Saturday, July 31, 2010

DPNS and Saturday


DPNS and Saturday
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
If I take all day and spin I know I get very tired and the mind gets fuzzy. I can say that I notice when is time to take a break , because the spinning becomes sloppy and not very good. Now and then is good to take a break and work on those socks that I am almost done. This is the second sock with the Wabi Sabi. Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Vulcan Hibiscus Yarn

This yarn was part of my participation in the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry for the Men Who Knit group.  It was done on two different spindles, one Kundert and one Wasserman.  There were a total of 700 and some more yards , I did a two play for a total of 353 yards.  It is a fingering weight mostly, but it is not very consistent, yet it is nice to make something for yourself.  I over dyed the yarn with some hibiscus and black cherry Kool Aid and 10 drops of neon blue food coloring.  I am very proud of this yarn and hoping to make something out of it or find it a good home at the Deep Space Nine Promenade.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Tour De Fleece


I am almost done with my ply. The music is "By Your Command", by RIchard Gobbs, for the Galactica CD . I enjoy spinning to music and watching my favorite SyFy episodes.  The act of plying is fun, but you have to be rested.  The same goes with making a single, I notice that if I am tired I become sloppy in my spinning even on a wheel.  The wheel versus the Drop Spindle.  The wheel is less work on your body, the drop spindle gives you a bit of a work out and you are not as fast, even though sometimes you can accomplish the same amount of spinning.  I am at the point of the ply which I take two singles and make them into plied yarn.  I am hoping to get another video where I am  getting this skein ready for dyeing and setting the twist at the same time.  It will be Monday soon and I need to rest. Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Gilroy Garlic Festival 2010

We arrived around 10 30 AM and it was getting crowded.  The trip from San Francisco is about 1.5 hours, there was not much traffic, but the line to come in was a bit on the long side.  This festival is extremely well organized.  I have never been to it until now , I can tell you it is worth going once to know and experience the Garlic Festival, it was very Hot by the time we left. 
This was one of the opportunities I had to do some spinning in public and some people asked questions which is always good.

This is going to be some nice light weight yarn, maybe lace or sport weight.
We got a program to see when things were happening and where.  There was a live Cooking  Contest that was being conducted when we went there.

Garlic Ice Cream was not my favorite, but now I can say i had some.  The garlic was ok, the taste was ok, a bit heavy with the sugar in it, but you have to experience it.
Got to meet some new People from Seattle area.  Michael knows the Lady friend from when they were in Computer School together in Southern California.
There were lots of people , lots of great food and lots of vendors with crafts.
Plumped Chickens were flying in the air, that and other blimps were around.
By the way Chef Fabio Viviani was there , he came to say hello before the announcement of the Winner.  This dish was the winner , two were runner ups.  The dish is watermelon crab meat soup with garlic of course.
I leave you with a bit of the Festival before we come back to the city where it was at least 20 degrees cooler, thanks for stopping by!

Friday, July 23, 2010

CGOA Member

Let it be known that  after many years of thinking about it, yep I joined the CGOA.  I am a member for the next two years, I am hoping to take advantage of it's benefits and see what comes out of it.  I have been a member of the Men Who Crochet Chapter that Meets in Oakland for some time now.  I have to say that I have enjoyed being a part of the chapter. They have some advance certifications and some programs that I will eventually get into.  Is it worth it?  I don't know yet, I will tell you in a year, I have downloaded a list of member discounts and benefits and I will see how I can use them, but more than discounts is what can I learn.  I am hoping to becom a better Tapestry Crochet Artisan. Thanks for stopping by.


Thursday, July 22, 2010

Wabi Sabi Socks


WabiSabiSock (2)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
I finished my first sock from this modified pattern. I used the Wabi Sabi Cashmere/merino/nylon yarn and the sock is like a piece of heaven. I did use a second strand of yarn to make the heel stronger as heels are very easy to wear out, no reinforced toe this time. Getting to know socks is an amazing experience, you get to see and you get to learn what is suppose to happen, so you can pinpoint when there is a mistake on a pattern. There was a mistake on one pattern that I was working on and I let the designer know that I thought there was a mistake. I encountered the same mistake twice. On the heel no less. On the heel you can hide mistakes, because there are so many types of heels, square, round, french ,kerchief and so on. I am also excited about the book I just got. Think Outside the Sox, I am hoping to expand my knowledge and expertise in sock making to the point of creating my own sock patterns.


