Crafty Nurse Mary

I've moved!

2012-01-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

I've moved...

http://marysbitchnstitchn.blogspot.com/

Thank you!
Mary

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2011-05-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of pics of FOs!

2011-03-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

OOOOOooo! In response to my blog post about not having a pic of the finished fingerless gloves, DD Amy took a pic of hers! The flash washed out the colors a bit, but they are made with fingering weight handspun wool and soymilk batts a friend sent for a swap. The colors are grey/blue with a touch of pink. The pattern was super simple. I cast on 36 stitches on size 4 dbl points. The rolled hem is plain knit for 10 rows, then I switched to a 3x3 ribbing for 40 rows. The thumb is knit by breaking the round for 15 rows, then rejoining the circle for the remaining 20 rows. Bind off in EZ's sewn bindoff. Easy Peasy and great for the mild Texas winters. DD doesn't like her fingers covered and the fingerless mitts working out perfect for her!

This would be Angie in her Off to the Races Scarf. She really loves it! I have more matching handspun to make her a matching pair of fingerless gloves!

Next time, pics of a reorganized craft room and my new toys... 2 Brother Knitting Machines. I won't promise, but maybe some machine knit goodies too!

MIA-Missing in Action!

2011-03-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry, sorry. I have no excuse except the changes in life. Let's face it. I'm 50, and as the hormones fade, the depression sets in. I've had a nice visit to the doc, got put on Lexapro, blood pressure meds and am starting to feel like my old self again. So I'll be posting again soon!

I have lots to share! I've reorganized my craft room and now have two new knitting machines! A Brother KH 260 and a Brother KH 940. I can do both bulky yarns and fine. The best of both worlds. The 940 is computerized and and the 260 is punch card. The kind lady who sold me the machines threw in large sums of coned yarn, books, videos and machine knitting magazines. It was such a large haul that I had to rearrange everything to accomandate it all and I'm still not done. I've been reading the manuals, did a bit of swatching, and am fixing to start my first machine knit project! A shawl for starters. I want to do sweaters eventually. It never gets really cold enough in Central Texas for a heavy coat, but a heavy sweater is just right. My personel goals are to make some nice sweater coats for me and mine. Especially Addy. I envision her in a princess style sweater coat complete with large oversized hood and cinch in back. It will have to be pink. She just doesn't care for any other color. If it's pink, it's a hit with her.

I won't be giving up on hand knitting though. Especially for a portable project. I have actually complete some fingerless gloves for the DDs, but they got away prior to my taking a pic. As soon as I can manage, I will catch them to take a pic. They were a very simple ribbed pattern, but I think they are adorable. Why I didn't make myself a pair? Now that it's warm, I won't need them, but I plan to make some for myself to put up for next winter.

The only pic I have right now is a pic of my new dog, Babette. My poodle. She is an apricot, but my DD dyed her pink with food coloring! Now I have to wait for it to fade, it won't wash out! She's still awefully cute! She is just the most loving pup and we adore her!

More FO's!!!

2010-10-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

First up is the Horeshoe Cap that was in Spin Off Magazine. Summer 2010. I had the Shetland Yarn in fingering weight all wound up in a nice little cake, and wondered what I should do with it. The yarn for the Horseshoe Cap leans more to a worsted weight, but I thought I'd give it a try. The ribbing is done on US 5 Dbl points, and the rest on US 7 Dbl points. I think it came out cute!

Then there is the Off to the Races scarf I did for the Fancy Kitty KAL on Ravelry. Here it is, all blocked out and ready for Christmas! I wound up doing 28 repeats with yarn to spare. It looks worn, but I won't get a pic of the owner wearing it until Christmas!

That's all I have for now! I have a couple of projects that are nearly finished though. More about those later!

Dearest Averie...

2010-10-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Dearest Averie,
I'm missing you tonight. Your little face isn't here to brighten my day. My arms are empty, and those bright blue eyes aren't looking up at me with their little sheepish smile. I still see you everywhere...pulling up on the couch, bouncing on the floor over a new discovery, and your eyes brightening up when your Momma smiles at you. Your momma once told me, " Ma...isn't he the most beautiful baby ever? Can you believe I had this incredible, gorgeous baby?". And she was just the proudest Mommie ever. It's hard, son, hard to find words to comfort her and console her. She misses you just so much. We all do. I'm trying really hard to be strong for her. I cry for you in the dark, when no one is around.

Huggies, baby boy! Your not forgotton, not unloved. I say your name everyday and pray the Lord kisses you for me everynight. I love you forever Averie!

Nana

Off to the Races Scarf swatch.

2010-09-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

A brief update...I swatched for the Off to the Races Scarf. The yarn came out DK weight, so I dropped from the recommended needle size of 15 for the Bulky weight to size 11. The stitches were too big, and I lost a lot of definition. So I ripped out and reknit in size 10. Much better. Because of the multicolored yarn, I'm still losing stitch definition, but I think when I block it, at least the YOs will show up better, and it'll still be pretty.

And Addy wanted to say,"Hi!". Isn't she a doll!!!

FO....Socks are KOd

2010-09-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Umhmmm! I did it!! Completed a pair of socks for Aiden before he could outgrow them!!! See!

Socks, glorious Socks!!! Ok, I admit I went over the 2 week self imposed deadline, but hey...they're done! I love the sockyarn I got from Baywood Yarns too. It's a handpainted Merino in the colorway Mallard. Lovely stuff, I have enough left for Aiden a couple more pairs. The pattern is Mash-Up Magic Toe-Up Socks by Zhenya Lavy. Just google MUMTU Socks for the free pattern. I love it because it's a customizable recipe to make the socks any size you need. The instructions are easy to follow and the only variation I made was to use Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. ( You can google that too!)

Then I spun up the Black Cheviot batts I made too. I 2 ply'd it with a single of recycle sari silk for this...

180 yards of DK weight yarn. Honestly, I was trying to spin up a bulky weight yarn, sigh. But I'm going to make it work for a Off to the Races Scarf pattern by my friend, Patricia Bishop. You can get the pattern here... http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/off-to-the-races-scarf We're doing a KAL on the Fancy Kitty lovers group on Ravelry. I can't wait to post a pic when I'm done!

WWSIP Day

2010-09-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today is World Wide Spin In Public Day!!! YIPEE!!! I did my part, I met Jerry, Barbara, and the girls. We spun in Borders in Arlington, Texas!!! I didn't take pics...sigh...no. Forgot the camera! I really hate that. So you'll have to forgive a short little blog with no pics. Mr.Aiden went with me. He was such a good boy the whole time! He has a new Leapster 2 with Thomas the Train and was busy with it. Meanwhile, Nana is busy spinning this batt up...

Cheviot, dyed black with silk thrums, black firestar, and irridescent blue angelina. The pic doesn't do it justice at all, you just can't capture angelina and firestar very well, and the flash washes out the black color.
I plan to make a bulky weight yarn to do a Off to the Races scarf pattern by my friend Patricia Bishop. We're doing a knit a long in the Fancy Kitty Lover's group on Ravelry. I plan to ply the black singles with mutlicolored recycled sari silk. It should be yummy! I've been spinning on my Hitch Hiker wheel, and I really love the little wheel. I just haul it everywhere!

I got a new book, 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats by Annie Modesitt. The book features pics of 1000 hats, and the patterns of the top 10 hats judged. It's insipiring and gives you a lot of ideas. I found about 20 hats so far that are on my must do list!

I am making good progress on Aiden's socks. I'm in the middle of turning the heel and plan to finish the heel before work tomorrow. (I'm really pushing that 2 week challenge, huh?)

Standing up and being strong...Life goes on.

2010-08-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes standing back up after life knocks you down isn't easy. I don't think anything has ever hurt so bad as losing Averie. His death was hard for me to understand. He was strong and healthy. He went to sleep, and he just didn't wake up. There's no one to fault, no one to blame. It was SIDS. For whatever reason the Lord decided to take my angel home, I have accepted the Lord's will. We are all standing strong now, and focusing on remembering Averie, and never letting his memory die. Angela has taken to scrapbooking, and thanks to her friends at the whattoexpect group, who have gifted her supplies, she has enough to keep her busy for a while. Me? I've just been spinning and knitting. I'm think I'm finally strong enough to start Averie's memory quilt.

Averie's passing has shown us there is still a lot of good folks out there, full of love and kindness that knows no bounderies. Some of my friend's on Ravelry sent me a Mary's Hugs blanket that they all spun and knit. It's beautiful and cherished by both me and Angela.

A very special thanks to Beth, Rav ID Bluemtnhandcrafts , for organizing and sewing all the blocks together. It was so thoughtful, and kind of you!
Thanks to all the contributers to the blankie...
Beth aka Bluemtnhandcrafts, Lydia aka Dakotarose, Monica aka Monica48, Aimee aka zookeeper74 and her sister Lauren, Carla aka Carlacritt, Channon aka chanknits, Candy aka Icandyarn, Diane aka DDKA, Paula aka Piglette, Jessica aka naturallyknitty, Donna aka TuttleDB, Linda aka Pacadoodle, Anita aka yarndemon, and Lori aka blushingewe.
LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! XXXXOOOO

I have finished some spinning....

Here's 236 yards of 2 ply fingering weight wool/milk fiber blend spun from a batt I got in a swap from Lori. I love her batts! She has an etsy shop, BlushingEwe.

Then there's the shetland my friend Monica sent me. 150 yards 2 ply lace weight. I have some more shetland I plan to spin to go with it. I want to knit a smoke ring with it.

Finally....LOOK!!! My first sock!!! (Now I just need to finish the other!). It's a toe up pattern and it fits Aidan perfectly! My personal goal is to finish 2nd sock in 2 weeks, and post a pic with Aidan in said socks! If not, ya'll can call me on it!

Dear God...

2010-07-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Dear God,
In this trying time I thank you for many things. First of all Lord, I thank you for all the people that you've sent into our lives to support us with kind words, thoughts, and prayers to sooth the pain. I also am thankful for all the food you sent, and not having to cook for few days really helped me out. I also thank you for sending kind people to help pay for Averie's funeral and the kind folks at the funeral parlor that allowed me to make payment arrangements so I could make sure the boy was taken care of in a way that was kind to the parents.
I also thankyou for opportunity to meet Averie's other family and for the opportunity to meet his great great grandfather.

Most of all, I thank you for allowing me to be Averie's Nana for a short time. I really enjoyed playing with him, and cuddling him. He made me so very happy while he was here and I'll never ever forget the little angel. I'll be glad when I get to see him again. I'm ready for more of his little hugs and sloppy kisses. I also thank you for giving Angela the strength you have and I see now that Averie is still touching her life even through death.

I'm sorry I got mad at you Lord. It just really hurt when you took him home. I wasn't expecting it, and was looking forward to him running after the other grandkids and chasing after them all. There were so many things I looked forward to doing with him. I wanted to teach him to fly a kite, go fishing, toss ball with him. I know I am still blessed with two others, but forgive my selfishness...I really love having the little guy around. I was already to make him and Aidan matching hats for this winter, and planning on having them some matching jackets as well. Now I'm going to have to console myself by making a quilt for Angela with his little clothes. I'd really appreciate it, if you'd give me the strength to do this and help me to get it finished.

