For Emily

I want to post a picture of the sweater I have been working on, but it is a Christmas present, and even though my sister picked the pattern out of a book, she still hasn't seen HER SWEATER all knit up. So that, at least, can be a surprise.

So, I am just going to post a picture of this:

The ends.  About halfway through the sweater I remembered that Rowan Big Wool will felt, so I started spit-splicing. I still had ends to deal with, but not nearly as many as I could have.

This sweater (Tough, by Kim Hargreaves in her Shadow pattern book) has been a lovely companion in the evenings while watching really old episodes of Nova, or the Star Wars (IV-VI) marathon I had last weekend.  The cable was entertaining, the size 15 needles were impressive, and the shaping and finishing provided just enough brain-power to keep me focused.

I am seriously thinking about boxing it up and wrapping it now so that it stays clean and (relatively) cat-hair-free, but it is going to a cat-owned house, so a few stray cat hairs will not be unusual. Just the wrong color. I am just waiting to hear from my sister about her button preference.

So, an official picture of Tough will appear sometime at the end of December. I would love to get a picture of my sister actually wearing it.  But if you seriously can't wait you can see it on Ravelry, here. (NOT YOU, EMILY.)

The rise of the knitting

Fall is arriving, and I want to knit everything. I am knitting for Christmas presents, knitting for Single Skein September, knitting for the shop, knitting for classes, and when I have time, knitting for me.

Maybe I can sense the days are getting shorter. The weather is certainly getting cooler, and the squirrels are getting squirrelly-er. I have started looking at my soup-pot with eager expectation, and actually caught myself contemplating the attributes of different types of lentils at my local health food store. (What is it about bulk items that makes me so happy?)

Meanwhile, my pile of in-progress knitting is getting bigger, and my queue for future projects is getting longer.  I will soon be buried in my knitting, and I can't say I am dreading the day.

Do you see what I see?

A detail of 16th century decorative carving on a farm house at the Folkmuseum in Oslo.

If you are a knitter you will definitely recognize the design!

Scale

I am still stuck in the seed stitch mines, but took a break to knit a gauge swatch for my next large project.  I couldn't help but be amused at the comparison.

Sakasama Jackets vs. Tough

Shibori Workshop

What do two LYS workers and one LYS owner do on their day off?  Shibori, of course!

I warped my rigid heddle loom the night before, and our new 8 year-old cat, Miles, helped. (Miles came to live with us about a month ago.) Miles loves yarn.

The next day was completely devoted to shibori. It was a long, but very rewarding, day. It has been a long while since I sat down at the loom for five hours straight. Each cloth is plain weave, but with special pull-threads woven into the fabric in different patterns and intervals.  I used a single skein of undyed Treadsoft sock yarn out of my stash - I wanted a superwash wool because I knew at the end of the day it would soak up the dye and give me intense and brilliant colors.

Cloth 1 - full tones - pull floats on both side of fabric

Cloth 2 - half-tones - pull floats on front of fabric

Cloth 3 - free form

Cloth 4 - crimp

whole cloth - from L-R cloths 1-4

We then trimmed off the ends, and using a sewing machine, zig-zag stitched reinforcement threads between each section so we could cut the cloth into individual samples.  Then, SCISSORS, cutting, pulling and tying, until our individual cloths looked like wadded up tissues.

Three of the cloths then took a vinegar bath in preparation for dyeing. And the dyeing! SO. MUCH. FUN!  The dye was applied while the cloth was still wadded up - like a tie-dye process only so much cooler.

Cloth 1 - full tones

Cloth 2 - half tones

Cloth 3 - free form

Cloth 4 was steamed - because it was woven with a polyester weft, the steam set the crimp, and my cloth will permanently look like this:

Cloth 4 - crimped with pleats

Foreground - my cloths. Background - Kathy's cloths.

I love comparing the newly woven samples with their finished dyed selves.  What an amazing transformation.

I have a bit of warp still left of my loom, so I think I will tie it up again and do a few more samples.  I wish I had warped my loom a bit wider so I could have had bigger samples like Kathy's (above), but live and learn!  I had such a great day!

Long Walk

This time of year I often go to the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York, but not this year, sadly. I am missing it, much like one gets homesick from time-to-time.  So I took a long walk with Zeby to see if I could sooth those feelings.

I am still working on my Norway sweater (the sweater I wanted to finish and wear in Norway, HA!) with miles of tiny seed stitch to go. Think good thoughts for my sanity.

Trondheim, Norway. August 10-12, 2012

Friday morning P and I left Bergen and flew to Trondheim to stay with friends. It was really great seeing them again - the last time we saw them we all met up in Amsterdam. Friday and Saturday were spent exploring the city, and Sunday I spent in bed with a headcold. P went for a hike with our hosts while I slept and watched Norwegian Olympic coverage on my iPad.

Kristiansten Fortress, Trondheim, Norway

Nidaros Cathedral, largely modern restoration, Trondheim, Norway

Saint James the Greater, modern restoration, Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim

Lion? North Entrance, Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim

Our trip to Norway was lovely, but too short, as usual.  But it was wonderful to get a taste of the country!