#2 more skeins for another shawl

[thefiberfawn]

I went to a fiber market yesterday. People really liked my flower crown, and I do too!

Also wore my newly made sweater, love the dutch summer

Yarn pics for your viewing pleasure

Some of what I got! Market was sooo huge and awesome, tons of other fiber arts like drop spinning, wheel spinning, weaving... Tons of gorgeous fibers to squish as well

[roboticchibitan]

Trying dyeing in the oven following this knitpicks tutorial (undyed yarn is in sale this month at knitpicks so they sent out a link to this tutorial). I've been looking for a good oven dyeing tutorial so I can dye more than two skeins of hand painted yarn at a time since my dye pot with the steamer tray only fits 2 skeins of yarn at a time. I currently have six skeins in the oven! Like a cat that has learned a new trick I am now unstoppable hohohohohoho.

I used 16 oz of each color of dye liquid per 300g of yarn. I probably could've used another 4 oz of chartreuse dye liquid but that's okay. I did an intensity of 1TSP chartreuse dye per 8oz and 1/2 TSP emerald dye (Jacquard acid dye color names) per 8oz of water. So all total for 6 skeins I used 4 TSP chartreuse dye and 2 TSP emerald dye.

They both bled blueish green or just flat out blue. I left the emerald in the center a bit mottled on purpose because I am using this yarn to test my moss stitch shawl I'm designing and I thought the mottled look would add to the overall texture I am going for. I can't wait for them to dry so I can wind a skein into a cake and see how it looks! Definitely should've tied it off a couple more times because this came with only two ties in the skein. It's really annoying that knitpick's undyed yarn comes with only one or two tie offs. That's not enough.

Anyway, I'm having the time of my life dyeing yarn. This is art for me. It's like painting except after you do the painting you get to use the thing to make more art. It's the best!

[guardevoir]

Another fiber arts update!

Calendar nonsense again, first and foremost:

Days 5-7 were merino/linen, merino, and what I'm pretty sure is a merino/bamboo viscose mix that I had a sample of in a different colorway a couple months back.

The merino/linen will be an interesting challenge, both thanks to the linen content and because I want this to be contrasty and bold like the unspun fiber. The dyed merino is nice dyed merino but it's also dyed merino; been there, done that, had the crocheting friend make a whole-ass shawl out of it. The tweed thing I actually like a lot, color-wise; the product photo never interested me, but irl it's giving Planet Earth with the blues and the splashes of green. Unfortunately, last time I spun this fiber, it kept drafting into clumps because the viscose is so much more slippery than the merino. Let's see if it's less annoying this time I guess. I'd like that, because this stuff makes really pretty yarn actually.

Then, projects:

50g of blue glitter merino down, 150 more to go. (*photo does not show all 50g, my bobbin is tiny. This was maybe 30g)

100g of purely spindle-spun Coburg Fox that I'll now put off washing forever:

I can't skein things nicely to save my life, but what else is new, lol

Put some more glitter merino onto that spindle because I have no impulse control:

The lighting's shit because I was making yarn on company time again, but this stuff is a lovely swamp green, I love it, and I'll never escape the glitter merino. Doing a relatively low-twist, soft single this time; might keep it as a 2-ply or try cabling it to bulk it up a little, not sure yet. I had both a couple grams of sample and the stuff from my advent calendar, so that's neat. Maybe I'll make a wrist distaff out of it; I need one, and it'd be an impressive fiber for it.

And, last but not least, free samples I got!

I'll do a stash update Soon (it, uh. fully hit me that I'll need to spin 700 grams of yarn for christmas lmao. That's about 1.5 lbs. oops!), but I didn't get around to it yet. So, for now, samples! Not shown is the swamp green sparkle merino, because it's been spun.

Left to right: some of the expensive Ashford merino/silk (gorgeous!!! and soft, but oof ouch I better not like this one too much), dyed merino (is dyed merino, I mostly just wanted to see the color irl), polwarth/silk/yak (I am very intimidated, but this is also the warmest thing I've ever touched. Also something I hopefully won't like too much), and dyed (tow) flax (gave it a very quick try, drove me nuts. Maybe I'll get used to it!)

I also have a new shawl made of my handspun stuff, but I didn't get a picture of it yet that actually does it justice, so. Soon! I hope!

[creativeseal]

The other day I mentioned that shawl that will take me a year. It’s the Botanical Lace Wrap. I bought the yarn last August (2022) during a family trip to webs. I kept looking at the two skeins, trying to decide on a pattern. I cast on early December 2022 and worked on it a bunch. It slowly went from a long rectangle, to a square, to a tall rectangle. I realized I was binging and then burning out on it.

I took a break to do some other time sensitive projects, and went back to it with more determination. I finally realized that I couldn’t keep doing a bunch of rows and then not touching it for a week or two. When I finished the first skein I saw some hope - and did some math on how long it would take me to finish it at a slow pace.I went on the two rows a day plan. I do a front and back row (it has pattern on both sides, so no break) and then I usually put it away. Every once in a while I’ll do 4 or 6 rows, but I also have a second knitting project that I’m excited about, so it’s usually only 2 rows. I manages to do the previous shawl (pebble beach) while still making progress on the botanical lace wrap. I have another project finished and drying, and another about a third done, while still making progress on this wrap. I should have it done sometime late November or early December.

I am a huge fan of this method. Hmmm… Chipping away at something, nibbled to death by ducks, slow and steady? What do you call it?

[gaviicreates]

FO: time flies by in the yellow and green...

...Stick around and you'll see what I mean

(there will also be more pictures under the cut)

Remember literally yesterday when I mentioned I was doing a stretchy bind-off purlwise, and I loved the fluidity of it? Well, obviously a bind off pretty much heralds the end of a project in sight so here we are. I was so eager for this one to be completed that I lightly washed the shawl and pinned it overnight so that, by today, I'd have my first finished, knitted shawl.

