More Spinning

It snowed on Friday. Enough fell that the kids wanted to go sledding. While I love watching the kids sled, the slog to and from the sledding hill (by foot and by subway) and the standing in the cold, really does not do anything for me. So ... when Mike so nicely offered to take the kids on his own, so that I could finish the taxes, I jumped for joy. Sort of. Then I finished the taxes. And then I prepped some spinning ...

We started with 195 grams of osage and cochineal dyed Corrieadale from Handspun by Stefania (found the receipt in the bag). This is an excellent match for the purply stuff (cochineal dyed ccorriadle) from the other day.


Imagine all of this now spun into a lovely, somewhat uneven, handspun looking singles. 2.5 bobbins worth. It is not yet plyed because all of that longdrawish spinning got me hunkering for some real long-draw spinning. So, when I finished the singles, I also switched gears to my charka and some cotton.
Imagine one more spindle full of cotton. About 4 grams worth with 12 to go. The plan (don't laugh) is to triple ply it, after all three spindles are full, and then eventually knit a very light weight summer top. Right now I think I will do a regular 3 ply and not my usual Navajo in order to mute the colors a bit and make for less obvious striping. The color repeats are VERY long and the thinness of the single would make for huge stripes. So, I'm thinking something along the lines of the Trekking yarns with their three plys changing colors one at a time. That said, this will take a long time with lots of dedicated spinning, to finish, so don't look for it anytime soon.

Spinning Through the Week

May I present roughly 800 yards of Berrilicious Merino. Dyed as roving by Dave and spun by your favorite Mama Squid.Berrilicious is a sport weight, 3 ply done in my favorite Navajo method. I just love the rhythm of Navajo plying. Plans? I want to find a nice fair isle cardigan or vest pattern. No steeks pleases. Right now I am debating the Spools pattern from Handpaint Country, modified to avoid cutting. I am not afraid of steeking, per se, just of my habit of making things too big and having to go back and reknit -- which is not a possibility if half the yarn is in tiny pieces. Not with my precious hand spun, please. I'll take suggestions ...

Next on the wheel was the rest of the plummy wool.
I predrafted it all, after first dividing the roving into 16 roughly equal parts, and spun it up over 2 days. Pictures of the finished skeins in a day or two when I need room in the bathroom again.
Papa Squid was amazed at the pile of roving and decided to have some fun.

Now both my wheels are empty and next up is the matching orangy roving. I spun the last of the plummy stuff using a modified long draw and it spun up so quickly that I may be deluding myself as to how fast the orangy stuff will spin up.

Meanwhile, I have not been the only creative Squid this week. Look at what Papa made!

(The kids' monsters will debute, probably, tomorrow. They have some text to write up in order to properly describe their creations. But first and foremost, we have snow to play in!)

First Fruits

I was thinking of teasing you and waiting until the end of the week to post my spinning pictures but I'm not that mean. And I needed to get the, now dry, yarn out of the bathroom to make room for the freshly washed yarn. And Maria is coming. So I needed to get the, now dry and documented, yarn tucked away where I feel it belongs.

So here it is. Corriadale purchased from Stefania's Handpaints, two years ago at New York Sheep and Wool. It is a lofty, two ply, worsted weight and is not totally evenly spun. There is more of the roving in the stash and I think that will be my next spinning project. It is, as Dave calls it, "chubby" yarn -- at least for me. Recently, I've taken Dave's approach to predrafting and have been doing a very large amount (though not all) of it before sitting down to spin. My prior approach was to draft out length of roving, spin, draft, spin, etc. Basically, since I do not spin very often, I did not want to wind up with lots of delicate, predrafted stuff loose in the apartment. My new approach is actually forcing me to spin more since I still do not want to have the predrafted stuff around for any length of time. Too many bodies in this place to accidentally mess it up.

Behind the yarn, in the photo, is a bit of the Rat Scarf. 3 rats down, 5 to go.

Emerging from the Fog

I had a rather long winded post written yesterday but it was mostly a whine about how this flu has taken me down. Then I got my second wind and managed to do quite a bit of spinning. So I deleted the post. I think this virus is finally on the run.

As for the spinning -- I'll have pictures by the end of break. I finished the Ingeo singles and will two-ply them later this week. Meanwhile I started Navajo plying my Cabin Cove Berrilicious. Yum!

Yup, I said break. It is mid-winter recess here in NYC and we are off. No traveling this year, just some quiet at-home time. Time to recover in body and mind. We have two planned excursions -- one the the Museum of Natural History (probably Wednesday when Maria is here) and one to the dentist.

Time to do some serious relaxing!

Spinning on Sunday

Feeling like I had to finish a project today, and deciding that the vest probably needed a bit more time, I took to spinning.

