Friday, November 14, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
a catalog came in the mail
I love autumn clothes. corduroy pants and shirts, cabled sweaters, tartan plaid flannel, and tweed. *sigh*
wool rocks
many years ago I had two sheep. I sheared them and sent the wool off to be processed into batts. I spun yarn from the batts. it was lanolin-y but I managed to work with it. I found that scouring the yarn in boiling water helped a lot. the resulting yarn was spongy and not the softest, but it was mine.
skip forward to today. I still have about 2-3 pounds of the wool batting, but now it is too sticky to spin even if I wanted to spin it. I would still like to use it for something, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what.
felting actually does the fiber the most good. it softens a lot, and all the soap and hot water takes the stickiness away. I still have quite a few random skeins of the spun yarn, and I'm not really concerned about what to do with those. knit some shape, felt it, and voila, a bag or bowl or hotpad. it's the 3 pounds of batting that stymies me. I can't just throw it in the washing machine and felt it; I don't want a huge washing-machine-drum-shaped felt lump.
recently I came across this felted rug, and I thought, hey, I could try making rocks with the batting! my idea is to wrap the batting around itself into little rock-shaped lumps, knot them into some nylon stockings, and toss them in the washing machine. the results would not be as colorful, but at least I would be on my way to having a pebbly rug instead of a bag of greasy batting.
today I tried making little rock-shaped lumps. I don't have any nylons, so I will have to buy some or ask around. I experimented with boiling the lumps (along with a strip of batting to see if it would get non-sticky enough to spin) and hand felting them. so far I have learned that the rocks will need to be wrapped tightly, or they will flatten. the boiling water didn't do a whole lot for unstickifying the wool, so the attempts to hand felt didn't work well either, but I want to continue to experiment.
skip forward to today. I still have about 2-3 pounds of the wool batting, but now it is too sticky to spin even if I wanted to spin it. I would still like to use it for something, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what.
felting actually does the fiber the most good. it softens a lot, and all the soap and hot water takes the stickiness away. I still have quite a few random skeins of the spun yarn, and I'm not really concerned about what to do with those. knit some shape, felt it, and voila, a bag or bowl or hotpad. it's the 3 pounds of batting that stymies me. I can't just throw it in the washing machine and felt it; I don't want a huge washing-machine-drum-shaped felt lump.
recently I came across this felted rug, and I thought, hey, I could try making rocks with the batting! my idea is to wrap the batting around itself into little rock-shaped lumps, knot them into some nylon stockings, and toss them in the washing machine. the results would not be as colorful, but at least I would be on my way to having a pebbly rug instead of a bag of greasy batting.
today I tried making little rock-shaped lumps. I don't have any nylons, so I will have to buy some or ask around. I experimented with boiling the lumps (along with a strip of batting to see if it would get non-sticky enough to spin) and hand felting them. so far I have learned that the rocks will need to be wrapped tightly, or they will flatten. the boiling water didn't do a whole lot for unstickifying the wool, so the attempts to hand felt didn't work well either, but I want to continue to experiment.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
do the KAL/CAL can-can
whenever I see "KAL/CAL" I get the Can-Can from Orpheus in the Underworld in my head. and then I imagine knitters and crocheters dancing a can-can, kicking their legs and dangling their projects-in-progress. <_<
Friday, October 03, 2008
nothing to knit
I've been in a knitting dry spell lately and thinking about my stash, my Ravelry queue, and my wishlists of yarns and patterns. I noticed that if I would make a Venn diagram, very few of these things would overlap:
yarn I tend to buy (variegated, colorful)
yarn I want to have (highly recommended and/or hard-to-get, expensive stuff; also idealized yarn that doesn't even exist)
yarn I like to work with (old favorites)
yarn that knits up the way I like (not variegated, not garish)
techniques that I want to learn (I feel like I have to know how to do everything even if I don't actually do it. often, I mean. okay, at all.)
