As of the beginning of this month I've officially been blogging for 6 years. I still greatly enjoy it and really love to receive comments. I have learned so much from those of you who read this blog.

I am a bit surprised that not much has changed for me in 6 years. I went back and read my very first posts from January 2003 and we are still living in the same tiny passive-solar house with rabbit and cat companions (same cat, different rabbit), and I am knitting a Dale of Norway sweater just like I was back then.

My progress on the Dale Whistler sweater so far is pathetic but here it is anyway.




The sleeve cuffs have interior ribbing - I just used some scrap yarn for that purpose.



Here's my latest super macro photo of a begonia. I have always grown African violets indoors and I have one geranium that does great inside but I wasn't aware I could grow begonias inside until a few months ago when I bought a plant at Home Depot. This spring I'm going to get more flowering plants for indoors as I love having flowers all over the house.

EASY BALACLAVA

This pattern was part of the Knitlist gift pattern exchange years ago but it has become popular on Ravelry so I thought I'd write it up here in more detail with photos.

Copyright 2009, Nanette Blanchard. All rights reserved.



This balaclava/ski mask is excellent for cold weather and can even be worn under another hat. It keeps your neck warm and can be worn several different ways - above the chin, below the chin, above the mouth or with the neck rolled up for a cap with a brim. I've made it in wool, a wool blend, and 100% acrylic for those who don't want wool rubbing against their face.

MATERIALS: 1 skein of Cascade 220 100% Peruvian Highland wool worsted weight yarn (100 grams/220 yards) in color 9447 (a dark heathered spruce green color)

One row marker

Size 7 (US)/4.5 mm and Size 8 (US)/5.0 mm double pointed needless (You can also use size 7 and 8 circular needles, 12", for all the ribbing but you'll still need the size 8 dpns for the top decreases.)

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

GAUGE: 6 sts = 1 inch, 6 rows = 1 inch over unstretched K2, P2 ribbing. To save time, take time to check gauge.

FINISHED SIZE: Men's Medium or Women's Large

With size 8 (US)/5.0 mm dpns or circ, loosely cast on 92 stitches and insert row marker at end of row. Join, being careful not to twist.

Work in K2, P2 ribbing for 3 inches. Change to size 7 (US)/4.5 mm dpns or circ, and continue working K2, P2 ribbing for 4 1/2 more inches (your knitting is now a total of 7 1/2 inches long). Note: The neck length is variable depending on the wearer - I usually do a slightly shorter neck as seen in the above photo for women's balaclavas.

FACE OPENING: Start the next row by working in K2, P2 ribbing for 30 stitches, bind off the next 31 stitches, continue working in ribbing over last 31 stitches of row. On next row, work 31 stitches in established ribbing, loosely cast on 31 stitches over the bound off stitches of the previous row using backwards loop cast on, and continue in ribbing.



The above photo shows the cast off edge in the front, and the newly cast on edge on the front dpn rejoined with the other sts.


Make sure you once again have 92 stitches and continue knitting in the round in K2, P2 ribbing until the whole piece measures 12 inches long. Now you're ready to discontinue the ribbing and begin the top of the head decreases.

Change to the size 8 (US)/5.0 mm dpns. K 1 row even. Knit next row decreasing 4 stitches evenly spaced across row (88 sts).

FIRST DECREASE ROW: *K2TOG, K9, rep from * across row. (80 sts)

SECOND DECREASE ROW: *K2TOG, K8, rep from * across row. (72 sts)

THIRD DECREASE ROW: *K2TOG, K7, rep from * across row. (64 sts)

Continue decreasing in this matter having 1 less stitch between decreases until 24 stitches remain. K2tog next row. (12 sts.)

K3TOG across next row. 4 stitches will remain. Cut yarn. With a tapestry needle, draw yarn end through remaining 4 stitches and pull tightly. Secure yarn ends to wrong side of balaclava.




This photo shows the man's version with the neck length specified in the pattern. This balaclava was knit in acrylic yarn and is over 10 years old.

