Ribbons For Vanna's Choice

I have to say that this hat was a present from the GODS or the Muses.  If you are looking for a Crochet Hat for Expressing your support for a Cause, this is the Hat for you, very Elegant and easy to size . It is a relaxed hat so roomy for your head and no overheating.  I manage to finish the hat with the Vanna's Choice yarn and even though it was difficult, I am very pleased with the end product.  We all know that nothing easy is ever good, so a little of tweaking on this yarn and the hat came alive.  If you are looking for the Knit Version of this Hat my Friend Kyle William is  actually the creator of such hat and you can find it HERE or if you rather copy and paste , http://www.kylewilliam.com/3/post/2011/03/cause-hat-to-benefit-living-beyond-breast-cancer.html , this is a link as well.   I made this hat with the orange Ribbon because it represents Diversity. This hat is very diverse because you can make any of the colors of the rainbow, even better you can make it with some self stripping yarn as the Change color and have real fun.   The pattern is under Crochet Patterns Page uon the top, this will be handled by Ravelry.  I am personally donating 50% of the net Proceeds to Project Open Hand, on a monthly basis.  Is something that I have wanted to do for a long time and my friend Kyle made this possible for me by inspiring me in the creation of a Crochet Pattern like this one.


I have made it in Wool, wool / acrylic blends, and 100 % acrylic and all of them work good, wool is the best of all.  If you are making it for someone who has suffered radiation, I will get the softest acrylic or the nicest cashmere / wool blend , even superwash wool; and make them a hat If you want to purchase the pattern here is the  . Thank you for your support.  This link is managed by Ravelry and there will be a download link for your convenience, very eco-friendly.


So here I am The Buddha outside and the Buddha inside, both at the same time, who said I could not be in two places at once!   I hope this will bring you something for the altruistic spirit in you that will allow you to  work with  it for a good cause.  Thanks for stopping by!

Vanna's Choice Ribbons

Vanna's choice is a very  diverse yarn , but not one of my favorites for this kind of work.  Tapestry Crochet and dealing with a 4mm hook I don't know if it is the recommended size or not, but that size of hook 4 mm is not very compatible with this yarn  and this hat, but it can be done. After spending a bit of time trying to figure out how to crochet with this yarn, I have to say that I am still not very crazy about it for crochet. I have knitted with it and have had no problems at all, but crochet is a challenge, specially if you hold the hook like a pencil, which is the way I do.  Anyway I am working on this hat , on this yarn to give people choices of yarns.  It is very versatile and can be made in many  kinds of yarns.  I wanted to include Vanna's choice as I have a bunch to work with.  This yarn is very soft as far as acrylic goes, washes well and perhaps with a bigger hook. This is my take on the Vanna's choice. I would say if you are a knitter this is a perfectly good yarn for you, crocheters beware of how you hold your hook and I would say do a test at the store.  Thanks for stopping by!

Weaving without a Fringe

Weaving without leaving a fringe, it is possible if you have an open mind.  I saw a lot of names for the terminations of the fringe.  There are many ways of terminating a weaved piece without a fringe and you can use a specific color so that you can make a fold, or just like here sewn.  I left a long tail about 3.5 meters from when I last weaved.  I then proceeded to work  the thread around four rows of weft yarn, up and around until the end. I  have a video to help you see, I will have better videos later so that people can see the fun part of weaving terminations. 

If the wool is not superwash you will have a better fabric after you wash it.  You can cut those warp threads off and they will practically disappear. You can always  make those threads go and hide on the wrong side of the fabric, specially if you are using your fabric to line a bag.  Weaving is fun and I hope to share more stuff with you in a few weeks.  I am busy with other projects and weaving is actually my non mental projects hobby.


This little video will show you  a bit more about this fabric and I hope you find it useful.  Thanks for stopping by!

Weaving Sundays

WeavingSundays (2) a photo by Crafty Andy on Flickr.

So here I am at the end of my weaving, I think I will weave some and then will make the end like I wanted to make them before. I will attempt to finish this piece without a fringe. Wish me luck. Thanks for stopping by!

