Chronicles of the Lazy Knitter
http://purlsunravelled.name
They Used to Call it Serfdom
Enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle on the Canadian Prairies it is possible to take a 5 mile horseback ride and not meet a single neighbor. Privacy and freedom of movement not enjoyed by much of the population any more! Against this backdrop I spin, dye and knit various fibers, always eyeing that pet Llama and scheming...
CLICK on his sidebar pic about half way down the page and read about his haircut!
CLICK on the second Llama pic for photos from our farm!
CLICK on "What addiction?" pic for Clara Parke's article on interesting ways to hide yarn!
CLICK on "CLASSIC POSTS" in Category Archives for the Best of the Lazy Knitter
Will Your Comment Be a Winner?
I really enjoy your comments! My blog interface numbers comments but only I can see them. Number #900, #999 and #1000 all won something special! How's that for incentive to take a moment and say "Hi!"?
CONGRATULATIONS!
Comment #900 is Doris who won a copy of "Knitting Stitches" a book of 300 unique charted stitches by Mary Webb
Comment #999 is Ellen who won the book "The Pattern Companion: Knitting"
Comment #1000 is Monika who won the knitting mug and 2 - 100gm skeins of Cascade yarn!
For blog Post #400 all comments were entered into a draw for a huge skein of hand dyed sock yarn! Susan won!
Why I Love Wool
DID YOU KNOW?
Unlike synthetic fibers, wool is fire retardant. Up until recently, the blankets firefighters used to rescue people from burning buildings were made of tightly woven wool. This is because wool will only burn if it is held on a flame and immediately stops burning if the flame is removed. Synthetics only need to be exposed to high heat before they combust (they don't even need an open flame) and will continue to burn even after being removed from the heat source. This makes synthetics HIGHLY DANGEROUS for infant bedding and clothing (if they're around smokers) because burning synthetics will actually melt right onto skin and continue to burn even after the flame has gone out.Wool can be stretched up to 1/3 longer than it's resting length and still snap back into shape!
Wool is a 100% renewable resource that does not require chemicals or consumable energy to produce!
Superwash wool can be machine washed and dried without worry, making it easy care - perfect for infant wear & blankets!
With all the advances in sheep breeds (like Merino and Blue Face Leicester) plus the greater availability of specialty fibers like Alpaca, the days of "scratchy" wool are over!
Books I Recommend
Introduce Children to Working With Fiber! Charlie is a Shepherd...Super New Sock Book!
My Favorite Knitting Teacher...
Lovely children's books! All the illustrations are made of felted wool! Unique gifts!!
Knitting Daily - Knitters Review
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Chronicles of the Lazy Knitter
Blogging At A New Location
I hope you've noticed there have been no new posts for over a week now. I am typing this at the public library because I can no longer access my blog interface from my home computer. 
I am now blogging at a new address so if you have my blog bookmarked you will need to make a new one - sorry!
My new BLOG address is www.lazyknitterchronicles.blogspot.com
This blog will remain active for some time to come because it's recently been paid for for another year! (groan!) Isn't that always the way???
So please come on over to my new location! Don't forget my blogiversary will be January 1st and I've picked out some way cool prizes! Hope to see you soon!
I am now blogging at a new address so if you have my blog bookmarked you will need to make a new one - sorry!
My new BLOG address is www.lazyknitterchronicles.blogspot.com
This blog will remain active for some time to come because it's recently been paid for for another year! (groan!) Isn't that always the way???
So please come on over to my new location! Don't forget my blogiversary will be January 1st and I've picked out some way cool prizes! Hope to see you soon!
Friday Freebie Quickie!
With the holidays fast approaching lots of folks are looking for quick gift ideas (not me, but other folks, I understand! LOL!). When I was browsing through free patterns online I saw this stranded colorwork hat and passed over it. Funny, though, how it stuck in my mind and I went back to it. Something about it was just so "ordinary" yet appealing. I could picture it knit in 100% alpaca in ecru and any color and it would become a much loved classic, worn out over time from being worn so much. The color repeat is so short you could memorize it by the third round and knit it while watching TV or a movie or take it to knit night and chat with friends. It's "comfort food" in the knitting world!
It's called the Swift River Hat and it's from Lion Brand. I have to say I like their free patterns! Cheers all!
It's called the Swift River Hat and it's from Lion Brand. I have to say I like their free patterns! Cheers all!
CD Spindling
Here's the final instalment of Men Who Spin. 9 x 12 watercolor. I have all the new sets posted to my Etsy Shop. There have been quite a few views but no sales yet. It seems to be the way things are right now, sales seem to be slow with everyone I've talked to....
