musindigo

It is.  In May.

And I know other folks in different parts of the continent are guffawing about SNOW in May.  (Bad word, snow).  So I’m trying very hard to enjoy our heatwave here even though it slogs me out and makes me feel about as energetic as a snail.

However.  It has been too long since I’ve last typed so despite the heat I am typing.  And I also dyed today because it’s about time I do some of that too.  Especially since it’s nummy new limited edition mill-spun alpaca-merino laceweight I just retrieved very recently from a local mill.  They did a fabulous job and I can’t wait to get it up in the shop.  50/50 alpaca merino.

It’s gorgeous to knit with (I’m working on a pattern in it) and wonderfully soft.  Great for next-to the skin wear.  And it will be very pretty for lace knitting.

As of late it’s sort of been touch and go.  Physically, things are a little better due to new meds.  The trick is finding balance between meds and activity.  Sometimes the meds are the culprit keeping me from moving about and sometimes I overdo it and the meds don’t do as good of a job.  I’m getting there!  Just being able to get into the dyeroom is thrilling.  And I am quite happy to not have to deal with negative temps (again, my sympathies to those of you who are still stuck with frost and other bad words).

Otherwise, I’ve kept myself busy with my usual round of weekly startitis projects (see flyby photos below).  I did manage to finish a few things (or halves of pairs of socks, that sort of thing).  And one shawl is finished.

I don’t have pretty pretty pics of it yet - but here are a few pics:

Specs:  Daybreak by Stephen West.  Medium size, yarn is Oceanwind Knits Merino in various shades.  I think I used 3.75mm needles.  It’s gotten a lot of wear already.

Other bits of recent fibre-y activity (in no apparent order - just pretty fibre pictures :)):

hand-spun merino (Lakehouse Loft) - Wanida sock (Cookie A)

Sylvi

hand-spun corriedale (Lakehouse Loft)

wensleydale roving - potential spinning

wensleydale roving (more) - spinning in progress

Traveling Woman (in hand-spun corriedale from above)

And, due to aforementioned heatwave, plants are coming alive and blooming and just generally growing like mad.

I totally love poppies, don’t you?  This is a shot of the first one to open.

This last photo is Sam’s magic bean plant, which grew from ‘just popped out of the seed pod’ to about 4 inches, as you see, overnight.  Magic, indeed.  :)

So, there we are.  A sort of fly-by update but a blog post, nonetheless.

Hoping to post the new yarn by the end of this week.  :)

Tags: Canada, dyeing, finished, knitting, life, millspun, oceanwind knits, projects, roving, snow, wip, wool, work in progress, yarn

Any of you who have read this blog for a while know that I tend to have a lot of ideas and only two hands.  I’m betting you roll your eyes with some regularity when I announce a new project, especially ones involving the knitting of sweaters.  Never mind how you must chuckle when I announce I am spinning the wool for said sweater.

So, I am delighted to show you this:

I’m betting you thought it was languishing in the UFO pile.  In actuality, I’ve been wearing it since last October.  My tardiness in posting any FO photos was the result of not having the photos taken until a few days ago.  I happened to be wearing it when a friend came to visit, the weather was perfect, and hubby had a few moments to take the camera.

No, I’ve not completed a hand-spun sweater just yet.  But, I will.  Someday.

For now, I have this one to enjoy.  :)

Pattern:  The infamous Tangled Yoke Cardigan, Eunny Jang.  Yarn: Celestial millspun alpaca/wool/silk by Wooly Wonka Fibres.

So, there you have it.  A finished sweater, knit by myself.  :)  Total love.

99 (or so) to go.  ;)

Tags: finished, knits, knitting, millspun, projects, sweater, wool

This past Monday I had a biopsy performed on the back of my left hand, between the first and second knuckle.  I’ve developed what I’m told is a painful type of eczema on nearly every finger as well as the palms and over the knuckles on both hands.  Given the stress-level recently, I’m not really surprised.  But, just to be sure, a biopsy was called for.

I cried when they put the freezing in.  Not because of the presented pain but because of what had lead up to it.  The last six weeks have been rather painfully challenging on many different levels.  And all I could think was, while the freezing was being injected, now I won’t even be able to KNIT.  It was sort of a final blow.  The poor women performing the biopsy didn’t quite know what to think watching this over-40 woman fall to pieces over a small little procedure.