I guess that's all I had to say to you for now. Give the boy a big hug for me, and kiss his little cheeks. Tell him that Nana loves him, and his cousins miss him. His momma and daddy are being strong for him, and his aunties are too. I hope he's having a good time up in heaven with his grandpa Darnell, and papaw Lonnie. Look down on us from time to time, and let us know with a kiss.

In Loving Memory of Averie Joseph Tomah

2010-07-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

No words can describe the grief I feel. The Lord took my beautiful boy home today. I'll never forget you Averie...the cute little bubble you blew on my shoulder, the toothless grin that made me so happy. A big peice of my heart is gone and I miss you already. I love you Averie, forever and a day!

Splatter Batts and Alpaca!

2010-06-28T10:36:00.001-07:00

The idea struck me one day...if you can hand paint roving, why not batts? So I started by presoaking a batt and gently draining it in a strainer. I rolled it out on a cookie sheet covered with saran wrap.

I then took some syringes filled with dye mixed with some vinegar, and splattered the batt. (I was a bit heavy handed with the dye. Next time I'll be more sparing.)

I then rolled up my batts and steam baked them at 170 degrees for around an hour.

Then I rolled out the batts, and let them dry. Waaa Lah! Splatter batts! Love them! They remind me of tyedye. Next time I will not roll them up, it disarranges the splatters. I'll just leave them out flat on the cookie sheet. Need to pick up some more cookie sheets at Goodwill!

Next up is the absolutely yummy Cria Fleece I got from Linda at www.bluemoonranch.net . It's buttery soft and Linda is a doll to work with!

Look how gorgeous this fleece is and how crimpy! I'm going to enjoy spinning this up for sure!

Here's a lock all combed out, pretty nice staple length too! I loved the way Linda packed this fleece. It was rolled up in a big sheet of plastic, so you could unroll it and it maintained it's structure. It's easier to work with this way.

Ok...I have more to post yet! Stay tuned!

My New Hitch Hiker Wheel is Here!

2010-06-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

Isn't she just the cutest thing ever!!!! My new Hitch Hiker Spinning Wheel from Beth at
www.bluemountainhandcrafts.com . As you can see, I wasted no time testing her out. I admit it took a bit of getting used to the heel/toe treadling, as well as going from a double treadle back to a single treadle, but it was a minor adjustment. It's not a bad spin at all, and at 9lbs, I can haul it all over the place. I've spun at Denny's yesterday while waiting for breakfast. ( The kids think I'm nuts...I am!) Now how to best decorate my little wheel....paint? Woodburning? Both?
Koi fish? Cherry blossoms? Maneki Neko???? I'm still undecided!

Batts!!! Count them! Eight yummy batts from my Corriendale all ready to spin into some yummy yarn! (And another pound to go! Man, a whole fleece is a lot of wool!!!) This is the wool I ran through my picker. I've discovered that you can't get smooth batts with a picker. It's opens up the locks, but doesn't remove second cuts that cause the nepps. The batts are neppy, but that's okay. Never underestimate an neppy batt. It can make some really nice textured yarn. The Fancy Kitty Drumcarder has been working overtime. As you can see from the next pic!

Shetland! My friend Monica sent me some yummy Shetland after I made the comment I'd always wanted to try some. Elizabeth Zimmerman was always going on about the virtues of Shetland. I used my hand combs on the locks to get smooth batts. (No nepps!) Hand combs remove the second cuts, as well as VM. (We've talked about this in other posts.) Below is the pile of combed shetland ready to run through the Kitty Drumcarder. Yummy stuff!

I wasn't able to take pics of the other batts I've made, but they're coming up next when I can take pics during the day. (The flash just makes it impossible to get the right color.) Stay tuned!

New Stuff to Come!

2010-06-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Once again it's been awhile since I've blogged! I've got so many things to take pics of, just need some time off to do it! We're learning a new charting system at work and it's a brain fryer for sure!
On the fiber front, I have new tools to take pics of. First, Beth hooked me up with one of Eric's blending hackles. It is absolutley awesome and I'll be taking pics of it with some fiber I blended on it and pulled off into roving. It's just as nice as the hand combs Eric made, he really does an outstanding job of making these tools.

I've finally got a picker too. It's a Lil' Dynamo Picker. It does alright, but I'm afraid it's like my first set of handcombs. The points are just space too far apart to do a really good job and it takes several times to separate the locks on the fleece. It doesn't do a very good job at all on fine fleece like rambouillet. I'm thinking of adding more points to see if it'll help.

Then I have a cute little wheel coming in. It's a Hitch Hiker from Merlin Tree. Beth became a dealor and I ordered one. I have been wanting a little wheel that would be portable enough to take to outtings at the mall. I can't wait to spin on it!

I have some alpaca coming in . One is Cria, and I'm very excited! Both are gold tone like Vicuna. Very pretty! I also have been washing some Cheviot a friend gifted me with. I meet Barbara at the little spinners/knitters group I go to from time to time. She gave me two whole fleece! Then my Rav friend Monica gave me some Shetland! (I've been wanting to try shetland for a long time. Elizabeth Zimmerman is always going on about shetland!)

So there you have it! I've got batts I've made up to show and Addi's leggings are almost done. I promised to take pics and have a better blog next time!

Hand Knit Hand Spun!

2010-05-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to using some of my hard earned handspun yarn! First up is Averie's Hat. The grey yarn is a angora/corriendale blend for ultimate softness. The accent colors are california red in baby blue and purple. The red is some handdyed SSS fibers. All were Navajo plied in fingering weight. The pattern is from Knit Hats! by Gwen Steege, in the Color Me Bright pattern. The only changes made in the pattern is using size 6 circs instead of the size 10, to compensate for the fingering wt yarn and finished size.

It was my first color change project and I can knit both continental and throw, I was able to knit with 2 yarns at the same time. It went easier than I thought it would and it was a fun pattern. I really love the icord dangles on the hat! Averie does too...it gives him something to grab as he's pulling off the hat! Leave it to me to knit a hat with the hot summer months approaching! But I did make it big enough to allow for growing and hopefully when it's cold, it'll still fit! Isn't he a sweetie! This is one cuddly baby!

Next up is Addi's leggins. I had recieved a gorgeous batt in a swap from my friend Beth. I spun it into some nice fingering weight, Navajo plied.(I really love Navajo plying...it hides a multitude of sin in those 3 plies!) I couldn't find the pattern I wanted, so I made up one. It's a simple fan pattern with simple repeats.

Addi's Leggins

On size 6 DP, I cast on 42 stitches and spread on 3 needles with 14 stitches each. Join. I did a simply K2,P2 ribbing stitch for 1 inch. Problem is, you wind up with the 2 K2 at the beginning and end with K2 at the end, so you have 4 knit stitches together. I couldn't figure out a fix, and it really doesn't show unless you want to nitpic. Anyway, the pattern is as follows:

Row 1- K1 , (Sl1, K1,PSSO,K9,K2tog) x 3. 12 stitches on each needle.

Row 2-Purl

Row 3- K1, (Sl1, K1,PSSO,K7,K2tog) x 3. 10 stitches on each needle.

Row 4- Purl

Row 5- K1, Sl1,K1,PSSO,YO, (K1,YO)x5, K2tog. 14 stitches on each needle.

Row 6- Knit.

Repeat rows 1-6 10 times or until you reach the desired length.

Complete another inch of K2,P2 ribbing and bind off loosely.

There you go! My first original pattern. Addi doesn't care for the leggins unfortuately. (Think it's because...Gee Nana! It's hot outside???) She's more impressed with Nana's yarn balls!

But I HAVE been productive!!!!

2010-04-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been a while...but I have been productive! Do you remember my post about the hand combs? I had wished the tines were spaced closer together? Well, wish granted! My friend Beth at
www.etsy.com/shop/bluemtnhandcraft.com has a talented husband,Eric, that makes these perfect hand combs! They are ergonomic, light, and the stainless steel tines are spaced just the perfect distance to make combing the most vmish fiber a snap! It whups the vm right out of your fleece and I just couldn't be happier!I think they're beautiful too!

This is some Rambouillet fleece I just got in. The fiber is very fine and full of vm! The worst I've dealt with yet! But the fiber is soooooo soft, and I really love it! I want to save this fleece!

After a couple of passess on my new hand combs, just see the difference! Now this fiber is spinable, blendable and yummy! The finely spaced tines separate the locks better and allow all the nasty vm to fall out. (Good thing too...I have 6 lbs of this fleece!)

I know it's hard to tell from this pic, but consider all this fiber is covering the foot of my twin bed! All this fiber is processed with Eric's handcombs and is ready for spinning! We have the corriendale, montedale, targhee merino, and then some blends of targhee merino/yak/angora, and corriendale/angora that I carded into rollrags. Yeah, it's alot, and there was a lot more too! I didn't feel like dragging it all out. Isn't it amazing what you can get done watching TV or watching the grandkids outside!

Oh, but that's not all! The montadale I was spinninng on my new wheel....here she is! 200 yards of worsted fingering weight navajo plied sock yarn! It's really sproingy too. (Yeah, I have a few pounds of that too! I forsee a lot of sock yarn in my future!)

This next yarn I spun from the batt Beth sent me on a swap. 150 yards of worsted finger weight navajo plied yarn that will definitely be some leggings for Ms Addi! Yummy! It really sparkles!

Right now I have been spinning on some merino lamb/angora mixed roving I bought at a spinning shop. I love the little nubs and it's going to ply into some really tweedy yarn!

And finally, just to let ya'll know I really do knit...my Trendsetter Felted Clogs are almost done! I can't wait to felt these in the washer! Just have to finish the bottom of one clog.

And there you have it! See....I was being productive all along!

Symphony Spinning Wheel

2010-02-19T03:50:00.000-08:00

Let me show off my grandkids first! First up is Averie looking cute in his Tiger hat and mittens.

Then there is Mr.Aiden looking dashing in his jaunty Hat! (See how he poses!)

Then there is Ms.Addi in her fairy outfit... I do believe in Fairies, I do, I do! With cute toes!

Then there is Bessie...My new Kromski Symphony spinning wheel! Isn't she just grand! Ahhhh, double drive! I love it! The pull in is so gentle, and it's spins so fast that I was able to mange....

thread weight singles. LOOK at this....finer than frog hair! Yes, that's the Montadale fleece I just got in. I have 2 fleeces washed up now, and 2 to go. This is spun up from some hand carded rollrags I sat and made during the snow storm we were hit with last week. I plan to finish up this bobbin and navajo ply it. I have some merino/angora that I'd bought with the intentions of breaking in this wheel, and I'm itching to get 'er done! The angora/merino is the ultimate in soft!

I was turned onto some cream colored alpaca too. I'm thinking of doing a mobius scarf with both.

I can't wait!

Lagging Behind!

