Time flies when you're knitting!

WOW! I Can't believe I haven't had time to post about my Ravelympics adventures yet! Well, I've been very busy knitting like a maniac trying to get as many projects completed as possible! Believe it or not, I'm a LOT slower in real life than I am in my mind! I'm WAY WAY behind on my spreadsheet! According to that I should've been done with everything by Saturday! LOL!!!! Oh well, it's all for fun anyway huh? And I'm having a great time! Here's a run down of how it's gone.
Day 1: Got up "early" (about 7:00am) to cast on, completed a Dayflower washcloth:

Then I took this Alpaca Fleece:
And carded it up into these lovely batts:
And spun up this yarn:
And knit these gloves. But don't let me fool you, gloves take a LOT of time to knit! All those sillly little fingers are so fiddly! So it actually took me all of day 2, and part of day 3 to complete these gloves. But it'll all have been worth it this winter when it's freezing outside and my new gloves can keep my hands toasty warm! :)
So Day 3, which was a Sunday, and therefore knitting was not high on the priority list I completed less than my needed 2.65 (or whatever) projects per day needed to actually complete everything by the end of the games. There's a reason I joined the Hopelessly Overcommited team though you know! Anyway, on day 3 I finished the gloves in the morning, and then Cast on some lovely socks that I knit out of a great bamboo/merino/nylon yarn that I hand dyed. This will be a new base for my shop when I can get some more in. But like gloves socks also take longer than one would think, and I didn't even knit toes! (though secretly I'd like to one day!) So day 3, 4 and 5 I worked on these:
And this cute hat:
And this Swiffer Wet Jet cover:
And I was on a roll, and really far behind! So, I knit these washcloths on my USM Knitting machine, and crocheted a border around them. The verigated yarn is Sugar 'n' Cream cotton yarn, the green is cotton yarn I hand dyed.


Then on day 6, I knit these mittens from the top down, I really like this pattern! There's no grafting at the top, and NO seaming!
And that evening I cast on this lovely preemie hat that will be donated to the NICU where my twins stayed for the first 11 days of their lives. Every day I was there they always had a different adorable tiny hat to wear, and every single one was hand knit by someone who would never meet my boys, and I thought that one day I'd like to donate some adorable hats too because every baby needs an adorable hat! So here's one of what I hope will be many.
I finished the hat on day 7, and then cast on this purse:
I don't really know what I'll do with it, but I'm sure it'll be a gift for someone who wants/needs a fuzzy purse. I just thought it'd be fun to knit, and it was! It does remind me a bit of a sesame street monster though LOL! I knit this one with wool yarn held together with eyelash yarn, and felted it in the washer to shrink it and make it more sturdy, though it didn't felt quite as much as I wanted due to the eyelash yarn. But it sure is soft and fuzzy! hehe.

I also knit these UGLY mittens on my knitting machine on day 7. I was trying to make up the pattern as I went, and they didn't really turn out, but I'm keeping them anyway because my 3yo won't care that they're ugly, she'll just love them because they're pink! And she'll loose them so quickly anyway that I won't care when they're lost because they're ugly. And this was a learning experience. It really is worth it to go to more trouble when machine knitting because if you don't your mittens will look like this!

Well, that purse took more than a day too, so day 8 was spent finishing up the purse.


Day 9 was rather productive! I started by figuring out how to knit a preemie hat FASTER! I mean they're SO tiny! Why should it take so long? So I fiddled around with needles and yarn and gauge swatches a bit, and came up with this hat:

I plan to post this hat pattern as a free patter on my blog when the games end I have a chance to type it up. I doubt that posting my scribbles about gague and whatnot would be very easy to follow! LOL!

So after the hat was done I knit up another washcloth:

This was a quick easy pattern made all the more wonderful with some striping cotton sugar 'n' cream yarn. And it went so quickly that I immediatley casted on these wrist wamers. They're so soft! I knit them out of Bamboo which I LOVE because it's kinda shiny, and very soft and smooth. These I think will be a gift for someone... Can't tell who! hehe
Well those wrist warmers pretty much finished up up day 9 for me.

