Lace Surgery

A couple of months ago when I first got sick I was working on a surprise shawl for my mom. I haven't revealed the final design to any one outside of those who live in the house and I will continue to keep that to myself even now. What I want to talk about with this piece is the surgery I recently had to do on it. I put the piece away when it became clear that it wasn't going to be finished in time for her birthday, December 21. I put it away in mid-November so that I could finish other Christmas projects and because I was coming into an area that was, literally, uncharted.

When I came back to it earlier this month after the children returned to school I noticed that I suddenly had too much negative space in one area. I had also stopped in the middle of a row, in the middle of a pattern repeat and all. I was already out of it when I put it away. After that I had 2 ED visits that would have totally blown my goal, so putting it away for a while was a good decision and because I had made it earlier, much less depressing than it would have been if I had waited. Now I had to make another decision, could I live with this negative space?  As look across the picture you can see how the space gets larger as you go to the right.

I was still on the fence and going to ask my teenage daughter who also knits and my husband, he is very often the voice of reason for my projects. However, I didn't make it that far. One night after dance class I saw a post on IG from Ann Budd.  She dropped 60 rows of cabled knitting to fix a cable going the wrong direction.  That made my decision. If she dropped back 60 rows for a mis-twisted cable then I should fix this. Thank you Ann!

So the following Tuesday I dropped 12 stitches down 50 rows. That's 600 stitches total in lace work that is patterned on both sides. Worse case scenario, I have to rip and re-knit, 50 rows. Well a week and a half and 3 hours of work later, here it is.

I am pleased with this. The skill of being able to drop only a few stitches and rework them is an awesome one to have, but takes practice. The first time I tried this, it didn't work and I had to rip and re-knit. That is why you have to decide if it is worth it to you. I had to decide that on this go around because this was my first go at performing surgery on a piece that is patterned on both sides. I've done garter, plain, lace and color work but not on both sides. Below are pictures and the step by step walk through of how to do it.

First look at the piece and decide how far back you need to go. I used a double pointed needle (dpn), because it is small, to mark how far back I was going. I used dpns that are the same size as what I was knitting the piece with. Then I slid the needle through the stitches as best as I could tell so that the piece wouldn't ravel farther.

Then slip the stitches on your working needle to the other needle until you are at the stitches that you are going to drop. Drop those stitches as close to the dpn as you can get. At this point I used another dpn to rip that final row.

Here are my ripped rows and the dpn holding the stitches.

Even though this area of the piece is patterned on both sides, I decided to work all the stitches from the front, another advantage of a dpn. I found which row I was on and which stitch and started working from there. I'd work across the needle with another dpn, picking up the next thread. When I reached the end of the stitches, I picked up the next strand and worked onto the now empty dpn.

I always worked from left to right, because I am a lefty knitter, on every row. If you are going to work every row from the right side, then you will always work across the dpn from right to left. Similar to doing I-cord, but with a new strand each time.

Choosing which strand is next can be tricky. I always chose my next strand from the plain knit stitches on the right. Then I knew it was the next one. Choosing from the pattern stitches on the left I wasn't always sure, as sometimes they were twisted around each other, due to other stitch maneuvers.

Sometimes when you reach the end of the needle there is a lot of extra yarn left over.

I don't worry about this too much. It was the amount of yarn used before to make those stitches and will go back into place with blocking.

When you perform surgery like this, the stitches on the edge get pulled tight, they will take some of the yarn back. After a good blocking I haven't been able to find a "scar" in a piece on which I have performed surgery. 

You can see that the area here looks a bit sloppy, blocking covers a multitude of sins and this is no exception.

I'm a long ways from blocking but I will mark this section and take an after blocking photo and share it when I get there. My new goal for this shawl is Mother's Day. With my surgery and all coming I think that's realistic.

I want to include this picture of the chart just to show you what I am dealing with. Remember both right and wrong side rows are shown here.

I am still very much enjoying my 856 shawl to the point of distraction. I do think I may be getting a better handle on that though and switching up the projects I work on each day. One thing I did to curb myself a bit and force me to work on Archa, was to not download the new new chart for the next section. That gave me 2 nights working on Archa, which was a fruitful 16 Rows. The rows are getting longer though, just as the rounds on 856 are too.

