Heritage Strippers & a new wrap

This photo captures Stacey assisting Deb in a front porch photo shoot. I promised Deb that nothing would show but the skirt . . . but they agreed that this photo was too fun to hide in my computer. Our front porch hosts many photo shoots. Sometimes I’ve got stuff sitting on the porch and I’m laying on the ground. The neighbors must think I am nuts. Of course, they usually take place when it is pretty quiet around town, so not that many people get to view our craziness. Check this week’s newsletter to see the “real” photos of these garments.

 

     

This is your first introduction to the Nomad Wrap. So called because of the wandering lace pattern that travels from end to end. That’s Sophia being a sport and modeling for me. The wrap is knit from our Bloomfield in the Trout colorway. It is a fairly easy lace pattern that looks great knit up. I promise to have the pattern available real soon in the shop. In the meantime, you can come in and see it in person.

Back at It & Island Time

Well, the Estonian Garden Wrap lives again! I ordered more yarn, two cones of Jaggerspun4/8 Zephyr, just in case the dye lots didn’t match my earlier knitting. It was my luck: they didn’t match. But, I decided that I liked my (now) swatch enough to start again from the beginning. So, here’s where I am so far. About a third done with the middle. The Lily of the Valley pattern goes on each end. To see my “swatch” scroll back a couple blog entries. Thankfully, I am now to the point where it is conversational knitting. I haven’t had any of that in a long time, so this is a treat.

This past weekend was the last Heritage Fiber Retreat at Insel Haus. After this, Christa will host them. For more information visit www.yarndreamer.com.

This was (we think), the 13th time I have taken a group to the island and I did a lot better with my planning and menus. That means that I was able to enjoy more knitting time than usual (see the results in the pink shawl above!) and also did a bit of weaving. This bag was woven on an AshfordKnitter’s Loom with a warp of commercial alpaca and a handspunweft. It took me, all told, from warping the loom to hand sewing the double-pocketed bag, about six hours. Not bad. Christa helped me with the finishing - she made a braided cord (one of these days I’ll figure out her technique) and a beautiful double-knit tassle. Her touches make the bag! It is a sample for a class I am teaching next year at CNCH.

This was probably the most intense island weekend we’ve ever had. One group worked with Christa making her cobweb lace mittens, scarf and vest. Another worked with me on the Estonian Garden Scarf and Wrap. Lily of the Valley practice was the focus of the second group. Sorry, no pictures, I was too busy knitting! Okay, I left my camera in the car on the mainland. The bag photo is compliments of Donna.

Not every minute was spent inside. Annie and Christa and I snuck in a visit before Sunday brunch to a log cabin under construction on Lake Thompson, one of the island’s inland lakes. One of the cool things about the island is that many of the homes are built with lumber from the island. The logs in Steve’s cabin are massive. It isn’t a big cabin, but it sure is nice. Still very rough, you can just imagine the potential. Late Sunday, Annie and I went rock hounding at the beach. The water level is up a bit from last year. It was good to see. I was looking for smooth rocks for stone massage, but didn’t really find much. I did, however, find two rocks that I am pretty sure are agates. I remember looking for them when I was a kid and never found any then. Brought back memories.

It was a good weekend. I’ll miss the retreats, but not all the coordinating. I have promised Christa that I will teach on some of her retreats. Both times scheduled so far are in the winter, my favorite time on the island. It is so beautiful there then . . . quiet, peaceful, perfect for knitting. It is not too early to make reservations! 

Good things come to those who wait (and wait . . . and wait)!

Isn’t she beautiful? This is my new wheel made just for me. I ordered it 6 or 7 years ago (see what I mean about waiting?!). I’m in love. Now to find the time to really sit down and spin.

She was made by Alden Amos in California out of American hardwoods. Part of the purchase process was to complete a survey about my foot to knee length, stride and what I like to spin. The survey worked because Alden made a wheel that fits (and suits) me perfectly.

I first learned about the Amos wheels when I took a class with Stephanie Gaustaad (Alden’s significant other) at SOAR 2000. She had several of his well-built tools and I admired them. Since I’ve also purchase his niddy noddy (hand carved, no metal, rustic and lovely), combs (serious weapons!) and scutching knife. I appreciate them all, perhaps because I have a tiny bit of a woodworking background, too. His tools sit well in my hands. They aren’t dainty, they are functional and well built.

The photo above was taken before they shipped her to me. The cat didn’t come with.

Do what I say, not what I do

Pretty isn’t it? Even unblocked, you can see that it really has potential. You might even recognize it as The Fiber Trends pattern by Evelyn Clark, “Estonian Garden Wrap.” Unfortunately, I didn’t think before I set out on my wrap adventure. I didn’t do my math. I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I wanted to knit IT and I wanted to knit it NOW! So, there you see three evenings worth of work, 168 7-wrap nupps (Estonian bobbles) and about $20 of wasted yarn. Duuuhhhh! The problem is that the pattern calls for lace weight yarn and I wanted a warm shawl because our church tends to be a bit chilly and that is where I wear a shawl most often. So, I thought it would be cool in a DK weight yarn.

