Category — Things I Made

As I posted on Thursday, last night I participated in a virtual craft night, the Friday Night Sew-In. Part of the participation is posting what we accomplished so that everyone can share in the fun. So, here’s what I did!

the original design and squares ready for sewing

A little while ago, my son did a pattern unit in his first grade classroom. The teacher had all of the kids do a quilt design on paper. Knowing that Mom was a quilter, of course the first thing he said when he showed me was “Mom, can you make this into a real quilt?”

This was before Christmas, when Mom still had a lot of Christmas knitting and quilting to finish up, so I told him that I would try to do it before his birthday. His birthday is tomorrow, so Friday Night Sew-In was the perfect kick-in-the-butt I needed to get it done before the deadline!

I managed to complete everything but sewing the binding to the back, which I’ll probably do after the boys go to bed tonight.

almost done!

I’m happy to report that my little boy is delighted with his quilt (it was impossible to hide what I was doing until the big day) and, of course, is already asking when I will make a bigger one for his bed.

Yay for kids that actually appreciate handmade gifts!

The great thing about blogging is that no matter how crazy life gets, no matter how long it’s been since I’ve posted, everything is still here waiting for me when I return. I’ve found that as often as I think “Oh, I should post that on the blog!” I rarely actually make it to the computer to post it. It’s one of the things I hope to improve upon in this shiny new year of 2010.

Speaking of the new year, I thought it would be a good thing to take a look at the goals I posted last year:

• Create more objects for our home (quilts, towels, aprons, etc.)

Sadly, I did not get to any of the sewing that I wanted to accomplish this year. This is due mainly to the rocket-speed growth of Fiberphile, which took over all available space including my sewing area for most of the past year. I did finally manage to clear out some space for my sewing area again, and was even able to complete a small quilt for my niece’s first Christmas.

sabine's quilt

• Create more objects for ourselves and our kids (clothing, toys, etc)

I did manage to knit quite a few hats, fingerless gloves and even a couple of small shawls for myself. I consider this to be a good start, but would like to do much more in the coming year. I’m well on my way with a half-completed sweater on the needles right now.

• Blog at least twice a week

Eh. Big room for improvement there.

• Be better about documenting my projects with photos

Another eh. I’m usually so anxious to get things into use that I skip photos. Hopefully I’ll be better this year.

• Have a vegetable, herb and flower garden- however small or fruitless (sadly, I’ve never had a green thumb)

This was a great big HUGE success. We had a great little garden with broccoli, peppers, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, sugar snap peas and herbs, too. We had a great time and plan to expand this year.

• Donate at least ten handmade items to a charity like Dulaan.

Well, I *made* the items, but I didn’t manage to send them in time for the July deadline. I just think of it as having a head start on this year’s box.

So, looking back, my goals are essentially the same for 2010. I just need to keep building on whatever progress was made last year, however small. The only addition? To finally get myself through the C25K running program before my 31st birthday in August. As soon as we know what our tax situation looks like, I’ll be choosing a treadmill. No more excuses about the weather or feeling embarrassed running in front of the neighbors!

I’ve been dyeing like crazy for three very good reasons:

1. I haven’t done a proper update for almost a month and my junkies customers are getting antsy.

2. I was accepted to be a participating vendor at Craftland.

3. Any of you who receive The Loopy Ewe newsletter already know that very soon, Fiberphile will be available there! I’m so honored to be asked to sell at TLE, and am hoping that this new arrangement will make it easier for all of you to get the Fiberphile yarn you want with the added benefits that Sheri so generously extends to her customers.

Anyone familiar with the dye process knows that dumping yarn and dye in the pot is only part of the dye process. The yarn needs to simmer at a temperature just below boiling for at least half an hour to properly set the dye. During these waiting periods, I’ve managed to get a fair amount of fiber-related project time in.

knit with fiberphile MCN worsted- available soon!

The first was a hat made from a brand-new pattern, Ripple by Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic.

I love this hat, even though it’s huge on my head. I will go down a needle size the next time I knit this pattern, and there will most definitely be a next time.

The yarn is Fiberphile MCN worsted, just as buttery soft and luxurious as my MCN fingering weight. This yarn is set to become available in October, so stay tuned!

handspun from alpaca/merino/silk roving

Another hat, this time from the pattern Robin’s Egg Blue. I was looking for a simple hat with a bit of interest, that would effectively show off the uniqueness of handspun wool. I think this pattern fits all requirements perfectly.

