The On-going Project, and Fiber Fun

Lately I have been working mostly on sleeves for the Printed silk cardigan. I have the same problem I usually have and am short 1 skein of yarn. The sleeve needs to be between 11-12 inches before I start shaping the cap of the sleeve, and I just have a tiny bit of yarn left I just ordered 2 more skeins which I hopt to have by the end of the week. I'd sure like to wrap up this project. (yes, I am knitting both sleeves at once).I did start a scarf with the Mooi yarn from Louet that I just purchased. The pattern is the Cocoon Lace Scarf by Fiber Trends, #AC-73X. I wasn't sure how to do the provisional cast-on, so had to make a trip to the LYS yesterday for help. I also did a swatch to practice the pattern, and when I actually started the scarf, it seemed to go smoothly. Here is a shot of the first reapeat plus 2 rows. (The bright pink is, of course, the provisional cast-on). Tere is an article for Provisional Cast-on here, and a tutorial here.

I have been playing with differnt colors and types of fiber. I recently purchased some "crazy" fiber from Websters......

close up of fiber...

Ready to spin "crazy batts".....

I hope to have some "crazy" yarn to show you next week.

Ready to Ply, twon bobbins of baby alpaca...

Also ready to spin is some 100% Icelandic lamb roving that I purchased from a spinning friend that raises Icelandic sheep. She has more roving for sale here.

Ok, I must go now. I feel the need to spin after talkig about all that wool!!

Printing on the Silk Cardigan!

I have been devoting most of my knitting time, the last few weeks, on the Printed Silk Cardigan. I really like the feel of the yarn that I am using (Ella Rae - Silkience). The silk ply that is plied into the yarn has been a little problematic and doesn't always like to stay together with the other strands, so I have had to be very careful with my knitting.

Please forgive the angle of this picture, it makes the back of my sweater look like it is a mile wide!! I am knitting the size 38". The color did come out pretty true in the shot.

Here is a closeup of the pattern. The quality of the pic could be alittle better, but I am still practicing with my camera.

I also tried to knit the Swell hat by Kimmie Kemper from Knitty, Summer 2006. I tried knitting it with Lamb's Pride worsted, but that yarn just doesn't have enough elasticity to make a good fit for a hat. I guess I will have to try something else.

More Finished Projects

Since I posted last, I have had family visiting for a week, and have been covering at work for someone who is gone on vacation. I have noticed that the busier I am, the less time I have to be down. I have also noticed that having some time, even if it is only 30 minutes per day, to work on crafts really helps my mental outlook and is cheaper than going to a therapist.

The first prlject that I finished for September was a pair of felted slippers that I made for my Mother-in-Law for her birthday. I had them felted and gave them to her before they left so that I could see what she thought of them. She was tickled.

The second thing that I did was to spin a skein of yarn. There was a picture of the roving in my last post. And this is how it turned out.

Specs: Fiber - Blue Faced Leicester

Color - The Lady of Shalott by Snake River Fiberworks

Weight - aprox. 4 oz.

WPI - 14-16 (between sport and DK weight)

Yardage - aprox. 277 yards.

I have never spun BFL before, but I really enjoyed it. It was easy to work with and was prepared very nicely, in fact I don't remember seeing any vegetable matter at all in the fiber. This fiber has a nice soft hand, although not quite the same as Merino, it was still lovely. This skein will be going to a good home as I have several friends that were wanting to buy some handspun yarn.

The third project that I finished so far this month, was another gift..........

Pattern - Fake Isle Hat by Amy King (originally printed in Mag Knits, November 2006)

Needles - US size 6, 16" circulars, Addi Turbos (what else!!)

Yarn - 1 skein Schoeller and Stahl Limbo color #2539, and 1 skein Cleckheaton Country 8 ply in black.

There was about 1/2 of a skein of each yarn leftover. I have been contemplating knitting a pair of matching fingerless mitts. Of course that means designing my own, and I haven't done anything like that before.

Next on the Needles is the Printed Silk Cardigan from the Spring 2008 issue of Interweave Knits. n I have started knitting the back but have had a few false starts trying to get the gauge to come out right.

When I was in Texas visiting, I bought some yarn to do the Printed Silk Cardigan. Instead of the Fiesta Yarns La Luz, I decided to use Silkience by ella rae, the color is grape - #19. The fiber content is 41%cotton, 39% Modal, 12%silk, and 8% Rayon. I bought a few extra balls of yarn since I hate getting to the end of a project and coming up short. Plus, I just might want to make it a little longer in the length.

Now I just have to hurry up and finish the Auburn Camp Shirt so that I can start this cardigan! I did recently finish the back, and have now made it past the waist decreases on the right front piece. For more info, see the KAL site.

I have made more progress on knitting. I have been taking periodic breaks to work on these socks. The pattern is Monkey by Cookie A., and was in the Knitty: Winter 2006 issue online. The yarn I am using is Koigu KPPM. I believe the color is P405 (couldn't find the label when I wanted to blog). I was trying to look it up online and all I could find, without spending an hour looking, was KPPPM. I don't know what the difference is, but if you go here, you too can drool over all the beautiful colors!
I have made some progress with my spinning. I have not set the twist yet in this skein of 100% lavender merino - do you see how nice and straight it hangs!!! It is aprox. 11 WPI which makes it a Worsted weight yarn, wieight 3 5/8 oz. or 101 gm., and aprox. 94 yds. This skein will be donated to the local hospital for a silent auction for Disaster Relief funds for employees. I also bought a few new books on dying from Amazon.com. Hands on Dyeing isn't really what I expected, and I probably could have done without that book. However, I am really enjoying The Craft of Natural Dyeing, and The Dyer's Companion. I am doing a little reading before I jump in with the dyeing. I am really interested in useing plants, flowers, etc. to dye with. We are getting ready to plant our garden, and I want to try growing our own plants to use. If I don't get on the ball, it may be next year before I am ready for that!Well, that's all I have for now. Happy knitting and spinning.