I am Triton

I am Triton the Water that burns. I have awakened from a long slumber.  I can smell the winds of change as I am eternally changing.  I have looked into the eyes of  Zeus and the fire that is outside , now burns within my soul as well.  I am the water that burns, I am Triton. 

I am Triton I can hear the Fire talking to me, I listen to the sound of silence and engage in the shifting of  my nature that is and is not.  I am Triton , I am the water that Burns.  At the center of my soul there is the eternal fire, yet that fire is made out of water. Can you see the  light enclosed within the darkness, I can  and I am here to share with you the secrets of the golden river of love, life and laughter, can you feel that fire that burns without consuming.   Can you hear the soul of the Gods calling you to be your best. I am Triton I am the water that burns.

In the middle of the Universe I sit, I am part of it all and so are you.  Can you hear the noise of silence?  I am Triton , I am my father's son.  I rise from the bottom of the sea to share life among mortals and non mortals alike. I can taste the Ambrosia, I can read literature, poetry, I can see works of art, is the essence of the Gods Spirit inside of each of us.  I am Triton  the water that burns.

I am Triton,  I am liquid fire, I am the water that burns.  I am one with you and you one with me.  I am Triton,  I know what is to be water and  water knows what is to be me. I know what is to be fire and  fire knows what is to be me, so I am here and not here,  I am  Triton I am  the son of the Gods, I am of love always , I am always of peace, I am  and always will be Triton, forget me not. Here is the secret for those who want to know, the mountain is full of horses, but inside is the glow. I am Triton , I am the water that burns.

Ishtar and Jordan Almonds

One of the most fun part of the Isthar aka Easter Holiday is the candy and the Hunt. You could say the colors are great and a sign of spring coming to life.  Here are my Jordan Almonds . I bring you the Jordan Almonds with some clever photography.  I am trying to learn the peculiarities of dealing with the Aperture in a camera along with the focus factor which relate to the field of depth.  I guess when it came down to the physic of cameras and the photo science, I  got engaged.

I hope everyone who celebrates Easter has a good one and those who celebrate Spring have a nice Spring.  Here are some toothpicks in a demonstration of fun with the camera and me showing a bit off.  I am not being quiet, but being creative and in a few days I am hoping to have some patterns to be shared with some.I am still weaving and knitting, and have a crochet hook in hand.  Always busy and now liberated by the life force itself.  May your Journey be without incidents. Thanks for stopping by!

A Stitch in Time

 
I know that I want to have a bigger loom, but this little loom is very versatile and now that I got the clamps drilled in a different way is better. This weaving includes some of my wheel spun yarn.  I am playing with stitches, pick up sticks and playing with color. I want to know what is making fabric is all about. This is a fun project that I am hoping to incorporate into the Knitting / Project bag that I am fixing as I go.  Thanks for stopping by!

Delphi Scarf Weaved

DelphiScarfWeaved (4) a photo by Crafty Andy on Flickr.

Here it is, while at this very moment is cooking in a pot of very hot water, this 65% Cashmere,  35 % wool scarf is beautiful. It needs to be blocked and only one mistake had to be corrected. I did make mistakes as I went along, but I caught most of them in time to undo and redo the rows. The scarf took 63 grams of the green material which is the dominant or about 225 yards and 103 yards of the brown. It called for worsted weight, but my intuition was right , going to a DK weight adding more warps , 33 in all. The heddle was the 12 SETT instead of the 8 SETT. I hope you enjoy this scarf, and I I may tell you something that is worth telling is this: The hardest part of weaving is setting up the Warp , weaving is easy as pie. I may make another one of this in reverse colors, but I may make a hat to go along with this and some gloves which I do have a great pattern from one of my friends from the MFKRs, Harry Wells the Knitting Ninja, you can find the pattern at his site HERE or on Ravelry HERE. Thanks for stopping by!

Vanna's Choice for Crochet

This is another choice of yarn for the Ribbons Hat.  It is Vanna's Choice and I will tell you that I don't like this yarn for crochet.  It constantly splits, maybe it is a good yarn for knitting  and I have seen a lot of stuff knitted with this yarn. Maybe is my Addi Hook , , but I would not recommend this yarn for crochet unless the change the way the ply it.  As far as acrylic goes, it is soft and washable, but I do not like this yarn for crocheting at all.  It is still a choice for using in the Ribbons Hat.  This is my Yarn critique for the day, at least it did not have any knots in the skein, that would have been hilarious.  Thanks for stopping by!