So on day 10, also a Sunday I picked up these socks that had been a WIP (work in progress) for a long time! Socks knit on size 1 needles work up slowly, so I did not finish them on day 10 even though they were 1/2 done when I picked them up. BUT on day 11 (that would be today) I finished them up! And I'm wearing them on my very happy feet!

And then I spun up this lovely sparkly yarn from fiber I'd blended up on my home made hackle. It is an un-known wool/coopsworth/firestar blend. .6oz, 35yds. And it was a great fun, quick spin! I think this one will end up in my shop with my next update.
And that is all that I have completed thus far in my ravelympics journey. Oh, but I've gotten medals (aka: really cool pic/files) to show off for completing these. I'll have to show those off another day because I don't have them neat and orderly. I think I'll show you all of them when the games end.

And now I'm REALLY far behind!!! So I must be off to cast on something new! Happy knitting!

*Phew!* what a tour!

Well, the tour de fleece has finished up, and I apologize for not posting pictures of what I did as they came off the wheel. I just go so caught up in spinning that I couldn't stop! I finished several yarns, but I haven't taken a picture of all of them just yet. I'll add that one later I guess. So while I didn't get as much done as I would have liked (I would like to spin a pound a day, but I'm nowhere near that happening!) I got through about a pound and a half of fiber, and spun many many yards! I also spun many different fibers! Not as many as I would have liked, but still there were several. And I learned how to spin lace singles! I spun alpaca, cotton, wool, silk caps, tussah silk, merino, coopsworth, firestar (I now love this stuff!), tencel, and soysilk. Um I think that may be all.

Yay! Here is the picture of what I completed durring the Tour De Fleece. I completed 9 yarns, 2 mini skeins, some spindle singles that will be dyed later, and a bunch of silk caps singles that will be plied with something at some point. There is a total of over 1800 yards of finishd yarn which is over a mile! With a total of over 2600 yards of singles spun durring the tour, which is over a mile and a half!




And in other news, Ravelry (a knitting and crochet online community) is hosting the first ever ravelympics! This is an event that coincides with the olympics; where knitters, crocheters, and spinners who are members of Ravelry can participate in knitting/crocheting, and spinning events for the fun of it. Everyone who completes an event will get a "medal"(aka a picture file of a medal or something) I think, and it's not really a competition, but I think it'll be LOTS of fun!! So I joined a team called "Hopelessly Overcommitted" and in order to live up to my team name have signed up for 43 items in many various events such as:
Designers Discus-for this event I plan to design a hat with hand spun, hand dyed yarn, and felt it, this will be a gift, so I may not post pictures.

Fantasy DecKnitathalon-this one is for those of us that can dream up FAR more projects than we can complete. I think maybe most of my projects belong here?

Felted Freestyle-for felted items, I'm putting the hat, and maybe a purse here (I need to add that one to my projects I think)

Fleece to Finished Fencing- for taking a project from fleece to spun to a finished knit item this will be some gloves knit from alpaca fleece

Glove Decathlon- gloves from above

Gift Knits Pentathlon- I put the gift hat here, though many of these items may end up as gifts

Hand-Dyed Hurdles-this is for dyeing yarn or knitting with hand dyed yarn, I have a few hand dyed yarns I plan to use to knit socks.

Handspun Heptathlon-for spinning yarn, I have 5 planned. The description also said for items knit with hand spun yarn, but this is now being debated. Either way I'll have some projects for this event.

Hat Dash-for hats, besides the gift one I have at least 5 more of these planned as well.

Home-Stuff Hammer throw-things for the home, I'm doing washcloths, and a swiffer cover.

Mitten Medley-for mittens, I think I have about 7 pair planned!

Shawl Relay-for shawls, I hope to get to this one, but it's also in the fantasy event just in case!

Sock Put-for socks of coarse. I have 2 pair planned

WIPs Wrestling-this is for completing items that have already been started (WIP=work in progress). I have a pair of socks, and a hat in this event.

