More Spinning Adventures

I had meant to post about spinning earlier, but Young Mr. SockPixie, one of our sons, gave us a little excitement. The few trips to the emergency room from early evening until the early hours of the morning forced me to reorganize my life for a few days. On the positive side, I was able to knit a hat, and of course, the hat was promised to the sick boy.
Now that everything has returned to normal, I can resume my blogging.

The soy/wool roving was spun, and as I am a new spinner, I found it a little harder to spin than the BFL. Again, it has a lot of the charm of a new spinner's hand! The soy made it incredibly silky. The colors seemed to glow, and I could not stop spinning.



Then came my favorite part, the plying. I am not kidding, I just love plying. I like to see the two strands twist together to create the richly colored and textured yarn that I know I will soon be knitting with.

I am really happy with my choice of colorways. The Petunia and the Madame d'Haussonville really flatter each other.




The yarn had just finished drying after being set when it became clear that I would have to take Young Mr. SockPixie to the hospital that night. I stuffed the yarn and needles in my pocket, and off we went.

As I was sitting there, casting on, Young Mr. SockPixie expressed his undying love for purple, and whether the hat could be his. How could I say no? There he was, sick and scared. The hat was promised to him. Between you and me, he really deserved it, as he proved to be so courageous all night, even as the doctor came with scalpel in hand!

I did not finish the hat the first night, rather I finished it on our second visit to the hospital the following night.
By the time we went home, in the middle of the night, as a gorgeous blizzard was transforming Boston into a snowy paradise, the hat was given to Young Mr. SockPixie.

Here is a picture of proud Young Mr. SockPixie wearing his first handspun, hand-dyed, and of course hand-knit hat with our snowy world in the background.

A while ago DH kindly offered to build me the yarn storage unit of my dreams. It has taken me a while to figure out exactly what I need and I am still looking for more feedback before I finalize the plans.

Knitters who love colorwork usually have larger stashes than other knitters. It is something I'm not always completely comfortable with but it is just a fact of life. I do try to think about exactly what colors I need. I used to think I needed to collect every single color in the rainbow which can get very expensive but in the past year I've realized I mainly work with cool colors. I try to simplify by sticking to certain wool yarn lines in 3 weights -currently it is Cascade 220 for worsted, Elann's Peruvian Highland Sport, and Knitpicks' Palette for fingering weight. A few months ago I realized I NEVER use brown so I gave away most of my brown yarns to the thrift store. I do use black a lot for an accent and am always running out so I buy black whenever I buy any other colors. Lately I'm starting to add more heathers to my collection of colors.

I believe knitters who love colorwork need easy access to their colors and that they probably spend more time searching through their stash. I've stored yarns in Rubbermaid containers but it gets to be such a pain in the derriere trying to find something when you have 45 partial skeins all tangling with each other. Perhaps it is different for other color knitters but I prefer to see all the colors at one time. I do pick out colors before I start a project but I often find myself going back to the stash to add or subtract colors while doing a project. Seeing all the colors together is extremely valuable and can help me quickly determine what colors I need to stock up on.

Recently I cleared out a bookcase and used it to house all my colors of Cascade 220. Looking at this photo I can see that I need more green yarn and I am puzzled as to why I have so much pink yarn. I do like having a shallow shelving system like this so it is easy to see all the yarn at once but of course the balls of yarn tend to roll off the shelves.






I'm currently thinking of an armoire with two large doors. I will be able to open the doors to see all the yarns at once but I won't have to worry about our harsh desert sun fading the colors. (Been there, done that.) The yarn will be stored on shallow shelves that will be slightly slanted down for better viewing with a small lip on the front of the shelf so skeins don't go rolling onto the floor. I might also ask DH to light the inside of the armoire so I can better choose colors at night. I'm still unsure about a few things like how to store full skeins alongside small 10 yard bits of the same yarn. Also, I'm currently undecided if I should store other things like my needles in the armoire as well. I suppose I could have him do a system for needle storage on the inside doors of the armoire.