I turned this,

into part of this (part of one bobbin) which finished off the 8 ounces of Berrylicious Merino that I bought from Dave many, many months ago. I might ply it next week.

Then I totally wiped down my wheel, removing years of built up oil / fiber gunk and reloaded with some Ingeo roving that has been aging in the stash for a while. It took some time to get the hang of it. This is a very fine, slippery fiber with a staple length of 1.5 to 2 inches or so. The resulting single is relatively thick (think a thin sock yarn) and kind of hard.
I finally figured out a predrafting method that allowed me to spin without it breaking up. It will be interesting to see how it plys up. I'm thinking that it might make a small, slinky scarf. There is only 2 ounces of it but the small bit I spun went a long way.

***

Even the stuffed animals get into the act around here.

Can You Spell "G E E K Y?"

Do you think we have enough computers? And there are three not in the picture!
Look what you can do with multiple XOs.Click on the photo to get the total effect. I'll wait.
Yup, the computers are taking pictures of themselves. The top photo was taken by an XO, the bottom on my little Olympus. You can see me in the computer screen if you look closely.

***

On a fibery front, I am almost finished with Lil' Sis's socks and added 22 rows to the vest yesterday. I will probably finish the socks during dinner with Little Squid on Tuesday and have balled up a really happy sock yarn from Dave to start socks for me. No photos because I didn't take them yet and now my nails are sticky as I perform my weekly "back to work" manicure.

Spinning also happened as I stick to my "Sundays are for Spinning" pledge.

Have a great week!

Net Zero

I did it! For 2007 I used the same number of balls/skeins/hanks of yarn that I acquired. Exactly. And that counts the five just purchased for Squidette's blanket.

How did I do it? Especially since yesterday morning I was up one ball? I stayed up late (um, midnight) and finished the first of Lil Sis's new socks before the ball dropped. This way she will have one foot in the past and one in the future ... or some such stuff like that. Basically, it was my only active project so I managed to do it in two days.

That said, I have 17 balls on order at Knitty City and promised that Squidette could choose some new yarn for me to knit socks for Little Squid's "baby sitter" (the young woman who takes him home from school).

Now, for next year, I would like to spin and use more of my own hand spun. I have some lovely stuff on the wheel and in the stash and would like to see garments made out of it. I'd also like to start working on the yarn for Mike's new sweater. To that end, I am joining "Spinning My Wheel," and hope to get all of my wheels moving this year.One last FO from last year -- a scarf for Mom. On Mom.

Knitting!

Yes, this is a "knitting" blog and to prove it ...Child's First Sock from Vintage Socks. Modeled by the owner, the lovely and growing-too-fast Squidette. The yarn is something she picked out in Lancaster last year. A locally dyed product obtained at Labadie Looms.

Now on the needles, a plain sock for Little Squid -- also growing far too fast.

Our recent visit with every piece of clothing that we own revealed that most of their handknit socks were too small and so ... mama is knitting for them. Little Squid is getting Cabin Cove socks from yarn intended for ... someone else. Knitting it for larger feet, however, would require my digging through the still buried stash on the balcony for my heel and toe yarn and so, Little Squid is getting the good stuff. I'll just have to order more. Aww shucks. (Also, the Cabin Cove was readily at hand while the rest of my stash is buried under bags and bags of stuffed animals.)

For those of you concerned about the trauma of tossing half my stash, please note that I am not upset about it nor am I looking to replace it. I am still sticking to my goal of more yarn out then in each month and am not counting the tossed ones against the total. Nope. Not doing it. September is ending net negative 5.5 balls of yarn and I hope to knit up another one or two before Rhinebeck. I also hope to put Dave's wonderful roving on the wheel later today if I can gather up the energy to spin.

I did finish plying my alpaca yesterday and hope to skein and wash it today -- and then figure out which issue of Interweave Knits has the Flower Basket Shawl as that is what I think the alpaca wants to become.

And there you have it, knitting and spinning here at Squid Knits. What a surprise!

Summer Projects

This is where I lay down what I intend to do this summer and you get to laugh at me. First up is my summer reading list:Yes, I have already read the Anne Frank, I want to reread it with an adult perspective. All of these were borrowed from the English Department bookroom hence the heavy duty bindings.

Then, my summer growing list:
Pumpkins. Don't laugh! My favorite Otter is also attempting to grow pumpkins in a container. Look! A tomato! First one of the season.Cucumber vines! Yes, I am aiming for chef's salad with my own cucumbers and tomatoes. Last year we managed a whole pasta dish with our tomatoes. Yummy!

Then we have the knitting which is somewhat constrained by the two Knit-alongs. First up, my first pair for the Summer of Socks.The Padded Footlets from Favorite Socks without the padding. Knit in Regia Silk, these fit Squidette's newly sized 7 feet. Save me from growing children, please!

