Fiber Rituals - Art Book 5/14

I finished this book in late September for an Art Books Cleveland exhibition.  The exhibition just ended, and I was finally able to take photos of the book.  The theme of the exhibition was rituals.  I thought about it for months, came up with several ideas, but never actually started anything... I kept getting distracted by spinning wool and dyeing yarn.  That is when I realized that my book should be about the rituals involved with fiber- the things I had become obsessed about this summer!

I came up with seven different rituals associated with wool, and illustrated each one of them.  Scouring, mordanting, dyeing, carding, spinning, plying, and knitting.  The whole book is only about 4 inches tall.

To make the cover, I dyed strips of kozo paper with leftover plant dyes.  Then I spun the paper into thread using a drop spindle, and knit it into a rectangle.  It was my first time spinning paper and using it for a book.  It is a little tricky to get a nice thread without breaking or tearing the paper.  Compared to spinning wool, it is almost easier because you don't need to worry about drafting the fibers, you just need to give the paper twist.

I know I am way behind on my 14 Art Books for 2014.  It has been an interesting year to say the least, with several big changes in my life.  I have two unfinished art books sitting in my studio, and the ideas/materials for at least three more...  Time to get back in my studio and do this!

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: February

I've been done with this project for a while, but was waiting to get the January yarn club finished and posted first.  The Paradise Fibers Yarn Club for February was a skein of Mountain Colors Merino Ribbon in the colorway Harmony Aspen.  The colors in this one are absolutely gorgeous!  It is a really subtle blend of tan, blue, and green.  Also, remember how I said there was only one of the Mountain Colors novelty yarns I would consider using again?  This yarn was it, and it is much nicer to work with on its own (away from the weird fuzzy yarns.)

I decided to make a little shrug for spring and summer.  I found an easy pattern on Ravelry from the book One-Skein Wonders that was perfect.  It worked up fairly quickly and didn't have any seaming or grafting.  I added several rows beyond what was called for in the pattern (or else it would have been super short.)  This is the kind of pattern that can be extended until you run out of yarn.

Overall, I enjoyed working with the Merino Ribbon yarn.  The color was perfect and it made a nice light fabric.  I would probably buy this yarn again for a summer sweater, or other warm weather knitting.

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: January

I have been participating in the Paradise Fibers yarn club since last summer.  The yarn for January was Mountain Colors Twizzle in the color Evening Star.  It is a lovely worsted weight Merino wool with a strand of silk plied in.  The silk adds a lovely pop of color to the yarn.  Evening Star is a black and purple base with orange and blue accents.

Since black and purple are my cousin's favorite colors, I decided to make a triangular scarf for her as a birthday gift.  I used the Ashton Shawlette pattern that I made for myself in the fall.  Unfortunately I didn't check the yardage before I started, so I ran out of yarn less than a week before the project deadline!  So I ordered a second skein and finished it later.

I had to keep setting this project aside for other things (like yarn club projects for February and March, and both of my big ice skating competitions this year...) but I finally finished the shawl over the weekend and got it blocked.  Now that this is done, I can post about the other yarn club projects I finished in the meantime!

Knit Colorwork Socks

Earlier this month I finished knitting the colorwork project I started last year.  I know it seems like a really long time to spend on a pair of socks... But I finished the first sock and started the second one right before summer hit.  The whole project got set aside in my "works in progress" basket by the couch, and it just took me a while to get back to it.

The pattern is called Christmas Sock in Fabel by Drops Design.  I started the project on a whim to have something to work on during a Valentine's craft show, and also because I had new yarn I really, really wanted to use.  I combined a teal "main color" with a blue/orange/red "contrasting color" instead of the traditional red and white or other solid color combination.  I wanted to experiment using a self-striping yarn and a solid for colorwork, and I'm definitely pleased with the results.

The finished socks are warm and squishy, but still thin enough to fit inside a pair of boots or shoes.  But somehow, I managed to make the second sock slightly larger than the first...?  Oh well, that's what I get for waiting a year between socks.  On to my next project!