Swirling Crochet Bag Finished!
DD#2 finished the Swirl Bag this week! It's a pattern put out by Knitting Daily TV show through Interweave. I can't really post a link for it because you have to have a membership to download Interweave free patterns. If you don't then a link won't be any good - if you do, just enter Swirling Bag into their Search and you'll find it. It's a crochet pattern.
She used Red Heart synthetic worsted weight yarn so the bag came out quite a bit bigger than the pattern but who cares? It's a huge, functional project and the bright colors really pop! The bottom is made of 4 pieces that fold up. It took her a bit of thinking to sort out how it went together (even though the pattern had a diagram). However, she eventually triumphed!
One of the things I really like is the cord she made for the drawstring. A while back I purchased a copy of 200 Braids Cords and Trims at Interweave's Hurt Book Sale. What a spectacular selection of things to make! And all the techniques have easy to follow illustrations. She even used the Braid-with-four to braid her hair!
It would make a great gift for the crafter on your list. These things can be used to embellish or accessorize nearly anything! I highly recommend it! I bought it on a whim and I'm SO glad I did!
I like how she even slipped a couple of beads on the end before knotting off. Nice finish!
She used Red Heart synthetic worsted weight yarn so the bag came out quite a bit bigger than the pattern but who cares? It's a huge, functional project and the bright colors really pop! The bottom is made of 4 pieces that fold up. It took her a bit of thinking to sort out how it went together (even though the pattern had a diagram). However, she eventually triumphed!
One of the things I really like is the cord she made for the drawstring. A while back I purchased a copy of 200 Braids Cords and Trims at Interweave's Hurt Book Sale. What a spectacular selection of things to make! And all the techniques have easy to follow illustrations. She even used the Braid-with-four to braid her hair!
It would make a great gift for the crafter on your list. These things can be used to embellish or accessorize nearly anything! I highly recommend it! I bought it on a whim and I'm SO glad I did!
I like how she even slipped a couple of beads on the end before knotting off. Nice finish!
Friday Freebies and Cast Offs
Yes, I know I missed last Friday! I felt bad about it but I just didn't have time to post what I had so I'll post it all now, OK?
For starters, we can all use another stretchy Cast Off to add to our repertoir, especially for collars, hat hems, and toe-up sock cuffs. For years I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn cast off but I never really liked using it. It looked fine and it was stretchy but I hated having to sew. I also hated having to try and guess how much yarn it would take to sew all the stitches - especially if I ran out! (yes, I think we've all done it!).
So today I have not one but TWO stretchy cast offs to share! The first is from Susan at Dog Lover's Yarn. She left this link for a Russian Bind Off from Wendy Knits in one of her comments so I'm re-posting it, it's so good! The other link is a direct link for Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off at Knitty that I mentioned before. I finally dug out the sheets and got the address. Here's a tip - rather than trying to print out all the pages for this technique, I use the "Save Page as" function of my browser. Then you can access the page complete any time without having to be on the internet to do it. Just click on "File" and select "Save Page as" from the drop down menu. The really nice thing about this function is that you will always have that page - even if the website becomes defunct - although I suspect Knitty will be around for some time to come - but it's pretty handy to use all the same.
For patterns I have a Scarf. Yes, strange coming from me since in my entire knitting career I've only ever knit 2 - yes, TWO scarves. But this one is pretty nice.
It's called the Pebbles Scarf from Tahki Stacey Charles. Yes, I'm seriously considering knitting it. (Both pattern links will take you right to the pdfs so I hope they load OK for everyone.)
The second pattern is a cowl from Classic Elite Yarns called Basket Whip (yes, slightly odd name). I'm rather "into" cowls right now. I like this pattern for the basic cowl instructions in this weight of yarn and may dig through my handspun stash for something suitable although I think the spacing of the lace looks kind of dumb. It's not symetrical and the triangular shape of the lace makes it look sort of improvised. If I decide to knit it I might use a different lace insert like a leaf or something that flows more. Time to browse my lace stitches books I think!
Both these patterns could be knit as gifts before (this) Christmas so I hope they give you some inspiration!
I felt bad about it but I just didn't have time to post what I had so I'll post it all now, OK?For starters, we can all use another stretchy Cast Off to add to our repertoir, especially for collars, hat hems, and toe-up sock cuffs. For years I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn cast off but I never really liked using it. It looked fine and it was stretchy but I hated having to sew. I also hated having to try and guess how much yarn it would take to sew all the stitches - especially if I ran out! (yes, I think we've all done it!).
