I got a stitch calendar from Vogue Knitting: a stitch a day. It has some interesting stitches but you need to tear away a day at a time and somehow I feel like I might want to save the pages. But how.
On another note, I did a knitting needle reorganization brought on by my dissatisfaction with my circular needle storage system. I decided to scrap the fishing binder in favor of an accordian file (The Martha Stewart Collection at Staples) After counting all my various needles (single point, DPNs, and circs)I came up with more than 200 needles including 8 sets of size 8 DPNs and 5 sets of 7 DPNs. Plus my interchangeable set. But I don’t see the need for portability of my major storage since I have the interchangeable set.
]Stacey Shawl
I started this DK weight shawl, it is a curved shawl designed to sit nicely on the shoulders from the book Wendy Knits Lace by Wendy Johnson out of MadelineTosh Merino DK in dark green/teal tonal. I finished the first set of graphs and am moving onto the second set with repeating patterns. This pattern is only graphed which is the way I like it.
I made a vanilla sock for DH out of the Raumaragg that Jonathan brought back from Norway. It is warm, rough, and rugged so I am making boot socks. Today, it is snowing outside, there is a fire in the fireplace, dog resting by the hearth, so I think some progress on the sock. Hopefully, this will be a start on sock completion in 2012.
Woven Scarf
Washed Corriedale Fleece, 8 oz. from the Spinning Loft
I washed 8 ounces of Corriedale Raw Fleece from the Spinning Loft using a cold soak, a hot scour, and several hot rinses. I rolled the fleece up in a towel and left it in my cool study to dry for about a week. I put it in a big basket and kept turning it. Once it was dry, I drum carded it using my Strauch’s Finest DC. I pulled the fiber apart by hand and placed it by clump of locks perpendicular to the drum. I loaded it with more fleece towards the sides. I did one pass per batt. I pulled off about 5 batts for the total amount of fiber and then I tried spinning it. I wonder if it would have benefitted from further carding but I am learning what works. The fiber drafts nicely with a few little noils.
Drum Carded Batt from Corriedale, on the Strauch Finest Drum Carder
Carded Batt
Spun from Corriedale Batt using supported long draw
I still have a lot of fleece to wash, spin, card but nothing like the stash that Discontinued Name Brand Yarns scored at an estate sale in Chicago: the first round was 300 cartons of yarn, kits, quilting supplies. Made me feel a little better about my paltry stuff. Still after an airing of the stash last week, I found so many projects that I love but I haven’t worked on in ages. I hope to make major inroads into those WIPs this year: Inishmore in Rowan Magpie (bought that yarn at SE in King of Prussia); Celtic Dreams in Jaeger Aran (they don’t make yarn anymore); Autumn Cardi in Kauni (way too much was bought in Estonia); Henry VIII in Jamieson; Nansen, a Dale ski sweater; Espresso in Ultra Alpaca; Shawl Collar Pullover in Leicester Handspun; October Frost in Plymouth Tweed. Then, in the pipeline: Jean Frost Jacket in Plymouth Tweed; vanilla pullover in Brown Sheep; Dark and Stormy in California Red Handspun.
Finally, I am so happy that somehow I got the words and pictures to match up on the page, which is not automatic or intuitive. More to follow as I knit. BTW, Knitpicks is having a book sale. Curiously, they initially had Meg Swansen’s new book on color knitting, Knitting With Two Colors on the site and then it disappeared. If it comes back, I can probably cobble enough stuff together for free shipping. I have been collecting some stuff for a while.
