Twisted Loops

A few Saturdays ago was the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, OR. I took a trip down for my first Oregon fiber festival. I did manage to buy a bit of yarn.

First up was a purchase from A Verb for Keeping Warm. I’d first heard about the company in a Stash & Burn podcast. They use natural dyes, and their booth was filled with beautiful colors. I had a hard time choosing a yarn. I finally ended up with the Superwash Merino Fingering in Kerala, and is lovely shades of brown with some red tones.

Apparently, the next yarn I purchased is from a vendor also in the same Stash & Burn episode, but I don’t remember hearing their name (must go back and re-listen). The yarn is from Toots LeBlanc & Co. It’s 1200 yards of fingering weight yarn in a Jacob wool, alpaca and mohair blend. I’m thinking this would make a great “rustic-style” lace shawl.

I did, of course, make a stop at the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth. I took a cruise through and didn’t see anything in the regular stock that I needed. However, this skein on the Rare Gems rack caught my eye. For those who don’t know, the Rare gems are the mistakes or over-dyes when colors aren’t quite to the color specification.

I must admit that I’ve been a bit obsessed with chartreuse green lately, so this skein was particularly hard to resist. Plus, with the added depth of some rust and aqua colors (not colors I’d have imagined it paired with), it had to come home with me.

Finally, I purchased some lovely 100% alpaca laceweight from Crown Mountain Farms. It’s their Alpaca Lace Athena in the Stonehenge colorway. It’s 500 yards per two ounce skein, and I purchased two. I’m currently using it to knit Icarus.

I was also lucky enough to win a prize in Black Sheep Bingo, but I haven’t had a chance to photograph it yet. I’ll be sure and post it later.

I’ve been working on a variety of projects lately.

First up is the Spiraling Master Coriolis pattern from Cat Bordhi’s New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One.  I’m using Socks that Rock in the Chapman Springs colorway.  It’s great to finally find a pattern that this color works with.  I’ve tried it several times with other patterns, and it hasn’t matched up well.  The sock has been a bit of a challenge.  I’ve knit so many socks in the “traditional” fashion that it seems strange that the patterns will work as written.  So far, I’ve made only one major mistake.  I put the increase stitch marker at the wrong place, so I ended up with a straight line of knitting instead of a spiral.  I didn’t like the way it looked, so I ripped back and knit it correctly.  I’m at the end of the first sock, and just need to determine what cuff to put on this pair.  I’d been thinking about a picot edge, but I may just make a plain ribbed cuff.

Also on the needles is a shawl, the Icarus Shawl from Interweave Knits.  Right now, I’m nearing the end of the plain stockinette and eyelet rows that seem to go on forever.  I’m starting to worry a bit about my yardage.  Per the shawl calculator over at Rose-Kim Knits, I’ve completed 48% of the shawl.  When I way the yarn, I have about 2.1 of 4 ounces remaining, or 52.5% of my yarn left to knit 52% of the shawl.  This is going to cut it really close.  If I’m off by only the tiniest bit, I might run out of yarn in the final rows.  It would be so heartbreaking to have to rip back half of the shawl because I ran out of yarn.

I didn’t check Ravelry before I purchased the yarn. The pattern originally called for 875 yards, so I thought I’d be fine with 1000 yards.  However, the pattern on Ravelry calls for 875-1200 yards because a lot of people have run short when knitting the shawl.  The designer now calls for 1100 yards to be enough yarn for the majority of knitters.  Since I’m using a hand-dyed yarn, I don’t want to risk ordering more and having it be a drastically different shade.  For now, Icarus is sitting in the corner while I decide what to do.

The good news about these two projects is that they gave me a chance to use my new stitch markers.  I purchased the big beads while I was in Prague, with the intent of someday making myself some stitch markers.  I never got around to it.  But, recently, Allison started making and selling stitch markers, and she was nice enough to turn my beads into stitch markers for me.

It’s hard to capture their sparkly orange-ness, but I love them.

After seeing a knitted wire necklace at the World Wide Knit in Public day, I decided that I needed to try working with wire. This isn’t the first time that I’ve mentioned an interest in it.

I headed out to one of the major chain craft stores and purchased some enameled copper wire and a purple bead assortment. Once I got home, I opened up the packages for my new goodies right away.

Three hours later, the bead stringing and fixing a wire tangling disaster were complete and I was ready to begin my work. It went pretty quickly. It took me about an hour to crochet a bangle sized bracelet to slip over my hand and arm. I’m pleased with how it turned out.