So today I have not one but TWO stretchy cast offs to share! The first is from Susan at Dog Lover's Yarn. She left this link for a Russian Bind Off from Wendy Knits in one of her comments so I'm re-posting it, it's so good! The other link is a direct link for Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off at Knitty that I mentioned before. I finally dug out the sheets and got the address. Here's a tip - rather than trying to print out all the pages for this technique, I use the "Save Page as" function of my browser. Then you can access the page complete any time without having to be on the internet to do it. Just click on "File" and select "Save Page as" from the drop down menu. The really nice thing about this function is that you will always have that page - even if the website becomes defunct - although I suspect Knitty will be around for some time to come - but it's pretty handy to use all the same.
For patterns I have a Scarf. Yes, strange coming from me since in my entire knitting career I've only ever knit 2 - yes, TWO scarves. But this one is pretty nice.
It's called the Pebbles Scarf from Tahki Stacey Charles. Yes, I'm seriously considering knitting it. (Both pattern links will take you right to the pdfs so I hope they load OK for everyone.)
The second pattern is a cowl from Classic Elite Yarns called Basket Whip (yes, slightly odd name). I'm rather "into" cowls right now. I like this pattern for the basic cowl instructions in this weight of yarn and may dig through my handspun stash for something suitable although I think the spacing of the lace looks kind of dumb. It's not symetrical and the triangular shape of the lace makes it look sort of improvised. If I decide to knit it I might use a different lace insert like a leaf or something that flows more. Time to browse my lace stitches books I think!
Both these patterns could be knit as gifts before (this) Christmas so I hope they give you some inspiration!
Noro "Zen" Shawl Finished
The shawl I was knitting with the Noro Hinageshi S.S. didn't take very long to finish. It was just a Zen knit - a simple stitch repeat for those times when I just wanted to sit and knit and not think. I guess there were a lot of those times, recently! LOL! Maybe it's because I've had such a nasty cold for the last 2 weeks...
One thing for sure - I will never buy any of this yarn again! Number one it's waaaay too expensive at retail for what you get yardage-wise per skein (mind you, I've always felt that way about Noro yarns). Number two, even if it was on bargain basement sale I wouldn't buy more - not because it's rayon/cotton/linen/nylon either - it's because of what happened when I washed it. If you recall what I wrote when I started this shawl, I really loved how this yarn looked, even though the fiber content was not my cup of tea. It was easy to knit with too - a real "pleasure" knit. Well my opinion changed dramatically when I washed the finished shawl! I did the usual, lukewarm soak/wash and spun it in the machine to get it fairly dry. Well the vibrancy in the colors died. I thought maybe that was just because it was wet and that it would look like it did before, after it dried. Nope! I laid it out and blocked it and let it air dry. It looked (and still does) horrible! There is no shiny sheen to the yarn any more and the colors all look like the shawl is 5 years old and used! I couldn't believe my eyes! If I had washed it in hot on a full wash cycle maybe I could have expected this outcome but not after a careful hand wash! All I can say is thank goodness I only had 4 skeins and I DIDN'T pay retail for them!!
I have no idea what I'll do with this thing - maybe my kids will use it as a dress-up - one thing for sure, it isn't nice enough to wear as a serious accessory....
Just one more reason why I DON'T love Noro yarns! Sure the colors can be lovely (though some combos are downright gaudy - or muddy), but I have tried about 5 different ones now and I still say they are overpriced because they are imports. The wool fiber content is cheap - especially the Kureyon, made with wool for pot scrubbers! Really, really horribly scratchy! Sure Silk Garden is nice but there are other brands with similar content for much less $$. So far the only exception I've found is Noro Kabuto, a chunky weight blend of cashmere, silk and wool (actually soft wool!). It seems to be one of the few Noro yarns that actually gives you what you pay for. Of course it's discontinued! One of the only yarns in my stash I fiercely guard! So don't ask if I have any to spare, OK? LOL!