Pattern: Mara Shawl by Madelinetosh, available here through Ravelry

Yarn: Arcane Fibre Works, "Calm Waters" -80/20 Extra Fine Merino Nylon Super Wash Fingering Weight. (2 Skeins)

Tools: Clover Takumi Bamboo Circulars - US 5 3.75mm, Eucalan Lavender Wash for blocking

This shawl is a garter stitch shawl with yarn overs down the center and sides to both increase and add a bit of lacy interest. I had actually started on this before I finished the throw blanket, so these two pieces together were so critical for my knitting journey thus far, and I've learned so much already.

While the throw maintained the upward structure of its rows, this shawl gave me the experience of increasing along the center and sides, working outward as well as up. Once I figured out the yarn-over and the cadence from row to row, the location of the yarn-overs was easy to remember. Simple, but elegant on the piece. It did take me a few rows in to figure out that a stitch marker for the RS vs WS would probably be helpful, and from there it was smooth sailing.

Almost too smooth, because I just kept going. I don't remember the cord size I used, but eventually working the stitches scrunched up on the needles, and the work curled into itself. Once that started, I had a hard time imagining what it would look like finished. I had no idea what the shaping would look like once it was off the needles, so my plan was to hope I just figured out when would be a good time to stop. Low stakes winging it, if you will.

She's big. This is no shawlette you behold. The length surpasses my wingspan on both sides, and the drape down the back is lovely and full while the fabric itself is light and breathable between the stitches. I think because the needles were a bit bigger than recommended size for fingering weight, this resulted in some space between the stitches.

I'm dreaming of that first cool day of fall, and wrapping myself up with her covering my shoulders pinned with a nice brooch, or rolled into a scarf around my neck over denim. She's going to be a wonderful addition to my wardrobe, and I am ecstatic with the final length and look.

I mentioned above I used two skeins. Another learning curve for me - one I intentionally played with here - was the way the colors fell. I don't think it's a crochet thing specifically because I know opinions still vary, but coming from a craft that tends to create potentially less ordered fabrics with variegated yarns, I'm kind of open to color pooling at times. It's not for everyone, but I think there's a fun little magic in letting the colors land the way they want to in both crafts it seems.

I started with one skein, then switched to alternating after a while to learn that technique, then ended with one skein again as I finished out the project. I was nervous about this choice, especially as I started seeing entire blocks of yellow forming. But in the final garment, I don't feel like these larger streaks take away from the color combination. I'm loving that it's not uniform and there's a bit of fun and randomness to how the colors fall.

Towards the final rows, the pattern switched from garter to 1x1, then 2x2 ribbing, which I could see being a great opportunity to switch out to another color to complement. But I really wanted to have my yellow and green shawl, so I decided to keep working up with the same yarn. Plus I am kind of in love with seeing how different stitches create a new texture that gives the colors in a variegated yarn a bit of a different life to them.

Now - I do have one more skein of this colorway, as I had bought a just-in-case extra. I am thinking my big shawl needs a little something else to go with it - maybe a hat or some fingerless gloves, oooh! or some socks.

Now, I have... how many more months till I can wear this?

[jedi-bird]

Welcome to the wonderful world of birdy's opinions on yarn post. This particular post will only deal with 100% cotton yarn from various companies, in both cake and skein form.

A few disclaimers to start. I am in no way or shape being compensated to talk about these things; I'm just very opinionated about certain things. This post will only be dealing with cotton yarns; I have nothing against the use of acrylic yarns, but because of skin sensitivity I can't wear anything made out of acrylic, wool, or alpaca, so I'm using mostly cotton at the moment. Also, I only know how to crochet; I've tried to learn to knit and keep failing, so if you knit you might find very different experiences with all of these.

So. Let's talk yarn.

The above are only a fraction of what I currently have to use; I have at least 8 more brands of cotton, cotton/silk blend, and bamboo blend yarn to test out. At some point, after I have worked with them, I'll make an additional post (don't expect it for a while though).

First up, Dahlia, Dahlia Halloween (limited edition), Cotton Kings Sultan, Cotton Kings Sultan Shadow, and Black Friday yarn. I'm including all of these in one list because they are basically the same yarn under different brand names being sold by Hobbii. They all have the same yardage (800m/874yards), but each come in vastly different color lines.

Both Black Friday and Dahlia Halloween are limited releases each year and will be available until they sell out. Some color schemes don't return each year, which is a bit sad, so order early if you want something specific. The rest are available year round and are only subject to being out of stock at times. Sultan Shadow will always have black as it's outer color; there is another line called Sultan Pastello that has white instead of the black, but I currently don't own any of them.

All of these yarns are four strands that are not twisted together. Some people have difficulty with this, so the advice is to thread the yarn through a bead to keep them close together while working with it; I've never had an issue and haven't tried this method though so I can't speak for it. The color change is fairly subtly, but not completely even. Unlike their counter part Sultan Deluxe, these will skip parts of the color change. Each change is fairly even though, and it works up quite soft. Should definitely be used with a yarn bowl or in a container, as they are prone to collapsing and tangling as more yarn is pulled from the center (I use an old plastic food container because it works just fine for now). Weight is listed as a 2/Fine.

My rating: 9.5/10. I just wish the cake were a bit longer, but overall I've liked them for shawls and wraps.

Next up is Cotton Kings Sultan Deluxe, also from Hobbii.

As with the above, there are a lot of color combinations to choose from. These cakes tend to be bigger (1000m/1093yards), which I prefer. The strands are twisted together, which makes it easier to work with. It's also very soft straight from the skein and works to quite nice. The color changes are much more subtle and makes a great ombre or rainbow effect. There is also a version that comes with a metallic thread twisted into it to give it a subtle shine. Yarn bowl is also recommended for this. Weight is listed as a 2/Fine, which seems accurate.

