a tea cozy of a different kind

I was looking for a small handmade gift for my friend, as all the others (sounds grand, but they are of the small kind:)) have been bought. one of them is a "sheepy" tea mug, so I decided that a tea cozy might be nice for this. I saw several designs, but the used mugs had very different shapes, so I decided to make my own. the mug is wider at the bottom and the top rim, so I had to take this into account. I have done quite a few things out of a lambswool single that I dyed with natural colours of all kinds. actually I think I must have dyed about 5-8 kg in 50 g hanks over 2 years or so, and there are lots of small amounts of different colours left (no wonder that I still have a fair-isle bag in knit-felt on my mind.....). the problem is that the natural colours do change a lot when felted with washing powder in the machine, but I didn't want to felt this tiny piece alone! so I tried to stay on the safe side - and chose light yellow (dyed with gorze flowers) and a slightly muted orange (dyed with dahlia flowers). I counted out an old knitfelted sample in the hope that it might fit after felting.

with hindsight I should have done the bottom part differently - maybe a circle done with short rows would have been a good idea, but I didn't want to take up stitches on the side. so I cast on 9 stitches on dpn and increased every 2nd row until I had the necessary 68 stitches - which sounds a lot, but as I said the pot is as wide on the bottom as it is on the top! I then knitted several rows of stocking stitch in a single colour to form a ridge. after 5 or 6 rows I picked up the stitches from the back of the knitting further down (the last row of 2 colour-knitting) and knitted the live stitches together with those - to form a "fold". then I continued knitting in rows with two colours until I had to do short rows for the area where the drinker's mouth will be during use. I finished it all off with an attached i-cord that I grafted together over the handle of the mug. it looks far too big to ever fit - a bit like a too large sweater on a child:))

after felting - the whole thing fits like a glove - lucky me, it worked on the first try:)) the light yellow didn't change at all during the felting, only the orange became more intense! now I am thinking "spring" and "flowers" - and I think I'll embroider a few simple flowers on to it. of course the warming effect won't be perfect as most of the heat of a cup of tea will probably escape through the open cup - but I figured that it might not be so nice to add a woollen lid - as fibres in the tea are a big put-off, at least for me!

after christmas means all presents are done - and I can finally start something new and (hopefully) exciting! well, I still have to do the next birthday present of course, but I am going to start a sample right now, a shawl pattern in lace, where I have to test if I should use the yarn single thread (very fine) or doubled up. just enough for an hour of knitting or so - no more "knit allnighters" for me for a little while at least!

surprise parcels are the best!

I received a nice parcel in the mail today! a fibre friend from germany had ordered some spindolyns in the US a while ago and one of them was for me, seen here in the middle (the brass hook at the top didn't fit the photo). I also knew that I'd receive a kilo of cotton top eventually, but the silk top, the fine silk yarn in skeins, the linen and the grey and white balls of "pre-draughted" top came as the surprise (as were all the sweets and lebkuchen:)). as I just finished all the christmas presents etc. I am quite happy to work on some of the materials during the xmas holidays (not that I'd suffer from boredom otherwise, but new fibres always beg to be tested?)

I could not resist testing the spindle and used some of the lovely silk - and it turned out that the blues and greens would be perfect for my hummingbird silk challenge! now I just have to find out which dyes were used on it....

the very fine (I am talking finer than sewing thread!) silk will be great for doing embroidery - I'll dye it with natural colours I think. I have no plans for the two balls on the right, but I am sure I'll find some good use for those. it is a commercial preparation for spinning machines, like very, very thin pencil rovings, which can be spun without further drafting as they are - or of course draughted out even finer for thinner yarns, to be plied most likely. I guess I could also use them as they come for knitting, as long as I give it a slight turn from time to time during the work.

back to the kitchen and the cookie tins - which still have to be filled!

not everything works out as planned....

