Estes Park Recap

Sorry guys the time got away from me as it so often does when I return from a trip.  Thankfully I haven't had many trips to town so that's another reason this hasn't been posted until now.

Here is the full scoop on my experience at the Estes Park Wool Market for 2019.

Nijah and I left our house outside of Deer Trail, Colorado at about 9am on Wednesday morning for the town of Estes Park, Colorado; it is a 123 mile journey.  We take our time on the back roads, as I don't like to drive on major highways.  We stop for gas and a few minutes of walking in Thornton, Colorado.

Continuing on up Colorado Boulevard we come to 2 de tours and get to see parts of Frederick and Mead.  Next we stop for lunch at the Cracker Barrel in Loveland, Colorado.  This puts us just an hour down Highway 34 from Estes Park.  After lunch we sit out front on the bench and knit a while.  A stop at Target to get the one thing we now know we forgot, cups for milk and cookies.

Highway 34 is a beautiful, easy, non stressful way to go up to Estes Park.  It is a windy road, but not very many of the steep mountain drop offs like on other mountain roads.  We arrive at our hotel 45 minutes before check in.  I catch up on the days email and Instagram while Nijah reads her book.

At check in we learn that the Inn we are staying in has a fire pit lit every night from 6-9pm for smores, which are provided.  This was a great place to stay and we will stay there again next year.  I sat at the fire each night, either knitting or spinning.

Thursday morning we discover that we both forgot deodorant!  No!  There is a lot of construction going on in Estes and I don't want to go to the Safeway if I don't have too.  I drop Nijah off to help David and the Estes Park staff for the morning classes at the high school.  I drive to the Sinclair, which is also a mini mart and bought the last deodorant!  Yea!  Now feeling much better about not smelling, I head back to the high school and work on the education board for my Sheep to Shawl team.

By lunch time my board materials are all ready to be put on the board that night.  I have also checked in as an instructor and set up my classroom.  I will be teaching "math, yes math" for the first time that afternoon.

For lunch I sat with some local ladies who were all in different classes but were all friends or related.  They were in weaving, knitting and crochet classes.  There is always a large variety of classes offered at the Estes Park Wool Market.

Math class went well.  This being the first time I taught it I was nervous as to whether or not it would make sense to anyone else.  They all caught on quickly and one student even applied it to a project in her bag that she was having to swatch for over and over.  I did realize before class that I left out one thing I wanted to cover from the handout.  We covered it and  then I took email addresses, made a new handout when I returned home and sent it to them.  I think it was a successful class.

Thursday night was more sitting at the fire pit and finishing the education board for Sheep to Shawl.  Our team chose to educate people on spinning from the cut end of a fleece.  I learned a lot in spinning the samples to put on the board.  For starters you don't want a really fine fleece that will felt easily because then drafting become difficult.  Washing the fleece in lock formation, while takes a bit more time, saves time on the other end, because then you aren't constantly trying to find the cut end.  One way to find the cut end of a lock is to rub it between your first finger and thumb.  No matter what, the tip end goes to the tips of your fingers, therefore the other end is the cut end.  The idea is that spinning from the cut end, then plying from the cut end and weaving, knitting or crocheting from the cut end makes a smoother finished piece.  The reason being is that you are always smoothing the scales on each strand down and not working against them.

Friday I dropped Nijah off at the high school and went and ate at a diner in the shopping center that has the Safeway in it.  The food was good and the atmosphere was small town like with the regulars coming in and everyone knowing everyone.  Reminded me home and the 2 restaurants we have in different towns that feel similarly.  I ordered a simple breakfast of eggs, toast, sausage, hash browns and OJ.  It was nice.  I sat there and worked on my baby socks and took my time eating.  I had some time to kill before the bank opened and I could cash my check.  I took that opportunity to prep my spindles for my demo on Saturday.  After cashing my check I went back to the Inn.  I dressed Dolores, grabbed my sweater project and Bible and sat outside working on those projects until lunch time.  The weather was so nice and it was almost as peaceful as being at home, sound wise.  It other ways it was more peaceful due to knowing that there wasn't going to be anyone needing my attention child, animal or otherwise.  The phone wasn't going to pull me away.  Even now as I write this my youngest is going on and on about the YouTube videos he watched at a sleep over last night.  I highly recommend trying to find some time away from home like this, even if it is just an afternoon.  I plan to have time like  this each month.