My rating: 10/10. This is my preferred yarn at the moment. Lovely for blankets and shawls, and someday I plan to make a coat for myself out of a horded color I've buried in my yarn storage shelf.

Next on the list, Yarn Arts Rosegarden.

I'll be honest. I hated this yarn the first time I worked with it. It's thinner than Sultan Deluxe and far more prone to splitting, which frustrated me at first. However, I did grow to like it and enjoyed working with the purple and pink cakes, so the odds of my buying it again increased after the second project. The color changes are not as subtle as the Dahlia and others; it's a bit more abrupt, but still works up nice over a large project. It's very soft right at the start, which is a plus. In terms of length it's the same as Sultan Deluxe, and it does have the benefit of being available through Amazon if that's easier for you; it's also generally cheaper than Sultan Deluxe, as far as I've seen.

My rating: 8/10. Like I said, it grew on me and my rating might go up the more I work with it. Made nice blankets, though I've yet to try other things with it.

Now onto Etrofil Re-Public.

I wanted to hate this yarn when I first got it. Compared to all the others, it was pretty rough feeling in skein form; I wound up loving it the longer I worked it with and ordered several more skeins in various colors before I finished the cardigan I was making. It's made from 100% recycled cotton, which is nice. It does feel pretty stiff at the start, but in the course of working with it, it soften up the more it rubbed against things; I'm sure after washing it, it will be nicer still. There was no weight listed on the wrapper, but according to Amazon it's listed as a 1/Fingering weight. This is a lie. It is much closer to a 4/Worsted weight, which is good because I've been struggling to find a 4 weight cotton yarn I like. Color change is less subtle but I had no problems with splitting so it worked out fine.

My rating: 9.5/10. Only downside is that most of the colors at sold out on Amazon and don't seem like they'll come back in any time soon.

The last random color changing yarn I've tried lately is Candy from Stenli.

This will be the last picture added to this post, because mobile apparently hit it's limit. So. Anyway. Candy. Fairly soft straight away. Color changes are not subtle; it's a bit blockier and more noticeable when it changes. Claims to be a 2 weight but is also closer to a 4. I liked working with this one, except for the fact that it's only 900m per skein. And I can no longer find it online easily, so once I use the final skein I'm probably done with the brand.

My rating: 8/10. Made a nice shawl, just wish it was longer in yardage.

The following deal with mostly solid color cottom yarns, which for me are more suitable for amigurumi and decorative granny squares.

Bernat CottonTots. I honestly hate this yarn, lol. It's loosely wound with only a thin string around the strand and if you pull on it too hard it tends to rip (so it's not suitable for sewing amigurumi pieces together). It does seem pretty strong once it's crocheted together but getting there irritates me. It's also got a texture that I don't enjoy but only I seem to notice. I'm only using this because I had some from years ago that I want to use up, but the odds of me buying it again is low.

My rating: 2/10

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton. This one is a mercerized cotton. It is fairly strong but works up stiff unless you use a larger hook. I've made a few amigurumi with it and it's... okay. My personal experience is that the colors are not the same in real life as on their website; I've started looking at it at Joann's in person to get an idea of the true color and then ordering it from the Lion Brand website because it's cheaper that way. I'm thinking it will make nice clothes than toys, so that's my next experiment with it. Weight is a 4/Medium/Worsted, which is accurate.

My rating: 6/10. I don't think I'm a big fan of mercerized yarn but we'll see.

Hobbii Rainbow cotton. So this one is interesting. There are three types of Rainbow yarn. 8/4, 8/6, 8/8. I mostly use 8/8, which is listed as a 3/Sport weight, but is close enough to a 4 weight that is blends in nicely. Lots of colors to choose from and Hobbii offers a discount for buying in bulk as well as offering color packs. Works up quite nice, soft, and strong. Only downside is the 8/8 only has 75m/82yards per tiny skein. There are occasionally cones with longer yardage available, but for the best color selection go with the small skeins.

(Currently there is a new brand from Hobbii called the Friends line. I haven't tried it yet, but it promises to be the same color across all is various yarn types (as much as possible). I'm hoping it won't replace Rainbow because I love the color selection and no other brand offers the same range.)

My rating: 10/10

As an added bonus, the Hobbii brands, Etrolfil Re-Public, and Candy all come with easy start tags (Hobbii and Etrofil use stickers, Candy came with a wooden charm). I love easy start yarn. It definitely lessens the chance of a yarn barf.

If anyone want to know more about a specific listed yarn in the post, feel free to ask and I'll make a separate post with more photos about it. As I said at the start, all of this is merely my own opinion and your experiences may vary. Hopefully someone finds this informative or at least entertaining. Have a great time creating lovely fiber arts projects and feel free to share them.

Tagging @not-available-for-comment . If anyone else wants to be tagged in future posts, feel free to ask.

[kikobees]

Since this shawl is half math, half make-it-up-as-I-go AND I've kept good notes I can do rough calculations to see how much yarn I'll need for the edge. I've already had to dye 2 more skeins of yarn than what I had originally planned, and the math is saying I'll need one more.

I refuse to lose yarn chicken 26,400 stitches later, so time to frog 7,920 stitches.

Another note, the wingspan of the shawl is longer than the couch I'm sitting on.

[elizabethplaid]

a few more knitting notes for the night

Well, I didn't clean off the whole couch like I planned, but I at least sifted through the in-progress yarn bin.

I counted my deflated (not-yet-stuffed) pumpkins: 2 large and 7 mini. That's all the stuff I've knit since the last "stuffing spree", back in August. So 9 back then, 9 now = 18 pumpkins.

