Month: June 2004

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Black Sheep Gathering

I had an urge to fondle wool so we made a quick weekend trip the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene on Saturday and then visited with a good friend on Sunday.

We arrived just as folks were setting up booths. Hand Jive’s colorful display of hand painted yarn and sock patterns was the first booth to catch my eye. I picked up a couple of skeins of Nature’s Palette merino fingering weight yarn, which looks very similar to Koigu.

Wensleydale I continued to browse the various wool and equipment vendors but had a hard time deciding on what to buy so I took a break from shopping to check out wool on the hoof. This Wensleydale cross from Carlson Farm has the most beautiful curly wool. It didn’t take much imagine to visual how pleasant it would be to spinning straight from the locks.

Annie Dachnahl At noon I attended Annie Dachnal’s demonstration on spinning multicolored roving which was based on a workshop taught by Lynne Vogel at SOAR last year.

Besides covering five different techniques for spinning these colorful rovings (check out Lynne’s book, The Twisted Sister’s Sock Workbook), she also demonstrated Andean Plying, which is useful for plying from both ends of one bobbin.

This was a timely topic since I had just bought a couple of these rovings before the talk and had no idea that there are so many ways to spin it up.

Tabachek HandspindleHere’s a bit of one roving that I spun on my new Tabachek spindle. I’m always on the look out for a well balanced and long spinning spindle. This one has quickly become my favorite.

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In a twist

homespun knit sample I was starting to feel smug about the consistency and twist of my handspun merino until I knitted a swatch. Despite producing a beautify skein, the first swatch knitted with this yarn came out less then satisfying (click the photo for a closer view). Although it’s a perfectly balanced yarn, the twist angle produces oddly formed stitches and a stiffly knitted fabric.

Not long after knitting this swatch, I came across an article in the winter 1997 issue of Spin-Off called “Mastering Twist” by Rita Buchanan. She confirmed what I had just learned. “Don’t judge yarn by looks alone. Spinners often like the looks of a high-twist yarn but prefer to hold or squeeze yarn with less twist. However, the final test is in the fabric, not the eyes or the hand.”

Practice makes perfect, right? It’s back to the spinning wheel to make some more sample yarn and swatches.

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Figure 8 Cast On

Here’s what I did with the Buttons yarn using the Simple Baby Socks pattern in The Magic Loop booklet. I highly recommend this booklet if you’d like to learn how to knit socks with one circular from the cuff down and from the toe up.

buttons_baby_socks

These socks are knit from the toe, using a figure 8 cast on which can be a challenge to manage but  produces the best sock toe. Last week I tried starting these socks while riding the bus but gave up after several attempts. It’s definitely a task that needs to be done in a comfortable environment.

Keep in mind that this cast on is not only great for socks, but can also be used for other circular items such as hats.

Here’s how the cast on is started on two circular needles. The yarn is wound around two needle tips in a figure 8 fashion.

[Note: 4/9/2006 – I just noticed that this picture is wrong. The yarn end should start be under the lower needle (left side of photo) and then wrapped up over the upper needle. When I get a chance, I’ll change the photo. Athough, I think it’s still possible to wrap the needles this way. Just be sure not to twist stitches as you knit them.]

figure8-1

Once the yarn is wound around the needles, I start knitting through the back loop of all the stitches on the top needle. It’s important to remember to correctly wrap the last stitch on the bottom needle when starting on the top row so that another stitch is formed on the bottom needle.
figure8-2
Now I switch the bottom needle to the top and knit (not through the back loop) each stitch on this needle. Notice that I’m holding the yarn tail between the fingers of my left hand so that the last stitch on the last needle doesn’t get messed up.
figure8-3
Here’s the first round finished. I can now knit in a circle, increasing at the end of each needle as needed.
figure8-4
When the circle is a little bigger I tighten the first row stitches by starting on the opposite side of the tail (which is on the left when looking down at the toe from the top of the sock) yanking on the stitches one at a time to move the slack from one stitch to the next until I reach the tail.

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Buttons

buttons

The Lace Cardigan hasn’t made it out of the knitting bag for a couple of days now so it’s time to get quick gratification. I passed up mounds of pastel yarns in the baby section for this bright sport weight yarn. It’s made of 83% wool and 17% polyester effect yarn. The effect yarn is actually a thread with slubs* which has been plied with three other strands of wool. The swatch comes out to 24 sts X 32 rows for a 10cm square, knitted on size 3.25mm needles, almost exactly what I’m aiming to get from the merino top that I’ll be spinning for the Spin-Off sweater.

*a soft thick uneven section in a yarn or thread -from www.m-w.com

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Spin-In

The Weaving Works hosted a Spin-In last Saturday. Approximately 30 people appeared through out the day with a variety of wheels and handspindles. Our equipment was arranged in a large circle so we could chat while spinning.

There were quite a variety of fibers being spun. One brave novice learned how to use a spindle for the first time while spinning soy silk. I stuck to practicing with some dark purple (not black as the picture shows) merino which will be used to learn Navajo Plying in a class on Wednesday night. Here it is on the lazy kate, although I noticed that I put the pegs in backwards.

Lazy Kate

It’s too bad that I forgot my camera although Terri did remember her camera and promised to post some pictures on her blog.

Shirley said that the next Spin-In is scheduled for October 9th. Besides getting a chance to meet and compare spinning techniques and advice with other spinners, it’s a good excuse to pickup spinning supplies since all spinning related items are discounted 10%.