when I came home from a visit to wales in october 06 I was very keen to start knitting with the three skeins of alpaca and alpaca/silk mixture I bought from Meadowsweet Alpacas. the yarn is lovely, soft and silky, about needle size 3,5 to 4. I wanted to make a dubbelmossa, a nordish hat that's very warm, for my DH. this is done by knitting a long "tube", which is later doubled up, i.e. one side is stuffed into the other; where the rim is folded over, there are really 4 layers of knitting. ideally suited to "cold heads"! I didn't have a proper pattern, but the basic instructions I found somewhere online were simple enough to translate into my own. so I knitted away until I came to the area of the upper layer, where I'd have to do the decreases - when I realised that the whole thing is probably too big, even when a second layer is put inside the first. I managed to come this far - but now I had to face it - frogging was imminent! I put the whole thing on long circulars and put it over my head (yep, I am a big-headed girl - not pig-headed though - well, most of the time at least:)) - far too large even for me and my Hagrid hair:( it nearly fell down over my head, so I can safely say that nothing else but taking it apart will help. the one good thing that came out of it: when looking at the photograph I realised that I didn't like the distribution of the three colours all that much! when doing it all over again, I'll use the colours differently - less dark brown in the upper part of the wide pattern, more below - and vice versa for the light colour! the lower border pattern can be quite wide as there are no decreases to work in this part. on the other hand it will be covered by the folded rim - so I might rethink the whole pattern after all..... who said knitting hats is easy and straight-forward?:)) well, it'll have to wait a little longer - I am still working on the other alpaca hat -black, grey and white and handspun. should be done today though - the scarf out of the same yarns will follow next.

praise where praise is due....

... or handspun versus commercial yarns

ever since I learned how to spin I became more critical of commercially available knitting yarns. now, I am not saying that everyone who usually buys yarns in the lower price range or poly-yarns (or even cheaper mixes) should consider spinning their own. it does take some time and effort to do! but when compared with the high-priced yarns available (and let's face it, most nicer yarns are quite pricey) I do sometimes wonder if handspun wouldn't result in at least the same if not better quality. e.g. the noro quality of silk garden didn't convince me at all - esp. given the high prices those balls are leaving the shelves for!

so I was a bit reluctant to order some pure alpaca yarns recently - but I just didn't have the time to handspin them. I ordered Artesano hummingbird, in the colourways kingfisher and pheasant, 14 euro per 150 g. and to my delight they turned out absolutely gorgeous! the colours are strong and the yarn is soft and smooth - and I am very tempted not to knit the planned socks out of it - but something less hidden by pants and of course less stressed than socks. I don't know how durable the socks turn out to be, but I have to admit that I most likely won't be able to do a scarf or even larger projects with just the one skein each - so it has to be the socks....

I finished "Henry" - the woven-looking scarf from the last knitty issue. the cast-on was interesting, worked well as did the knitting. not difficult, as long as one checks the front every now and then - miscounting has to be tinked as every mistake is visible from a mile away. I wasn't happy with the tubular bind-off though as it doesn't look at all like the cast-on (as is claimed in the instructions), but more like a narrow, but normal rib! I did and undid it 5 times (quite a job as it isn't just frogged, you have to "unsew" the whole and very long row) - until I left it the best way I could. still not perfect, but the best I could do.

I also spun two of the three natural alpaca colours - the white is still on the bobbin for another day or two. the black was hard to photograph, but it is even nicer than the grey, lustrous and smooth - I'll definitely spin some more of this soon! I was thinking of maybe combining it with black mulberry silk, one single yarn done up as a two-ply. though I'll have to be careful with the knitted project, as the yarn will be quite heavy and probably prone to "hang out" a bit.

I have to be careful not to plan too many new projects for the time after christmas - the spring months are already filling up nicely - with one alpaca sleeveless vest and at least two lace shawls (never mind the small stuff like socks etc. that always comes in between...)