I'm keeping up well on baby socks. I show my daughter each sock I finish, just to hear her say "Aw, I need to make some of those." Then I tell her "when you have finished the sock you're working on." She has been knitting the leg since Christmas...

My January baby blanket is going well. If I keep working at this pace it will be finished on the 31st and I have February all ready to go. Here is a picture of the yarn.

I also did some canning this week. Nothing spectacular, just some chicken broth, however I discovered a new, to me at least, trick. I cook the carcasses for the broth, let is cool slightly and then I put the broth in a 1 gallon pitcher. I place the pitcher in the fridge over night and all the fat rises to the top.  I remove the fat and then I can pour the broth into my jars.

 

Yes cold broth and cold but sterile jars. Lids on and into the cooker we go. It was because all the large lidded bowls were being used and the empty pitcher was on the counter and convenient.

Until next time keep stitching and stay warm or if you're in the southern hemisphere, stay cool and hydrated.

Happy New Year!

Happy New year everyone!

I hope that 2019 is getting of to a good start for you and if not I pray that you will be patient and learn from what you are going through.

Today I'm going to share my idea bag, new projects, baby socks and my thoughts on the race issue in the fiber arts world. First about my bag, it is part of me wanting to carry a sketch book and colored pencils with me, always. I will admit I'm still struggling with the always part, but it is getting better.

In my bag, which by the way was made for me by my best friend's mom, who is a quilter, thank you Pam! I have a sketch book, from my husband, a note book with the following inscription from my daughter...

A color wheel, a kaleidoscope, colored pencils, coloring book, pen, pencil, all things I had. My colored pencils and pencil are kept in a roll, made by my hubby for Christmas. The other small items are kept in an inside pocket. Everything else is in the large pocket, including the roll of pencils.

I think for the most part it is obvious what each item is used for. The notebook and pen I use to write down more details of my ideas that are in the sketch book and even ideas that are not. The coloring book is for a special kind of down time that doesn't happen often. Down time where I can't knit or crochet or spin because I'm too sick or something of that nature and just don't have the brain cells to do it. I color. I recently got this idea from @hummingbirdmoon She is an indie dyer in Boulder, Colorado that I follow on InstaGram. She was recently sick and posted a picture of something she was coloring with a comment about being too sick to dye and so coloring helps to see different color combinations that she could use in future dye jobs. I thought that was a great idea and added the yarn coloring book I had to my bag.

After carrying my bag for a couple of weeks now, some things that I think need to be added are, graph paper, pencil sharpener and a large eraser. I have extra of all these things I just need to find them and get then in the bag. They should all fit in the small inside pocket. My graph paper is for random ideas is on 3 x 5 note cards. They are awesome!

I started a KAL with the Herbert Niebling group on Ravelry. We began on January 1, 2019. I actually started just after midnight when we were finished blowing horns and drinking apple cider. I work on it for about half an hour and here is how far I got.

I have since worked on it a lot more and have changed needles 3 times. I went from the double pointed needles to a 12" circular to a 16" circular to a 24" circular. I really love the way this piece is going. It's a nice knit. I am using 100% baby alpaca, 2 ply lace weight yarn. I have 6 hanks for a total of 2622 yards. I bought it on clearance from webs the beginning of last year.

I have made progress on Archa and am still enjoying the knit, just distracted with the Niebling. I still plan to have it finished for the fashion show at Yarn Fest the end of March.

Here is an up close view of one of the stitch markers I was given for Christmas.  I love these little guys! They can be found here on Etsy.

Another project I started on January 2nd, because I forgot about it on the first, is baby blankets. I have a book that has a pattern for a crocheted baby blanket for each month of the year. I went through my acrylic stash and I had enough yarn to make all the blankets, except one. That was after giving so much of my acrylic stash away due to my allergy of it. My mom became allergic to it some years ago and now I am. She can't work with it at all or even wear it now. I can still work with it a little at a time, more if I take allergy meds. These blankets will be donated, I just don't know where to yet. Many of them are lap robe size and not in baby colors so there are possibilities. I know my church is also planning a state side mission trip, maybe they'll need that blankets. Here is a picture of what I have finished on January's blanket. It is turning out very pretty. It is also the one I had to buy a couple of skeins of yarn for.