One thing for sure - I will never buy any of this yarn again! Number one it's waaaay too expensive at retail for what you get yardage-wise per skein (mind you, I've always felt that way about Noro yarns). Number two, even if it was on bargain basement sale I wouldn't buy more - not because it's rayon/cotton/linen/nylon either - it's because of what happened when I washed it. If you recall what I wrote when I started this shawl, I really loved how this yarn looked, even though the fiber content was not my cup of tea. It was easy to knit with too - a real "pleasure" knit. Well my opinion changed dramatically when I washed the finished shawl! I did the usual, lukewarm soak/wash and spun it in the machine to get it fairly dry. Well the vibrancy in the colors died. I thought maybe that was just because it was wet and that it would look like it did before, after it dried. Nope! I laid it out and blocked it and let it air dry. It looked (and still does) horrible! There is no shiny sheen to the yarn any more and the colors all look like the shawl is 5 years old and used! I couldn't believe my eyes! If I had washed it in hot on a full wash cycle maybe I could have expected this outcome but not after a careful hand wash! All I can say is thank goodness I only had 4 skeins and I DIDN'T pay retail for them!!
I have no idea what I'll do with this thing - maybe my kids will use it as a dress-up - one thing for sure, it isn't nice enough to wear as a serious accessory....
Just one more reason why I DON'T love Noro yarns! Sure the colors can be lovely (though some combos are downright gaudy - or muddy), but I have tried about 5 different ones now and I still say they are overpriced because they are imports. The wool fiber content is cheap - especially the Kureyon, made with wool for pot scrubbers! Really, really horribly scratchy! Sure Silk Garden is nice but there are other brands with similar content for much less $$. So far the only exception I've found is Noro Kabuto, a chunky weight blend of cashmere, silk and wool (actually soft wool!). It seems to be one of the few Noro yarns that actually gives you what you pay for. Of course it's discontinued! One of the only yarns in my stash I fiercely guard! So don't ask if I have any to spare, OK? LOL!
Time For A Little Spin Relaxation!
With that big lot of silk/wool behind me I wanted my next spinning project to be nothing but relaxation! It just so happens that I purchased some marled grey Cotswold sliver from Wild Geese when I bought the extra Bison/silk/alpaca to make my Pretty Thing cowl. And yes, I bought it fully intending to spin it next. I couldn't help it - it's such a pure pleasure to spin! I mean, I don't have any immediate (or future) plans yet for the yarn I'll make from it - I just love spinning it. It has a subtle shine, it glides through your fingers like magic and it spins up fine, a mile-a-minute. How could I NOT love it to bits??
What's more, it comes in nice easy rolls. And because it's sliver you just pick up the end and get at it - no drafting, pre-drafting or other fuddling. Just spin it. Barb told me it's excellent for shawls. Then I read an article in the latest Knitty (or was it the Twist Collective newsletter?) about using long wools for shawls and it just makes so much sense. They make well-defined lace that isn't fragile and since you're not likely to wear a shawl next to your bare skin there's no scratch issues either. At any rate, it's an idea that will rattle around in the back of my brain for a while, even after I've finished spinning and plying this lot. Eventually I'll find the perfect pattern (preferably an easy, lazy knit) that will knit up as fast as this lovely stuff spins up! LOL! (Does such a thing exist? Ha!) More on that thought later.... cheers all!
What's more, it comes in nice easy rolls. And because it's sliver you just pick up the end and get at it - no drafting, pre-drafting or other fuddling. Just spin it. Barb told me it's excellent for shawls. Then I read an article in the latest Knitty (or was it the Twist Collective newsletter?) about using long wools for shawls and it just makes so much sense. They make well-defined lace that isn't fragile and since you're not likely to wear a shawl next to your bare skin there's no scratch issues either. At any rate, it's an idea that will rattle around in the back of my brain for a while, even after I've finished spinning and plying this lot. Eventually I'll find the perfect pattern (preferably an easy, lazy knit) that will knit up as fast as this lovely stuff spins up! LOL! (Does such a thing exist? Ha!) More on that thought later.... cheers all!
Pretty Thing Cowl Finished!
What a pleasure it was to make and finish this project! The yarn was a dream - in fact it's the most gorgeous yarn I've used in years! It's a luxury blend of Bison, Merino and Silk I got from Barb at Wild Geese Fiber. I had three, 150 yd skeins and I made sure to use them all. I didn't want a part-ball left over! I know the original Pretty Thing pattern called for one, 150 yd skein of cashmere but it must have been thread-weight because 150 yards of the yarn I was using would not have made it much past half-way - and what's more, I was knitting more or less to gauge! Go figure!
To make the cowl I simply made a note of how far into the pattern one skein got me and then repeated the middle lace pattern until I had used 2 skeins. Then I started the pattern where the first skein got me to and finished. OK, maybe that didn't sound quite right but I know what I did and it worked! I had about 2 yards left when I finished so I patted myself on the back!
