Long Overdue Updates

It's been so long since I've posted, I had to go back and see what I've already mentioned!

Knitting
First up, some recent knitting:



This is the beginning of a scarf, knit the long way in linen stitch. I'm using this yarn that I spun a couple of years ago:


The yarn was spun from BFL top, hand-dyed by Sandy's Palette. I'm using US #4 needles and 400 stitches. The rows are long, but I only have to work 8".

Sewing
Earlier in the year I was in a fun swap group. We all agreed to make multiples of something and send them to the central organizer. We got back a box with at least 10 different things made by the other participants. I made these little zipped pouches:


Spinning
I've been puttering at spinning a bit here and there, too. This was a quick little skein from random fibers I kind of cadged together:

It's not really enough yarn to be useful for much, but if I combine it with other yarns, maybe it can be a fun accent.

Several weeks ago I went digging through my fiber stash. Some of you may recall that not too long after I started spinning I stumbled on an amazing Craigslist bargain. A local spinner was trying to liquidate her stash in a hurry. My friend Fern and I split the cost and the goods. There is a lot of natural colored wool in various browns and creams, but also, some odds and ends of more colorful choices. This is some kind of top from that lot:

The colors are certainly quite strident in the unspun state! I'm finding that as I spin, there's a bit of blending going on that's taking the edge off it in a nice way.

Singles of same:

There's very little of this: only about 60 grams total. I considered chain-plying to avoid muddying the colors any further, but now I think I want to buy some red top and ply it with that. Red would work with both the purple and the orange and not fight too much with either. Plying with something else would also make it go farther. Stay tuned.

Weaving
Back in the winter, I wove this length of cloth:

Valley Yarns 3:2 cotton, 12.5 dent reed. After machine washing and drying, it became incredibly soft to the touch. I like how the white flecks on the black ground look like a loon's feathers. I'm going to turn that into a throw pillow soon. It's been languishing unfinished for long enough.

Website!
This might be the most exciting part of this post! I finally have a separate site set up for selling my patterns. Visit Sweater Studio and take a look! Be forewarned: people who use IE8 or earlier for a browser might encounter some glitches and frustrations. If you don't see the banner, it would be a great time to switch to Firefox or Chrome. The pattern sales are set up through the Ravelry hosting and downloading service, but you don't need to be a Ravelry member to buy them. For my sales volume and the number of items in my shop, they give the best deal I've found for me as a vendor.

In Other News
We did finally find a buyer for our old house. We will close on May 26. It will be a huge relief to close that deal.

As we sail into summer my hope is to continue the process of purging our excess stuff, throw a big yard sale, and be inspired for lots of new patterns.

Roughhousing Vest Pattern

Sporty zip front vest. Recommended yarn is a machine wash and dry cotton/acrylic blend. Shrinks about 10% so plan ahead!
Shown in Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed DK; 500 - 1000 yards (457 - 914 m)

Gauge: 22 stitches and 28 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

Needle size
US 5 - 3.75 mm
US 3 - 3.25 mm

Child S [M, L, XL]: 26 [28, 30, 32]" chest

$5 Instant Download

Angularity Vest Pattern

This classic V-neck silhouette is updated with a zigzag twisted stitch texture.

Shown in Gjestal Superwash Sport
Yarn weight: DK / 8 ply (11 wpi); 880 - 1430 yards (805 - 1308 m)

Gauge: 22 stitches and 28 rows = 4" in Twisted zigzags

Needle size
US 5 - 3.75 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm

Mens S, M, L [1X, 2X]

Instant Download $6

Stone Henley Pattern

This outdoorsy pullover is an easy choice for any guy.

Shown in Green Mountain Spinnery Cotton Comfort
1620 - 2340 yards (1481 - 2140 m)

Gauge: 22 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in Grid and cable pattern, after washing and blocking

Needle size
US 4 - 3.5 mm
US 2 - 2.75 mm

Sizes available
Mens S-2X, 37-53", in 4" increments

Instant download $6

Almost March

Here's a picture I took the day after the Big Blizzard of '11, early this month:

I'm not quite sure how the wind was blowing to cause this formation, but I suspect it was coming from the south, under the fence, and scooped all the snow up into that nice crisp ridge. If the wind came from the north, it would have hit the fence, curled down, and scooped the snow. In either case, it was cool while it lasted.

