The Knitting Pirate

On Saturday, Janis and I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, and had a wonderful time! For the most part, I kept to my shopping list. I didn’t buy anything that wasn’t on the list, and I didn’t buy some things that were on the list, like semi-solid sock yarns. I didn’t buy any yarn at all, actually!

I picked up both a spinner’s control card and a WPI (wraps per inch) tool, which is basically just a bit of wood with a one inch notch cut in it. These should help me get to a point where I’m more consistent in my spinning.

Then I bought a variety of fibers to spin – a four ounce braid of Merino/silk in a foresty green and brown, four ounces each of Merino/silk and Falklands dyed in the same bluesy colorway that I plan to spin separately and ply together, eight ounces of “Starry Night”, 50-50 wool and mohair with a bit of gold glitz, and an eight ounce bag of Finn/mohair locks in a variety of colors that somehow all go together well.

Janis and I are splitting two pounds of raw Romney, but she’s taking the whole of it home with her to clean. I think that’s awesome of her!

I snagged about fourteen ounces of Corriedale in a bunch of solid colors for making blends on the drum carder, but I couldn’t find any nylon roving at the show. When I got home, I ordered a pound of it from Sheep Shed Studio. I got a few small baggies of glitz in different colors to blend in, surprising myself, as I never thought I’d like the stuff. It’s a lot less scratchy than I thought it would be.

What’s surprising is that I decided that I like the walnut finish on the Kromski Sonata better than the new mahogany finish. I had been so excited for the Sonata to be released in mahogany, as I’d seen both finishes on websites here and there and didn’t really care for the walnut much. Now that I’ve seen them in person, I’m definitely leaning towards the walnut!

On Sunday, I sorted out the colors in the Finn/mohair blend and carded two batts. The fiber seems to be less clean than I thought it would be; I’m definitely noticing lanolin on my hands, and wondering if I should re-wash it before I card any more. The first batt seems to be more mohair, and the second more Finn. I teased the locks apart with my fingers and fed the batt through three times. For the second batt, I used the teasing tool that came with the carder to open up the locks more, and only had to do two passes to get a reasonably smooth batt.

When I was tired of carding, I went upstairs and spun for about 45 minutes before bed. I’m working on some Ashland Bay merino top that might be thin enough for a three-ply sock yarn, and coming to the end of the second bobbin. I’ll have to weigh the singles, since I was stupid and didn’t split the top before I began.

More pictures when I have a sunny day, so I can get good shots with accurate color!

I got this yarn as part of a Ravelry gift swap, and I am appropriately ashamed that I didn’t immediately take pictures of it and add it to the stash. Here we have some 100% linen laceweight in purple. I have no idea what to do with it, but the color is beautiful! It’s about 165 yards, lightly variegated. What could I make with this?

And here’s 600 meters of grey Icelandic laceweight, which may one day become a shawl. It’s sort of hairy and coarse, so it wouldn’t be suitable for a next-to-the-skin project. Both of these yarns are beautiful and neither of them is something I’d've purchased on my own, so it’s perfect to have gotten them in a gift swap!

Red Bird Knits, one of my favo(u)rite Canadian yarn shops, is having a Boxing Day sale. I spent a good hour putting yarn in my cart and taking it out again, flipping tabs in my browser to Ravelry and checking colo(u)rways, thinking about what I need (nothing) and what I’d like to knit (another stripey striped scarf), asking Pirate-Husband’s opinion, and calculating what I’d spend at $0.82 USD to the Canadian dollar, but then there’s $20 shipping…

Eventually I decided that I already have quite a bit of yarn, and there’s nothing on sale that won’t be available once I’ve worked through some of my stash. But I wanted to let you all know about this sale, because it’s 10-40% off some really great yarn, and because I really like Red Bird Knits. Kureyon, for example, is on sale for $6.38 CAD per ball. Lorna’s Laces is 40% off, $7.20 CAD marked down from $12.

So, as much as I’d like to, I won’t be knitting another Stripey Striped Scarf. Not now, anyway. I have Silk Garden in my stash already for a scarf for myself, the possibility of two dressier scarves for two guys to wear with black wool coats, and two scarf patterns that I really admire after that. I think I’m doin’ all right for scarves for now!

It’s Chanukah and also Christmas Eve, and I’m spending the evening in great happiness with Pirate-Husband and my cousin Michael (who is the only one of my cousins with whom I’m also friends) playing Rayman’s Raving Rabbids on Michael’s Wii and drinking some Bell’s Expedition stout. I hope that all of you are also spending your evenings in the best ways you can imagine!

