i make stuff

One yarn, two projects.

At the beginning of the year, I took on a Pay It Forward project that involved letting several people sign up for me to make them something, and then in turn, they would have to pay it forward to someone else. I've been a wee bit slow to get going on these, but I finally buckled down and got started this summer. I decided to spin up some fiber into yarn and make handknit legwarmers for my friend Alex, who's a yoga goddess and so of COURSE needed legwarmers!!!

I started with this fiber, falkland dyed by Funky Carolina, in a color called Run Into the Fire. 

I had two braids of this gorgeous stuff, so I made two skeins of sport/dk 2-ply yarn, spinning on my Lendrum DT.

Once the yarn was done, I got really excited because I realized I totally had enough for TWO projects. So I decided to knit the legwarmers and also a birthday hat for my friend Marianne. I love how the handspun yarn looked in the two projects.

PATTERN: Improvised
NEEDLES: US 5 (3.75 mm)
YARN: My handspun, Funky Carolina Falkland

I made up this pattern, so feel free to use it. For an average woman, cast on 40 stitches (gauge about 4.5 stitches per inch). Knit 3" (approx. 18 rows) 2x2 ribbing. For the first knit row, increase 4 stitches, evenly spaced (I just did a k1f&b). Knit in the round. Increase 4 more stitches in row 50. Knit to 80 rows. Do another 3" (18 rows) 2x2 and then cast off using the sewn bindoff method. Easy!

PATTERN: Norie by Gudrun Johnston
NEEDLES: US 5 (3.75 mm)
YARN: My handspun, Funky Carolina Falkland

This is such a great hat! I wasn't sure about it in handspun at first, but my friend Tracy convinced me that with a semi-solid handspun, it wouldn't interfere with the lace panels, and she was right. This is a great pattern for a not-too-crazy handspun yarn. I love the slouch factor and the lace panels. It was a very fast knit, and I think it's really cute on my pal! The only change I made was to leave out the last pattern repeat, but it's still very slouchy.

And that's how one gal makes two gifts from the same yarn. Yay!

Sock central!

This year, I promised myself I'd get to making more socks, as I only had about 7 pairs and I have about a bazillion skeins of sock yarn I'm trying to knit through - not to mention all the fiber that's begging to be spun up and knit! Here are a few pairs I've made so far this spring...

PATTERN: Walk Now by Irishgirlieknits
NEEDLES: US 1 (2.25mm)
YARN: Funky Carolina Superwash Merino/Cashmere/Silk in "Vampyr"

Holy decadent socks, Batman! When my friend Carrie recently dyed up a bunch of yarn along with her normal spinning fiber, I knew I needed to have a skein. She does the best reds! This one had to come and live with me. Even though the blend is super fancy, I just really wanted to make socks, and my OTHER friend Carrie had just released a new sock pattern - it seemed like a match made in heaven. Thanks to my pal Ceylan for taking photos for me during our March weekend lakehouse getaway in Texas.

PATTERN: Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Socks (recipe)
NEEDLES: US 1 (2.25mm)
FIBER: Two if By Hand Superwash Merino in "Whiz Bangs"
(spun to 2-ply fingering/sport weight yarn)

It's impossible to explain how much I love these socks. This is one of my favorite colorways dyed by my girlfriend Ceylan - isn't it awesome? I think you really have to see what the fiber looks like before it's spun, because it's so stunning...

OMG. I love it. I have spun this several times, for customers of Plied Together (our Etsy handspun yarn shop) and will be spinning several more braids for upcoming custom orders. It's the best. I made basic toe-up socks using a provisional cast-on and with a short-row heel. Love!

It's fun to make stuff for MEEEE! :)

Comfort Jeanette With Apples

Tomorrow, I'll resume my Rockin' the Handknits series - I've really been enjoying putting those together and hope you have, too. But first - I have a couple of new knits of my own to share with y'all and I'd love to start with a pair of socks I knit up for my friend Jeanette. I call them Comfort Jeanette With Apples. I knit these socks with my own handspun yarn, which I made using a braid of yarn dyed by my friend Maria of Two if By Hand. Here's the original braid of fiber (the second braid is for me and will be spun/knit later):

Two if By Hand SW Merino in "Comfort Me With Apples"

Jeanette asked me to spin her braid up as a navajo (chain) plied sock yarn, and that's just what I did. Fibers dyed like this make wonderful self-striping yarn when you chain-ply them. Chain plying means taking one strand of yarn and making loops to create multiple plies, rather than taking two or more strands of yarn and plying (twisting) them together). I was super pumped with the stripy, awesome result:

Pretty neat, eh? After I spun up the yarn, I thought, "Ya know...Jeanette doesn't really love knitting socks. Maybe I'll just knit them up for her as a surprise!" And that's what I did. Stealthily, I knit the socks without her knowing and zipped them to her in the mail. 

