LLama wool mitts

Fingerless mitts.

 

So, a friend cleaned out her yarn stash and gave me two 99-yard skeins of "Maya" yarn produced a while back by the bygone company Classic Elite Yarns.  Ravelry came through again with a pattern by Leslie Friend for fingerless mitts. As I find touch-screen gloves don't work well for me, I thought I'd try these. On the advice of another Ravelry user, I knit with size 5 needles, although the pattern called for size 6.  The result is a nice, dense fabric, and a good fit on my small hands. (DH is modeling in the image.)

The worsted-weight yarn, made in Peru, is 50% llama, a fiber I don't often encounter in yarn, and 50% wool,  and is very, very warm. The mitts used up about 2/3 of the two skeins.

Itty-bitty Halloween knits

Little Witch, Cat and Tiny Pumpkin.

I was lucky this year and was able to snag a kit from Bartlett Wool Co.  Missed out on the kit last year, and it sold out again this year.  However, the patterns can be purchased on Ravelry, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-witch-charm-set

Very cute, I think. I weighted the witch with two metal washers from the hardware store, and used one washer for the pumpkin and cat. The witch is a bit wobbly, so I might modify the pattern next time and use the base set-up from Churchmouse Yarns' Jolly Wee Elf pattern.  

The items are knitted in the round with size 4 or size 3 needles, so a bit fiddly, but worth it.  The instructions are very clear and detailed.

I'm now knitting while watching Downton Abbey again, and measure knitting time in units of episodes. Each pumpkin takes about one Downton Abbey Unit, or DAU.  The cat, with body, tail and ears, took about two DAUs. The witch has many parts, not to mention ends to weave in, and her construction extended over half a season's worth of episodes.

My pumpkin patch.

Boo! - Little Ghosts by Yarn Birdy

 

Three ghosts, and a pumpkin, ready for Halloween.

Went prowling recently for Halloween-themed knitting projects. Found this too cute pattern on Alexis Hamann-Nazaroff's Ravelry page: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/yarn-birdy/patterns

Ms. Hamman-Nazaroff offers lots of sweet small knitted toys and decorative items.

 

Little Ghosts

The little ghost is knit in the round, in one piece, from bottom to top.

 

Materials

Worsted weight yarn in white, scrap lengths

    I used Plymouth "Galway", color #8

Four US size 3 double-pointed needles (3.25 mm)

Embroidery thread, black

    I used DMC floss, color #310

Tapestry needle

 

Abbreviations

CO =  cast on

    I found the long-tail cast-on gave a slightly nicer edge for this project.

DPN = double-pointed needles

k = knit

k2tog = knit 2 stitches together into 1 stitch

ssk = slip, slip, knit: slip the next 2 stitches onto the right-hand needle knitwise, stick the tip of your left-hand needle into them from above, and knit them together into 1 stitch.

    I found this tutorial very helpful: https://newstitchaday.com/ssk-slip-slip-knit-decrease-knitting/

yo = yarn over. Wrap the yarn around the needle to create an extra stitch. 

 

Pattern

Cast on 33 stitches and divide evenly over 3 DPNs (11 stitches per needle)

 

Round 1 (and all odd rounds through round 9): k

Round 2: [k2tog, k3, yo, k4, ssk] 3 times (30 stitches)

Round 4: [k2tog, k3, yo, k3, ssk] 3 times (27 stitches)

Round 6: [k2tog, k2, yo, k3, ssk] 3 times (24 stitches)

Round 8: [k2tog, k2, yo, k2, ssk] 3 times (21 stitches)

Round 10: [k2tog, k1, yo, k2, ssk] 3 times  (18 stitches) 

Round 11 - 18: k

Round 19: [k2tog, k1] 6 times (12 stitches)

Round 20: [k2tog] 6 times (6 stitches)

Round 21: Cut the yarn, leaving a tail about 8 inches long, and thread this through the remaining stitches. Tie a knot and pull the thread inside the ghost out of sight.

    I tied a knot and also wove the end in a bit before cutting the yarn. 

 

Finishing

Add the eyes by threading all six strands of black embroidery floss onto a tapestry needle and wrapping around a knit stitch 3 or 4 times; carry floss inside to other eye and repeat. I knotted the floss and also used a bit of fabric glue on the knot for extra security, but this is probably optional.