Stephanie's pattern called for an Elizabeth Zimmerman style sewn cast off. I used this type of cast-off for years on sock cuffs and disliked using it immensely. It was wonderfully stretchy and didn't look too bad but it was too much like work! I decided to give Jennifer's Incredibly Stretchy Bind Off from Knitty.com a try instead. Woweee! Stretchy and good looking too! What's more it meets with my Lazy-Knitter seal of approval of not being too fiddly or too much work! Plus, there's no worries about running out of yarn because you cut it off, like you do with a sewn bind off.
So I washed and blocked the cowl. Yes, I know it doesn't look symmetrical on the blocking stand. No, I'm not sure why. Maybe I didn't pull it enough. Blame the camera, OK?
The soft hand and silky texture are simply divine! And to my delight, it's not fuzzy at all! I can't stand fuzzy next to my face! And it makes the lace stitches really show! DD#2 was kind enough to model.
Because it's a fairly fine knit, it's not too bulky to wear down around your neck. But it really shines as a cowl because it's long enough to go right over my head - the way I intend to wear it. You see, my favorite coats have hoods and this will be just perfect to wear under them!
So 2 thumbs up for The Yarn Harlot's Pretty Thing pattern! I enjoyed knitting it and I know I'm REALLY going to love wearing it! Cheers all!
To make the cowl I simply made a note of how far into the pattern one skein got me and then repeated the middle lace pattern until I had used 2 skeins. Then I started the pattern where the first skein got me to and finished. OK, maybe that didn't sound quite right but I know what I did and it worked! I had about 2 yards left when I finished so I patted myself on the back!
Stephanie's pattern called for an Elizabeth Zimmerman style sewn cast off. I used this type of cast-off for years on sock cuffs and disliked using it immensely. It was wonderfully stretchy and didn't look too bad but it was too much like work! I decided to give Jennifer's Incredibly Stretchy Bind Off from Knitty.com a try instead. Woweee! Stretchy and good looking too! What's more it meets with my Lazy-Knitter seal of approval of not being too fiddly or too much work! Plus, there's no worries about running out of yarn because you cut it off, like you do with a sewn bind off.
So I washed and blocked the cowl. Yes, I know it doesn't look symmetrical on the blocking stand. No, I'm not sure why. Maybe I didn't pull it enough. Blame the camera, OK?
The soft hand and silky texture are simply divine! And to my delight, it's not fuzzy at all! I can't stand fuzzy next to my face! And it makes the lace stitches really show! DD#2 was kind enough to model.
Because it's a fairly fine knit, it's not too bulky to wear down around your neck. But it really shines as a cowl because it's long enough to go right over my head - the way I intend to wear it. You see, my favorite coats have hoods and this will be just perfect to wear under them!
So 2 thumbs up for The Yarn Harlot's Pretty Thing pattern! I enjoyed knitting it and I know I'm REALLY going to love wearing it! Cheers all!
Another Rare Largely Unknown Wheel
I couldn't resist painting this primitive spinner from the Ram Wools catalog. I don't know if they still sell them and it looks a lot like a spinning wheel I've seen from an American manufacturer recently but it's still a lovely wheel. It was produced under their own label as the Ram Spinner. In the catalog they promoted it as a chunky yarn spinner so that explains the size of the bobbins. All I know is it had a lot of character. 9 x 12 watercolor
Plying Finished!
Now that the Cowichan had been tamed I dove into plying like a mad woman! It just felt good to finally finish the russet & gold wool/silk batts. I had spent several weeks in the evenings spinning them into singles and although I liked it, I was getting to the "I've seen this fiber long enough" stage! LOL! I also have to admit that this was one of those cases where something that looks fabulous as a batt doesn't always retain that "look" in the finished yarn. I suppose what I loved about the batt was the marvelous contrast between the two colors and how they complimented each other. What happened in the spinning though, was that the fine silk fiber almost disappeared in the wool so there were no more gorgeous bold contrasts in the finished yarn. It turned more into a heathered russett with golden highlights. What's more, it came out overall lighter in hue than the original batts due to this blending. I had hoped to use it to knit myself a sweater but the finished yarn just didn't suit my original idea. It's a beautiful yarn - and fairly consistent weight throughout too, which I consider nothing short of an achievement! (especially after the last batch). So, after some consideration I decided to list it in my Etsy shop. After all, I don't have to keep everything I spin, just because I've spun it. I'm sure someone will love it more than I do and make it into something lovely.
