Catching up.......

I am once again remiss with keeping up to the date with this blog. I just haven't 'felt' it in recent years and it's a struggle.  I did get a warp on the loom yesterday for my secret holiday project. Just got started weaving on it and am pleased. The draft is from the Strickler book, page 20, #59.  I'm using 10/2 perle cotton sett at 30 epi.

I've knit two of these hats from the National Parks hat book - it is the Glacier hat.  I actually bought the yarn called for rather than use yarn from my stash. There's enough for another one or maybe two from that yarn. I may make a pair of mittens instead to go with my hat, have put it aside and will decide later. If you're a knitter and haven't seen that book you need to - beautiful book, great patterns.

I finally finished a pair of denim blue socks for myself. They've been on the needles for probably a year. They were set aside while I worked on socks for family last summer/fall. I thought I would finish these on the long drive to and from MT recently but didn't knit more than a half inch.

I started these socks while on the coast this past weekend. I bought the yarn at The Wool Co over there (Bandon) a few months ago. Kelly has a nice selection of yarn and other goodies.  I bought some locally made soap this past weekend in addition to a couple skeins of yarn. 

 
 

National Park hat

Our guild challenge this year is to create something fiber related based on a National Park postcard we received.  I got Isle Royale which is a Michigan island in Lake Superior.  I do have a weaving project planned and started winding the warp this afternoon.  Since I was gifted this book recently I decided I'd also knit the hat inspired by the park.  I like it.  I don't wear hats often but there are some incredible hats in this book so I will be making more for myself, my hubby and gifts. I used worsted wool that's came from the stash destined for hats for charity - I had the perfect colors. 

Sorry the picture is sideways - I took it using both orientations with my phone and both were turned. There's no rhyme or reason to why sometimes it works, sometimes not. I take several pix. 

 

A pile of hats

My goal this week was to get the first bag of hats delivered for those that could use them, those who are living in tents and cars in our community.  Finding out where to deliver was a bit difficult but then I read in a city email update where 2 shelters were opening tomorrow since the temp will be 32 or lower.  I called UCAN (United Community Action Network) and they were thrilled with the prospect of getting hats so I delivered them to their office this afternoon.  After getting home I knit 3 more beanie style hats and will continue to knit more fitting them in-between other activities with hopes I'll have another bag full soon.  I put tags on them with sizing, yarn content and a note saying they're reversible, often with different colors on the other side. There's another organization opening a shelter, it's doctor's and nurses who go out to help the homeless, but all I've found out so far is there's a facebook page and I'm one of the minority who is not on facebook so I can't message them. I'll be working on finding out how to get in touch with them.

I also knit a hat for a friend who had stopped by - she picked out these colors - she'll get it next time I see her. I like this color combo too. 

Post holiday

First off, sorry a couple pix are sideways - makes no sense, can't seem to correct it when it loads to blogger. Take the pic with phone held the same way but some come out different and no amount of editing on the computer reflects once they upload to blogger. 

I'm sorry I neglected to take photos of many of the gifts I made this year but that's life.  So below is one of them and a few other pix. 

I decided to make an inkling this year since I had an idea. This is #27 in the series started back in the 90's. Some years I have ideas, some years I don't, some years I've made a set that go together, some years just one.....or none.  This year's inkling is a Yellowstone Ranch cowboy (Yellowstone series starring Kevin Costner) The body is inkle woven and stuffed. What looks like feet is really a horse shoe he's sitting on top of. Part of the fun making these is searching for 'accessories' from all different sources.  I already have an idea for next year.....if I can pull it off. 

Yesterday I knit another hat on the Addi machine out of Cascade 220 worsted wool.  It's reversible. Here is one side of it........

...here's the other side. I thought I'd be doing good if I could knock out one a day fitting it in-between other activities - may not always happen but I'll work towards it.

And here are our holiday cards. Handwoven as they often are although I have been known to make quilted, crocheted or paper crafted cards. 

Finally, this is for Judy from Fundamentally Fiber, if you happen to read my blog. The photo of your current roving being spun on a turkish spindle is incredible - the colors are incredible and the photo is beautiful - I think you could put together a great calendar with your fiber photos. Anyhow, since you don't have comments enabled I'm writing here to say I love seeing what you're up to in your fiber life. 