2010-02-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, Ok...I've been slacking off. I admit it! But seriously...2 toddlers running full blast through your house tends to dampen the creative spirit. I think that they are secretly gremlins or at least part gremlin. I have proof....for the past 2 weeks I've been battling stopped up toilets. One toilet had a sample bottle of shampoo down it. (It took a plumbers snake and plunger to retrieve it...that and a few choice words.) The other toilet....I just don't have a clue. Yeah...I'm going to have to call a plumber out...sigh.

On the brighter note....Look, new Fleece! I went to a spinning group and a new friend turned me onto her fleece source! The White is Columbian, the Chocolate is Montadale, and the grey is Montedale. LOOK....Look really close! NO VM!!! That's right, almost none...it's miniscule.

These were coated fleece and so clean, they only needed one wash and 2 rinses to come totally clean! (Mind you, I've only done up a very small amount...there's almost 20lbs of fleece to go!) Hey...I'm in Heaven! This stuff is extra sproingy and will make the most incredible sock yarn every! Stay tuned!

Your wish is my command!

2010-01-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

Ok Aidan...you wanted a hat and Nana delivered! It's not a fancy hat, but hey...he's a boy! I made him a skull cap. Not really a pattern either. I just cast on 55 stitches, knit 3, purl 2 for 1 1/2 inches, then increased by knitting front to back in every 11th stitch for a total of 60 stitches. I just kept knitting for 5 inches, then started my decrease. Knit 2, knit 2 together. Next row Knit 1, knit 2 together. Then knit 2 together until I had one stitch left, and I wove in my end. Aidan kept me on task by saying,"Nana...where's my hat!" It took me 2 days of knitting off and on to complete. I could have finished it in one day, but I had to work!

A 3 year old speaks his mind.

2009-12-31T20:25:00.000-08:00

I wasn't expecting the conversation this morning that I had with my grandson Aidan. I realize the boy is bright and have been in awe that he has actually memorized some of the songs from his Noggin shows, pretty much word for word. Today was a proud moment for me...he actually pays attention to what I'm doing! Remember the Rainbow Hat for Addy? He was jealous about that hat, and he tries to wear it every chance he gets. We tell him it's a girl's hat, and it's Addy's. I kinda thought it was over the bright colors, and the fact Addy got something and he didn't.

Well, today I learned it goes deeper.

See the copy of Spin Off? This morning he got up and came to sit on my bed where I had just read my magazine. He pointed to the picture and said,"I want that!" I said, "What, you want me to make you some yarn?" He said,"Yes...I want a hat." You know, if he was 4 or 5, I could see him saying something like this. He'll be 3 in a few days. Anyway, I asked him," Are you mad about Addy's hat?" He said,"No,....I just want a hat." "You want me to make you a hat?" He smiled and said,"Please Nana...I want a hat."

Ok, what are you going to do? I went to the stash box and found some yarn I'd already spun up. I showed it to him and said,"I made this yarn...is it ok? " He stroked the yarn, and said,"Yes..I like it." He was all content, smiling and scampered on his way.

It blew my mind! He knew what that spindle was on the cover and knew it was yarn. He knows I make hats with the yarn. Isn't that just clever??? Am I a proud Nana or what? So the variegated blue yarn has been cast on, and I got a few rows done on his hat. He was all smiles when he got to try on the band for sizing. Now Addy is wanting to try on the hat. He told her,"Nooooo, Naddy, that's my hat!" What a smart little boy!! He also potty trained this week too! Hurray!

On the batty side...here's some California Red I carded up and painted with some copper and blue mohair roving. Yep...it's for Aiden some tube socks!

Happy New Years, Ya'll!

Addie's Rainbow Beret

2009-12-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

Remember the Rainbow Batt I made a video of me dizzing off the batt from my Fancy Kitty Kitten drumcarder? That batt spun up sweet. I spun it worsted using a long draw on my Fricke spinning wheel, and came up with this fingering wt, 16 WPI navajo plied yarn. 120 yards. I was able to make long color changes, and the whole time I was spinning, I could just see this yarn as a Beret for baby Addie.
I found the pattern from One Skein Wonders by Judith Durant. I had to modify the pattern to make it toddler sized. I used size 5 circs, and cast on 12 stitches between markers instead of 14. I also knit 8 rows after the increase instead of 12, and knit between the decrease rows for 4 rows before I started decreasing on every row.

Now doesn't Addie look cute in her Rainbow Beret! It came out just like I wanted it too and I'm a happy Nana. Aiden on the other hand is not happy. He thinks this should be his hat and keeps trying to take it. I guess my next project will be a hat for him. I have some more spinning to do!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-11-26T01:19:00.000-08:00

Lord, I give my humble thanks! You've truly been good to me this year in so many ways! I love being a Nana, and I think I love being a Nana better than anything else! I give thanks for my newest, little Averie Joseph Tomah, who arrived November 8, 2009 at 2:41 am weighing in at a whooping 7lbs 2ozs. What a cutie he is!

Then I give thanks for my number 1 grandson, Aiden Joseph Walker. He still knows how to make me smile! Look at what a dashing pirate he made on Halloween, contemplating his loot!

Then there's baby girl Addison Skye Townsend. She's not taking a backseat to these boys! I don't think I've ever seen a cuter fairy! Don't you just want to kiss her little face!Yes, Lord...I give thanks for my little grandbabies. I give thanks for my daughters and thanks that I can enjoy them all! I am truly blessed.

I have spent yesterday making 2 pecan pies, 2 pumpkin pies, a mincement pie, pumkin bread, banana nut bread, 2 dozen rolls, and magic cookie bars. The giblets are on their all night simmer, and in a few hours the turkey will go in the oven. This is Addie's first Thanksgiving and she has been right at my feet all day long sampling the batter, and smiling her big ole toothless smile. She knows Nana is making her something good!

From my family to yours, wishing you a Blessed Thanksgiving!!! (don't eat too much turkey!)

Ugly Batt/Trashcan Batt...

2009-10-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ugly batt, trashcan batt. I've heard of them before. They are batts made out of the scraps, leftovers from carding sessions. Some people sell said batts, so I've been saving scraps in a little bag for a while. Today for the hell of it, I carded them up. I only ran it through twice to avoid making "mud".

I actually like this! Lots of grey with color peeking through! I only had enough for one batt, but it'll make a nice single to ply with a darker grey I think. I wished I'd put a bit more red, but hey...it's just an experiment! Click onto the bottom pic to see a real close up! Kewl, huh?

Fancy Kitty Kitten motorized Drumcarder in action!

2009-10-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

HA! I made a video with lots of help from my DD, Angela, my little techno wiz! I've been wanting to make some rainbow batts for sometime now, and I got some sparkley Firestar in. So it started of with making small 1/2 oz batts of rainbow colors. Firestar is camera shy, but it sure is sparkly! I then took these batts, tore them into 4 strips, and predrafted them really thin to run through the Kitten in strips. Now you can look at the video and see how I used the motorized base to diz the fiber off the drumcarder into beautiful roving, all ready to spin! Yo!u'll hear some clacking noise on the video...it isn't my Kitten drumcarder, it's a grandbaby playing with a toy truck! There's just no escaping them

Batty Spinning!

2009-10-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

I made several batts with my Kitten drum carder with the new motorized base. I really love spinning from batts. I think it's better than spinning with comb top because I can get fluffier yarn and spin long draw with the batts.

I like to take my batts and divide it into 8 peices, then roll them up with the length of the fiber to make rolrags. I can then predraft these a bit and roll them up into little nests, ready to spin. Now this yarn is the batt I carded up from the California Red and bamboo. It's hard for the camera to pick up all the wonderful Angelina in the fiber, but it's so sparkley and the yarn came out so yummy. The yarn was spun on my little Midi wt Bosworth. I got about 100 yards of woolen spun, fingering weight yarn off one spindle full. I Navajo plied for a 3 strand yarn. I'm thinking a pair of fingerless mitts would really be nice.
My spinning wheel has been neglected, so I started a bobbin this morning. I'll try to finish this up today. I dyed some wool and want to do some rainbow batts tomorrow!

Fancy Kitty Kitten Motorized Base Review

2009-09-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

Here she is, all assembled, the Kitten with the motorized base. When Ron first asked me to testdrive it, I said sure...but seriously I didn't think I needed it. After all, the handcrank isn't exactly hard to turn. After trying it out, I don't see how I ever lived without it! Both hands free to add fiber and doffler it down is really nice! The motor is strong and the speeds are adjustable. It goes forward and reverse. Why is that important? Well, I found the adjustable speed was great full blast for carding up fibers, and then slowing it down for adding my precious Angelina. When I was done with my batt, the slow reverse makes removing the batt a breeze...you have both hands free! (It'll go really slow too!) I didn't post a pic, but I tried out pulling the fiber off through a diz to make roving...the drum going slow reverse is really great for this! Anyway, above you see the California Red fleece that I prepped with my new hand combs. Came out nice, huh? It was a lot of work, but I really love the wool. It's kitten soft!I decided I wanted to blend it with some bamboo top I had dyed up for a 75/25 blend. It went really fast with the motorized base attachment. I was really surprised. I was even more surprised to find that batts that came off expanded like crazy! They're the biggest batts I've ever done!

Having both hands free, I was able to concentrate more on adding fiber, and dofflering the batts down, so was able to add more fiber. I didn't have any problems with the motor bogging down either!( I was kind of fearful, but it was unwarranted. Like I said, the motor is really strong.) The color is really off in the pics, and Angelina is camera shy, but I have Angel blue glitzy batts...trust me!

Below you can see some of the batts spun up on my new Bosworth spindle. It's spinning up finer than frog hair! I love spinning from batts! I like to take my batts, split them in fourths, then split the fourths in half. I take that, and roll them into rollrags. Makes for some really nice woolen spun singles. I love squishy yarn! You can see the Angelina a bit in this pic, especially if you double click the pic. You can also see how well blended the batt is. I was very pleased!

So to summarize, I am pleased with the motorized base. I think it's a great asset that can free up both hands and increase your production. I really found this to be true when I ran the batts through for a second and third time. I love the reverse, and the adjustable speeds. The slow reverse made removing the batt much easier, and is definitely great for pulling off roving through a diz. Ron is just a phone call away for custumer support. He's a really nice guy, and will walk you through anything. He backs his products completely.

Next post I will see if I can get on of my daughters to take a pic of me dizzing off the roving. I wished I was tech saavy enough to do a video. Maybe one of my girls will know how too, they're usually up on the tech stuff more than I.

How Mary got the VM out of her fleece or The Virtue of Hand Combs!

2009-09-08T21:54:00.001-07:00

Well, the first picture shows some newly acquired fleece, California Red. Rather confusing since the wool is beige, huh? Well, the lambs are born red and as they mature, the fleece turns beige. The sheep maintain the red in their legs and their face. Anyway, I got a pound of this really soft fleece. The seller had it bargain priced because it has some VM (Vegatable Matter). I also ordered some hand combs, so I thought I give it a go. See all the little flecks, that's VM.

Handcarders are usually expensive, like a $100 or more. I found these on Etsy from a seller, catskillmtnfibers. They were only $45 and are 2 pitched,(2 rows of tines). I ordered them on Friday and had them by Tuesday. They are really nice and feel good in my hands. I gave them a thorough trial.
The hand combs work really great! In a short time I was able to get all this nice fluffy fiber ready for my Fancy Kitty Kitten drumcarder! Soon it'll be nice soft batts all ready to spin! That will be my next post. Something new is being added. Ron has made a motor base for the Kitten that'll I'll be trying out. I can't wait and will be giving a thorough review!