In the end I made 4 skeins, each weighing between 110 - 128 gms, with 172 to 205 yards each. I chain plied so it's 3-ply and about a Sport weight. I was really, really happy with this! Quite a consistent weight over 2400 yards of singles! And with large lots I've decided to make a few smaller skeins rather than one or two huge ones. They dry faster, for one thing, plus it gives buyers options and is easier for them to wind into balls.
The other thing I found, is that, in spite of the seeming coarseness of these batts (and I still have a few pounds - yes pounds - in pinks and purples) it isn't the fiber that is rough, I think it's residue from the dye. As soon as I soak the finished skeins to set the twist, the yarn comes out surprisingly soft. I suspect the fiber was dyed but not properly rinsed or washed because it's a completely different animal in the finished yarn! This is rather encouraging, because it isn't the most pleasant stuff in the world to spin (remember I described it as 'dryer lint'?). It means that in spite of the unpleasant spinning it becomes some very lovely multi-functional yarn. That having been said, my gaze has turned elsewhere for the next spinning project... (more on that later) - after all those batts I just want to have a bit of fun spinning!
In the end I made 4 skeins, each weighing between 110 - 128 gms, with 172 to 205 yards each. I chain plied so it's 3-ply and about a Sport weight. I was really, really happy with this! Quite a consistent weight over 2400 yards of singles! And with large lots I've decided to make a few smaller skeins rather than one or two huge ones. They dry faster, for one thing, plus it gives buyers options and is easier for them to wind into balls.
The other thing I found, is that, in spite of the seeming coarseness of these batts (and I still have a few pounds - yes pounds - in pinks and purples) it isn't the fiber that is rough, I think it's residue from the dye. As soon as I soak the finished skeins to set the twist, the yarn comes out surprisingly soft. I suspect the fiber was dyed but not properly rinsed or washed because it's a completely different animal in the finished yarn! This is rather encouraging, because it isn't the most pleasant stuff in the world to spin (remember I described it as 'dryer lint'?). It means that in spite of the unpleasant spinning it becomes some very lovely multi-functional yarn. That having been said, my gaze has turned elsewhere for the next spinning project... (more on that later) - after all those batts I just want to have a bit of fun spinning!
Friday Freebie Time Again!
I am beginning to feel a bit time-warpish again. Having a stat holiday mid-week made me feel like it was a weekend already or something and now I feel like two weeks have gone by instead of one! Hmmm... time to take a deep breath and maybe knit something while watching a movie? Sheesh!
Anyways, I'm feeling chilly again so this week's freebie is a cozy pattern from a designer I admire immensely - Nora Gaughan of Berroco. I desperately love her designs - her unique twists and fabulous style details! This cardigan is no exception! The top half is knit cuff to cuff and then the bottom is knit in a different direction. This, too, is a pattern that would work in a variegated yarn, or even a self-striping yarn. The original design has stripes because it was knit in a sort of boucle, with several different colors but I think something more random would be even nicer - especially in brighter colors! I think beige and off-white is a bit drab! Here it is, it's called Celsian and I just LOVE it!
My other "Check It Out" today is Nicky Epstein's website/blog. If you've never heard of her, you obviously haven't seen any of her outstanding knitting books. (And have you been living under a rock? LOL!) I have a few of them - the best ones, I think - but she has yet another new one out called "Knitting a Kiss into Every Stitch". Her blog always features a free pattern, just click on "Goodies" on the sidebar. She's a very girly-girl but her knitting know-how and design talent are truly praise-worthy!
So I've share two of my big favorites with you - hope you enjoy them! Cheers all!
Anyways, I'm feeling chilly again so this week's freebie is a cozy pattern from a designer I admire immensely - Nora Gaughan of Berroco. I desperately love her designs - her unique twists and fabulous style details! This cardigan is no exception! The top half is knit cuff to cuff and then the bottom is knit in a different direction. This, too, is a pattern that would work in a variegated yarn, or even a self-striping yarn. The original design has stripes because it was knit in a sort of boucle, with several different colors but I think something more random would be even nicer - especially in brighter colors! I think beige and off-white is a bit drab! Here it is, it's called Celsian and I just LOVE it!
My other "Check It Out" today is Nicky Epstein's website/blog. If you've never heard of her, you obviously haven't seen any of her outstanding knitting books. (And have you been living under a rock? LOL!) I have a few of them - the best ones, I think - but she has yet another new one out called "Knitting a Kiss into Every Stitch". Her blog always features a free pattern, just click on "Goodies" on the sidebar. She's a very girly-girl but her knitting know-how and design talent are truly praise-worthy!
