Spun Crazy

 It's summer.  Yes, I know big chunks of North America are still getting snow, but when it gets in the 80's here, I just grump and call it summer and hope for autumn.  So, it's summer and as fun as knitting is, it's just a little bit hard to be enthusiastic about knitted items when you're sweating into your yarn.  Or your needles are flying out of sweaty hands at inopportune moments and you're afraid to knit in public anymore.  Whatever the cause, summer makes me a bit antsy and I want to try something new.

Enter the innocuous little piece of raw wood called a spindle.  And a small pile of the most yummy colored fleece.. it's called Waterfall and it looks just like the water of my favorite little river.  The byline says it "spins like a dream", too, but that must apply to other people because I get a bloody mess when I try to spin it.

I'm reasonably intelligent.  I've taught myself to do a lot of stuff out of books or by Youtube videos.  So why can't I get the hang of this?  I thought I'd give it a go while the laundry was drying at the laundromat.  See how clever a person I am?  Except that I ended the experiment after 30 minutes of getting the "yarn" twisted in my hair, spun into my clothing, stuck on my earring, you name it.  I was a disaster and I looked it too, with bits of wool everywhere.  It was like I'd become Dorothy and the twister had made a stopover at a sheep sheering.  Humiliating.

I haven't gotten the nerve up yet to drag myself, my spindle, and the vomit that should be spun yarn to a local shop that specializes in spinning stuff.  Maybe someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong.  Maybe there's a class.  Or maybe I can pay someone to get me going in the right direction. 

And maybe I can just bury the stuff in a drawer for a few years first.

Toe Redux

Sometimes I get so caught up in finishing a project that I forget it's going to have a long life ahead of itself when it leaves my needles.  In other words, someone's gonna wear this thing and it's not going to be me!

Tonight, my Uncle tried on the finished sock--as compared to the not quite yet but almost, I promise before you drive back to Canada it will be done, sock (just to be clear).  The sock fit.  Breathe a big sigh of relief and pat myself on the--whoops, not yet.  The toe, he said, is too pointy. Too pointy?  Too pointy!  Oh rats.

So tonight it's rip, rip, rip out 6 rows.  Lose the marker that says where the beginning of my round is.  Panic.  Count and figure and cross my fingers and hope I got it about right, cause that's where it is now, folks.  And try a different toe that, in pictures at least, looks a lot rounder.  Less pointy.  When that is done, I will be ripping out my beautiful Kitchener--is that even possible--from the sock that I thought I'd never have to touch again, and re-knitting that toe, too. 

Geesh.  Who knew people got picky about articles of clothing?

And did I mention what he calls the socks?  The Inferno socks (yes, with jokes about Dante and erudite mutterings in Italian, just to show he's smart and a PhD, and because he's weird that way).  Which goes to show that men do not understand color, much less the complex alchemy of hand painted sock yarn.  Do I point out the lovely, chromatically complex shadings of wine, grape leaf green, and russet?  Nope.  The PhD calls it red and makes allusions to Dante, so I hold my tongue. 

At least he likes them.  And because he likes them, every person in southern Ontario will have seen them in a month or so.  It's fame, of a sort.  Maybe now I'll be The Sock Niece as well as The Scarf Niece.  Ah, titles.  Queen Mum, eat your heart out.

Dyeing Mawata

Ah, cat barf that smells good enough to eat!  That's exactly what this stuff looks like, if cats contemplated revenge like old Sicilian mobsters soaking up the sun and reminiscing about better days.  I can see them, with their battered bowls of inky vino, yowling in descant amusement as they trade stories of the bloodiest kills. Where do old Toms go to retire these days?  They forgot their... whatever this is.

The colors are amazing!  Maybe they'll fade and lighten as they dry, but right now they are everything I was hoping for (and couldn't quite bear to count on).  Especially the red.  I mixed 2 strawberry packets with a black cherry, added just enough water to make a paste and wow, what came out scared me.  It was a vibrant deep red, like arterial spray.  Can I say that?  Sounds a bit like dyeing for CSI types, right?  But I love dark dark red.  Like my favorite nail polish that looks a bit weird on a non-goth nerd like me.