Here you can see the combs will the fiber on them after combing. It gets out the VM and also the second cuts...the little short peices that come from passing the shears over the sheep after the first cut. It will cause my yarn to pill, so we don't want that! The soft fluffy longer side is the keeper side!

See all the VM that magically falls out as you comb and separate the fibers? So much easier than trying to pick it all out peice by peice! I give the hand combs a 8 out of 10!!! They're well constructed, not too heavy and work very well. I just wished the tines were a tiny bit closer together.

Current Projects

2009-08-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the super bulky yarn I spun up for the Tour De Fleece on my Schacht rigid heddle loom. The weaving went remarkably fast and I was very surprised how much further actual yardage goes with weaving as opposed to knitting.

Fresh off the loom, I wound up with 1 1/2 yards of finished fabric. I love the way the colors pool. I used a 8 dent heddle and used beige cotton Peaches and Cream for the warp. It'll make either a nice recieving blanket for the new grandson I'm expecting in November, or I could cut the fabric into a nice bag. I haven't decided for sure, but I'm leaning towards the baby blankie. It's almost too nice to cut. My only concern is laundering since the weft is wool. I'd really hate for it to felt. I think the wool is superwash, but not 100% sure.

Then there is the Simple Prairie Shawl I'm knitting with some hand spun Llama. It basically a simple garter stitch with a Y/O increase at the end of each row before the last 5 stitches. It's 2/3's complete, so hasn't been blocked yet. It's totally rustic,simple and I'm going to love wearing it when it gets cooler. My kids and I have different temperature settings. They keep it too cool in the house during the winter for my tastes!

My next posting will be some drumcarding my my Fancy Kitty Kitten! I have some projects in mind. I have some of the Jacob fleece ready to process into batts for a coat project I want to start soom. Then I have some experimenting on 2 tone batts into rollrags I want to try out.

Jacob Fleeces

2009-08-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

I picked up two Jacob fleeces last week. Boy, are they ever full of VM(vegatable matter). Which is a royal pain to pick out. The wool is very soft though, and I think they'll be worth the effort.(I hope!)

I first tried to comb out some of the VM prior to washing....nope, the lanolin makes the VM stick to the fibers worse I think. So I filled the tub with hot water,

Dawn detergent, and Woolite. I let them

soak until the hot water got cold, drain,

and rinsed with hot water again. I was

really careful not to aggitate the fiber.

They both came out pretty clean after one wash and one rinse. After draping the fleece on a clothes rack and allowed to dry, I found that the VM combed out much easier. Hopefully my next blog will be of my progress on the fleeces. It may be a while, because it really is a lot of work! I really love Jacob though! The lady I got the fleeces from let me come out and take Aidan and Addi to meet the sheep. Aidan was afraid, but Addi fed them Wheat Thins. (Nana forgot her camera too!!!) Oh well, maybe next year, if the VM doesn't scare me off. I paid $25 for each fleece, and they weren't skirted. The VM is excessive, and I'll wind up losing about half of each 6lb fleece. If I manage to get 5lb of fiber from both fleeces, at 10$ a lb, it's not much of a bargain when I can get processed fiber 16$ a lb. (It would save me weeks of work!) But, I got them for the experience of taking a raw fleece to finish, so there you have it!

My Tour de Fleece Yarn

2009-08-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get as much yarn spun up for the TDF as I wanted to, but I did manage a 150 yards of semi worsted weight super bulky 2 ply. I'm generally pleased with it. I was also pleased with the bulky flyer I have for my Fricke spinning wheel. It really holds a lot!

The finished product is very squishey soft, and I have plans to spin some more for a bag I plan to do on my Flip Loom. So there you, I have been somewhat productive. I've been redoing my bedroom, so the spinning has been on hold for a couple of weeks. I now have my room rearranged and organized so I can more easily spin and weave. (Someday I will have a craftroom of my very own!)

Tour de Fleece on Ravelry.

2009-07-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm spinning in the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry. A little something someone cooked up to do while the actual Tour de France is going. I'm on 2 teams. For Team SSS fiberlovers, I'm spinning some Punta that I dyed myself on the drop spindle. It's very merino like, and I love how it draws.

Then for Team Frickin' Wicked, I'm spinning some turquoise/black/white mill end roving I got from thesheepshedfiberstudio. I'm trying really hard to spin a super bulky single without over twisting it. I have decided to make it 2 ply, and plan to use it to weave a bag. I have 2 lbs of this, so I'll have plenty to spin for sure!

Progress!

2009-07-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Lots of progress in the spinning department! First is the pound of natural grey Jacob I got from www.spunsilverdesigns.com . It's 450 yards super bulky semi worsted navajo plied. I really love the way this spun up, and plan to use it for Aidan a EZ Tomten jacket. I have some black to spin up to use for trim. I think Aidan looks dashing in grey!

Then to show you can be very productive on a drop spindle, I have 300 yards of bulky wool/silk blend in the peach, 300 yards in fingering weight in the ruby, and 100 yards of fingering wt in alpaca/tussah silk in chocolate. Yummy!!! I love spinning on the drop spindles and have them sitting in a bowl by my bed for spinning a bit when I'm watching TV or trying to relax a bit before I got to sleep. It's amazing how fast the singles accumulate. I also love the control you can get with drop spindles.( I tend to overtwist on the wheel)

It's especially helpful with the silk/alpaca...it's harder to spin and control the draw on the finer fiber, then the silk doesn't always want to draw smoothly. I find it helps to talc my hands beforehand to keep the fibers from sticking. (Silk is so catchy...it hangs on rough skin!)

Birthday Spindles!

2009-06-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

I have actually been productive. First is the batts I made from the silk/wool that I got in a swap from Carole at http://www.thesheepshedstudio.com/ I navajo plied it and have 150 yards of 8 wpi so far. Still have half of the batts I carded up to go. Then there's the red fiber I dyed from Sheep Shed. I navajo plied this as well and have 200 yards of a nice fingering weight yarn that eventually will be a shawl. Then there's the green cotswold locks I carded up and plan to ply with tiny locks to make Aidan a monster hat. Hmmmm....need more spindles???? Well....

This is a Flutterberries by http://www.tiltawhorl.blogspot.com/ . It has just as sweet of a spin as my Kunderts. Ed custum made this one for me after I had admired a yellow one he had made. Thanks Ed!!! I love it!

Check it out! My Bosworth spindles from http://www.journeywheel.com/ came in! A Tasmanian Rose Myrtle maxi, a Canarywood midi, and a Bloodwood mini. I've heard everyone on the spinning groups on Ravelry rave about these and just let me say.....IT"S ALL TRUE!!! These babies spin forever! If you could only buy one spindle....make it a Bossie! Seriously. Standing up with my hands over my head and it's still spinning just as fast as when I first flicked it off my thigh. I've heard them called little whirlwinds, and it's justifiable! Just in time for my birthday tommorrow! Happy Birthday to me!

Spindle Review

2009-04-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, the new babies are in and I'm really pleased.

First up, the Golding...I'm in LOVE!!! Where do I begin? The Brass ring makes for the best rim weighted spindle ever. It's perfectly balanced. I love the notches on the ring, it makes stablilizing the yarn on the hook easier. The ridges on the end of the spindle makes it a breeze to get a great spin with a flick of the fingers. ( Rolling off your thigh makes it spin like a tornado!) Lastly...it's just plain beautiful and a pleasure to use! This one is 1.9 ozs, and while I would have like it to be a bit lighter, there are a full line of various wts to be had, so I'll just order some differents wts later. This spindle gets a 10/10!!! I have manage to get a lace wt single on it without difficulty, and have half a cop on it now. Goldings are pricey for good reason...it's the little details. The hand carved whorl is a delight to behold. Their spindles are a work of art. The engineering is pure genuis from the perfectly bent hook to the ridges on the bottom of the spindle. I just don't think you could go wrong with a Golding spindle.

The Kundert sisters are wonderful too! At 1.1 ozs, they are very light. They are very well balanced. I manage to get thread wt singles with the little batt sample Amy sent with the spindles. I should have took pics, but was having such fun. I manage to navajo ply the single into a really nice fingering wt yarn, and knitted said yarn into a headband for the baby. I love the spin, it'll spin a long time, but maybe not quite as long as the Golding. The rim weight is not quite as effective as that brass ring on the Golding. I also find it's not as easy to finger spin, and found rolling it off the thigh most effective. (Those little ridges on the Golding are pure genius!!! All spindle makers should have this!) I'm going to have to give the Kunderts a 8/10. I would reccomend them...the price is certainly an incentive...you can get 2 Kunderts for the price of one Golding.

So there you have it. So far the Golding is my favorite for sure. I'm still waiting to get some Bossies to try out'! I hear they're really sweet!

Mastering the Drop Spindle

2009-04-13T12:53:00.001-07:00

I admit, I've always been a backwards kind of gal. After spinning on a wheel for some time now, I've finally mastered the drop spindle! Check it out...40 WPI, consistent even single on a homemade drop spindle! It was totally by accident too! I was just fooling around, wanting to see what the roving I just dyed up would look like, and it just all fell together....I was spinning on a drop spindle. I love it! So much so, that now I want some nice drop spindles to spin on! So I'm ordering 2 Bosworth spindles, and a Golding. I'm on the waiting list for a Bosworth Moosie spindle too! It'll be June 2010! Over a year long wait!!! Now I have something else I can stick in my knitting bag for the trips to McDonalds while Aidan plays! (Need more trips to McDonalds!)

Finished Object !

2009-04-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Off the loom, her blankie! I used Brown Sheep cotton fleece for this one. She'll be able to use it in the summer months. I really love weaving, and have the loom warped up to start weaving a bag for myself with the churro fleece I've been carding up. I'm still debating whether to spin up some chunky yarn with it, or to weave with roving. I have some cotswold locks I want to incorporate into the fabric as well. It'll be a fun project.

Then there's the fiber I just bought from www.thesheepshedstudio.com , 10lbs of the Big Bale Sale, 2 lbs of cotswold locks, and 1 lb of nylon that feels and looks like silk. Well, it covers a twin size bed, plus the box in the back is full! That's a whole lot of fibery goodness, isn't it!

I took some of it and dyed it up! Who knew that the greys would dye up so well? The gold I decided to dye a darker brown. I've got more dyeing to do too! Next time I'll be doing pics of some of the yarn I've been spinning. (Yes, I've been a busy Nana!)

Batt Pics!

2009-03-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've had a few requests for pics of some of my batts I carded on my Kitten drum carder. First I'd really like to say that I'm not a professional and the Kitten is my first and only carder. I know there is bigger and badder out there, but I LOVE MY KITTEN! It does what I want it too, and that's all that really matters isn't it? I just wanted a drum carder that would allow me to blend my own batts, process a bit of fleece when the need arises. That being said....here are some of my recent batts. Above is a blend of http://www.thesheepshedstudio.com/ superwash wool in peach carded with silk and firestar.

