Zeneedle...needleart as life

What's Next?

For the first time in weeks I spent most of Saturday at home and I spun for much of the morning. Then, got sucked into the black hole of pattern organization and reassessment of the WIPs.  The pattern organization black hole almost did me in.  The thought was to put all the purchased Twist patterns into one notebook. Two hours later I was still sorting and had made 4 different notebooks of patterns, added to the 10 notebooks I already had, AND was about on the verge of pulling out my hair.  Thank goddess, Smith walked into the room, broke the spell and I put it all down and left the room.  It's still there, scattered about the floor and I'm not going to do a thing about it until later in the week.  So there.

You want to hear about the knitting reassessment:?  Well, let's see.  On the needles is was the Cardi Cozy (we'll discuss it and its fate later), the Maelstrom Sock and the Shetland Lace Shawl. I made a tactical error on the cardi ('nuf said), then I thought the Maelstrom Sock was going to end up to large so I pulled out the needles and was ready to frog it.  Good thing I actually tried it on because it's perfect and was saved, just in the nick of time.

The Shetland Lace? WELL(!) that's the knit that really stuck in my craw.  I just couldn't stand it!  The yarn is lovely, but not suitable for the pattern. It's much too tightly twisted and made a dense, not lacy fabric. Lace should be light and airy and as there wasn't much of either in the fabric.  The pattern is also quite dense and the double whammy made for unsatisfactory knitting.  There was nothing to love and I resented it.  The process was a slog and I couldn't imagine the finished product would be to my liking. All that added up to too many strikes against it...so out it came. The yarn will be happier doing something else and the pattern will be knit in another lighter weight yarn.

Meanwhile, I stopped into Black Sheep on Saturday afternoon as Nancy Bush  was signing her new book, Knitted Lace of Estonia.  She had all the gorgeous shawls on display and it was a delight to touch and drool over each one.  (No pictures, so sorry.)  The rest of the weekend I looked through the book every chance I got and decided to knit something from it right away.  A look through the stash (with a wealth of lace weight on hand there had to be something suitable) produced a lovely vintage Reynolds yarn called Cashmere Lamb.  A search of the Internet told me each skein had 155 yds (I have 3.5 skeins) and that proved to be more than enough for my chosen pattern. 

There is Kitchener stitch grafting involved, but I think I can bribe someone to do it for me.  Been there (once is enough!), done that.

As A Spinner Spins

After we had our spinning class with JMM at Rhinebeck, Terry posted this simple sentence.

"The more spinning workshops I take, the more I don't know about spinning." 

It was so true! It felt so true. The little we thought we knew turned out to be wrong (or so it seemed).  Throughout the weekend we debated and talked about the class, asked questions of friends and received confusing, contradictory and interesting answers (everyone has an opinion, of course).

One of the first things an experienced spinner tells a new spinner is "Knit with your handspun.  You'll learn about the properties of spinning in the process."  On the plane ride home I had a head full of new knowledge and the desire to make the fingers do the job I knew they needed to. (There is always that space of time between "knowing" what you should be able to do and getting your fingers to DO what you know they must.) I couldn't wait to get home and start spinning.  During the trip I had been knitting with my handspun, Oberon, a blend of alpaca, angora and silk.  It was knitting up beautifully and several people had commented on the color.  It was a skein I had spun early on in my spinning experience, a time when I was flying by intuition. 

This yarn is far from "perfect" and it would have flunked out in any judged show.  BUT, it held together, it was soft and the fabric it made was luscious and luxurious.  Who's to say it was "bad"?  I was enjoying every single stitch of the knitting process.  The yarn had a fairly even grist and did I say how soft it was?  The softness was in large part because of the fiber content, but also because I had had tried a semi-woolen technique (didn't know what it was called at the time) and then, wet finishing as I had read about in Spin Off magazine. The yarn was a two-ply, spun to be a fingering weight and the intent was to knit something lacy.  Because it is soft, because it knits nicely, because it is beautiful and has been used for the intended purpose, I'm calling this yarn one big success.

There maybe hundreds of techniques, rules and ways of creating "perfect" yarns. This doesn't mean one shouldn't work towards improving and perfecting spinning expertise. Since the class I have been practicing spinning in general, trying to incorporate the new knowledge and techniques into my daily spinning and learning more as I go. But, what I've spun in the past is as lovely as any future yarn.  I am a spinner. 

Pattern: Lace Ribbon by Véronik Avery
Yarn: My most incredible, fabulous, soft, perfect as it is, and luxurious handspun
Needle: Addi Lace size 6 (4.00mm)
Time to Knit: Longer than it should have, but the bulk of it was knit in a 3 week time period.
The pattern was fun to knit, relaxingly easy and entertaining. 

Scarves are the New Socks

Lauren, a Ewe-tah grrl extraordinaire, had a contest for her 500th post and I was the lucky winner.  Lauren is a fabulous knitter and spinner and the rest of us are always amazed at the beautiful, unique projects she brings for show and tell.  She spun a coiled yarn, and then, knit a hat with it!  She really does awesome work.

While I'm touting one of our own, I may as well share with you Susan's new scarf pattern. She gave me a preview copy and I'm working it up in a fabulously soft and lovely yarn, Malabrigo Lace  (color Garnet. Oh it's so yummy!). The pattern should be available soon and it is fun to do. Don't like nupps? Use beads. Me? I'm a nupper…love me some nupps.  Nupps are easy peasy if you use an Addi Lace Needle (or Knitpicks Options work, too).

No need to worry, I won't give up on the Japanese Waves Scarf.  I love the yarn too much and the pattern, together with the yarn, creates a quality I love.  Maybe others don't see it, but it looks vintage and velvety and I can see it around my neck with a lovely vintage pin.  The vision of a finished product is a good way to keep the process alive. (It will look better blocked, I promise.)

And speaking of scarves…I have not given up on my handspun version of Lace Ribbons. Rachel asked what had happened to it and I must confess that it was frogged.  NOT permanently! Just temporarily, as the needle size was too big for the yarn and the yarn (angora blend) was too sticky for July knitting.  As soon as the weather lightens up, cools down, and angora doesn't stick to my hands, we'll get back together.  The pattern and yarn made a nice combo and it's another wonderfully soft, warm scarf that see will keep me warm. (I'm so concerned about being, feeling warm enough during the upcoming winter, I may even knit some leg warmers.)

Here's the "new do". I don't do much to my do and realize the new do is a lot like the old do, just shorter.  You'd think when you tell your stylist that you'd like to grow your do they wouldn't do their best to chop it all off, now would you?  Anyhoo, if it didn't look so cute and I didn't love it, I would be mad at him.

And the other new?  GLASSES! I've only ever worn readers, but now at a certain distance things become blurry.  It feels good to see clearly again.

She DOES Knit!

Well, it looks like I am the victim of Typepad problems.  The posting ahead feature did not work today and I had to publish it myself.  I hope there is hope for Typepad!  The following is todays (re)scheduled post. Happy reading.

There is so much more to say about the spinning going on around here, but after a bit of a drought, there is much to say about knitting, too.  First, the Japanese Vines scarf is finished and she was one enjoyable companion.  The yarn was heavenly to knit and there was no noticeable color change between skeins (as often happens with hand dyed).  The Artyarn Ultra Merino 4 is soft, nicely dyed, drapes beautifully and has nice stitch definition. I shall be using it again.

The Japanese Vines pattern is nicely written, easy to do and easy to remember. It's also very entertaining knitting.  The pattern looks fine with a yarn that has a little color change and a light blocking kept the edges wavy.  The scarf would also look good with a hard blocking if that's more to your liking. I wouldn't mind knitting this pattern a second time. Maybe I have become a scarf knitter after all.  As someone said, scarves are the new socks…maybe so!

There has been a little trouble in Mudville, however. The big problem project is Shetsoie.  She is a trying companion in that she is moody, often pouting and difficult to handle. Because of her unwilling nature, it wasn't very smart of me to try and change her. Moody projects do not like change. All I wanted to do was add one more section of garter stitch and she has thrown a fit over it.  Nothing I do will make her happy and she has been in time out over her antics. She will not be frogged. I remain hopefully. It would have been nice to have a finished project for PS Elements Earth, but I guess I've failed at knitting Earth.  Let's hope I can do a better job of knitting Air and I do have a special project in mind. (More later.)

