Texture 101

Terracotta pots have never been so cozy.

Check out this article for instructions on how to make these felted flower pot covers, plus other ways to creatively contain green things.

Thanks, Barb, for the heads up on this!

FO parade, Page 1

I haven't posted any finished knitting projects in, like, forever - dude, my bad. Here is the beginning of my attempt to make up for lost blogging.

I mentioned last week that weaving in ends was the least of my knitting joys, in not so many words. Here is the evidence:

Not too rough...

... and the oh so nasty, a.k.a. "cat yack."

The end result was a pair of hats. Right and center view:

Center and left view:

The willing recipients, eWAC and Going40.

The project details:

pattern: based on Grassroots Hat by C Jane Knit
yarn: Cascade Pastaza (50% llama, 50% wool)
needles: US #5 AND #7 Addi Turbo circulars (only because my Harmony needles were occupied, and my Denise needles almost made me do grievous bodily injury unto myself. And yes, I did feel like a traitor.)

After knitting the logo chart twice, I learned a little something: working the lower half of the logo as a solid red field, then applying the white stripes in duplicate stitch makes for muuuch friendlier cleanup (10 ends to weave in, as opposed to 24).

More to come after sleeping.

Give me a W...

(Not THAT one - I thought you knew me better than that!)

... O... O...L! Yay, sheepies!

Were you aware, fellow knitters, that the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2009 as The International Year of Natural Fibres? Apparently this was waaay back in '06. Remember '06? Deeply embedded we were in an Administration of shame... I digress; pardon me.

The year was officially launched today (22 Jan). I think everyone is hereby entitled to knit something very special from the natural fibre of their choice this year.

For. Yourself.

That's right - enough of this "I don't need to spend that much time on myself, yadda yadda yadda." Fuggedaboudit! Holidays are done, and it's time to appreciate your own craftiness.

After you give it a bit of thought, I encourage you to let us know what you're going to make for yourself. Leave a comment on this post with your project idea (including fibre details), and let the crafting commence.

And you thought that Tuesday was as good as it got!

Stashbuster #1

If you find yourself with a random collection of feltable wool, here's a nifty little project: Dryer Balls! They're a chemical-free way to beat static cling - literally - in your dryer. If you're living in a wintry (read: drydrydry heated) northern clime, you know how valuable it is to kick static's @$$ at every opportunity. Argh.

Now if only there was a way to knit away the constant salt stains on my black boots. Double argh.

A child's Christmas wish

Franklin Habit is a funny man, and seasonally à propos as well. Check out the sketch he posted today.

Can I hear you say, "Amen, Brother Franklin"?

Let it snow

As the weather starts getting cooler days start getting shorter, it's nice to pick up a project in anticipation of snow and cold. Sally from Wicked Woolens has posted this amazing hat pattern on her blog (and IMHO, $3.00 is a steal).

eWAC, you totally need to be seen on the Nordic circuit in one of these...

Have a lovely weekend, all!

photo by Sally

Local shepherdess hits the mark

Love buying local?

Love knowing animal products come from happy animals?

Check out the new Icelandic wool being carried exclusively by The Yarnery. From North Mankato, this heavy worsted yarn comes in an array of jaw-dropping handpainted colors, as well as lush naturals. It received a glowing review in Knitter's Review this week (woo-hoo!), and Shelly said orders started coming in immediately.

Go read the review and get to the store.
Now.

Hurry before it's gone!

News from Uruguay

For those of you who are aficionados of the kettle-dyed merino goodness that is Malabrigo Yarn, some sad news: the building that houses their mill and offices caught fire on Thursday evening. Information and photos can be found on their website, and updates on their blog.

Best wishes to the folks in Montevideo. Hope you are back in operation soon!

Where do wool blankets come from?

I [heart] the Street!

Wednesday wisdom

From the "Just Say No" department:

Never tote a Smart Ones® microwaveable entree in your knitting bag. It doesn't stay frozen as long as you think it might, and it does leak.

Especially the marinara sauce.

I'm just sayin'.

Shepherd's Harvest

This weekend is the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival at the lovely Washington County Fairgrounds in Lake Elmo, MN. From the website:

The Festival was started in order to provide a venue where producers, consumers and artisans could come together and share the excitement of working with sheep and wool. Gradually, the Festival has grown to include other fiber animals such as angora rabbits, alpacas, and goats.

The Festival strives to be a family-oriented event that is not only fun but educational. Numerous classes are offered in the fiber arts...

Many vendors show their wares at the Festival through a juried selection of vendors of unique products. If it's fiber related, you probably will find just what you have been looking for.

Demonstrations are ongoing for sheep shearing, herding dogs, linen making, spinning and knitting. Activities are planned to spark the interest of youngsters.

I don't think I will make it to the Festival this year; if you do, I'd love a report. Enjoy a fiber-filled weekend!

Flat Feet

I'm not sure how many are familiar with this product, but when I first read about it, my inner (OK, outer) knitting geek became a wee bit giddy.

(photo from the Paradise Fibers website)

This is Flat Feet Sock Yarn (80/20 wool/nylon), and that is how it arrives - not in a ball or hank or skein, but a "blank"; the yarn is knitted into two flat sheets, hand dyed, and then unravelled as you knit. Each pair of resulting socks is completely unique, and rather a surprise. How cool is that idea? Just the storage flexibility set my mind racing.

Wool on the hoof

As a knitter, I love the feel of different fibers while I'm knitting. The way different yarns respond and perform is a constant source of intrigue for me; a person can knit the same pattern over and over and, depending on the fiber chosen, the entire character of the piece shifts and evolves. Seriously, how cool is that?