Sometimes, it's really nice to knit something for someone as a surprise! But you can see how the yarn knit up into stripes. Cool! They're a bit fraternal, but still pretty awesome.

I just did a basic toe-up sock for these, casting on 20 stitches provisionally for the toe and increasing every other row till I had 56 stitches. Then I knit to two inches before the heel and did a normal short-row heel, followed by the leg and a twisted 1x1 rib cuff. Easy!

 

 

Cuddles the Sweater.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Cuddles the Sweater.

Pattern: Cadence pullover by Jordana Paige
Yarn: Plied Together 2-Ply, 630 yards heavy worsted weight
Fiber: FLUFF Fibers Merino/Cashmere/Silk in "Cuddles"
Knit by: Erin Walker

I didn't knit this sweater. But I want to share it with you because it's a very special labor of love, the combined work of three talented artists (why yes, that's me patting myself on my own back - I am one of the three). My very dear friend Erin, owner of the online yarn shop Eat. Sleep. Knit., knit this beautiful sweater from yarn I spun using FLUFF Fibers merino/cashmere/silk fiber, hand-dyed by my wonderful friend Jeanette.

How's that for a circle of handmade lovin'?!

This is the first time I've ever spun a sweater quantity of fiber, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be - in large part because Jeanette's fiber is so beautiful and soft and well-handled, it was a joy to work with. I spun 20 ounces of fiber into 5 skeins of yarn, and it took me about a week to do. The hardest part was maintaining consistency for that many skeins of yarn. Since the fiber was hand-dyed, and I wanted it to "match" as well as it could, I mixed it all up before spinning, so Erin would have a really blended effect, and I think that worked out in the end. Her sweater is just lovely, no? 

Here's what the fiber looked like when I got it (forgive the vaguely pink lighting, it was tough to photograph on a rainy Seattle day).

And here's what it looked like once I spun it up:

Sometimes it's hard to look at handspun and envision what it's going to be like knit up, and that's what has stopped me from spinning for a sweater for myself so far. But I think Erin did a great job choosing the right pattern for this yarn. It has a nice embellishment at the top that's not marred by the way handspun yarn stripes gently and naturally. All around, I think this is a beautiful project, from the dye job to the yarn to the knitting/wearing of the garment.

Scarves and cowls and hats, oh my!

Still playing catch-up, I have a few more items to share from this fall.

PATTERN: Melody's Shawl by Melody Moore
NEEDLES: US 9 (5.5mm)
YARN: Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino in "Poppy"

This is the very definition of a languishing WIP (work in progress). I started in March 2010 during our trip to Paris/Warsaw, and dubbed it "Old French Whore" after the old SNL game show parody. I finished it this September. Yeah...that took a while. The thing about the Melody Shawl is that it's perfect mindless knitting, to cart around in your bag with you and pull out while you're waiting for your food to come at a restaurant or gabbing with a friend. There was really no rush to finish it, but as soon as it was done, it became a staple of my wardrobe for fall. I don't normally wear a lot of purple clothing, but as an accessory, the color is stunning. And the yarn is so luxurious. I get questions and compliments about this scarf all the time. And I've cast on another, which should be finished in roughly October 2011. 

PATTERN: Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West
NEEDLES: US 7 (4.5mm)
YARN: Hand spun yarn from my friend Marianne!

I cast on for this shawl very soon after receiving this gorgeous yarn (spun from Finn wool) from my friend Marianne. The color was "Orchard" so I thought it would be the perfect accessory for my October trip to NYC and Rhinebeck. I didn't finish it before the trip, but during, so I did get to enjoy it! :) Super easy pattern, great for showing off handspun yarn.

PATTERN: Honey Cowl by Madelinetosh
NEEDLES: US 7 (4.5mm)
YARN: Hand spun yarn made from Funky Carolina BFL/Silk in "Dragonskin"

I love this project so much. My knitting friends do these quarterly swaps, and I ended up with my friend Thayer as a swap partner. I wanted to make her something really fun and appropriate to her personality. Thayer is a huge gamer, and she loves big loopy cowls, so when I saw the Dragonskin colorway my friend Carrie dyes, I thought it would be perfect for Thayer. The color reminded me of the blues in World of Warcraft, and the stitch pattern of the cowl really did resemble scaly dragonskin. I found this hilarious button and pinned it to the finished cowl, and Thayer wears it that way. Love! It was a hard one to part with, because the cowl was so snuggly and such an awesome jewel tone. Again - will have to make another for me!

