarns

Don’t forget the drop spindles! Just look at these at Butterfly Girl Designs! Simply amazing! If you want something to spin your yarn faster there’s always the spinning wheel .

But roving, spindles, and wheels aren’t enough. You need to know how to spin and that requires books (unless you have a person who can teach you).  Spin to Knit by Shannon Okey, Spinning In the Old Way by Prescilla A. Gibson Roberts,  SPIN IT: Making Yarn From Scratch by Lee Raven, and The Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes are all very good, informative books with clear pictures, easy to understand directions and lots of information about different yarns and their properties so you can better judge what fiber is best for your next project.

What are other people spinning? The best place to find out is Ravelry, but while you’re waiting on your invitation, you can read blogs like Knitting Daily , Interweave’s new online community for passionate knitters, edited by Sandi Wiseheart. Kathleen Taylor’s Dakota Dreams is also a great read. Kathleen is a very talented writer, she has written I Heart Felt , Knit One, Felt Too , and others as well.

If you don’t have a lot of time to read, I recommend

String Theory 2.0  , the posts are short, sweet and to the point.

Abby and Helen also have some great blogs about spinning, knitting and their lives in general, I think you’ll find them very entertaining and informative.

Are you a spinner? Newbie, or are you a seasoned expert? What are you working on right now?  Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear what fiber you are using and what tool (spindle or wheel)  you prefer to spin with.

Shearing Day Event

My family and I went down to the Millennial Way Farm to watch their spring shearing. We had such a great time! They have several Jacob Spotted sheep, a few Alpacas and quite a few Angora rabbits.

We watched the shearing, got to pet the new baby lambs, and the super soft Angora bunnies, bought roving and a drop spindle, and learned so much about all these fascinating animals and their very nice owners at Millennial Way Farm.

 Six-day old baby lamb

More precious lambs

Mr. Lead Man himself (aren’t those horns nice?)

Mr. Smith shearing one of the ewes

Mr. Smith shearing another sheep

We got to touch the fleece right after it was shorn. Look at the spots. They’re so pretty!

This is what an alpaca looks like

before shearing….

….and here’s what an alpaca looks

like after it’s shorn (this is a different animal than the white one

up above). Quite the weight-loss program, huh?

 Look at these sweet angora bunnies!

 This is 4 oz. of Jacob/Angora/Alpaca roving I bought from Millennial Way Farm, and it’s soooo soft! OOOH!!

 My maple wood drop spindle made by Mr. Smith of Smith Shearing Services in MO. After he got done shearing, he brought up a bunch of these beautiful drop spindles to sell, and his wife gave drop spindle demonstrations for us.

Here’s a single I spun from a tiny bit of the roving I bought today. I put the safety pin next to it to try to show a scale of how thin it is. I’ve not been spinning for more than a couple of weeks, but this is half the diameter of the singles I’ve spun so far.

What’s on the needles: 2 verigated tank tops for my girls, my Norwegian sweater, and a baby blanket. I had started a charity blanket for a new charity group I belong to, but it’s not the right gauge, so I ripped it out and need to cast on again to get the measurements right.

Norwegian Sweaters, Scrubbies, and More Socks

 Here’s My “Favorite” Sweater from Drops Designs # 52-11

The main two colors are superwash sport-weight wool in creme and a heathered rose, that actually has a bit of kelly green and some light grey running through it~very pretty! The band at the bottom is a nine-patch of red and white with teal and a heathered blue on each side of it. I’m sorry I can’t give the name of the yarn b/c the company is no longer in business

And when my hands got sore from working on my sweater, I made this little beauty:

It’s crocheted, and you can find the free pattern here. This pattern was made by Judith Prindle.

These are socks I made for my friend, Carol, who owns Red River Yarn in Heber Springs. They are made from Patons Grace in “Teal” (unfortunately, this particular color is discontinued). This pattern is from the
Favorite Socks book. They are called “Meida’s Socks” by Nancy Bush. It’s a fun cabled lace pattern, and the eye-of-partridge heel adds so much great texture to the rest of the design (not to mention it holds up a bit better than a regular slip stitch rib on the heel flap).

Eye-of-Partridge Stitch (Use an even number of stitches)

Row 1 (right side): *Sl 1, K 1* repeat across ending K 1.
Row 2 and even rows: Sl 1, purl across
Row 3: Sl 2, *K1, Sl 1* repeat across, ending with K2.

New Podcast

I recently found a new podcast via Ravelry
called Knit Together . It’s about knitting (of course), but Tammy and Kate aproach their knitting podcast from the viewpoint of Christian knitters. It’s fun, clean and they stay on topic! (I love that) So, if you’re in the market for a new knitting podcast, click on their link I posted above, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed