SECOND FO OF THE YEAR

Handspun knitting again, this time two Chameleon Colorworks coloways plied together, Morning Dove and Glacial Moraine. Playing with a stitch pattern from Reversible Knitting to which I added a bobble, can't get enough of those, on the front and then again on the back to make it truly reversible and added some little bits on the end. I am very pleased at how this scarf+swatch turned out and see other uses for this pattern. It would make lovely collar and cuffs on a cardigan, but just how many of those do we need in California? I will probably just keep chugging away with needles and loom creating these scarves+swatches until a better solution invades my brain.

EVOLUTION OF A SCARF

Yarn for this scarf was spun from some lovely BFL from Chameleon Colorworks in their Figgy Pudding Colorway. Spun worsted from roving stripped to make the color areas smaller, it became a two-ply yarn. Unfortunately the Blackberry camera does not do the colors justice as they are very rich and lovely.

Intended to be knit up as an Aldred scarf, this kept the border with a few variations, changed the body from garter to a more open lacy stitch, added an attached i-cord trim with bobbles ending with a rolled edge at the neck. I was very intrigued with the knit border and the short-row construction and did keep that though changed the length of
the short rows to accommodate my lacy stitch. Will probably try this
method again.

CURRENTLY ON THE LOOM

Tencel and graduated hand dyed grey warp on the loom. Main purpose of the project is as with the others, practice warping, practice weaving and see where it leads. This pattern depends on a very even beat which seems to be way beyond my skill set. I spent some time looking and woven items from a recent class where some of the students were first time weavers on rigid heddle looms and they seem to get that intuitively. I am struggling, but hope never dies.

PLAYING WITH A PARTICULAR THREADING

Three different takes on a Wall of Troy variant threading. The purple/green and the unfinished are warps handpainted in Nancy Finn's class at Black Sheep and woven with tencel weft threads. The yarns for these are a lace weight yarn and the tencel is an 8/2. The other, a slightly different variant was woven in a bamboo. All of these are now totally finished, including twisted fringe and added to my swatch pile that hopefully will keep growing along with my skills as a weaver.

I am trying to keep something going on the loom at all times and was doing a good job until the Halloween costume season hit. There are a couple of other experiments using handspun warps to share when I get around to taking the pictures. Last night started threading a warp that I dyed in graduated shades of grey and have a couple of more warps wound waiting their turn.

NEW BABIES

I am delaying this post a bit as I am hoping that my great nephew, for whom this blanket was knit will be here. He was due the 31st of July and is slightly tardy much to the discomfort of the mama.

I am off to weaving school on Widbey Island for a week. Staying at a Bed and Breakfast Inn and will walk to class each day. Should be fun. When I get home I will be ready and better prepared to try a project on my new Baby....

FIRST YARDAGE

Hot off the loom, seven yards (though only 14 inches wide) of assorted twill. I really wanted to get a substantial piece woven and finally did it. Warping is starting to go a bit easier and this warp was an almost unbreakable thread, so that was covered. There was real freedom here as this was some free thread of undetermined content that someone brought to the spinning guild. I did not worry about it turning out and wove in pattern or not according to my mood. Finally some things are beginning to come together and I am starting to "get it."

The picture is the fabric unfinished. I washed it and it came out just fine. The next step is to cut into and actually make something.

LONG DELAYED BSG REPORT

The trip north on the train while a bit grueling had some very lovely scenery. My seatmate ended up being a member of the Ventura guild going to the same event. Small world.

I was lucky enough to have been able to stay with GLASG alum moved to Oregon, Elissa at her lovely ranch. The donkey's greeted me when I arrived and were more than thrilled to have my left-over carrots.

The BSG show was great and while I could have spent a grip, I did restrain myself and only came home with some of Chameleon Colorworks new twice dyed fiber which I will share some other time.

Three days were spent dyeing with Nancy Finn. The first day was devoted to dye small silk strips working from solids to mixed colors. I ended up with some very good samples and some good ideas on how to achieve desired colors. Now to find the time to play around.

In the next two half-day classes fiber and yarn were dyed in our own colorways. I ended up with a couple of potential warps that I plan on weaving up as soon as I get the project currently on the loom woven off.

While there I went with Elissa to pick up her new puppy an adorable Bouvier who was too sweet. Needless to say I came home with serious puppy lust which I am struggling to control.