Next step is to tidy the yarn I've worked with over the summer. Some already went back in the big bin. A couple skeins need to be rewound. I need to separate a two-ply novelty yarn, to separate the eyelashes from the pom-poms. (It looks like clown pox, I stg.)

The leftover yarn bits from the Pantone hat were also loose in my bin. I don't want to start the 2nd hat yet, because Caron (the yarn company) really made the hanks look amazing. I'd like to display that next to the hat I made, so people can see why the colors are like that.

------------ I showed my dad the "harvest" of deflated pumpkins, along with the stuffed ones I've stashed away. (Also showed him the group photo from August.) He asked about pricing, and I said $10-15 for the smaller ones and $20-25 on the larger ones. He made a face and implied the prices were too high. I said Neighbor-G would fuss at me if I priced them too low, and I'm going to offer a discount for people buying multiple items.

If anyone wants to do a trade or partial trade, I would absolutely love that. Craft fair aside, K (from the library) and I have already discussed trading work between us. I plan to knit her a hooded scarf, and she will help me out with some quilting things. LL-J has destashed a bunch of yarn on me, so I don't mind giving her discounts or gifts. (I gave her 2 or 3 pumpkins last year.)

I know I won't sell everything, especially the pumpkins. I didn't make many cowls for that exact reason. It's 3 cowls (I decided to sell the dark green one), 2 scarves, the pumpkins, the cat-toy mice, and anything else will be display. (eg the Pantone hat, Harmony's sweaters, my leaf and mermaid shawls, etc)

Ugh, semi-irrationally, I'm pissed. Like, of COURSE I know pricing is tough. Appropriate for time-effort-materials versus what "sells", without alienating potential customers. I'm not trying to make a living, but I also know that whatever's left might make me feel discouraged.

Thank god for Neighbor-G being so supportive of me. She's the one that got me to attend (just displaying stuff for fun) in 2019. She's already jokingly warned me about pricing myself too low. She feels like the encouraging female role model that I really need, especially because she knows crafts and pricing and such. And dad trusts her, after working together in the community for many years.

2020 and 2021 were really rough for me, after a few years of decline. (I think I was really out of it by the end of 2017, but 2016 was still really good for me.) I still haven't taken doll pics in ages, but I'm so happy to be crafting again. Volunteering at the library and befriending LL-J made a huge difference. I'm so incredibly proud of my progress - stuff that's easy to show off to other people, rather than just my own personal victories.

With rejection-sensitive-dysphoria, a little stumble or set-back can throw me off for quite a while. Example: The Pantone hat ended up being too small. I got pumpkins stuffed within a week or so, but I think it took another month before I really got back into knitting. (That was also when I was getting into the cell phone games, oops.)

My point is that bringing up the pricing issue is another RSD trigger to me. It feels discouraging to think of how much -won't- sell. And if it's not selling solely because of my pricing, that'd be a big pain. Again, I want to bargain and trade with folks. I'd rather stuff gets taken home by other people, rather than ensuring I make a big profit. And it might not even be for other craft fair items. Like, "hey, run to the store and fetch me a snack" or something.

I think K and my counselor would say that's good for networking and building a presence in the community.

-----------

HOLY FUCK, I just remembered I had a biscornu (embroidered pin cushion) I was supposed to sell! I set that aside, because I have to sew the panels together and stuff it. Holy fuck, holy fuck, that's hilarious. Like, I started that thing last October!

*sigh* I have 2 weeks. It doesn't have to be done all at once. I could probably stuff pumpkins while I man the table, and people would love it.

[knitmoregirls]

Spelunking - Episode 681- The Knitmore Girls

This week's episode is sponsored by:

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          On the Needles: (0:51)

Gigi : new socks for Andrew cast on: Meilenweit Colortweed

Jasmin is nearly done with the body of Sam's Gramps cardigan by Tincan Knits

Gigi wound yarn from LolaBean for a Stephen West shawl out of Painting Shawls

Jasmin finished the Gatsby shawl by Dawn Henderson in Ocean by the Sea “Quill”

Gigi :the Elton cardigan, super wash merino, from Neighborhood Fiber Co. Slow progress,

Jasmin pulled her Ice Queen out of the UFO pile, and is finished except for the beaded picot bind off (waiting on more beads to come)

Gigi started another pair of socks for Andrew , heel flap is Lucy Neatby technique 

Jasmin is progressing on her crocheted the XY scarf in the 19th Amendment kit from Lady Dye Yarns.

Jasmin pulled her Cashmere/Silk/beaded Curtain Call Cowl out of the UFO pile

        Jasmin mentions Stila lip color in Beso and Lancome make up wipes [CORRECTION: They're Clinique makeup wipes]

Jasmin got a new UFO out of the sweater chest: the Akimbo shawl in A Verb for Keeping Warm's Merino/Silk fingering weight yarn.

  Events:(21:15)

Jasmin & Diane from Lady Dye are co-hosting a KAL! The Sea Glass Pullover (in DK). Pushed back to June 20

Cache Dash has started! May 27 - End of August

Tour de Fleece 

Rhinebeck Hopefully 

STITCHES SoCal in Pasadena!

  Mother Knows Best:(25;40)

HALT (Hungry Angry Lonely Tired)

Gogurt

  When Knitting Attacks:(34:29)

Gigi: socks for Andrew: picked up stitches for the side of the heel flap before turning the heel 

Jasmin: deciphering where in the pattern i am, 4 times. Sheila Ernst Glass needles

      Knits in Space:(39:35)

Dyeing at Little Skein yarns NEEDS SAFE LINK

  Review(48:49)

Outlander Knitting 

By Kate Atherley

  And Sew On :(1:02:50)

  8646:Vogue dress 

Jasmin set up the overlock stitch on the serger 

Gigi: Signed up for class :Fabric Analysis I at Westvalley, ordered and got the books

Also, got a pattern that I found on Pinterest. Vogue 9236

  Check out this episode!