The rules are so nice and friendly that they let you put one item into many events, which is why I have so many items in more than one event.

I know this sounds like a lot to knit in 17 days, and it IS! I've never completed this much in 17 days! LOL!! But I have to keep up to my team name, and I have a fear of running out of projects! This way I'll be sure to always have something to work on. And I made a spreadsheet! Everything fits on the spreadsheet in just 7 days! So if the spreadsheet says it can be done surely it can't lie right? So we'll see. I think I may be too busy to post too terribly much during the event, but I'll try to give at least an update or 2 during it. I can't wait to start casting on!


Happy Knitting!

Progress!

Ooh! I'm so excited to post this today! I have made progress! I finally finished up spinning those silk caps! I love spinning silk caps really! But drafting them is just not so fun to me. And they gave me a nasty blister. But they're done and they look lovely! So I've been making all kinds of progress on my tour de fleece. One of my goals for this is to spin as many different fibers as I can. I'd like to spin at least a bit of each kind of fiber that I have, and I have a bunch! So, thus far I have spun wool, silk caps, alpaca, merino, cotton, soy silk, and I've got some merino/tencel up next. It's so shiny! I bet you wanna see some pics huh? Here they are:


First up, my drafted silk caps!



Next, the finished yarn:



Here's the merino/alpaca in BRIGHT colors! I love them! It's SO soft!





Then there's the cotton/soy silk. This one is very soft as well, I love how it came out!



And Next up is the merino/tencel. I'll be spinning this up today!

So all in all so far I'd say that my tour de fleece is going rather well. I also have a bit of un-dyed wool going on my spindle that I pick up every once in a while, but that has never been near my camera so I don't have any pics. I think I'll dye it when it's done and take pics then.

So after this tencel/merino is done here's what I have left to try out: ramie, flax, hemp, BFL, firestar, cashmere, angora, mohair, tussah silk. hmm, 9 different fibers, I wonder if I'll get through all of them? After the tencel/merino will be some tussah silk blended with more merino, but I plan on spinning that into lace weight, so that could take a while. So while it's possible that I will not make it through all my different kinds of fiber I'm having a great time!

Oh yeah, and IF I can bring myself to part with them these yarns will be up in my Etsy store soon. But only IF, some yarns are harder to part with than others LOL!!

Happy spinning!

How I make a pattern fit ME! (or how you can make it fit you)

This is in response to Courtney's question about how to make a pattern fit you that may not be written to fit you the way you want.

1st: Measure yourself, and determine how you want your sweater to fit. A fitted sweater will need a little negative ease due to the fact that knit items tend to be a bit stretchy. Say you have a 30" waist, you may want your finished item to measure 29"at the waist to fit more closely. Keep this idea in mind when determining how many stitches you will want to do for your sweater.

2nd: Knit up a gauge swatch. This is your key to figuring out how many stitches you'll want for each part of your sweater. A gauge swatch is simply a 4"X4" knit piece that helps you to see how many stitches and rows you get with your yarn and needles. Since every knitter is different this is very important in assuring that your sweater will fit you when you're done!

3rd: With your measurements and gauge swatch in your hot little hand you're ready to cast on! I would suggest casting on the number of stitches recommended for the size you want to make if your gauge swatch is anything close to the gauge suggested for your pattern. I often have to cast on 3 or 4 times before I'm satisfied with the size, but the pattern gives you a place to start. What I do is cast on, knit a few rows, and try it on by slipping most of the stitches onto waste yarn, and slipping it on. If it looks like it'll fit just keep going, if it's too big or too small start over using your gauge swatch and measurements to figure out how many stitches to start with the next time.

Once you've cast on the right number of stitches , and knit the first bit of your sweater (in this case the neck of a sweater) follow the pattern for increases adjusting how many increases and the frequency of them to end up with the right number of stitches for you. I also suggest trying on your sweater when you're 1 or 2 increase rounds away from what you think you'll need because sometimes knitting stretches more than you think, and you'll actually need fewer increases than you thought you would, and sometimes you knit tighter than you thought, and you may need more increases than planned. Use the same idea for decreasing when you get to the waist shaping.

