July 27, 2010
Nichole socks
Just wanted to share a super simple pair of socks I knit for my grandma about a month ago.
The yarn is Nichole by the Schaefer Yarn Company, 80% extrafine superwash merino wool, 20% nylon. Long time readers know that I've had mixed success with using Schaefer yarns in the past, but Nichole is a winner!
First, I was completely drawn to the color, Vanessa Bell, because it's perfect for my grandma. Second, the yarn has this wonderful thickness, like a very plump and firm fingering weight, but not quite sportweight. Using 2.5 mm INOX dpns (that's like a US size 1.5), I got a gauge of 7.5 stitches and 10 rounds per inch. The socks feel like they're made for puttering around the house in the winter - thick and sturdy.
Considering the thickness, the skein put-up (405 yards in each 5 oz. skein) is actually very generous - I had a ton left over after knitting this pair! And even though it took me several months to finish the socks, the actual knitting went very, very quickly - I just dragged it out because I was distracted by many other projects :).
I originally wanted to knit this yarn into a slightly more complicated sock pattern, but the color variegation demanded a very simple stockinette sock. No problem! A little ribbing, a few decreases, and then knit a tube over 56 stitches.
It's so funny that when I write an official sock pattern, it's never less than 3 pages long, but when I'm jotting down notes for myself, a few words and numbers scribbled on a postal office receipt is all I need ;).
July 25, 2010
There'll be other opportunities for nupps
I love nupps. It's been a whole year since I knit my grandma's Crown Prince Square Shawl, and frankly, I've missed the little buggers! Recently I once again leafed through Knitted Lace of Estonia
This is Miralda's Triangular Shawl. The interesting textural stitches drew me right in.
I also really liked the delicate frilly edge, though I have to think carefully about the very best way to block, so as to retain the frilliness.
No part of the shawl would be noteworthy without mentioning the amazing yarn: Ball and Skein Sophia, 80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon, 450 yards per 160 gram skein. I think Sophia uses the same base yarn as Spirit Trail Fiberworks Paivatar, which I used to knit my mom's Toe The Line shawl: they feel very similar to me.
I picked up 2 skeins of Sophia in the Loree colorway at this year's Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft Fair. I noticed that the 2 skeins are ever-so-slightly different in color. Instead of alternating them every 2 rows, I decided to knit chunks/stripes of the shawl pattern using one skein, then the other.
But wait a minute, where are the nupps? I ended up omitting the entire nupp section! I found myself really bothered by the way it was centered (or not centered) relative to the point of the shawl. I also felt zero motivation to re-chart and figure out a better way to include that section ;).
So, out it went! Instead I'm alternating the textural motifs, with the full knowledge that another opportunity to play with nupps will come my way sooner or later anyway :).
July 19, 2010
Big spinnin'
Ha! Yes, I'm having a bit of craft ADD lately: first there was quilting, and now there's spinning. Honestly, it's just my way of dealing with this hot and humid weather - sewing on cooler nights, knitting when I'm able to find relief in air-conditioning, spinning when everything else seems to be making me too hot! Also, I'm finally feeling the freedom of being done with all my baby knits! Hooray! As a result I'm terribly scattered, but eh, whatchagonnado?
So, guess what?!? I made yarn!
Stacie showed me the ropes, with some helpful guidance from Maryse, too! Two lessons later, I think I'm finally getting the gist of it - what goes where, how to make yarn thicker or thinner, tighter spun or looser, etc.
But I have to say, spinning... good spinning... is an art, and I have no misconceptions about that. It will take a lot of practice and a lot of duds to make yarn as pretty as what I currently have in the stash, or as pretty as anything Stacie cranks out. Every time I see one of those beauties, I wonder, "Why spin when I can buy it all spun up and gorgeous already?" I've been using that as an excuse to avoid spinning for 6 years now ;). The issue, and I'm sure you've all seen me battle with this time and time again, is that the common put-up of a handspun skein of yarn is approximately 100 grams, which is not enough for much.
Anyway, for my first "skein," and I use that term loosely, I used Corriedale pencil roving from Crown Mountain Farms. This was great to use for a beginner like myself because there was minimal fiber prep. I used Stacie's Majacraft Rose and made 2-ply yarn! It's bulky-ish, largely under-spun and under-plied (shocking, I know!), but with promising bits throughout.
Before cranking out that skein on the Rose, I tried spinning on the Ashford Traditional wheel (I think the double drive version), and the Louet S10 DT. The Louet was excellent, the Ashford... less so. I guess there's a reason we are advised to try out a wheel before buying - each one is different! I'm nowhere near ready to buy a wheel, but I will be taking that advice seriously if and when I am.
Lastly, in the spirit of spinning, I wanted to mention the 4! Ounce! Challenge! that Stacie is currently hosting. Spin yarn and have the opportunity to win awesome prizes?!? That sounds like a win! Maybe next year I'll have my own wheel and be good enough to participate!