I have not looked at this book yet, but I am planning on looking at it tonight.  All I can tell you is that from the cover I imagine it will bring me to a place I have wanted to be.  Socks in colors  and socks that come alive are a great theme for me.  Sometimes we don't know where we are going, but definitely we know where we come from.  Along with this I am hoping to get another set of Signature DPN  Needles and if I am able to save some money for the end of the year, I am hoping to get some of Tom Bihn project and yarn bags with the clear bottom.  I have seen those and I like them a lot. They can be pricey, but compared to other bags, they are not expensive at all.  You get features like a clear bottom and a snap to secure your yarn of your work in progress.  This bags where made with the knitter and crocheter in mind.


I ordered the book from Knit Picks along with some Tools of the trade necessities, T-Pins (stainless steel) and some point protectors. Knit Picks is have a great sale on Overspun Sport Yarn look and see if you want some before is all gone.HERE is the link, the yarn is going fast. The yarn can be used in many ways, but it may twist a bit.  Great for felting or projects where it will not matter. Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Silk Garden Wollen Mutsen

This is the combo of the Noro Silk Garden.  I am very proud of the way it came out as I did not know what would the hat really look like.  The hat was fast crochet project. I would say this is one of my favorite projects and it looks so nice.

If I was going to make the hat again I would take two skeins of the same colorway and work from two directions for this hat.  Nevertheless I had two colorways that were not the same, which kind of assured me that there were not going to be color clashes or repeats.  I like the last idea better, the skeins were very complementary. It took me less than a day to crochet this hat.  I used the Tapestry Crochet Technique to be able to make a nice kind of woven fabric. I went up to a size G or 4.00 mm and I have about 6 to 8 yards left, the hat weighs in at 92 grams and that is with a reversed single crochet edging.  If Noro could keep the vegetable matter off it would have made for a more pleasant crochet experience.


 What is with those knots that I found, people this yarn is not cheap, the least I expect is to have a complete skein without a knot.  Well at least the second skein was without knots. Even with the knot I fused the yarn, who wants a knot in their wool hat.As with the previous Wollen Mutsens this hat is Reversible as well, maybe later on I will have pictures of the reverse side.  The pattern is on the Side Bar and if you are on Ravelry look it up, it is an easy fun pattern to get your Tapestry Crochet techniques Started. In the meantime thanks for stopping by!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Noro Silk Mutsen WIP


One of the most handsome yarns, Noro Silk Garden is a delight to use.  I have borrowed the Wollen Mutsen  Hat Pattern, (if you are interested is for saleo on the side Bar) and tested it with this yarn and it is coming out nice.  As I expected I needed two skeins of Worsted weight Noro Silk Garden to complete the hat.  I am further down crocheting than the picture shows, I may even finish the hat tonight.  I hope to have pictures tomorrow.  It will take two skeins of\ Silk Garden Worsted Weight in two close by colorways.  This is definitely made in the Tapestry Crochet Fashion.   Thanks for stopping by.

Swedish Picons WIP one


SwedishPiconWIPone (1)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
This is my first Fair Isle project on socks and it is so cute. I got this pattern from Ravelry it is called Swedish Fish Socks, By SpillyJane http://spillyjane.blogspot.com . The pattern is simple, but it looks like a lot of fun. There is a Sunday Sock Group in San Francisco that meets on a Cafe and this is their KAL. I am so excited, because the pattern is a lot prettier than this. The yarn is malabrigo sock yarn and the blue is Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. I am hoping that the mixture of the two will make a great blend. I am using US 2 and because I tend to knit lose I am kind of testing how this come out. If I can not wear them because they are too tight, I have the right to give them to, but we shall keep it a secret lol. I am making the Lizard Socks for me. Thanks for stopping by.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Saturday Spinning "Lords of Kobol"



A little spinning on Saturday after a friend of Mine posted a video on Flickr, I thought I Would do the same.  Happy Saturday , music by Bear McCreary and Raya Yarbrough, Long Live SyFy, thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Eos a Lace Scarf