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: December

The Paradise Fibers yarn club project for the month of December was a scarf kit with 5 one-ounce skeins of natural fiber novelty yarns.  The yarns in the kit were: Merino Ribbon (a flat open ribbon), Wooly Feathers (sort of hairy like fun fur), Missoula (a springy textured yarn), Mohair Loop (a curly yarn), and Mohair.  All the yarns were in the red/magenta color family with a few touches of purple.

Honestly, this is the first month of yarn club that left me unhappy with the yarn choice.  I hate novelty yarns, and the colors this month are my least favorite.  The project was a chunky scarf that basically alternated rows of all the different novelty yarns.  I knit the entire scarf in one day while the city was shut down during the first "polar vortex".  It was something like 13 degrees below zero, before windchill... So knitting was the perfect distraction.  Out of all five yarns, the only two I would consider buying again are Merino Ribbon and Missoula.  They are the least weird out of the bunch.

Like I said, this is my least favorite yarn so far... And I mostly knit the scarf to get my $10 in store credit.  I'm hoping to find a friend, family member, coworker, (or even a random stranger) that loves red and can rock this scarf.  It is not really my style, but I know somebody out there would absolutely love it.  Leave a comment if that somebody is you!  (Seriously, I'll send you the scarf.)  Edit 3/4/14- I found an owner for the scarf!  My good friend Fenna from The Honest Badger.  Hopefully I can get a picture of her wearing the scarf to post here.

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: November

I realize this post is way overdue, but I finally finished my yarn club project for the month of November.  The deadline for the project was the night before my last holiday craft show.  Between creating inventory for shows and making Christmas presents, this project just didn't get done in time.  The yarn for November was River Twist by Mountain Colors in the colorway Rock Creek.  It is a lovely 100% merino that is plied with two strands that change colors.  Rock Creek is a blend of dark gray, blue, green, and purple.  It almost looks black at first glance, then you notice all the muted colors.

The project for the month was a hat with cables called Intersections Break.  I like working with cables and the pattern was easy to follow.  The only thing I didn't like about the pattern was how they figured out the sizes.  My gauge was correct, so the circumference of the hat was fine, but the number of cables for the "small" hat wouldn't have even covered my ears.  I realized this after starting the decrease rows on the evening of the project deadline.  After ripping back a few rows it became clear that I wasn't going to finish 2 more cable repeats and the decrease that evening so I set the project aside.

In the meantime I finished knitting my Echo Lodge sweater and picked up again on my colorwork socks from last year.  I also finished the yarn club project for December, which will be posted soon!  This hat ended up being a Valentine's gift for my guy.  Overall, I like the River Twist yarn and would probably order it again for another project.

Echo Lodge Sweater

One of my big knitting projects this fall/winter was to knit a sweater.  I had bought a lovely, chunky, baby alpaca yarn over a year ago with the intention of making a sweater... and I didn't get around to it before the weather got warm.  In October I found a great pattern book of sweaters called Tundra: Elements.  The author describes the book as a choose-your-own adventure book, but for knitting sweaters!  There is a basic raglan sweater pattern, and then each pattern has a special element that can be mixed and matched to make a custom sweater (collar options, stripes, v-neck, etc.)

The sweater I chose is called Echo Lodge.  I made it with blue and blue/green stripes on the body, gray sleeves, and a blue/green button placket.  From start to finish it took me three months to finish.  Based on the rate I normally complete projects, this was excellent!  Especially considering I knit this in between my yarn club projects, making Christmas gifts, and having four holiday craft shows.

I'm very pleased with how the sweater came out.  It is really soft, and nice and warm for winter.  However, it is super fuzzy... and I end up shedding on things while I'm wearing it!  I'm hoping that will go away once I wash (or soak) the sweater once.  I kinda skipped that step in the instructions because I wanted to wear it right away.  *Side note: while I was knitting, this sweater was the cat's absolute favorite!  So I included a picture of Frankie enjoying the sweater too.

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: October

I finished the October yarn club project way back before Thanksgiving.  However, it was a Christmas present for my sister-in-law so I didn't want to post about it and ruin the surprise.  Now that Christmas is over, I can post about it all I want!

The project for the month was a boot-toppers kit using three colors of 4/8's Wool in "Just One Ounce" skeins.  Since neither of us wear boots, I decided to make a Reindeer Headband project from the Norwegian Handknits book I've had an eye on since last year.  It was a quick little colorwork project, and my sister-in-law loves it!

