Happy February

I had a good weekend at the Knoble Yarn Festival in Greeley, Colorado. More on that in a moment. In this post I will share finished objects, more about that top down sweater with unusual construction and my teaching opportunities.

I have officially finished both the Elephant Promenade hat and cowl from Annie Lupton at Boho Chic Fiber Company. Those patterns were released on Ravelry today. Here are mine, hat and cowl.

I gave the hat to Mom this past week and I know she will make great use of it in the snowy weather we have been experiencing here in Colorado.

I have been wearing my cowl often. This cowl is more my style than some of the others. I looked up the definition of "cowl" and learned that what I like as a cowl isn't the traditional style.  Hoods and large collars are more traditional.

I like a cowl that is closer fitting to my neck like this one. This one might be a bit close but it sure is warm.

On the top of Mom's hat I added a pom-pom. It is a 2 color pom-pom and it is removable for when the hat is washed, that way the pom-pom isn't destroyed. I made a video about how I did that and why. You can see it here on my YouTube channel. This is my second video and I am in the process of making more.

I know that there are so many videos on knitting and crocheting available on YouTube, so why make more? To keep things fresh and have newer content. My videos are by no means professional. It's just me and my phone. I have no training and am learning as I go. I love to teach and share what I know and have learned with others and this seems like a good outlet. Also I am a mirror knitter and there might be other mirror knitters who find something I do in a future video helpful.

I also finished my Lupin sweater from Marion Knits. I don't know her timeline for publishing but will share it with you when I find out it's coming. I worked mine in Heritage from Cascade. It is a fingering weight yarn that is 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon. This is the sweater with the unusual top down construction. You cast on and work flat for a while. Then you divide and work the 2 fronts separately for a bit, then join them and work some more. Then knit the back until it is as long as the front. While doing this, neckline and shoulder shaping are being done. Then join the front and the back and work the length of the body. Each sleeve is worked by picking up stitches in the front and back and then working a short row sleeve cap. This took me some thinking to know I was working the short rows in the correct place. When the short rows are completed, finish the sleeve to the length and with the cuff desired. Finally pick and work a neckline of some sort. This one was 1 x 1 twisted rib.

To block this piece I decided to try an experiment. The majority of the hand knitted socks that I wear are made of the same fiber content as this sweater. Those socks are washed and dried in the washer and dryer every week when I do laundry. I know superwash behaves best when put through the dryer and not just wet blocked, so... I soaked the sweater in water like I normally would before blocking. I didn't want the sleeves to be stretched out in the washer and it would be the only thing in the washer, no point. After a couple of hours, I made dinner and such, I dropped the sweater in the washer to be spun out. I then put it in the dryer, on regular heat, for 5 minutes. I walked out of the laundry room and announced to my husband that I just put a wool sweater in the dryer. The look on his face was worth it. He is always so careful when he does my laundry not to put wool anything, anywhere but the laundry basket. I explained my theory and asked him to set a timer. The timer went off and the sweater was still damp as I hoped. I need to be able to block it a bit. Here it is on the blocking table.

It was dry the next morning. Here are the pictures we took at the Clarion Hotel and Conference center in Greeley, Colorado.

The only thing I would change for next time is to put a towel in the dryer with it. Just to remove a bit more of the moisture.

A couple of weekends ago I taught a class at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe. I was still half sick and ended up very tired by the time I arrived home. Thankfully my husband had decided to go with me and he drove. The class was Crochet for Knitters. It went really well and I got some good ideas too. I know that I've done a good job when the students are coming up with ideas of how to use what they just learned before class is even over and that was happening. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite classes to teach.

The first Knoble Yarn Fest took place this passed weekend in Greeley, Colorado. I signed up early for a class and booked the hotel room at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. This is where the festival was supposed to take place. In December the venue was changed to the Greeley Mall. It was interesting. The market was set up in a large empty store space that had a large hallway that was used for classrooms. Not at all ideal or as good as the hotel would have been. I am thankful to have been able to take the classes I did with Andre De Castro. I learned a lot and am already using the new skills. The organizers are already planning to do this again but mentioned Brighton, Colorado for the next one. I will sign up later for classes unless it is something spectacular, like Stephen West. I will go to the market, that could be in a barn for all I care and support the vendors. It should have been more organized and advertised better. Knitters who live in Greeley didn't know it was going on until they looked for "something to do in Greeley this weekend" on line. There were no banners or signs in front of the Mall which sits on a major highway. I hope that they do better in future. Thank you to Malabrigo and Urth yarn for sponsoring prize packages.