The sweater project I was working on was the Creu Sweater.  This was the first time I was putting pieces together to make a raglan sweater from the bottom up.  I was a bit nervous about being a lefty and being able to follow the directions correctly.  I also knew I was in Estes for an event where I could later find help if needed,  The putting together was successful I'm glad to say.  I have since finished the sweater and though it is a bit short for my usual taste, my family and the designer say it looks nice.  I'll just have to get used to it.

On Friday afternoon, from 4-6 the vendors are open for students and instructors to go shopping early!  We spent the entire 2 hours there.  Something I learned from being at the Yarn Fest for days I applied here and will when ever possible in the future.  How to shop...
    1.    Have a list started before you go of vendors at least, yarn or fiber wanted and info for the project if decided, other items wanted
    2.    A list of musts on the first walk through
    3.    Try very hard to do a lap through all or most of the vendors before buying anything
    4.    If you are unsure, wait until the next day
    5.    Use this opportunity to ask questions of vendors and learn what you really need.

I had screen shots saved of yarn I wanted for sure, kits I wanted to look at and choose one and notes on fiber and other materials I wanted to find.
I did finish my lap before buying anything.  I bought the yarn I had screen shots of immediately, I had saved these shots for months and saw them often, so I knew it was still yarn I wanted.  The screen shots of the kits had just happened in the last 24 hours so I wasn't as sure.  I was leaning more towards one than the other because it was a project I had been thinking about for a while and the other was an Advent project...  The Night Shift shawl kit from Greenwood Fiber works won out over the Advent kit.

Saturday of the Wool Market was also World Wide Knit in Public Day!  It was wonderful!  Longmont Yarn Shoppe hosted a booth for us to sit and knit and chat.  They had coffee, tea, water and snacks all day.  There was a fun photo booth with crazy hats and other props.  I met a wonderful knitter in her 80s who is making afghans for her grandchildren as they graduate high school.

Later that afternoon I did a demo on suspended spindles.  There isn't a lot to talk about with those.  I did have a handout, if you are interested email and I'll send you the PDF.  I covered a few different kinds of spindles and then anyone who wanted could come and try them out.

Of course there was more shopping on Saturday as well.  Saturday is when I bought my hemp book and fiber, from 2 different booths.  The book is this one, by Alden Amos' wife. It has been very helpful.  As I have started reading the hemp section and learning what to do I am amazed the quick advances we are making in hemp.  When this book was published in 2014 There were only 2 preparations of hemp fiber available, roving and sliver.  Mine is neither, it is the very shorts bits, sort of like cloud.  I did card some on my Ashford 108 tpi cards and then spun it on one of my tiny turkeys.  So far so good.

Nijah also made a friend on Saturday...

Sunday was the big day for the team.  Sheep to shawl.  We are team Treadle to the Medal.  We used a polypay warp and a CVM for the weft.  We carded the fiber and then spun it and made a 2 ply yarn at about 16 wpi.  Dick, our weaver then wove it plain weave using 12 epi.  We ended up with shorter fringe than we planned due to time constraints.  Out of 3 teams, we came in 3rd this year.  The competition was stiff and everyone did a wonderful job.  We are already planning for next year's contest and the wool we might use is growing just 10 miles from me.

I will cover my finished objects and that will be it for this installment.

I finished my third test knit for the year.  It is the Creu Sweater.  It is a bit short for my usual style, but everyone that sees me wearing it loves, so I will just get used to it.  It was a fun knit.  She did a very nice job on the instructions.  As a left hand knitter who had never worked a raglan from the bottom up, it went very nicely.  I did make sure I had time to think and rip if needed and that I was alone just in case, but it was no problem.  Just follow the instructions how they are written for assembly and you get a good sweater.

I also finished these baby socks.

I will be taking all the baby socks I currently have finished on the mission trip with me to Montana.

I finished these socks for me.  These are the ones I started so that I would have something to work on while watching Avenger's End Game.  They have also seen the Secret Life of Pets 2 now as well.  They will be labeled and put in the box.  The yarn is Rockshelter from Yarn Rehab in their Blacksmithing Colorway.

I have also finished a couple of more hats for the mission trip as well.  I had some worsted weight wool left over from my sweater, so I made 2 hats.  The yarn is Knit Picks Andean Wool in the worsted weight in their Onyx colorway.

I have been hard at work on a new design that I hope to release by October.  I've been processing cashmere the Orenburg way and doing a couple of more test knits.  All that and mom's sock trick next time.  Until then...

Power to the wool!

Hello From Estes!

I am writing from this from our room in the Appenzell Inn in Estes Park, Colorado.  Glory and I are here for the 29th annual Estes Park Wool Market.  I taught a math class for knitters and crocheters yesterday.  Glory is helping direct people to their classrooms and to lunch.  We get to do some shopping at the preview tonight and tomorrow is the llama, alpaca and sheep events.  I love this festival and this year we are staying at a wonderful place.  I recommend the Appenzell Inn to anyone who is coming to stay in Estes.  They have breakfast in the morning and a smores bar around a real campfire each night.  It is clean and conveniently located, even with all the constructions this year.

I have finished many projects since I last shared with you.  I will share quickly each on here with a picture or two and a link to the Ravelry page so you can get more info on a pattern or yarn.

I have finished my market bags and brought them for hopping this weekend.  I think I will keep making more and maybe get to the point that I can use them to replace all the plastic bags when I go grocery shopping.

I finally finished Mom's Shawl.  Now the surprise can be revealed.  It is a hard color to photograph and get the details but they are there.  She loves Prince the artist.  I grew up listening to him.  One of her favorite songs is "Diamonds and Pearls".  I looked at the lyrics and put this shawl together.  The edging says "diamonds and pearls" in Braille letters.  The very center is the Prince symbol.  The 4 corners are the male symbol, diamonds, pearls and then the female symbol.  I chose the color because it is how I remember the color of the CD case though it is not, and because it is a color she loves.  I layered different color of Kool-Aid to achieve it.

I also finished these socks.

I finished my first two test knits for this year.  Pretty much ever, the last test knit I did was in 2006, this little piece, which my 16 year old son still has.

This is the All Things Spring Shawl from Annie Lupton.

This is the Mauve and Dangerous Wrap from Wendelika Cline.

I am working on the sweater still and have picked up another one from Annie Lupton.  Another shawl, that I will detail more because of the work I did to change the yarn weight for my rendition.

I have washed and labeled all my woollies to put them away for the summer.  I wash mine now  because then when it starts to get cold I can just pull out what I want to wear and it's all ready to go.  The labeling is new this year.  I have decided that I want to be able to share some basic info when I wear something if someone asks about it.  On these tags I put the pattern name and the yarn I used.  I also include the fiber content so I know how to care for the piece after I have worn it.

By placing the tag on the safety pin first and then the garment, the tag will never have to leave the pin again to remove the garment.  I also wanted to be consistent in where I placed the tag so for directional shawls and any thing with sleeves I place the tag on the left side or sleeve.  I didn't use the pins to hold pairs together.  My box gets jumbled on occasion and I didn't want to chance grabbing only one sock and possibly tearing a hole in the other because it had been eaten by the piece below it.

All the pieces are then put into totes that are almost air tight.  My socks are rolled and put into clear totes with a moth ball packet.  The other items are put in this tote from Lowe's with 2 moth ball packets.  So far so good.

Join me next week to see pictures from the Wool Market, results of Sheep to Shawl and a great sock tip my mom taught me recently.

Have a blessed weekend!

Swatching, boo I know, but...

I know the swatch is not fun and so many of us skip it. I however learned a valuable lesson this last week. Swatching is important, possibly even if it is just a shawl or a blanket.

Last week I shared with you that I was having problems with the bubble stitch from the Stephen West Bubble Shawl. It was because my gauge wasn't correct. I had to go down two needle sizes before my gauge was right and the bubbles were actually bubbling.

A couple of weeks ago I swatched for the test knit from Gina Baglia. My yarn was on order and I wanted to be able to cast on when it arrived, so I swatched using the same yarn, but in a different color way. Here are the THREE swatches I made.

I started with the needles called for in the pattern, it was too tight and I didn't like the drape of the fabric. So I went up one size, still too tight but the drape is better. The third swatch was it. The stitch gauge is almost perfect and blocking will help that and the row gauge is close enough. So for this design I had to go UP two needle sizes.