designs that I like (unusual and/or complex; also, sometimes I like them because they look good on the model.)
designs that would look nice on me (very tricky. especially since I don't look like the model.)
designs that I could actually wear/use often (practical, not unusual)
the way I like to knit (mindless stockinette in the round)
:-|
when I compare my stash to my queue, it seems that very little intersects. the stuff that does...well, I don't feel like making those things right now. I want mindless stockinette, but those patterns require charts. I want to learn a specific technique but wouldn't wear any of the patterns that use it. I would like to have a particular garment to wear but don't have suitable yarn. I want to knit something NOW but I don't have anything to knit!
I end up not knitting but trolling Ravelry for new/different patterns and yarn. sometimes I wonder if I get more enjoyment obsessing over yarn and patterns than possessing them. it's possible that I could be perfectly happy drooling over photos of my favorites while I knit on a neverending stockinette tube. huh. that sounds kind of like a knitting Matrix. something out there *needs* stockinette tubes and can get me to make them by feeding me images of cabled sweaters and tweed yarns. I shouldn't be giving things-out-there any ideas...
yarn I tend to buy (variegated, colorful)
yarn I want to have (highly recommended and/or hard-to-get, expensive stuff; also idealized yarn that doesn't even exist)
yarn I like to work with (old favorites)
yarn that knits up the way I like (not variegated, not garish)
techniques that I want to learn (I feel like I have to know how to do everything even if I don't actually do it. often, I mean. okay, at all.)
designs that I like (unusual and/or complex; also, sometimes I like them because they look good on the model.)
designs that would look nice on me (very tricky. especially since I don't look like the model.)
designs that I could actually wear/use often (practical, not unusual)
the way I like to knit (mindless stockinette in the round)
:-|
when I compare my stash to my queue, it seems that very little intersects. the stuff that does...well, I don't feel like making those things right now. I want mindless stockinette, but those patterns require charts. I want to learn a specific technique but wouldn't wear any of the patterns that use it. I would like to have a particular garment to wear but don't have suitable yarn. I want to knit something NOW but I don't have anything to knit!
I end up not knitting but trolling Ravelry for new/different patterns and yarn. sometimes I wonder if I get more enjoyment obsessing over yarn and patterns than possessing them. it's possible that I could be perfectly happy drooling over photos of my favorites while I knit on a neverending stockinette tube. huh. that sounds kind of like a knitting Matrix. something out there *needs* stockinette tubes and can get me to make them by feeding me images of cabled sweaters and tweed yarns. I shouldn't be giving things-out-there any ideas...
Friday, May 02, 2008
a method of weaving in yarn ends
last year a fellow knitter showed me a way of weaving in ends I hadn't come across before and haven't come across since. I don't know what it's called but it's relatively quick and easy so I like it a lot. I don't have a way of making a video but I took some photos to illustrate. hopefully this will make sense!
when done in the same color yarn, this method is almost invisible on both the knit and the purl sides. it works best with a tightly-knitted gauge and a grippy yarn.
the basic idea is that you wrap the yarn end around one side of a column of stockinette Vs. stick the needle from right to left around the right leg of each V and work your way up for a couple of inches, then turn, move the end to another column, and repeat in the opposite direction.
this can also be done on the purl side, but while it is invisible on the knit side, it does show up on the purl side. instead of going up a column of stitches, you work from side to side, catching the purl bumps from right to left.
here are some pictures of how this is done on the knit side of stockinette.
bring the end to be woven up through the middle of the V of a knit stitch.
stick the needle under the right leg of the stitch above, working from right to left.
bring the needle tip around to do the same to the next stitch above.
like so.
continue wrapping the stitches for a couple of inches.
pull yarn through and then give the fabric a tug to smooth it out.
like so. bring the yarn up through a stitch in the next column and repeat in the opposite direction.
when you're using the same color yarn the result is fairly invisible on the knit side and the purl side, but if you're using a contrasting color yarn, it's not invisible on the knit side but it is on the purl side.
here's how it would look with a contrasting color.
yeah, not so good.
so work it on the purl side. here's how.
bring the end to the purl side.
stick the needle through a purl bump from right to left. I see the bumps like parentheses. some look like ( and others look like ). you can weave in the yarn on either type of bumps, but stick with the same type for each row.