I have completed 3 pairs of baby socks, although the last pair wasn't a matching pair. I only had one ball of each color of the yarn. So I could still work 2 socks at the same time in the 4 parts, leg, heel, foot and toe, like the other pairs I decided to work one in one color and the other in another color. The gray is a bit lighter weight of yarn than traditional sock yarn. It is also an alpaca and nylon blend and won't survive the washer. I will have to find a special place for them. The lime green is super wash merino that I dyed. The adult socks made from it went to my mom.

As promised I have put up the page with how to work the above pattern on 4 needles.

So I come to this conversation late. I "walked" into the middle of this conversation late last week and was completely lost.  @hunthammersen posted a blog over the weekend that helped to "catch me up" a bit, but my internet time is limited and to read all that she suggested was going to take a while.  I didn't realize that race was an issue in the fiber world.  I've not seen it personally.  The blog post that started all this I haven't read but I can see the problem with the title and talking about her trip to India the way she did.  The majority of Americans would have the same fear of traveling to other countries because of the comfort and ease we have here in the states.  Most Americans, especially those of the younger generations don't know how good we have it here.  My issue with the race thing on any topic is the blame game and lack of responsibility.  An entire race is blamed in many cases for what is happening or not happening.  The one that others are up set with never speaks for the whole.  Those that are upset, what are you doing to help the situation?  Just throwing out more accusations and feeding the fire isn't educating anyone on the real problem.  My silence on this situation on IG will remain.  This blog post is the only place where I will address this.  One IG story speaks of the privileges we have and how they can be swords. One privilege that many have, that I don't is internet access, which is why I won't know the whole story.  To post my blog I go to the nearest library, 20 miles away or coffee shop, 35 miles from home.  My family lives in a very rural area and we don't have access to internet, cell phone signal or TV at an affordable rate.  Yes, I do own a cell phone.  Most of my IG posts are done from my phone, when I take the children to the bus stop, 10 miles away.  That is also the small amount of time I have to read what's going on on IG.

As for my personal experience with the fiber world and prejudice, I have little but I do have some.  There is more than one knit shop I was made to feel unwelcome in because of how I dress or even the yarn I was asking for.  Not high enough society.  From the positive side though I do have a couple of good experiences.  One of my first lys was owned by a poc.  She had other adventures to pursue and so the shop is no longer around.  The winner of the fastest knitter contest for Boulder county this past year is also a poc.  In the crochet group that I'm part of in North Aurora, there are many poc, many colors.  North Aurora is a very diverse place and that is where I grew up.  Even though I no longer live there, it is still home for me.  My mom and grandmother still live in the same neighborhood I grew up in, off of Colfax and I-225.  I am a person who is more likely to notice lack of color than to be uncomfortable if I'm the only white girl.  We were the only white family in the neighborhood.

Just remember, one doesn't speak for all, we can all do our part to help the situation.  I will pray for the situation and guidance on what I should do.  If we would just do as the Bible says and much of the world has adopted, then we'd all be better off.

Luke 6:31

Just as you want men to do to you, you do to them likewise.

Happy New Year everyone.  Keep stitching!  Until next time...

Happy Belated New Year, a look back at 2018

I apologize for my tardiness, this was supposed to be out last week, but I got sick again and couldn't leave the house.

Well here we are, my last post of 2018. I can hardly believe it, the time went by so quickly. I had to go back to my Ravelry projects to see what I worked on early this year.

I had a lot, a lot of UFOs from many, many years past and I decided it was time to tackle them. At least make some decisions on whether to rip, save or give away as is.

My back to school mittens that I started back in 2011, I decided to stop where I was. I had completed one mitten and made a thumb, that's all. The thumb I ripped and put the yarn into the appropriate box and the completed mitten I decided would be useful in my education demos, so in to the ed box it went.

I did this with each item I came across in a bag and most were ripped. I didn't give anything away in the UFO state. I still have many started and unfinished ideas around in all stages, thus goes the work of designer I suppose.

The projects I worked early in 2018 were Spring Leaves Returns, this was prep for a class I taught at the Estes Park Wool Market in June. 

Glory and I also started our Make It With Wool projects in March. This sweater and my Brioche shawl took most of my time at home. On the road I was working on socks and spindle spinning.