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Knitting on the Edge

knitting_on_the_edge For a few weeks now, I’ve been patiently waiting for Knitting on the Edge to show up at a local yarn shop or bookstore so I could flip through it to see if it’s a keeper.  Last week my patient wore out and I ended up ordering a copy, sight unseen.

Well, I’m happy to report that I haven’t been disappointed. It’s full of beautiful and clear pictures of hundreds of stitch patterns designed for the edges of knitted projects. While I recognize many of the stitches from other stitch pattern books, Nicky Epstein puts them together in a myriad of combinations that spur my imagination. The book also includes seven patterns that hint at how the edges can be used, one of which is pictured on the cover of the book. Hopefully the written instructions will prove to be as accurate as the pictures are beautiful.

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The Yin & Yang of Yarn

balanced skein Here’s my latest skein of wheel spun merino yarn. Notice how nicely balanced it is. It hangs in a nice round circle. My plying skills have definitely improved after lots of practice, reading several spinning books and watching two videos.

Last night I picked up a copy High Whorling by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts (PGR) that’s been sitting on my book shelf for a year. I guess I didn’t really think much about it when I purchased the wheel since it “only” covered handspindles. Oh, that was an oversight. Yes, it doesn’t discuss spinning wheels, but it does cover all other aspects of spinning. In many respects, I think it’s probably the best of all the books and videos that I’ve used.

Here are some tips that I’ve picked up from PGR’s book and other sources.

1. Make a “self” ply sample that can be used as a reference during plying.

Most sources mention this by saying that a sample can be made by letting a freshly spun single strand fold back on it self. PGR takes it a logical step further by mentioning that a sample should actually be made under tension to get a much more accurate sample.

Incidentally, I came to this conclusion before reading PGR’s book. I make all my samples under tension using my hand spindle by pulling out a long section of the freshly spun single, placing the hook of the handspindle in the middle of the strand and putting the two ends of the strand together, letting the single ply itself with the weight of the spindle. Don’t add any extra twist.

2. Frequently refer to the ply sample while plying.

It might not be easy to see differences between the ply sample and the plied yarn on the wheel. A good way to check differences is to count the number of bumps per inch in the sample and compare that number with bumps per inch in the yarn being plied.

Ply with 9 twists per inch

3. Don’t bother measuring whether a yarn is balanced during plying.

Many sources say that you can determine whether your yarn is balanced by hanging a long piece of freshly plied yarn between the orifice and your hand or a similar test from the spindle. If the piece twists then it isn’t balanced.

Well, there’s no need to do this test. PGR and Alden Amos mention that the twist in a single will set almost immediately, so such ply tests with “old” singles don’t give accurate results. It’s best to just refer to the plied sample that was done from freshly spun singles. Wool has memory of the original twist once it is washed.

4. Don’t over twist when plying.

PGR mentions that the stitches in knitted fabric with over-twisted yarn will look odd. One side of the stitch will be fat and the other thin. I’ve noticed this effect with commercial yarns such as Cashmerino. To minimize this effect, make sure the angle of the ply is appropriate for the diameter of the single.

5. Finish the yarn by simmering it in a pot on a stove.

I finished the skein, shown in the picture above, by following PGR’s instructions. I put the yarn in a large enameled pot with warn water, placed the pot on the burner and then set it to medium heat. I monitored the heat with a thermometer so that the water didn’t get hotter then 180 degrees Fahernheit. Once it reached 180, I turned off the burner and let the water cool before I removed the yarn. I gently squeeze much of the water out of the skein with a towel and then hung it to dry. PGR mentions that she doesn’t put any weight on the yarn while it dries since this tends to take elasticity out of it.

You might be wondering why I’m so obsessed with getting a balanced yarn. Well, if the yarn isn’t balanced then it will knit up in a skewed fabric that slants on a bias.

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Change in Strategy

After further practice with Ashland Bay merino top, I’ve changed to a slightly larger whorl which has a 13:1 ratio. Although I was getting pretty good results with the 15:1 ratio, I did notice some over twisting. Perhaps this switch will also help solve some of my problems with getting a balanced 2-ply.

blue_merino_wpi Singles:

27 – 28 wraps per inch

13.5 twists per inch (with 13:1 whorl)

2-Ply:

14 -15 wraps per inch

9 twists per inch (with 9:1 ratio whorl)

I’m working away on a second bobbin of singles and plan on using the 9:1 ratio whorl to create a balanced 2-ply yarn. If all goes well with this new skein then I might start spinning the fiber from the Spin-Off sweater package.

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Mindless Lace Knitting

I haven’t abandoned Gilet Lace; it has just slowed down a bit since the next two pieces (sleeves) are all lace. Progress has been slower than normal over the past few days due to bouts of mindless knitting, ending in several rows being ripped out because of forgotten yarn overs. This pattern is almost etched in my mind so; I’ve totally abandoned the chart. The other day a fellow bus rider complimented my work mentioning that it looked like a difficult lace pattern and was surprised that I wasn’t following a chart. I guess she didn’t realize that most of the knitting consisted of a stitch pattern repeated a zillion times.

gilet lace: sleeve & stitch pattern

If you click on the picture you’ll see a close-up of the rather simple lace pattern. In a previous post I mentioned it includes right and left crossed stitches and posted a few pictures on how to work them. I however neglected to add a photo of what the end results look like. Well here’s a “Where’s Waldo?” moment. The crossed stitches are on either side of the reverse stockinette triangle patterns, just after/ before the yarn overs (holes). I have a vague memory of doing crossed stitches while working on a Nancy Bush sock pattern.