Then the Tour de France knit-along. I signed up for the yellow jersey. I am making the Chevron Vest from the Summer 2007 Knitters Magazine from my handspun silk/merino/alpaca mix that I picked up at Rhinebeck back in October. Then there are all of the projects already in the queue. The Go With The Flow socks, also from Favorite Socks, a yellow baby sweater started so long ago that I do not even remember how old it is, my cobweb lace stole and a silk scarf that I started a few weeks ago. Oh, and the theoretical blanket that I started weaving on my Hazel Rose looms say ... two years ago? I started in again on this one earlier today and have two more triangles and a square to show for my efforts.

And the spinning ... the bamboo-silk from Susan and some very dirty alpaca that I started on the Journey Wheel after Dave went on about the awesomeness of actual spinning on the JW. Yes, it is awesome to spin on. No, I am not enjoying myself as much as I should since my fingers wind up BLACK during a session with this stuff. I will, however, see it to the end as it is only 4 ounces or so total. That project saw almost 2 hours of work today as I enjoyed myself with an audiobook out on the balcony with my plants.

And there you have it, my summer projects. Will I finish them all? And how many more will get started? And what about the painting?!

Overly Productive Day

I went on a major activity kick this morning. The kind of bender that usually starts right after school ends. It started early this year.

After lifting weights and riding on the trainer (am I sounding sickeningly virtuous?) where I spun many yards of wool on my spindle (yes, I spin while I spin) I went on a cleaning binge. The binge was predicated by our recent loss of a set of ramikens and the kitchen scale. My binge did not uncover them but did serve to remind me of all the lovely crystal bowls we got for our wedding. They have now been degreased and put back into a freshly scrubbed cabinet to sit and collect more kitchen grease. Maybe we should hold a party?

Then I pressed Squidette's new top (finished last night) and started in on my first pair of the Summer of Socks. These are for Squidette who, after being given all the yarn you saw two days ago to choose from chose the Regia Silk. Figures. (Yes, I bought it for myself but far be it from me to begrudge silk socks for my daughter.)

Since most of today was spent at friends for their daughter's birthday, I managed to almost finish the first sock -- and got a lot of silk spun to boot!
It is now kitchenered and sitting on my lap. I will cast on the mate and then work on something else for the remainder of the evening.
Oh, and somewhere in there I finished plying the last of the current batch of silk singles. I'll let you know how much it is when I skein it. Right now I am estimating between 300 and 600 yards on the bobbin. It was two spindle fulls. (No, I didn't do it all today -- I did most of it last weekend.)

Cobweb Silk

Dave and I have had a few email conversations since he got his new Journey Wheel. He has discovered just how good this wheel is at spinning laceweight yarn. I have never tried it. My Journey Wheel is primarily a plying wheel due to it's fantastic orifacelessness. This makes it easy to stop in the middle of a plying project and detatch the bobbin to start another project if desired or to just pack up the wheel if needed. I've actually only done this once or twice but that is primarily why I got it as a second wheel -- that and the fact that is travels well should I choose to take it on the road. The only time I have actually spun on my JW was last summer when I had the Kromski packed away.

For laceweight, I can spin a pretty thin yarn on my Kromski Minstrel but I can get even finer on one of my spindles. My preferences in spindles is decidedly Bosworth. I have another work horse, my Emily and have just not found another spindle that I like as well as those produced by these two artists. (And I have tried many.)

Pictured below is the cobweb singles that I am Navajo plying into cobweb three-ply for my shawl.Single3-ply

My photography is no where as good as some bloggers for items this small, but I try.

All of the singles were spun on my mini-bossie spindle during odd bits of time. Today I got about 15 yards of single spun while waiting for my lunch (5 minutes or so). That will translate into roughly 5 yards of finished yarn once plyed. Every week I take my spindle to the laundry room while the clothes dry and knock of uncountable yards of singles. On the rare occasions that we get to the playground these days, my silk spindle accompanies me though if I don't feel like having a conversation with random kids, I take out my knitting instead -- it attracts less attention. So far I have spun over an ounce of these singles with much of it spun over the last few months. (This project mouldered for about a year until settled on the final shape / pattern for the shawl. )

Yes, with practice I could probably get as fine a product on my big wheel -- and can do so in cotton on my charka but I like my spindle and I like producing ultra fine yarn on it. There is something very satisfying and meditative about taking my spindle out of my small purse and producing something so thin that it is difficult to see. The satisfaction of quickly turning out thicker yarns on my wheel is also a factor -- my "thick" yarns are still sport weight so it is all a matter of perspective. I seem incapable of spinning thick though I did work hard at it last summer to some success.