I am back to knitting, even though it is painful.  I just cannot imagine getting through a day without it.  So, I guess I am hardcore.  What can I say.  The location of the biopsy means I have pain shooting down the fingers and up across the back of the hand, and sometimes up toward the elbow.  But, it’s lessening on a daily basis and the hope is once the stitches are removed, it will be more comfortable.

The good thing is, I made it into the dyeroom for the first time in a long time before this past Monday.  So there are a few new goodies in the shop.

And before that, I’d spent a good chunk of the last month or so petting some new fleece wool I’d ordered from a wonderful little farm in MA, Cranberry Moon.  Lisa’s farm is also a member of Local Harvest where you can oogle all sorts of goodies, from produce to hand-made items to wooly goodness, from various farms around North America.

Before my hands got really sore, I’d developed a new affinity for hand-carding.  Previously, before I’d started having mobility issues forcing me to slow down and smell roses a little more than I’d been known to do, I’d not had much patience for hand-carding and combing.  Everything flew through the drum-carder.  But I ordered this fibre with hand-combing in mind.

Gray Romney, Black Cotswold and some White Leicester Longwool, gently washed but still in their glorious locks.  Yummy.  I have ideas to use it all in combination with other fibres here to make several sweaters.  I will likely dye the Longwool before combing.  I know it’s going to be a long-term project (or should I say ’several’ long-term projects), especially now that I’ve been slowed down somewhat by this issue with my hands.  But I’m healing so hopefully it won’t be too long before I can start playing around with the combs and carders once again.

I also fell in love with some cheerfully dyed BFL locks from Tumble Creek farm, discovered through the Oregon Wool site.

I did get a portion of these carded and spun - single-spun in a sort of gradating sequence, in February.  The rest will be carded in with something at some point, to make a sort of multi-coloured flecky (for lack of a better word) sweater yarn I have designed in my head.

I haven’t decided just yet if I’m going to use it just on its own - the locks were incredibly crimpy and springy.  I have ideas to possibly ply it with something earthy like a gray merino.  I’m betting it would knit wonderful socks or maybe a nifty cowl.  Or mitts or maybe a beret.

Anyways, always good to have a little wool insurance for the future.  :)

As well, I managed to finish up half a pair of socks:

One Rattlesnake Creek Sock knitted in Wooly Wonka Fiber’s yummy Aerten Yarn.  I cast it on a few hours after hearing of my father’s death.  Amazing what such a small project can do to help you make it through.

And this is not all of it, the therapy.   I am still working on the hand-spun Kelmscott as well as spinning up batts for a Fylingdales cardigan.  But I will save some things to show you in another post.

ETA:  I nearly forgot this - Cleopatra.  For Anne’s Shakespeare in Lace 2010 Club.  All finished up, too, as of last week.

There is one line in particular running through my head from the hymns sung at Dad’s funeral.  This is not surprising, given I am sort of a hymn junkie.  I often have hymns running through my head.  But this one sums it all up quite tidily:

strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

Wool therapy, doing its job.

Tags: knitting, life, oceanwind knits, ravelry, socks, spinning, wip, wool, work in progress, yarn

I know.  That’s what I thought, too, when I first started making these little nests for carding.

It’s really a nice soft yummy rich brown alpaca.

It’s part of my latest spinning project, which is, again, to spin enough for a sweater.  The red mix from the last posting is working out very well -

(That’s a shot of the unblocked right front of Kelmscott).  I’ve knitted both fronts, actually.  Back next, then sleeves.

Anyways, digressing.

The alpaca above, plus this -

-DT Crafts kid mohair locks, which I’m hand-carding in the evenings (quite therapeutic, actually), and

from left to right around the clock:  green cotswold, light gray shetland (I find it’s just dandy with just about anything to add a little earthiness to a yarn), the brown alpaca and blue corriedale.  I’ve divided up all the fibre into its requesite amounts, into twelve sections, to make 24 batts.

So far, it looks like this (the mohair hasn’t been added, yet) -

All told, it should work out to about 24 oz.  Which should be more than enough for a sweater in worsted in my size.  I’m aiming to spin a 3ply worsted weight-this time.

It’s good timing, too.  I need a distraction.  My dad is lined up for open-heart surgery later this week or early next.

And, I’ve got about 6 weeks to kill before a CNS appointment at a neuromuscular clinic (but I’m thrilled to have that appointment booked).