The progress on my Spicy MKAL has been very slow. I'm still on clue 5. And clue 8 came out this past Friday. It is the final clue. I'm looking forward to having more time to knit on it when the Falling Leaves sweater is finished. Mom has kept up better than she thought she would. She has even kept up with the year long shawl and started another to work on the side. She has 5 days off coming up and has lots of knitting planned.

I have finally finished the color work on Falling Leaves and am working my way up the body. The color work for this piece is around the bottom and the sweater is worked from the bottom up. My goal is to have it completed by the end of this coming weekend, we'll see.

I have updated on the sweater page with swatch info and a drawing you can see here.

In March I am teaching an Estonian Lace class and in April a Dyeing Safely class at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe. For more info and to sign up, click the links.

Next time I will share thoughts about items made by machine knitting and my recent experience with them. I will also have pictures of finished Falling Leaves and a sneak peek at a secret test knit. I made a couple of new friends at Knoble Yarn Fest I can't wait to tell you about as well!

Until next time...

Happy making!

Take Note

I had this already to go out and then I got sick and so here it is almost a week later than planned, please keep that in mind as you read. All this happened earlier than stated.

This last week I had to make a decision about a project. Am I going to save it or not? I really love the yarn. The Fibre Co. Road to China Lace yarn is amazing.  I am using it in this project. I took this project with me when I went to Utah in October for Stitches Salt Lake City. I hadn't worked on it for a really long time. When I first began this project I had to sit and work some stitches out knitting Portuguese style and then figure out how to knit them left handed and get the same look on both pieces. It took a while. I have some notes and took some pictures too. It wasn't enough however. This project is the MKAL with Franklin Habit from February 2019. I was doing okay keeping up when we first started. I got behind when I started test knitting and then it just got put away. I took it with me UT because it was small and would mean plenty of knitting to be done.

When I pulled it out in UT here is what was in the bag.

I went to my Ravelry page and found these photos.

 

For some reason I didn't think to redownload the pattern and look at it. I thought I was doing okay. After about 5 rows of struggling more than I remembered and it not looking right, it was put back in the bag with a note to work on it when I return to Colorado.

I have pulled it out a couple of time since returning from that festival. I even write about the work it is going to take to redo the stitches in a recent post on when to keep a UFO or WIP.

I pulled it out again this last week and discovered that it had 2 life lines in it. Why I have no idea. I decided with that I could reverse engineer the information I needed to make the stitches correctly. I made notes as I went. 

Something still just wasn't making sense with what I had written on that little card. I finally decided to go back and check the pattern and see what I was missing. Guess what, guess how simple and easy it was... I was trying to work row 9 as the right side and row 10 as the wrong side, as patterns are usually set up, but not always. Well this is a not always pattern and the right side is row 10! I ripped back to the 1st life line, put the needle in and knitted. The notes now make sense! I think I can do it and finish this luxurious piece!

If I had made a small simple note somewhere that the right side was row 10, I would be so much farther on this piece than what I am. There are more notes now and I made a note in the app I use to count rows on my phone as well.

That app is call Knit Tink and is available on Google play.

I finished my Victory Sweater test knit for Jill Karina and gave it to Mom on Friday. She is very pleased with it and said she would wear it to work the next day.

I have also finished a cowl test knit for Annie Lupton call Elephant Promenade cowl. This will be for me. I used Nature Spun yarn from The Brown Sheep Company in charcoal and grape harvest.

I received my first shipment from Harrisville Designs this week. I am really excited about this company. I'm not sure how they have missed my radar for so long to begin with. In very quick succession I heard about them from multiple places and got more excited each time. Then I had a really neat opportunity to use some of their yarn for an up coming secret test knit. Here are the colors I have chosen.

I will be swatching tomorrow and casting on over the weekend. Because it is a secret I can't tell you anything more until September. Sorry!

Last night I started Elephant Promenade hat for Mom in Knit Picks Stroll using black and pucker.

I finally finished my gauntlets, again and with a yarn that is still available.  Deep Dyed Yarns Luna Lace. You can buy the pattern here and it will be 25% off using code BLOG until the end of February 2020.

 

Started a page for the sweater design project here.

Next week I will show pictures of that new top down sweater.  I haven't made too much head way on it and so wasn't ready to share it this week.

Happy Making Everyone!

Long tail or Backwards Loop?

Happy 2020 Everyone!

This year has started nicely for my family and I. There are a couple of rough patches going but the Lord will take care of those in His own time. So far everyone is healthy though and that is a huge plus.

Mom and I started the MKAL with Stunning String on January 3rd at the Village Inn down the street from where I grew up. We had a wonderful time. Since then we have received clue 3 and are busy knitting away. 