Wool is the foudation, walls and roof of my own stash. In my knitting fantasies, I develop a relationship with the sheep that is about to be shorn, whose fleece will be spun into the ultimate skein of goodness for my waiting needles.

Author Catherine Friend, a fellow Minnesotan, currently lives the life I don't think I could: she and her partner run a working sheep farm. Her memoir, Hit By a Farm, is a wonderfully entertaining read about daily farm life (which was not her first choice, BTW). Her accounts remind me of my dad's stories of growing up on a dairy farm. I laughed out loud often, sometimes uncontrollably. Even though Catherine isn't a knitter, and their flock isn't purposed for wool production, I loved reading about the lives of these women and their sheep. If you're looking for a humorous nonfiction read, stop and pick this up.

Yarnover and out

Wow, what a weekend. Thursday and today were my first large-scale knitter events. My people! The Minnesota Knitters' Guild Yarnover was held today, and though I didn't attend any sessions, I enjoyed myself immensely (read: crazy shopping opportunity). Showing much personal restraint, this is the sum total of my haul:

Guild Bling, in the form of project bags.

Colorful stash: green and blue angora/merino blend from Kimmet Croft Fibers, and Cherry Tree Hill Supersock.
[note: the Kimmet Croft web link is not working, so here is the analog contact address: 5850 Schudy Rd., Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin 54495; phone: USA+1-715-421-012 for Janice Kimmet; and e-mail: jkimmet@wctc.net]

A long-coveted mug and demi bowl from Jennie the Potter.


The highlight had to be The Yarnery's guest for the event, Franklin Habit. I tried to meet with him this fall as I travelled to Chicago, but our schedules did not line up. Then, like today, he was nothing but gracious and friendly as all get out. I sat for his 1000 Knitters Project, which with the participation from today's shoot now totals over 600 knitters. Yay, Minnesota!

Malabrigo March Madness: Hey, Scooter

Mari in Austin TX, is blogiversary-ing by giving away Going40's favorite fiber, Malabrigo. (The photo at right is a random fiber shot, not the prize to be won.)

Make it yours, people!

Color 101

I went to meet Kristin Nicholas this afternoon at The Yarnery. As beautiful as the photographed projects are in her new book, the tableful of samples at the book signing were w.o.w. Not only are the colors of her yarn rich and saturated, but the fiber blend of Julia is hafta-touch-it luscious (50% wool, 25% kid mohair, 25% alpaca). If you haven't experienced it yet, pick up a skein or two for a small project - you'll come back for more.

As I'm writing this, it's obvious I didn't go to her lecture at the Textile Center. If you did, let me know how it was.

Have a good weekend!

Deep freeze

Cold enough for you?
Yes, and thanks for asking.

I love living in Minnesota for many reasons, winter actually being one of them. I'm one of those people that needs to see distinct seasons change in her back yard. The cold weather is not horrid; dressed appropriately, most is bearable. I once heard a winter adventurer (my memory with names is appalling, sorry) sing the praises of wearing the three "W's" - a wicking layer next to the skin, a warmth layer to hold in heat, and an outer wind layer to keep the cold air from penetrating. Believe me, it works like a charm.

My knitting self practically laughs in the face of forecasts like tonight's:

Overnight: Partly cloudy, with a low around -20F. Wind chill values between -39F and -44F. Blustery, with a west/northwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Have I ever mentioned my love affair with all things wool? If Minnesota had a state fiber, it would have to be wool.

Or maybe Thinsulate®...

The un-contest (not mine)

Cheryl, blogger at a simple yarn, is having a simple contest: the 1500th commenter on her blog receives 200 grams of lovely Irish Kilcarra wool. Midwestern knitters, represent!

got felt?

I typed the title of this post and started giggling (hello, inner 12-year-old child!), but throwing caution to the wind, I'm leaving it. On that note, any stray Googlers who landed here because of the title are going to be sorely disappointed - it's about the fabric.

A look back at my holiday knitting reveals quite a few - nay, many - felted objects. I'm prepared to call it a subconscious theme; you should do the same.

Previous posts o' mine mentioned that Going40 up and Went40 last Friday. To mark the occasion, his partner eWAC and I concocted a crafty display, inspired by this (ironically from a website featured on Going40's own Best of 2007 blog post). After felting many a thrift store sweater, I cut out letters and fashioned loops of Malabrigo yarn (40's fave - see the list again) to a rope of Misti Alpaca Super Chunky yarn and made this garland:

eWAC hung it in their home for Scooter to see on his natal morn, then transported it to the party that evening, where it hung above pictures from 40's childhood.

I really love how it turned out - squishy soft wool at every turn, and a recycled project to boot. What a wonderful world.

The home stretch

Thursday afternoon I finished teaching lessons until January, so it's off to finish some gifts. Pointy sticks at the ready...

Knitting pictures to balance out the holiday activity-centric blogging of late:

pattern: Fiber Trends' Felt Clog (one of what is to hopefully be gifted as a pair)
yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted

pattern: The Fiber Pirate's Mistletoe Ornament
yarn: Frog Tree Sport (leaves), Cascade 220 (berries), random rug wool (bow)

Shameless Marie-Mayhew-o-Rama to follow:

pattern: Woolly Gingerbread Cookie

yarn: Frog Tree Sport (small), Cascade 220 Heathers (large), 220 and rug wool as above (decorations)

pattern: Felted Nest Ornament

yarn: Frog Tree Sport, blue roving

The weekend promises to be fiber-rich, so stay tuned for further maniacal progress. Happy knitting!