The fiber is Fiberphile Alpaca/Merino/Silk in an experimental colorway. I overdid it just a tad with the fuchsia dye, and it refused to set or wash out enough for me to sell. So, it’s mine. I can’t say that I’m terribly disappointed about that.

The button is one that came in a giant jar of vintage buttons that my mom got for me at a thrift store last year. She knows me so well!

three rows in

Finally, I have taken the plunge and started my very first shawl. After looking at lots of beautiful patterns, I decided on Ishbel by Ysolda Teague.

I chose this pattern because the bulk of it is simple stockinette and yarn-overs. The chart for the lace edging looks pretty intimidating, but there are written instructions included, so I will be able to follow the written instructions and mark my progress on the chart rows.

I’m currently 3/5 of the way through the plain part, so will soon be venturing into the lace portion. Stay tuned!

Sorry blog- it seems that I got a little too busy for you this summer. Two months without a post!

We’ve been busy, but good busy.

Busy watching our chickies grow:

Busy exploring the forest and finding interesting things:

And of course, busy making things; like this set I made for little Bean:

We’ve been busy watching our garden grow, too. We had so many sugar snap peas that we would send the kids out to eat them straight off the plants, and had many delicious stir fry dinners with pea pods as the main vegetable. And yesterday, Liam harvested our first ripe tomatoes:

And of course you all know I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t pursuing a new craft-related obsession. But that’s for another post.

the first finished skein from my new matchless

The first-ever completed skein of yarn from my matchless is done, and I’m very pleased. The colors have blended nicely, it’s super-soft, shiny, and has wonderful drape. It will soon become the weft of my third-ever weaving project.

I’m enjoying my wheel so much, in fact, that I already have a new bobbin full of some superfine superwash merino top that I dyed earlier this spring. There’s 8 ounces, enough to use as the multi-colored yoke of a faux fair-isle yoke sweater. I really love the way the colors are blending up on the bobbin. I think I may even make it a cardigan and try steeking just for the fun of it!

I’m still hammering out the details of the sock club, but at this point it’s looking like it will be set up by yarn base and there will be one colorway for all clubs each month, at least for the first round. I love the idea of doing clubs but I don’t want to burn myself out the first try!

The clubs will have a limited number of slots so if you want to sign up, make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter. I’ll be announcing sign-ups there first, and I expect the slots to go fast!

Nine days of school vacation. Two sick kids. Two papers due. ‘Nuf said.

Other than trying to get kids healthy, keep the house a notch above disgusting, get ready for a major shop update and write two papers that might eek out a B (NOT my usual standard- yes, I’m a perfectionist) I’ve not had time for much else that requires actual use of my brain.

my first handspun socks- yay!

Good thing for me that simple 2×2 ribbing is pretty mindless! Yep, I finished my falkland handspun socks and I must say that I’m in love. I’m also, unfortunately, completely addicted to the subtle color blending that develops while knitting socks with handspun yarn. Now if only I could afford an electric wheel for plying. My calves get quite the workout doing all that plying on my little kiwi!

my first 3-ply handspun sock yarn

Proof that I am genuinely addicted: I also did a test-spin for my new spinning fibers that will be up in the shop later this week. I could have done a nice bulky or worsted weight but no — I did more sock yarn! 450 glorious yards of 3-ply superfine superwash merino handspun sock yarn! I LOVE this yarn. It is unbelievably soft. I think it’s going to be mother’s day socks for my mom because she’s awesome. If she weren’t, there’s no way I’d be giving this yarn away!

Well, now I’ve really got to get labeling. It’s been fun, folks! I’ll be back hopefully tomorrow with some fun goodies to share!

I managed to get some decent photos today. Presenting my 9-5 socks:

getting in shape on the sock blockers

Whew am I glad to have those babies off the needles! Actually, they’re currently on my feet. They’re soft and squooshy and I love them. Now to decide which socks to cast on next. I’m thinking that I want to do two-at-a-time magic loop, and I want to do them toe-up. Nothing terribly complex, just simple, easy TV knitting.

my first weaving project is finished!

I also got a photo of my finished scarf, though it’s not a terribly flattering one. It shows my wonky selvedges but that’s ok- that’s what a first project is about.

In other news, there is a nasty stomach bug going through our house and I’m beginning to feel like I’m going to be its next victim. If you don’t see me here for a few days, that would be why!