This batt is from the bird's nest I found in the Big Bale Sale from sheepshedfiberstudio. It was 10 lbs of mill end rovings for 5$ a lb. Not a bad price. Only about 10 ozs were really matted up, the rest is lovely, and can be spun as is. My kitten made short work of the bird's nest and I got 2 nice batts weighing 2 ozs. I find if I put more than 2 ozs on the carder, it starts wrapping around the licker in drum.

Finally, another batt from another birds nest. I got one of these, and 2 more in black. I'd post more pics, but blogger is being stupid tonight, and it's taken me an hour to get these pics to upload. I have some churro batts, and a sari silk blend. But you can see from my pics how well blended these batts are. I put the batts through twice, and use my hand carder as a doeffler brush to help smooth and pack the fibers on denser. I use a bamboo mat like for sushi to help get the batts off too. So I hope you like my batts. I'll post somemore later. I have to get to bed now!

Addi tries on her EZ Baby Surprise Jacket

2009-03-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

Here's Baby Addi in her new BSJ! Isn't she a doll? And of course big brother Aidan never misses a photo opt! Now we're thinking she needs some leggings!

Good God, I finished something!!!

2009-03-22T23:09:00.001-07:00

OMG!!! I finished something!!! Addison's EZ Baby Surprise Jacket out of my very own handdyed, carded, handspun yarn!!! I'll have to wait until she wakes up to take a picture of her in it. Darn it, she's asleep at 1:00 am like a good little baby should be! I'm up because I wanted to finish her jacket before summer! I'm not that great of a knitter, but this was a really easy pattern and knits up fast. I've been working on it for a month now...off and on. The fiber is the mill end rovings I got from The Sheep Shed Studio. I blended it with lots of Angelina that refuse to photograph, but trust me...the sparklies are there. The yarn I spun up worsted weight at 12 WPI, so the jacket is heavy. It's very soft, and I can't wait to try it on her. (NO, mustn't wake up a perfectly sleeping baby!!! Her mom would kill me!)

Update on Fancy Kitty Kitten Drum Carder

2009-03-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

I had some people ask me if I had used my Fancy Kitty Kitten drum carder on unprocessed fiber. I have now broke it in good with some churro fleece I recently bought. The fleece was pretty sandy, and I wound up washing it again. I wished I had a picker with this fleece, picking it by hand is rather slow and tedious. The good new is that the drum carder had no problems at all with it. The brush attachment came in real handy for the fly away fibers. I have sucessfully carded up my first batt of the churro and am please with the results. It sure is alot faster than trying to card it up by hand. I got 2 lbs of it, and it's a lot fiber. I'll post some pics later for sure!

I was also please with my Kitten while blending up some fiber for a swap. I used purple, white, and a bit of yellow to get the prettiest heathered batt. It came out rather a golden purple and I'm really tempted to keep this one myself! Yeah...I know...pics. It'll have to wait until tommorrow. I'm going to bed!

Schacht 25" Loom

2009-02-24T08:51:00.001-08:00

First of all, lets do an update on the grandkids! First and foremost is Ms Addi, who said it was high time she got equal billing on Nana's blog! She refuses to take a back seat to her brother! Isn't she a cutie! Ha Ha...takes after Nana!
Not to be outdone is Mr.Aidan!!! Look at that grin!!! He's happy about getting his way for sure! (When doesn't he get his way?)

Now for my new loom! Here's she is all warped up! I'm making a blankie for Addi. Amy needs a blankie that's a bit longer for nursing. It took me a while to get it warped. I did it between shifts at the hospital.

Wow! Did not realize how big a 25" loom would be. I'm glad I didn't go for a 32" Harp now. It really would have been too big for my limited work space. (Now I have to rearrange my room!)

And here's is my first project underway. It's just a plain weave because I'm still working on trying to keep my weft from drawing in too much. Truth be known, it's drawn in about 1 inch on both sides. But I still love how it's comong out. I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece on a 8 dent heddle. It's very,very soft.

Dear Yarn Harlot

2009-02-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Yarn Harlot,

I read your blog today and was intrigued by your mentioning in Judith MacKenzie McCuin's class, she said you should always add fiber to the drum carder sideways. I must admit I was thinking somebody, somewhere must of had too many of those little bottles on the airplane???
Nevertheless I decided to give 'er a try.

First of all, when adding fiber to the drum carder, I made sure I had pulled out my fibers thin enough to be able to see through to the tray. ( Drum Carding 101-If what your adding is too thick, you'll get a wadded up mess on your DC! Errrr-guess how I know this?)

Guess what? Maybe Judith is onto something? The fibers miraculously straight their little selves out, and I got a more even coverage this way! Go figure? I found my DC didn't bog down as much either. I just kept adding fiber, cranking away. It was a most pleasant experience at 4am. So much so, that at 6am, I'm blogging about it! Thanks for the tip there Yarn Harlot!

Drum roll, please...... And for your viewing pleasure....My sideway carded batt! (Of course I added some Angelina....I'm on an Angelina kick!)

Well, Ok...if it works so well for the DC...what about my hand carders? So there I went and lashed on some fiber sideways. Sure felt funny doing it this way! I kept waiting for someone with a ruler to come along and smack my hands!

But just like the DC, the carding on the HC went very smoothly, and I got excited! See...there's this Churro fleece with 6 inch staples that is difficult to HC due to the very long fly away fibers....Hmmmm!

As you can see from the pic, the little fibers magically line theirselves up. The carding was very effortless, and almost perfect after the first carding. (I did it twice....I'm OCD that way!)

From that I got my cute little rolrag! I must confess...I feel rather accomplished and may just never go back to carding my fiber from the ends again. Final jury will be out until I spin up my sideway carded goodness! (Hey, it's 6:30am, and I'm sleepy now!)

In closing, I would like to thank you for your pearls of wisdom! Your blogging has encouraged me, made me laugh, and turned me into the biggest fiber tramp there is!!! I have no less than 4 big boxes of fiber piled up in my room. Also about 6 big boxes of yarn. While I was once content to just own a set of knitpicks Options, now I have 2 spinning wheels, a drum carder, and more knitting needles that I could possible ever need! If that wasn't enough, now I want to weave! (Ok, I can't personally blame for that one!)

Your Sister in Fiber,

Mary

Churro, Baby Surpise Jacket, and Yet another toy!

2009-02-12T13:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic of my churro fleece I got from Thesheepshedstudio.com. It's a coarse wool, and a bit on the sandy side, but nothing that doesn't shake out or card out. I'm spinning up single ply doing a long draw from rolrags. It's spinning up really nice on the Fidelis. I'm rather anxious to finish up a few bobbins of this because I have plans for it that I'll reveal at the end of this blog. This is my first unprocessed fleece I've ever worked with. Carol was nice enough to wash it up for me, but it still has a lot of sand. The Churro sheep it came from was used to train sheep dog. ( She told me this up front, but I really wanted to try out the churro, and have no regrets.)Still, it's exciting to take something from sheep to yarn yourself! I've been handcarding this because the drum carder is still in use for making the yarn for Addi's Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Gee, I wanted to post a pic with the fiber I'm drum carding up for it. But that didn't happen. The wool is a blend of Sweet Grass Targhee, Brown Sheep mill end rovings from SSS, and Angelina for a touch of sparkle. (Have I mentioned I really love my drum carder?) This is such a funny little jacket to knit up! It looks like a mess until you get far enough along to fold it up into a little jacket and suddenly it all makes sense. Knitpicks has their books 40% off, so I indulged and got 3 of Elizabeth Zimmerman's books. I have discover I simply LOVE her!

Lastly...a new toy to come my way! I have always wanted to, since I was a child, learn to knit, spin, and weave. Well, I taught myself to knit a little when I was about 9 or so via library books. I really got into knitting when Aidan was born and was thrilled to find lessons on the net so I could finally read a pattern. Spinning just came about last year, and I learned via the internet, mostly Youtube. Now I want to weave. I've decided to purchase a Schacht's Flip Rigid Heddle Loom. I'm buying through http://www.silverspuncreations.com/ . Susan has been wonderful in helping me, and maybe I'll get it in next week! My first project I've planned is to take the rustic churro yarn, and weave a bag!

I have become a fiber harlot!!! You should see all the fiber I have accumulated! Alpace/silk, BFL, Merino, Sweet Grass Targhee, bamboo, Punta, and I only want more! So I ordered some grey Jacob from Susan as well. (Hangs head in shame...oh yeah...there's the turquoise and black from SSS on order too!) There's just no known cure for this illness!

Poor Neglected Blog!

2009-02-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

Well, seems I've been neglecting my blog lately. You know how it is...I've been busy. New grandbaby, Christmas, and Aidan's birthday. I've been spinning and knitting too. My poor neglected Ruana is finally getting the attention it deserves. I'm also 75% completely on Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket for the new baby. I have to finish spinning the rest of the yarn for it. I took some of my purple Targhee and drum carded it with plain white wool. It made a really nice 2 ply variegated yarn. Now I'm spinning some pink wool drumcarded with white, and I haven't plied it yet, but I think a purple BSJ with pink trim will be lovely on Addi's dark skin. This is Addi nestled in the pink wool I dyed up. Now isn't she the cutest thing? I'll definitely post a pic with her in the jacket very soon.

My new granddaugher born at 6:18 pm 7lbs 6 ozs

2008-12-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

Fancy Kitty Kitten Drum Carder Review

2008-12-06T08:53:00.001-08:00

This is my brand spanking new Fancy Kitty Kitten drum carder! I ordered it from Ron's etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=68456 . I was at a loss to what drum carder I wanted to buy. I had considered a Strauch Petite, but was really not happy with a smaller drum width-6 1/2 ". Not to mention it was more expensive. I had heard good things about Fancy Kitty Kitten drum carders, so I looked Ron up on Etsy, and checked it out! Hmmmm, well for starters
the Kitten has a 8 1/2 inch wide drum. It also comes with the brush attachment. (The Strauch you have to pay extra for! ) The drums are adjustable...yes, I like that feature. So I emailed Ron to check out what his response would be, and he was ever so nice and very prompt. (Good to know in case I needed to get a hold of him!) So there you have it! I ordered my Kitten!

I was sooooo surprised! It got here in 3 days!!! And it was packaged up like a ming dynasty vase... that baby could have fell off a moving truck and still made it intact!!! I was soooo impressed with the workmanship! It's not a cheapo throw together home made object. It is professionally constructed with great attention to detail! My Kitten was a fine tuned machine and I was estastic!!! What a bargain!!! (Let's just say the money I saved bought a whole lot of fiber, OK?) Mr. Ron did a follow up after it arrived to make sure everything was ok, and to give me his number in case I should have questions! ( Whaaaat? He still is supportive after the sale???? These days and times, that is just about unheard of!)

Ok, now for the nitty gritty!

I had to give her a test run, so here we go! The first pic is my first pass with some yellow merino and some white wool roving I got from the sheepshedstudio.com . I took my roving and fluffed it up and added thin layers until I got this. The drum carder works like a dream and was very smooth. Note I do not have it clamped down....didn't need too. I had no problems at all, and went through the first carding with ease. Say....this is fun!