"creative spinning" book

I had meant to put this up earlier - not enough time, the usual problem.... I received the ordered book about spinning a while ago, the 2nd book in the series by Gaia Craft Books. it's been written by two of my OLG colleagues, Jane Deane and Alison Daykin - and I heard about the efforts involved in getting this printed during my wpsg (steering group of the OLG) time and was quite keen to get my hands on it.

the book shows the basic "how-to-spin" instructions with drawings in the first part. everything is there, but I wouldn't have bought it just for this, as I have quite a few books about handspinning already. what makes this book stand out (at least IMHO) is the second part - with stunning photographs of the fibres used, the yarns spun and a small sample showing the yarn knitted up. and a photo of the inspiration for the yarn (or maybe vice versa, the yarn was there first? the old question about the hen and the egg?:)). each yarn is described in a short "recipe", fibres used and amounts given - and then a brief description how it is spun and plied. I am sure I don't have all books about handspinning - but it is the first I have laid my hands on that really made me want to dash to the stash, dig out some fibres and sit at the wheel to start spinning some of them up! all kinds are shown, shortwools, longwools, rare breeds, silks and man-made fibres - in scrumptious colourways, some even with beads. I wonder why knitters still bother to buy commercial yarns for extortionate prices - surely it must be far more satisfying to make your own for a fraction of the price? the one downside is that I have no time to start experimenting yet - I have to finish all the xmas stuff beforehand! but as soon as that is done I'll start fiddling about - there are several rather tempting ideas that I'd like to follow up! (if you want to order it, contact Jane - jane@janedeane.co.uk - or Alison via her blog - www.willingtonweaver.blogspot.com )

my hands in too many pots?

I haven't been lazing around as you might think from the lack of entries to my blog! it's just the usual pre-christmas madness - too many plans and a serious lack of hands! and I don't even have pix to show yet for the things I made in the meantime.... you just never know who might read your blog and I don't want to spoil the secret santas by putting them online.

just the one here, I finished the moebius scarf with an attached i-cord. the lilac is merino with soy silk, singles of each plied together, dyed with the 2nd bath of cochenille. the white is one thread of angora and one of mulberry silk, plied together. I put in some seed beads, but they are very small and not visible on the photo. I originally planned to use bigger ones, but then thought, that the feeling of cold glass beads might not be so nice in a short scarf! the ones in it now are small and they stay in the fluff of the angora, visible but not cold on the skin. of course all threads are handspun.

the black scarf in the woven looking pattern from the fall knitty is nearly finished too, as is the embroidered scarf, two more ticks on my to-do list:)) I am left with a lot of alpaca spinning and knitting a set of hat, scarf and maybe mittens - but urgently, as the post takes quite some time before christmas. the stash shift for the OLG is sorted, all ready to be packed and sent out, puh....

in the dyeing section it's quieter at this time of the year. I dug out several bags of avocado kernels and skins from the freezer and chopped them up. I put them in several glass jars and stuck all of it in the canning cooker, as I am supposed (at least that's what the article in the spinoff some years ago advised) to heat it all every couple of days to prevent mould! I just hope I won't forget it one of these days as I am all keen on the reds and burgundy (I only bought the brown-skinned Hass variety!) and not on beiges and browns! I received a large bag of dye materials from my friend, who had planned on dyeing for years but realised that she hasn't got the time to do it all. it's mostly logwood, brazilwood and fustic, also some weld and some madder.... I tried the fibres of coconut before and didn't get anything much apart from a mucky, dirty beige - so I put those out into the garden as mulch. they didn't look inviting enough to try them for spinning - I might still need the skin on my fingers, esp. as I had planned to work with the silk hankies and the mulberry top!:))

we did have a nice clear evening after a very mixed day yesterday - here is a photo I took before dusk.... the curtains of rain in the background had just moved away a few seconds earlier!

one finished sweater later...

