Broadripple Spring

I cannot believe it took me so long to produce the first FO of year 2007. It's been busy, and there has been a lot of distractions, but I'm finally done with Broadripple Socks, by Rob Matyska.

I know I've said this before, but I LOVE this pattern. It's simple, and even I can memorize it. Looks pretty, but practical, and comfortable -- everything a sock pattern should be! This is by far my favorite.

The pattern uses Cascade Fixation with size 3 needles, but I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Socks with size 2 DPNs. The colorway is called Georgetown. The finished product weighed only 58 grams (2.05 ounces) -- so close to just one-skein socks! I started with the leftover yarn from knitting Mitch's socks, and I now have a smaller ball of leftover from the second skein. I will definitely knit another pair of this pattern.

Huguette came over yesterday, and we talked about my cat Punky, who died last month, and her cat Wednesday, who's experiencing some health issues. It is hard to care for sick four-pawed loved ones. I have gone through that many times, and the helplessness felt was heartbreaking every time.

My 3 1/2 year old son had to come with me to the vet's office when I had to put Punky to sleep. He waited in the waiting room alone, and since then he had asked several times when Punky was coming home. I told him that Punky never would come home -- Punky was sick, and the doctor couldn't make him better -- that's what I had told him.

But the other day, I finally had to tell him that Punky had died. I didn't think Mitch would understood, but he did -- tears instantly welled up in his eyes, and said in his shakey voice, "You mean, he's never going to come back?"

The perception and understanding kids have are amazing. I spent some time explaining what death meant, but I had to stall many times to think it over before I verbalized it. I realized how much I didn't know about what I wanted my son to know, and didn't want him to know.

Then this evening, I finally opened the card my vet had sent me. I knew what it was -- another tear-jerking, and kind, sympathy note. I thought I could handle it now. But there was a small card with Punky's paw print. I bursted into tears, and Mitch came to console me.

Spring is approaching. Acasias and Cherry blossoms are in bloom already. A year passes by so quickly...

Latch Hook'n Kiddo

Latch Hook'n Kiddo

So, I guess I am raising a crafty kid. First finger knitting, next was making a chain (aka: Necklace, bracelet, anklet) using a crochet hook and now making a rug with Latch Hook.


About a week ago we were watching Uncommon Threads (DIY Network - http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_duct/) and they had the "hookers" on to show Latch Hook rug making. Nicole was so excited and wanted to try "hook'n". Just so happens that Mom did latch hook for years - last year Mom bought a kit to make a pillow/little rug for Nicole but never started it. During the move I found the kit and tucked it away with my sewing/craft supplies.

On a sleepy Sunday afternoon recently, I pulled out the kit and gave it to her. Nicole thought I was a hero!! Like magic! The trouble started when I realized, I don't know how to latch hook and Granny was sleeping. I tried to read the directions but they didn't make sense to me.

Nicole was impatient and didn't want to wait for Granny to wake up and realized that I didn't know what I was doing, so she took matters in her own hands. She grabbed the instructions away from me, looked at the pictures and figured it out by herself! As you can see, she is moving along on her new project! And you will also notice, she is still wearing her handcuffs! ;-) Liz

Pictures for - Fingerless Gloves, Fingerless Mittens or dare we call them Handcuffs!

For the life of me, I cannot post the pictures when I try to modify my previous entry about Nicole's handcuffs. So, I thought, why not just write another entry!!!

Nicole told me last night, she wanted a pair of socks and leg warmers and a blanket made from the yarn, she LOVES it so much. Jury is still out - I am not sure she is going to get what she wishes in that same yarn. Again, I am not thrilled with the color, it is nice to work with, but not thrilled!!

Update - She still wears the hand cuffs, day and night - night and day!!! ;-)liz

No One Can Stop Her Now

Oh my gosh. Our blog queen Liz debuted, blogging away. Five posts in three days! Way to go Liz!


Mystery Dye Hint #2

What dyed this wool? So far, the votes from the readers were: Saffron, Mustard, Tea, Green Tea, Lichens, Coffee, Chocolate, Cedar Bark.

No right answer yet. One of the answers is partially right, but it's missing an important ingredient. Someone gave me the correct answer, but it was given to me orally so it doesn't count!

It's dyed with a food item. Caffeine free. It smelled pretty good while dyeing it.

I spun some of this fiber over the weekend...