On the second pass, I added some red/purple roving and some gold angelina. Wow, the carder is doing a great job, huh?

This is after the 2nd pass, let's run her through just one more time! I want it a bit more blended, and with my new drum carder...that won't take but a minute!

Here is my first batt! In this photo, the angelina isn't showing up as well in this photo, but trust me...It is really sparkly throughout. I am pleased with the results of my Kitten and I give the Fancy Kitty Kitten a 10 out of 10! I'm please with the transaction, and the customer support. The product is exceptional, and I had it up and running in minutes. It is completely as advertised. Ron is a bit modest though....I was married to a wood worker once, and let me tell you...he didn't just throw this together. There's a wole lot of detail put into the Kitten. All edges are smoothed, joints are precise, the tray slides with ease, I could go on and on....Ron is a master craftsman. So if your in the market for a drum carder...this is it! You won't be disappointed at all!

You could pay a whole lot more...but why? I'd rather buy more wool...and I did! ( Some choice Angelina fiber from Loop on etsy too!)

Here we dye again Part 2-Crock Pot Dyeing with a New Twist.

2008-11-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, first we took 1 lb of Targhee top, and braided it in 3 foot sections. (Look in previous post for braiding instructions.) I took the braids and presoaked in a sink of hot water with a glug of vinegar for good measure. (If you want to be nit picky...1/2 cup of vinegar...) I mixed up 1 tsp of Jacquard Acid dye in my 8oz squeeze bottle with hot water half way, the other half is vinegar. The color is Sky Blue.

I drained the braids and randomly squeezed the color onto the wet braids. The color doesn't seem too intense here, but don't worry...Jacquard always brightens with heat.

l I then layer my braids into the crock pot. I got a tip on Ravelry to sprinkle dry dye onto the wool and layer it. So with Country Classics acid dye in Lilac, I use a old baby spoon, and sprinkle dry dye onto of my layers of braids. It doesn't look promising here, does it...just wait! I probably used a total of 3 teaspoons of dry dye total.

LOOK what happens when I add boiling water with a cup of vinegar mixed in!!! Surprise! WOW,

was that a great tip or what? It's like magic, the powder uptakes at different levels in the fiber, and different intensities. I took you this was neat!

After cooking on high for 1 1/2 hours, this is my end result! I LOVE IT! And see how the Sky Blue intensified?

After cooling and a gentle rinse in a sink of cool water, here are my braids drying. This techniqe is worth exploring more!! I see more fiber in my future! I definitely am going to try doing all dry to wet next time!

Here we dye again!!! Dyeing Bamboo

2008-11-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

I had 1 lb of silky bamboo top that I wanted to dye. Everything I researched said because it is a cellulose fiber, you had to use a fiber reactive dye. Someone suggested Dylon, so I got Ocean Blue and Bahama Blue. The directions said to use 4 tablespoons of salt with the dye in sink of warm water. I did mine a bit different.

First the bamboo fiber. I heard that it can separate and it's better to braid the fiber first. So I tore off 3 foot sections and braided it up.( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpiWCRQJ6Xo

This is the youtube link for Rexenne showing how to braid roving in case you don't know how.)

To a sink full of hot water, I added 4 heaping tablespoons of salt. Mixed very well, then added my braids. I mixed half a package of the Bahama Blue to another container, and dissolved it in hot warm prior to adding into the sink. Look how pretty the blue is! I let it set for over an hour.

I took the braids out of the dye, letting it drain a bit. I did NOT rinse. Don't rinse yet!!!

I took the Ocean Blue and mixed 1/2 a package into my 8oz squeeze bottle with 2 heaping tablespoons of salt. Fill the bottle up.

I then took this color and squeeze some onto the roving, careful not to oversaturate. I'm looking for a graduated color. I then let this color set for an hour.

I rinsed this in sinks full of cold water. I didn't run water over it...DO NOT RUN WATER OVER YOUR FIBER!!! You'll get a felted mess! I added the dyed braids into the sink full of water and gently pushed the fiber into the water. Do not over handle, or squeeze too much! I just picked the fiber up out of the water, and let it drain. It's on the drying rack now, and I'm very pleased with the colors. Very brilliant!

Freshly spun up!

2008-11-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

First up is Aidan...he loves riding on the Merry Go Round! Look at that smile! We get the all day pass because he likes to go at least 8-10 times before he'll get off without a fight!

This is the Sari Silk plied with the black wool I dyed. Doesn't the black just make the colors pop? I really love this and plan to spin enough for a kimono jacket. This is the Sari Silk I got at www.paradisefibers.com.

This is the sample I got from www.spunkyeclectic.com . I really love the blues in this. It's really super soft and spun up like butter.

Last but not least the wool I dyed up in the crock pot. It's double plied and is 11 wpi. It's the wool I got from www.thesheepshedstudio.com . Boy, it's sooo reasonable, I'm going to order 5 bls next time. Anyway, it's hard to capture the true colors, but the brown,red,and golds blended together and I love the effect. The red/gold reminds me of a goldenrose color, and the color changes are graduated. I can't wait to see this one knit up!

In the mean time, I'm still trying to get some of my other projects finished before I start any new ones. I have my Sante Fe Ruana, and the mohair fan/feather shawl to complete. Plus a couple of other things. I've spent so much time spinning, I haven't been knitting enough, and that was the whole purpase of learning to spin!

More Crock Pot Dyeing!

2008-11-05T04:54:00.001-08:00

Ok, this time I won't go into so much detail. I did a multi color dye in the crock pot. I used Country Classics acid dye in gold and chestnut, and Jacquard's acid dye in fire red. I mixed the Country classics at 2 tsps per 8 0z squeeze bottle with 1/2 the bottle of hot water, and 1/2 vinegar. The Jacquard I mixed 1 tps per 8 oz squeeze bottle with 1/2 the bottle of hot water and 1/2 vinegar.

I used 2 bottle of the gold, and saturated the presoaked wool fiber. It's about 9 ozs of fiber. Same as before, I sectioned the wool into 3 foot strips, and rolled into loose balls so I could handle them better.

I then took my chestnut, and my fire red, and randomly squeezed the dye. I didn't even use 1/2 a bottle of the dyes, I was trying not to over saturate with these colors, I'm trying a marble look, not to make mud. After 1 1/2 hours in the crock pot on high, (It took up the dye really quick. I knew it was done because the water was clear.) I removed my balls of fiber into the sink to cool. I rinsed in room temp water as before.

Here's my fiber all dyed up and drying! Note here...the first time I dyed, I thought I had felted the fiber. It wasn't felted, but just compacted from the dye process. I pulled the fiber gentle from the sides to loosen it back up, and fluff it up. It was fine! So if your fiber compacts during the process, don't freak.

Crock Pot Dyeing!

2008-11-04T04:17:00.001-08:00

This is my first crock pot dye job.

1st I took 9 ozs of wool and presoaked in a sink of hot water for 30 mins. I broke the fiber up into sections and wound them into loose balls to make handling easier. While this was soaking, I boiled 12 cups of water and added it first to the crock pot. To that I added 1 1/2 cup of vinegar and 6 tsps of Country Classics acid dye that I purchased at http://www.paradisefibers.com/ . The color is Raven. After gently draining fiber, I added it to the dye pot.

After 3 hours on high, the water is clear and I removed the fiber to cool. If you notice, the water left is clear. The dye has absorbed into the fiber.

I placed the cooled fiber into a sink of room temp water to rinse. It didn't need much. (Never run water over your fiber, it'll felt!) I drained it again, gently squeezed some of the water out, and here's my fiber all dyed up and drying! The black really took, and I'm very pleased with the results and the ease of dyeing in the crock pot!

Andddd, heeeeere's Aidan! Is there anything sweeter than a baby in the tub!!!

Yet another wheel!

2008-11-03T10:14:00.001-08:00

Well, I did it. I got yet another wheel. To the left the new guy, a Fricke DT folding wheel. To the right my Fidelis. Cute little guy in jammies...none other than Aidan who never misses a photo opt! I just got my Fricke in from http://www.spunkyeclectic.com/. who was so kind to send some of her yummy handpainted roving. She was kind enough to answer all my questions, and excels in custumer service! Thanks Amy! Now I have 2 great wheels to spin my little heart out! The Fricke is wonderful, and I love the ease of treddling with the double treadles. I also am loving the scotch tensioning...sweet. I still love my Fidelis, and have no intentions of parting with it, but I wanted something I could fold up and take to Yarn school in Kansas next year.

Here youcan see I already have some Llama going on it, it spins really fast! I really love the idea of having two wheels to spin on now. It'll be really handy for when I have a couple of projects going, like I already do!

Spinning Wheel keeps on turning!

2008-10-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Check out the yummy yarn I've been spinnng on my Fidelis! The speckled white is some roving sent by Jan of http://www.heavenlyhandspinning.com/ , who makes the wheel. The pink,purple,grey is some handdyed merino I dyed. The brown is some yummy Llama I got from my friend Patrica's friend. I'm having fun spinning all this fiber!

Here's two spools of my trusty BFL. Man, a lb of fiber sure goes a long way! I still have half of it left, and have spun 500 yards of it. I still love it! BFL is absolutely my favorite stuff! It's really easy to spin.

The yarn on the left is some purchased fingering wt yarn I put for comparison. The yarn on the right is my handspun BFL. Look, fingering weight! Kewl, huh? It was a proud moment! I'm using this for a hat.

Here is the same BFK spun fingering weight! I was told by a person that I wouldn't be able to do this on this wheel...Wrong! It wasn't that hard either! I love my Fidelis Wheel! I have some alpaca/tussah silk coming in and I can't wait to give that a try!

Secret Desires!

2008-09-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ah, the object of my new affection! A Fidelis spinning wheel by

http://www.heavenlyhandspinning.com/ . I have decided that I just simply must have one. I've been studying all the different wheels, and wow! They are expensive! This one is under 2oo$, and has all the features I want. Large bobbins, Irish tensioning, good spinning ratios, and it's solid unlike some wobbly/jerky pvc models I've seen. It's through the same family owned, American made company that made my Little Meggie kick spindle.

While I love my kick spindle, and will always love my kick spindle...alas, she just doesn't spin fast enough by the time you have to stop and unhook your yarn, wind it onto the spindle, and then hook your yarn again. Very time consuming. With about 3lbs of combed top left to spin, and future fiber purchases, I need speed!

After knitting my very own hand-dyed,handspun BFL yarn...it has taken yarn snobbery to a new height! No longer do I look at pretty yarn...it's fibers now that fascinate me. The thought of taking a puff of plain fiber, coloring it, and spinning it into a yarn of your design/choice... awesome! I now know how Michaelangelo felt as he completed the Sistine Chapel. Being able to spin your own yarn is like a painter having all the brushes, and all the paints he could ever want. It like being complete as a knitter. You have every color, every fiber available to your artistic desires.

10:38 pm...what cha doing?