Directly above is mine and Mom's clue 3 completed.  We a re both mirror knitters.  The pieces are coming out differently because she is following the written directions as anyone would reversing the decreases.  I am following the charted directions from left to right and reversing the decreases.  

We also received the first clue for the year long piece for 2020 called Intrigue. I have decided to start it when all of the clues for the Spicy shawl are finished, around the middle of February. Then I will have something to fill the gap before the next one comes out in April. The color choices for the April piece were tough for me, I love them all. I have at this point chosen the Generations color way but may change my mind before the color choices go in in February.

With the MKAL this year they added a read along. I don't read much, maybe 30 minutes to an hour a day so I didn't feel confident in finishing a book each month. I have recently discovered audio books and they are great! I can "read" and still get done what needs doing.  Audio books also "reading" another level of experience and enjoyment.  So far the couple of readers I have experienced are really good with the voices and personalities of the different characters.  Listening to an audio book totally counts as much as reading a book does.  I did think differently for a while remembering back to audio books from about 30 years ago or so when the book was just read out loud.  So much better now.  The books for the read along are from Krista Davis. The first one is also the first in the Diva series called The Dive Runs Out of Thyme. This book has been really good and I recommend it highly. It is clean, a multiple murder mystery that talks a lot about cooking and entertaining as well as mentions knitting. I am very glad to have been introduced to this series.

I am still test knitting and learning so much from it. Sweater construction can be tricky. You want to make sure that you choose a good shoulder for your piece or it will sag if the rest of the piece is too heavy. I most recently finished my Colorado Sunrise sweater. The should shaping was different than what I had worked before. Annie designed it with short row shaping for the shoulders, then work a row or two across the full row again, finish with binding off. I did wrap and turn short rows, saved the stitches on a stitch holder and then used a 3 needle bind off to bind off and seam the pieces together at the same time.

I am so very pleased with this sweater and the fit of it. The only other major modification I made other a couple of changes in the strip pattern is I added 2 inches to the length of the body. I did that by adding extra plain knit rows between the color work charts. I have learned that even though the bust fits, the length may not be what I want because I am taller than the average woman, 5' 8".

 

I listen to a couple of fiber related podcasts. I'm late to the podcast game and therefore have many years to catch up on in some cases and so I have been. One of the podcast hosts said that "long tail cast on is better than backwards loop cast on for the bottom of a sweater." I had a small moment of panic, that's what I did for my Colorado Sunrise, how bad does it look? The host said that backwards loop is messy and uneven and leaves an edge that doesn't look so good. When I went back upstairs I pulled out my sweater and looked at the bottom. Phew! It looked fine, even unblocked.

After blocking it looks great.

 

Not loopy like they had mentioned and it keeps the rib nice and even, so what gives? I have another test knit that needs casting on, is a sweater from the bottom up, with a ribbing on the bottom, excellent time to test the difference.

When I first started knitting, self taught from a book, before Youtube, I only knew one way to cast on, the knitted cast on and it took me forever. I hated casting on. I did learn the long tail cast on but was generally frustrated with not having a long enough tail or way too much of a tail to deal with. I somewhere along the way picked up the backwards loop cast on. I think I saw it in another book somewhere. I have been using that cast on almost exclusively for many years now. Socks, hats, gloves, mitts, sweaters you name it. Top down or bottom up it is usually my first choice. Toe up socks I use Judy's magic cast on of course and for an ethnic piece I use the ethnic cast on, otherwise it is backwards loop.

For the test I had to refer to my newest book from Vogue to remember how to do the long tail cast on it had been such a long time. The muscle memory was still there and the 336 stitches I needed for the bottom of the sweater came on quickly. During the casting on however my 2 ply yarn finished with an "S" twist came         un-plied. Now I'm questioning the integrity of the yarn in the cast on. I continue on after snapping a photo. 

I proceed to work the first row. The stitches are tight and difficult for me to get back into. Also the couple dozen I have completed do not have the stretch and spring that I want. I didn't finish the row to be honest. I didn't see the need as the work wasn't going to be what I was looking for.

 

Test results? Well I couldn't just make a final decision based on my own opinion so I asked a few people. Nijah who started loom knitting at the age of 3 and taught herself to cast on just by observation also does the backward loop and hers look nice too. Below is her most recent finished object, started with a backward loop cast on from the bottom.

