Category — Tutorials and Patterns

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!

almost to the heels!

I’m making slow and steady progress on my handspun socks. I only have an inch to go before I turn the heels. I am loving the way this yarn is knitting up! Knitting with handspun is always like watching a magical process unfold.

I much prefer short-row heels. They go so much faster than heel flaps and I honestly like the look and feel of them better. I do not, however, like the fussiness of most of the short-row heel techniques out there.

I was absolutely elated when I discovered my favorite method- the one provided in the Lifestyle Socks Pattern from k1p1design1. The pattern author attributes the method to Priscilla Wilds. There are no wraps to pick up (yay!) and the method is simple enough that once you’ve learned it, you don’t need to refer to instructions. These, my friends, are my kind of short-row heels!

I’ll be in class all day tomorrow, so alas, no dyeing. I have 15 pounds of fiber calling to me and I can’t do a thing about it. I did manage a small shop update earlier this week, but there won’t be another major one until at least this weekend, probably later. Ah well, such is life when managing a family, two businesses, and a Liberal Arts degree.

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!

on the home stretch!

I am making serious progress on my 9-5 socks! I’ve turned the heel and am currently working on the gusset decreases. At this rate, I’ll have them off the needles and onto my feet by the weekend.

I also managed to finish the first bobbin of the falkland singles that I’ve been working on. I hope to have the second bobbin done by the weekend as well, so that I can ply and set it.

one bobbin down, one to go!

When those two projects are finished, I think I’ll cast on a Thorpe. I keep seeing such lovely versions made from handspun and I just can’t take it any more. It’s winter in Vermont, what other reason do I need?

my new knitting needle case

I’ve been doing some sewing, but it’s also knitting related.

I finally got around to making myself a mega knitting needle case. It’s designed to hold my entire set of knitpicks options needles along with extra tips, cables, and accessories. It also has room for all of my sock knitting dpn’s and circulars! When closed, it’s the same size as an issue of Interweave Knits. Perfect.

I do have one other knitting project in mind but it’s so small it hardly counts as a project- dishcloths! There are some super cute patterns out there and they’re a great alternative to socks for a travel project.

future dishcloths

I’m going to knit mine in aqua, natural and dark brown. I can’t wait to use them. I think they’d make great mother’s day or wedding gifts as well (when paired with something a little less utilitarian, of course!)

Yesterday, my internet friend and colleague Carrie said something to the effect of “Now I just need to learn to knit socks so I can buy Georgia’s yarn!” Hmmm… I thought. Yes, it’s sock yarn, and it’s intended for socks. But there are lots of great patterns designed for fingering weight yarns (which is the category that sock yarn generally falls into) that are not socks! And really, some of them are super easy.

If you’re on Ravelry, you can find some great non-sock patterns by going into patterns and using the pattern browser. Select fingering weight and whatever non-sock categories you’re interested in. An entire cornucopia of patterns will magically appear!

Among the easiest and most useful are cowls (aka neckwarmers). My favorite cowl pattern is the Gloria Cowl. It is a super-easy pattern that’s suitable for beginners and very pretty, especially in semi-solid colorways. Now, granted it uses doubled sock yarn, so it could also be made in worsted weight yarn, but still a great use for sock yarn.

norwegian baby cap

The Norwegian Baby Cap is also a great use for sock yarn, and so pretty! I happen to have a little niece due in April, and I think that I will add this to my to-knit list.

If you’re not afraid of colorwork, Eunny Jang’s Endpaper Mitts are absolutely beautiful and would look very nice with one main solid color and a variegated hand-dyed used for the patterning. These particular mitts are high on my knitting queue and I already have the yarn saved out for them. I haven’t done colorwork before, but having learned to a reasonable degree how to knit continental, I think I can take it on.

Other non-sock patterns for sock yarn that I found interesting: Magic Baby Slippers, Lace Ribbon Scarf, Broad Street Mittens, Gathered Scarf, Henry Scarf.