I've finished DS's new winter sweater in time - only on the calendar! no winter in sight here (yet), but he is happy and wore it all evening, even though it was quite warm inside. no complaints about it being scratchy either, not even with just short sleeves underneath. it's the kg of space from Wollknoll, nice to spin and just as nice to knit! it was a fast job as I've spun chunkier singles to keep the colour variations from becoming more muddled from plying. at first I thought of knitting just garter stitch, but I like the basket weave pattern better. it's not difficult to knit, just knit and purl, but it's not as boring as straight knits or purls! and it's quite stretchy and feels nice, so I am planning to do one each for the grown-ups in this house too - but maybe not quite in such a lively colour scheme:)) I have one skein and a bit left and plan to do a hat with it. one thing astounded me though: I wouldn't have thought that I might need 750 g to knit one kid's sweater out of it. but then maybe I tend to forget that DS isn't quite a small baby anymore:)) gone are the times where I can cast on and finish in one week......and in colours and patterns I like! I know that it looks rather big - but he likes his clothing to be wide and comfy and he's growing so fast that I am hoping to get away with it for maybe two years! the polar bear sweater out of manx and nz lamb was worn twice before it became far too small and I don't want to risk that again! I did take out the sleeves once though - they were a bit too generous in length the first time round! the one downside with this type of yarn is that it won't be a good idea to put it into the washing machine - it'll felt very quickly - and it's not large enough to accomodate a minor washing disaster:)) but then it'll be worn mainly outside during the winter, so there shouldn't be too many accidents with food stains (I know, I am the eternal optimist!)

we did go to dublin to the show - and without major problems as well! ok, 5 minutes delay on a train, that's to be expected, something I can live with. the taxi driver was waiting for us, everything went smoothly. everything but the show that is! I've said it before, but this time I mean it! to me this k&s is going downhill fast. maybe someone responsible reads blogs - if so, I wonder why an organizer of a knitting & stitching show invites stall holders, who sell ready-made leather handbags, chocolates, massage chairs, fake jewellery and - of all things - bits of artificial hair! ok, maybe I am not exactly the average customer, but if I go to a show like this would it really be so unreasonable to actually find a supplier for textile stuff, such as DMC cotton embroidery yarn? either I have gone blind - or there was none. ok, there have been a few stalls selling knitting yarns. oliver twists yarns was there (my favourite for hand-dyed embroidery threads - and also undyed silks etc.) there are the usual stalls of the irish wsd guild, the felters, the patchworkers (but several stalls that have been there e.g. for patchwork fabric, seemingly haven't bothered to come either) - all doing good work as far as I could see. there are also some book sellers, but in general I think the dublin show gives rather poor value for money (the entrance fee has gone up again, too)! I always go green with envy when I hear people talking about the Harrowgate or Alexandra palace show! of course it is down to the customers to support stalls by buying their things - but how am I supposed to do that when the stalls on offer show stuff that has nothing to do with textile crafts? I think I am going to give the show a miss next year - I much rather spend my money via mail order for goods I want than to throw it out for train journeys to shows that are rubbish!

enough complaining - I did buy a few bits and pieces, lovely "once-offs" (from OT of course, the colours are a bit lighter in reality), lots of purple, some beautiful "seagreens" also. several bags of throwster's waste - I want to try out some lumpy-bumpy designer yarns. a bag of degummed cocoons, the first time I have seen those. I couldn't resist and started to draw one out on the train - my neighbour looked rather curiously, but was probably afraid to ask what I was doing there:)) I wonder how he would have stared if it had been a "full" cocoon - with a shrivelled up caterpillar dropping out! I found Nancie Wiseman's book about wire knitting and a small wooden lucet for next year's workshop in the OLG. also interweave's folk style knitting book - I had been keen on that one. and from the newly published Gaia series I bought the book about natural dyeing (the sister book about handspinning by fellow OLG members Alison and Jane is still in the post) - nice to look at, lovely colours and photography, though probably best used by beginner dyers as I didnt' really find new information on closer reading.

was there anything else? yes, two replacement bulbs for my daylight lamps - not available in the normal shops here. but that was it really, compared to other shows a few years ago - next to nothing. the only solution here - buying by mail order - again!