It has me hooked. I discovered that I can hit the local craft store, the local bead store, and the two chain crafting stores on my drive home from work by going only .5 miles out of my way. This is a very dangerous (to my bank account) drive home.

I’ve made a second bracelet in browns and ambers that I’m having a terrible time photographing, and I’ve purchased beads to make a chartreuse colored bracelet. There will definitely be more of these in my future.

My market bag knitting quest continues.   This pattern worked up quickly on my size 11 needles.  Overall, I didn’t care for this pattern as much as I did the Saturday Market Bag.  The stitch pattern on the other bag was more interesting to knit, and I found this stitch pattern a little tedious.  I did like the applied i-cord edge and i-cord handles.  I  will probably incorporate these into another market bag. 

Pattern: Elisa’s Nest Tote
Source:  The Purl Bee
Yarn: Peaches & Creme Solids
Color: Cream
Needles: US11 and US7

Started: May 28, 2008
Completed: June 4, 2008

Pattern modifications:

• I knit the pattern in the round.
• I split the bag into two sides and added a few repeats on each side before adding the handles.  Otherwise, the opening on this bag tends to be too small.

Saturday was World Wide Knit in Public Day.  We had a nice event here in town during the farmer’s market.  The turnout was good and we had really beautiful weather.  It was really a great day to be outside.

I was working on my Saturday Market Bag for my mom.  It got quite a bit of attention.  We even had a few new knitters join the ranks that day.  The only dangerous thing is that I was inspired to work with wire and beads.  I think a new stash may begin.

The new town has a lovely Saturday farmer’s market that I like to attend. However, since much of my stuff is back in Illinois, my usual farmer’s market bag also doubles as a knitting bag. Since I got tired of dumping my knitting in order to make my weekly trek to the market, I decided to knit up a few string bags.  This is the first one I knit.  It’s the Saturday Market Bag.  It was originally published in MagKnits, but now is available directly from the designer’s blog, or as a Ravelry download.

I really liked the stitch pattern on this bag.  Open and stretchy, but much more interesting than just a yarn-over, knit 2 together mesh.  I liked this one so much, I’ve already started another for my mom.  There may even be a few more for me in the future.

Pattern: Saturday Market Bag
Designer: Jodie Danenberg
Source: Strings & Yarn
Yarn: Peaches & Creme Solids
Quantity: part of a cone
Color: Delft Blue
Needles: Denise Interchangables US15, US11 and US10.5

Started: May 25, 2008
Completed: May 28, 2008
Pattern adaptations:

• Cast on 70 stitches using magic cast-on and size 15 needles.
• Knit the pattern the round.
• Knit 7 repeats of the lace pattern.
• Switched to size 11 needles. Knit 2 rounds garter stitch.
• Switched to size 10.5 needles and finished with two handles as documented by disdressed.

This bag was so fun to knit that I decided to try knitting a few of the different string bags that are out there. I’d like to be able to use them to replace some of the many plastic bags from the grocery store.  I’ll definitely do a comparison post when I’m done on the different patterns.

Wow. It’s been a while.

I’m getting settled here in Oregon. While I’ve been knitting, I was without my camera until very recently. For me, posting to the blog just isn’t the same unless I can have photos.

I’ve had quite a few projects that I’ve been working on. I finished three pairs of socks, the Gentleman’s Half Hose in Ringwood Pattern, a pair of Diagonal Rib Socks, and a stitch pattern I adapted from a book - a pair I’ve been calling the Twisted Eyelet socks. I’ve currently got a pair of Thuja on the needles.

I also went on a kick of knitting some string bags. I knit a Saturday Market Bag and an Elisa’s Nest Tote. I’m currently working on some additional string bags for my mom.

Pictures and project details on all of these will be posted soon!

Locally, I’ve been attending the Ravelry based knitting group here in town. I’m also headed out to Black Sheep Gathering next Saturday, June 21st. I’m participating in Black Sheep Bingo, I’m a player and a square. You can see the Black Sheep Bingo details over at Strings & Yarn or Ravelry.

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes here at TwistedLoops.  One of those things can finally be revealed.

For those who don’t know, Jim and I have been planning to leave the Chicago area and move to Oregon.  In early February, I hadn’t even begun the official big job search, but I did occasional checking of Oregon job postings.  I saw a posting that was a great fit on paper.  Not only that, but it was right where we wanted to be geographically.  It seemed like such a great possibility that I decided to take a chance.  I updated my resume and applied for the job.  Since I wasn’t really job searching, I didn’t think much else about the job after that.

