Just Curly. No Moe. No Larry.

On my recent trip to Minnesota I got to drive through Michigan’s upper peninsula. I took advantage of that route to stop and visit with Sue Kapla at Fiddle Knoll Farm near Skandia.

She showed me some of this year’s lambs. All too cute for words. And she sold me some Romney roving; one pound of creamy white and one pound of light grey. I’ve already spun 2 skeins from this lovely stuff.

The sheep have not been sheared yet….way too cold. But she did tell me that I’ll be getting a fleece from a one-year-old CVM ewe named “Eve”. A very lovely light light brown. I can hardly wait!

I was expecting all this lovely woolness. What I was not expecting was her horse. I saw the horse in an area behind the sheep. She told me she’d gotten him last fall. She’d always loved horses but she’s allergic. Then she heard of a type of horse that is hypoallergenic. They’re called Curly Horses. They have curly hair. All over. Sue’s horse, “Boris”, is a lovely chestnut color. His mane and forelock were quite short, but curly.

This is the time of year for shedding, and Sue indicated she’d saved a bit of his hair. “Do you want some?” she asked. Of course I said “Yes!” So, she gave me a bag of about 5 ounces of Boris’s hair.

Today is a lovely late May day, perfect for washing fiber. Here is a picture of the hair in a mesh bag before washing:

I did one soak in the hottest tap water with some Orvus paste. And two soaks of only hot water. The hair is right now in the second soak. I’ll spin out the excess water in the washing machine and then I’ll put the hair on a drying rack. I expect it’ll be ready tomorrow.

I’m thinking I’ll blend it with some sturdy wool and maybe make some work mittens. Or, maybe I’ll weave something.

Now...Where Was I?

How could I have gone so long without posting a new blog entry? Well, I got busy. After the mad rush to finish some writing, I took a breather. That turned into procrastination. What’s another day going to hurt? Then, my mother died at the end of April. Then, I got busy again. Then, I was on the road for 8 days, buying fiber and fleeces, and teaching workshops at Shepherd’s Harvest. (Very fun, by the way.)

My mother’s memorial service is tomorrow in Midland. Although we were never close, I do have to thank her for teaching me the knit stitch and the purl stitch long ago.

I will get back to regular fiber-related posting next week.

Hankie Heaven Update

My copy of the Spring issue of PLY Magazine  arrived in yesterday’s mail. It’s all about silk. And there are three articles in it that I wrote, about silk hankies. Two of the articles contain spinning and knitting details of a pair of fingerless mitts that I designed. The other article is about technical issues of spinning silk hankies.

And today the sun is shining. It’s still cold here, around 20degF, and there is plenty of snow on the ground, but at least the sun is shining. Good for taking pictures. So, here’s a picture of my mitts. The pattern is included in the article (PLY Magazine, Issue 4, Spring 2014, pp 59-60).

Oh, here’s another picture I took today: the socks I finished during last month’s Dog Sitting Fiber Retreat.

Next week I’m doing another dog sitting fiber retreat. Seven days in a house with Bob (golden retriever) and Ted (Llewellyn setter) on the shores of Green Lake. Cable TV. And several fiber projects. What fun I’ll have!

Resurrection: Middlemarch Reborn

Marty works fast. Last month I handed off that dreaded sock yarn and unfinished pair of socks (My Middlemarch).  And last week, Marty showed me her solution.

She’d unraveled the sock-and-a-half. Then she took the yarn and added more Z-twist to it. Then she spun up a Z-twist singles from some Merino wool that she’d purchased from Stonehedge Fiber Mill. Then she plied the two together. A star is born! Here’s a picture of one of two skeins that she spun.

I am thrilled to see new life come to a project that I rejected. I don’t know what her plans are for this yarn, but I look forward to seeing what magic will happen.

March and April Workshops in Lake Ann

March and April are typically quiet months for me; I’m not scheduled to travel next until late April. So, this is a good time of year for me to offer spinning and knitting workshops at my house in Lake Ann, Michigan.

The fee for each workshop is a very modest $15. All workshops start at 1:30pm and go to 3:30 or 4:00pm. (I purposely chose this start time so that anyone interested could stop for lunch at the nearby Stone Oven.) A minimum of 2 folks will be needed for each workshop to “go”. The maximum is 6.

If you are interested, please contact me by email, atyler@centurytel.net or by phone 231-640-4424. If there is a topic that interests you, but you’d prefer a different date, let me know; there may be some wiggle room.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Surprising Yarn-Over: A “yarn-over” is a fundamental element in knitted lace, but there is more to the yarn-over than lace. The yarn-over is a surprising and versatile element in many forms of knitting. We will explore the use of yarn-overs to make beautiful edges, interesting cords, straight and wavy fabrics. In addition, we’ll cover variations on the yarn-over and how yarn-overs are created in a variety of knit stitch patterns.

