Knitting – Page 2 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Clean Out Stash, (Re)Start a Sweater

This weekend was a very busy one as we cleaned out things, such as old computers (taken to an e-waste recycling place), sold a bunch of books, and finally hit the stash of yarn and spinning fleece in the garage. From 45 boxes, I am down to 22 with yarn and fleece. Some things were thrown out – such as a bag with a big, black spider, most likely a black widow. Other things were boxed up so my MIL could come and take what she wanted. The rest is going to be delivered to a local senior center where they use donated yarn for charity work, or they can just take yarn home for fun – not everyone has a big income, and yarn can be a luxury.

Oddly enough, going through everything didn’t take that long. I think I spent about 6 hours at the most. It was easy to choose, too. Nearly anything that was unfinished was cut off the ball of yarn, discarded, and the yarn ball put into the “to be donated” bin(s). Tacky or sticky or scratchy fleece was discarded as not worthwhile. All balls of handspun yarn were saved, regardless as to length, unless they didn’t feel good to touch.

And in the middle of this, I have a sweater that has been sitting in the knitting pile for some time. It is a cardigan, but I decided to try steeking with it. Well, that fell by the wayside. I ripped out the entire sweater, re-balled the yarn, and started over. Much happier, even though purling is not my favorite knitting stitch.

I restarted the sweater, an Icelandic pattern, and have done a few inches. I think this will be my night knitting, when we are watching TV. The lower edge, as with most Icelandic sweaters, is a patterned border, but the main body a plain color. Instead of using Icelandic wool roving, which pills and is too itchy for me, I am using an acrylic yarn with a bit of halo. Yeah, not the most sophisticated of yarn choices in a “natural” world, but for me, right now, it is perfect. I need a cardigan – and one with as little sewing as possible! I hate sewing things together, and never finish anything that requires too much of it.

It feels good to have a knitting project on hand again.

Some Yarn at Last, or, Asta Sollilja

Asta Sollilja

Beginning mid-December, I started this sweater, designed by Kate Davies, and available in her book Yokes. Asta Sollilja is a sweater derived from traditional Icelandic sweaters, but with waist-shaping (not that I have much of one!) and short rows to make a distinctive front and back. Traditional Icelandic sweaters have neither, but are wearable in any direction, although with regular wear, take on, perhaps, more of the owner’s body shape.

I used Cascade 220 and changed the colorway a bit, cutting down on one color and using navy blue for the dark brownish color as well as the navy.

I just finished this sweater and was soooo excited, I just had to take pictures of it! I used Jeny’s Stretchy Bind Off, which is fantastic in that it is tidy, and stretchy, and can be done quite nicely with 2×2 ribbing at the neckline. You can see the video here.

I still have ends to weave in and armholes to graft before the final wash and blocking – but this is the first Finished Object of the season – my New Year’s resolution – the BIG ONE – is to finish up my plethora of UFOs.

A Good Day to Dye

I have been feeling really all over the map of late – partly because the puppies do require a lot of work, such as walking, training, feeding, kissing, disciplining. They are coming along fine. Me, I am in need of sleep. And a change of pace.

Today is overcast along the California central coast. We even got a few drops of rain. I nearly fainted. The puppies, too, were shocked, because I don’t think they knew what it was. And because it was dreary, what better way to pass some time than dyeing some yarn?

I have powdered dyes which I use; however, I need more colors in my palette as all are toward violets and teals. There is a black and a lime green and a red, but really, not enough for a bigger variety of color choice. I think I will order some new colors soon.

Anyway, I dug out my supplies – a couple of boxes of stuff dedicated to dyeing. Nothing that is eaten out of is used in the process. Pots, wooden spoons, steamers, pitchers, whatever. I had some Bare Hare, an angora-merino blend from KnitPicks, along with their merino-silk blend. I also had two balls of Lion’s “Sockease,” which is 75% wool and 25% nylon.

The process of dyeing this yarn was quite simple. In little plastic bowls, some dye powder, add boiling water, stir, and use a 60cc syringe to deliver the colors in stripes. I poured some hot water between the stripes and patted the yarn to blend the colors, wearing, of course, my stylish blue nitrile gloves.

I wrapped the skeins up in plastic wrap, placed them on vegetable steamers in the boiling pots of water (water is just above the level of the steamer), and let them go to town for 30 minutes. Then, dump onto a towel, take apart the plastic wrap, and dump the yarns into a water-vinegar rinse to cool and set the dye. Lots of dumping.

Once that is done, put them into cool, soapy water, wash, and rinse. You can spin them out in your washing machine, but place the skeins in lingerie bags.

The picture below is really bad. All the colors are actually fairly nice. And mostly violets and turquoises . . .

Arachne Mittens – Finished at Last!

I designed these mittens last winter, in February. I finally completed the pattern – it’s nice to have some time off to finish things! Also, I admit, sitting in front of the computer to learn photography software is quite a drag, and very frustrating . . . so I pulled out the needles, and have begun to knit again.

I wanted to have solid-colored thumbs on these mittens, and practice carrying long floats at the same time. It took a bit, and I learned, too, the need to randomize the stranding on the thumbs. When I didn’t, the yarn got stacked up in rows, and affected the final design. If you look closely at the picture, I did a boo-boo when I took the picture – you can see the thumb is rather puckered. The second mitten is much nicer.

The pattern is not too hard to follow, and but for beginners, the stranding may be a bit of a challenge. The carried yarn makes for warm mittens, and if you start now, you could have a pair for yourself – or a loved one! – in time for the December holidays. (Shameless plug, huh . . . )

If you are interested in buying the pattern, you can find them under “My Patterns” page, or find them here on Ravelry. Cost is $4.00.

Spring . . .

Nothing like cold weather to make you want to be warm, but nothing beats that first hint of spring in the air. The wind changes, the buds swell, leaves from crocus, tulip, and hyacinth emerge through the crusty snow. In a drab winter world, that brilliant green is a visual excitement.

Soon, a new pattern will emerge here. It is being written up over the next few days.