Well that might be a bit biased... Thankfully I had sheep to shawl practice last week, more knitters. Over lunch I asked if anyone else does the long tail cast on. "I usually use the cable cast on." I like that one too at times, but similar to the knitted cast on, it is slow. The other two knitters still present were both "yes". One is aged 72 and the other aged 37 so some variation in experience. "Have you ever had your yarn come un-plied during the cast on?" I asked. Both of them being spinners as well as knitters completely understood what i was asking. Their answers were opposite. 72 said "No." 37 said "yes, but I also cast on backwards." She is left handed in life but a right handed knitter. The opposite of me. She holds the yarn in her right hand to work the long tail cast on. She then continued with "I have to work all my stitches in the back loop on the first row because they are all twisted." 72 was surprised that the un-plying could happen. 37 said "it depends on the yarn."

"How do you like long tail verses backward loop?" They gave the same answer as the podcast had suggested, "messy and uneven." Okay so it is now 2 to 2.

I saw Mom the next day for MKAL and decided to ask her. While she is in her 50s she has only been knitting for about 10 years. With this MKAL lace and charts are still quite new to her. I told her about the podcast, my findings so far and how I felt about the long tail cast on. She then told me all she does is the long tail cast on for socks, hat, mitts, lace, everything. She almost always gets the tail right on too. I showed her my Colorado Sunrise sweater, told her it was backwards loop and she agreed that it looks nice. So what gives?

We talked a bit more and decided it is practice. Both of these cast ons are going to take practice to get them to have the give, stretch and spring wanted and to look nice. I have practiced the backward loop for a very long time and don't plan to stop any time soon because for me it looks so nice and even. I have cast on, worked a row or two only frog it and begin again. The long tail takes practice to get even stitches that are not too tight and have the correct length of yarn to begin with. Each has an advantage of one over the other. The backward loop requires no guess work in the length of the tail, you can cast on forever, until the end of the ball any way. The long tail has an edge that it easier and more secure to pick up for an edging or other application if needed. The un-plying of yarn...? I don't know what to say. I will continue to use the backwards loop cast on for my projects.

My other two take aways from this, I can teach long tail again and the idea of an inch of yarn per stitch is iffy. It depends on the yarn weight. Thicker yarn will require more length per stitch and thinner yarn will require less. Here is my tail after casting on 336 stitches. I did the fake arm yard measurement and measured out "8" yards for that many stitches. That's a lot of left over yarn.

I have just uploaded my first Youtube video.  It is on how to repair cables that are messed up without ripping the entire project.  Look for it here.

Next time I will have finished another sweater from the top down and ventured into top down construction using a different method than I am used to.

Until then...

Happy Making!

Happy 2020!

Happy Christmas everyone!  We had a great time and so much food. One Christmas tradition in my family that has stood for quite a while, since I was in 4th grade, is that on Christmas eve we have chicken fried steak, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and chocolate pie. Before this we always ordered pineapple pizza from Domino's. One year my Grandfather decided he wanted my Mom to make chicken fried steak. Well it was delicious and it stuck. This is pretty much the only time of year I make this meal, just to make sure it stays special. We put candles in the pie and sing happy birthday to Jesus. Even as the children have gotten older that hasn't changed. Christmas Day is never the same.

This year hubby and the children will go to his brother's house and I will go to the home of my bff and play games with his family. When we all get home this though we are doing something different that I think might stick too. We are going to have tamales, beans, fries and green chili for dinner. Just have to heat it all up and then we can relax and eat.

For 2020 Mom and I have joined the MKAL that Stunning String is putting on. This is the first time that either of us have joined any kind of a yarn club and we are both very excited! We wound our yarn into cakes together. The first clue comes out on the 1st, which is a Wednesday. We won't be able to get together that day but the next clue is scheduled to come out on the following Friday, the 3rd. We will get together that day and cast on together. We each ordered a different color from the club exclusive list. Mom chose the pink peppercorn and I chose curry. We will get 3 skeins dyed in the same color; one skein will be a mohair blend. I am so excited for this! There will be a total of 5 shawls completed by the end of 2020. Because it is an MKAL it is a mystery. We are doing the knitting edition. Stunning String is offering a crochet edition this year as well. Cindy is a great knitting designer and has lined up several crochet designers to create those shawls.

I have nearly finished the projects that I refuse to carry into next year, and my Christmas presents. Uriah's gloves are completed. I learned that the letters on the fingers would have looked better in duplicate stitch but other than that I am pleased with them and they are in his stocking.

H's socks are done and will be in his stocking for Christmas eve. I worked tube socks hoping that they will fit him for a longer period of time.

 

I finished the secret socks, but can't show pictures and am about to finish the owls. I finished my Marvel shawl last weekend and now have a new neck piece to wear.

The projects waiting to be started are pictured below and the pile just keeps growing.

