Saturday Afternoon/ Words with Friends/Pinterest
So, it is Saturday. I’m sitting in my living room experiencing a serious problem. I have recently become addicted to words with friends. Now I understand how Alec Baldwin could be kicked off a plane because of this. It probably wouldn’t be that big of a deal if that was my only recent addiction. I am now riveted to the Pinterest page. If you haven’t experienced this website, stay away. At first I thought it was nothing but a time waster. There are pictures of everything from how to organize your home office to creating candles from tangerines. You create different boards and pin pictures to your board. You can follow other people, like “pins,” and of course, repin. My big discovery was that on most of these “pins” you can click through and it will take you to the website. For instance, a few of my patterns are posted. So, if you are new to pinterest and stumble upon a picture of my wedding garter, you can click on the picture and keep clicking until you get to my website. You can follow people with similar interests and organize your boards for different parts of you life.
I have several boards going:
Health and Fitness: I need to lose weight and am even drinking a green smoothie now. 
http://knitwerks.com/2012/01/28/green-smoothie/
Current Projects: I’m working on a shrug with my homespun. This is on hold because my wrist has been bothering me. Maybe that’s why I’ve been spending all my time on Pinterest and Words with Friends.
Crafts: I’m too busy pinning to start any of these.
Cooking/Baking: Pinterest in an awesome recipe source.
Fashion: I don’t know if it counts, but I found homemade biore strip “recipes” that I used and it worked wonderfully. Ooh, it is time to do that again!
Now I really have to get some home work/studying done. And more Words with Friends. I’m a lost cause.
Green Smoothie
green leaf lettuce, tangerine, banana, stawberries, spirulina, lemon juice
Baby Blanket
I just recently finished a beautiful yellow baby blanket. I used Bernat cotton. I wasn’t really sure about this yarn at first but chose it because the baby is due in the Summer and in Florida. Wool would not have been appropriate in many ways. I do love the yellow and white blend and I think it shows wonderfully in the pictures. It feels great and I may just buy more and knit up an adult sized blanket for myself. The stitch was a variation on the block stitch. I did try to do an edging but I tried to do the whole thing at once and broke my new forty inch Knitpick’s cord. Frustrated, I pulled the edging out. The blanket may be finished, but it doesn’t feel like it is complete. I still have plenty of time to pick it back up.
Knitwerks 2011
I thought this was interesting and wanted to share. This is all about my blog in 2011. It isn’t big and fancy, but I’m proud of it.
http://knitwerks.com/2011/annual-report/
Presents
I am very blessed to have a mother who is willing to spoil me with Christmas presents every year. Here we are, December 26, and I am happily playing. Unfortunately it is nearly bedtime and I have work tomorrow morning bright and early. Despite telling my husband repeatedly that I am not returning and that he will have to get two or even three jobs to support my fiber habit, I will soon be returning my wheel to its corner to get ready for tomorrow. I should have posted earlier- but – I was busy – playing.
Christmas eve I called my mother asking to open my presents early with full knowledge that my new jumbo plying head for my Kromski Sonata. After Skyping present opening, I popped that baby on and plyed two strands of bfl wool and one strand of local brown alpaca together. Not only did it create a huge skein of yarn but it looked gorgeous. The pictures don’t even do it justice. I just want to hold it and hug it and love it forever. I’ve been working on two more bobbins of wool and will have to make at least one more skein if not more to create the sweater jacket I want to knit. It should be ready just in time for next winter. Alpaca is very very warm and I live in southern Florida. I may just turn up the A/C and walk around the house wearing my sweater. If only I didn’t have to pay electric bills.
Naples Knitting and Spinning Retreat Idea
Last week, my friend and I were hanging out spinning away and talking about ideas. We were talking about knitting and spinning events and retreats. Neither one of us have much money and now we’re both more concerned with Christmas presents but we would love to go and learn at one of these events that take place all over the country. Well, why not have one here? We joked about it and moved on to other topics of conversation.
And I keep thinking. . . why not?
Why not?
Of course there are some things to consider.
1- I’ve never been to a knitting/spinning/ fiber retreat.
2- I love to knit and spin but am certainly no expert.
3- Southwest Florida doesn’t have a lot of knitting shops in the area and no spinning fiber whatsoever.
4- I do not know how to plan events.
But on the plus side.
1- Naples is a great destination with natural beauty and wonderful weather during the winter.
2- It might be a lot of fun.
Would anyone be interested in this? Does anyone out there have any experience planning these things? Let me know. This is just a thought at this point.
