Here’s the completed front piece of the Irish Moss sweater. Progress is slow but I guess that’s to be expected when knitting an Alice Starmore design.
My knitting tension has turned out to be spot on despite my initial swatching problems.
I think I’ll wait a few days before starting the back piece. I really need to finish up a holiday project that I started last year but didn’t finish.
Here are my finished samples from the spinning class that I recently took at The Weaving Works.
We were given small bags of various wool samples to prepare by combing, hand carding, drum carding or flicking. The first two samples are from commercially prepared tops while the rest are from fleeces that the teacher had acquired and cleaned.
Listed from left to right (click photo for larger view):
I took advantage of the class discount and purchased a pair of double row Louet mini combs, but I swear, I won’t be purchasing a fleece anytime soon. I need to finish what I already have on hand.
It happened again. I found another mistake. Oh, this is getting so tedious.
At least this time I was able to fix it by only ripping out a small part that was one column of 5 stitches wide and 16 rows deep. Using a spare circular needle I reworked all the stitches.
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Hopefully (knock on wood), I’ll finally finish the front piece this week.
This week I’ve been spending more time spinning than knitting. I’m working on finishing up the samples from spinning class which ended this week. I’ll post some photos when the skeins dry.
It’s been a busy week of cleaning, cooking, celebrating and visiting so I didn’t manage to make much progress on my current projects. I did however have a chance to do a little homework for the spinning classes that I’ve been taking for the past two weeks.
During the first and second spinning classes we received 10 small bags of wool fiber to prepare and spin. We’ve been encouraged to keep notes on each fiber so I spent a few minutes this morning devising a system to store my samples.
I came up with this idea after seeing a similar product being sold as needle point thread organizer at my local craft store.
I first gathered the following items.
Next, I assembled one bag for each fiber type. Each bag includes a small lock of fiber, a yarn sample wrapped around a small thick card, and an index card with notes on fiber preparations and the breed.
To keep the samples packages together, I punched a hole in the corner of each bag and then inserted the binder ring into the holes.
Now all my samples are keeped together instead of getting scattered in my spinning basket. It’s really a simple idea that I hope will keep my samples organized and will serve as a good reference for future projects.
I sure that everyone has their own system for keeping samples. What to you do?
Although I was making great progress on Irish Moss, not long after my last post I found two glaring mistakes. At about 30 rows back I forgot to cross stitches in two places. I guess that’s what I get for bragging about being able to work on this sweater while riding the bus.
I briefly attempted to fix the mistakes by just ripping down a few stitches from the top to avoid having to rework all those rows, but it proved too difficult.
Knitting gives one the rare opportunity to fix mistakes, so I take it in stride. Unlike other things in life, I control my knitting projects with no definite deadlines to meet. If a mistake is obvious to me, I fix it.
Even though I’m committed to fixing my knitting mistakes no matter how daunting, I do my best not to make them in the first place. This one reminded me once again that I should frequently stop and admire my work often so that I can find mistakes as early as possible.
So, this week not much progress was made. Tonight I just reach the point at which I was before I found the errors.
Spinning Class
The first class wasn’t very exciting since it was a review of the beginning class. We hauled our wheels and equipment to class but didn’t spin! The instructor spent the whole class reviewing topics that were discussed in the beginning class. I knew there would be some review but I thought that we would at least get to spin. At the end of class the instructor passed out several bags of various wools that we are to prepare for next week. Things should get more exciting next week. We’ll be learning how to use a drum carder, combs and cards.
I’m a knitter with a mission.
I think I’ll get Irish Moss done much
quicker then originally anticipated. I find this stitch pattern so
addicting that it’s hard to put aside for any other project. While the
stitch pattern looks difficult, it’s not after a few repeats. Since
it’s a basic drop sleeve sweater there’s no side or armhole shaping to
anticipate.
This week I also spun some of the fiber for the Spin-Off sweater. Although I thought I had practiced enough, I’m finding the solid color merino much more difficult to draft. It still looks OK, but just isn’t as consistent as my previous attempts with the multi-colored roving. The difference has got to be the amount of combing. I bet that the multi-colored roving goes through many more combings than the solid color rovings.
Classes
I’m ready to learn more spinning techniques so next week I’ll start a series of three spinning class offered by a local yarn store that I hope will expose me to a wider variety of wool. While I’m hoping to expand my skills, I’m not sure how in-depth these classes will get. Although the teacher is very knowledgeable, her approach isn’t as technical as I would prefer. Whatever the outcome, I know I will enjoy spending time with others who enjoy fiber arts and spinning.
To satisfy my technical hunger, I recently signed up for a few classes offered by Madrona Fiber Arts in February. Hopefully I’ll be able to take one class with Deb Menz called “Plying Yarns for Color Effects” and two with Judith MacKenzie McCuin called “Three Bags Full: Spinning for 3 different types of yarn” and “The Great Sock Caper: Hand spun yarn for hand knit socks”.
By the way, I notice that Interweave will be releasing a paperback version of Deb Menz’s book, Color in Spinning. Yahoo!
Unfortunately, I can’t claim to have made this sweater but just thought I
would post it for design inspiration. It’s 100% alpaca; hand loomed
(whatever that means) in Bolivia.
Not only do I love the knitted motifs but also the cut and lightweight fabric make it so much more comfortable
to wear than my heavy Icelandic Design sweater. It’s rarely too warm to wear around the office on a brisk autumn day.
Like a true knitter, I measured the gauge which is 8 stitches to an
inch.
Here’s what I was able to accomplish this weekend. Now that I’ve done a couple of repeats it’s coming along a little faster. I even started taking it on the bus and can get a couple of rows done during a normal commute.
During the past week I’ve been diligently spinning Mojave merino roving into sport-weight yarn. Yes this is another attempt to master spinning so that I can have enough confidence to finally start working on the fiber for the Spin-Off sweater. I’ve had the kit for almost a year now but have been afraid to start. Hopefully I’ve built up enough tactile memory in my fingers so that it becomes second nature. While I know that handspun yarn doesn’t have to look perfect, I just can’t help trying.
I forsee doing a lot of spinning during the next four years. It has truely become my primary form of meditation during difficult times.
Yes, I’m still knitting but having a difficult time blogging after taking a week off to help with funeral arrangements.
Last night I just completed Pretty Comfy Sock .
Last weekend I did take pictures of how I worked the short row heels but it took much longer then expected to put together.
I’m still working on it but here’s what I have so far -> Short Row Heels.
My next small project will be the Flared Lace Smoke Ring from HeartStrings knitted in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool.
Thanks for all your kind thoughts through this difficult time. In honor of my brother, I plan to donate many pairs of socks every year to a worthy charity.
I tried working on Irish Moss last week but didn’t get far before I ripped out what I had done. Needless to say, It is not the best project to work on during a stressful time.
I’m happy to report that despite my initial problems achieving correct tension on my swatches, the width of this front piece seems to be fine.
While Irish Moss languished, I did make progress on Pretty Comfy Socks. The lace pattern is really quite easy to remember thus making it easy to pick up during a few spare moments. The second foot is coming along quickly so hopefully this weekend I can take some pictures to show how to work this short-row heel.
Purlwise 
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