Bring 100-200 yards of yarn and knitting needles appropriate for the yarn.

Friday, March 14, 2014

I Heart Duplicate Stitch: Duplicate stitch is one way of adding bits of color to knitting, allowing you to “paint” on your knitting. Other forms of multi-color knitting, such as intarsia and Fair Isle, may seem more “knitterly”, but there are times when duplicate stitch can achieve certain effects in a much easier way. When done well, duplicate stitch can add an expert air to your knitting. We will practice techniques for making duplicate stitch smooth and even. We will play with effects of yarn size and yarn texture and the knit stitches used for the background, so that you will come away with an appreciation of the special advantages of duplicate stitch.

Bring a swatch knitted in stockinette stitch that is at least 30 sts wide and 50 rows long (a solid light color works best), some yarn of the same type as used for the swatch but in a contrasting color, knitting needles appropriate for the yarn, a darning needle.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Creating Crepe Yarns: Crepe yarns are 3-ply yarns in which the twist direction and order of plying is manipulated. We will cover a variety of these yarns. We will do some spinning of singles, but mostly we will ply.

Bring 2 bobbins partially filled with Z-spun singles, 2 additional bobbins, your spinning wheel, and a lazy kate.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Q & A: Spinning: Here’s an opportunity for you to determine the content of the workshop. If you have specific topics or questions about spinning, preparing fibers, or finishing yarns, please supply them to me at least 24 hours before the workshop – BY EMAIL, PLEASE. We will cover topics as I receive them. Or, feel free to bring your projects or questions to class and we’ll cover them there.

Bring your spinning wheel, a couple of bobbins, and any projects or tools that you have questions about.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Spinning Wheel Maintenance: Do you want to get the most out of your wheel? A bit of maintenance will most certainly help. We will cover how to care for wood, drive bands, oiling/lubricating, and trouble shooting. Your wheel will thank you.

Bring your spinning wheel, oil, rag, and one bobbin.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Creating Cable Yarns: cable yarns are 4-ply (or more) yarns which require plying twice (or more). We will cover a couple different techniques for creating these yarns, and we’ll discuss color issues, twist issues, and fiber content issues.

Bring your spinning wheel, 2 bobbins partially filled with Z-spun singles of different colors, 2 additional bobbins, and a lazy kate.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Q & A: Knitting: Here’s an opportunity for you to determine the content of the workshop. If you have specific topics or questions about knitting, your knitting projects, understanding patterns, blocking, or yarns, please supply them to me at least 24 hours before the workshop – BY EMAIL, PLEASE. We will cover topics as I receive them. Or, feel free to bring your projects or questions to class and we’ll cover them there.

Bring some yarn, some knitting needles, and whatever project/pattern you’d like.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Knitting Petoskey Stone Medallions: In this workshop we will knit a medallion inspired by the state stone of Michigan, the Petoskey stone. The medallions are flat circles, knitted from the center out. When a series of these medallions are crocheted together, you can change the circular shape to 4-, 5-, 6-, or more-sided pieces.  We will cover a circular crochet cast-on, how to knit circularly with 2 circular needles, 2-stitch cable patterns, and crocheting medallions together. With this approach, you can make scarves, afghans, hats, pillows, and more.

Bring 100 yards or so of yarn (1 or more colors), 2 circular knitting needles of the same size (but can be of different lengths) appropriate for the yarn, a crochet hook similar in size to the needles, and a darning needle.

Roof Avalanche

Jill returned from Guatemala late last Friday, thus ending my dog sitting fiber retreat. It was a true winter wonderland getaway. I snow shoed at least four times a week. I got my fill of snowy blowy cold cold cold weather. I got some good dog time. I watched loads of movies. And I got a goodly amount of fiber stuff done.

I got most of my movies from either the Traverse City library or the Interlochen library. Interestingly, I ended up picking several American and British movies that focused on the Middle East: Lawrence of Arabia, Hidalgo, Munich, and Syriana. I’d seen them all before, and enjoyed watching them all again. Now I’m thinking I should watch a bunch of movies set in the Middle East that are made by Middle Eastern film makers. Any suggestions?

About a week into my retreat, the weather warmed to above freezing temperatures for just two days. This caused the snow on the metal roof to slide off. There is something charming to me about these roof avalanches…..unless they trap you inside. Which this one did. I was unable to get out of the garage, but I was able to get out the front door and climb over the pile of snow. The snow plow guy got me out a couple days later. Here’s a view of the front of the house before the warm up.

Here’s a view after the roof avalanche.

Did I mention that after only two days above freezing that temperatures plummeted? That they did. And it’s been very cold ever since. (By the way, it’s snowing today.)