All ready for ghostly fun.

 

Note about gauge:

Gauge really doesn't matter for this project, so you can use any needles and scrap yarn you might have. Just make sure the yarn knits up into a tight, firm fabric so that the final toy holds its shape.

So, this probably means you should select needles one or two sizes smaller than the recommended size for your yarn.

Not too scary, but fun.

Simple Shawl in Hu Made Singles yarn

Long-suffering DH models knitwear.

So, I bailed from a Mystery Knit Along project when realizing after knitting the first section that the end result would require weaving in about 254 ends.  BUT I had four skeins, in four different colors, of absolutely lovely superwash merino fingering weight yarn from Hu Made.  Owner/artist Amanda Hu hand-dyes wonderful tonal shades and is a whiz with color.  The shade of my shawl is Voyager, and the yarn features a soft halo while still crisp enough to define an eyelet pattern.

Roaming around Ravelry I found a pattern for a one-skein shawl which another knitter had made up with the Hu Made Singles yarn. She kindly answered my query concerning needle size, and I was set. 

The pattern is Simple Shawl by Jane Hunter and - the icing on the cake - it's a free pattern! So I can repeat it here for you, in case you don't have a Ravelry account. Also, I'll add some notes, and measurements for American knitters, since, sadly, we still don't use the metric sytem.

Materials

Size 5 or 6 circular needle - or a needle size to give a loose, drapey body for the shawl. I used a Size 5. You can use 16" or 24" to begin with, but  eventually you will have almost 300 stitches and you'll require a 32" needle.

In addition, for the optional picot cast-off, using a one size down needle (any length) will make a neater edge. I used a size 4 for the picot cast-off.

Finished size

The triangular shawl is about 12.5" at the widest point, and about 58" long.

Abbreviations

K - Knit

KFB - knit into the front of the stitch and then the back of the same stitch

YO - yarn over

K2TOG - knit 2 stitches together

Set up 

Cast on 3 stitches.

Row 1 - KNB, K1 (this will become your 'center stitch'), KFB = 5 stitches.

Mark the center stitch now, using a removable stitch marker or by placing a stitch marker either side of the stitch and slipping the markers across on every row.

Pattern

Row 2 - KFB, knit the  center stitch, YO, K1 (the center stitch), YO, knit to the last stitch, KFB.

Row 3 - KFB, knit to the last stitch, KFB.

Row 4 - KFB, knit to the last stitch, KFB.

Now, the original pattern stated to continue knitting until 305 stitches on the needle, but my yarn was running low and I didn't feel like playing chicken with the pattern.  So, I completed the pattern when I had 293 stitches on the needles. (146 stitches on either side of the center stitch.)

Ball of Hu Made Singles, in Moonly.

For comparison, you can see in the image above, an unused ball of the Hu Made Singles next to the tiny amount of  Voyager I had left after knitting the shawl.

IMPORTANT

Because the Eyelet Section needs an even number of stitches on either side of the center stitch, end the pattern after Row 4.

Eyelet Section Pattern

Row 1 - KFB,  K1, *YO K2TOG*, repeat *-* until center stitch. YO, K1 (center stitch), *YO K2TOG* repeat *-* until last 2 stitches K1, KFB.

Rows 2 & 3 - KFB, knit all stitches until the last stitch, KFB.

Row 4 - KFB, knit to center stitch, YO, K1 (center stitch), YO knit to last stitch, KFB.

Rows 5 & 6 KFB, knit all stitches until the last stitch, KFB.

Row 7 - Repeat Row1 of the Eyelet pattern.

Rows 8 & 9 - Repeat rows 2 & 3.

Row 10 - KFB, knit to last stitch, KFB.

Picot bind-off

Of course this is optional.  Feel free to do a regular cast -off.  A Youtube video I consulted noted that the picot bind-off can be a bit "ruffly" and can flare, so I sized down one size needle for this - from the size 5 I used for the body of the shawl to a size 4.

Step 1 - Cast off 3 stitches. Slip the remaining stitch back onto the left hand needle.