I have joined the 12 Days of Yarnmas on Instagram and it starts on Christmas Day. Each day there is a prompt for what kind of picture to post. While I have taken many of my pictures I'm not going to share them early; you will have to follow me and/or the on Instagram. I'm Azariahs1982 there and the #yarnmascarols . Michelle from Crafty Flutterby has put this together and she always does such fun stuff!

I have received confirmation that I will be teaching at Interweave Yarn Fest 2020! This is exciting news to me. I really feel like I have hit the "big time" now. I will be teaching all day Wednesday April 29, 2020. In the morning is Math, Yes, Math and then after lunch will be Crochet for Knitters.

I heard back from Estes Park Wool Market and I am scheduled to teach Estonian Lace, Intro to Crochet and Intro to Knitting.  Keep an eye out for when registration begins.

Longmont Yarn Shoppe recently posted a picture on Instagram of a flier from a new to me yarn festival here in Colorado. It was for the Knoble Yarn Fest in Greeley, Colorado. I signed up to take the 6 hour class to learn more about knitwear illustration from a guy named Andre from Portugal. I am hoping that this class as well as the sweater class I'm starting in January will help me to be a more efficient designer and submit more designs to more platforms. I don't want designing to be my livelihood, just fun and give others joy, not just me.

Starting January 6, 2020 I will be putting myself through the Blueprint class Sweater design with Shirley Paden. I had originally thought about a sweater that would be for cold weather, but since we are moving into warmer weather by the time I finish this piece I have decided to make a warmer weather top. I'll make a page here on the blog just for this class and announce each time it is updated.

I have 2 big goals for 2020.  One to put all my knitting and crochet books into my Ravelry library.  The other main thing I want to do is learn Imperial Length as well as I know weight.

I'm really excited to move into the new year in just a day or so.

Happy New Year everyone and until next time...

Happy making!

Good bye 2019, Hello 2020

I hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving, for those who celebrate it. I had a wonderful time with the family. It was quiet, just the 5 of us and plenty of food.  The next day, as is usual we decorated the Christmas tree.
 

Sorry I am so late in posting again. The place I went to to post the last time didn't have internet that day and then the holiday... But here we are. I was also just able to get the Woolly Weirdos post up though it has been ready for a while. First world problems, what can I say.

As we are now in the final month of 2019 I want to look back a bit on what my goals were, what I accomplished and start planning for 2020. I will use this months posts to do that. This post will be about what I accomplished in 2019.

From the last post for 2018, where I talked about some projects I goals, I did okay.  I didn't learn any more about weaving and while I do have some bobbins for making bobbin lace now, I didn't learn any or even really try.  The first project listed is the Faberge Shawl, I had to rip it again because I had the colors backwards and the design wasn't going to show up.

One thing I have done all year is carry a sketch book and color pencils.  I bought a backpack just for this.  I also carry a notebook for other notes and ideas, my Bible and some knitting.

Another thing I did accomplish this year is getting the UFOs and WIPs under control. I do have them, yes. I looked through all the projects that were on needles and made some decisions. Keep and finish, give to someone else to finish or rip and reclaim yarn.

I did at least one of each. I took UFOs that had directions and added needles if needed to the community stitching group that I am part of in Aurora, Colorado and let them have at it. They do very well putting these things to use.

I finished a couple as well. One was a cotton vest that only needed decreasing done on the 2nd front. Someone had gotten fed up with it because the directions said to decrease as for the 1st side, mirroring the decreases. It really isn't that much effort to add the actual decrease directions to a pattern, especially if you know it will help the people making your design be more successful and want to do another of your pieces again.

I also went through all, and I mean all of my stash; of yarn, fiber and fleece. I got rid of nearly all of the acrylic yarn. There are a few skeins left, that while I know I can't work with them they still hold sentimental value for me. I also kept 2 lap robes that are finished pieces made from acrylic.

I do have quite a few WIPs left yet.

Alpaca After Dark

Marvel
Ri's gloves
Lace gauntlets
Socks x 2

Tears to Roses

UFOs

In the Garden

Mourning Leaves

Shetland Sampler

Franklin KAL

German Lace KAL

Russian Egg

All of these projects I evaluated and decided that they were worth continuing.

How to evaluate a project.

What is your first feeling when you pick up this project? Joy? Errr? Sure I can do this?

Who was/is it for?

If this is a project that has been sitting a while and was for a baby or a child, is it still going to fit or be age appropriate? If not should you finish it for someone else or charity?

How much time is currently invested in the project and about how much more time will it take to finish it? Don't forget to factor in finishing in ends, sewing on buttons, blocking and anything else this project needs.