To make a sweater shorter or longer than the pattern you'll also want to use your measurements and gauge swatch. If you're taller than average you may need to add some rows, if you're short you may want to take some out. I try to take rows out where they will be less noticeable. This tends to be where there is little to no shaping. So when your pattern says to knit straight for 3" but you're 2"taller than average you'll want to take a measurement of your length in that area, and add length accordingly. In this sweater pattern you would knit straight from the last increase row until just a few inches above your natural waist when you'll start decreasing. So just knit straight a couple extra inches if you're tall (a couple less if you're short like me!). Adding and subtracting length is actually really easy! That's also one of the beautiful things about knitting for yourself! You can always make things the right length! :)

I hope this is helpful to people. It's just kinda what I figured out through my trial and error methods.

And don't forget that gauge swatch!!

Tour De Fleece 2008!

Yes that's fleece NOT France! I've joined the tour de fleece on Ravelry this year. Tour de Fleece was started a few years ago (I believe this is the 3rd year?) and is durring the tour de france each year. It's an online event where a bunch of crazy spinners try to spin as much (or as little) as they can/want each day of the tour de france that the bikers ride. So it started Saturday July 5th, I'm not even sure right now when it ends, but I think it'll be fun! So far I've spun at least some each day, (it's only day 4) but I haven't gotten a lot finished. You see I decided to start with this beautifuly hand dyed red wool roving that I plan on plying with silk caps dyed the same color. It'll make a nice fluffy, dull/shiny contransting yarn. The problem is that I'm somehow not in the mood to spin these silk caps. I think it's the drafting. Drafting silk caps is different than drafting wool, and I guess I need to be in the mood to do it or I end up putting it off. So while I may well have about 100 yards of silk spun up, I need about 200yds I'm guessing, and have very little desire to work with this fiber at the moment. *sigh* this is bad because I really would like to move on to spinning some lovely carded batts. But I'm making myself finish these caps first! Otherwise they man never get done! hmmm, wanna see the fiber I'm working with? Ok, here's the wool. It spun up so nicely. And here are the silk caps. They're so very soft, and spinning up nice and shiny. But I'm getting bored drafting them. Hmm maybe the cure is to draft while watching a great movie? It's worth a shot huh!? Anyway here are the silk caps, they were very fun to dye!
Anyway, I before the tour started I went through all my fiber, and decided how I wanted to spin it all because I'm hoping to make it through the vast majority of my fiber stash by the end of the tour. I'll try to keep you updated on my progress as the tour progresses. And if I'm ever going to finish up these silk caps I'd better get spinning! Hopefully I'll have pics of this fiber all plied up by tomorrow! :) Then it's on to something in batt form!
Happy spinning!

Here's my craft room!

I cleaned up my craft room a bit today and took pictures before I had a chance to mess it up again! Now it's not perfect, and I may have too much stuff, but it's as clean as it been in weeks if not longer. Besides it's hard to be creative without at least a little bit of a mess going on!
This first picture is what you see standing in the doorway.

This picture is directly to the right of the door when you enter. You can see some cards I have on disply above my computer table. You can't see my laptop because it's hiding behind the comfy chair I got from my hubby cuz he wanted me to be comfy while working in my room! :) To the left of the table is the printer and a bunch of scrapbooking paper.

This picture is of my sewing nook. It's in pretty bad shape right now. I'm WAY behind on MANY many sewing projects! LOL Oh and the little TV tray there in front is the kid's crafting table. It works out perfectly when the room is clean because they can put what they're using on my big table, and when they're done it all goes back on the tray. That way it doesn't get in my way when I'm working.

This is the table where I do a lot of fiber and yarn dyeing as well as fiber blending. And this is aldo the table where I use my knitting machine. I haven't spent much time with my kitting machine since I got the drum carder though. Oh yeah and you can see all the boxes and bags under the table. Most of that is where I store my fiber stash. But some of it is fabric. The fabric is trying to take over! But the yarn, spinning fiber, and paper are definatley giving the fabric a run for its money! Oh yeah and the red bin is full of yarn!