As for my list of fiber projects, here’s the final tally:

Knit a pair of socks. Done. I modified the “Gentleman’s Shooting Stockings with Fluted Pattern” from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. I used a skein of “Foot Notes”, a yarn dyed by Kimber Baldwin of Fiber Optic Yarns that I bought at SOAR last October. The yarn is 80% superwash merino and 20% nylon. I picked a colorway of black, brown, and green: “Northwoods Batik”. Kimber mentioned that she devised this colorway for men’s socks. But my sock stash needed a pair of socks in this colorway. Yeah, "needed". 

Finish the Curvy Corner Shawl. I did it! It’s not blocked yet. I will get that done this month. And I will start writing up the pattern. I do love the shape, the drape, and the sheen of this shawl. Light enough for a summer evening, but warm enough for winter wear.

Weave a watch band on my little inkle loom. Mostly done. I need to put a twined edge at the end, then I can cut it off the loom and sew the hardware onto it. Here’s a picture of the band in progress:

Repair a sweater. Well, I did knit up a swatch to practice on. Just as many knitters are hesitant the first time they cut steeks in their knitting, I’m hesitating cutting a hole in the swatch. Soon. Very soon.

Spin some dog hair. This did not get done, mostly because it was logistically more challenging than the other projects. So, I must get to this now that I’m back home.

Stay warm, y’all!

My Middlemarch

I really like reading. For most of my years, if I started a book I finished it. This strategy did me a great deal of good. One summer when I was a kid, I went to the public library every week and I picked books off the shelf at random. I read each and every one of those books from beginning to end. Some were exciting, some were stupid, some were weird. It was an interesting summer.

I held firm to my beginning-to-end approach until I picked up Middlemarch by George Eliot. This was maybe 20 years ago. This novel is supposed to be a classic. A classic bore, as far as I’m concerned. I tried four times to get past chapter one with no luck. I finally – finally – gave myself permission to not finish the book. An important turning point in my life. Really.

From then on, whenever I feel the need to surrender and accept defeat, I think of Middlemarch. Just as Napoleon had is Waterloo, I had my Middlemarch.

Now for some knitting. I have started many many knitting projects that for whatever reason I decided not to finish. I never really felt defeated by these false starts. It was usually a matter of taste or time. But over a year ago I started a pair of socks from some yarn that I was especially attracted to: black and teal, with very long color changes and nice gradation from one color to the other. The yarn, “ZauberballSock Yarn” by Schoppel Wolle, is 75% wool, 25% nylon. It is a “singles” yarn, not plied. And it is rather thinner than many sock yarns.  

My wardrobe could really use a pair of teal and black socks. I swatched. I preferred the fabric that resulted from the size 0 needles better than from the size 1 needles. I knew my aging eyes would not be happy with the black sections of the sock, so I decided on a relatively simple rib pattern for the sock. I had to wear my strongest reading glasses and work under the very best light. But it was still not easy. The black stitches were hard to see; the singles nature of the yarn made it very easy to split stitches; and dropped stitches seemed to disappear instantly. I dreaded the idea of having to unknit and reknit any section – something I expect and plan to do on nearly any knitting project.

In one of my project notebooks I wrote the following entry: “Jan 8, 2013. I started that sock on Nov 27 and finished it today. What a torment.”

At a workshop I taught later in January 2013, I was describing my less-than-enthusiastic attitude about knitting this sock. I really wanted the finished project, but I dreaded the actual knitting. How could I let a measly pair of socks defeat me??!! After all, I am an accomplished knitter. I’ve knitted dozens and dozens of pairs of socks. I love knitting socks. But I just wasn’t sure I could bring myself to knit the second sock.

Katy R., a young woman at the workshop was listening to me complain. She looked at me with her young eyes and a mildly annoyed look of disgust on her face and she said, “Oh, just do it!”

I was mortified. I decided then that I would not let a pair of socks defeat me. I would not surrender. I would just do it!

With determination, I started the second sock. I knitted the cuff. I knitted the leg. Then other fiber projects required my attention so the second sock languished. I mentioned in January 2014 that one of my fiber resolutions was to finish this sock.

But while I was flying to Alaska and knitting a different pair of socks, I had an epiphany. I simply have too many wonderful and fun fiber projects ahead of me to waste my time on a dreaded fiber project. In flight, I surrendered and accepted defeat: My Middlemarch. I planned to throw away the finished sock, the half finished second sock, and the remainder of the yarn. Just chuck it! A few days ago I told my friend Marty F. of my plan. She suggested that I give her the yarn instead of throwing it away. So, that’s what I did yesterday. Here’s a picture of what now belongs to Marty:

Oh, I finished the pair of socks that I started on my trip to Alaska. A lovely light heathered grey sock yarn, Schoeller Stahl “Fortissima Socka” yarn, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. I made some modifications to the pattern, “Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge Pattern”, in Nancy Bush’s book, Knitting Vintage Socks. A fun knit and a pleasing pair of socks.

I will continue to enjoy my sock knitting. I will accept technical challenges. But I will not accept dread.