PATTERN: Flicker Socks by Cookie A.
NEEDLES: US 1 (2.25mm)
YARN: Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Yarn in "Bella's Truck"

This is a lesser-loved Cookie A. sock design but I just LOVE the finished socks. I have had this pattern in my faves for a really long time, and the yarn seemed like the perfect match. These are mine all mine!

PATTERN: Wurm by katushika
NEEDLES: US 4 & US 6
YARN: Madelinetosh Pashmina in "Tart"

Yep, I jumped on the Tart bandwagon. In case you don't know, Madelinetosh is a maker of gorgeous hand-dyed yarns, and this color was something of an internet sensation throughout the end of 2009 and most of 2010. It appears to be going strong still, because really, it is the perfect deep red. Not pink, not burgundy, RED. So I had to copy my friend Megan, who also made a Tarty Wurm. It's such a great, adorable, slouchy hat. I already had one made with handspun but I just had to have another!

Whew! I was productive this fall, even though I fell off my sweater-a-month kick a bit.

Spinning for Babies

This spring, two of my lovely friends welcomed their second babies into the world. I wanted to do something extra special for both Mandi and Nicole and their little ones, and I thought, what would be sweeter than spinning the yarn with which I knit the babies' gifts? Nothing. So that's precisely what I did. Both moms were cool enough, having received hand knits before, to give me the OK on non-superwash baby items, which means they'll have to be washed by hand, but I had more fibers to choose from.

First, up, Mandi's 2.0, little Alexia. I made her a Baby Kina sweater and matching Saartje's Booties. I started with polwarth from Squoosh Fiberarts...

 

...and spun it up to a 2ply sport weight yarn.

 

Then, I knit the sweater and matching booties.

 

PROJECT: Baby Kina
YARN: Handspun polwarth from Squoosh Fiberarts
NEEDLES: US 2.5/3.0mm

PROJECT: Saartje's Booties
YARN: Handspun polwarth from Squoosh Fiberarts
NEEDLES: US 2.5/3.0mm

For Nicole's sweet baby girl, Violet, I decided to knit in less traditional baby colors. I spun this merino from FLUFF Fibers (dyed by my friend Jeanette) in a colorway called Asleep in the Trees...

into this beautiful 2-ply sport weight yarn...

...and then I knit a sweater.

 

PROJECT: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February)
 by Elizabeth Zimmerman
YARN: Handspun merino from FLUFF Fibers
NEEDLES: US 5/3.75mm

This sweater was actually fairly modified - it normally has a gull lace pattern, but I knit it in plain stockinette to let the handspun striping sing.

 

 

Knitting baby gifts is really satisfying because it's quick, but also it's great to be able to make something that will hopefully make the baby a little bit happier and warmer. It's a great way to wrap your arms around a baby, which makes me really happy.  

Spinning.

When I moved to Seattle, I did so knowing that I would spend some months unemployed. I came here without a job, and since arriving, I've dedicated several hours each day to looking for something new. But as I was rather burned out in my last job, I vowed to myself that I would seek to enjoy life more in Seattle. I don't intend to take a new job until I find something I'm really excited about, and I'd really love it if it were something part-time. Til then, I'm keeping busy with the housework, the dog-care, and my crafts.

Last year, you may recall I learned how to spin and I also bought my first spinning wheel. I've really fallen in love with the craft, to say the least, although I've done a poor job showing you what I've been making. You did see some finished projects that were knit with my handspun yarn, but let's focus on the yarn itself for a minute.

 

Squoosh BFL worsted/aran weight in Red Maple

 

Sunshine Yarns Merino/Tencel 2-ply fingering weight in Dark Forest

 

FLUFF Fibers Superwash Merino 2-ply worsted in Comfortable

 

FLUFF Fibers Silky Cashmerino  2-ply worsted in Don't Make a Sound

 

FLUFF Merino 2-ply dk weight in Asleep in the Trees

I've really enjoyed each spin I've done, getting better each time, experimenting with different weights and yardage and spinning techniques. This winter, a friend asked me to spin up some fiber for her (the purple and white FLUFF you see above) and she paid me a nice sum to do it. Since then, I've had several other people ask me about custom spinning or handspun for purchase. Some have even asked about buying handknits as well, which is tricky because of pattern copyright. I've toyed with the idea of having an Etsy shop, since a bunch of people have asked me about it - I also make jewelry and stitch markers, so it wouldn't be a big stretch for me.

But there are so many Etsy shops out there, so I kinda keep talking myself out of it. However, now that I have so much time on my hands, I've agreed to take on some custom spins for a few people, and I'm really excited about it. I've been calculating fair prices for spinning and putting together a sort of price sheet. 