These are some of the roving I got on eBay recently. Beautiful roving, great price. I think the seller (yarn1merch2) is quite new on eBay, and I hope she does well.

On the other hand, the other eBay merchant I bought from was pretty bad. She sent me the fiber more than two weeks later I paid for it, after four email inquiries. The wool is full of veggie matters, and greasy. I don't think I will ever buy from her again.

Huguette is now interested in spinning -- at last Knit Night, Charlie made a spindle with Erin's old CD and some bits Erin found in her garage [it was an amazing job!], and Huguette was off spinning! She has placed an order for a Golding Spindle (the same one I got). I'm so excited to have another spinner in the group! Maybe we'll change the name of the blog to Designated Spinsters :-)

Turtleneck Shrug Scarf

Turtleneck Shrug Scarf
Scarf Style: Innovative to Traditional, 31 Inspirational Styles to Knit and Crochet,
by Pam Allen (Editor)

Also, check out the knit along blog site for Scarf Style. http://scarfstyle.blogspot.com/ You can search for Shrug Scarf and see the beautiful works of others! I just might need to post my creation when I am finished.

So, I have started my very first double pointed needle project, the Turtleneck Shrug Scarf from Scarf Style. Erin gave me the book for Christmas this year and I love it!! I am making the project using Nashua Creative Focus Worsted, Soft Pink US size 7 double points. The yarn is yummy and a great pinky-purplish color. I love the color because it isn’t baby pink, but a mature pink that is soft but rich.

I will admit, I almost gave up my needles on this one. I had no idea how to start on double points and no matter how much I read or watched. On the advice of Erin, I went to www.knittinghelp.com to see the video. I must have watched it two dozen times and still didn’t get it! For whatever reason, it just didn’t make sense to me.

One evening after I started to cast on for the 5th time (I ripped and started over 4 times previously because it just wasn’t right.) I threw down my project and went to bed. I had a plan, the following morning I would gather all my knitting needles, books and other supplies together and give them away. They deserved better! They deserved to be in the hands of a real knitter!! Not me, a hack knitter who couldn’t do it, couldn’t use double points, couldn’t cast on and couldn’t handle a simple knit2,purl2 pattern. It was clear that I could not knit – I would let go of the idea that I could and go back to my crochet hooks.

The following morning the first thought I had was, “It’s no wonder you can’t knit, with that attitude! – YOU CAN DO IT, it is only yarn and needles, don’t take yourself so seriously Liz, lighten up!!” And guess what, I did. I started fresh, for the 6th time. And what do you know, I cast on without an issue, I lined up my edges, no problem, I joined the round by incorporating the tail for the first two stitches, and before I knew it, I was two inches into my project! It was taking shape, taking life, I was knitting in the round and building my Turtleneck Shrug Scarf, I fondly refer to as my “tube scarf”. I was doing it, and so very proud of myself!

Well, half way up the first sleeve I realized, I must not have enough yarn. I checked and sure enough, not enough. I calculated my yarn by weight, not yardage. Oh no, what to do. I called Knitterly (#1 4th St, Petaluma, CA 94952 707-762-YARN, www.knitterly.net) where I purchased the yarn, they were out of my color. I called the local shop in Novato, and she had the yarn but not the exact dye lot. I went to pick it up and whew, it was super close no one will even know. Whew I just barely escaped having to start over again!!

I am just about 20” into my first sleeve. I got slowed down because I had “handcuffs” to knit last week. I have a little trepidation when it comes to binding off to go flat for the shoulders and then the 2nd sleeve and the turtleneck and picking up stitches, but I will keep the faith and keep trying! I have to admit the more I stretch myself and the more I believe I can learn at 45, the more fun I am having!! ;-)Liz

Knit, Knit, Purl Scarf – That’s not a pattern!

I was told that Knit, Knit, Purl was not a pattern. Really? Is that so…. Well, guess what, it is a pattern and it is FINISHED! I have never been so happy in my life to finish this scarf. It took me about 5 months to complete and about 5 skeins of Rowan Aran Scottish Tweed with size 5 needles – but it is done, finally done! I was so happy to ship the scarf off to my nephew in Tennessee. He called to thank me for the scarf, he wears it every day!



What did I learn from this project?