[mor-and-more]

I swear I have sock yarns not just for crazy sweaters

I simply have more of it than I need socks

But speaking of sock plans..

The biggest one is of course finishing the pair of beige spiral ones

But then...

1. Neon lime and lemon - a pair of "matched mismatched" socks with contrast toe, heel and cuff

2. Yet again contrast toe, heel and cuff, but with the hand dyed set in peach and teal. They are gonna be so delightfully marbly

3. I have some skeins of Regia Pairfect and I'm not afraid to use them!! Except uh. I can't bring myself to just. Cut and throw away the yellow divider yarn. So it's part of the socks now

4. 8ply Opal skein is gonna give me a delightful pair of thicker socks :3c haven't gone above 6ply yet so I'm excited for those

5. This one I'm Thonking about, but.. I have a couple hand dyed gradient yarns that are separated in 50 or 40 gram cakes. They might become socks, or they might become sleeves in my sock yarn sweaters (held double). Probably the one with 40 gram cakes is more likely to become socks, as that's about the amount I need for a pair (I don't usually knit them tall)...

6. Almost forgot but! Another kind of Matched Mismatch socks - this time with colourwork. Which I've never done on socks (and barely done in general). Also Gruendl yarn with cashmere.......

This still gives me MANY socks! More than I usually wear! But also.. there's even more yarn that is Definitely Not For Socks (sweaters and shawls though? Yes!)

[onegirlatelier]

La Façade Shawl | December, 2020

The word ‘façade’ came to me because of the pattern of Chart B, which resembles the dentil ornament on a Greek temple, which then leads to the complete image of a classic temple façade. It’s beautifully symmetrical and rhythmic…

Given that the interior of a Greek temple is just as refined, I cannot help but ponder the opposite functions of a façade: a representation of the inside, or a cover-up?

I’ve been doing a fun free-writing exercise that is prompted by a collection of scents. I may or may not be looking for a new scent, but for each I ask myself to inhale solely and feel properly, and then write down whatever descriptive phrases I find suitable and the image of a lady which I am to construct based on the scent. Some perfumes are more suitable for my pillow, others I could connect with the people I know, and I have not yet found one that would fit me. And I have been wondering. How my perception of myself differs from another person’s, and which one is truer?

When I look at myself, it is all hazy. Secrets, too many of them. I am so full of them sometimes all I can do is to stare out and hope that my words would squeeze through everything else on their own and throw themselves at others; but at the same time life is not fun without secrets, layers upon layers upon layers…Ah, that sweet struggle. 

In the beginning of this year I was gifted a perfume with strong notes of rose and oud, which I returned because of many personal reasons, but the choice surprised me. I’m not sure if I am allowed to wear it yet. Most of the time I still feel like a fledgling, shivering and eyes wide open, terrified of what is to come from the world. Sometimes I do feel so old, but instead of the wisdom and self-assurance I aspire to have, I am really just filled with exhaustion. What sort of a grown-up lady gets all teary at a comment from her mother? I don’t deserve rose and oud.

But what exactly is expected of me?

Who is doing all that expecting?

This shawl is made to honour me and no one else. My mind, my hands, my heart, my life—the physical and the mental.

Pattern

Woodlark Shawl by Lærke at Fiber Tales. I modified it somewhat heavily, but I can vouch that the pattern itself is really clearly written and filled with all the necessary details. I loved all the tiny traces to consideration she put into her work.

 Yarn

Wool Local by Erika Knight. 100% wool, 450m/100g. It appears to be 2-plied.

The dusty pink colour is #802 Rosedale. Two skeins, with 53g left=approx. 147g used (including a swatch).

The deep grey colour is #806 Cathy. One skein, with 18g left=approx. 82g used.

 The yarn is made from British wool and is obviously rougher than, for example, merino. However, it is much softer than Tukuwool. It feels sturdy yet just soft enough for a shawl that will likely come into contact with my arms and my neck. It drapes well, especially with my loose gauge. I have attempted several projects with this yarn and am very glad that it has found its place.

The only con is that this yarn was very splitty. If I were knitting a lace or a stockinette garment, that would not be a problem. But this shawl involved some purl rows and bobbles with the back-stitching method, and it was much more likely for me to split the yarn. 

Of course, I appreciate the idea of reducing carbon emission by producing a yarn with local wool, but since the yarn had to travel half-way across the world to reach me, I do feel really guilty. I hate to be constantly having to choose between an eco-friendly yarn from another continent and a locally-produced one that is a pure disaster for the environment.

Finished Size

Wingspan: 180cm

Length: 65cm

Please see modifications below.

 Modifications

I knitted extra rows at each stockinette section to increase the size of the shawl. Sometimes that was enough for me to add a complete pattern repeat in the next colourwork section, but if not, then I improvise a pattern to make the centre of the shawl look coherent. You can see from the picture!

I also did a little surgery because in my first attempt of the bobble section I ended up with eight bobbles on the left and seven on the right. It wasn’t obvious, but I couldn’t fall asleep knowing that there was such a fault. I discovered the mistake only after a significant portion of the shawl was done, so I repaired it by cutting open and frogging the three rows involved (the two bobble rows and the row after them) and reknitting the section, before I seamed the new section back with a kitchener stitch. (Please see my Instagram post for the step-by-step pictures!)

In the first bobble section, I added a bobble in the centre of the shawl as that seemed most appropriate for me. I did this by embroidery after I finished the entire shawl: I used a tapestry needle to do a duplicate stitch as the first row, and when knitted the second row of the bobble, after doing the back-knitting I pulled the length of yarn all the way out instead of letting it form a loop on the left needle and kept those three loops on the right needle, and then used the tapestry needle to loop it around the foot of the corresponding stitch on the shawl from right to left, and finally lead the yarn back through the three loops on the right needle. After that, I just tuck the yarn to the back side and hid the ends as usual.