How much money have you invested in materials? Do you need to buy more materials and if so can they be easily found?

These are the questions I ask myself when deciding what to do with a UFO I come across. I'll walk you through the process using one of my UFOs as an example and discuss variables that would have made me choose a different direction.

Franklin Habit KAL from February 2019

Honestly I am still on the fence with this one. I was really enjoying it and having a wonderful time. I started test knitting and was having to divide my knitting time and it got pushed to the back. I was still working on it a couple of times a week and then I fell to the bottom of my workbasket and I just forgot it for a couple of months. When I pulled it out to work on it again I couldn't figure out how I had changed the stitches to work in mirror knitting. I have looked to see if I shared anywhere what I did; Ravelry, this blog... I have checked all my notebooks and pictures and found very little information as to what I did.

I absolutely love this yarn and the feel of it knitted up. It is spending more time in my bag and not getting worked on however.

To be able to work on this project again I will have to redo all the work I did to figure out the stitches for a mirror knitter. Then I can work on it. I have plenty of yarn to finish and am about half way through the piece. I don't have another pattern or design that I want to make from this yarn...

If I rip the project it will be the yarn's second time being ripped out. I have started something with it before. It is a fine yarn and whatever I make next has to be "it" or the yarn will suffer.

The project brings me joy because it is a Victorian piece, revitalized by one of my favorite people, Franklin Habit and is in a yarn I love.

I think I will redo the work to figure out the stitches and go from there. Then at least the next time I decide to work this piece, be it "this" one or another that will already be done.

Deal breakers for a project and options of what next

When you don't have enough materials and can't get them.

Can the piece some how be made smaller without frogging and restarting? Stop now or at the end of this repeat and finish the piece. Note there will most likely be some math involved if you do this.

If money is the reason that materials can't be procured but you want the project, then set it aside and start saving to finish that project.

Not enough time

If you are on a deadline for a celebration you have three choices, cram and finish it, give them an IOU and finish it ASAP or go to the store and buy something. If you choose cram and finish it make sure that is feasible and practical. Don't try to cram a gift that needs to be finished in four days, and blocked during the rainy season, especially if it is sweater. You know your schedule and making speed, choose wisely. You can always go to the store any way. If you choose IOU, truly finish ASAP, for them and you. Then you won't be that gift giver who makes things but never finishes them and you will have your UFO gone.

Errr....

If the project invokes thoughts of wanting to throw it, you have thrown it or makes you not want to knit or crochet any more then frog it and reclaim the yarn. The only exception is commission work, otherwise let it go. Something your are making for someone else and they are paying you. This is why you have to be careful what commission work you offer and accept. If it isn't for a publication of some sort then you can go back to the person and talk about what isn't working, the yarn, the pattern... And figure out another way.

After you have let something go and frogged, if you really want to come back to it fresh then do so. If you don't circle back though you probably didn't like it all that much to begin with.

I did this with both UFOs and WIPs. What's the difference?

That answer is relative and different for each person. For me it is a matter of time. How long has it just been laying there, untouched? If it has been 3 months or more or I can't remember the last time I worked on it, UFO. I have one WIP that isn't even cast on yet, Tears to Roses. It is a personal design that I am dyeing the yarn for and the design keeps changing, While I am not knitting on it, I have swatched, am playing with color ideas and still trying to decide on the construction method.

My 2 current exceptions to the UFO rule are my Stephen West Brioche wrap and my wedding shawl.
The wrap is made up of scrap sock yarn and then 4 skeins of main color yarn.  I want to use as much of the main color as possible and so will continue this project until it is all used.  The scrap sock yarn only comes along when I finish a pair of socks however and so there is waiting time in between colors. Either because there is that much time between pairs of socks or because the colors don't work and I need a different color next.

 
My wedding shawl is my oldest WIP.  I can't tell you how long I've been at it because I haven't made a Ravelry project page yet and have no info with me.  I really enjoy it when I work on it.  Because of the white yarn and fine fabric I try to do it when there is very little else going on around me. Because each row takes about 20 minutes I want to work on it only when I have an hour or two to do only that. Progress is slow, yes but my how I am enjoying it.

I have enough UFOs and WIPs to last me knitting until 2022 at least.  I will be adding more projects but continuing to be diligent in finishing what has been laying around.