EosScarf (3)
What can I say,  I am very prolific this time around. One of the things that I can tell you is that when inspiration strikes you, it is best to go along with it.  Inspiration sometimes goes away or gets stopped for whatever reasons, so when you have it go for it with gusto.   I present you Eos a Lace scarf with a woman in mind, but versatile enough a Man can wear it. It is my first Pattern with a Chart. I included the chart made with the Intwined Studio Software. How do I like the software? It is good, not the best, but it is still growing up as far as software goes. I would buy again and I would recommend it.
EosScarf (2)
This pattern will look even better  in a worsted superwash Malabrigo, it will be stunning and extremely soft. I like making lace in this weight of yarn as it goes faster and is not thousands of yards or meters,( pick your evil measure of choice) until you have a finished object. . I am very happy with it and I know people will enjoy making it.  It is not a boring pattern and you have to pay attention to what you are doing. If you care to purchase it is a pdf file email to you , it is on the right sidebar.
EosScarf (11)
Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Everything is Green


TauronSHawlHerbivore (3)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
I did not think I was going to like this pattern as much as I did. I find that the design is very ingeneous and that it needs to be blocked to have the full effect. One thing is for sure, you need a class on how to wrap it around your neck. I am hoping to have Ken from Toy Story 3D drop by and help me with the fashion show. Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Tauron Herbivore Shawl et Socks

TauronSHawl
This is the Herbivore by Stephen West aka WestKnits. It is a shawl that is a wrap that is a scarf in a pinch. In other words a very versatile garment which I am hoping to make more than once. I already have the other yarn selected. This is how I am blocking this guy until tomorrow. I may use some steam as well. It is made out of sock yarn and I appreciate that a lot. Thank you for a great pattern that gives us a taste of the wicked Twisted rib. This is a pattern for you if you want to see this kind of rib in all its glory.
Picons (1)
Here come my Picon 'sLover socks and I will tell you I love this pattern so much I already started a third pair on the needles. This time I am using  my Wabi Sabi with a touch of Cashmere. Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, July 09, 2010

Picons WIP

PiconsLoveWIP
This Friday finds me knitting away with my second sock almost done.  I am pretty sure that I will want to make my own pattern next time.  Would you be amazed if I tell you that I want to make a socks pattern on DPNs?  I would have, but I love my DPNs and will be creating a new pattern to come out maybe next month or so, in the meantime I have some nice Wabi Sabi, Eye of Jupiter colorway and Malabrigo sock yarn waiting for socks, some paca-peds as well and some Grilled Red Peppers from the Dye Guy that was donated to our Men's Knitting Retreat for the event that took place during the  Spring of 2010. This is all for today, thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Noro Kureyon, Socks , WIP and More

DiceBags (2)

I can tell you that I had no idea what Noro Kureyon is good for, but I found this nice Dice bag that I can make. I was also discussing the fact with other Friends of my Monday Night Group and they suggested a bath mitt, a dish cloth and so on for the Noro Kureyon. It is not a bad idea as this yarn is very rough. I like the colors, but I can definitely say to you that this is not the yarn for my socks, it feels like you have sand in your shoes and we al know how uncomfortable that is. Noro Silk Garden and other Noro yarn are very soft and kind to your skin, but this Noro is better left for exfolliating, lol!
PiconWIPJul7
On the Other Hand this Paca-Peds H-T yarn is fantastic and super soft. It is about 25 percent alpaca, 50 superwash merino and 25 nylon , or close to that and let me tell you it wears like a cloud. I am working on my second sock as you can tell and from all the yarns that I have used to make socks, this one is the one I would pick in a heartbeat. I still have some sock yarns to try, Malabrigo, Wabi Sabi an others, so I will review them as well. SO far I will say that I will buy Paca -Peds without a question. I am making this on US 1 and this is the perfect gauge for me to make socks.
tourdefleece2010
I am also doing some spinning for the Tour De Fleece. This is a BorderLeicester with Mohair 50/50 and I am a bit over 50 % done. Spinning is about practice, don't be fooled by thinking that you can just wing it. I learned that you can spin 15 minutes every day and you will get a lot done. Spin on a wheel or spin on a spindle , you will benefit from the skills you learn, then when the world ends on 2012, you can say I will survive. lol! If you have not seen Toy Story 3 on 3D , you don't know what you are missing. If this is the new way of the 3D world this is a very high standard. The glasses are different and the technology is a bit different than the old 3D.
mothbegone
Finally and thanks to my designer friend Kate Godffrey from OKAYKATE.COM I was able to have something to give people to remember me by that is helpful for their crafts. It is a Lavender Sachet, very cleverly done. I manage to have the no Sewing version, let's see how it keeps. Last ,but not the least I am clearing my Library and selling some books on EBay and I thought this was a very clever way of documenting the way the books look before they get bought. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, July 04, 2010