Knit, Knit, Purl is a pattern.
Never – ever – ever knit another scarf on size 5 needles again!
Knitting for someone who loves the product is worth all the “oh my GOD, will I ever be finished!” conversations.
Follow the Yarn Harlots guidelines for scarf making (Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Author)) – she really helped me to understand that I didn’t need to wait until I ran out of yarn, I was finished.
When tempted to make a matching hat – STOP –STEP AWAY FROM THE YARN…. After a week, if I am still inspired to knit a matching hat or mittens or anything with the scarf yarn, I can always do it later!!
And lastly, Never – ever – ever knit another scarf on size 5 needles again! AGAIN!!!!



See how happy I was to be done!! Finally DONE!!!

Fingerless Gloves, Fingerless Mittens or dare we call them Handcuffs!

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. William Shakespeare

A few weeks ago Erin came over for a knit. Erin had just finished a lovely pair of fingerless mittens or are they called fingerless gloves? If they have a thumb but no fingers are they not mittens? Nevertheless, Erin’s fingerless mittens/gloves were lovely, purple with a sweet picot edge. Hopefully she will post a picture of them. My daughter Nicole (5) fell in LOVE with Erin’s “handcuffs”. We have no idea how or why she thought they were handcuffs, and despite our attempts to correct her – she insisted they were handcuffs and she wanted Erin to make her a pair, that very night. Bless Erin’s heart, she redirected Nicole into trying to knit a scarf (with needles no less!). Since starting her first project using double pointed needles seemed a bit daunting.

The following morning the first words out of Nicole’s mouth were “Mama, can you make me some handcuffs today? Oh-boy was I in trouble, because to tell the truth, the thought of knitting with double pointed needles scared me to death! I had never started a project on double points. That morning, I was able to redirect Nicole by having her learn to finger knit, I just barely escaped. I also knew my daughter, and the chance of her forgetting about the handcuffs was just about nil. With that said, each day afterwards she asked me about her handcuffs. I was in serious trouble.

I knew I had to attempt the double points. But how in the world would I knit the thumb of the fingerless gloves, mittens, handcuffs, whatever name I gave them. I mean they are called fingerless, not thumbless, right! So, in an attempt to learn to knit with double pointed needles, I started a tube scarf-type project which required no thumb from my new scarf book. (I will post that story soon, because I almost gave away all of my knitting supplies over that project!) I also looked up a few fingerless mitten/glove patterns online and they all had thumbs – so I ruled them out, out, out. I told Nicole I needed to learn to knit my tube scarf first before I could knit her handcuffs. She seemed to be patient enough while I learned, however, no way was she forgetting.

A few weeks passed and we found ourselves at my favorite little yarn shop in Sebastopol. Knitting Workshop, (707) 824-0699, 117 S Main St, Sebastopol, CA 95472. I love the feeling of the store, full of beautiful yarns and an owner who is approachable and knowledgeable! During our visit Nicole found the “perfect” yarn for her handcuffs. I thought the yarn was less than perfect to be honest with you. It was variegated with purple and blotches of orange. Yes, ugly came to mind. (Bengali - Queensland Collection, Color 4 - you can see the yarn and colors sample on the novayarn website: http://www.novayarn.com/nv/Catalogue/1046.html)



Oh, and please remember my terror around the whole thumb thing, so I was not excited to buy the yarn because I knew I would be that much closer to knitting a thumb or at the very least part of a thumb. I told Nicole we needed to put the yarn back, it had to be washable. Just then the owner of the store piped in to say “it is washable”. Oh, no, I was a dead duck – and before I knew it Nicole had the ugly-purple-variegated-with-orange yarn back in her grubby little hands. I told Nicole to remember I needed more practice on my tube scarf before I could knit her handcuffs. The owner of the store piped in again to say, “You can knit flat – using size 8 straight needles cast on about 22 stitches and knit2 purl2 rib until it is long enough – when sewing the edges together just skip about an inch for the thumb. You can have them done in a few hours tonight!”

My mind raced, WHAT – NO KNITTED THUMB – COULD IT BE TRUE!!

Well folks, it was true! I did just as she said and made a perfect little handcuff – actually I made two – 1 for each hand!! The handcuffs were a little tight around the hand at first but the yarn and ribbing stretched, so it worked out very well. They fit perfectly now. Nicole was and still is so excited. She only takes her handcuffs off long enough to wash her hands and take a bath. It has been two weeks now, and she is still wearing them day and night.

Side effects of fulfilling someone’s dreams by knitting them something they love…. They want you to knit for their friends! So, no sooner did Nicole take her handcuffs to school, did I have two new orders – one pair of pink and one pair of rainbow handcuffs for Teagan and Gracie!