Actually, I managed not only to complete my first weaving project today, but also to FINALLY finish my 9-5 socks! The slacking comes in the photography department. No photos! It was getting dark by the time I finished and I didn’t have the heart to take photos of my beautiful finished objects in bad light. Tomorrow, I promise.

It’s cold. Really cold. Unbelievably cold. I’m a Vermonter, I know all about cold. But this is beyond what we’re used to. This is positively frigid.

What can we do when it’s this cold? Not much, really. We can thaw and repair frozen water pipes (that’s what my poor husband was doing at 6:30 this morning) pray that our cars will start, and that our furnaces won’t quit. Luckily for us, we have a woodstove that we heat with, so no danger of that quitting on us. However, when you heat your house with a single central source, the rest of the house stays pretty cold.

We’ll be doing a lot of huddling and snuggling today, I think.

my handspun thorpe

It will come as no surprise, given the weather, that I have been focused on hats. Warm hats that cover delicate ears and the backs of necks. I, my friends, have been on a hat knitting frenzy! It all started (as things often do with me) with a photo in my flickr contacts. One of them was working on a thorpe. Now, as I mentioned in my last post, this particular hat has been in my plans but seeing hers looking so lovely and warm made me want to cast one on immediately. Which I did. That evening, I had a beautiful, warm new hat!

This hat was made with some of my very first handspun. I honestly wasn’t crazy about the colors in the yarn but I think they’re lovely in the finished hat. That little coil beside it is all of the yarn that was left after the project- about a yard. That’s my idea of a well- planned project! (Coming clean here- I didn’t plan at all. I just figured if I ran out I’d pick up with some natural bulky I had in my stash!)

So when my boys (all three including my husband) saw my finished hat, they all wanted one too! That evening I cast on for the littlest one (who turns 6 tomorrow!) an orange and brown one that followed the colorwork pattern. It is so adorable. And of course the best part is that he loves it too! He insisted on wearing it to school and didn’t want to take it off when we got there. How that warms a mother’s heart. I haven’t had time to get a good photo, but I will absolutely try to get one this weekend. It’s too darn cute not to share!

I’ve got a green and blue on the needles for oldest boy, then a black and blue in plans for my husband. This really is a terrific pattern- functional, nice-looking and super-quick to knit!

In other news, I have a Schacht Flip 20″ rigid heddle loom on its way to me as I type. With any luck, it will be here tomorrow and I’ll have the weekend to get acquainted with it.

Stay warm, everyone!

fiber with singles

I finally finished my first full (although small) skein of Navajo plied wool. I really love how this yarn looks. It is soft and smooth and pretty consistent! When I do two-ply yarns, I have a hard time coming out with a yarn that is the same gauge throughout unless I overtwist them. The Navajo method, with more plies, balances the thick and thin of the different plies better.

I dyed this merino when I was first learning how to dye. If I had it to do over, I would have made the colors more saturated, but it’s still really pretty. I just don’t know anyone who would wear this color! I’ll probably end up using it to make baby hats for afghans for afghans.

the final results

Another thing I’ve been working on lately is learning how to knit continental style. I’ve gotten to the point where I can knit relatively well, though it is a long way from feeling natural.

The big hangup I’ve had is purling. If you’ve ever watched people knit continental, you know that it requires moving the yarn from the back to the front just as in English knitting. I tried and tried and tried to purl continental and all I got was a horrendous cramp in my hand. I decided to reserve my continental knitting for giving my right hand a break during stockinette-in-the round.

That was, until a few days ago when I was perusing Ravelry and found out that there’s another way to do it that doesn’t require moving the yarn to the front! it’s called Norweigan purling, and it’s the answer to my continental knitting prayers. I found an excellent video tutorial at KnittingHelp.com and gave it a try. I was amazed at how little time it took for me to learn this method, and now I’m continental knitting and purling without any cramps. Continental still isn’t my preferred method, but it’s good to know.

Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol Sulcoski

I have a new favorite book: Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol Sulcoski is a fantastic resource for anyone who knits with handpainted yarns. Before you get to the patterns (which are all beautiful, by the way) there is an entire section about the different types of handpainted and hand dyed sock yarns, how they’re made, and how to use them to their greatest potential.

As an indie dyer, I am always trying to provide as much information as possible to my cutomers about how my yarns are dyed and what can be expected when they are knit up. I would confidently recommend this book to them.

Speaking of knitting socks with handpainted yarn, I’m making slow but steady progress on my 9-5 socks. I’ll work on getting shoem progress photos as soon as my new sock blockers arrive!