My Yarn Stash 2009

Having my supplies organized is such a great feeling that I don't understand why I don't organize my yarn more frequently. I organized my stash this weekend and I thought I'd show it to you along with the various color settings on my new camera. The exact camera is the Canon PowerShot A470 7.1 megapixel point and shoot. So far I really like it except for the fact that you only get a 32 MB memory card and it doesn't come with a case.

I am still trying to figure out how to deal with our high altitude desert sunlight. I am probably the only person on the planet who regularly manages to take overexposed photos indoors. (Sections of overexposed photo will flash on the photo playback feature of this camera.)

Here's my entire yarn stash (3 armoire drawers and 2 bins) other than the Cascade 220 I previously showed you in the bookshelf. This is a photo without any color manipulation.



This photo shows the "Vivid" feature which I definitely like although some colors are still not showing up properly. For instance the bottom right red skeins are much more faded in the photo than in real life.



Here is the "Neutral" color setting which seems to just wash everything out.



The top drawer contains my Palette yarn (the plastic bag on the left contains all the great colors of Palette that were discontinued last summer - sigh) along with my alpaca collection and a few rogue skeins like Gloss and some eco-friendly yarns I bought last summer.

The middle drawer contains all my other worsted weigh yarns - Peruvian Highland Wool and Wool of the Andes.

The bottom drawer contains my sport weight yarns. I am slowly transitioning to a new all-purpose sport weight yarn (Peruvian Highland Wool sport weight) but I also have some very old Nature Spun, Telemark, and Merino Style. The big bag contains the Peruvian Highland sport yarn for the Dale of Norway ski sweater I'm currently knitting.

The container on the bottom left contains my sock yarns. I haven't bought sock yarn in years (ever since manufacturers stopped offering a good selection of solid colors) but I have some Froehlich Blauband, Stahl, Regia, and Essential. I also scored quite a bit of ultra-bright Kroy as it was being discontinued.

The container on the bottom right is a vintage long-gone yarn so I carefully save it and use it sparingly. It is Brunswick's Nylamb Sock and Baby yarn and I just love its softness, durability and elasticity.

Mysterious Colorways

This weekend, I found my inspiration in the most unexpected place. I remembered the covers of my favorite mystery writer Agatha Christie.
The colors were so unique, mesmerizing an mysterious.

There are 7 Agatha Christie colorways, all variegated, in both yarns, and rovings.

A little taste of the collection with Destination Unknown:



If you are like me, you might like to knit an read at the same time, so why not grab an Agatha Christie mystery and knit!

I've spent a huge amount of time this week goofing around with my new camera (a Canon PowerShot point and shoot). It has a fun "colors my way" setting which I can use to bring back the yarn colors our high altitude desert sun fades away.

It also has a super macro setting so I can take photos of juniper berries:



and Jack's paws:



I'm working on a pair of men's mittens in Cascade 220 for the upcoming mitten booklet (ETA: the end of February). I should have used the Colors My Way setting for this photo actually since the colors are faded:




I just had to take a super macro shot of the colorwork and braid on the cuff:

Spinning Diary

I have been spinning even though I have not had that much time to post about it. I steel a few hours here and there to spin. When I spin, I lose myself. When I spin, the Mom, the business woman, the homeschooling parent, the wife recede, and for far too short an amout of time I am me, and I am just for me.
It is so easy for women to forget who they are as they try to be everything. When I spin, the motion of the wheel, the fibers steadily slipping between my fingers, the bobbin turning, all take me away. As soon as I sit, I let a big breath out, with the first pedal push, as if I was hypnotized, I am transported. I do not think about anything when I spin, I am entirely focused on the fiber,and the yarn I am creating. What do you feel when you spin?

Back to my spinning...
I recently created a colorway called Danaides inspired by a painting by Waterhouse. I knew the moment I dyed it that I would have to spin it. I felt so drawn by the colors. As soon as I had a moment, I grabbed a roving of it in the Finn.