So what do you think? Does anyone have any other ideas for my yarn storage system? I have heard there is a Flickr group where people show photos of their craft room so I'll go look there to get more ideas.

I'm working on devising a special yarn storage system for colorwork with DH - I'll post our ideas next week.

Here's a fun house in Madrid, NM which is on the Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I loved the big chiles hanging in front of the windows.



Today is the one year anniversary of Bubbles coming to live with us. She plans to celebrate by eating a lot (coincidentally those are also her Christmas and New Year's celebration plans.)




15 year old Jack is happy we are getting snow all this week so we'll be home more to keep the wood stove burning and spend more time playing Scrabble. He enjoys "helping" by walking back and forth between us and the Scrabble board. He can continue this assistance for the entire game.




Here's the view from my front door. It has been the same way for about a week and I'm hoping for even more snow.




MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Let it Snow!

Boston has been a real Winter Wonderland. Snow, snow, and more snow. Christmas is so much in the air that I could no resist the temptation to create SockPixie colorways with a Holiday theme. I found my inspiration in Vintage Christmas ornaments.

Here is Candy Cane in a faboulous Finn roving...



Have a great holiday season!

Here's the final installment of gingerbread photos. These were all the work of the pastry chef at the Tamaya Hilton Resort at Santa Ana Pueblo.

There was a ski hill with graham cracker lift chairs and a train on the bottom. I just love all the skiiers splatted all over the hill!



I am still not sure what was used for the roof and the "hay" in the gingerbread stables. I think it might have been flour tortillas strips laboriously peeled apart.



I think this is my favorite building. I love the use of Kraft caramels for the farolitos/luminarias. (In the rest of the country luminarias are the paper bags filled with sand and candles. Here in NM luminarias are actually the pinon bonfires like the ones made all over Santa Fe on Christmas eve and farolitos are the paper bags.)



This building was the Tamaya Plaza next to a little trading post. I adore the two people kissing under the mistletoe at the door. Inside there were people sitting on granola bar couches in front of a crouton fireplace.




I like the addition of some darker pueblo buildings. I guess they must have added extra molasses or spices to the gingerbread dough.

Change of Plans

Thank you for all your comments about my handspun. You are so right. Spinning is not about perfection. The organic nature of its "imperfection" is what makes handspun yarn magical.

I had truly intended to post pictures of the single that will be plied with the Petunia colorway, but as always, life took over.

Homeschooling and work merrily filled my day yesterday. I did have a great dinner with my parents,then decided to work a little more last night, and took a late night walk to the post office to drop your orders in the mail.

Today was very much like yesterday, except for the fact that I changed my mind on the fiber I would spin to ply with the Petunia. The fiber, is from this week's colorways, and is Madame d'Haussonville in the wool/soy mix. I pre-drafted the fiber during Math and History. It is all set to be spun tonight. As soon as the little ones are in bed reading their books, I will spin!



But back to serious things, the wool/soy fiber. I am really excited to be spinning it tonight. It is my first time with this fiber. During pre-drafting, it felt incredibly soft, silky, and fluid, almost like butter. I expect it will be a very smooth yarn. The little bit of shine should liven up the BFL, and the colors should complement eachother beautifully.

As a last eye candy, here is another shot of the unspun fiber. I just can't help seeing a Van Gogh there. Don't you think?

I'm so glad I photographed these gingerbread buildings at the Tamaya Hilton resort in Bernalillo because I can see some of the details better.

I love the little gingerbread horno/outdoor baking oven in this one along with the corn grinding station and the lady making tortillas in the back right. I think the luminarias/farolitos are made from candy corn someone put a dowel through to shape them.




Every gingerbread village needs a church.



I've made a few gingerbread houses and always wanted to try the technique of making stained glass from hard candy as shown below in the windows.



I like the cinnamon stick gate door and the ristra made of real chiles.



I have a few more gingerbread photos to show you tomorrow.

I have been shy...