 As for launching a fiber arts guild, it was slow and soft.  I didn't push at all or put much work in to it.  I am already putting more work in.  There is a blog and an IG tag now.  I'm telling everyone and passing out fliers.  We'll see what happens next. #thewoollyweirdos

My challenge now is to decide how many different aspects of the fiber arts do I want to actively work in and how am I going to that.  Knit for sure, spinning yes, crochet, more fun that I remembered, weaving, unsure how much, embroidery, possibly.  These are all without adding something new like bobbin or spider lace.

In 2020 I want to carry out an idea I have had for a couple of years of crocheting a quilt.  The acrylic lap robes I have I want to make out of wool.  I haven't yet written down the patterns for them, as they are my designs, so I can't get rid of them yet.

I will continue to test knit and crochet, as it is something I love.  I will publish at least 4 designs.  My big goal is to work through the book by Shirley Paden for designing knitwear.  I want to complete and publish a sweater design.  If I can get my 4 shaft fully functional soon, learning to tame that beast is also on the list for 2020.

I made a bunch of snowflakes for the ladies at Bible study and they were well received.

 

Next time will be where I am on my current tests, how Christmas projects are progressing and the club I have joined for 2020.

 

Until then...

 

Happy making!

Teaching, test knits and Woolly Weirdos

I have been doing some  teaching on a regular basis lately and I am loving it!  The only down side has been the drive.  The shop where I'm teaching, Longmont Yarn Shoppe is 92 miles from my house.  It is the nearest lys where people are signing up for classes though.  There is another shop in North East Denver, aka Montbello where I have some class scheduled but no bites yet.  The shop is called Knot Just Yarn.
I have been doing some private lessons too.
I love teaching as much as making; I love to see the light bulb moments when someone "gets" it.
I have submitted classes for Yarn Fest 2020 but haven't heard anything back yet.
I just sent in classes for the next trimester at Longmont Yarn Shoppe
I also submitted classes for Estes Park Wool Market 2020 and won't know about those until the middle of January.  Patience, my friends, patience.
I have been working diligently on writing curriculum for classes that I want to teach before the class is scheduled.  The Bible teaches "to be ready in season and out" and the Lord pressed it upon my heart to apply that to the classes I want to teach.  Putting the time in on the front and not waiting until the night before class to figure it out.

Here are some pictures from my most recent Dyeing Safely Class at Longmont Yarn Shoppe.

Here is a picture from my Math, Yes Math class.  This is one of my favorite to teach.  I show how to make use of the swatch that you should be making any way.

Test knitting I have done a lot of this year.  I had as many as 5 going in on shot,  I currently have 3, 2 of which are due in the next week and a half.

I have learned so much from test knitting and been able to help independent designers get a better product out to their customers.  I really enjoy this work.  Because of test knitting I now have some practical pieces to wear on a daily basis other than shawls.  I have sweaters, a poncho and a new cowl.  I have learned new stitches and different writing styles.  When in doubt ask the designer.  They need to know if someone is struggling with some direction they wrote and many of them are glad of the help.
I have had deadlines of a couple of months or just a few days.  I love the "pressure" that it adds to my life.

The final up date is on Woolly Weirdos, the fiber arts guild that I really want to get going East of Aurora, Colorado.  The Lord put it to me that I haven't really invested enough resources in this venture and I need to do some more work.  By my next posting here I will have a posting on the Woolly Weirdos blog with next year's schedule and a picture tour of the studio we meet in.  My goal is to have enough people to have a spinning team for which ever spinning contest happens next year.

Next time I will tell you about finished objects, hopefully including a diningroom floor and planning for 2020!

Until then...

Happy making!

Stitches Salt Lake City, Utah!

This trip was so much fun! It was my first time on an air plane, first time traveling alone and staying in a hotel alone. It was AMAZING! I will totally do it again and hopefully soon.

This was not my first fiber festival. I have been going to Estes Wool Market for about 10 years and have been going to Interweave Yarn Fest since the beginning. Stitches was however the most fun. Part of that I know is being away and on my own. I will try to compare driving verses flying more objectively for you without all the other bits crowding in.

Driving to a festival really does have it's advantages. I have not driven far enough from home to have to stay over night somewhere before arriving at my destination. Keep that in mind. The biggest difference is how you pack. When I drive to a festival whether I am teaching or just enjoying I can bring anything that will fit in the van and that's a lot of stuff. I am getting better about how much I bring. I try to use most everything I bring at least once. Yes there are still some items that are back up in case of... There will always be those. I do bring both wheels and next time I drive will also be bringing my electric wheel.

The area of packing where there was little difference was the clothing. There were 2 fashion shows at Stitches. One to attend and one to participate in. There was also a Pajama Party. I had to have something for all of those. I also had to pack Dolores and all her outfits.