I don’t know how others deal with long floats when doing purl stitches in a garter pattern, but I sort of improvised a method: I didn’t catch the float when doing the purl row, letting that length of yarn float loosely behind the stitches. Then on the next row, which is a knit row, I used my left needle to pick up the floating yarn by doing under it from front to back, and knitted the next stitch together with the floating yarn. The actual stitch is now in front of the floating yarn and cover it up, so you would not see it especially if you pull the floating yarn at the back of the work. I did this every three stitches to make sure the floating yarn is secured.

 (This is a backside of which I am not ashamed.)

 Further considerations

Not really, except that I would love to try a different colour combination. I intended to pair the dusty pink with a deep grassy green, but the effect wasn’t good as I was going for a pair of high-contrast colours.

I would maybe pair a dusty pink with a yellow, or orange with forest green.

(Pictured are the pink yarn and a green one that I originally intended to pair it with.)

[survivorofhighstorms]

NaKniCroMo day 31: How did you do? Well I more than met my goal, so I'd say I did a pretty good job! Finished the shawl at work this past Saturday, and I have 2 (admittedly small) skeins of yarn into the yellow blanket already. I knit ever day this month but last Sunday because I was working and I don't think the blanket is a very good project for at the hospital. I'd say knitting is a big part of the reason I'm as calm as I've been through the beginning of this COVID19 crisis. They say the worst of it is going to hit my area in mid to late April, so it looks like I'd better find another project that's suitable for the break room! #naknicromo2020 https://www.instagram.com/p/B-bHFVRJWsV/?igshid=1cj9gvozkkbz9

[gaviicreates]

WIP Wednesday - 2023 May 31

I'm back, but no promises about better than ever. I can't live up to that pressure. :D But what I can do is give a quick update on my current WIP status.

WIP Count: 4 1, crochet 2 knit, 1 Tunisian crochet

I have one more crochet project on hiatus, as it's a bit in limbo awaiting my decision for if I plan to continue it, so for now my count remains just 4.

I have been eager to play with some summer yarns - those light cottons and silky smooth bamboos, as it's approaching the hottest months of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere. Except I keep getting these lovely merino wools that have me whipping out the winter ideas.

I've been working with this absolutely GORGEOUS yarn from Arcane Fibre Works out of Canada, in a limited colorway called "Calm Waters." It's these soft yellows and green-blues that I scooped up once I found out the listing was in its last couple skeins.

Since its 80/20 Merino and Nylon in a lightweight fingering, I figure I can get away with it as a summer knit. And yes, you read that right! I am a crocheter choosing the new craft for working up this beautiful yarn. I experimented a little, but there's just truly something special about how these hand-dyeds take to knitting.

I am working on a shawl called the Mara Shawl by Madeline Tosh, available on Ravelry here. This is a FREE pattern, and it's lovely for showing off a lovely colorway. For the first part it's all garter, and I am new enough to knit, that this has been a joy watching the striping take effect.

For the WIP, this is just a phone pic of the progress, so the quality is low, but- it's starting to be a pretty decently sized triangle at the moment.

Since I have two hanks, I do hope she ends up a nice big size so I can fully wrap the shawl around my shoulders when complete. I am tempted to order one more hank just to be safe... and maybe have another credit card mishap.....

[dreamstormdragon]

OC Snippet Tag

Rules of the game: Pick an OC and answer the following 7 Qs!

I got tagged by @theblueskyphoenix

As for an OC… Darnit making me choose between all my babies.

I pick my Spider-Verse OC Athena Parker, because I’ve been wanting to do more with her but am on a bit of a “Don’t do anything new until after nano” so… Yeah.

1. Your OC is at a jazz bar when they see a mysterious, alluring dame being pestered by a joe that just won’t let up. What do they do?

She, really wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place. She was just there to make a trade of goods, with a seller because it was cheaper than shipping.

However, she wasn’t about to sit there and watch that happen. The girl stood up, adjusting her gloves, taking aim.

The guy opened his mouth, for another pickup line, when he was silenced by a glob of web across his mouth. He let out a muffled yell of alarm, as he started looking around, expecting New York’s favorite webslinger to be hanging around the bar somewhere.

Athena tapped the woman’s shoulder gesturing for her to sit next to her.

“Thank you… I have no idea where that came from though.”

She smiled.

“Maybe there’s a friendly neighborhood spider chilling around. Root beer?”

“Please.”

2. The world will be destroyed in three days. What does your OC do with their remaining time?

The world, was going to collapse in three days. No one had expected that blasted device, to be recreated in another universe… Let alone a universe full of danger like no other.

“This is going to be tough.” She remarked, looking down at the ruined city, her hair blowing in the wind.

The man beside her, narrowed his eyes, giving her a nudge.

“You wanna sit and wait for the world to die, or get home in time for dinner?”

Athena smirked, pulling down her mask.

“Let’s stop the zombie apocalypse. I wanna punch zombie you in the face.”  She gave a thumbs up, showing she had a capsule in one hand. “We can make a cure rain right?”

Peter patted her head, before pulling his own mask down.

“Let’s roll.”

3. Your OC spends the night in a haunted house for a bet, only to realize that the rumours might be true… What do they do?

She hummed a little under her breath, her mind trying to block out any of the noises coming from around her.

Yarn over, pull through, yarn over pull through…

The air around her went cold, as something icy grabbed her shoulder.

“I, swear if you interrupt my counting I’m gonna sock you.” She growled, turning as a large misty apparition shrunk down behind the couch. “That’s what I thought!”

“Boss…” A voice whispered. “What do we do? She just gets mad!”