I have been shy lately. I have been learning to spin, and in my usual way, refused to post anything about it. Why? Because, you guessed it, I am a perfectionist. I hate showing something that is not perfect. Mr. SockPixie thinks I am being silly, and he has been encouraging me to post about my progress...

I have been enjoying spinning beyond words. I love how relaxing it is, and how satisfying it is to see the bobbin fill up, and of course, to knit the handspun yarn.
Spinnning has become my treat. To congratulate myself for completing my work,I allow myself to spin.

To go back to the issue of perfectionism dicussed earlier, I have decided to listen to Mr. SockPixie, and post a picture of my imperfect handspun single.Here is what I just spun on my Louet Victoria, a 100% BFL roving, in the O'Keefe colorway Petunia.




I just dyed a Tencel roving that will be spun today, and plied with the petunia single tomorrow. I had a long debate with myself, about which color I would ply with it. I settled on a periwinkle blue semi-solid. I thought the periwinkle would bring out the purple, and once plied, the effect would be subtle yet enticing. I really like plying a variegated and a solid together. It seems to add subtlety to the variegated.

Maybe tomorrow, I will be able to show you the periwinkle solid. And I will force myself, no matter how imperfect it is!

This week it is Ingres

This week, Sockpixie's colorways were inspired by the gorgeous paintings of Ingres. I love the textures, and the brilliance of his colors.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here is the Ingres eye candy!

I'm working on a little mitten booklet with three or four designs and some mitten knitting tips. I got the idea that I'd name each mitten after a town in New Mexico and would photograph each mitten design in the actual town. Here is a Tesuque mitten in 5 colors of Knitpicks' Palette. I hope to photograph the completed mittens in the wonderful outdoor Shidoni sculpture gallery outside of Tesuque on Christmas Eve. We're currently having a blizzard so I just tossed this one out in the snow.




We went to the Tamaya Hilton Resort on the Santa Ana Pueblo in Bernalillo for DH's work Christmas party. There were lots of very old rugs framed all over the resort.

There was an entire adobe village in gingerbread at the base of the tree in the lobby. I took many gingerbread photos and will show them all this week.

Lately I really enjoy knitting ribbing strangely enough so I'm planning on knitting another balaclava in Cascade 220 and updating my pattern. The original free pattern I did for the old Knitlist is HERE. Here's a shot of a very old one (probably 12 or more years old made out of acrylic). DH still uses it although you can see it is pilling.



The balaclava is done in worsted weight on K2P2 ribbing on 92 sts on size 7 (US) dpns. I think it would work well also for a cowl if you wanted a thicker, warmer version. Just knit the ribbing in the round until it is 7" or so.

The orange cowl shown in my last post was a great success with DH - I used Knitpicks' Gloss fingering weight (although it seems a bit thicker than other fingering weight yarns) and 92 sts and size 5 (US) dpns. I was going for something light instead of warmth. The two below are knit in Knitpicks' Shine sport weight cotton also on size 5 (US) dpns and 92 sts. I worry though that the cotton will stretch out too much over time. I've decided for mine that I prefer them closer to 6 1/2" than 7" - that way they will come just up to my chin.

The Georgia O'Keeffe Colorways are up!

After huffing anf puffing, the store update is done, and the Georgia O'Keeffe colorways have found their home!
I had to make a lot of changes to the site, which of course took all day. It is mostly done. I will make a few more changes, but the core is done.
Back to the O'Keeffe colorways. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. They are really stunning, like the paintings that inspired them.
Again I think, the grey winter made me long for color, which is why, these bright, and colorful paintings called to me.
There is a depth in O'Keeffe's colorwork that mesmerizes me. I almost do not see the flowers, but rather just the colors, and their interactions.
Here is my favorite painting, the Red Canna Lilly, and its yarn and fiber sisters.



The yarn sister...



The fiber sister...




Enjoy!

I made two quick projects out of Knitpicks' Gloss. Gloss is 70% merino wool and 30% silk and it is softer than any other wools in my stash. I finally got around to making some neck protection for DH's hikes at his request. I used size 5 (US) dpns, cast on 92 sts, and did a K2P2 rib in the round for 7 inches. I'm very happy with the finished size of this as he can wear it without folding it and get complete neck protection from the sun. In fact if I find any other yarn he can live with in my stash I'll make him another one. Or perhaps I'll just make myself one.