The next attempt at the handcuffs I changed the pattern a bit. I cast on 30 stitches and knit2 purl2 for about 1 ½ inches – then I switched to stockinette for about 3 ½ - 4 inches and then finished with about ¾ - 1 inch of knit2 purl2 ribbing. They turned out very nice!

My next version I will be pulling out my double points! I am tired of seaming the edges, I am just rotten at it – so my next attempt will be to use double points to avoid the sewing of the seams. I will let you know how it goes. Also, Nicole now wants a pair of leg warmers to go with her handcuffs. She saw the leg warmers knitted on Knitty Gritty the other night.

I guess the best thing about knitting for children is they don’t see the mistakes! They don’t care if suddenly we notice 4 purls in a knit row after we have bound off.. They don’t care if the sewing is a bit sloppy. All they see is the beauty of the piece, the yarn and the love we put into our project. Her appreciation of the project makes me believe I can do it! So, as you might have guessed, yes, my next project is leg warmers! I think I am going to have to call Sandi at The Knitting Workshop to get instructions and more washable- ugly-purple-variegated-with-orange yarn!

The lesson I learned on this project - knit as if you are kitting for a child – the mistakes don’t matter – it is the love that matters and makes the difference! ;-)Liz

Softest Baby Blanket in the WHOLE WORLD!!

Early this fall, I made the softest baby blanket in the whole world. I am so not kidding! Everyone that touched the baby blanket wanted to keep it as their own.

What is it made from?

Berroco Plush Color - light yellow with dark yellow flecks. I crocheted a little trim using Frog Tree - dark yellow.

The story------
So, the story goes, I went into our local yarn shop in Novato (DEVRIE CHRISTINA'S KNITTERIE , 1202 GRANT AVE #A1, NOVATO, CA 94945 (415) 236-1536) to buy some baby boy blue yarn, something smashing - I was thinking a tweed type color, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE tweed. Anyway, I didn't find what I was looking for. So, I started to chat it up with the owner, who directed me over to the Berroco Plush Color. They had pink, a very light blue and this yellow. She suggested I pick the yellow - 5 balls of yellow. She also told me to trim it in the Frog Tree, dark yellow. I was in a yarn shop trance, I followed her directions to the tee! Without will of my own.

She then instructed me to go home and using my size 10.5 circular needles (knit flat) - cast on 100 stitched - and knit until I ran out of yarn. Add a crochet trim in the dark yellow Frog Tree and I would be done.

Well, I left the store and before the hour was out, I had gotten my whits back and thought I made the biggest mistake in the world, or at least in the yarn selection world. I could not have been more unhappy with my purchase.

That night, at our Friday Knit Night - I cast on the yarn. I complained the whole time. But I began knitting. Before the week was out (I am a slow knitter) I started to like the yarn, by the next Knit Night, I was in love with the yarn.

It could not have been easier, the yarn knitted into this beautiful, lovely, amazing fabric. The BEST baby blanket in the world. Just the right size, just the right feeling - perfect recommendation for a new knitter who wanted to produce an AMAZING blanket!!

I loved the feel, the look and the fact that you cannot see a single mistake! It was so easy to make and so yummy when it was done. I would recommend this yarn to make a baby blanket, a soft hat, scarf, shrug - anything to keep warm and to feel baby soft!!!

I would love to hear from anyone else who had made a blanket or anything from this yarn. I am just looking for another Berroco Plush Color inspired project!! ;-)Liz

Finger Knitting

Finger knitting? I first heard of finger knitting on Knitty Gritty (DIY Network). Nicole (5) was instantly excited - yes, she watches Knitty Gritty too! Anyway, we pulled out a little washable yarn from my stash and before I knew it, she was finger knitting. The funny thing is the scarf is really nice! It forms sort a roundish tube, and looks really nice. The fluffier and bulkier the yarn, the nicer it looks.

Later I found instructions on a website. Finger Knitting for children http://www.maggiesrags.com/tips_fingerknit.htm

The nice thing about finger knitting is the child has a product in less than an hour, and they feel so proud of themself. Nicole is making scarves for everyone she knows now!

Below are pictures of her first scraf - made from a bulky Lion Brand yarn. I took a crochet hook and some novelty yarn to add the fluff at the bottom - I just wove the yarn in between the finger-knitted stitches, no real pattern to make the fluff.