So if you are interested in handspun yarn, please contact me. I'd love to talk with you about the possibility of spinning for you.

 

Squoosh BFL 3-ply sport weight in Fright night      

It was all yellow...

This winter, I went on a spree knitting yellow things.

PROJECT: Super-Secret Snobby Spinner Swap Surprise
PATTERN: Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau (Ravel it!)
YARN: Handspun Sunshine Yarns Organic Merino Roving in "Sunshine," fingering weight, approx. 370 yards
NEEDLES: US 5

This shawl was sort of a long slog but the end result was awesome. I knit this with yarn I spun myself, the first fingering weight yarn I'd ever created, so it definitely had some flaws, some slubs here and there and a little bit of overtwisting - so the yarn was rustic and uneven. This seemed like the perfect shawl for that sort of thing, and it was. Once knit up, you really can't see the imperfections in the yarn at all, and it was an incredibly mindless pattern to knit. I would certainly make another, I think it's great for showing off the gentle striping of handspun yarn.

I actually knit this for a swap with some other snobby spinners on Ravelry, so sadly, I had to part with it - which was tough, but that's the thing with yarn and knitting - there's always another beauty just around the corner. Plus, I was working on something yellow for myself...

PROJECT: Shalom
PATTERN: Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane (Ravel it!)
YARN: Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted in "Saffron Sarie," approx 3.5 skeins (595 yards)
NEEDLES: US 6, 7 and 8

I love this sweater.

It's my first of 2010 (did I mention I joined a challenge to knit 12 sweaters in 2010?) I made a lot of modifications to it, with the help of other Ravelers and also some of my own intuition, because the original was written for bulky weight yarn and I had worsted. So I've got really extensive notes on my Ravelry project page, but basically I had to change the number of stitches I cast on and throughout the whole pattern. The twisted rib stitch at the top is a really easy pattern, and it was simple to modify, and really easy to fit to my body. The end result is a sweater that fits me really, really well and is a comfortable, versatile weight.

I bought more yarn thinking that I would lengthen the sleeves, but in the end I kept them as originally written - they're so cute! I doubt I would actually wear this without somewhat long sleeves under it, but we'll see - at least this way I have options!

I found the awesome buttons at - where else? - Etsy. They're vintage pinstripe Lucite and I found that at Button Odyssey, which has a ton of cute stuff.

Sometimes you just need a burst of sunshine in the middle of the winter, you know?

Mitered Maples

Look Ma, I made mittens!

PROJECT: Mitered Maples
PATTERN: Mitered Mittens by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Ravel it!)
YARN: Squoosh Fiberarts BFL in Red Maple hand spun
to aran weight, about 130 yards
NEEDLES: US 7

First, let me just say how much I love these mittens. From the delightful, squooshy and soft hand spun yarn to the simple vintage shaping, they are easily one of my favorite knits so far. That said, they weren't exactly a cinch to put together. It's not that the pattern is hard, but it's more of a recipe than a pattern, a la all things Elizabeth Zimmerman, which means you get a perfect fit, but usually after a little bit of tinkering. Coupled with the fact that it's a little harder to predict gauge with hand spun yarn, I ended up having to frog the frst mitten a few times before it fit just right.

So, my modifications. I cast on 48 stitches on a magic loop and joined for knitting in the round. I knit five rows of garter stitch and then 16 rows of the mitered pattern, but I mitered every row instead of every other and for the m1 stitches I did kf&b. Starting on row 17, I decreased on 17 and 19 and mitered on 18 and 20. I made a thumb gusset over 15 rows, following Kathryn Ivy's mods here. I did 10 rows of the standard mitered pattern, knitting every other row. I began the fingertip decreases over 16 rows till eight stitches remained, at which point you pull the yarn through the stitches to make a point and you fasten off the end.

Elizabeth has some crazy thumb-making method that I didn't like, so as many others before me, I picked up stitches for the thumb and added one at the join (16 total). I then knit five rounds even, then knit another round doing a k2tog for all stitches (eight remain), repeated that on the next round (four remain), and then pulled the yarn through for the pointy finish.

Next time I make these, I'll probably make the thumb a little bit longer, but otherwise I love these mittens so much. They are snuggly and warm and totally cute.

Handmade holiday.

Wow. Just wow. Am I ever behind on project posting. Sheesh! I apologize! It's been such a busy fall, gearing up for our big move took up a lot of time. But I did do a TON of knitting and spinning and have been dying to share all my projects with everyone. Many of them were secret though, because I took on a huge thing this year - a handmade holiday. 