The rough-handed, beware.  It IS silk and it snags like a (insert gangsta term here).  Right now the surface looks like a mass of cobwebs.  I was less gentle with this than I should have been.  So if a bunch of spiders (and I have colonies at my house, I can tell you) take this as a sign, they will all get drunk and have a Kool Aid death party.  Poor Shelob* doesn't know what she's been missing.  Though I suspect she will be the one laughing her many eyestalks off as I try to tame these gadzillion filaments into some semblance of order.  And knit with them.

Lessons learned:
     --you can get some amazingly jewel rich colors with Kool Aid. It's all about concentrating the dye
     --and the day long soak in water and vinegar before adding the colors didn't hurt either
     --I can't wait to do this again!  With something less cobwebby perhaps

Feverishly Knitting

A few days ago, feverishly would have been the literal truth.  But my fever broke Sunday and so did the last bit of yarn at the end of my grafted heel.  Hooray!  One sock down, one more to go.  Can I finish it in a mere 10 days?  Ugh.  I don't relish it but I have to.

For some reason, socks have always been tough going for me.  Ok, maybe the reasons for that aren't completely unknown.  I'm what some folks call a combination knitter, which to most mortals mean I knit funny.  My stitches are twisted.  Which isn't so bad on normal flat knitting--all the stitches are so precise and pretty looking--but on knitting in the round, egad, even if I use wool, I lose at least half of my stretchiness because without a purl round, the stitches don't get un-twisted.  But regular knitting.. how do you people do it?!  It hurts my hands, turns them to pretzel dough trying to do it the "normal" way.  Depending on the project, this can be compensated for, but in socks, when stretchy is so very important.. let's just say planning ahead doesn't seem to make much help, either.

Anyhow, I now have a single, very twisted up sock (one could almost same painfully contorted!) waiting to be blocked into normal foot shape.  Right now, it looks like a sock only an Escher lover would take to heart.  Yes, it's that bad.  I can't even take a picture of it.  You, dear reader, would ask if I accidentally made a moebius sock.  That's how bad it is!  Wait til it's blocked, I promise.

Someday, I am going to have to figure out this twisty problem and learn how to make socks right.  I have a New Yorker brother who would probably love to have nice warm socks of his own right now.  I made him a lovely warm pair.  But there's not enough give in them so I don't think even a circus contortionist could get them on and that, my dears, is *after* blocking.

On the positive side, my dear Uncle (the recipient of the current pair) has very narrow feet and I made sure to knit extra loose, so I have high hopes this time around.  He liked the scarf I knit him so much, he's been showing it off to every person he meets.  I expect the next time I visit his small, rural town in Ontario, everyone will know me as The Scarf Niece.  This rather amuses me.  So much so that I want to start on a vest next, so The Scarf will have company.  Eventually, I might get up to an entire outfit of hand knitted clothing!  I just can't wait to see how he's going to show off the socks.  I can see him now, finding a way to fit it taking off his shoes in his next sermon, lol.

Red Greene used to say, if the ladies don't find you handsome, they can at least find you handy.  Not sure how that transposes to fit my situation--if the lads don't find you drop dead gorgeous, at least you can chase the bad ones off with pointy sticks?  Ah well.  It's sad we no longer live in an age where handicrafts such as knitting mean respect anymore.

Lizard Ridge Knitting Tote

My first pattern on Ravelry, I'm so excited.  It's my ten year knitting anniversary this year, so it's about time.  I've been a fan of the original Lizard Ridge pattern by Laura Aylor for a long time but I doubt I'll ever be able to afford all the yarn involved.  This was my practical compromise, an homage to the original.  And I have to say, being a girl *and* a knitter, can I ever have too many knitting totes?  Never!  That would be like trying to limit my WIPs!  Oh wait.. that might have been on my list of this year's new year's resolutions...

Lizard Ridge Knitting Tote

Love Laura Aylor’s famous afghan?  Don’t have the patience or the funds to make one of your own?  Get your Lizard Ridge fix here and create a practical work of art at the same time.  Suitable for toting around anything, this bag is designed to show off your knitting, so why not use it to carry your latest WIP?  Just be prepared for the admirers this tote is sure to attract.

