Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving & sweater in progress

Happy Thanksgiving everyone from San Francisco, California. We had a quiet home meal, everybody was busy. Just me and Michael this year.
We had a different Thanksgiving dinner with Home Curried Lamb, veggies bake with the lamb, salad, oyster dressing and crescent rolls, red wine never fails as well and sparkling water. I am very thankful for the greatness and abundance in my life. I am blessed beyond my fondest dreams.
As you can tell I am working on the sleeves of this sweater. I was going to make it a vest, because I thought I used all the yarn, but it was hidden under more yarn and I rediscovered the yarn the other day . I am very happy to present you the start of the sleeves which are a lot further by the time this picture is posted.
The front and back of the sweater has been knitted together in a three needle bind off. I did not finish the back and used a lifeline then I used the three needle bind off to have a great join and beautiful termination.


I am not sure how long the sleeves will be as this is definitely a dropped shoulder sweater. I am hoping to have it done by the end of the weekend. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch


More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch


Item condition: Used
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2-at-a-time SOCKS by Melissa Morgan-Oakes


Item condition: New




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Sunday, November 22, 2009

of Spindles and Yarn

Spindles come in all colors and prices, Top Whorl and bottom whorl. A spindle (sometimes called a drop spindle) is a wooden spike (known as the shaft) which is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object [known as the [whorl]]; the spindle may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without these are also common. It is used for spinning wool and other fibers into thread. spindle whorls are common finds in archaeological digs around the world; they may represent one of the earliest pieces of technology available to humankind. I hope you enjoy my candle holder doubling as a spindle display rack. Modern spindles are commonly available in high-whorl, low-whorl, centre whorl or supported varieties. In a high-whorl spindle, the whorl sits very close to the top of the shaft. A hook is placed on the top of the shaft to secure the developing yarn, and the newly-spun yarn is wound around the shaft underneath the whorl. In a low-whorl spindle, the whorl sits near the bottom of the shaft. The newly spun yarn is wound around the shaft just above the whorl. If there is a hook at the upper end of the shaft, the yarn is spiral-wound up the shaft and caught in the hook; if there is no hook at the top, then the yarn is spiral-wound up the shaft and secured with a half hitch (or more, for slippery fibers) at the top. Some low whorl spindles are notched at the top of the shaft to keep the half hitch secured, although this is not necessary. An alternate method of securing the yarn involves passing it down over the edge of the whorl, around the bottom end of the shaft, and back up over the whorl to be secured with a half hitch at the top of the shaft
I can tell you that this is the best spinning machine, lol! I do have projects for some of them and then you need one to ply. So you always need a spare spindle for your plying. The spindle above and the spindle below are from Avi Wasserman, the pictures make no justice to the beauty of these spindles. I got these spindles from THE FOLD. http://www.thefoldatmc.net/ . People here are fantastic, friendly and very helpful.
The spindle with the painting was from EBay and it is a good spindle, I am spinning silk on it and it works fantastic, it was very inexpensive. I think your best deal is to get spindles in kits as they come with yarn and you get a good deal that way. Drop spindles fall all the time, so it is good for you to have some kind of cushion area when they fall. I guess they call them drop spindles for a reason. On Etsy I have seen some made out of glass or semi-precious stones. In my opinion not a good investment unless you collect them and don't use them.
This other spindle below is from EBay as well and came with some roving, I like to give them a shinny finish so I did.
This one came with the silk roving and it is not the greatest of spindles, but it works fine. I guess your best choice of spindle is one that is balanced.
This one below is a combination of woods including cedar which is something I wanted to have, by Steve Kundert. Reasonably priced and made to order , shipped fast and great communication from the artist. http://www.kundertspindles.com/ . This is a very handsome spindle and is a dream to the touch.
This spindle below was a bottom whorl, and I really don't care for bottom whorls , so I turned it around. It is actually both, I have added a hook to the other side as well, and now has a weight of a tad over 2 ounces, which is something I wanted. I customised it with tacks, but you can add weights to the top and make it heavier if you want.
This concludes my show and tell of spindles. I have one for my Holiday gift to myself that we shall wait until then to talk about it. Thanks for stopping by.

Alpacas in Gilroy, Shekinah's Alpacas

The CGOA Men Who Crochet Oakland Chapter took a field trip to an Alpaca Farm in California. Shekina's Alpacas in Gilroy where we got a warm welcome by the Owner and the herd.

Some of the alpacas were very friendly and curious about us, men and women who arrived for the visit.
Others wanted to be pet and fed.
This one wanted to be fed all the time, but was graciously posing for our camera constantly.
I got some beautiful extremely soft roving. I want to make dk weight yarn or worsted, we shall see if my new spindles have the magic ingredient that I am looking for.

This yarn is like pitch black, so beautiful, I have been looking for such a yarn for some time now. I came within budget, actually 7 dollars under lol!
Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Tauron Colorway


TauronColorway
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
I have declared this to be the official Tauron Colorway. I love this color combination and this is my handspun yarn as it is setting. I love the way the yarn is interweaved and the color is so rich. One of the challenges I have right now believe it or no is to make yarn thick. This is about 160 yards and weigst a bit over 100 grams. I am probably going to make a hat with it, lol! Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

You spin me round round Baby

Here what you see is some silk roving that has been hand dyed by me with food coloring. It is different than wool the material is very light and needs to soak and sink by itself. You can help it a bit. I am excited as this is my first time dyeing pure silk and then spinning some which I will have pictures some other day. At this time the silk is drying.