“Take her dang yarn!”

Athena held up a spray mister, meant for plants.

“You touch my yarn, I cleanse you out of this dimension.”

4. A character your OC cares deeply about has just passed away. How do they handle their grief?

She supposed, it was too good to be true. To believe she’d ever have a full and happy family, where no one was going to disappear from her life.

She sobbed harder, burying her face into a bundle in her arms. His spare suit, his mask… It still smelled like the laundry soap he used for it and baby powder.

MJ was downstairs, dealing with the press but Athena… Athena couldn’t go down there. It was just a reminder, that in the end…

 Spider-Man, chose to save her instead of himself.

Dad… Why? Why did you do this to me?

 She sat up, slowly staring down at the mask. No more night time runs in their casual clothes, no more sitting up late watching movies while making jokes.

No more dramatic sighing whenever we go to the craft store…

No more tucking me in at night… No more kissing Mom goodbye before patrol…

“You were supposed to be there for me… I’m not ready for this part…. I’m not ready,...” She growled, her voice shaking as she punched the mask down into her mattress. “You were supposed to give me away at my wedding you jerk!”

She sunk down into her bed, curling up.

“You… You were the only one who got what I’m going through…”

Dad….

Please come back.

Please let this be a bad dream I can wake up from…

I need you… I’m scared.

Daddy, I’m scared…

I’m scared of the dark...

 5. Your OC walks into a coffee shop. What kind of coffee do they order?

Athena hummed a little, strolling into her favorite shop.

“Ah, if it isn’t the weaver!” The barista laughed. “How hard did your dad’s credit card cry this time?”

Athena grinned, holding up a hefty bag from her favorite yarn store.

“Pretty bad. Can I have a mocha frapp with extra java chips, six pumps of vanilla and caramel?” She asked.

The barista winced.

“Oh… Oh, you are terrible. You want actual coffee in that?”

Athena stuck her tongue out.

“Nope. Give me my overly sugary drink fix please!”

6. Your OC finds themselves in a financial pinch - they need money, and fast. Who do they go to or what do they do to get the dough?

Athena sighed heavily, looking up from her laptop, to the people across the room. Her mother met her eyes, as she shook her head getting up quickly. She wanted no part of this upcoming war.

“Daaaad.” She called, in the most sugary sweet voice she could manage. “How much do you love me?”

Peter didn’t look up from the report he was typing up for the Bugle. “How much is this gonna cost me?”

“Just… a hundred and fifty…”

“For what?”

“Freshly dyed, baby alpaca yarn… and angora in some beautiful shades.” She batted her eyes, trying to get him to look her in the eyes. “I promise, I won’t ask for anything else!”

“Athena… I’m gonna teach you a lesson my aunt May taught me.” Peter looked up at her with a stern look. “I’m not made of money. I’ll drop cash gladly on your yarn that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg but if you want that really fancy crap, either wait until the holidays or your birthday. Or find a way around it. But I am not dropping that much on new yarn, when you have tons of it upstairs.”

Athena sighed heavily, looking down at the skeins she oh so desperately wanted. She already could imagine the sweaters and shawls she could create from them.

Then… she got an idea… Athena looked up at him, giving another innocent look.

“Dad? Can I have an etsy store?”

“By all means, if it gets rid of the yarn you’re stashing in my spider shed go for it.”

A few days later, Athena was listing batches of Spider-Man related memorabilia on her new etsy store, from jackets to order by commission, to premade little plushies of the famous webslinger… and a few of her own persona.

“You think people really are gonna buy Arachne stuff?” She fidgeted, looking at the tiny plushie in her hands, that resembled her costume.

Peter patted her head, taking it and slipping her a twenty. She looked up at him in surprise.

“I know at least one person who will.” He winked, giving her a grin. “I think I’ll make her my little desk guardian at work.”

Athena giggled, hugging him tightly.

“Love you Dad.”

“Love you too Weaver.”

7.  Your OC somehow obtains the ability to time travel. Where do they go, and what do they do?

She was going to stop this. She had been so determined to stop it… she didn’t think about what would happen when she did. She saw her younger self, milling around a shop room, singing under her breath.

Before she had been bitten by a radioactive spider, dropped into her dimension… while it sucked her newly divorced future parent into another.

She had been intending to jump back, to stop the divorce from happening in the first place… but it made her pause.

Her younger self, had been so alone… She had her group home, yes. Her fiber art club at school.

But years of accumulating skills, taught to her by people who had said “we promise this is the last home.” Had hurt…

Arachne stared at Athena, spotting a familiar bright green, blue and black spider crawling along the wall.

Soon, I’m gonna get bit… Then in a few months, Mom and Dad are gonna drop in on my life...

Gosh and I was gonna mess up a good thing I had…

I love my parents… but I know if I stop that, then I stop this.

Then I stop my family from existing…

So, she turned away. She jumped back to her own time, throwing away the device that was letting her make the jumps. Trading her costume, for her favorite dress and jacket, bolting down the streets towards home.

Home, with her room that had the special shelves, just for her ever growing collections of yarn and thread.

Home, with the old school sewing machine her aunt May had left to MJ when she passed.

Home, with her weaving loom and her knitting needles and crochet hooks…

Home…

With her parents.

ooooo

Aaaaahhhh this was fun, to explore Athena a little bit, since I do wanna do more for my spider gal. For now… This shall be it. This was fun!

Let’s see…

I taaaaag….

No one. >83

[littlewalken]

Aug 15

The sock yarn accumulated not because I make socks, I hardly even wear them, but because it’s perfect for doll sweaters. Then I never made that many doll sweaters. Not that I might not in the future. It’s just the sitting down and stringing as I have a book that taught me how to design knitting patterns. Just haven’t designed that many.