In other news (good news) - Oceanwind Knits is finally on Facebook.  I feel like I’m a little late to the party.  But, I’m happy to finally have time to enjoy the fun interactions on Facebook.  I’ve really not taken time to participate in before now.  I’ll be posting updates as new things are added to the shop (a few new yarns went up the other day, by the way).

So, pop by, if you’re on Facebook, and say hello.  :)

Tags: life, oceanwind knits, projects, spinning, sweater, wip, wool, yarn

I’m sure you agree.

Too bad my youngest has some sort of aversion to them and refuses to wear them for more than a few seconds.   We’re working on him (bribing with doughnuts and other goodies).  He might come around.  Otherwise, they are cute all on their own, even if they’re not attached to a pair of five-year-old footsies.

And, I have a new hat for the holidays:

Knit in the aforementioned Kandinsky hand-spun.  It is a little wild.  But, I love it.  And the hat looks pretty good on, too (considering I’m not really a hat person, this is quite a compliment to myself ;)).

Pattern is a variation of the It All Comes Together beret.  Photos are pre-blocking.  It has smoothed out with blocking and the colours really seem to pop.

Wishing everyone a merry holiday!  Be safe and warm.

Tags: finished, knits, knitting, projects, spinning, wool, yarn

Yes.  This is how it came out:

I like it.  Nice bursts of colour.

Specs:  2-ply, spun worsted at 12.5:1; plied at 14:1; wheel:  Ladybug.  98g / 267 yds.

I’m planning to knit it up into a Woodland Trails Cowl. (It’s a little thin but if it doesn’t work for this pattern, it will work for another cowl, I’m sure).  Right after I knit up some of these.  (Go see, they are too cute for words).

By the way - new yarn available at Oceanwind Knits:  Superwash Bluefaced Leicester sockweight (among other things).  :)  It is super super soft, with a litte nylon for extra durability.

If you’re like me, you’re stuck in the middle of endless snow squalls.  Great knitting/spinning weather.  (It has to be good for something).  Drive safely!

Tags: finished, oceanwind knits, spinning, wool, yarn

… things happen.

Such was the case last evening when I found myself in a position to do ‘whatever’, with the youngest more or less asleep, and hubby & eldest out.  It was a stormy evening, with localized squalls (the first major snow of the season around here) and the 100th Anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens was on CBC.

This all combined well with a quiet evening of spinning.  And, so, this is what happened.

The last Oceanwind Fibre Club offering was a batt based on Kandinsky.  As mentioned previously, I’ve decided to become a member of the club myself, this time around, to push my personal spinning boundaries a little.

My apologies.  I realized partway into the first batt I’d (typcially) forgotten to take a photo during daylight so it could be a little better.

The batts are based on this piece (but also on Kandinsky’s work, in general), entitled Farbstudie Quadrate, 1913:

There are 12 colours in the batt, blended in such a way to emphasize gradations but also hiding little surprise ‘bursts’ throughout.  Fibres include corriedale, alpaca, silk and merino.

I have to admit, although I love making batts, I am still quite a novice when it comes to spinning them.

With this batt in particular, Anne has gone before me which boosted my confidence.  So part of my determination and approach was based on her beautifully spun example.  However, being a little bit of a chicken, I wasn’t sure I was quite ready to go the whole hog and spin a completely transitional yarn.  I debated about doing singles for a transitional shawl or something along those lines, but, in the end, I decided to leave that idea for another time.  So I modified her approach somewhat.

I split each batt into quarters (widthwise, across the grain).  Each quarter is then split into thirds lengthwise (with the grain).  I am spinning each quarter in particular order so I have two gradations from ‘reds to yellows’ and two from ‘yellows to reds’ (each repeated) in each batt, reversing the order for the second batt, planning a 2-ply light fingering yarn.

Here’s the first bobbin (first batt):

I’m hoping for gradual, subtle transitions throughout the yarn.  I’m hoping to spin quite a lot today - NHL hockey starts at 1:30.  ;)

We will see how it comes out, if my approach works (I hope I am not muddying up the colours too much).

One of the joys of spinning - there is usually a surprise included.  :)

Tags: Canada, hockey, roving, snow, spinning, wool, work in progress

Sometimes, as mentioned in the last post, you get what you wish for.  Sometimes, in strange ways.