 

I did manage to get everything to Salt Lake in 2 carry on bags. The return trip home was a different story. I did check a bag. That was because of how much I bought from vendors in Salt Lake. That is another advantage to driving, plenty of room, unless you buy something large like a ewe or spinning wheel then it could get ify.

For me the difference in vendors was good. I did know a couple of vendors, but mostly I got to meet some new to me people. Locals in Utah and then some from states further west that haven't been to the festivals in Colorado.

Over all it was fun and exciting. I got to meet and take classes from Franklin Habit, had dinner with Marly Bird from Red Heart yarn and got to see the guys from Leading Men Fiber Arts again. While staying some what local for a fiber festival is nice, I would highly recommend planning well and going to one that you fly or take a train to. It makes it even more special to know that even farther from home that are crazy woolly people just like you.

For 2020 my husband and I will go to Yarn Fest if they have it. Are planning Salida and I want to go to Toas. We'll see where the Lord opens doors.

If you have never been to a fiber festival of any kind, please, please go. Yes it will be a bit overwhelming when you first walk in to the vendor area. There are a lot of choices of yarn, fiber and tools. Many festivals have hands on areas and some activities that are only for children. Some festivals in the warmer part of the year also have animals and for many that do, this is an opportunity for ranchers to sell animals and 4-H-ers to show theirs. To help with all the choices on the vending floor I recommend doing a full round of seeing everything before buying anything. This prevents buyers remorse. If you do see something on round one that you can't live without and it may not be there in 30 minutes, then you have a decision to make. You know yourself and shopping habits best, good luck. After having gone to a couple of festivals I now go in with a list of things I am looking for such as tools. I will make a list of yarn wanted with the project info attached. The one thing I always buy is a skein of sock yarn. That will be for my show socks. I have a pair from each show for the last 3 years I think.

Be sure and thank the vendors. I got a behind the scenes look at Stitches Salt Lake. I helped a vendor tear down and pack up. Watching the other vendors and overhearing conversation I learned a lot. The time, effort and trouble they go through to make that booth pretty and fun is a lot of work. Depending on the venue, the parking is hard to find and can be another expense we don't even think about. They put in a lot of time and effort.

For Stitches Salt Lake I finished my Journey to the Cape sweater. On Thursday night, the night before the fashion show I finished my "Love you too!" socks. Before coming to Salt Lake I decided I needed a skirt to go with my sweater. I don't sew unless I have to. I designed this A-line skirt all by myself and am pretty proud of it. I wore all these to the fashion show, on the run way on Friday night. It was a bit scary. I have done fashion shows before. There is one at Yarn Fest. That on is easy though, you walk around all the tables and show your piece. A real runway with marks of where to stop, bright lights and a camera at the end was new, hard and fun. That I will do again too, some day.

 

I also finished Dolores' newest outfit. I used the mattress stitch on it just as I did on my sweater. I talked about the mattress stitch on Instagram and have been planning videos. I was going to do the videos while in Utah but lost one of the balls of yarn. I did find it before I left but have just been too busy to record. Hoping to get those up by the end of the week. Watch IG to find out when and where I decide to post them.

 

I finished a test knit for Ioarma but can't share any more than that here because it is a secret and she hasn't said when she is releasing it or anything. I will say it was a very fun project with some traveling stitches.

My Bonfire Poncho from Little Woolly Things is finished but haven't had light to get pictures with the snow we had come through this week.  Too cold to go out and do it too.

I am still hard at work on my Boho Wreath sweater and That's My Jam wrap. They are both do on the 15th and I should make that.

I picked up another sweater test from Jill Karina that I will start when those 2 are completed.

I am still working on my own designs as well and am planning to release a new one on the first of December. It will be a small piece that can be made quickly as a gift or for yourself. I originally made them from 100% yak yarn. Since Bijou Basin has gone out of business though I wanted a yarn that was still available and have chosen Luna Lace from Deep Dyed yarns. This design uses 15/0 seed beads. I love them in this colorway and can't wait to be finished.

 

I am furthering my education in designing and taking the next step. On November 18th I will be starting the online, Blueprint class with Shirley Paden. I also have the companion book that as I understand is currently out of print. I have never designed a sweater before. I only started knitting sweaters just this year. I am excited to see what comes of this.

I'm also working on my drawing skills, as many places that you submit designs to want a drawing idea of the finished piece; be the submission be for a fashion show or pattern to publish. My sister suggested a book by Christopher Hart and it is helping. Now I just need to do it more so that it sticks.

After being snowed in for about 4 days, it is nice to get out and feel some sunshine.

Stay warm or cool where ever you are.

Until next time...

Happy making!