Christmas Knitting
It was about this time last year when I began posting daily Christmas patterns. As much as I’d like to do that again this year, it would be difficult to do without repeating or referring to ravelry. As I mull it over, I am happy to announce that I actually worked one of the patterns that I posted last year. Mom, if you are reading this, close the window NOW!
A year later, there were a few patterns that really stuck in my head. As for the umpteenth Christmas in a row I am broke, many people are getting knitted gifts. As I don’t want to be ”that gifter,” I have to change up the routine. Grandma (who is not internet savvy) is getting three pairs of socks and hopefully a pair of mittens/gloves (time is getting shorter). Mom and Lee are getting matching Candy Cane Twist Stocking Caps from Polar Knits. The pattern is awesome and so easy to make. I used a generic JoAnn’s bulky yarn but if you can afford it, buy the Polar Knit Yarn. It looks amazing just on the website. I purchased the bells from the Dollar Tree. Please forgive the picture below. I know it looks awful, but I was too chicken to ask someone to take the picture of me. The only problem I have is that I hold the yarn too tightly in colorwork so there is some puckering. I brought one hat into work with me and no one noticed.
Cap.pdf”>http://www.polarknitpatterns.com/Candy-Cane-Twist-Stocking-Cap.pdf
Food and Diet
What did the recently former vegetarian say when the doctor told her to go on a high protein, low carb diet?
Uh oh.
There are a few things you should know about me. 1- I was a pollo-vegetarian (vegetarian who still eats chicken but no other meat products) for a few years in my early twenties and a true vegetarian for about a year when I was twenty-two. I stopped because I was severely anemic and sickly. Vegetarianism only works when you eat correctly. I pretty much only ate pasta. 2- I was a true vegetarian (no meat but cheese and eggs are okay) for over three years until recently. I’ve been sick, stressed and too broke to do the vegetarian thing right. I’ve never been a big fan of meat, so giving it up has never been really hard for me. I truly believe that we as a culture eat entirely too much processed meat and the animals are not treated properly or even processed properly. Even as I write this, I am rethinking my decision to continue eating animal products.
So how to I go low carb? I am probably the only person on the planet who has never tried or even researched a low carb diet. I love pasta and rice and potatoes but most importantly PASTA! I have been craving sugars constantly lately. I don’t know if it a stress reaction or a health reaction but I feel like I cannot survive without something sweet entering my mouth. I used to be a health freak and in the last year have gained a bunch of weight and has lost all self-control.
I think I can regain self-control soon. Once my classes are over, hopefully I can go back to normal. I have other stressors, many of which have been especially bad in the recent months, but even those have to go back to normal sooner rather than later. I haven’t had time to knit lately and I wonder how much that has to do with not being able to center myself. I finally finished a pair of socks and started a new pair for myself despite all the Christmas knitting that has to get done way too soon.
If anyone has any low carb ideas for a former vegetarian who doesn’t want to eat meat 24/7, please let me know. I need advice!
Product vs Process Knitting
I remember hearing in a blog about product vs process knitting. There are two types of knitters, those who knit to get something out of it such as a pair of socks or a sweater and those who do it for the love of knitting itself and learning new techniques. How can you tell which type you are? Do you have a million unfinished objects laying around your bedroom? If you do, you are likely a process knitter. Do you get bored easily and move on to the next thing? Process knitter. Do you work as fast as possible on one thing and only feel happy once it is finished? Project knitter. I like small projects like socks and accessories because I love finishing that special something and showing it off. I get frustrated easily though and have given up on a lot of projects lately. Plus, if I have more than one thing on my needles, something gets thrown aside and never pulled out again.
2 Years
I’m happy to announce that I have renewed my domain for the third year. That means I’ve already been posted for a whole two years! It is a wonderful feeling to know that I’ve been sharing my adventure in knitting and spinning. While I still feel like a beginner, I’ve learned a lot and hopefully taught others something as well. While I do have patterns up, creating new patterns is as much a learning experience as a teaching one. These are not advanced patterns that you would find for sale in a knitting shop but more of “a look what I can do and you can too” shared knowledge. I hope that I have sparked some interest to try something knew.
I was about 16 years old when I first started knitting. My high teacher thought it would be good teach a group of us who were hyperactive and overstressed. I remember sitting in the TAG room at our school with the old metal knitting needles. We three girls didn’t really listen so much as kept yacking away. I didn’t pay attention and as usual, chose to do it myself my way. A few scarves later those needles went under my bed into the mess of assorted objects.