Knitting News
I finally finished the Socks That Would Not End. My Ravelry projects page tells me I started these in September. Here they are, hot off the needles, unwashed, unblocked, un-anything.



Yarn: Universal Yarns, Ditto. Now discontinued.
Knit on US #1 needles.
68 stitches, ribbed cuff and instep

Earlier this month, in the deep cold that followed the blizzard, I decided that my 3201 wool hats were not doing a good enough job keeping me warm and I probably should make myself an alpaca one. Fortunately I found some yarn in my stash that seemed perfect.



This is just a basic watchcap, k2, p2 ribbing throughout.
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Melange
Knit on US #2 needles
120 stitches.

In Other News
The dissatisfaction with our governor has grown steadily since Feb 11. If he thought this would all settle down and go away, he really underestimated the people of Wisconsin. The Teabaggers he recruited from out of state to counter-demonstrate put in a pretty pitiful showing in comparison. There were very few of them and they were back on their motor-coaches, on their way home, within 24 hours. I try to keep my politics off the blog, but recent events go way beyond politics-as-usual around here. It should get more interesting before it's all done.

Some Sewing

I've been doing a bit of sewing lately.

This tote bag was for a Something Handmade swap. It's red ultrasuede and lined with a colorful cotton print I got in a remnant heap a few years back.



The webbing for the handles was also in my stash. I can think of a few things I should have done better, but on the whole, I think it's ok.

My younger son has been wanting a wallet lately. I'm not sure why, because he never keeps money long enough to need somewhere to store it and he has only one card, his library card, that would go into it. We searched a few thrift shops with no luck. Not too surprising that there were many women's wallets and no men's. The men get one and wear it out. The women replace it as the mood strikes. Anyway, after poking around online at other folks' handmade wallets, here is what I came up with:




Again, room for improvement, but it was my first effort at this, I was working without a firm set of directions, and I was committed to only using stuff I had on hand. So, for a prototype, I call it a win. My son would like some velcro or a snap to hold it shut, which is a good idea.

In Other News
It has been a crazy time in Wisconsin lately. The kids have been out of school since Wednesday while the teachers, and many others, have been protesting downtown. I think the governor is wrong about this bill and doubly wrong about his approach in forcing it through. I can accept that political decisions get made that aren't the ones I support: I can't accept an attempt to rush through something as complex and important as the items in this bill on less than a week's notice.

Kelebek Vest

This complex-looking color pattern is a snap to memorize and knit. Shown in 9 colors. Charts are drawn from Anatolian Knitting Designs by Betsy Harrel. Worked in the round with steeks at front and armscyes.

Easy-fitting vest suitable for men or women. Allow 2-4 inches of wearing ease.

Sizes: S, M, L XL, 2X, 3X

Finished measurements approx. 32, 37.5, 42.5 48, 54, 59 inches

Harrisville Designs New England Shetland

Gauge: 27 stitches and 32 rows = 4" in Fair Isle stockinette

Needle size
US 3 - 3.25 mm
US 4 - 3.5 mm


Ravelry instant download link: $6 US
You do not need to be a Ravelry member to buy.

Kate Cardigan

This feminine fitted cardigan has lace panels accenting the front, fitted sleeves, worked top down from body with short-row shaping on caps, and simple lace trim on hem and sleeves.

Shown in Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted Tweed

20 stitches and 26 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

Needle size
US 5 - 3.75 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm

Yardage
1100 - 1800 yards (1006 - 1646 m)

Sizes available
Womens S, M, L [1X, 2X, 3X]; 36, 40, 44 [48, 52, 56]"

Ravelry Store link: Instant download $7.50 US
You do not need a Ravelry account to purchase.

General Housekeeping

In the next couple of days I'll be adding several posts with Purchase Download links for patterns. These are patterns that appeared in Knitcircus over the last couple of years and I'm just now getting around to offering for sale here. Thanks for your patience with this process.

Moving Forward...

Well, that's another year done with! When I stop and think about exactly what decade this is, I feel like a real old fart. Considering I turned 49 on my birthday in November, I guess that makes sense.