The goal was to make as many of my Christmas/Hanukkah gifts as possible and only use purchased items as extras. That didn't so much happen because I always, always cave and spend a lot of money on people - but the exercise was a good one. For my in-laws, for instance, my handmade gifts were the centerpiece, and the bought items were smaller. Same for my mother and my sister. I sort of failed on Dad, brother and husband - but they're harder to knit for, I think. Next year will be even better, I just know it - making gifts for people gave me more ideas for the future.

So, without further ado, here's what I have been gifting.

 

PROJECT: Handspun Toast
 PATTERN: Toast (Ravel it!)
YARN: Handspun bulky-weight merino
NEEDLES: US 7

This cozy pair of fingerless gloves was knit with yarn I spun myself - only my second spin on my wheel. I am really proud of it, even though it's certainly not perfect - lots of thick and thin spots. But it knit up into a beautiful pair of gloves for my dear friend Jen.

 

PROJECT: Seamless Raglan Sweater
 PATTERN: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Seamless Raglan Sweater (Ravel it!)
YARN: Cascade Wool 220 in Irelande - 7 skeins
NEEDLES: US 6

Last year, I made Elizabeth Zimmerman's Seamless Hybrid for Jay. Basically, her patterns are recipes you follow, and they're really simple and rewarding knits. I liked Jay's so much, I decided to make another one for his father for Hanukkah this year. Jed's has a traditional crew neck, which is more his style. Cascade is a good non-expensive wool - it comes in great colors and is widely available. It's not too scratchy and I was really pleased with the hand and the finished project.

 

PROJECT: Squooshy Cotty
 PATTERN: Cotty by Irishgirlieknits (Ravel it!)
YARN: Squoosh Merino Cashmere Sport in Hibiscus
NEEDLES: US 3

A while back, I tried and failed to make a pair of socks for my mother-in-law. They're her measurements but they somehow turned out far too tight. Susan is notoriously cold, so I really wanted to try again. I thought this Squoosh colorway was perfect for her, and the yarn is nice and stretchy. I have fallen completely in love with sport-weight socks. They're fast and fulfilling! I adore this project, I almost hated to send them away but that's how you know you've got a good gift!

 

PROJECT: Hip to be Square
 PATTERN: Turn a Square by Jared Flood (Ravel it!)
YARN: 1/2 skein Cascade 220 Heathers in Walnut Heather; 1/2 skein Noro Silk Garden in #245
 NEEDLES: US 6, US 7

My brother is hard to knit for. He's in college, and rightfully picky. But I adore this hat pattern. It's so simple, but I love the finished effect. It features a cool jogless striping pattern that was a great trick to learn so your stripes all line up just so. Love it. And I think he loved it too, because he barely took it off after he opened it.

 

PROJECT: Dad's Sleeping Socks
 PATTERN: improvised
YARN: Cascade 220 Heathers in Walnut Heather
 NEEDLES: US 6

This was the only requested hand-knit this year, and it was also the easiest. Living in Maine, my dad likes sleeping in warm woolly socks. Done! I cast on 44 stitches, knit a 2x2 rib cuff for 8 rows, then knit down the tube. The heel flap is knit over 22 stitches in stockinette for 22 rows, slipping the first stitch of each row. Short row turned heel. Picked up 13 stitches on each side for the gusset and decreased every other row till I was back to 44 stitches. Knit down the foot, decreased 4 stitches per round every other row for the toe shaping till 16 stitches remained. Kitchener bind-off. Voila! Warm socks! Dad said he was sweating in his sleep - which I suppose is what he wanted?

PROJECT: Farmer's Market Cardigan
 PATTERN: Farmer's Market Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio (Ravel it!)
 YARN: Beaverslide Dry Goods Worsted Weight in Mountain Morning, 7 skeins
 NEEDLES: US 7, 8

This sweater was the big kahuna of the year. I started it in August, and it took me till just a few days before Christmas to finish. This was obviously influenced by all the other things I was working on, but still. This pattern was a challenge for me. I'd never seamed a sweater before (i.e. knit it in pieces and sewn it together) and it had a lot of pieces. Plus, it has a lot of positive ease and I knit it as more of a jacket, so it was a big piece. Suffice to say that, although I love it, I'm glad it's done. I have to say that this yarn is DIVINE. I am so in love with it, I just ordered more for a sweater for me. I love the rustic tweediness!

So...that's what I've been up to! I made a couple of other little things in the meantime - a cowl, another pair of fingerless gloves - but this has been eating up most of my time. And now I'm knitting for ME! Which is incredible! And so relaxing!

Stay tuned for another upcoming post with all my spinning so far...