February 2007 Archives
Thanks to everyone who helped me destash!
Let's talk about sampling.
It's akin to yarn swatching, where a knitted swatch of a specific yarn determines if you "got gauge" or not. You knit with a specific size needle, and switch to a lower or higher needle size to get your gauge. It's no exception with colored fiber. Sure, you can tear off a hank and spin away, but are you spinning to show off all the colors, or to make a muted mixture?
Case in point: I wanted to make a 3-ply yarn with Adrian's lovely merino/silk. I tore off a small section for sampling. I didn't take into consideration that said section had equal parts olive green, purple, and white. I just wanted to sample for the ply. I should have taken into consideration the color as well, because predictably, when I spun such a short section, the colors blended into each other and I got mud. Granted, a very lovely mud, but still mud. So.
Adrian's fiber was dyed in lengths: long strips of purple and short strips of olive green. The bits of white are where the two colors were *supposed* to mix but didn't; the bits of "mud" are where they did. So if you look at your fiber that's been dyed in lengths and see where colors run into each other, that's what you'll get in the end if you don't plan ahead.
You want to minimize mud. You can do a few things:
◊ Tear off longer sections. Ideally, in between the long strips of color and not in the muddy areas. I'm talking 3-6 foot sections. Of course, you'll have to pre-draft all of it, but at least it won't be muddy.
◊ Try navajo-plying instead of your standard two-ply. That way, you can control the amount of color mixing.
A little adjustment in how I prepared my fiber, and I ended up with nice sections of color in my singles. On to plying!
Linky that doesn't currently work, for reason #bX-v2vqfh, but you should bookmark it anyway, so that when it works you can go see! This site has been on my list of feeds for a while because of the eclectic collection of photography: Thrilling Wonder.
◊ Seed Stitch Cheryl's pretty shawl made out of her own handspun laceweight singles had me drooling last week. I've decided to use my own handspun for a shawl too.
◊ Via Chez Pim's wonderful pictures of truffles in Lalbenque, France.
◊ And with more interest, the photo browsing mini app that allows you to embed your Flickr photo sets right into your blog post.
◊ I've had this link for over a year now and it's time to share. Flash and graphic designer Ferry Halim has created some of what I think are the most visually beautiful, cute, adorable, breathtaking games. They're all in here, his "Orisinal" page". You heard it here first.
◊ While I'm at it, more linky goodness with Ze Frank; I'll let you explore on your own! (But I'll give you this (and I have a feeling I've given this link before): neutered dog haiku.)
◊ Was anyone offended by Olive Hoover doing her pageant talent show act in Little Miss Sunshine? I may be beating a dead horse here. I'm just curious.
- Flint Knits Pamela has posted a thoughtful response to my question.
- Wikipedia's Little Miss Sunshine entry.
◊ Want something sobering? Things like this should never be just yesterday's news.
Pattern: My own charted scrollwork, seen here
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease (197 yards; 3 oz; 80% acrylic, 20% wool) in #620-099 Fisherman, #620-152 Oxford Grey and #620-102 Ranch Red
Needles: US4
Astute readers will note that this is in fact the same yarn as the gnomes I made last year. Stashed Wool-Ease goes on and on, and as you can see, I still have a lot more. I've put the leftovers in a destash pile. Anyway, this is your basic hat, with a bit of swirly color to make it more fun. If you'd like to try your hand at basic colorwork, my scrollwork pattern is really easy. (Just let me know if you want to borrow it, mm-kay?)
My sister-in-law has told me that this is Hailey's new favorite hat! I made another colorwork hat for her last year, and the year before I made a chunky cabled one. I've decided that for every birthday from now on she'll receive, in addition to all her other gifts, a hat from her Auntie MJ. Imagine her winter collection when she's in her 20s! I like to think I've started a tradition with my niece. :-)
Just thought I'd show you what I'm working on. And it's not knitting! Knitting's for next week. Here's a sample bunny bag I'm making; the pattern is from the current issue of Cotton Time, a Japanese sewing magazine.
Pattern: Bunny Bag from Cotton Time, February 2007 issue
Fabric: Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in K001-1283 Pearl Pink, Alexander Henry Apples and Pears
Finished Size: 15" high x 6" wide x 3.5" long
Just the right size for a little one to put in some Easter eggs and various candies, don't you think?
The ears knot to form a handle. I love this! I'm thinking of making a few more; I'll probably make the ears longer and the bag a bit wider. I know of a few little girls and boys (and their moms) who would love this. What do you think? (Comments are open.)
Sewing Links:
◊ Sneak previews of new fabric lines from two popular designers, over at Quilter's Buzz! Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope and Anna Maria Horner's Chocolate Lollipop.
◊ Flickr pools of Quilts and quilting, Kaffe Fasett-inspired creations, and vintage fabric.
Just a quick post. Binding! A walking foot is very useful. And of course, my seam is more than a quarter inch; a wider slice of flowers will fit this mostly solid quilt nicely.
Ah, an IM from a client. Bye!
I don't know how I came to be so busy, but I am. Late night freelancing isn't much fun. So many little things on my To Do list--my apologies to the Stranded KAL girls!
In my free time (which means lunch break, or waiting for client feedback) I've been working on another quilt. A real, quilted quilt, mind you. Once again, using Amy Butler's fabrics, from her Ginger Bliss collection. I'm calling this my Blissful quilt. May I present some lovely binding:
And the return of linkage:
◊ LAist.com provides lots of linkage in this post, including the Idiotarod in New York, an interview with the Top Chef runner-up, and a lost chicken found.
◊ CSA Design has more Pop Ink plates. They've gotten into the current, overdone trend in graphics: silhouettes and intricate backgrounds. I fancy the Cannibal plates myself.
◊ Cupcake Bakeshop has a roundup of yummy cupcakes to make.
◊ Jonesing for Spam?
◊ How about a tasty Filipino halo-halo?
◊ Lots of quilting! Perhaps a title change is necessary? Quilters Buzz is a great quilting blog. Here are all the Kaffe Fassett entries; the Denyse Schmidt and Flea Market Fancy entries; the Heather Ross (she of the cute gnomes and toadstool prints entries; and--because I'm in a soon-to-be-gotten-over romantic-and/or-shabby-florals phase--the Robyn Pandolph entries. Enjoy!