Step 2 - Cast on 2 stitches. Cast off 5 stitches (pattern designer Jane noted that she always purls the first stitch of the 5 stitch cast off, so I did too.)  Slip the remaining stitch back onto the left hand needle.

Continue to repeat Step 2 until the last stitch.

Fasten off, and block (I never bother) and weave in ends.

I found this Youtube video helpful for the Picot bind-off: https://newstitchaday.com/how-to-knit-the-picot-bind-off/

Wouldn't it be fun to add beads to the picot edging?!

Social distance scarf

Scarf, Stacy Charles Luna Effects, colorway Fireglow.

So, no movie theaters, concerts, parties, fiber arts classes or coffee with friends.  But we are lucky - no sickness either.  Time to knit and decrease that stash (pun intended). I'd bought this Stacy Charles mohair/silk blend a while back, thinking to blend it with a tonal solid, as the "pooling" of color in self-striping yarns can be awkward.

Instead, decided to use two balls of this yarn on its own for a scarf. One ball pulled from the outside, gray to coral, the other ball pulled from the inside, coral to gray. You have to use two skeins which more or less match in terms of color gradient.

Adapted from a Stacy Charles e-pattern, the Turtle Bay Shawl. That pattern uses size 8 needles however, and, although it might knit up faster, I've learned that the resulting fabric doesn't hold its shape very well. This is true for another mohair blend favorite, Debbie Bliss' Angel yarn, as well.

So, here's my pattern for a scarf with some body to it.  I do like this yarn; it was like knitting a pet.

Finished measurements:  7 1/2" wide by 62" long

Materials: 
1) 2 balls Stacy Charles Luna Effects, 70% kid mohair, 30% silk, colorway Fireglow
Nota bene: Both balls featured the color gradient gray to coral, outside to inside
2) Size 4 needles, 16" length
I like Hiya Hiya Sharp circular
3) Tapestry needle, markers (optional)

Gauge:
20 stitches and 28 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch
BUT the gauge doesn't matter that much in a scarf

Cast on 58 stitches

Ribbing:
Row 1: Knit 2, purl 2 across row
Row 2: Purl 2, knit 2 across row
Alternate Row 1 and 2 for a total of 6 rows of  2 x 2 ribbing

Pattern stitch:
Right side: [k2, p2] twice, [k10, p2, k2, p2] 3 times, k2
Wrong side: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches as they face you.

A tip: If it will help you keep track of pattern, place one marker after the first [k10, p2, k2, p2] sequence and another marker after the second sequence.

Work the first skein, then join yarn to reverse the color gradient. Knit in pattern until about 62" or until you've finished the reverse gradient, ending with a wrong side row, then finish with 6 rows of ribbing to match the first six rows.

Finishing:
Cast off all stitches in the ribbing pattern, and weave in ends. 

Fluffy scarf with coral center blending to gray at ends.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Elf.

Happy Elf says, whatever holidays you celebrate, may 2020 be a happy and healthy New Year for all.

Pattern is Jolly Wee Elf, yarn for body, hat and scarf is Rowan Tweed; leftover yarn for face.

Dyeing with wool and synthetic dyes

Instructor Vicki's experiment with color gradation. 

In October a talented friend who spins her own yarn drove us to a workshop at Pro Chemical and Dye (more familiarly known as ProChem), a dyer's supply resource in Fall River, Massachusetts. We learned about dyeing wool using ProChem's line of WashFast Acid Dyes.  We worked with pre-made stock solutions so did not need the masks and other safety equipment necessary for working with dye powders.  Quality control officer and experienced dyer Vicki Jensen led the class.

Pre-mixed dye solutions - red, blue and yellow.

Day 1 of the two-day workshop introduced immersion dyeing.  ProChem's color palette of dyes is based on 21 "base colors", which the company buys from manufacturers. Every other color in ProChem's range is mixed from these 21 colors.  So, on the first day, the seven of us each dyed wool in three of the colors, to make our own color charts featuring the 21 base colors.

Graduated cylinders and syringes ensure accuracy.

The first step is to soak the undyed bundles of yarn in a Synthrapol solution, which prepares the fibers to soak up the dye. Synthrapol is a detergent and wetting agent.