Yesterday was gray and drizzly, and I didn’t accomplish much in the way of knitting. I did catch up with friends for a bit, and had a lovely dinner with Pirate-Husband of chicken, sweet potato, and acorn squash over couscous… but no knitting! This morning was black and rainy, my commute took twenty minutes longer than it should, and I’m a little grumpy about it. In order to make myself feel better, I’m looking at my stash on Ravelry.

(I also ordered a three-pack of Malbec from wine.woot to make myself feel better, but that’s not as closely related to yarn and fiber… though it’s just as relaxing!)

So anyway, my stash. It’s so soothing to look at it, even in pictures, even without the tactile pleasures. I can imagine what I’ll knit or spin, I can envision the excitement of casting on and the accomplishment of binding off, the curiosity to see how dyed top will spin up and the milestones of filling a bobbin, plying, washing, and parading the finished yarn around the house.

I’m starting to plan out my 2009 fiber arts. Mom’s gloves should be done in two weeks (I’m being realistic; I can knit a glove in a week but my hands will hate me for it) and my socks should hopefully be finished in the next few weeks after that. Maybe I can get both of those projects done before the New Year!

Two fairly complex projects need to be worked on. The first is the Pomatomus socks; I have no excuse for not having those complete already. The next is Napramach, a colorwork bag for friend Angie, who has made me some beautiful SCA garb. I have the yarn and am thoroughly intimidated by the pattern.

Two sock designs are percolating in my head. One is the written-up pattern for the with numbers for a smaller size worked out, and a new name of “Brother’s Socks.” The second is the design I started in the sock class I took with Cookie A. back in September, which is much more elaborate. I’m going to name it “Verdant.”

2009 will also be a year for spinning. I can’t justify the purchase of a second wheel until I’m spending more time at the one I have. And I can’t justify the purchase of more top/roving until I’ve spun up some of what I have. The Yarn Harlot says that Tuesdays are for spinning, so perhaps I will take her advice and schedule time that’s specifically for turning fluff into usable yarn. I would really like to have a pair of socks made from my own handspun. I also have a dream of a lace shawl from my own handspun, but I’m not touching those rolags until I’m more confident in my ability to spin smooth, fine yarn.

It’s possible that 2009 will be a year for dyeing. There’s only one room in the house that hasn’t been unpacked and set up yet, and that’s the crafts room. Well, right now it’s a boxes-and-laundry room. The washer and dryer are going to stay right where they are, but there’s no reason that the rest of the room can’t be set up for arts and crafts! I’d like to arrange a fiber station with areas for both carding and dyeing.

Ahh, I’m feeling better already…

This is the yarn I said I wouldn’t buy, and although it’s not been sunny enough to get a good picture, I took one anyway. In real life the colors are much deeper. I could probably spend the next hour futzing with the camera and not get an accurate shot, so I don’t think I’ll bother – can you forgive me?

Anyway, I don’t have a pattern in mind. It may come out as some mottled variegation or it may stripe/spiral a bit; I’ve seen both in socks knit up from this yarn. I may just go with a simple textured stitch on the leg and stockinette on the foot, and see what happens. Something with a single cable down the side might look nice too!

This is Silkie Socks that Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in Ravenscroft, a gorgeous black with hints of greens and purples. I’ll be using it to make Mom’s birthday present, a pair of gloves. Hopefully they go smoothly and quickly; I’ve never knit gloves before but I want to get them to her as soon as possible. Pirate-Husband actually bought this yarn, because I’m doing the knitting and the gift is from both of us.

On the left we have Cervinia “Forever” in awesome stripes. Forever was the yarn I used for my very first socks, which have held up quite well, and when I saw this colorway in With Yarn In Front last weekend, I had to have it. It passes the “blue jeans test” easily, that test being a single yes or no question: Will this yarn go well with blue jeans? On the right is some Universal Yarn “Ditto” that was on a serious closeout sale. It also passed the blue jeans test, and the price was too good to pass up! The cost of both was covered by the last of my pre-paid Visa, money that I’d set aside for yarn purchases, so I don’t feel at all guilty. Even though I’m supposed to be on some kind of yarn diet.

I’m quite tempted to cast on for a simple, 64-stitch, stockinette sock… but I have deadlines to meet. The baby blanket is somewhere between 75% and 80% complete, depending on when I decide to stop. I finished the third skein of yarn yesterday. The Bloo Socks are halfway through the gusset decreases. Progress is being made!

I know that knitters are exceptionally nice people, but it’s always great to have that re-proven to me.

After I finished the first of the Bloo Socks last week, I had the bright idea to weigh it. Then I weighed the remaining yarn. Then the sock again. Pirate-Husband came home and asked why I was cursing, so I weighed both the sock and the remaining yarn for him, being sure to zero the scale first.

