Stash Busting Cowl

 I got this idea to make a cowl out of scrap yarns. Someone that I work with made a cowl with a K4P4 rib pattern and hers turned out pretty good, so I used that idea for the pattern. I took some white alpaca, peach mohair, and three hand spun wool yarns and held them together while I knitted with the biggest needles that I own--size 10.5.  Although I liked the colors, the knit was too dense and there was no drape to the garment.  I just tossed it out and started a new one...

For my second attempt I used the white alpaca, with a hand spun wool/silk hand dyed single, and some gray baby alpaca, and some white/gray sea silk.

 These colors blended nicely and with only four thin strands used, this cowl had the right amount of drape.

Here's the quickly pattern: Holding all the strands together, cast on 88 stitches. Join in the round and then
K4 P4 until the desired length. Cast off in the K4 P4 pattern. Weave in ends. Voila!

Happiness

 Do you know what makes me happy?                                                 Clean, white, fluffy locks of Romney...

 my favorite Fricke flick carder...

...and a basket of locks ready to spin.    This is what makes me happy.

Arctic Diamond Stole

One of my friends went to Peru a few years back and brought me back two large balls of Alpaca yarn. One  ball is white and the other is a dusty cream color. I packed them around through several moves and then finally decided to knit something with them.  I chose the dusty cream color and a pattern from my stash. I have a Winter 2006 Interweave Knits magazine in which there's a pattern called Arctic Diamond Stole that fit the bill.  I've been working on it for a few months now.  I'm down to my last repeat of the pattern---I had to add an extra repeat because it didn't seem big enough for a shall.  Soon I'll be blocking it and hopefully wearing it this winter.

Hand Spun Romney Sweater

 So much for my "slow clothes" idea.  This knitted up fast.  I started on Monday and was done by Friday.

I used a pattern called Bulky Neck Down Cardigan for Women by Knitting Pure and Simple. 

It's the warmest sweater I have ever put on.  I'm ready for some snow now.

Lichen Dyeing

 I wanted to take the Lichen Dyeing class at Madrona, but I didn't get in. The class filled up in less that 45 minutes and I couldn't sit in front of the computer at work!  Ugh.  Well, who needs a fancy-schmancy class anyway?  I've decided to teach myself how to dye with Lichen.  My co-worker and friend, Marge, picked some Lichen for me last weekend when she was out by Cashmere, Washington.

 I use just water and heat for the first go-around.  The yarn was golden yellow within a half hour of being in the pot!  I threw in a little alum with the somewhat depleted dye bath and got the softer yellow after an hour.

St. Distaff's Day- A real holiday

Yesterday I attended the St. Distaff's Day Spin In, an event that made the news...

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Hundreds-of-yarn-spinners-gather--136886693.html

While happily bustling around the house to get ready in the morning, I found my husband smirking at me.
"What?" I asked.
 "That's so cute, you think this is a real holiday."

Knit Romney

 I've been thinking about the concept of "slow clothes".  Us knitters and spinners have been making slow clothes all along---definitely not a new concept.  But just like the "slow food" movement, it's about slowing down and enjoying the process. It's about shunning Mc Donalds or "Mc Fashion".  Last month I decided I needed a new sweater.  On Dec. 10th I purchased 3 1/2 lbs of raw Romney at Weaving Works.  There was a blue ribbon in the bag of fleece and the sales person said it's from Washington State.  Other than that, I do not know the origins.  It felt soft and lovely and the color was interesting, so I bought it.  I washed it on Dec. 10th and 11th.  I began spinning on Dec. 12th.  I was done spinning on Jan 2nd. 

The pattern was chosen on Jan 2nd and I began knitting.  I'm on the second arm of the sweater...photos to come later.  As you can see form the photo above, I separated the light, medium, and dark lock so I'd have a variety of shades to knit with.  In the end, I ended up with a bulky weight three-ply yarn.