Additional components for dyeing - Synthrapol, salt and citric acid.

5 grams of undyed worsted wool.

So, I was assigned colors 10, 11 and 12 of the color chart. Using the formulas provided, I mixed the amounts of water, salt and citric acid, as well as the three primary colors, to make my dye pot. The formulas are based on OWG, or "on weight of goods" - the weight of the dry, undyed fiber.  The most important piece of equipment for the home dyer might be the digital scale.  Needless to say, all work was done while wearing rubber gloves.

Bottles of the three colors we used to make our color chart.

I mixed colors 10, 11, and 12.

The small bundles of yarn are added to the dye and stirred.

Shortly after immersion the bundles all the dye was deposited on the fiber - the water became clear. Magic! The bundles were then  heated in simmering water in giant stainless steel pots, which Vicki stirred every few minutes.  After the final step, a rinse in tepid plain water,  the little bundles were hung up to dry overnight.

Twenty-one  dyed skeins for our color charts.

Everyone had done an excellent job with their measuring and dyeing, and the next day we cut up the skeins into sample lengths and assembled our color charts.

Each student received a chart of 21 base colors.

One group of students volunteered to dye the gradations for this swatch chart.

A feast of color.

On Day 2 we switched from immersion dyeing to "rainbow dyeing", essentially painting the dye onto prepared skeins, using disposable foam brushes. I would have preferred to have consolidated my understanding of immersion dyeing.  However, at least I now understand something of the process used by hand-dyers to achieve multi-colored yarns and the challenges facing the hand-dyer trying to achieve consistent colors for a commercial product range.

This type of yarn is popular, for sure - look at the success of Noro, for example - but my knitting emphasizes stitch definition and texture, rather than a multi-color palette. (Although I do like tonal yarns....)  Still, it's good to leave one's comfort zone every now and then.

Some of the pre-mixed dye solutions ready for our use.

Wonderful color combinations by my friend Robin, on her own hand-spun yarn.

We use dyes which had been pre-mixed and first soaked our yarns in a solution of water, citric acid and Synthrapol.  Soaked skeins were wring out and placed on cling film, then the dye was painted on with the foam brushes. It was a slow process for  me, and I ran out of time before coloring even half my yarn.

After painting, the skeins were wrapped in more cling film and these bundles were placed in steamer baskets in giant pots. After steaming the yarn bundles are unwrapped and rinsed in tepid water.

Steamed bundles of dye-painted skeins, cooling off.

My four painted skeins.

Broken garter scarf knit with two colors of hand-dyed yarn.

Here are two of the skeins, balled and knit into an almost-completed scarf.

Autumn colors on the Charles River

Some kind of maple tree with brilliant color.

On October 14, DH and I took the last 6-mile canoe trip of the season organized by PaddleBoston.  Our shuttle driver, and his friendly dog, took us to a launch in Dedham, with kayaks and one canoe (us) in a trailer. We were in no hurry, and just enjoyed a lazy paddle and the autumn panorama of New England in peak leaf season. Who needs Vermont?

Male mallard ducks, called drakes, have beautiful iridescent head feathers.

Egret.

As usual on the river, we saw a number of birds, including egrets, great blue herons, cormorants and of course mallard ducks and Canadian geese.

Still water = perfect reflections.

Gallant husband attempts to pull canoe.

The water level of the river was extremely low; the DCR  diverted water from the Charles earlier in the year to work on the dam at the Museum of Science, and rainfall was lower than usual. In places even the shallow draft of our canoe was insufficient to maintain clearance above the river bed, and we had to get out and walk.

In the center - my favorite tree - I look for it every autumn.

I was inspired to try and capture these lovely colors and knitted a Broken Garter scarf for myself, using PurlSoho's adaptation of a Sequence Knitting broken garter stitch pattern. 

Materials:

I used two lace weight yarns -

Dirty Water DyeWorks "Lillian" line in Topaz, a tonal gold (I love this yarn)
Manos del Uruguay "Alegria" line in Butia, hand-painted with rose, brown, gold and a bit of green
Needles US size 3, for my sins

I cast on 43 stitches

Finished size: approximately 8" by 60", a length which works for me.  At a workshop I took with her, Ms. Campochiaro, the author of Sequence Knitting, mentioned that  garter stitch items have a lot of lengthwise stretch, so I make the scarves a bit wider and shorter than other scarf patterns.