This is my spinning corner and closet. The big tall wierd looking thing is my macine quilting frame. All the white drawers are full of fabric as is the shelf above that doesn't show very well. The hanging shelves are full of yarn both hand spun and commercial. The pink drawers on the Left are full of MANY other crafty things!
This wall is where I keep my stamps (the cabinet is full of stamps too!) and my ribbon. My ribbon collection makes me very happy!

And last but certainly not least this is my scrapbooking desk. It is packed full of stamping and scrapbooking supplies. I think it's about to explode! LOL!!

Oh and you can see a little bit of the table that is in the middle of the room in this picture as well. That is where I really work on current projects. This table has many different things going on at any given moment. Seeing as how there's no space on my scrapbooking desk this is where I scrapbook, it's also where the kids work on their crafts, and where friends scrapbook with me. I've also used it to wind yarn into balls, and dye roving. And it used to be the kitchen table so it's been through a few canning seasons, and hundreds of dinners. Awww, I think I like this table! Too bad you can only see a few inches of it huh? Oh well. Anyway I hope you liked this little tour of my room. You can see there's a LOT going on in here. Maybe I need a bigger room? Oh hunny!

5 kids + a full time student for a husband = crazy

Holy cow! It's been forever since I last posted! It would appear that I've not done anything, but that is just not the case. I've done a LOT, I just have had a hard time finding the time to post about it lately. You see, my very hard working hubby has just gone back to school full time, and I have realized how utterly lazy I was b-4 when he was a "normal" husband that came home from work every day and didn't spend all night doing homework. While I was pregnant with the twins and basically threatened to be put in the hospital indeffinatley if I did anything around the house my hubby did a LOT! And I'll be honest, I liked that! So I kinda let him continue to do whatever I didn't want to do for a while after the twins were born (I had to recover right?). Well, now he doesn't have time, so I'm back to doing just about everything I did b-4 the whole twin pregnancy thing (he still helps out a lot though), only now there are 5 kids to keep out of the dishwasher (though only 2 of them really try to climb in), and read to, and feed, and wash laundry for, and help with homework, and keep track of who went where etc. And somehow with all of this I do find time to do stuff, just not much time to post about it though. I'd like to change all that! So, I'm taking back my blog! I plan to post much more often than I have been.

Hmmm... now as I recall I left off at some yarn and batts? Well I'd like to finally share with you what I knit up with that first VERY bulky yarn that I spun on my wheel (I'd also like to note that I'm really happy with how this dyed up). It's a Quant, you can find the pattern for FREE online at http://www.knitty.com/ in their archives.

I did have to alter the pattern a bit to work with my yarn though. My yarn is MUCH more bulky than what was called for, so I used bigger needles, and took out one of the square repeats across. And it's a good thing too because this thing turned out just the right size. I think it would've been too big if I'd followed the pattern. Well, that and I would've run out of yarn. I only had about 90yds to begin with. So to anyone looking for a great project to knit up that doesn't take a lot of yarn I vote for this one!

Then there were some batts. Well I finally dyed them, and I must say I LOVE how they turned out! Just LOOK! These spun up like a DREAM! I spun some super fine singles, and navajo plied it (for those that don't know what navajo plying is it's a plying method that creates a 3 ply yarn with a single strand and can help to maintain colors for striping. You can see how it's done on http://www.youtube.com/) for a really pretty fingering weight yarn with really long stripes. I think the stripes are about 10 yards long or so. I have only spun up half of it so far, but I have about 220 yards so far (that's enough for ankle socks). Here's the yarn I ended up with:

And then last but certainly not least there was that roving that I dyed. Well I'm happy to say that it turned out to be 513 yards of a fabulous fingering weight yarn! It'll make some really nice socks one day when I find just the perfect pattern. I'm calling it "Pink Lemonaid"


Well I think that's it for this post. I have lots more yarn to share, but that'll have to wait for another day. Now I have to go find the new stuffed doggy that my 3yo got for her birthday.
Have a great weekend!