During the school year, I take out my wheels only on the weekends and then not every weekend. The weekday evenings are too short to separate myself from my family behind the wheel, so I knit instead (besides, I have to knit up all the yarn I am spinning). Summer time is for balcony spinning in the late afternoon sun. And maybe weaving.
The current state of the shawl. It's a bit windy -- I'll try to get a better picture tomorrow.

Pretty Silk!

For the curious, this is the roving that the yarn for the silk stole is being spun from. The roving is from Interlacements and totals 4 ounces. I suspect that less than half of it will wind up in the stole.
The spindle is from the Bosworths. I do not remember the type of wood but I love it!
And, just for the heck of it ... proof that if you wait for Morning Glories to sprout, you could be waiting a long time. These were planted at least 2 years ago, maybe more. I suspect my basil will not make it with the competition from the vines.

Sloth-like Squid

We have spent most of this week essentially hibernating as the weather turned cold again. Seems like a good time to answer some questions.

Knitseashore asks "What will you be planting? I'm intrigued by those large pots! Will you have a balcony garden?" and

"Will you be doing the five boro bike tour in May? My husband and I signed up, along with some friends, and it will be my first time, his second. I hope those metal plates are not on the bike route, but I know at least to avoid them if they are."

Into the flower pots will go pumpkin, cucumber, pepper and tomato. Smaller window boxes will hold flowers and maybe basil. (The basil is not happy right now, I may have to reseed it.)

Five-boro bike tour is now a YES! (Assuming it does not rain -- the kids are not equipped for wet weather. Both Squidlings have agreed to miss Hebrew school for the day just to do the tour. As for "my" metal plates -- they are not on the tour. I have no promises about other plates, however. Look for us -- the kids will be sporting orange flags on the back of their bikes -- and the flags have our Squid on Wheels logo on them. We should be wearing our Squid on Wheels t-shirts assuming it is warm enough. The first rest stop, by the way, is at my school.

Ina asks: "Did you get to see Bello's bitty bicycle, lost and then found?"

Yup! It was so small and really neat. Papa Squid thinks it was taken by the Critical Mass Police. (NYC biker joke)

Meanwhile, some crafting has been going on here. Squidette made and gifted this lamb to me (no, not for Easter).Then she put this elephant hanging together for her brother.I spent today spinning and finished the 9 ounces of silk-alpaca-merino that I got from Indigo Moon at Rhinebeck this year. So far I have Navajo plied about half of it. Hopefully I will finish the plying tomorrow so that when I finish Squidette's sweater I can start one for myself.Tomorrow, maybe some riding, more likely more sloth-like behavior.

Spinning in Circles

I love to spin but have done very little of it this week due to our travels. Currently, I own three wheels and a charka as well as sundry and assorted spindles.

Dave recently asked for opinions on the Journey Wheel and I chirped in with mine. Short version, noisy but I love it. During last summer's renovations it was the only wheel I had accessible and so I did a fair amount of spinning on it. Usually I save it for plying and it makes a great side-table next to my knitting chair.

My other wheels are my Minstral,

and my Louet S-10 which now kind of belongs to Squidette and is buried in the back of a closet where I cannot easily take a picture of it. It went there last summer and I have yet to excavate all that was stored in that closet.

My charka, also a Journey Wheel (notebook size). Love it! I may even take it traveling with me this summer.

Also on the spinning front ...our new bike trainer. The old one bit the dust right before the break. You should know that I spin while I spin. I have a spindle project that is designated specifically for exercise time. I picked up this roving in Lancaster, PA last summer and am just about ready to start the third spindleful.In my purse and designated for laundry time is one of my Bosworth spindles with some lucious silk on it. I started this silk two years ago and recently decided to fast track it so that I could rip the shawl I started and restart with Eunny's Print O' the Wave pattern. I am thinking that it would be a good carry-along during our travels this summer. Yes, we are already thinking summer here at Casa del Calamar. Since Squidette did not make it in to the program she was trying for, we have decided to dispense with camp and spend the money on travel instead. Montreal and the surrounding area is leading in the polls due to the extensive bikeways present in Quebec. It would also give the kids a chance to finally use their passports. Add to that a trip out "west" to Indiana (and Kentucky if my brother-in-law stays put) and our annual jaunt to Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the summer is filling up nicely. My sister tells me that her town has added miles and miles of bike paths so another journey to New Hampshire should also be in order. I'm getting excited just typing this! Now to figure out what knitting to take ...

For you long haired bikers out there ... how do you get your hair off your back without interfering with your helmet? Cutting is not an option right now. On the trainer I can pin it up but then I do not bother with a helmet on the trainer since there is no way the bike can fall.