2008-09-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

I just bet your getting ready for bed and your thinking,"Daffy broad, aren't you?" Well, no. I'm wide awake and just finished making Broccoli Quiche.(Night shift nurse!) Aidan is asleep, and I made it for him in a subtle attempt to sneak him some veggies! (Second time I've had to deal with a kid who won't eat veggies. His mother still gives me grief over veggies!) Usually he's still awake. (Oh horrors, you might say...but chill. Aidan is a night owl, as his mother, as his NaNa.) Anyway, he pooped out early, so will have to have his quiche tommorrow. I only hope my plan succeeds. I buried the broccoli in mounds of cheesy goodness. I snuck some carrots in there for good measure. It is yummy if I say so for myself. It worries me when a kid won't eat veggies. I mean, how could you not love veggies? All the rest of my kids do. They love squash, broccoli,eggplant,okra,carrots,and everything the veggie kingdom has to offer. We've even tried to feed him his veggies in the presence of Yo Gabba Gabba. You know, the Nics Kids show where strange critters oddly resemble sex toys? (I'm not exagerating either. When I first saw the show...I kept my mouth shut. My daughter is the one who first brought it up!) Anyway, if you could picture 3 grown women singing,"There's a party in my tummy, so yummy.", trying to get Mr.Aidan to eat some veggies. Well, there's certainly no party in his tummy. He shakes his head noooooo! Then he spits it out and clamps down like a steel bear trap. If it isn't in pizza form, chicken nuggie form, or ravioli's...forget it! My next adventure is to figure out how to make veggie laced chicken nuggies. Geez...I thought being NaNa was supposed to be easy?

Drop Stitch Scarf and other projects.

2008-09-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

I found a dropstitch pattern for my handspun yarn. It's the Easy Drop Stitch Scarf pattern by

Christine Vogel. I really love how this is knitting up, and it's a quick knit. I have half the scarf done the first day! I love how the colors look in this pattern.

I also have been working on my Sante Fe Ruana and making progress. I really shouldn't start another project with so many on the needles...but, that's me. Pure Gemini! Anyway, the first panel is almost done. I just might finish by the time it gets cold around here.

I am also making slow progress towards my Fibonacci numbers throw. I have one panel finished, only 4 to go! This is the project I take around with me for the mindless knitting. I suppose it'll take a good year to finish.
And this is Aidan feeding the ducks! He was trying really hard to get a duck to take the cracker from his hand. One almost did! Aidan likes feeding the ducks.

Homemade Lazy Kate

2008-09-11T21:46:00.001-07:00

Here's my homemade Lazy Kate! It cost me less than $20 to make it. Here's how I did it.

I bought at Home Depot:

1- stair case post cover in the deck dept.

2-3/8" dowel rods cut into 3-1 foot sections, and 1-six inch section.

1-4' section of 1/2" PVC pipe cut into one foot sections.

I used a 3/8" paddle bit to drill 4 holes in the four corners on top of the post cover, and glued my dowel rods. Once dried, I stained and varnished the whole thing. I just used yarn to make a tensioner. I just use the pvc peices to wind my yarn off my kick spindle, and slip it over the dowel rods.

I also made a knitting noddy out of pvc, but it's pretty basic, so I won't be posting a pic.

The cute boy, modeling my lazy kate is none other than Aidan! He likes to get his picture taken so he can see himself! Isn't he a cutie!

1st of the BFL hand-dyed!

2008-09-10T04:55:00.000-07:00

Here's my first skein! Double plied, 4.5 ozs, and about 120 yards of

soft yummy goodness! Still have to work on getting the yarn more consistent though. This varies between fingering and DK weight. The next round is spinning more consistent though. I'm pulling off thinner strips of the top, and pre-drafting a bit more. I'm shooting for more of a fingering weight overall.

Wow, looks like I'm going to get quite a bit of yarn from the 1 lb top! I can't even imagine how much yarn I'll be getting from the 2lbs of merino I have. I'm thinking of dyeing it in colors to remind me of Sedona, Az. Reds,browns,golds.

I also made a homemade Lazy Kate, and a Knitty Noddy. I'll be posting pics of it and instructions next time.

Hand dyed/Hand spun! YUM!

2008-08-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of my hand dyed/hand spun BFL fiber. I'm so pleased with how this is turning out! I love the colors, Okinawan Sea, inspired by my daughter's diving in the Seas of Okinawa. She told me of the purples,turquoise,and golds.

I'm using my Little Meggie Kick Spindle from http://www.heavenlyhandspinning.com/ . Boy, do I really love this spindle. The bearing on the base really makes it spin fast!

This is my Blue Face Leister fiber from http://www.paradisefibers.com/ . It's so fluffy and soft. I didn't have to comb it, card it. It's ready to go. This is 1 lb of fiber which takes up the whole kitchen table. I kept soaking it down with a spray bottle to wet it. (Yes, the table is covered in Saran Wrap.)

This is the dyeing process. I used Jacquard acid dye. I mixed 1/2 teaspoon in a 32 oz cup of water w/ 1/2 cup of vinegar. First I did the gold in the middle, then purple and turquoise. The turquoise and the purple bled into the middle more than I intended, but I like the effect. I poured the dye over the fiber and used gloves to gently squeeze the dye into the fiber. I still wound up with turquoise blue fingers...cheap gloves!

I wrapped up my fiber in the saran wrap, and baked at 200 degrees for about an hour, just until it was heated all the way through, and about 30 mins to set the dye. I let it cool very slow. It's hard to be patient, but I was scared I'd felt the fiber. I then took it to the bath tub and rinsed in cold water many tubfulls! It's hard to rinse so much fiber at once. Next time I'll try dividing it into 4 instead of 2, and rinse individually.

I put the drying rack into the tub, and put the wet fiber on to dry. I didn't squeeze it out, I held it up to drain a section at a time and just let it drain enough so it wouldn't stretch out from the weight of the water. It took 2 days to dry, but it didn't felt a bit and now I'm happily spinning away!

Dyeing to Spin

2008-08-19T03:15:00.000-07:00

This is 1 lb of BFL combed top I ordered from http://www.paradisefibers.net/ . I dyed it with Jacquard Acid dye in turquoise,gold, and purple. My daughter was stationed in Okinawa, and told me about diving in the ocean there, these are the colors she described. The wool is soooo soft! It's almost dry now and I just can't wait to spin some up on my new kick spindle I ordered from http://www.heavenlyhandspinning.com/ . I like it much better than the drop spindle, and can spin much thinner and more consistant. It makes it real easy to ply too. The spindle sits
on top of a bearing, so it spins really fast. With both hands free, I can concentrate more on drafting. The wool makes a big difference too. The cheapo stuff I bought at Hobby Lobby was hard to draft.

I tried some of the merino wool, and wow. It practically drafts itself. I could get thread thin with it and picture spinning up some lace weight yarn. Darn that Yarn Harlot with her pretty hand spun! The more I read her blog, the more I wanted to spin my own yarn too.

This is Aidan, he loves to help his Nana! Who needs an electric spindle....I have Aidan power! He's only 19 months old, what a clever little boy! He's helping me to ply some of my experimental Hobby Lobby roving I spun into singles. He's not sure what it's all about, but he likes Nana's spinny thing! See, you can harness all that energy in a toddler! Now if only I could figure out how to get him to eat his green beans!

Tamales!

2008-07-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, this has nothing relevant to knitting, but let me tell you...after 20 years of pursuing the perfect real tamale recipe....I DID IT! Finally...all the years of trying to get the little mexican ladies to divulge their tamale secrets, trying out any recipe that remotely sounded like it might be the one, and Eureka! The masa is perfect! The meat is perfect! And my family is very pleased! There was none of that ,"Ummm, yeah mom...uh, they're ok." It was, "Wow, Mom, you finally figured it out.

You would think it's a simple thing to try out different recipes, but you'd be mistaken. A batch of tamales is a labor intensive process requiring the recruitment of every kid you own that you can trick into spending a few hours spreading the masa on corn husks, and rolling into the tasty treats I so crave! I absolutely love a good tamale! The first batch I made, the masa was too dry. Then there was the batch that had the masa too thick. I admit I don't try to make tamales very often, thus why it's taken me so long to figure out the secret.

Why the little mexican ladies are so secretive with their tamale recipes, I just don't know. After all, I offered them my best eggroll recipe. I'll even toss in a sushi lesson. But no, they just smile in their little knowing way, and say,"oh, I don't know...a pinch of this, a little of that..." Makes me feel like publishing the recipe across the net! " Tamale secrets revealed! What the little mexican ladies won't tell you!" By the way, here's your first clue...don't buy the dry masa. Get the fresh masa at a mexican supermarket like Fiesta. Makes all the difference in the world!

So that's my blog for the day. I'm going to go have a great tamale now!

Jenning Streets Yarns again!

2008-06-30T01:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok...I went Jenning Streets Yarns the other day. I couldn't help it. I really love the shop, the prices are very reasonable and Linda is just so gosh darn friendly! I remembered some Navajo Yarn there and have this Sante Fe Ruana pattern I think would be fantastic together. Sooo, here the start...yes, another project. The Navajo yarn is Churro. I really love the feel of it. It also has a great sheen. Can you believe only $8.96 for 190 yds? It's hand spun, hand dyed, and knits like a dream. If your ever in Fort Worth, you just have to visit Linda. She's awesome. She did, as always, bent over backwards to help me my selection, laying all the different colors out for me to compare, and helped me decide on what colors would look good together. (The photo colors are a bit distorted.) She's never pushy, just helpful. She even happily wound every skein without my asking, then wrapped my purchase carefully in tissue. It really impresses me that she is friendly to my rambunctious 18 month old grandson. While we don't let him throw yarn balls around, he's still quite loud and full of life. She amused him with peekaboo as she happily wound my yarn. He really likes her. You know, my dad always told me that if a baby likes someone, they're usually pretty good people.

Anyway, the Sweet Dreams Throw continues to grow. I have the first of five rows well on its way, about 3 feet long. It's so soft, Aidan loves to pet it. I have a feeling the little guy is going to rob me of it when it's done. He loves soft cuddly things. Anyway, I'm liking the Fibonacci Number Twist. I decided on combinations totaling 34, which can be 34. 13,21. 13,8,13. for the

color changes. That's clear as mud, right. I'll put it in more detail after I finish. I can see it in my head, and I think it will be exactly as I imagine. (Yes, I'm different...always have been.) The throw is my mindless knitting thing. It goes with me when I go out and know I'll have somewhere to wait. It parks beside me when I'm trying to knit and watch tv. I'm alternating between the 3 projects so I work on all projects every week. Mostly on my nights off. It's nearly 4:30 am, and I am wide awake! (Forever stuck on night shift!) I'm still working on the Mohair shawl as well. I figure to give it a serious workout tommorrow night if I don't get called in.

Went to Joe's Crab Shack today with 2 of my girls. The bucket of crab actually looks like what they advertise on TV. It was really yummy. We also got to watch them dance to Carwash. Dinner and a show...

Mohair Fan and Feather Stole update.