Note to self: think first, knit second.

So, what to do to rescue it? Nothing. The yarn is Jaggerspun Zephyr that comes on a cone. Gorgeous stuff. 50/50 Merino wool and silk, feels great, knits beautifully. Shows patterns well. Doesn’t match for beans between different dye lots. Not that I really though it would, but I hoped!

What next? Well, this is the project we are knitting at the Spring Fiber Retreat next week, so I need to get it going again. I suppose I need to block that SAMPLE and evaluate it critically. Then, get started again - using a color that we have two cones of!

Lessons learned: I love Addi lace needles for lace work. They made the nupps possible. I love working with this yarn and I’ll get started using it again. I’ll consider this a swatch and calculate my yarn requirements before getting going again (what if it took more than two cones??????).

2nd not to self: take your own advice. Get plenty of yarn before you embark on a project!

“Better than Disney World”

When I asked my daughter how her spring break vacation was she said, “Better than Disney World.” At that moment we were flying off Bois Blanc Island after spending a pleasant and adventure-filled week at Insel Haus (www.inselhausbandb.com) with Christa and Shelby. Pleasant because the island is pretty much deserted at this time of year and all there is is peace and quiet. Adventure-filled because we had some great “weather.” First a pretty hefty wind storm, followed shortly by a day of every kind of precipitation possible plus wind, then a day of snow-snow-and-more-snow. Oh, yes and no electricity either! Thankfully, Insel Haus has a big generator (it cooled a rail car in its previous life) so during the day we had electricity and we just slept in the dark. Here’s our time there in pictures, more or less.

This photo gets you started. When we first flew in there was ice on the mainland side (west of Cheboygan), the next day we woke up to our bay full, and then by afternoon it had migrated to Cheboygan. Fun to watch and doesn’t it make an interesting picture? What looks like sky is really a cluster of ice chunks. I LOVE watching the ice in the spring. Once upon a time when Mariah was in Kindergarten we lived on an island in Lake Orion that had no bridge. We got real good at gauging the ice (okay, I fell through a few times) and haven’t lost our fascination with it.

Insel Haus as viewed from the lake shore. Pretty even in spring.

 Our being at the island gave Christa an excuse to sit and knit . . . alot. That’s “my” chair and yarn in the foreground. I sat there more than usual this visit. I did lots of sampling for a shawl I’m working on with Kathy, my super-wonderful knitter friend. I sample, I scribble, I calculate, then she knits and start working on the next project. I’m not sure who has more fun!

Mariah is a wildlife lover. I always love to see the photos she’s left on my camera after vacation. We watched this pair the entire time we were there. 

And the turkeys. Look at that plumage. I wonder if it is mating season? We don’t usually see such a display.

 

And then the storm came.

Snow stuck to everything, even the sides of the deck. It didn’t last long as it rained by the end of the day and the trees lost their “frosting,” but it sure was beautiful while it lasted.

 

Sunday was the proverbial day after the storm. It was simply brilliant out. This is a shot of the driveway. Everything was so pristine.

Our goodbye. Christa and Mariah preparing to break through the pristine snow!

The island airport was improved last year and in addition to a paved runway it has a terminal with telephone. This was Mariah’s first visit to the terminal.

The truck is typical island transportation. A real classic. Many of the residents have “island cars” that live at the township parking lot near the dock when their owners are off the island. I have been going to the island for over 20 years with Bill and Maggie and they carry their (car or truck) battery back and forth. Island living at its best! Oh yes, that’s our plane in the background over the bed of the pick up.

 

Goodbye to the island. If you look closely you can almost make out the Mackinaw Bridge in the background.

All in all, a great getaway. I am thrilled that a 15-year-old had a great time. Of course, she did have TWO computers with her and Insel Haus has wireless Internet. We also squeezed in Monopoly and many episodes of the Gilmore Girls. A good mother-daughter time.

Spring is here!

It is officially spring. We dyed yarn yesterday and hung it in the tree to dry.  That’s Tress on the left and Stacey on the right.

This is a shot of some of the sock yarn we dyed. Well, except for the mohair boucle on the far left. I am afraid that I am going to have to claim one of these spring-ey colors to knit up that pair of Cat Bordhi socks. It is calling my name! I just LOVE the new sock yarn we’ve switched to for our HandPaints. It is just the right amount of sturdy and it is round and pretty in the hank.

These skeins and many others will be available “as is” until Sunday then they’ll be on the shelf waiting for you!

Fait accompli

The sock is done. It sorta fits. At least the important part fits: the foot. That means the pattern is finally right. I didn’t, however, compensate enough for the twisted ribbing and the leg is more than a bit snug. It fits the sock blocker and since there never will be another one, that is good enough for me. Next step is to swatch for a pair using our standard handpainted Oxford II sock yarn and US size 1 needles. This pair will incorporate the lace pattern that I really wanted to do in the first place. I’ll keep you posted.