One of the things I am most often lamenting about is a lack of ‘personal’ knitting time due to other obligations (like work and boys needing their mother’s support and a need for sleep).

I knew coming into this fall, things were going to be walking a fairly thin line between meeting obligations and commitments and going off the rails at breakneck speed.  I managed to experience both.  Sometimes simultaneously.  However, there was not much to be done about it other than work through it.  I really did not have much control over the timing of so many things and I really became quite disappointed as to how I was unable to keep things rolling along at a more reasonable pace.

Thankfully most folks have been understanding and I truly appreciate everyone’s consideration and patience over the last few months.

My fall came on blasting.  Aside from trying (sometimes in vain due to a majorly wet  September and October which increased drying time substantially making dyeing quite problematic) to fill orders for wholesale, clubs and retail, I was dyeing to prepare for two shows only weeks apart.  In between the shows I managed, like I do most falls, to pick up a flu bug which knocked me out for days on end.  Our youngest was diagnosed with asthma in late September after a scary abrupt respiratory illness, probably related to the same bug.  In mid-October, it became pretty clear to me that the ‘little things’ irking me physically were not so little anymore and I should probably take note and get checked over.   This evolved into attending multiple medical appointments and tests, some hours away, which really take their toll on a work schedule.  I am still working through the medical system to really define what’s going on in this department.  A few weeks ago, my dad had heart surgery (he is doing excellent).

So, after feeling quite over-extended, finally things have settled down to a point where I feel I am once again in control and I’ve worked diligently to get to such a point.  This, after everything, is quite a blessing.

The other blessing (aside from my incredible family who step in when needed and the support of friends), amongst all the chaos of September and October and early November, was a sudden surge of ‘personal’ knitting time (hence, what I often wish for, I now had);  I found myself in the passenger seat on long car trips, in waiting rooms and just generally unable to work due to many factors, leaving me with time on (in?) my hands.  So, out came the spinning wheel and the needles.  An oasis which I could focus on when I wasn’t forced to be resting.  And, glee, because, not being very prolific in the FO department - I tend to be a process knitter and lose focus with other obligations - I actually had things flying off the needles.  :)  Yay!

So, this (Waterloo Wools South African Wool, purchased at the KW Knitter’s Fair) -

became this:

Which became these (Whistlpea Knits Basic Cabled Mittens) -

I also managed to churn out two of these -

in four different colourways of Noro Silk Garden Sock (two colourways each).  The pattern is Dianna.  It is a rare thing for me to knit something twice, but I loved how this pattern works up and the process was rather soothing.  (The border on the first one is the border from the Half Square Shawl, Victorian Lace Today).

This one has gone to live with Anne, who I’m sure has sore email ears (eyes?) a lot of days due to someone’s harping on a regular basis (I wonder who? ;)).  I also finished up quite a few bobbins of handspun (as of yet unphoto-ed) and managed to sort of figure out the workings of my new-to-me CSM (this one is going to require quite the learning curve but I’m starting to get it).

So, with any luck, and hopefully not at the same expense and stress level of the past several months, the FOs will continue.  We will see.

Tags: finished, knits, knitting, life, projects, roving, spinning, wool, yarn

Woolen Rabbit merino+angora.  (Roving gifted from Anne.)  It feels like velvet.  2ply fingering weight.

Spiral-dyed Austrailian Merino - 2ply worsted weight, from two different colourways.  I still have more of this to spin.  Love.

Shunklies Jacob Humbug.  I have another 3oz to spin.  3ply (not navajo) worsted.

and this:

2ply, light fingering-weight, 800+ yards of hand-dyed merino roving.  These made it into the Oceanwind Knits shop, my first hand-spun for sale.  :)

… some of the fruits of my mini-staycations over the summer.  Unfortunately, it just did not time out to actually get away at any point.  I still have hopes it might happen over the fall before the weather cools off too much.

First off, however, I am dyeing like a little mad bunny these days for the Waterloo County Knitters Fair, next Saturday, Sept.12th.

Hope to see you there!  Sure to be a wonderful time.  I always look forward to it.

Tags: finished, oceanwind knits, roving, spinning, wool, yarn

Just a few new things posted to Oceanwind Knits today.  More soon!

Check out what’s new.

Tags: dyeing, lace, oceanwind knits, wool, yarn