So I've share two of my big favorites with you - hope you enjoy them! Cheers all!
Ms Handyman Tames a Wild Thing
Having had such great success with the modifications to my Baynes wheel, I turned my creative attentions to my beloved Cowichan Spinner. I think you are all aware how much I love and respect this wheel, partly because of it's history, partly because it was my mother's and partly because I have a great passion for older things, especially functional ones! However, this old gal was a wicked task master - any extended bouts of spinning usually resulted in shin-splint-like aches in my legs and I finally reached a point where it was either try to address the issue or get a new Cottage Spinner. I just couldn't do it any more. So, I began to investigate the simple physics of this wheel.
The first problem I wanted to tackle was the treadling issue. After spending some time comparing my Baynes to my Cowichan, I realized that the reason my legs suffered so much is because when the Cowichan treadle was at rest (the bottom of it's stroke) it was at least 30 degrees below level, meaning my toes were about 30 degrees below my heel. The picture doesn't show it very well, but believe me, it is a significant amount of drop for repetitive motion! So, after some measuring I decided to shorten the treadle shaft. I was also prepared to move the pedal, if necessary, but I was certain the treadle should go no farther down than perfectly level.
The first thing I did was straighten and pull the cotter pin to disconnect the shaft from the wheel. Then I took out the small screw that connects the shaft to the foot pedal. The two are held together by a strip of leather - rather ingenious, I thought, as the leather makes a flexible and noiseless joint. Then I measured to see how much would have to be cut off in order for the pedal to rest at level. Slightly more than a inch, in fact!
Once I had marked it I went off to the workshop. Now this is the part where having good nerves come in. I fully realized that if my idea was incorrect, or worse, my cutting, I was past the point of no return. What's more, I'd have to cut a slot in the end of the shaft to accommodate the leather strip. Cutting off the excess length was easy, and I used a circular saw to cut the slot. The only difficulty with that was the saw blade is round so my slot was not rectangular. I ended up using a wood chisel to (extremely carefully) chip out the uncut center. I was surprised at what hard wood the shaft was! The entire wheel is made from BC cedar, which tends to be a fairly soft wood. The shaft, however was hard like oak, even though it smelled like cedar when I cut it - very unusual!
Not exactly a precision job, but certainly functional! I was just relieved that I didn't have an accident and wreck it! So I re-connected everything and gave it a whirl. HUGE improvement! I was delighted! Now I won't go so far as to say I fixed the problem perfectly - to do that I think I would have had to make the pedal rest at about 30 degrees above level - and I think that would make the shaft too short to run smoothly. However, the improvement was substantial! And as it turned out, I didn't need to move the foot pedal like I thought I would. That's a good thing because I don't like changing things unnecessarily.
The next issue I wanted to tackle was how the bobbin winds yarn on. This wheel was originally designed to spin ultra-chunky singles so the hooks are really far apart. I added more hooks so I could wind yarn more evenly onto the bobbin. But - it is necessary to remember that this wheel is BIG. That means it has different physics than my Baynes. On the Baynes I just added a few extra hooks and everything was fine. On the Cowichan, this was not the case. The flyer is so big that if I just added hooks it wobbled and lurched like a drunken sailor. What I had to do was add the same number of hooks to both sides of the flyer so the weight would be balanced. Really.
I simply drilled holes and screwed in the new hooks, then I used a white sheet and put marks where the hooks were, used it to mark the side without hooks, drilled the holes and screwed them in. Then I spun the wheel. WOW! I never realized just how out of balance the flyer was to begin with - even before I added hooks to the one side! It spun so smoothly I hardly recognized the old girl! It really used to wobble! Size really amplifies imperfections in design, that's for sure! Of course now that I had hooks on both sides, I decided I should make another orifice hole so I could actually use either set if I wanted to. Out came the biggest drill bit I had....
I think, in that moment, I understood a bit of what Dr Frankenstein felt, taking on a bit of an unknown with gusto... The drilling went smoothly and nothing shattered or split (whew!). I will smooth it with a rasp when I find one (hubby's shop can be a bit of a maze, tool-wise). I needed to slope the exit hole so the yarn would travel smoothly out onto the flyer.... so many details!
When I was done, I could hardly wait to give it a test drive! All told it only took a couple of hours but the end result was substantially improved functionality. Not perfect, but certainly manageable, now! I guess I'll keep using the old girl for quite a while yet - that new Cottage Spinner purchase has been postponed until... who knows.... Cheers all! More on the test spin next post!