Since I last posted, I wove this scarf for Owen:






I'm still not very good at planning for how much extra warp thread it takes to get the finished length you want when weaving, so this is a bit shorter than I was hoping. But it is long enough to be a scarf.

I also finished knitting this scarf:



That's some chunky weight Noro Silk Garden I bought from a de-stashing sale last year. I tried a few different ideas with the yarn, and it seemed like entrelac was the only one that really worked. I'm not sure I'm the greatest fan of entrelac, but it is an addictive technique: just one more square...

I've also knit some socks, done some spinning, and made a little cowl-like thing from some hand spun yarn. That still needs a button and some finishing before I show the world.

In the past couple of weeks, I've suddenly (finally?) been struck with inspiration for new sweater patterns, which I hope to submit for publication. I knew that once I started to feel like my new lair was settled, like it had become my space, the gears would start turning. Still, it was uncomfortable when people would ask me if I was designing much lately.

I don't make resolutions, but I do have a few goals for 2011. I really hope we sell our old house this spring, as that would be a huge relief. I need to get Mr. SABLE to finish building my website and then get all my patterns available there. And I would like this to be the year I get a bit more serious about marketing myself to the knitting world.

Stay tuned!

December Updates

I wonder if everyone takes as long as I do to feel at home in a new place. I suspect that on a bell curve of adaptability, I would fall toward the end of slow-to-adapt. That said, I feel like I'm getting there in our new house. I have my new lair just about set up and almost always know where to find stuff I need within an hour of starting the search. Of course, if I had less stuff, I could find things within a minute or two. I'm working on the "Less Stuff" goal, but it's slow progress.

On Saturday, Mr. SABLE and I made a quick trip out to St. Vincent's to see if there were any couches we could live with. Our couch and comfy chair from our other living room are in the family room here. The living room here has been a big empty space, with some of my equipment camped out in it, but no real comfortable place to sit. Until we sell our old house, it was out of the question that we would go buy new furniture. We found a couch we both really like, in good condition, at a good price. Suddenly, the living room feels more like home. Then I was keeping an eye on Craigslist for a small table to go in the dinette area of our kitchen. Monday evening, Owen and I went and got a nice round table and two chairs that works perfectly. $30 for the set. Those two purchases have done so much for my morale, I might actually tackle some of the random boxes stacked around in corners and such.

Even though there's been little action in the blog, I've been doing stuff to keep my hands busy. I did a fair amount of spinning this fall and a bit of weaving.

Here's a scarf I'll be giving to my mom for Decemberween/Giftmas/Festivus/what-have-you:






She only reads my blog if I send her an actual link to a post, like when I compose a rant I think she'd enjoy, so I think it's ok to post it here.

I also knit a scarf for my mother-in-law, whom I also believe does not read my blog.






This is from the book 60 Quick Knits, which features projects using Cascade 220. I used some mystery yarn I found in my stash. I believe it's a wool-dominant blend that came to me in a big thrift-shop grab bag more than 10 years ago. Mr. SABLE and I agreed the color was completely right for his mom, though I seem to get different results on the color every time I photograph it.

I also knit a blue ribbed watch cap for my mother-in-law's husband and, finally, after months of dormancy, fixed and finished a sweater I started to machine-knit for my dad in March. I just need to get some stuff packed up and taken to the post office and then brace myself for the two-week school vacation which is fast approaching!

This and That

I've been doing a little knitting, though not much. I finished some plain green ribbed socks for me, started some purple and black socks for me, started a couple of hats, and I think there are few other things in progress right now. I don't have any new knitting pics today, though.


Last week I wove this scarf:


And a close up:


I used a hand-painted 100% merino sock yarn for the warp and a solid black 75% wool/25% nylon for the weft. I'm pleased with the resulting fabric, though I have still got a lot to learn about creating nice selvedges. In this case, I was trying so hard not to have my weaving draw in, I ended up with a lot of slop along the edges. Sooner or later I'll get that down.

Today I finally finished a shirt I started sewing several weeks ago. There's no reason that this should have taken more than two days, except that I think I was avoiding it out of fear that it would be a disappointment.