The next day, I spent several hours contacting yarn stores to try to find another ball of the same color and dye lot. I’d originally ordered the yarn from WEBS, but they were sold out. There was someone on Ravelry with a ball up for trade or sale, but I contacted her mere hours after she had sold it, and she hadn’t yet updated her stash. I called all the local stores and wrote emails to all the ones on the internet which offered Trekking for sale.

Several stand out as deserving of recognition for their help:

Romana from Yarn Cloud, who called around in search of the right dye lot for me, even going so far as to contact Skacel to see if they had any more left (they didn’t, but still).

Pat from Yarn Barn, who forwarded my emailed plea for help to a mailing list of yarn store owners, so that the request would get to more people.

Judy from The Knitter, who did have the right yarn and immediately set it aside for me! It arrived today, and I am so happy! It’s all I can do to keep myself from casting on right now, but there are some non-knitting-related things that I need to take care of before I can get started. (Like dinner. Darned inconvenient, having to eat several times a day. Cuts into my knitting time.)

Pictures of the first sock will be available as soon as Pirate-Husband gives me my camera back.

I’m swatching this yarn from Ellen’s Half Pint Farm for the sock class I’ll be taking this month, and it is absolutely gorgeous. The color shades in very subtle ways, which I think will be perfect for the lacy pattern I’d like to use. It’s a twisty bouncy squooshy delight at nine stitches to the inch on US 1 needles, and I’m excited to be designing socks with it!

I’m testing out a stitch pattern that my mom used to make an afghan over thirty years ago. I’m only six rows into the pattern so far, but I have greater respect for her as a knitter, knowing that she made an entire afghan like this. I’m only working the pattern over 25 stitches; she had a couple of hundred! Her “Big Blue Afghan” is still in good shape, and I still curl up underneath it when I visit my parents in the winter.

I made sure to split the yarn into two equal balls (thank goodness for having a kitchen scale) before I even got started. Wouldn’t want to run out of yarn before the second toe again!

I never thought I’d be saying this, but here goes:

I think I have too much yarn.

Not that I don’t love it, you understand. Not that I don’t take it all out of the basket every so often, arrange it in a neat semi-circle on the floor, and admire it. Not that I don’t pull up my stash on Ravelry when I’m having a particularly frustrating day at work and need to remind myself of what wonderfulness awaits me at home.

It’s more that I can’t decide what to knit next. I’m having a terrible time keeping myself from casting on another project just so I can try out another yarn – it doesn’t help that I really must work on the baby blanket, although I’m not fond of the acrylic yarn I’m using and one pattern repeat takes an hour which means I have about 53 hours of work left to go on it. Not to mention, I know that in a month I’ll be casting on for a new sock when I take Cookie A.‘s design class.

I want to try the Jojoland Melody that Pirate-Husband bought for me, and have those socks as a reminder of how awesome he can be. I want to try the Brooks Farm Acero that I got at Sheep and Wool in 2007, because it’s like nothing else I’ve ever seen. I want to knit with the Austermann Step yarn, not only because it’s aloe-infused but because I’m going to knit my own toe socks with it. I’m dying to try the Kureyon sock yarn and see what all the fuss is about. I’ve loved the Clessidra socks from the moment I first saw the pattern, and I’m starting to feel the first hints of fall in the air, so the idea of knee socks is incredibly appealing right now.

And those are just the socks. That doesn’t take into account the sweater I want to knit for myself, or the one for Pirate-Husband. It certainly doesn’t take into account the spinning I want to do, which only leads to more yarn – or the 150 yards of brand new handspun I have that I keep eyeing with not-so-secret longing.

But no, I’m not going to let myself start anything new. It’s just so nice to think about sometimes…

No kidding, there I was, picking out another two balls of Sugar and Cream in Michael’s with Pirate-Husband so that I can make a Swiffer cover for an online friend who commissioned one in yellow and blue. Those selected, I commented that I still didn’t know what to knit for my friend Asa, who is expecting her second baby this fall.

“Why don’t you knit a blanket?” suggested Pirate-Husband.

“I suppose I could,” I said, “but… I don’t know. They take a long time, and they’re big and boring, and I’m not so sure about blankets after the last one.”

He held up a ball of Red Heart and said, “This is a good neutral color. I think you’ll probably need three. Here.”

And that’s how I was suckered into left the store with five balls of yarn when I meant to buy none until next year’s Sheep and Wool festival. I’m thinking perhaps a feather and fan blanket, since the pattern’s already in my head from the Ostrich Plumes scarf, and it’s easy but not boring. Besides, what baby doesn’t need a washable blanket? And it was an excuse to order another set of Addi Lace Turbo needles, in size 8 this time. As I didn’t have the right length circular needles in size 8, I don’t feel any guilt about this at all. (I do have a set of 16″ long size 8 circs for hat-making, but there is no way I can make a baby blanket on 16″ needles.)