4th July 2010 Picnic

4July2010StoweLake (122)

Our 4th of July was a wonderful surprise picnic.  We went to Stow Lake at Golden Gate Park and with friends celebrated our Independence with class.  We had tables, chairs, umbrellas, tablecloths, silverware.  It is so much joy to have a real picnic with real stuff, very little trash. We had cloth napkins and wine and sodas in bottles.  An advantage that we have there is very little trash.  We had John and Sue working the Barbecue and they did a great job. We had about 30 something people that showed up and participated in our Holiday celebration. Sue was making some nice sweet potatoes and shared two small ones with me. That was a real treat as not many people eat sweet potatoes like I do.
4July2010StoweLake (14)
We arrived with the wine and the food to be put on the barbecue. Once we were set up I started to work on some of my knitting projects that I brought .  It was too windy and cold to bring out the metal needles.  The bamboo needles did fantastic under this weather..
4July2010StoweLake (24)

I was able to get some knitting done and keep busy, maybe a bit not so social, but I was socializing. There were times that it got very cold, so I had a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, and my jacket on.  I had a very good time.  I wish I had some of my knitting buddies with me, but they were having a good time at  other places today.
4July2010StoweLake (78)
The flowers were around us and I took the opportunity to snap pictures and see what my camera can do. If you go to my flickr account you will get to see all the pictures I took better than here.
4July2010StoweLake (19)
We had a lovely group of people from all the colonies of the 12 worlds I may say. It was a lot of fun and at the end of the afternoon we were very tired.  We picked up some stuff to help the host and we will deliver it or have her come and pick it up later.  We were very instrumental in getting this Picnic going as we brought the food and the drink lol!
4July2010StoweLake (66)
Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Picons One


PiconsOne (3)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
The Picons are a sock pattern based on Marlowe Crawford's Newland. I actually was able to double the yarn on the heel flap and the turning of the heel, I also double the yarn at the toe. I was very surprised to find that I liked the xtra cushion from the heel and the toe. I used a different yarn to double up on the tow, but not so different that it did not go along with the colorway. I may have re - discovered my love for socks with a cushioned heel and a cushioned toe. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, July 02, 2010

Heel turned on Picons


heelturnedPicons (1)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
How exciting I am going to be almost done with sock number one today, If I push it maybe I will get it all done before midnight , lol! The colorway of this yarn is fantastic and as I expected, when I picked up the gussett I got a break in the colorway until it ccatches up again. I am done with the decreases and now down the foot until the toe decreases. I am looking forward to see how the yarn decides to allow the colorway through. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Double the Fun Heel Flap

heelflapDblyarn (6)
This is the Newland Picons, and one of the things that I decided to to different this time is to use some extra yarn that was included with this skein to reinforce the heel and the toe.  I am using two strands to make the heel flap and I will turn the heel with the two of them as well.  I don't know if I will be doing the toe in the same manner just yet. This is one of those times that I can tell you that the signature needles have made a big difference as they are very strong and the yarn does not fall off.  These needles are worth their money and I can see myself getting another set of dpns  US 1.
heelflapDblyarn (8)
None the less here is some crochet, is Tapestry Crochet as I am working on creating the Pattern for one of the Philosopher's hats that I have created in the past.  This is the reversed side, I don't want anyone to steal the pattern lol! I will put the hat down for a bit and allow myself to get some more inspiration as I tackle the making of the pattern once more.  This pattern will be a bit modified from the original, most of the patterns that I recreate are, but it is for the better.  Well a bit of crochet and a bit of knitting and some pattern design, This is going to be an interesting 4th of July weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!
PhilosophersHats WIP (1)

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...