The one thing I really wanted to focus on in 2018 was time management and my social media. It took me until almost August to really get a handle on this and know how to apply it and use it, but I love it! Now that Christmas projects are finished I can't wait for the children to go back to school so that I can get into my normal routine again.

In my "schedule" I made time for each craft I wanted to do, the things I "have" to do and also time for learning and Spiritual growth as well. As you can see from the picture below of my one of my schedules, I switch activities often, this helps me to stay focused while on each activity, even if I'm at a place in it that is not as much fun, like the heel of a sock or the final section of tech editing.

I have 3 processing sessions each day. No not for processing stress and life, but for processing fiber. I am currently processing my lamb fleece, so that I can spin it for 2019 Make It WIth Wool. This helps my hands not get as tired and I don't get as board or distracted in the short interval. I have accomplished more in the last 4-5 months than I have in the last 2 years. If you are going to have a "schedule" you have to remember to be flexible and that it is only a guideline to keep you focused and get more done, NOT to cause stress.

Something I try to spend time on each week is weaving and I had fun with that this year. I wove only one thing, a large scarf. It was from some of my own hand spun and I learned so much. I talk more about that here.

My favorite finished project this year was this jacket.  I put a tassel on the hood a couple of weeks ago and I love this jacket.  This winter has been very mild for Colorado and I have gotten to wear it often.

The oldest UFO that I finished this year was a quilt that I pieced the top of back in 2010 or 11...  After we moved to the middle of nowhere I pieced the back and sewed the strips for the binding.  I've had the batting for about 2 years, it all just sat.  I decided to finish it for Christmas for my DH.  He loved it.  It is a log cabin quilt.  I tied it and only quilted the last border.  It is a queen size.

 

For my birthday I received a crocheted potholder from my best friend's mom. She is always talking about how she wished she could crochet better. When I saw the pot holder I started to laugh. She looked at me. I stopped laughing and explained that though I have tried and tried this is one pattern I have not yet been successful with. She sent me the link to the website she used. My friend helped me to download it to my phone so I could work at home. A few days later I took out my cotton yarn, my hook and my phone. An hour later here is what I had!

I'm so excited now that I can do this. I plan to work more of these.

Another thing that I did for much of 2018 was to have a project that I could work on a little a couple times a week and have a finished object by the end of the week. For 2018 it was dishcloths. I finished more than there are in this picture.

I gave them all away as Christmas presents. For 2019 I have decided to make baby socks and am challenging all of you to do so as well. I have broken to working of a sock into 4 pieces and am working 2 socks at the same time from 2 different balls of yarn and on 2 different sets of needles. Here is a picture of the first pair. Below that you'll find all the info for my baby sock challenge.

Azariah's Baby Sock Challenge 2019

Socks are fun and can be as simple and mindless or as detailed and challenging as you would like.  I want to encourage everyone to at least try socks and so I have decided to have some fun and challenge you guys.

#azariahsbabysockchallenge

#azariahsbabysockchallenge(month abbreviation)

Make a pair of baby socks, socks that will fit someone a year old or younger, to give away, not sell.  Follow me on IG and tag your entry with the 2 # tags above.  The second one will change each month and that is how I will draw for prizes.  I will draw for the winner, using a random number generator on the 1st day of the following month and post the winning pair.  All entrants are subject to my discrection.  All rules of tagging and size must be followed to quailify.  Any baby sock pattern may be used for this challenge, tag the designer so they get credit too.  Prizes will be shipped any where in the world and will be different each month, but sock related.

The pattern I am using is this one, it is on page 39, worked on 2 circular needles and closed with Kitchner stitch.  I work it on 4 double pointed needles.  I will post my changes for that next week. This pattern takes about 30 yards of fingering or sock weight yarn and I am using US size 3 needles.

The final thing that I'll talk about that I did in 2018 was to always have a pair of idiot socks going. My birthday in 2017 I received a small backpack, again from my BFF's mom. I put a rivet in the side a run my yarn through it and the sock is in the outside pouch. I finished many pairs this way, always had something to do to kill time or stay focused during church. I will continue this but not always in my backpack sometimes in my rainbow colored alpaca bag from Slipped Stitch Studios. Never without needlework.

I thank you for taking the time to read what I write. I hope that it gives you some inspiration and ideas. Happy handwork and Happy New Year! May the Lord bless you in 2019.