At 18, I wound upstate in college with a roommate who knit scarves. Before I knew it, I was at Wal-Mart buying yarn and a new set of metal knitting needles. Drama ensued and after a tumultuous year at college and transferring to a closer one to my home, I was still knitting away. My grandmother told me she used to knit and also mentioned that she hated scarves. (Months after I gave her one for Christmas.) The knitting needles went back under the childhood bed.
I was 23 when a trip to Wal-Mart brought me back to knitting. I can’t remember exactly why I picked it up again but do remember that it was a difficult time for me. I made scarves for everyone I knew. In fact, I used to sit at work when it was slow and knit away (I miss THAT!) I met my now husband and remember sitting in his kitchen, talking all night long, while I knit away. We recently found the old scarf I had made for him so many years ago.
We moved to South Carolina not long after. I had stopped knitting but wound up out of work far from anyone I knew. I was tired of scarves. With the internet at my fingertips, I found a pattern for socks. I found straight knitting needles at Wal-Mart (again.) I still have those red heart, red and green, acrylic socks. They weren’t my best socks but they are my best-loved. I have been knitting ever since, learning step by step. I’ve had my spinning wheel for almost a year now and am enjoying a new adventure.
Florida Fiber In 2011
The 2011 Florida Fiber In was last weekend up in Orlando. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this all year and I wound up sick the night before and barely slept. The early morning part of the Fiber In was great. I sat and listened to the lesson on dyeing yarn. She demonstrated how to dye yarn using Kool-Aid and a microwave. It’s too bad my microwave has been broken for over a year now. I may be the only person in Florida without one. I did get a few ideas. I also learned a few other things about spinning. There were a lot of interesting people and many more vendors than last year. There was plenty of wool and alpaca. I just wish there were more fibers like cotton. I found a woman who had an old spinning wheel like I originally bought over two years ago. She only spins cotton and absolutely loves it. If anyone would like to donate cotton for me to spin I would appreciate it! By the end of the day, I was too tired to really enjoy much. I wound up leaving early a little cranky.
In the meantime, I had not unpacked my spinning wheel or even knitted anything in the week after. In fact, I’ve ripped two projects that weren’t coming out correctly and lost my size six harmony needles. I’m suffering from the fiber blues. At least today was spinning group day. I am still not feeling well and was tempted to skip it, but am glad I went. It is great being around others who think like I do. It is so rare, especially down here.
Dye Job Part 2
I have to apologize for not being attentive in my blogging. I have been overwhelmed by work/classes and housely duties that I’ve ignored for too long. I did have some more fun this weekend with food dye.
1- On my needles: 1 entrelac baby blanket still in progress. This will last the rest of my life 2- Mulberry Hat from Modern Top Down Knitting which is coming out too big and has been put down till I have the brain power to figure out where I went wrong.
2- On my wheel, brown alpaca from Nancy in our spinning group. I want to make a four ply yarn for a jacket/sweater with three parts wool one part alpaca. Florida is one of the few places where “You know, Alpaca is really warm. . .” could be a bad thing.
3- Out of my dye pot. Okay, this was never actually in a dye pot. I used the Knitty instructions with the Cold Pour Method. I thought this came out wonderful. I even created a giant niddy noddy with pvc to skein it up. I put an old plastic Christmas tablecloth on the kitchen table before I started. I wasn’t sure how messy this would get. I did put paper towels under the different colored sections to prevent mixing. As you can see from the pictures below, I wound up with blue hands and there is a green fingerprint in a yellow section of yarn. All in all, I think it was great. I’m sending this off to Mom so I won’t have finished project pictures unless she provides them.
2010-03 I-pod Cozy
A few weeks ago I cracked the screen on my I-Pod. Thank goodness I had a warranty and was able to get a new (refurbished) one. However, I realized that my cover was not good enough. I had an idea of what I wanted but it was only last week that I was truly able to envision it. This is knit with my own homespun, but it is a sock weight yarn. It is a simple pattern but looks fantastic and knit in wool, will protect your I-pod from minor damage as well as getting wet.
Gauge 7 stitches 8 rows = 1 inch with size five needles or appropriate with gauge. (this is knit in homespun. Do a swatch. My I-pod is 2 ¼ inches by 4 ¼ with the case on it.)
Cast on 30 stitches.
Row 1 : Knit
Row 2: Knit 1 Purl 1
Repeat until it measures 5 inches long.