Broken Garter scarf.

Last look.

Wayland Fiber Market

Skeins from A Hundred Ravens.

On Sunday, January 27, DH and I motored to Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, a suburb of Boston, to the Farm Fiber Day.  This popular event drew over forty vendors not only from Massachusetts, but from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and upstate New York, too.

We were able to get up close (not too close) and personal with three very calm sheep from Prado de Lana farm in New Hampshire. The sheepherders, Alberto and Amanda, specialize in Lincoln and Romney sheep and sell natural-colored yarn only - no dyes here.  There is considerable variation in coloration between sheep, so the choices are still quite varied, and all are quite beautiful.  In a nice touch, each skein is labelled with the name of the sheep who grew it.  In the image below, one sheep wears a coat, not for warmth - the fleece is plenty warm - but to keep the fleece clean.

A trio of sheep from Prado de Lana farm.

Wool, and humor, from Prado de Lana.

Gorgeous, well-made blankets in timeless neutral tones of natural wool.

A palette of natural fleece colors is also utilized for the blankets and other items, in the image above, offered by the Baaay State Blanket program. (Massachusetts is known as the Bay State, for the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the 17th-century settlement of colonists from England.)

This enterprise, initiated in 2007 by the livestock program at the University of Massachusetts at Hadley, uses wool solely from Massachusetts-raised sheep. The fiber for these blankets leads a peripatetic life - the shorn fleeces are scoured (cleaned) in Minnesota, then sent back to Massachusetts to be spun and woven.  Finished with a blanket-stitch edging, the blankets come in a variety of sizes, are just the right weight, soft, and very well-priced. Order one here: http://www.baaaystateblanket.com/index.html 
although the images on the website don't do justice to these attractive bed coverings.

While I love these built-in colors of wool, as it were, there were also plenty of vendors supplying the entire rainbow of yarn colors, including both natural and synthetic dyes.

Deep color from natural dyes used by Tidal Yarns.

Two young women almost buried in color from Romney Ridge Yarns.

Basket of skeins from Foxhill Farm, located in Lee, Massachusetts (no website.)

But there are plenty of things to do with wool in addition to knitting and crocheting.  Weavers, spinners, and felters, their activities and supplies, were in abundance, including the hand-spinner demonstrating her craft, below. Love her socks! Alas, I didn't get her name.  Subito Farm offered felted items, too, as well as their two-color project hanks. Each kit had a completed sample on display - I find the samples really helpful and wish more vendors would provide samples and swatches to see before I buy.

Spinning demonstration.

Felted pillows.

Lots of two-color kits, and samples, from Subito Farm.

Woven throws from Englishman Bay Trading Company.

The event was well-attended.

The market was very well-attended and, in addition to all the fiber, there were lunch options too - I enjoyed a tarragon sausage roll, while DH dined on coq au vin in a cardboard cup. Delicious! Other vendors sold wine, jams and mustards, and bags of heirloom dried beans. It's soup season here in New England, after all, and we need something in addition to wool to keep us warm.

Beans from Lover's Brook Farm, Maine.

Audrey Lin promoting Matting Change.

There's no limit to the creativity of knitter and crocheters, who also tend to be generous, caring people. Audrey Lin is one such person and this high school senior has found a way to upcycle plastic bags into something useful, using just a crochet hook and social media.  Her initiative, https://www.facebook.com/mattingchange/

organizes folks with needle arts skills to make sleeping mats from single-use plastic bags.  The mats are distributed to people who are experiencing homelessness, as a sort of ground sheet. Go Audrey!

Finally,  in addition to admiring the visiting  sheep, we also had the chance to gently stroke this very fluffy bunny, an angora rabbit, who, believe it or not, is not yet fully grown. He looks a little worried in this image, but in person actually seemed to quite enjoy all the attention.

Giant angora rabbit - incredibly soft - from Evergreen Farm.

There is one more fiber market at this venue, on March 3, 2019, from 10:00 to 3:30.