This experience made me think back to when I first started crocheting and my line of thinking about choosing a hook. I thought that all the patterns were written and crocheted to the same standards and that I will always need to go up one hook size to get gauge, which was often true, but... This experience shows how naïve I was.

Just from the info above swatching is a good idea to make sure the finished piece will fit. That texture stitches will show and behave as they are supposed to. So you know if you like the drape of the fabric. Is this the right yarn and needle/hook combination?

I mentioned my stitch gauge and my row gauge. So which one is more important? That depends on what you are making. I was swatching for a sweater who's directions indicate to knit until the piece is such and such inches long, not to a specific number of rows. The stitch count however is not fluid, so for this piece my stitch gauge is more important. If it were a color work piece both would be important and I would have to play with needle size and possibly my knitting method to make the gauge be what it needs to be.

To make a proper swatch, it should be 4" x 4", at least. It should be cast on and bound off in the method you will be using in the actual piece. It should then be blocked as the piece will be. This will tell you how this yarn is going to hold up to being a sweater, sock, shawl, piece of lace, if it blooms too much, too little or won't stretch the way you want it to. This can save a lot of heart ache and time down the road.

Swatching also shows the drape or lack thereof of the fabric. If it is too stiff go up a needle/hook size or two. To floppy, go down a couple. This will help you to decide if this is the right yarn for the project. It can also show you how the colors are going to play if you make a swatch using the stitch pattern. Many patterns include a gauge swatch to be worked in pattern. If not it is simple to figure one out. I have put an example on this PAGE.

Honestly I did not wash any of these swatches. As you can see I didn't even bind them off. I worked them with a frame and a couple of rows around the area I was interested in measuring. I didn't wash these swatches as I am familiar with the yarn and how it behaves. I know it will bloom a little when I block it the first time and will fill in any space between the stitches.

That's another advantage of swatches, they can tell you the story for a different project. Keep all the swatches you make or at least notes and pictures in case you decide to use the yarn in a different project, part of the work is already done.

Notes to keep with a swatch

Yarn weight

Fiber content

How much of it do you have

Needle/hook size

Number of stitches cast on

Number of rows worked

Pattern swatch is worked in

I keep my swatches in a baggy with left over yarn from the finished project in case of repairs. My swatch notes are kept in a note book. I keep the swatches of unfinished projects in a baggy until the project is either finished or ripped. I currently don't have any swatches other than these three because all the yarns I have been working with are familiar for the projects I have been making. My swatch for the Bubble Shawl was ripped out because I will need almost every bit of my yarn for the shawl. I always swatch for a sweater, no matter the yarn or the designer. Which is another thing, I have worked other Stephen West designs and gotten gauge no problem with the needles called for. So don't think that just because you were fine last time with this designer that you will be again, you might not...

Mom's shawl is finished but not blocked.  I lost the yarn chicken battle.  I have decided to use a different color to finish the top.  It will take almost 3 weeks to order and dye more yarn.  It is a light pink to go with the peach. I think it is nice.  It would have made a nice border but I'm about a year too late for that...

I can't wait to see if it is too big for the blocking table, which is 6' x 6'.  If it is I think I will figure out how to fold it into quarters and block it.  I am planning to give it to her on the 16th when we go out for Mother's Day.

I have decided that I am NOT a Portuguese knitter.  It is great for dishcloths for me to keep in practice but not for these mittens I want to make so they have been completely ripped out.

I will begin them again later this week.  I will practice the Annetarsia method of using 3 colors in the round so that I am ready when I get there.  For those wondering the yarn is Knit Picks Palette in Mist, French Lavender and Cosmopolitan.  The pattern is Calaveras Mittens by Jenny Penny.

I am learning not to settle when I don't have to.  For example I want a knitted, cabled hoodie.  I have a pattern for one, I just can't find it...  While looking for it I found a pattern for a cabled cardigan.  I took it down and thought "this'll do".  I looked it over and decided no, I want the other and I need to find the pattern and not settle for this.  Just like with the mittens, I want to do what is needed to get the desired end product.  I'm looking to apply that to others areas of life as well.  I'll let you know how that goes.

I tried casting on the Bubble shawl again and for some reason that just wasn't the day to do it.  I'll try again tomorrow.

I did finished another couple pairs of baby socks.

These are made using Hedgehog Fibres yarn in the Piggy Bank color way.

It was some that mom had left over after making a pair of adult socks.  She gave me all of her left over sock bits so that I can make these baby socks.  I have about 5 months worth of yarn now.

These are made from Leadingmen Fiber Arts Love You To Pieces color way on their mcn base.

I did start a new pair of socks this week.  They are idiot socks that I put together to work on during Avengers: End Game.  I made it 30 minutes into the 3 hour and 2 minute movie before I messed up enough that I couldn't fix it in the dark.

The yarn is Rockshelter Sock from Yarn Rehab in the Blacksmithing color way.  I really like the way they are coming out.  I nearly finished the leg yesterday during a large game of Magic the Gathering.  There were 7 of us at the table.

The test knits are moving right along.  I have cast on the third one and bound off the first one.  The 2nd is just about half way done.

The second on is being worked from 2 balls at the same time as you can see in the picture.  This is because while the skeins were dyed together, the color strike was very different on them.  Switching yarns every 2 rows makes the colors blend well together, where as working one skein through and then adding the other would make a lighter side and darker side.

I noticed this past week that I have really slacked on food pictures.  I think trying to get back in the swing of it all after surgery I just forgot.  I am cooking again and even canning.

Here is some salmon that I baked this past Friday.  It was just black pepper, crushed red peppers and some lime olive oil.  The black pepper is the Bourbon Barrel Black Pepper from Savory Spice Shop.

We made it into salmon tacos.

Here is some BBQ sauce I did last week as well.

I hope that Spring is good for you and that if you garden it grows well.

Happy stitching everyone!

Diligence and a New Adventure

One of my recent goals is to be more diligent and focused in all parts of my life, including my fiber arts. Because of that I am purposely setting time aside each week to work on new skills. Be that a new stitch or knitting method or even a new skill set completely such as weaving.

For this last week I have been working on weaving on my 4 harness loom. While I was at Interweave's Yarn Festival last month I had the opportunity to see a beautifully, fine woven piece. It was woven in fine silk thread. I want to weave better than I do now, not quite that fine and detailed but more than what I'm doing now. I didn't know where to start to learn to weave that way but I did know who to ask.

The keynote dinner where I saw this lovely piece of work was Friday night. As I said in my last post my husband and I stayed 3 nights in the same hotel as the festival. So as soon as the market opened on Saturday morning I went to see Redfish. Redfish Dyeworks is in California. I love her tiny little silk threads. I have knitted with them a couple of times and it takes forever to finish a project. Here is one. She weaves with them though. I want to too! She knows a bit about me and that I do have some weaving experience. I told her that I have only woven on a ridged heddle loom, but that I have a 4 harness sitting in my studio that I am scared of. She assured me that now is the time and that the 4 harness is the next step. I thanked her for her advice and walked over to Eugen Textile Center. 

At ETC they have a lot of books on weaving and they weave as well. ETC is in Oregon as you might expect. They are some of the most helpful people I have come across both in person and through email. Rob is the one who helped me that day and I explained what was going on and that a couple of days before I had bought a DVD from them about 4 harness looms. He said okay that is a good start but you're going to need a class. I told him that classes just aren't possible. It is around 100 miles to the yarn shop that teaches weaving on larger looms... Okay then you will need this book.

Boy was he right. I started the book about 2 weeks ago. It details everything so far. It has pictures and drawings to show you what she is talking about. I feel very confident that I will be able to tame my 4 harness beast by the end of the summer. The book is laid out in a way that you can work at your own pace. I'm stuck in the middle of lesson 2, warping. Not because I'm scared, which just a month ago I was, but because there is a piece missing on my loom and I have to wait for my hubby to make it. Then I will warp it. Here is my loom.

The pictures promised in the last post are here below. The first picture is of the March blanket that I stopped working on, because I was having an allergic reaction to the acrylic. I'm still on the fence but have almost decided to give all my acrylic away and not go back to it. We'll see.

These are the 3 mini skeins that I bought Leading Men Fiber Arts. They will become a pair of mitts.

Here is another picture of my minis from 100 Ravens.