After being misused by Shetsoie, I retreated into a simple project, one that will allow me to be Alpha and won't mind a few changes.  The Fitted Cardigan in Louisa Hardings book, Modern Classics, is elegant, simple and should be a perfect summer cardigan.  It will be great with jeans while dining in the mountains on cool summer evenings, or it can be dressed up and taken out for a night on the town. (Pearls anyone?)  Going with what you know is the best way to get back on track. I will be the boss of my knitting (or die trying).

The knitting has been easy even with my changes (lengthening), but the road to get to this point has been bumpy.  The first sweater planned for this yarn, a pullover, never got off the ground.  When a project just sits and doesn't ask to be cast on, one must realize it isn't meant to be.  The second sweater grew only an inch. Very quickly it was obvious the process just wasn't going to be enjoyable (who knows why one project does that and not another).  This little red cardigan fit the mood bill from the first stitch, and it now happily sings along. This is the first time I've worked with Cotton Fleece and, so far, it's a good experience. Hurray for success.

Summertime and the knitting is easy.

Persephone Obsession Abated

Thank you for your kind comments on Koigu Zetor. At the end of a special project, one that has been a part of daily life for several weeks, it's hard to get back into the swing of something new.  As it turned out, I found the perfect project to fill the need and it was Persephone.  There wasn't much time to knit this past weekend, but Persephone went everywhere I went, just.in.case. She grew by one repeat...a hard won repeat, as it turned out.  It was hard to stop thinking about her, or stop knitting, once I got going.

The first time I began (don't we all start our project more than once?)  I just couldn't see how the pattern worked, how the lace fit together and my brain was making all sorts of (wrong) assumptions!  I called Miriam in the off chance there was errata, but I knew the answer before she answered the phone as I'd seen her knitting from the chart a few days before.  She confirmed there was no errata, but kindly tried to think of what might be throwing me off.   I told her it was me, my brain hadn't kicked in and I would just start over to see if that was the reboot needed.  Indeed, it was...a fresh start had me on the right track and everything made sense the second time through.  Don't you just hate love when that happens?

Miriam's lace patterns are so interesting and entertaining (I love good knitting entertainment).  She doesn't just find a stitch pattern and put an edge on it, she thinks about the design and how patterns will mesh and work together.  Persephone is a fun knit because it isn't the same thing over and over and the design is interesting to do.  Too bad my pictures turned out so horribly as this does not show the depth of the colorway or the interesting pattern changes. I'll try to do better next time.

Judy's yarn is perfect for this project and adds another dimension of interest. The mix of brown tones with the grayed purple gives the color a very organic feel, which I wish you could see. (I'll try to do better.) The sheen, which is also hard to capture in pictures, enhances the color and design.  I love everything about Persephone and will enjoy knitting every stitch.

CeCe has grown only slightly since I got caught up in Persephone madness…but the rest of this week will be all about CeCe.   The main reason (beside the desire to wear her) is that yarn for a new project has arrived. I've enjoy wearing NBT the First very much and decided it was time to do a redo. NBT will make another great summer sweater.  Isn't that sleeve about as interesting as knitting gets? (kidding)

I often wear blue and brown together and I almost bought brown for a contrasting neck and sleeve bands, but I think one color will be less limiting.  I'm going to make this NBT more grrly with picot hems on sleeves, body and around the neck.  Unlike my first NBT there will be no design across the chest.  This shirt will be ready to go anywhere, with anything, all summer long.

The week I ordered the Calmer for Nothin' but a T I also printed off the pattern.  I'm so relieved as MagKnits is now history. (Yes, I know there are ways to get the patterns if you don't already have them.)  Alison said she'll republish NBT on her blog if the archives are not restored and Jody is adding some of the patterns to her new Knotions magazine, too.

I must give a shout out to Chris (and Chaos and Mayhem) for sending two fabulous CD mixes.  As far as I'm concerned they are near perfection.  You know just the right songs, (even the titles are perfect) and genre's that mix well...good work, Chris!  They have been the soundtrack to my daily life this week and I love them.

ZeKoigu Contentment

Lace knitting was one of the things that helped me through the winter (of my discontent as Cindy  calls it).  The only thing I wanted to knit was lace, and while there were days I could not knit, a shawl was always the main event. The lace addiction has continued and Zetor is the fourth shawl of the year. (I've grown fond of wearing lace and feel a little nekid without it.)

The colors below are listed in the order I knit them.  I started with P713 and knit about 26 rows, then knit in alternating rows with P200 and P713 for several more rows and then knit with only P200 alone.  The whole shawl was knit in that fashion.  If I had kept to the 26 row pattern and not over done the first three sections there would have been no need for ball number 6, but that very dark edge (only 4 rows) did make a nice finish (and the yarn was in the stash).  There are no complaints as the colors worked out beautifully.  Koigu is a perfect yarn for lace, whether you knit with one color or many, as the yarn is soft, stretchy, blocks well and has the best color ranges ever.

The Koigu stash was collected over the last 4 years in both internet shops and LYSs from my travels.  It's been fun to pick up a few favorite colors and see how they work with what's at home.  I will continue with this behavior as often as I can....Koigu is for collecting.

Zetor was a very easy shawl to knit as the repeat was only a few rows, but with the yarn coloways, it was pure entertainment to watch the colorful stitches dance across the needles.  Zetor has been even more fun to wear as it stops even non-knitters who must take a look at the yarn.  Finishing this shawl in time for spring weather, and being able to wear and enjoy it, has been a big boost for my mood.  It is a joyous, colorful shawl that I'll enjoy for many years. 

Pattern: Zetor Scarf (made into the size of a shawl)
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM 6 skeins, one each P713, P200, P206, P445, P401, P609.
Time to Knit: March 16, 2008 – April 8, 2008
Comments:  The plan was to knit Zetor in the style of Charlotte's Web with a few rows of one color, then a section of two colors blended in 2x2 rows and then another section of one color. Because of the density of the pattern more yarn was needed and every bit of each skein was used (except the first and last colorways).  It is very large at apx 80" across the top and 45" at the center.  So much for a small, summer shawl.

The End of Obsession

The obsession for ZeKoigu Zetor is over, at least the knitting obsession.  I really don't care for the expression "stick a fork in it."...but this thing IS (finally) DONE!  It took about 1 and half hours to bind off and it was a very happy moment when the last stitch came off the needle.  In retrospect, if the first two color sections had been smaller, there would have been no need for the sixth ball of yarn. The plan had been to make a small summer shoulder warmer, but the shawl grew to be HUGE and I'll be able to wrap right up in it.  Can't complain about that!  There is little time in the next couple of days for blocking, but she should be unfurling into her full glory by the weekend.  I'm so happy with ZeKoigu Zetor and I agree with many of you who said she looks like hydrangea flowers.

The Sock Mojo is still MIA and Stacey may decide to send out a search party in case it is lost in the red rocks of Southern Utah.  You notice it's Stacey sending out the search party, not me, I don't care if the Mojo returns right away. The lace Mojo is firmly in place and, for now, CeCe fills the need for lace and for the desire of new summer sweaters.  The body is finished and awaiting sleeves...from there everything should go quickly.   

For some reason I feel light and free…it must be the weight of Zetor, which is finally off my shoulders!  As soon as CeCe is done I'll start another shawl, but for now I don't want to get too carried away with projects…it's too overwhelming for my little brain.

"April is the Cruelest Month

...breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain."

Or perhaps snow?  Yes, it snowed yesterday morning and the dreary cold weather continues today and tomorrow.  The weather peoples promise a very warm and sunny weekend...and so we wait, and hope, that our day of sun will come.  The land holds forth the promise of the lilacs and other brightly colored flowers, while a spring like riot of color fills my lap and slides through my hands.  Zetor is nearing an ending and entering a new beginning...just like the earth (and yes, I am obsessed with this shawl).

For one brief shining moment the sun came out while Moxie and I walked yesterday afternoon.  It was still chilly, but it was so enjoyable to walk around and look for flowers. (We did not find any  tomatoes or lettuce.)  Our lilacs are not much farther along than Norma's and she's much farther north!  A few east facing jonquils have had enough sun to open and show their faces.  Jonquils are one of my favorite flowers and the pink hyacinths are especially pretty (they remind me of Zetor, of course!).

The one thing that never entered my head when I began knitting Zetor was the density of the fabric as compared to Charlotte's Web. Zetor's fabric is more substantial, more solid, and it eats up the yarn.  With Charlotte there were many partial balls of Koigu, but Zetor is taking every single bit of every single ball (except the first).  The number of rows for each section changes as the yarn runs out, sometimes mid-row, and yet the effect of mixed up colors has worked out well. Koigu has nice potential for projects that shade gradually. Five skeins of Koigu have gone into this shawl and the size should be just right for a summer shoulder warmer, not too small or two big.

The colors, starting from the neck and moving down are, P713, P200, P206, P445, and P401.  The colors have blended perfect, even better than I imagined, and it has been the bright spot of a dreary spring.  I'll be sorry to cast off the last stitch, but I am excited to wear this shawl and that's worth the wait...obsession continues.

Make It So

When the world around you remains gray and dreary...

...it is time to create your own world of color.

This is what it looked like Saturday morning as I left the house.  The world was black, white and gray, no color anywhere. Only a few lone flowers have come out of the ground as the heat hasn't been enough to bring out a profusion.  A few violets dot the landscape, and a daffodil has come forth here and there...it's sad to see so much gray and the week ahead looks as if it will continue.  The only thing to do is create my own world of color...time to take matters into my own hands and shop, knit and play in full living color.

A trip to the Three Wishes was the first thing on Saturday's agenda and it was the perfect place to start my color search.   Manos Silk Blend in a colorful and brilliant color combination caught my eye right away and it will become a shawl to brighten a gray day of next winter. The colors include a gray green and burnished gold that are out of my usual comfort zone.  I'm trying to step outside of that comfortable place more often as it can be interesting and enlightening.

The tulips bulbs that have been growing in my kitchen started to bloom at just at the right time, and the daffodils from the market brought in more color, the color of the missing sun, into my studio.  One must do what one can to create a happy, joyous world of color. Since the spring bulbs aren't coming as quickly as I'd like, I'll bring them in artificially..it's better than nothing.

The weekend fiber pursuits were spent in colorful ways, too.  This  beautiful silk/merino roving from Chasing Rainbows was predrafted and readied for spinning.  The colors are deep, luscious and rich and the hope is to create a single yarn that will show off that beauty.  Last, but certainly not least, the vibrant colors of spring really come through in the colors of the Zetor Koigu Shawl.  I have been completely obsessed by this project and color may be the real reason it's been my one and only.  The colors of spring flowers will soon be gracing my shoulders.

Sun Dappled Maples

It  seems to be time for another finishing flurry.  Thank you for your comments on EPS.  It's one of my favorite sweaters ever and every one of you should try knitting a sweater with EZ as your guide.  Now to on of the most beautiful shawls I've ever knit.  This shawl certainly evokes the trees and groves of a forest; a beautiful forest of fall colored maples, with the sun dancing over the leaves, the roots diving deep to drink a last bit of water before heading into a long winters sleep.
 

The design and yarn color were perfectly suited for either the spring green of aspen leaves or the warm richness of red maples in fall (the two colorways available).  Miriam is a genius when it comes to elegant lace and Anne is a goddess of beautiful yarn colorways. Together they created one of the most beautiful projects I've ever knit.

The first section is designed to mimic the leaves of trees as they dance in the sun.  The lace patterning is knit on both sides of the fabric, which makes this the most complicated section of the shawl.  It's worth the extra effort as the leaves are beautifully formed.   

The second section evokes the trunks of the trees, complete with twists and knots.  This section was easier to get into a rhythm, but a knitter must keep an eye out for the subtle changes as the trunks twist and the knots of branches form.   

The final section shows the roots working their way through the soil to find needed nutrients. This was such a fun section to knit, but there was still the pitfall of knitting a row when one should be purling.  The garter stitch is effective, but reading and checking the pattern on every row (to see if it should be a knit or purl row) will keep a knitter from a visit to the frog pond. (Doesn't every forest have a frog pond?)

Aspen Grove is a forest of beauty, of color and of exquisite lace. 

Yarn/Pattern/Kit: Aspen Grove Shawl from Wooly Wonka
Colorway: Vermont Maples (Perfect for PS III)
Designed by: Miriam Felton
Time to Knit: February 10, 2008 – March 15, 2008