Fast forward a few weeks into mid-February, right around the time that my blogging dropped off.  I got a phone call about the job; they wanted a phone interview.  I did the phone interview.  I never am really sure how interviews go; I always leave them with some concern about my response.  A few days later they called and asked me to come to Oregon for an in-person interview. The next week was a whirlwind of shopping for a new suit and shoes.  I flew out to Oregon (the trip where the Ringwood socks started) and had an interview just before St. Patrick’s Day.  Last week, they called and made me an offer. 

On Monday, I gave notice at the company that I’ve worked at for almost a decade.  I start the new job in Oregon on April 21st.  Two weeks of wrap-up at my old job and then nine days to get to Oregon (2200+ miles) with all my stuff.  I need to find a place to live, and important things like figuring out what yarn to pack to take with me and what to leave in Illinois for now (Kelly insists that I need at least 56 skeins of sock yarn to survive until the end of May).  With such a crazy schedule ahead of me, I doubt that there will be much knitting or blogging.  But, once I get settled in Oregon, I’ll be living alone for a while, which will leave plenty of time for knitting and blogging.  Plus, there are new knitting groups to meet, tons of yarns stores to explore (including an in-town LYS!), and the new to me fiber festivals, like Black Sheep Gathering. 

It is the end of an era…and the beginning of a new one.

Things around here have been crazy for the last month, and I think it will only continue.  Most days I barely feel as if there is time to knit, let alone blog about it.

I’ve currently got Nancy Bush’s Gentleman’s Half Hose in Ringwood Pattern [Ravelry Link] from Knitting Vintage Socks on the needles.  I’m using the Trekking XXL in color 69.  The yarn has such an interesting color quality.  While working on it indoors, it’s a fairly boring brown/green tonal striped sock, just like in the photo below.  However, when I was knitting in the sunlight on a plane recently, I couldn’t believe it was the same yarn.  The colors were so vivid - especially a beautiful purple.

I’ve shortened the ribbing and cast on fewer stitches in order to fit the pattern to my sizing, and so far it’s going well.  I’m through the gussest on the first sock, and a few inches remain until I start the toe.  The pattern is simple to memorize, but a little more interesting than just 2×2 ribbing or stockinette.  I hope to finish sock one this weekend and start on sock two soon.

I finished the William Street Socks a week or two ago, but I haven’t gotten around to posting about it.  I’ve worn them once, and they’ve been through a washing.

I knit this pair as part of the Ravelry Sock Knitters Anonymous’ February Sockdown challenge.  The challenge for February was to try a new heel.  Since I’m strictly a top-down, heel-flap sock knitter, I tried this pair of toe-up, short-row heel socks.  I think that I’ll stick to top-down heel flaps.  While I like this pair of socks overall, I’m still not sold on the short-row heel.

Pattern: William Street Socks
Designer: Lisa Shroyer
Source: Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
(also available free online from IK)
Yarn: Schachenmayr Regia Tweed 6-Fadig (136 yards/50g)
Quantity: 2 skeins (272 yards/100g)
Color: Gray
Needles: Addi Turbo 3.25mm

Started: February 1, 2008
Completed: March 12, 2008

Pattern modifications:

• I changed the ribbing section of the pattern.  When I knit the ribbing per the pattern, the sock ended up much too loose.  To remedy this, I decreased the last round before the ribbing.  Starting with the cabled section of the sock, I K1, (K3, K2Tog) — this knit together the first and last stitch of each 5 stitch section of cable.  On the back of the sock, I did two decreases, one on each side of the center of the back.  On finishing the round, I slipped the last stitch of the back of the sock to the front needle, and did a P2Tog with the K1 from the cabled section.   This gave me 56-stitches on the needle.  I did P2, K2 ribbing around until I ran out of yarn.
• I used the magic cast-on for toe-up socks from Knitty instead of the specified cast on.
• I only used 2 balls of yarn.  While I wish the socks were a tiny bit longer, the length is acceptable.

Yarn oveview:

I do not knit socks with sport weight yarn very often, so it was interesting when the socks seemed to be progressing very slowly.  As for the yarn, I was surprised by the tweedy-quality of the yarn.  The little tweed bits seemed to be loosely added to the yarn, some even fell out of the yarn as I was knitting the sock.  Most all of the bits that can be seen in the Feb. 8th post on this pair of socks are gone now that they’ve been washed.  Overall, the sock has developed a slight halo of fuzziness from being washed, but otherwise is ok.