by Sarah

Dreary Day, New Toy...

Its a dreary day out, but I have some show and tell to brighten it up.  I got a Kromski Harp - Rigid Heddle Loom last week.  Almost immediately, I had great fun using the built in warping board on the back.  Of course I forgot to take pictures, so here it is with my first warp half woven.  Both the warp and the weft are my own handspun. I am having a bit of a hard time making it as even as I want, because my handspun is so stretchy!  Still, the weaving is fun, and I am learning something from the project.  Notice, the loom is angled as low as possible, this is to accommodate my lazy self weaving in this nice comfy chair.  For my next project, it will not be angled, and I will be sitting in a taller straight backed chair.  I will try and remember to take pictures. 

Loom Front View:

Loom Side View:

Loom- Weaving Closeup:

Plus, here's a bonus picture of a very comfy purring Morgan.  She is (of course) happy because she is shedding her fur all over my fleece jacket she is laying on:

Oh the indignity...

I pieced this Christmas Tree Skirt Quilt Top a couple of years ago, but this year I finally got my act together, had it machine quilted, and then spent yesterday binding the edges.  An unsuspecting Murph lying in the big chair seemed like a perfect opportunity to showcase the hole - although his fur is totally obscuring my mad binding skilz!  I gifted it to the gnus last night (so they can actually use it for christmas) and they seem to like it!

Handspun Update...

Here is a picture of my latest handspun - pre washing.  It is another Loop Batt.  (They are just so FUN to spin!) This one is from one of her club shipments, and the theme was fall weddings, I chose autumn leaves.  It came out to be about 120 yards of worsted weight yarn from 4 ounces.  I was planning to ply it with an orange fiber I snagged specifically for that purpose, but when I doubled the singles back on themselves, I realized I had to make it into a two ply on its own!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, there is so much mohair fuzziness, I took about 15 pictures in 5 different locations, and couldnt get a completely clear one.

I have also been knitting up some of my own handspun, slowly.  Here is a progress picture of my second Morning Surf Scarf, being knit as a christmas gift.  Its about half done:

In other news, I went to the grand opening of the Jencks Education Center at Slater Mill in Pawtucket last night.  It is a fabulous space and one of thier missions is to promote education of the fiber arts...I cant want to see their class schedule, and to join the museums membership in 2009. 

I made an original pattern...

I designed a hat pattern.  It is the Fading Cables Hat, so named as the cables get both shorter and skinnier as you knit toward the brim.  A cool hint here, if you decrease cables right after the cable cross,the decreases are hidden!

Here is the finished product being modeled by my lovely sister.  She benefits from the fact that the finished product was just a TEENY TINY bit too small for its intended recipient (and I get to knit it again):

If you'd like a copy of the hat pattern, you can download it here.

Overachiever...

On Sunday I spun up the 3oz of roving I cleaned on Saturday for the RISG's fiber challenge - and then KNIT A HAT WITH IT!  I know, such an overachiever.  You will be suprised to find out it is another Turn a Square hat.  (Thanks to Brooklyntweed for this easy to memorize and excellent pattern.)  Since I was striping in just two colors, I randomized:

I spun up a heavy worsted to bulky weight yarn after I practiced my Navajo plying on the singles.  I ended up with about 100 yards, and had about 10 inches left when I finished the hat.  This hat will be donated to charity, as that was part of the challenge.

Saturday...

Today was incredibly productive for me.  And, a lot of fun.
This morning I went to breakfast and then hit a couple of fabric stores with a friend.
We scored some great deals, and I think I finished shopping for christmas craft supplies (yeah right).

Then I went to the monthly RI Spinners Guild Meeting.  Besides having a great time visiting with everyone, we had a great show and tell from the retreat a lot of people went to last weekend, and some delish snacks baked by members.

During the meeting, I finished the scarf I was weaving on the rigid-heddle loom.  Only my 4th weaving project ever, this scarf is woven in a very loose tabby, with only 6 EPI - all out of my own handspun.  The warp is 2 ply white merino, and the weft is a loop batt plyed with the same merino.  As I was hoping, it came out to be about 4.5 inches wide, and about 80 inches long.  I am still deciding how to style the fringe.  Here it is post fulling, still wet: 

 

After the meeting, I came home and washed my first raw fiber...part of the 2008 fiber challenge from the guild.  I have been a little hesitant to tackle processing greasy fiber myself, but it was only 3 ounces, so I figured I should stop being such a wimp.  Since I was WAY behind in the challenge - many people have finished their hats and were showing them off at the meeting - I started processing right away with a hot bath (or three) plus a couple of rinses to get out the soap.  After washing, I spread the fiber out on the guest bed with the fan blowing on it to dry.  I can't wait to comb and spin it, the multicolors are just gorgeous:

While processing the fiber, I finally got around to making some stitch markers I have been meaning to try out since Jody came to visit and we crafted with Stacey, Naomi, and Nean.  I went a little crazy, and made 25 sets, plus a pile of random singles for myself.  I hope there are no fatal design flaws, or I just wasted a LOT of time:

If you have not been reading above and are just looking at the pictures, these are STITCH MARKERS for knitting, NOT an obscene amount of belly button rings. 

I was going to go to a show tonight in Providence, but I am sorry to say all of this crafting wore me out, and it is pouring rain, which is not motivating me to leave the house, so instead...

Good night.

LOOK!!!

Nean has a blog again!

GO THERE!

Comment.  Say hello.

Oh, and I finished another turn a square hat.  Slightly underwhelming in this picture, it is lovely in person.

A Big THANK YOU, Plus a Bonus FO...

THANK YOU MIA!!!
I love my cowls, and have been wearing the orange one often.  I am waiting until it gets REALLY cool out to wear the black one because it is so smooshy and warm, but I think it will end up being a daily accessory later this winter.  I have been waiting to thank you until I could get somebody to take a couple of smiling/grateful pictures of me modeling your wares, but now that I have forgotten twice...you get my own crappy self modeled photos.  Sorry for the blurriness, but as you can see from my very rounded cheeks - I am smiling!

On a side note, cowls are great for covering up a stray zit on your chin!!
Thanks again Mia.

So, partially thanks to Mia's cowl-y inspiration, and partially thanks to my new fascination with the mobius...I present to you - a christmas FO:

This is a mobius cowl made out of some handpainted cashmere gifted to me by the lovely Michelle a while ago.  They yarn is a dk or sport weight, and its drape is beautiful when knitted on size 10 needles.  As you can see, I am really my own worst modeling nightmare, but it seemed a shame to take another picture of the cowl lying all flat and twisty on the table, and I am not sure the recipient would be please if I had stuck it on the murph!

Have you made a mobius yet?  They really are super cool.

Weaving again...

I rented a rigid heddle loom from the Rhode Island Spinners Guild.
I am making another scarf out of my handspun - the warp is merino top woven to about worsted weight, and the weft is a crazy loop batt - plyed with the same merino - to a slightly bulkier than worsted weight.

Ready...

Set...

Weave...

And a closeup of the beginning of the scarf.  Its a little blurry because its dark, but you can see the sparkles from the Loop batt:

A hat in progress...

Aint it pretty? Leftovers from CPH II and a cool handspun scarf come together to make this excellent hat!