The class that all this sock discovery was for happened last Saturday. I had a dozen ladies tackle the techniques and terminology of the New Pathways book and then they spent the afternoon knitting the Baby Coriolis sock. It was a good class and everybody left exhausted! Amazing how tiring brain-work can be. I’ll be adding a class yet this spring to knit a full-sized sock from this book. Both classes will run again in the fall. It’s just too much fun - watch our newsletter and be sure to sign up!

If you didn’t catch it in our weekly newsletter, I have exciting news to share about Knit Michigan. It is official: this year we will be able to donate over $30,000 to Michigan cancer organizations as a result of our work. Visit www.knitmichigan.com to read more (okay - better wait until the end of March to visit - I don’t have the site updated yet!).

Life in America

Sometimes pictures speak a thousand words. That’s Daryl Lancaster (www.weaversew.com), Mark my husband, and Mariah our 15 year-old - enjoying post dinner conversation! At least, in our defense, we did have a nice dinner together.

This little computer soiree ends up a weekend of classes for Daryl at the shop. Friday night we learned how to “warp faster.” I now better understand how to use a warping paddle - a very cool, underused tool. I know - until this weekend I had only sold one or two in all my years in business. I can’t wait to try it on a project I’ve got in mind and get warping faster. On Saturday and Sunday she taught her Garment Construction class. Folks came from as far away as Sault St. Marie, Ontario, and Antrim and Charlevoix counties up north.

  

I only got to peek in for one lecture about sizing patterns, but just that brief exposure had me thinking of getting out the sewing machine and playing around. I sewed for years - made many of my own clothes in high school, sewed for the kids, but haven’t really done much in years. So much to do, just too few hours in a day! Those that were able to enjoy the class all the way through learned about seams, buttonholes, trims and so much more. They were all inspired and tired! The photo on the left above is Daryl telling how to find the fit (close, loose, very loose, etc.) on the back of the pattern. On the right is a row of students getting tired at the end of the first day!

The Continuing Sock Saga

I feel like people who don’t “get” knitting are screaming at me “get a life!” I have spent so much time knitting, ripping, starting over and just plain trying to understand this particular sock construction. Some people have crossword puzzles, I apparently have this sock puzzle.

This week’s problem (that’s the “sock” on the right) arose in how long to knit before turning the heel. First time out the shoot, I did two things wrong. First, I used a gauge obtained on double point needles and knit using circular needles and, secondly, I followed the pictures and not the words in the pattern book. I swear that Cat Bordhi knit more than two inches before beginning the instep increases based on the photos, so that’s what I did. Both mistakes doomed me to a huge piece of knitting that won’t fit anybody. Did I mention there was a third mistake? I used a very pretty lace pattern on dark, multi colored yarn. I thought you’d be able to see the pattern, but you can’t.

So, where am I now. Following the pattern’s words. Doing a cable instead of lace. Using a gauge obtained by knitting on circs. What’s the next problem? I decided that the two inches was measured from the end of the toe. Nope. Wrong guess. It is measured after the toe is worked. So, now my sock is too short. Tough! I added an inch and continued on. I just couldn’t bear to tear out again. Now that I’m past the heel turn, I tried them on and they fit just fine. In defense of the book, I think the words really reflect a traditional decreased toe and I am using the garter stitch toe because I think it will fit my foot better.

The upside? I’m close to having a pattern that will work for me. I’m almost there. The next sock post will have a photo of the finished product on my foot. Promise!

Paddling Upstream

Preparing for this Cat Bordhi class has been consuming my knitting time. I finally decided where I was going  with my first sock using one of her Master Patterns and set about to make it happen. Yarn: Opal 6Ply some experimental mohair/wool from Louet that I dyed a couple years ago (experimental because I was considering switching from our current Millington to it, but decided I didn’t like the weight of it as a replacement). Needles: Crystal Palace double point bamboo Addi Lace and Natura. Upstream inset: cables and faggotting a mini lace leaf. Toe: garter stitch. Okay, so I waivered a lot. But the planning is half the fun!

Next I had Christel measure my foot so I could do my calculations using Cat’s worksheet. Then I had to figure out how her Master Patterns work. I’m still working on the specifics, but at least I’m knitting now. The Upstream architecture is from the toe up. I got to select any toe I wanted and I picked the garter toe because my foot is sooooo square. We’ll see how it works in reality on my foot. The toe is where I always wear out my socks - and I go through them quickly (thank goodness mom makes me so many pairs that I haven’t had to mend any lately, but the pile to be fixed is growing). Here’s what the toe looks like as a toe and “head on.”

  

I’m just getting ready to begin the instep increases and start inserting the lace. But, I have to chart it first!

The real miracle here is that I am knitting socks on circular needles because I’m ready to admit that knitting the Cat Bordhi way seems to work better with them. Ana will be proud of me!

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Over the weekend my daughter and I went to visit Christel in Indianapolis and we spent a morning at the Indy Children’s Museum. Mostly we visited the exhibits about Ryan White, Anne Frank and Ruby Bridges - kids making a difference, which were quite wonderful. However, the very, very first thing we saw when we entered was this:

I can’t escape it! This was the very first scene in a miniatures exhibit. This room is a room from Colonial America. At any rate, if you are ever in Indy, don’t miss the Children’s Museum - it is great for children of all ages.