This is the necklace and stitch markers that I bought from Stunning String Studio. I love them, especially the necklace, I can see having more than one...

 

This is the little shawl that I made from the minis that I had wound at the show. I added the crocheted picot edging. If I make this again, which is a good possibility, then I will start with a picot cast on. This design starts at the bottom and works up to the neck.  The pattern can be found here.

I want to talk about 2 projects before I share my new adventure with you.

I started these mittens a very long time ago. It is sort of sad. They have thus far been worked using the Portuguese knitting style. For me it is slow, even with one color, let alone two. I have knit and ripped and knit and ripped, I'm not sure how many times. I'm wanting the flower on the head to be in a third color is part of the problem. I read Franklin Habit's blog when he made Rosemond's Super Woman outfit and learned about this book.

After some reading and a bit of experimenting I thought I had it figured out. It got put away again and forgotten. When I picked it up last week I didn't like the way my "seam" looked and I found that I had missed some stitches in the color work on round one... So I ripped yet again.

I still haven't decided if I am going to continue working in the Portuguese style or if that is just something I need to cut off. I don't really have a "need" to work in that style. As a true left handed knitter, who tensions yarn in the left hand, my hands, and the rest of my body move very little to begin with. I know enough of the Portuguese style to teach basics and get someone going and then know resources to refer them to for further instruction. I'm not sure yet. I do know that I want these mittens for next winter, it's time to get them off the needles!

The other project is the one where the yarn was pictured with my new project bag in the last post...

It is my Make It With Wool 2019 project. I chose the Bubble Shawl by Stephen West. I am using yarn from Leading Men Fiber Arts. 2 hanks of the Nevermore color way in Soliloquy and one in the All the Way to the Bank color way. I am pleased with my yarn choice.

Glory and I cast on our MIWW projects next to the fire pit in Southlands Mall in Aurora, Colorado on April 19, 2019. You can see her progress on her Ravelry page user name is NijahG. Or watch my InstaGram posts, Azariahs1982.

I cast on, on a US size 5 and was doing well. I reached the bubble stitch and it wasn't bubbling. I tried a couple of different things to make it bubble better and it just wasn't working. I messaged Stephen West through Ravelry and asked if there was a video. I got a reply that there is and that often gauge is not tight enough to get the stitches to behave. I watched the video and actually thought that mine was too tight. When I got home, pulled it out and tried again being careful to drop the ladders correctly. Still no change.

I took the first 30 stitches and did a gauge swatch. My knitting was too loose. This is why swatching should happen, even for a shawl. This would have told me that the texture wasn't going to work. For how loose it was I decided to go down two needle sizes to a US size 3. This is what I got.

I am very pleased with how it looks. It has bubbles! I am looking forward to casting it on again soon.

Now for my new adventure! I am test knitting now. I have made, written and published about a dozen of my own designs, but this year other people's designs are catching my eye and I am test knitting 3 of them right now. These are for indie designers like me. All three of whom I learned about on IG. I love IG! I will tell you about the m in the order I am doing them.

First is the All Things Spring Shawl from Annie Lupton. She is bohochicfiberarts on IG. This is a 3 color shawl, worked in sock weight yarn. It begins with a garter stitch tab at the neck and works to the point. There are flowers that will be embroidered on after blocking. I used Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn. Dove gray, pea pod and the purple I dyed.

Next is the Mauve and Dangerous wrap from Wendelika Cline. She is littlewoollythings on IG. This is a neat wrap also made using sock weight yarn. I dyed Knit Picks Stroll bare in my newest color way, which still remains nameless at the moment. There is a cable along the length of the wrap and a ruffle. I will learn to make pipa knots from I-cord and attach them to the beginning and ending points.

Third and final for the moment, until I finish one, is the Creu Sweater from Gina Baglia. She is inorgaknits on IG. This sweater is made from the bottom up, new to me, with raglan sleeves and a somewhat open neck. It is knit from worsted weight yarn. I chose Knit Picks Palette in worsted as I am familiar with this yarn and didn't want any surprises for my test knit. I chose the onyx colorway as it will go with anything. The sweater has some eyelets along the bottom and a large cable cross in the back. That's pretty much it so nothing to get lost in the darker colorway I chose.

I am loving the test knits and looking forward to doing more and getting to know some other designers.

Happy stitching everyone!