I don’t wear sweaters either, mostly because bare yarn against my skin would make me feel like I want to claw my skin off from the itchies :/ But I wear shalws and shoulder capes and things that remind me there’s no insulation in this place.

I’ll sleep under yarn blankets too, pretty warms are pretty warms. 

I have used this, in regular light the colors are stunning mint green and candy pink. The stitches are multiples of 6 in single, double, and treble crochet. It’s 1-2-3-3-2-1 OR 3-2-1-1-2-3 as long as the row you’re working on and the one below it add up to 4. You easily get in to a rhythm on it and it comes out soft and drapes nicely. 

In reality there’s 5 tubs of yarn waiting to become something. Sweaters in Hella re made from Red Heart but as I said I don’t wear sweaters. That’s a mix of ideas for projects, left overs, that’s pretty, that’s on sale, a Dr Who scarf, some useful colors from bags at the thrift store, and where the hell did that come from? Looking at you some of the what was I thinking self striping shit.

I might have to break out the double tipped and make some gloves or at least arm protectors to keep the sun off of me. On top is the skein I hope I used a coupon or sale to get, in the mystery bag is a close enough to be a mate (unless anal grandma is still alive) and 5 muted friends. Really want to say this is Kroy Socks. Wanna be doll sweaters behind.

The ha;f moon hanging out with some other shawls/wraps/scarves to be. The three pinkish and stripy in the bottom right corner are going to be another project. The rest should be single skein things.

Have not figured out what I’ll do exactly with the half moon nor could I find a sparkle black in the right weight. Something will be done with it.

Not pictured is the ball winder I used to make most of that in to those compact little cakes/center pull balls. You know what’s nice about having one? It allows me to buy the messed up skeins with missing or hand written bands at the store and leave the nice ones for those it matters more to. And cakes let you see the colors better. 

As for other stuff I can’t say yet. Went out yesterday, didn’t find anything I set out to look for, but had my feet and arms covered up so it waits to be seen if I get any more PMLE spots. 

The one on my leg has its own congress person. I was going to say it hasn’t seen daylight all century because all my outside pants are full length but I’ve worn pajamas out to check the mail. It hits right at the hem of most of my crop pajama pants. 

It’s lovely to think that my skin now knows it can freak out at the mere mention of sunlight. What happens is it makes too much histamine and it comes out through the skin. It doesn’t get scaly like psoriasis and it’s not contagious. 

There’s foods that are “high in histamines” etc but I’d rather stay out of the sun than give those up. A good amount are the things I need to combat the anemia or control the symptoms of my brain injury. I’m not officially doing the higher fat epilepsy diet but I’m not one of those low fat people. Hamburgers are an important part of my diet.

If you’re iron deficient and need a bit of sweet or crunch look in to graham crackers. Regular kind, not flavored ones aimed at kids, old fashioned bland diet keep the urges down ones :p. They’re higher in iron than some other snacks. 

Immediate task, separate one last skein from a mystery bag of sock yarn. Three of them were sock and brown floof. The floof goes in the bin with other floofs as I have those knit your own cat and dog books. And a crochet your own dog book. And a crochet kittens pattern. And a box of plastic animal noses and eyes. And the knit a fantasy story book with animals. And the knit a farm book with animals. Then there’s the knit and crochet food books....

[rikrakyarnncrafts]

New Book – Everyday Wraps

One of the hardest things about working on our exclusive collections is keeping them a secret for so long. I’ve been so excited about our new Everyday Wraps collection for months and now it’s finally available for everyone!

This gorgeous collection of 14 shawl patterns features yarn I have an abundance of – sock yarn! While I do love knitting socks, sometimes I want a project to show off the colors in a larger piece (and not one hidden by my shoes).  With swaths of garter stitch with small doses of texture and simple lace patterns, this collection is a dream come true for me – and I think you will love it as well.

Of course I have some favorites! I’ve already begun my first of many projects from this book – the cover shawl Stratosphere by the marvelous Claire Slade.

This has all of my favorite things about a shawlette – an interesting construction, a chance to play with multiple colors, and plenty of garter stitch and stripes.  Best of all, it uses my favorite yarn Hawthorne (currently on sale!). I dug through my stash and went with Astoria Tonal, Cully Multi, and Compass Kettle for my color choices, but honestly, I think this project would look lovely in so many variations.

Next on my list is another project that also uses Hawthorne – the Junction Shawl by Tetiana Otruta.

This pattern is perfect for showing off Hawthorne Speckle, with simple lace and a solid contrast color. I don’t knit much lace but this pretty eyelet stitch seems to be one I can handle (plus the pattern is both charted and written out, which makes it easy to follow). I’m picturing using City Lights Speckle with Blackbird Kettle for sophisticated shawl to wear out on the town.

For a true one skein project, I love the Alyce Scarf by Ann Albe.

Finding projects for Stroll Gradient can be a challenge since it needs to be big enough for the entire skein – small accessories such as hats and cowls likely only use about half the skein so you’d miss out on one of the colors and while socks would use the entire thing, you’d have 2 different colored socks. So the Alyce Scarf is perfect – it works up quickly with a mix of stockinette and garter, with some small eyelets thrown in at the end. The finished project is a nice soft wrap, great for throwing on over a top when the office air conditioner runs a little cold or wrapping around your neck for a little extra warmth when it’s chilly outside.  While I love the color we knit it up in (Stardust), I’d love to see one knit up in Summer Camp for a bit more a punch of brightness.

These 3 are just the tip of the iceberg – there are still 11 more lovely patterns to choose from in this collection. It’s a great time to pick up this book for your shelf –  it’s currently 40% off! (not to mention the Monthly Yarn Sale on all lines of Hawthorne too!). You can also get the eBook or each pattern by itself as well. I can’t wait to start seeing some finished projects of these designs!

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