The scarf is starting to form..... it grows out the back of the hand - like Magic!
Before we knew it - the yarn became a scarf!!

Nicole wears her scarf every day to school, it also doubles as a belt!! ;-)

Hint #1

Okay, a hint on the mystery dye. It's a food item.

It's awfully cold in Montreal, but at least it's not snowing. The weather report says "it's quite nice out." Yeah, right.

What Dyed This Wool?

Strangely, I still can't add a photo to yesterday's post, so here it is, the yarn spun from the turmeric-dyed roving. The white speckles you see are soysilk that I blended.

What Dyed This Wool? Contest! So here's the wool I dyed with the mystery dye.

These pictures are taken in the natural light.

The natural-white corriedale was pre-mordanted with alum and cream of tartar, then simmered in the mystery dye, in two sessions. Hint: The dye is natural. Whoever guesses it right will receive a skein of yarn from me -- probably not the yarn spun from this wool, but something more usable :-). Eligibility: Anyone in Tamami's household is not eligible (sorry Charlie). The Designated Knitters are eligible. Japanese comments are welcome, but to be fair to the other non-Japanese readers, state the answer ingredient in English please (single-byte roman characters).

I went to FlourChylde Bakery at Downtown Novato yesterday to get my recent fix, Cranberry-ginger sables (yum!), and Dion, the owner of the bakery gave me a small ziplock bag of wool samples he got from Yolo Wool Mill, at David Farmer's Market.

Erin, I will bring it to you at next Knit Night. Where else I can get a bag of cookies and wool at the same time? Spells HEAVEN.

I am dreading to go to Montreal. I hear it's about -30F there. I think it was -20F when I was there last February. I guess when it's that cold, ten degrees don't make any difference. Living in the Bay Area, I don't have any clothes that are suitable for the extreme cold. I am not going to go outside -- hotel, office, airport, and that's all.

In Pea Soup

Novato is in a deep fog this morning. I love foggy mornings, especially if I don't have to drive in it. I'm sitting on the couch blogging, and my son is sitting by me happily playing Super Mario on his Nintendo DS. I just wish there was breakfast and coffee ready :-)

OK, it's looking like there will be "What Dyed This Wool?" contest soon. The dyed roving is out of the mystery dyebath and drip-drying in the kitchen right now. I might give it another dip in the dyebath before I wash it. I am not sure if I get that done, dry it, and card it and post the picture by Sunday night though. (I'm off to Montreal early Monday morning, and no, I shouldn't be blogging while I'm on a business trip.) Another question is, would there be enough people entering the contest to make it interesting? The visitor and page view count have been increasing slightly, but the numbers of comments have been pretty sad. I guess we'll see the power of yarn (that's the prize).

And as I promised -- Here's how I dyed with Turmeric.
- The wool was pre-mordanted (note that turmeric dye does not require mordant, according to the books I read) with Alum and Cream of Tartar, then dyed with Black-eyed Susans initially, and didn't come out well. Read how it went here, and here. I over-dyed the roving (about 30 grams) first in the turmeric dye bath first, then used the exhausted dye on the spun yarn (about 100 grams). Soak the wool/yarn you want to dye in water.
- One and a half tablespoons of turmeric (just a store-bought spice, and mine was pretty old and stale!) into about five cups of water, and simmer about ten minutes. Don't put wool in it yet! Charlie saw it while it was simmering in the kitchen, thought it was soup and almost tasted it. That's OK, it's completely edible -- the taste aside.
- Turn off the heat, and filter the dye bath with a paper coffee filter. Careful not to splash -- anything this dyebath touches will turn yellow and will not come out if it's fiber.
- Return the filtered dyebath to the pot (I used stainless-steel bowl), make sure that it's cool or luke-warm, and put the wet wool in it.
- Turn on the heat at the lowest point, and heat the dyebath slowly.
- I simmered it gently for about 30 minutes, turned off the heat and let it cool. The wool sat in the cool dyebath for about three hours.
- Gently wash in cool water until the water is clear. Roll it in towels to remove water, then hang-dry.
- Although I filtered the dyebath beforehand (definitely recommended!), while carding the dried wool lots of tiny turmeric particles came off.
- After the wool is dry, it has no smell. Or maybe I just don't notice -- as I love the smell of Indian food. I wouldn't mind wearing a scarf that has a slight aroma of curry :-)
- I have two books that mention Turmeric as a natural dye. One book says the color-fastness is excellent. Another says it's fugitive (meaning, the color will easily fade). Interesting... I'll see how colorfast it is.