Here is just some of the wool roving I like to paint in my favorite colors. I find that this makes a great combination when plied together.
Here is a video of me spinning and showing you some other stuff that I have shared with you before.


Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Knit Picks , Onions, Chai Tea and Henna

This yarn soaked in Black Chai Tea,Onion skins dye pot and finally the darker areas where with some henna. I allow it to soak on sections and then I dropped it all in and thus the variations of colors. Onions where very nice to do and I got them from the grocery store bin. I asked if I could have the loose onion skins.

This yarn was dyed using left over henna from the above dyeing job. It soaked for about 20 minutes and it is a mellow beige brown color.

I have some Chai Tea steeping for the dye job I am about to do, I will be adding 100 grams of Knit picks bare worsted weight superwash merino to the mix, but not before getting the onions to , 40 of onion skins to steep in water for about 2 hours to get the beautiful hues of yellows, browns and oranges.
I went to the grocery store and asked if I could have the onion skeins that were loose, they looked at me like ok whatever makes you happy , lol. So I got about 1.5 ounces or 40 grams of onion skins for my project in dyeing. I then remembered that I had some Henna I got at the Thrift Store the other day, so I will be adding that to the soup as well.
I do these in stages, the Tea and Onions were the first and I allow the yarn to soak for 1 hour and some minutes, but not all the yarn at the same time. I played with the sections of yarn and the time, so the gradients in coloration are fantastic. In the end I submerge one part in a bath of pure Henna along with another skein of yarn, 50 grams of Telemark for another 30 minutes to an hour. I got different results with the different yarns and of course playing with the time each section spent in the dye bath. Vinegar was used on all the baths and even when I was steeping the yarn.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Books for sale on Ebay

Erika Knight 20 New Classics Men's Knits

Men Who knit & the Dogs who love them

Here is the Link for the Tara Book!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330382424865&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT


Never Knit Your Man A Sweater Judith Durant

SOLD!

I am selling these books on EBay because I want to make some space in my library, some are used, some are brand new and never used. All in great conditions, free Shipping in the US. No Outside US business as it is not worth it. Anyway I hope you can find something that you like or something that someone you know likes lol!

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Niddy Noddy from A wine Rack

So we started with an idea of getting a home made niddy noddy that did not cost me an arm and a leg, but small change. I went to the thrift store and found what I wanted to turn into a niddy noddy. Better than that no shipping and instant gratification lol! I had to drill two holes, that's about it and screw two new screws in.
I took it apart and decided how best to assemble this apparatus into a niddy noddy and that is what you see here. There are some metal washers I had laying around and that will make it more techie lol!

It is now waiting to be sanded again and painted some nice strange colors, have not decided yet.
Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Top N Bottom Whorl Painted Spindles

These spindles were a great deal from this ebay store http://stores.ebay.com/anniemaysspinandwool . I wanted a small top whorl spindle and a bottom whorl spindle without having to spend too much money. Low Tech , High Satisfaction that is my motto as well. Thanks for stopping by.

Nostepinne Per Moi!

So this is ladies and gentlemen a nostepinne made by me. Well not really made, but I went to the hardware store and bought a wooden leg that looked like a nostepinne. The end with the screw was actually at the other side. I go the cutter to cut it for me. then I drill a hole and screw it to the right side and behold the screw came part of it lol!

This is not hard and it was under $5, at this moment it is drying from the satin finish I am giving it, no shipping, no handling but waiting to be used maybe tomorrow or the day after.
I have not given up on finding the right stuff to make a niddy noddy, is it cheaper to buy it? No it is less work, but I enjoy the challenge of making my own Nostepinne. I hope you find this very useful. I went to the hardware store and looked at table legs the rest is history.
It was like it was made to order, very little waiting and it will be natural color with a satin finish. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, November 02, 2009

Spinning lace Alpaca


SpinninglaceAlpaca (10)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
One of my goals was to eventually spin lace weight yarn. I have been able to reach that goal on a daily basis by taking spinning seriously and working on it a bit every day. A little every day is about 15 to 30 minutes, I usually spend an hour before I get tired. It is fun to see your work taking shape as you go. I am hoping to have enough to have a two ply lace weight alpaca yarn to show you by the weekend. Thanks fro stopping by.

My first Handspun, handplied

I am so excited this is my first hand spun hand dyed, 2 ply yarn, lol! I am so proud of myself and thanks to Wonder Mike (Fiberbeat.com ) whose expertise has helped me in making this dream come true. This is more addictive than dyeing yarn lol! I would not say is addictive , but it is very entertaining, you can actually go and zone out to the world of ideas. Last night I started Spinning Alpaca in a lace weight manner! I am impressed and satisfied.
This second skein is actually in the dyeing process, kettle dyed and it is going to be very funky. Thanks for stopping by

Almost two years without blogging August 2020

Life can be a bowl of strawberries when cheries are not available.   It has been almost two years since I have been in this blog.  I have s...