Do a second rectangle as above.
Cut a piece of cardboard out that is 4 ½ inches by 5 inches. Fold this in half and stick under a book for a few hours so it stays folded.
Using a whip stitch, seem together the two rectangles, with the cardboard in between.
Then fold this over and using the whip stitch again, seem just the top and bottom edges, leaving enough space for the I-pod.
Create a 2 ½ inch 3 stitch I-cord with double-pointed needles. Sew these into the inside of one side of the I-pod cozy. Sew a button onto the front of the cozy and use the I-cord to keep the case closed.
Spin, Dye, Knit
My Ashland Bay Blue Face Leicester Top BFL Undyed Spinning Fiber arrived from Paradise Fibers and I had one goal for this weekend. As I mentioned last week, I’ve been keenly interested in Navajo plying. I sat down Friday night, finished a bobbin of one ply yarn for the above wool. It was so easy to work with. I’m actually having to overtwist it so it doesn’t unravel on me. Then I took it off and started navajo plying. I have a few issues with this technique. 1- Starting it is difficult. I kept loosing it when trying to get it to take on the bobbin. Finally I made a knot onto the starter yarn. 2- I’m getting a lumpy yarn. I think when I’m plying, I’m loosening the fibers and creating bumps. 3-Breaking. As I was plying, it kept breaking. The finished yarn came out unbalanced and different widths but I decided to dye it anyway.
This is my first time dyeing. I used the instructions on the knitty page. http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/FEATdyeyourown.html
I read this over and over and over. First I soaked the yarn overnight in 1/3 cup of vinegar. Then, I woke up early and put the yarn in the crock pot with 1/2 cup of vinegar and just enough water to cover the yarn. I wish I had put less water in. After a little over an hour, I mixed my dyes with hot water and began covering the yarn. I was really going for a blue and orange yarn with spots of green, but the colors muddled a bit. This is really a clean process though. I had no spills or stains. I added more dye, not liking that the colors were so light. I believe this is why I got the muddled colors. By the end, there was too much water in the crock pot.
I used tongs to pull the yarn out and hung it first on my kitchen faucet over the sink. Once it cooled off, I rinsed it, and hung it outside to dry. I was a little impatient. I didn’t even wait for it to dry 100% before winding it on the homemade nostepinne. Okay, it was a size 15 straight needle. I think I did a great job for the first time using a nostepinne (Knitting needle!)
So below is half of the final product. The colors weren’t what I was trying for, but all in all, I think it worked out very well.
Frustration and Imperfection Spinning and Socks
I have been chock full of ideas in this last week. I’ve ignored the housework and have been focusing on fiber related projects. I spun up a skein of white alpaca and yellow wool plied together. This came out perfect and I’m really happy. However, I had some left over potluck wool on one of my spools so I decided to try navajo plying, which is spinning one ply into a three ply by creating loops with one hand and controlling the twist with the other. It took a little bit but I caught on and can’t wait to try it again.
I have some wool/mohair mix that friend gave me and I decided I would try a few new things that I’m looking forward to. It spins up real easily. I started this yesterday and then the hubby and I went to a neighbor’s party. I don’t know if anyone else has this problem, but if I have more than one drink, I can’t sleep! So, I wake up repeatedly this morning and finally around 6 am I give up. With a glass of water and a cup of coffee, I sit in front of the spinning wheel.The rest of the wool/mohair mix spins up quickly and I go to navajo ply it. I try and try and try but I can’t get the flyer to pick it up. The yarn keeps breaking. I was really looking forward to navajo plying and then dyeing it with food coloring. Uh well. I finally give up and pick up my socks that I’m making with my homespun.
SOCKS.
Filled with frustration, I rip out what I’ve already done. I’m using Judy’s magic cast on for toe up socks. I love the book, Socks from the Toe Up. I think toe up socks are easier to do and better for someone like me who tends to drift from the pattern and think, “I know how to do this.” You can try it on as you go along and can fix problems as they come up. The problem I have with the Judy’s Magic Cast-on is that it is easy to create a whole in the toe area if your cast on/knitting is not tight enough. I had tried this twice before and decided to switch to smaller needles. I am a simple sock maker and wanted to try something a little nicer. I try different patterns on the top of the sock and can’t seem to get anything to look right. The yarn is variegated (or closer to muddled) so it should be a simple pattern. I’m now on my fifth attempt trying a seed stitch pattern. Oh, and I don’t like how it looks. Sigh.