 

New toy.......

Friend Yolanda 'enabled' me to buy a new toy - the Addi Express King knitting machine.   It is limited with what it can knit having only 46 stitches but it will knit tubes and although I haven't tried it yet, it will knit flat too.  I have a ton, I mean a whole lot, of worsted weight wool that I'd like to use to knit hats for charity but if I were going to handknit them I might only get a few done each year.  So, the Addi was a perfect solution - I haven't officially timed myself but I'm guess it takes between 30-45 minutes to knit a hat......will time it next hat. 

Here is it with some Red Heart pink yarn that I bought to learn on. I watched many You Tubes for instruction as learning from the minimal directions would be difficult......at least difficult for me. There are tons of You Tube videos on the Addi and many different project ideas. 

This is my first hat. It is double thick which means it could be reversible, different colors on each side. Learning the tension to put on the yarn coming through my hand takes a while - this hat is a little too tight for an adult but would fit a child just fine. I had enough of the big skein of pink yarn to make a second hat so I lessened the tension in my hand and it turned out perfect. 

Sorry, this is upside-down for what reason I don't know.  Next up I wanted to try the Cascade 220 wool yarn that I have shelves of. Sam requested a hat so I told him I wasn't in the mood to wind skeins into balls right then so I'd use some leftovers that were already wound. I was worried this would turn out too small as I needed to learn how much tension for this yarn but it's perfect. At first I was having troubled with dropped stitches and what is called tucked stitches - I learned how to fix them except a couple times the ladders on dropped or tucked stitches were crossed so I to take the hat out.  My friend told me to use a dryer sheet in my hand and let the yarn run over it, I also held my hand a little lower than the guide - perfect, no issues. I know I saw a video where it showed how to make a jogless change of color - need to go back and find that. Sam loves his new hat, being 2 layers it will be extra warm.  I made this hat a little shorter too which is perfect. The inside of the hat is a lighter green with the black. I can't wait to mix and match all the fun colors of yarn I have for some colorful hats. 

In addition to being able to knit many hats for charity I will be able to knit flat pieces. I've been wanting to knit my own flat pieces for dyeing. In the past I've bought some or had a friend make me some on her flatbed knitting machine. When I get to doing that I'll be learning how small the yarn can be on this machine. 

At the moment the two downsides to buying this new toy is that I have many, many skeins of wool to sit and wind into balls and then where do I make room to store it.......it does have a nice 'hat box' for storage but there needs to be shelf space for it. Oh, another downside - I need to not go too far the rabbit hole at the moment as I have other things to do too.............

 

Askew........

Yes, here I am again using my phone camera and pictures coming out askew and no matter how I fix them on the computer when I upload them here they're wrong.  Oh well...…

I've made accessories to match The Sampler Cowl knit earlier.  This upsidedown hat is called Sisters Hat  by JanKnit Designs - a free download on Ravelry. It's named after the Three Sisters mountains in central Oregon around 4-5 hours from here.  I started knitting it using one strand of my handspun but it looked too flimsy so I doubled my handspun and it turned out perfect on size 7 needles.

And I made the Welted Fingerless Gloves to go with the set. This pattern is by Kit Hutchins/Churchmouse Yarns.  I used size 6 needles and a single strand of my handspun, which is around a DK weight yarn. This pattern was a little confusing but I went with what I thought it meant and did just fine. I did 2 purl rows before binding off which wasn't in the pattern.

So, this set is destined to be in my spinning group's display at the county fair this coming summer. I came up with a theme for our display of drawing inspiration from flower seed packets. My seed packet was Penstemon. Hoping it turns out to be a fun display with seed packets hung with items they inspired.  I may do another project since I got this one done early - that one in purples & blues.

Festive.....

Festive wear for dog walking. I knit the rolled brim hat a couple years ago but never wore it because I wasn't sure if I'd gift it or keep it. I decided I needed some mittens to match so I found some red wools in my that matched pretty good. I'll wear this set on morning walks when I'm in a red mood as opposed to the purple mood. Tomorrow morning will definitely be red as it seems very festive.