I picked the ) bump for this row.
aim for the next purl bump of the same sort.
keep going for a couple inches.
pull the yarn through and tug at the fabric to smooth it out.
turn and work in the opposite direction on another row of purl bumps. I like to change directions at least twice.
this is how it looks in a contrasting color. not invisible at all but it doesn't show up on the knit side. and if the knit side is the right side, then that's all that matters.
so that's one method of weaving in yarn ends. if anybody uses it and likes it or knows what it's called, let me know!
when done in the same color yarn, this method is almost invisible on both the knit and the purl sides. it works best with a tightly-knitted gauge and a grippy yarn.
the basic idea is that you wrap the yarn end around one side of a column of stockinette Vs. stick the needle from right to left around the right leg of each V and work your way up for a couple of inches, then turn, move the end to another column, and repeat in the opposite direction.
this can also be done on the purl side, but while it is invisible on the knit side, it does show up on the purl side. instead of going up a column of stitches, you work from side to side, catching the purl bumps from right to left.
here are some pictures of how this is done on the knit side of stockinette.
bring the end to be woven up through the middle of the V of a knit stitch.
stick the needle under the right leg of the stitch above, working from right to left.
bring the needle tip around to do the same to the next stitch above.
like so.
continue wrapping the stitches for a couple of inches.
pull yarn through and then give the fabric a tug to smooth it out.
like so. bring the yarn up through a stitch in the next column and repeat in the opposite direction.
when you're using the same color yarn the result is fairly invisible on the knit side and the purl side, but if you're using a contrasting color yarn, it's not invisible on the knit side but it is on the purl side.
here's how it would look with a contrasting color.
yeah, not so good.
so work it on the purl side. here's how.
bring the end to the purl side.
stick the needle through a purl bump from right to left. I see the bumps like parentheses. some look like ( and others look like ). you can weave in the yarn on either type of bumps, but stick with the same type for each row.
I picked the ) bump for this row.
aim for the next purl bump of the same sort.
keep going for a couple inches.
pull the yarn through and tug at the fabric to smooth it out.
turn and work in the opposite direction on another row of purl bumps. I like to change directions at least twice.
this is how it looks in a contrasting color. not invisible at all but it doesn't show up on the knit side. and if the knit side is the right side, then that's all that matters.
so that's one method of weaving in yarn ends. if anybody uses it and likes it or knows what it's called, let me know!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Rogue from X-Men scarf recipe
(I'm writing this up to put on Ravelry. I figure that if I'm going to put pattern notes in the project I might as well write up the pattern recipe.)
recently I came across a couple scarves I had made several years ago. I had based them on a long, skinny purple scarf that Rogue wore in the first X-Men movie. she seems to have at least two of them, one more sparkly than the other. they both seem to be knitted in a very loose stockinette stitch and allowed to curl.
materials:
50-100 grams of dark purple sport to worsted-weight yarn (50g should be enough but if you want the scarf extra long, you may need more.)
knitting needles, much larger than what you would normally use. US 11, 13, or possibly even 15.
recipe:
cast on about 20 stitches. work in stockinette until the scarf is long enough to wrap around your neck two or three times and reach down to your knees, or however long you want it. bind off.
for the first scarf I made, I only had 50 grams of light worsted wool and cast on 15 stitches. for the second one I had 100 grams of Cascade Pima Tencel color #2493 and cast on 20 stitches.
so far this is the best picture I've found of Rogue wearing the scarf. in the movie it looks more purple.