This fabric is a bit of a mystery to me. I think I bought it on a remnant heap somewhere, without any clue to fiber content. Since I know I paid next to nothing for it, it was kind of a test run for the pattern. I'm not entirely happy with the pattern and not sure I'd use it again. The front view looks ok, but the fit in the back is pretty sloppy. It's made to be a shirt-jacket and have enough ease to wear over other clothes, but even so, it's probably not the best choice for a woman with a lot of curves. It'll be a nice extra layer in transitional weather, so worth the effort of sewing it. But it's more for comfort than style.

Our cat Guy Noir had a close call with a car in mid-October. He spent nearly a week at the emergency animal hospital. He had broken his pelvis in two places, and the base of his tail. They did surgery to put a pin in his pelvis, to keep the worse of the two breaks in proper position for healing. He came home October 20, and is to be in confinement with minimal activity for 4 weeks. He has about 10 more days of confinement, then a slow re-introduction to normal activity.

That's the news here.

Proof of Activity!

Earlier this week I finished the weaving on the plaid pillows project. Now that I have it off the loom, I'm less certain about making it into throw pillows. The colors are awfully strong and I'm not sure they would fit in to many living spaces. I do like the resulting fabric: it has a nice weight and handle. I'm just not sure yet what it should ultimately become.


Some details:
Woven on my Ashford Rigid Heddle loom, with a 7.5 dent reed.
Used Tahki Cotton Classic, in blue, green, and yellow.
Finished weaving: about 20" x 68"


There are definitely a few screw ups and glitches, but it's all part of the learning process.

I stumbled on some mystery yarn in my lair the other day. It appears to be a wool/acrylic blend.

I think it's a color my mother in law would love. I'm making the Leaf Scarf by Mary Beth Temple from the book 60 Quick Knits. This is my kind of lace! Very easy to memorize and intuit and action only on the right side rows. I like the stability the garter stitch columns give the finished fabric and the way they contrast with the lace panels.

I also did a bit of spinning that defies photography. Seriously, this mini-hank must have a photographic deflector shield. It was an attempt to turn some crappy fiber into something better, but I wouldn't say it succeeded. Several years ago, my friend Fern and I bought a large lot of spinning fiber from a local spinner who needed to clear out her stash fast. There was a big batch that she told me was polypay and really only good for felting. After our move, I was looking at several large balls of purple roving from that stuff. I wondered, how bad could it be? I tried to spin some and instantly understood why she said that. It had a lot of little nups that were unsightly and frustrating. Then I wondered if I ran it through the drum carder with something else, would that help. Well, it did help, but probably not enough to be worth the trouble. I made a very wooly three-ply mini-skein from my sample bat. I'll knit a swatch out of it and decide then if it's worth pressing onward. Otherwise, I'll have a whole bunch of lavender-purple roving suitable for felting to give away.

More Words Than Pictures

So, it's been a while, eh?

I've been weaving a bit, knitting a bit, puttering in my fabric, thinking about piecing a quilt top, trying to establish a new lair in the new house.

Also, I had a small ventral incisional hernia repaired on Sept 14, which has healed up pretty well. Even relatively minor abdominal surgery can make you pretty uncomfortable for a bit. Mostly, I was tired, though. My mom came to help out for the surgery.

The very early morning of the day she left, we had a big hail storm, so since then I've been thinking about the roof, lining up the repairs, talking to the insurance company, finding out the bank's protocol for getting access to the money the insurer will be sending to pay for the roof. It turns out that on large claims, the check is made payable to both the home-owner and mortgage holder; I guess so I don't just pocket the money and not do the repairs. But it means the bank has hoops for me to jump through, too.

Also, since we still own our other house, which has generated very little interest in this very dead market, I've had a little money anxiety, too. I know how to be a tightwad, but we had gotten out of practice. And I must say, tightwaddery does not come naturally to my husband or kids.

So, we are very happy in our new house. I wouldn't say completely settled. When you have as much crap as we do, that takes a while. But getting there. The Little Guy is much happier at his new school. I think his new teacher is a much better fit for his personality than the one he had last year. Owen seems happy to live so close to his school and so many of his friends.