The first problem I wanted to tackle was the treadling issue. After spending some time comparing my Baynes to my Cowichan, I realized that the reason my legs suffered so much is because when the Cowichan treadle was at rest (the bottom of it's stroke) it was at least 30 degrees below level, meaning my toes were about 30 degrees below my heel. The picture doesn't show it very well, but believe me, it is a significant amount of drop for repetitive motion! So, after some measuring I decided to shorten the treadle shaft. I was also prepared to move the pedal, if necessary, but I was certain the treadle should go no farther down than perfectly level.
The first thing I did was straighten and pull the cotter pin to disconnect the shaft from the wheel. Then I took out the small screw that connects the shaft to the foot pedal. The two are held together by a strip of leather - rather ingenious, I thought, as the leather makes a flexible and noiseless joint. Then I measured to see how much would have to be cut off in order for the pedal to rest at level. Slightly more than a inch, in fact!
Once I had marked it I went off to the workshop. Now this is the part where having good nerves come in. I fully realized that if my idea was incorrect, or worse, my cutting, I was past the point of no return. What's more, I'd have to cut a slot in the end of the shaft to accommodate the leather strip. Cutting off the excess length was easy, and I used a circular saw to cut the slot. The only difficulty with that was the saw blade is round so my slot was not rectangular. I ended up using a wood chisel to (extremely carefully) chip out the uncut center. I was surprised at what hard wood the shaft was! The entire wheel is made from BC cedar, which tends to be a fairly soft wood. The shaft, however was hard like oak, even though it smelled like cedar when I cut it - very unusual!
Not exactly a precision job, but certainly functional! I was just relieved that I didn't have an accident and wreck it! So I re-connected everything and gave it a whirl. HUGE improvement! I was delighted! Now I won't go so far as to say I fixed the problem perfectly - to do that I think I would have had to make the pedal rest at about 30 degrees above level - and I think that would make the shaft too short to run smoothly. However, the improvement was substantial! And as it turned out, I didn't need to move the foot pedal like I thought I would. That's a good thing because I don't like changing things unnecessarily.
The next issue I wanted to tackle was how the bobbin winds yarn on. This wheel was originally designed to spin ultra-chunky singles so the hooks are really far apart. I added more hooks so I could wind yarn more evenly onto the bobbin. But - it is necessary to remember that this wheel is BIG. That means it has different physics than my Baynes. On the Baynes I just added a few extra hooks and everything was fine. On the Cowichan, this was not the case. The flyer is so big that if I just added hooks it wobbled and lurched like a drunken sailor. What I had to do was add the same number of hooks to both sides of the flyer so the weight would be balanced. Really.
I simply drilled holes and screwed in the new hooks, then I used a white sheet and put marks where the hooks were, used it to mark the side without hooks, drilled the holes and screwed them in. Then I spun the wheel. WOW! I never realized just how out of balance the flyer was to begin with - even before I added hooks to the one side! It spun so smoothly I hardly recognized the old girl! It really used to wobble! Size really amplifies imperfections in design, that's for sure! Of course now that I had hooks on both sides, I decided I should make another orifice hole so I could actually use either set if I wanted to. Out came the biggest drill bit I had....
I think, in that moment, I understood a bit of what Dr Frankenstein felt, taking on a bit of an unknown with gusto... The drilling went smoothly and nothing shattered or split (whew!). I will smooth it with a rasp when I find one (hubby's shop can be a bit of a maze, tool-wise). I needed to slope the exit hole so the yarn would travel smoothly out onto the flyer.... so many details!
When I was done, I could hardly wait to give it a test drive! All told it only took a couple of hours but the end result was substantially improved functionality. Not perfect, but certainly manageable, now! I guess I'll keep using the old girl for quite a while yet - that new Cottage Spinner purchase has been postponed until... who knows.... Cheers all! More on the test spin next post!
Three New Sets Posted on Etsy!
Yesterday was a good day. I was finally able to post three (yes, 3) new sets of Spinner's Note Cards to my Etsy shop! I finally have a new color laser printer (haven't decided if I like it or not yet). I have finally finished the last 3 watercolors to complete the sets I was working on. Lastly, I finally finished defacing all my low resolution scans and replacing the untouched scans on my blog and in my Etsy Shop. This last job was particularly distasteful to me. It still bothers me that it's necessary because other people have no conscience. Anyways, here's one of the new pictures. It's a 9 x 12 watercolor entitled Simple Spindles. I'll post the other pics later. Cheers all!