I might try taking screenshots.
gauge should be nice and loose. keep in mind while you're knitting that it will look much wider than it will end up when you wear it, as the fabric will pull down, curl, and become narrower when it is worn.
the left side is more like how the fabric will look when the scarf is worn; the right side is more like how it looks when you're knitting it.
finished scarf:
edited to add screenshots.
it looks like she could have 3 different scarves, the sparkly one, a non-sparkly one, and possibly a mostly non-sparkly one with sparkly sections. or the non-sparkly one has the sparkly sections but they don't show up all the time. the scarf also looks like it would uncurl to be much wider than the ones I made.
sparkly throughout:
not sparkly:
closeup of loose stockinette stitches:
very curly edges:
another no-sparkly closeup:
sparkly patches? (see also magazine scan above)
recently I came across a couple scarves I had made several years ago. I had based them on a long, skinny purple scarf that Rogue wore in the first X-Men movie. she seems to have at least two of them, one more sparkly than the other. they both seem to be knitted in a very loose stockinette stitch and allowed to curl.
materials:
50-100 grams of dark purple sport to worsted-weight yarn (50g should be enough but if you want the scarf extra long, you may need more.)
knitting needles, much larger than what you would normally use. US 11, 13, or possibly even 15.
recipe:
cast on about 20 stitches. work in stockinette until the scarf is long enough to wrap around your neck two or three times and reach down to your knees, or however long you want it. bind off.
for the first scarf I made, I only had 50 grams of light worsted wool and cast on 15 stitches. for the second one I had 100 grams of Cascade Pima Tencel color #2493 and cast on 20 stitches.
so far this is the best picture I've found of Rogue wearing the scarf. in the movie it looks more purple.
I might try taking screenshots.
gauge should be nice and loose. keep in mind while you're knitting that it will look much wider than it will end up when you wear it, as the fabric will pull down, curl, and become narrower when it is worn.
the left side is more like how the fabric will look when the scarf is worn; the right side is more like how it looks when you're knitting it.
finished scarf:
edited to add screenshots.
it looks like she could have 3 different scarves, the sparkly one, a non-sparkly one, and possibly a mostly non-sparkly one with sparkly sections. or the non-sparkly one has the sparkly sections but they don't show up all the time. the scarf also looks like it would uncurl to be much wider than the ones I made.
sparkly throughout:
not sparkly:
closeup of loose stockinette stitches:
very curly edges:
another no-sparkly closeup:
sparkly patches? (see also magazine scan above)
Sunday, March 09, 2008
traveling socks, part 2 and other stuff
well basically now that I have a Ravelry progress bar widget I kind of don't feel the need to post blog entries with photos of my projects. ah well. but here are some non-project things.
I finally got a ball winder!
I also got a tabletop swift.
here is a gratuitous sky pic from January.
(click to embiggen)
and some more traveling sock photos. not click-to-embiggenable because I am lazy.
bending at a windmill
not a walk in the park
socks harass trees
socks hug a tree
at airport 1, observing plane 1
at airport 2, observing plane 2
brrrrrrr...
frosty toe
a highway with no one on it
long way from home...
and some new yarn.
Malabrigo Lace, Purple Mystery
Trekking XXL colorway 146
Malabrigo Lace, Teal Feathers
and some new photos of an old project:
I finally got a ball winder!
I also got a tabletop swift.
here is a gratuitous sky pic from January.
(click to embiggen)
and some more traveling sock photos. not click-to-embiggenable because I am lazy.
bending at a windmill
not a walk in the park
socks harass trees
socks hug a tree
at airport 1, observing plane 1
at airport 2, observing plane 2
brrrrrrr...
frosty toe
a highway with no one on it
long way from home...
and some new yarn.
Malabrigo Lace, Purple Mystery
Trekking XXL colorway 146
Malabrigo Lace, Teal Feathers
and some new photos of an old project:
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