Here's what I spun and plied from the turmeric-dyed roving.
-- A photo of spun yarn here --

** Fine. I've read it several times on other people's blogs, but the new Blogger apparently has an issue with uploading pictures. What's the point of the new version if I couldn't even post a picture? I will go brew coffee and try it again after I'm well caffinated and have more patience. Please come back later for the picture!

Broadripple

It's been a busy week, and I have not accomplished much knitting. But, here's the first sock of Broadripple.

I love this pattern. Could easily be my favorite! I will post the details as soon as I'm done with the second sock. I will be on a business trip to Montreal next week, so I hope to finish it while I'm away.

I'm also dyeing wool in the kitchen right now. If it's done well, I might have a contest -- whoever that guessed what the dye is will get some yarn from me. If the experiment fails, the contest would have to wait until I have something that's worth showing! I will know tomorrow evening. Stay tuned :-)

Several people asked me for the details of the turmeric dye, so I will try to post that soon too.

Sorry for being short, but I have to go to bed -- I have a three-hour long conference call tomorrow. Isn't that crazy? Some knitting to be done (sheesh).

Fluff

Handcarders arrived today.

Since Mitch was coughing badly today, I was at home with him, so I did a test drive.

From this ...

To this. Pretty yellow fluff.

I'm not even sure if I'm doing this right, but I like the soft fluff I got. Then I decided to blend some of the soysilk I got at Unravel.

90% corriedale wool, 10% soysilk...

Of course I had to spin some. It's like "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie." One thing leads to another... Until I get some yarn.

Soysilk was very difficult to spin on its own. Blended, it's very nice. Also, in the fluffed up form, this blend is easier than just pre-drafted corriedale. Hard to stop!

On knitting front -- I started Broadripple Socks by Rob Matyska. I am using Lorna's Laces Shepherd, left-over from Mitch's socks.

Not much to show yet, but I love this pattern already. Even I can remember the pattern repetitions!

Here in Northern California, it's been cold. I mean, cooooold. I should hurry up on the Column of Leaves scarf....

Blue Sky, Green Meadow, and the Pacific

I found out that grief and lace patterns don't mix. So I spun a lot over the weekend.

This looks bluer than the real color, but it's the same Romney I was spinning on the spindle while we were in Las Cruces. Now I have 80 grams total of plied.

I also dyed. Remember that botched attempt to dye white corriedale with Black-eyed-susans? I decided to over-dye it with turmeric.

Before and After.

I dyed the spun yarn with turmeric too, but the roving came out better, with brighter color. I'm a bit worried though that I might have felted it a bit in the process.... It's matted and doesn't draft. I have hand carders on order, so I'm hoping that the carding will help.

We went for a drive to the coast too. It was beautiful. Made me think of those who are no longer with us -- the last time I came here, it was with Charlie's dad.

"Mommy I'm gonna skip this rock."

Of course some lichen hunting involved. There were lots on the rocks.

And Sheeeeep!

Good-Bye, Punky

Punky

May 1991 - Jan 13, 2007

We will miss you

Things You Learn

I started the second lichen dye vat.

The right is the first vat, started on 12/20. The left is the second, just two days old. If you look carefully, you can see the hue of dark red in the jar on the right side.

From what I read on my fellow Japanese spinners-dyers-knitters blog sites, the lichen dyes develop into burgundy red in just three weeks or so. My first vat is still not there yet -- it's reddish brown, but not much pinkness in it. So I went back to reading the book again -- Lichen Dyes: The New Source Book by Karen Diadick Casselman. According to this book, North American lichens produce orsallia (the purple-red dye) in ammonia fermentation method in 16 weeks! The Japanese species produce the dye in just 3 weeks. Piffle!

I am still hopefull, as I can definitely see the deep color developing. Also, I really haven't been able to identify the species of lichens I used (and the book is not very useful for identification), I may have a mixture of species that might produce the dye quicker...

See the hint of redness (jar on the right) in the reflections on the kitchen counter?

More on lichens -- Charlie went flying with his friend Bill yesterday, and came home with a grocery bag full of dried beard lichens.

Apparently there were "tons and tons" of these around Bill's mountain cabin. Charlie swore that these were taken from the fallen trees (he reads this blog religiously so he knows that we shouldn't harvest from live trees). What a wonderful gift. I have to go get another glass jar so I can start the third vat. And who knows, this may develop much faster? The book says Usnea (the beard lichen species) produce purple dyes, but no indication as to how long it takes.