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: September

I am woefully behind on posting about my monthly yarn club projects.  For the month of September the yarn was Mountain Colors Crazyfoot in the color Poppy Trail.  The yarn is a fingering weight Merino with a little bit of nylon.  The color was a blend of orange, pink, red, and green- great fall colors!  (It was still actually fall when I was received the yarn and started knitting...)

The suggested project for the month was a pair of socks.  Since I had done a pair of socks last month, I decided to make a lace shawl/scarf.  I chose the Ashton Shawlette because of the pointy scallops on the edges.

The pattern was easy to follow and worked up pretty quickly.  I managed to finish knitting within minutes of the October 20th deadline.  And then it sat unblocked in my room for over a month... oops!

Last week I used my Paradise Fibers store credit to get a set of foam blocking mats.  They are squares that fit together in different shapes, and then you can pin items to them for blocking.  I finally blocked the shawl and it looks great!  I'm always amazed at how much bigger a project like this turns out after blocking.

And here's a bonus photo of Frankie helping me with my knitting!

Baby Sweater and Gloves

A friend in my art books group recently had a baby.  While she was pregnant we had a conversation about crafts and she mentioned that it would be great to be able to knit and make things for the baby.  I chimed in with something along the lines of "I love knitting baby things!  I wish I knew more pregnant people so I could make more baby things!"

So I pulled out my knitting needles and whipped up a couple adorable baby things.  First was a sweet little baby sweater.  I used the Baby Boy 5 Hour Sweater pattern on Ravelry.  It was an easy pattern, but it did take longer than 5 hours... (Mostly because of interruptions and figuring out a pattern for the first time.  It took less than 2 weeks which is quick for me.)

The second thing I made was a pair of teeny tiny boxing gloves for the baby.  (Link to the pattern here.)  My friend named her baby Sylvester because of the Rocky movies, so I thought a pair of boxing gloves would be fitting.  I was finally able to deliver the baby things over the weekend, and it looks like the little guy loves them! 

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: August

This month's yarn club package had a skein of Mountain Colors Bearfoot sock yarn in Lilac.  It is a lovely blend of superwash wool, mohair, and nylon in a blend of navy blue, purple, and blue-green.  The pattern that came with the package was for a pair of fingerless gloves.  I discovered that the pattern is just a "suggested pattern" and as long as I use about the same amount of yardage, I can make whatever I want and still get the $10 store credit!

Since I just finished a nice pair of fingerless gloves earlier in the year (and the pattern provided had eratta and a few sizing issues) I opted to make a pair of socks instead.  I wear warm socks all winter long at work, so it would be nice to have a third pair of basic handmade socks.  I used my favorite sock pattern from the book "How to Knit Socks: Three Methods Made Easy."

This month I was slowed down by a trip out of town, two craft shows, and a massive ear infection.  I was also working on a few baby items for a friend of mine that is due very soon.  (More on those projects later.)  I found myself five days out from this month's deadline with only a half inch started on the second sock!  So I knit furiously on my day off and after work every day that week... And somehow managed to get it done!  I think that is the fastest I have ever knit a pair of socks.  (Huge thanks to my boyfriend for not minding that our "date night" was watching episodes of Community on Hulu while I finished knitting the second sock...)

So far having a deadline has really helped me finish the projects I'm starting.  Next month's box has already arrived and I started knitting a lace shawl over the weekend.  I've also got a plan for my store credit: get another skein or two of Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky and make the sweater I wanted to make last year.

Paradise Fibers Yarn Club: July

Last month I signed up for a year long yarn club through the yarn store Paradise Fibers.  Joining the yarn club means that every month Paradise Fibers will send me a mystery package with pretty new yarn and a knitting pattern.  As part of the deal, if I finish the project within a month and post it on Ravelry then I get $10 in store credit!

The first month of the club included a skein of Monarch by Mountain Colors in the color Harmony Aspen, and a pattern for a faux cabled mobius cowl.  I was SO excited to get the box in the mail and get started.  To make things even better, the yarn happened to be in my favorite colors.