SIZE:

 12” wide x 10” high, 5” depth of side

 17” top to bottom with handles

MATERIALS:

 [MC] 2 skeins Knit One Crochet Too Paintbox in colorway #05 Blue Spruce

 [CC] 1 skein Knit One Crochet Too Paintbox in colorway #20 Alpine Meadow

            (100% wool; 100yds/92m per 50g)

 [CC2] 1 skein Patons Kroy Socks FX in colorway #1003 Clover Colors

            (75% wool, 25% nylon; 166yds/152m per 50g/1.75 ounces)

 4.00mm (US 6) knitting needles

 2.75mm (US C) crochet hook

 1 pair purse handles, backless D shape, bamboo

 ¾ yard 54” wide denim, 12oz weight, for lining

 Tapestry needle

GAUGE:

 18sts/28 rows = 4” in stockinette stitch

 Gauge approximate; steam block to desired dimensions

DIRECTIONS:

** Make sure you read through the original Lizard Ridge pattern instructions before beginning; pay particular attention to the wrap and turn directions and using both ends of the yarn skein when directed to “switch yarn”. **

Back Panel:

 Using CC, CO 57 sts.

 Following Lizard Ridge, version 1, instructions:

 *Work Rows 1-6 of Short Row Pattern.  Switch yarns.

   Work Rows 7-12 of Short Row Pattern.  Switch yarns. *

 Repeat from * to * 3 times more.  Switch yarns at end of last repeat.

 Work Rows 1-6 of Short Row Pattern once more.  Do not switch yarn at end of last row.  Knit 1 row and bind off on the Purl side.

Front Panel: (includes tote bottom flap)

 Using MC, CO 57 sts.

 Following Lizard Ridge, version 1, instructions:

 *Work Rows 1-6 of Short Row Pattern.  Switch yarns.

   Work Rows 7-12 of Short Row Pattern.  Switch yarns. *

 Repeat from * to * 5 times more.  Switch yarns at end of last repeat.

Work Rows 1-6 of Short Row Pattern once more.  Do not switch yarn at end of last row.  Knit 1 row and bind off on the Purl side.

Side Panels: (make 2: use MC for one, CC for the other)

 CO 29 sts.

 Following Lizard Ridge, version 1, instructions:

 *Work Rows 1-6 of Short Row Pattern.  Switch yarns.

   Work Rows 7-12 of Short Row Pattern.  Switch yarns. *

 Repeat from * to * 3 times more.  Switch yarns at end of last repeat.

 Work Rows 1-6 of Short Row Pattern once more.  Do not switch yarn at end of last row.  Knit 1 row and bind off on the Purl side.

Weave in all yarn ends.

ASSEMBLY:

Steam block all panels to finished dimensions.  Yarn may felt a little during this process: that’s ok.  I steam ironed my pieces into shape without any ill effects.

With right sides together, attach side panels to front panels using your preferred  method of construction (I pinned my pieces, then crocheted a seam through both layers).  Then attach back panel to front and sides.  Paintbox yarn is fairly flimsy strength wise, so you may want to use your CC2 yarn for seaming. 

  Edging:

   Turn purse right side out.  With right side facing you, use Sl St to attach

   CC2 all around the top edge.

   Round 1: work single crochet around top edge, sl st in 1^st sc to join end of round

   Round 2: *skip 2 sc, 6 dc in next sc, skip 2 sc, sc in next sc*, repeat from * to * til end.  Sl st in sl st at beginning of row.  Break yarn, draw thru last sts, pull tight.

  Handles:

   Using CC2, CO 12sts (or amount required to cover the circumference of your handles).  Work in stockinette until your rectangle is long enough to cover the full length of your handles.  BO.   

Wrap rectangle around circumference of your handles and use CC2 to whipstitch closed (will be invisible). 

Optional: add crochet trim at bottom to cover handle hardware using edging pattern as guide.

FINISHING:

 Measure, cut, and sew lining to match purse dimensions, plus ½ “ to ¾ “ overlap seam allowance at top edge.  With wrong sides together, drop lining inside purse, making sure to line up seams.  Pin lining to inside of bag at top edge of knitted panel (below crocheted trim), tucking seam allowance in as you go.  

    --Hint: I used a rolled up phone directory to add weight inside; it helped the bottom of my lining to line up correctly with the bottom of my purse and made pining the top edge in a straight line a lot easier.

 Cut denim tabs to match handle hardware dimensions.  Measure carefully (!)  Pin between purse and lining.  Hand sew tabs and top edge of lining to purse.

PDF pattern direct link