2008-06-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the Mohair Fan and Feather Stole suffered a bit of a set back. I lost count of the rows and just about frogged the whole thing. Yeah, Yeah...patience is virtue. The person that came up with that didn't try to frog back 5 rows of Mohair and then figure out just where the heck in the pattern your at. I was mad at it and refused to pick it back up until today. Now thanks to a chart I made on graph paper, I now check off the rows and know just where I'm at. I'm normally not such a scatter brain, but then there's Aidan... In the first picture you'll notice Aidan is wearing said stole in Superbaby fashion. While I'll admit originally it was Nana's idea, well, he liked wearing it and didn't want to give it back. Notice the disgruntled look on his face as Nana is begging him to let her have it back now! Anyway , I can now keep up with it better thanks to the chart, especially with a 17 month old who interupts my knitting everyso often for various requests. (He thinks Nana should focus on him and his new truck!)

I still think the mohair is strange stuff. It feels and looks more dense than what you would think from the skinny little thread nestled inside of all that fuzz. It just amazes me. It's now finally back on track and growing. I'm half way through the second ball of yarn now and by the time it's finished, it'll be about 70 inches x 24 inches. Not a bad size for a stole. It'll be for a gift, if I can part myself from it!

Aidan's first Playdate and Fibonacci.

2008-06-06T23:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Aidan's first official playdate with a group from Meetup.com. Oh the fun he had! It was at a waterpark in Arlington. He was a bit scared at first, but after a while, he was running with all the other kids. Now just look at that little face! He had so much fun! I have enjoyed my vacation time with him. I can't think of anything I'd rather do than spend it with my Aidan. Yes,

Aidan and knitting...the perfect vacation!

Nana took the time to knit on her Sweet Dreams Throw with the Fibonacci Numbers variation. Ah Fibonacci! I can't make up my mind if he was truly a genius, or maybe just neurotic. I'm using the Fibonacci numbers 5,8,13,21,34,&55 for the color changes. Now comes the big decision ... randon or patterned. That's still in the deciding stage. I love knitting this though. No pattern changes, just plain ole mindless knitting. Knitting the throw in longs strips makes it totally portable to playdates. I'm using Knit Picks Suri Dream, and it's really a dream to knit with. So soft, so light. It's so cuddly. Knit Picks really out did theirselves with this yarn. I'll wait until it grows a bit more to post a pic.

Clapotis...It's finished, really finished!

2008-04-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's finished, finally! 2 months in the making...TAAA DAAA! My clapotis in Tonalita ! Yeah! I love it! The nurses at work are trying to talk me out of my clapotis. One even wants to borrow it to take to Lake Tahoe....are you nuts? See all those stitches? No Way! It's snuggly, soft and I love wearing it late at night when it gets a bit chilly on CV ICU! Now to finish the Mohair Feather and Fan shawl! Next project I'm casting on...my kimono top in Cherry Hill!

WoooHooo!

Oh gee, I started yet another project!

2008-03-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

See the pretty Baywood Hand dyed yarn Joanne from Baywood Yarns sent me for doing a survey? Isn't it pretty? And it's sooooo very soft. I choose the color for Aidan, my grandson. I thought I'd make him some socks and maybe a cap. Yeah, you know what I did. I couldn't stand it and cast on last night. I have a mystery light shawl clue 1 to start too! Yikes, I am simply going to have to knit faster.

But in my defense is a pic of Aidan at the park today. Now who couldn't resist knitting this darling little boy a pair of socks and a cap? Not this Nana, he's my boy!

And thus far the Baywood yarn is really knitting up nice! I've got it on 2 size 1 circs. The colorchanges are soft and muted, and I'm definitely going to have to order some more from her.

Well, eventually I'll be posting some complete projects. I'm knitting as fast as I can!

Mohair Fan and Feather Stole started.

2008-03-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

Ok, I found a neat pattern in Knit Picks for the Fan and Feather Stole for the mohair I bought at Jennings Street Yarns. Nice this is really a nice easy pattern! Only one row you really have to think about. The 1st,2nd,and 4th row is either knit or purl straight across. The 3rd row that you have to think about is really an easy pattern that you can remember without carrying the instructions around. What do you think? I love, love the colors. Is it for me, or shall I gift it? I'm hoping I have enough yarn to do two maybe? I love fuzzy Mohair, it's soooo pretty! I have some Suri dreams from knit picks that almost looks like mohair, but much softer. I'm thinking about doing an afghan in the same pattern for my bed. I love knitting, so many yarns, so many patterns!

Ok, I'm am neglecting my Clapotis. But only a little. See, it's growing! I'm a Gemini, I get bored easy. Ahh, but I'll finish it, I am determined! I know I'm not the only one with a pile of ufo's, from what I understand, it's part of the knitting disease. UFOs, growing yarn stash. Yes, I am becoming a knitting addict!

Ok, so I'm fickle!

2008-03-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, regarding the Mystic Light KAL and my yarn choice. To your left, my swatch in Bamboo. I went down a needle size and I'm really loving how it looks. To your right, my yummy mohair I just purchased. Well, I love the way the drop stiches look in mohair, the fuzziness of it all, but I wasn't happy with the way the cables turned out. The cables get lost in the fuzz. Notice they are in the same colorway? Yeah, I am a creature of habit. I really love the colors. Anyway, after buying all that mohair, I love the bamboo after all. Will I return the Mohair? No way! I really love it and I will just find something else to do with it. I have 720 yards of it, I'll figure out something! Something lacy, and definitely a shawl. Anyone with a good idea, let me know.

This KAL has really been a challenge. I'm learning to read a chart, and this is my first cable stitch ever! Notice I didn't say how many times I frogged it? Let's just say it was a few times and leave it at that. For the shawl, I am definitely using a bunch of life lines. (Also why I'm not using the mohair, I've discovered Mohair is not frog friendly.) I'm not a real experienced knitter I admit, but no guts, no glory. I am determined to complete this KAL!

Yarn Snob?

2008-03-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

Oh, Oh! There, I said it! Yarn snob! Now just how did this happen? Me who abhores above all, snobbiness? I pride myself on practicality, and simpleness. You won't find diamonds and jewels in my jewelry box. I drive a Nissan Frontier,(Yes, if I find a steal at a yardsale...no problemo!) I usually dress in jeans and a tshirt, but I do have some dressier shirts if needed. Most of my wardrope consists of scrubs. But there I was at Hobby Lobby, sticking my nose up at...cringe...
acrylic yarn.

Ok, here is what instigated it. I'm on the Yahoo group for the Mystic Light Shawl. I had some Bamboo yarn that I thought would be lovely, but didn't necessarily love the swatch I made. So off to Hobby Lobby because the LYS is not open. Um-hmm. The only fingering weight yarn I find is either acrylic or cotton. Not what I had in mind. No to dis any advid acrylic yarn lovers out there. I have a store bought acrylic sweater I wear constantly and it's like a timex, takes a licken and keeps on ticken. In all due fairness to me, could anything feel nicer than knitting with a nice Alpaca wool or that special yarn with a bit of silk? Do we not pain stakingly look for that all so special yarn to take home that we ooooo and ahhhh over, petting it gently?

Yeah, I was at the LYS as soon as I woke up today. Got there just at closing time. I really love Jenning's Street Yarn! Now you talk about falling over yourself to help you find the perfect yarn! They truly understand, it's not just a yarn purchase, it's an investment in perfection/love. Linda took the time to find out what I wanted and what for, my color preferences and tastes. She poured over all the possibilities and patiently allowed me to make my choice. She didn't just try to rush me out the door, or try to sell me the most expensive thing there. She was more concerned I loved my selection, and even did a project cost comparison of the different yarns I was interested in without my having to ask. Hey now, that's service! They are even patient with my over active grandson. No, you just don't get that kind of service at Hobby Lobby, now do you? Nor do they lovingly wrap your yarn in tissue. I love this shop! They have a little knit together every 3rd Sunday too. I've went once and plan to keep going. Someday when my schedule at work straightens out, I'd love to take some classes too. (No, Linda didn't pay me for this ad. They just really give great service.) There are other nice shops around me too, but this one is just extra special. I can go there in my jeans and tshirt, no make up and yeah...basically a mess, and get the same treatment I'd get if I went in all decked out. (Just because I look dirt poor doesn't mean I don't have yarn money!)

Back to the point, I purchased a yummy Mohair, fingering weight yarn that, surprise, is the same basic colors of my bamboo yarn that I love. I am now knitting the swatch, and I love it! Wow, my first experience with Mohair. I never knew! And hey, I was thinking maybe a shell with bamboo yarn with a matching Mohair shawl! They colorways are that close!

Doesn't anything beat the perfect yarn? I don't think so...well, besides my grandson Aidan. Nothing beats him!

Past completed objects.

2008-03-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post some my other complete projects. First is Aidan in his bamboo yarn hat and booties.

Then there is his strawberry hat. It doesn't fit anymore either, but I have it put up to show him someday! I'm thinking about doing him a meathead cap. (Looks cuter than it sounds.)

So far I'm still working on my clapotis. I'm on the 7th repeat of the straight rows. I'm also knitting some hand dyed yarn for a needle case for my Harmony double points.

I bought some Bare bulky weight from Knit Picks and some Jacquard Acid dye. And used the instructions from this blogspot:

http://spinningathena.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-dye-wool-and-not-have-it-end-up.html

And this is what I got. I love it! And it was so much fun, I bought enough yarn for my daughters to dye. Check out my daughter's yahoo group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/home_and_hearth/

Anyway, I plan to felt my needlecase and am basically following the pattern in the book, Fabulous Felted Hand Knits by Jane Davis; knitting needles case on page 72.

I can't wait to post the finished product! I think once felted, the colors will tone down some. If not, I still love it.

Well, that clapotis isn't going to knit itself, now is it?

Clapotis

2008-02-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know the clapotis pattern has been out quite awhile, but let's just say it's new to me. I am really enjoying this one. I knit like crazy so I can get to the drop stitch row. There is just something very satisfying about dropping that stitch on purpase! I'm using Trendsetter Tonalita, and I really enjoy knitting with this yarn. I love watching all the rows of color as I knit along. Got the yarn at Jenning's Street Yarns.

I just got my Knit Picks Harmony set in! Woo Hoo! You know, the pics just don't do them justice at all! They are beautiful, and so smooth. The points nice and sharp. I ordered two sets, plus two of the 15 & 17. I also ordered the double points. (Yes, I splurged big time!) But it's the last set I'll ever have to buy, so I felt it was well worth it. I have the Options set, and already love them. I don't really knit with anything else.

I also got some new yarn. First up in Cherry Hill Oceania in Country Garden. Yummy! I want to either knit a lace shawl or the Fan kimono pattern in Vicki Square's book, Knit Kimono. (I'm half japanese and have a kimono fetish!)

I also got some Knit Picks Suri Dream in Hand dyed Wildflowers. It's soooo soft and cuddly! I got it because I thought it was pretty, and it has surpased my expectations! I love Knit Picks, can you tell?

And my last show and tell is my Fibranatura Oak in Icee. It's really soft to the touch too. This maybe for a present, so I'm not telling. I purchased this yarn at Jenning's Street Yarns, the best yarn shop in Fort Worth!

Well, off to work on my clapotis, and then to start Aidan's jacket sleeves.