It took me about 3 weeks to finish the project.  I had a lot of other things going on last month, so my knitting time was fairly limited.  The box for August should be arriving sometime this week!  I'll be sure to post about next month's project once it gets here.

Current Knitting Projects

I have never been good at sticking to one project at a time.  So, here is an update an all FOUR knitting projects I'm currently working on.

First up is a pair of fingerless gloves.  The first one is nearly completed (still needs a thumb) and the second one is more than halfway done.  I started these right after Thanksgiving with the intention of giving them as a gift.  They ended up too small for the recipient, so I put the pair on hold and went full-speed on a bigger pair (blogged about here.)  I am hoping to finish these by mid-March so I can still wear them this season.

Next, I have the beginnings of a pair of colorwork socks.  This is one of those projects that I started because I had new yarn that I really, really wanted to use right away.  The blue yarn was a Christmas gift, and the self-striping yarn was a purchase from Black Friday shopping.  I thought the colors worked well together and had been thinking about doing a colorwork project using the two yarns together.  I started these before a day-long craft show to give me something to do.  I was worried the gloves wouldn't last for a 12 hour day of knitting.  I have no specific timeline for finishing these, it is just a relaxing (yet not boring) project to work on in the evenings.

My third work-in-progress is a wallet sized version on my Norwegian Knapsack.  My sister-in-law loved my Norwegian bag and wanted one too.  We decided that a clutch/wallet size would be more manageable than the one I made for myself.  It required a little bit of math to get the size right, but is moving along quickly.  In less than a week I have half the knitting completed.  The next big challenge will be adding a zipper to the top.  This project should be wrapped up in the next two weeks.  Out of the four, this is my top priority.

The fourth project I'm working on is just in the beginning stages.  I saw this pattern online a week ago and I keep coming back to it.  It is a thick shawl made with big chunky yarn.  I never got around to knitting myself a sweater this winter (and at this rate it is not happening), so I figured the shawl would be a good alternative.  I am going to use up my stash of leftover yarn from making hats and cowls.  Reds, blues, greens, purples... This shawl will be all the colors.

So that's what's up in the world of knitting right now.  I also have a lot going on in the worlds of sewing and bookbinding... But that can wait for a different post.

Norwegian Knapsack

 Before I tell you about this project, I want to say that I am SUPER proud of myself for making something so AWESOME.  And I did it in only a month!  I think the fact that I finished it in a month is probably the most impressive part, at least for me.

Anyway, I made myself the Norwegian Knapsack from the book Norwegian Handknits.  I bought the book a year ago and hadn't had a chance to make any of the patterns yet.  This was my second project using stranded color work and I really enjoyed it (the first project was the pair of fingerless gloves I made in December.)  I love the bag but... the pattern published in the book was not edited very well.  I found numerous errors in the pattern wording and the main chart, neither of which were addressed in the published erratta.  Also, the pictures in the book of the knapsack (including the one on the front cover!) differ slightly from the published chart.  However, once you set up the repeating charts, it is fairly easy to get into a rhythm, and figure out the stitches without paying attention to the pattern.

Despite the difficulties I had deciphering the pattern, the actual knitting and assembling of the bag went very smoothly.  I opted to add the extra finishing steps of lining the bag with black wool, adding embroidery to the front of the bag, and making a zipper strap for a separating handle.

Knit Fingerless Gloves

I know I have been neglecting to post updates here for several months, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! I have been spending time finishing old projects and making new cards and books for craft shows and exhibitions.

The finished gloves!

These fingerless gloves are a Christmas present I made for my sister in law. I made them using the Lusekoftesque pattern on Ravelry. The yarn is called Road To China Light and is a wonderful blend of cashmere, silk, baby alpaca, and camel. Seriously, this yarn is ridiculously soft.

What the inside looks like.

This was my first colorwork project, and I am very happy with how it turned out. Honestly it was a lot easier than I was expecting, it is just a matter of paying attention to your chart and watching the tension on the yarn as you carry it over behind your work.

Detail of the colorwork.

The only problem I had was with the size. I followed the gauge but it ended up being too small for my sister in law's hands. Luckily it is going to be the perfect size for me! So now that Christmas is done I can finish the second glove for myself.

Look, they fit!  Hooray!