Things you learn by reading a knitting blog, huh?

On the "real knitting" front, I started Brooke's Column of Leaves scarf with Blue Sky Alpaca Liz gave me for Christmas. Note, readers -- as Brooke says, this really needs to be blocked to show the beauty of the pattern (well, here's my excuse).

It's really a gorgeous pattern, but it sure is hard to knit. I can only do two leaves a night. If I try to follow the stories on TV (like House last night), I make mistakes. So, it will be March when I have enough length to call it a scarf. I won't be wearing a scarf then!

I am also itching to start a new pair of socks. I love knitting socks, and have been happy with the welcome responses I'm getting from the giftees -- except Mitch. I knitted nine pairs last year -- not too bad considering my first pair was done in late April. I plan to complete a dozen pair this year. A pair a month -- sounds right.

Real Men

I found this video on Claudia's blog, and just had to share it.



(The second video "Real Men Weave" on Claudia's blog is pretty amazing too!)
What cracked me up was the picture of two young kids (about 9 or 10?) knitting in the car, so casually, without even looking at their hands. Wouldn't you expect to see a couple of Nintendo DSs in their hands instead?
On the flight back from the Las Cruces trip (I think it was the LAX - OAK leg), I saw a young guy (in his 20's) coming on board with a scarf-like project on yellow acrylic big needles in his hands. Maybe knitting among men is catching up. My son (3 1/2 years old) has been bugging me to teach him how to knit for some time now.

I am looking for a pattern for fingerless mittens to knit with my handspun romney. I love both Wine and Roses Mitts by Jolene Treace and Fetching fingerless gloves by Cheryl Niamath, but my handspun is much thinner than what's specified for Fetching (DB Cashmerino Aran). And it's multi-colored, and I don't think Wine and Roses would look as charming in it. If you know of a pattern that uses sport-weight yarn, and fairly simple (cables are fine, but not much lace patterns), please let me know.... I need to spin a little more so I have some time before getting more desperate.

Trip to New Mexico

I'm back from New Mexico. Calm down, fiber addicts. I didn't go to Taos nor Santa Fe. I was in -- Las Cruces.

We visited Charlie's mom for a week. It didn't rain except for a sprinkle one afternoon, but it sure was cold!! We've visited the only (I think) yarn store in Las Cruces, Unravel, twice. It's a wonderful store, and I'm really mad at myself for not taking any pictures of the store. But here's their website. The store was full of knitters on our first visit -- there were two beginners knitting classes going on, with just one instructor! I wanted to jump in to help teaching some young knitters (and I don't think the instructor would have minded at all) but then I knit Continental... A source of confusion that they don't need at this point.

They were having "Everything 20% Off" sale. I bought some soy silk and tussah silk fiber. Yes, this store carries spinning stuff, as well as weaving!

I brought my drop spindle on the trip, so I spun every day.

Two small balls of romney I spun. They are singles at this point.

And here's the result of plying them together.

Now I have 29 grams of two-ply. More to come.

The soy silk I acquired at Unravel is very difficult to spin -- it is absolute heaven to touch though! I have to study some more about the fiber.

While I was in New Mexico, I finished Mitch's new hat.

Mitch didn't care for it first (he really loves his Griffindor hat I made last year), but after getting so many compliments on it at Unravel, he decided that he liked it.

It really is very cute, when worn. I also finished my cowl with the Noro Silk Garden Liz gave me. I will post the photo next time... as I don't have it now. I never have pictures of myself.

We drove to Organ Mountains several times (it's very close to where Charlie's mom lives).

There were some snow on it, although it's hard to see on the photos.

It's beautiful, but it's very harsh and barren. There are several phases of new housing nearby -- large, upscale estates, probably 1.5 ~ 2 million level houses in Bay Area's standard. The price tags I saw were about $650,000 ~ $1,000,000.

What struck me was the lack of vegetation. No trees.

We are back to work and school as of today. I didn't do any of my New Year's traditions (eating noodles as the new year arrives -- watching some Japanese New Year's Eve TV shows -- cooking New Year's dishes -- talking with my mom on the phone) except for drinking sparkling wine. It just doesn't feel like a New Year to me. I'd better catch up with the Oshogatsu (New Year) mood!

More on the Las Cruces trip on the next post. Happy 2007!