The experience was marvelous. The Finn was so easy to spin. The long staple probably helped a lot. The yarn that came out of my fingers was so smooth. I loved the colors even more. I could not stop spinning. Before I knew it, I had spun half the roving.



I loved the colors so much that I decided that I would ply the yarn to itself. I wanted to keep the colors pure. I had to force myself to wait long enough before plying.

Then I plied... The result made me so happy. The yarn that resulted was soft, bouncy. And the colors...



I set the yarn and let it dry and just sat there admiring it. I have not yet knit with it. I have been carrying the skein with me everywhere I go. I have a special project in mind for it, a baby sweater design that I have been thinking of for some time. I just need to spin a few more skeins in compatible colorways!The sweater I have in mind is inspired by patchworks, and should be very forgiving to my novice uneveness.



Now I just have to dye the perfect roving to go with my danaides.

Thank you Leon Bakst

This week's SockPixie inspiration came from the costume designs of Leon Bakst (1866-1926). His costumes and colors have an exotic flair. The colors are bold, and contrasted which always is a lot of fun for me to work with.
Here is a sample collage of the colorway Zobeide:




Oh, and if you are wondering why there is no roving in the Iskander colorway, well let's just say that ice dams and frozen pipes can steel some of one's time!

Enjoy Bakst's colorways!

I was hoping to post my updated balaclava pattern this week but my camera broke. So while waiting for a new camera to arrive, I thought I'd brag a bit about my driveway. Yes, you heard me right. It is definitely more interesting than the inches and inches of solid color knitting I'm doing for the Dale of Norway sweater.

DH said that he wanted to live here the minute he encountered the driveway, long before he even saw the house. Sure it requires 4-wheel drive in snow and once the satellite dish guy got stuck but it is such a fun roller-coaster of a driveway.

Here's the view from the driveway:



The view toward our house:




And the view away from our house:






I should have the balaclava pattern posted by early next week. I'm also working on two knitting pattern booklets for the Lulu store - one on mittens and one with some easy colorwork patterns (no shaping or other techniques necessary) for beginners.

A Day with Modigliani...

My weekly color inspirations take me in many directions. I am a sort of color libertine, one week in love with one, the next infatuated with another.
Last week, I fell in love with Waterhouse, this week with Modigliani. Their approach to art, and color is so different, creating the colors is like discovering dyeing all over again.

Here one of these amazing colors which I called the Lady in the Aqua Room.

First the painting:



The yarn in a luscious SW BFL:



And in a new Alpaca/merino roving blend:



Enjoy your time with Modigliani!

Thank you everyone for your great hints and ideas for my future yarn containment system! I still haven't gotten to Flickr to look through some craft room photos but I hope to this week. Once I finalize the plans I'll have DH do a drawing of my upcoming yarn armoire and post it here.

Here are some methods I've used in the past. In the first two photos I sorted my yarn in plastic bins by colors instead of weights and brands. While I like looking at all the colors together for some reason I prefer to have yarn stored by brand and weight.

Here's a very old method when my stash was over twice the size it is today. (Back then I used to buy yarn whenever I felt like it rather than only buying yarn in particular brands and colors.) I used Neat Cubes which I purchased at Target for this system and the yarn is sorted by weight and brand. The spinning fibers are on top of the cubes and you can even see my large Navajo spindle on the far left. I always worried that the Neat Cubes would crash or fall apart as they weren't stable enough for me. I also worried that our bright sunlight would fade the fibers.

Honestly every method I've tried is pretty messy. When you have so many partial yarn skeins from colorwork, you always have tangling. So I'm going to think some more on how best to store all those tiny bits of yarn in various colors with a minimum of tangling.

Waterhouse Colorways

This week, the SockPixie colorways were inspired by the works of John William Waterhouse.
Often associated with the Pre-Raphaelites he painted the femme fatale of legends, and poetry.

Here is the Danaides Colorway with its inspiration painting.




Here is the colorway shown in Alpaca.




And here as a Finn Roving.



Enjoy!