Here's a simple scarf I made with the same yarn. This project took an entire skein of Gloss - the free pattern is HERE. I used size 2 and size 5 (US) needles and cast on 32 sts. I started the scarf on row 8 and ended on row 12.

Vermeer Colorways, and let's go for a spin...

This week I found my inspiration in Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring painting.
The yellows and blues were a true inspiration as well as the rich browns.



I am also really excited because for the first time this week I am offering rovings in the Vermeer colorways. I cannot wait to see the beautiful yarns you will spin with them.



Enjoy the Vermeer Collection!

Fingerless Mitts

Here are two quick FOs for you.

I knit the Alamosa Mitts in Elann's Peruvian Highland Sport in Christmas colors.




Here are the Backyard Bamboo Mitts (without the bamboo!) knit in Knitpicks' Palette. I used white, a solid blue, and three heathers and size 0 (US) dpns.



I started another pair of Zilboorg mittens and am working on a plain (non-stranded) scarf. That along with the first Whistler sleeve and the stranded alpaca fingerless gloves make too many projects for my comfort. I better hurry up and finish some more projects!

Lately I've been thinking a lot about structuring my days so I can have more time to knit. So many other less-important things get in the way of doing what I really want to do. About a week ago I stopped helping people with knitting technique questions on Ravelry and I have easily an extra hour to knit each day, maybe more. Now I have to figure out a way to charm DH into doing more of the cooking.

I finally finished adding my old mitten projects to Ravelry.

These are thrummed mittens knit in Lamb's Pride - I made these for DH specifically for shoveling snow and they are at least 7 or 8 years old.




Strangely enough the exterior of the mittens have felted over the years but the interior thrums have not felted as much. I used some non-superwash merino roving for the thrums.



These fingerless mitts were knit from my very first handspun yarn. It was the same merino roving and I used my fimo clay drop spindle. They're pilling a lot but I still keep them in my knitting basket for cold nights.

A New SockPixie Group on Ravelry

There is a new SockPixie Group on Ravelry. It is called SockPixie Circle .

This will be a great place for us to meet and talk, see eachothers' projects, and discuss SockPixie patterns. Maybe we could add a little knit along too!

I hope you will join the group. See you in the circle!

Inspiration of the Week

It is time for my weekly update. The SockPixie colorways are ready and up on the site.

This week my inspiration came from one of my favorite paintings by Hopper. The colors are among my favorites: teals, greens, oranges, and ochres...



For this week, I decided to dye "almost" solids, using a salt resist to create subtle monochromatric shadings. The results are glorious, the colors seem to be illuminated from within.



This week is also special because I created special little project pouches that coordinate with the yarns. From now until Christmas, for every 3 skeins you order, your will receive a project pouch in a coordinating color!
These little pouches are lined with the softest satin fabrics and are just perfect for a center pull ball, and a sock or lace in progress. They are so cute... I will let the pictures speak for themselves...



When opened they are almost flower like!



Enjoy!

Durango, Colorado

Can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving? Today is the first day it has even been cold here and I just started a nice big fire in the wood stove.

Here are some photos of Durango, CO from our visit last month.

We arrived to a band and lots of festive folks for Oktoberfest.



There were the usual arts and crafts kind of booths.



The weather was gorgeous and the trees were turning.







Here's DH (left) and our friend Brad in front of Olde Tymers where we had lunch. Unfortunately they were out of their delicious raspberry beer.

I'm going through most of my really old knitting photos to make sure they've all been posted on Ravelry even though the photos are not so great. I started with my mittens and next it will be hats. I learned my lesson when my computer died last month and I'm trying to do a good job of saving my photos. A kind friend grabbed all my photos off my hard disk for me and he is now teasing me for having 20,000 photos of nothing but bunnies and gloves.