Owen took Driver Ed and got his learner's permit in August. That was pretty hair-raising (or greying?) at first, but he's doing pretty well at it now. He can get his actual driver's license in February when he turns 16.

Mr. SABLE succeed in obtaining a shitload of grant money for his employer, so his job security is pretty good these days. Even if this company doesn't make it (unlikely), having gotten these very large grants will look pretty impressive on his CV/resume.

So, that weaving up there... I was itching to get my loom warped with something colorful and easy. I really like the hand of the fabric I wove for my messenger bag in February. I dumped out a box of cotton yarns and picked out a few for a little attempt at plaid. These are Tahki Cotton Classic. I'm planning to make some throw pillows out of the yardage when I finish weaving it. I screwed up my intended pattern when warping, and didn't feel like backing up to fix it when I noticed the error, so now it's a design feature, as they say.

I've been knitting some socks, working on a (very dramatic) hat for Owen, spinning a bit more of the yarn in the previous post, and thinking about a project for that yarn. Also, early in the summer, sewed a plush microbe for the Little Guy, and have managed a few other small sewing projects along the way.

And now, we're into October. The school year is well under way: the kids are accepting the daily inevitability of it. Everyone's sleep is just about on a school year schedule. I've been doing little jobs for Knitcircus: photos, drawing schematics, and such. I hope to get focused on designing again, but for me, that takes a certain amount of solitude and time to let ideas percolate.

Stay tuned.

Out of Practice

Both at blogging and at spinning.

This little test hank is navajo-plied Blue Faced Leicester Top, Color Plum Toast by Frabjous Fibers. I bought it at Wisconsin Sheep and Wool in Sept '09 and dug it out when I went rummaging for something fun to spin. I definitely had some issues (singles broke a few times while plying. Grrr) but on the whole I like it. I think the rest of the fiber will be fun to spin and make a luscious yarn.

New Pattern Preview Pics

Here are some preview pics of my new pattern coming out in Knitcircus #11. The issue should go live on August 4 at Knitcircus.com.







Stone Henley
Men's sizes S-2X, 37-53" in 4" increments
Green Mountain Spinnery Cotton Comfort, 80% wool, 20% organic cotton

View from the back yard...

This evening after dinner, Mr. SABLE told me that there was a hot air balloon passing over. I found my camera and snapped a quick picture. The camera gave me an error message: No Card. Back in the house and found the card.

Just in time.

In knitting news, today at Last Saturday Knitting I finished some socks I promised a fellow Raveler last spring. I hope to get those mailed in the next day or two. It was wonderful just to go to Last Saturday Knitting because last month we were so deep in the thick of things there was no way I could go. And I haven't made it to any late nights at The Sow's Ear in months, either.

Look for the new online issue of Knitcircus on Aug. 4. I have a pattern for men in there that I'm pretty pleased with. Teaser pics coming soon.

In non-knitting news, we are free of our off-site storage lockers for the first time in 5 years. It's amazing how much money we spent over that time keeping stuff. Some of the stuff was worth it, but a lot of it probably wasn't.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel?

We've been insanely busy since the middle of June. We're mostly moved to the new house, but there's all kinds of stuff to sift through at the old house. A lot of it is junk, but not all, so it makes it hard to just shovel it all into the dumpster with wild abandon. Yes, we did get a dumpster.

Word to the wise: every five years pretend that you are going to move and go through your possessions ruthlessly.

We really do seem to be in the home stretch now, but there's an awful lot of stuff still left to deal with. So expect more dead air around here for at least a couple more weeks.

4th Annual Alt Knitting Camp

In case any of you ever wanted to go to a knitting camp, but not The Knitting Camp, we still have 5 places left for this year.

Alt Knitting Camp will be held at Devil's Lake State Park, near Baraboo WI, July 12-14, 2010.


Here's a picture I took at the south beach yesterday.

Alt Knitting Camp features: No Big Fees! No Structured Classes! No Famous Knitting Personalities!

We come. We knit. We eat and drink and be merry. And make smores.

Send me a message if you want to join in the fun. Cost is $25 for the entire trip, which includes share of camping fees and all meals. Camping supplies available to borrow and/or share if necessary. No prior camping experience necessary.