The Scarf WIP

This is the second part of weaving something.  You need to create a header to  open the work for your weaving.  Even though I have not weaved for a long time, I realized that if I did the header in plain weave it is easier to remove at the end.  I have sometimes weaved the header under the same shed with three picks one way and 3 picks the other.  It opens ope nicely.  This one is simple weave for a bit and easy to distinguish from the main colors! This pattern is from the Lion Brand website and it is called "The Boyfriend Scarf". I called it the Boyfriend from Delphi.

This is my work in progress, even as I had to undo some of the work,  because  I made a mistake.  It is a very simple pattern to weave, but if you don't pay attention you will make a mistake, very easy to fix.  You see here I am using a solid wood ruler to use as a pick stick.  More than a pick stick at this moment it helps me keep the shed open in the correct way.  Unless you want to look into the shed every time you weave, a rule or stick like this is very handy , because it keeps the shed that you are in open , up or down in place. You have to make sure that what you use, in this case a ruler, has no sharp edges or metal at the edge.  You don't want to cut your yarn with the metal edge. So I will weave a bit more today, maybe a lot.  Thanks for stopping by!

Ready to GO

Last night before going to be I was able to get my loom ready for today.  The Apron has been set in the work.  The apron is what is called, it is the fabric or material in which you wrap your warp around.  I use some kind of butcher's paper, which works fantastic for my loom.  I guess I could invest in  some canvas cloth, eventually I may do that, but to my credit the paper is so light and easy to put away. Just wanted to show you the loom set and ready to go as I relax in my Saturday of weaving. Thanks for stopping by.

Warp Speed Ahead

BoyfriendScarfWarp (1) a photo by Crafty Andy on Flickr.

This warping was tricky, because of the way the two colors are interexchanged over the warped. I am excited, because I have already dressed the loom and the warp has been rolled and the individual heddle holes have been put into place. Just wanted to post before going to bed. I think this is going to be another fun adventure in which I am going to learn a lot. Thanks for stopping by.

Lion Brand Boyfriend Scarf

Lion Brand Boyfriend Scarf a photo by Crafty Andy on Flickr.

This is going to be my relaxation project this weekend. Away from knitting and crochet and just relaxing with my loom. I have the best yarn for this project and I hope to finish it by Monday and have pictures. This is a pattern from Lion Brand using the Cricket Loom and a very clever pattern. Thanks for stopping by!

Ribbons Crochet Hat

RibbonsCrochetHat (12) a photo by Crafty Andy on Flickr.

This is a great project for a good cause .

I like this pattern because it gives you the opportunity to make any kind of Ribbon Hat. This pattern is for free if you send me a copy of your donation to "Project Open Hand" . An organization that helps many causes.  Thanks to the help from Naomi, this pattern was tested and proofread. There are more hats coming out, some for personal sale and some with other companies in mind. In the meantime there is one Crafty Andy Hat in the works in a month or two. Thanks for stopping by.

Jasons Hope Afghan

JasonsHopeAfghan (1)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

Just wanted to share this afghan that I made from the left over squares, Crochet and Knit from the Jason's Afghan. We got donations of sqaures from around the world and through the website menwhoknit.com. We made one for him and he got to enjoy it before his brief life on this planet ended by choice. He opted for no radiation,or chemo, I don't blame him. There are more squares and I am hoping to make more for charity, I think I can make one or two more small lapghans or for Project Linus' children. Thanks for stopping by.

The New Crochet is Old

 
There is nothing wrong with your LCD, you are seeing floats in Crochet .  I have been working on some secret projects about two or more for new patterns in crochet.  Hats as you can guess is what I am working on.  The main reason I do hats is that so many Crochet hats out there are boring in my opinion and even though they are fantastic patterns I want something more.  Add a bit of color  and a graph and you have a wonderful new craft.  Unlike Tapestry Crochet, COlor Stranding Crochet has floats that hang from the back and does look a lot like Fair Isle Knitting.  Just wanted to share the back of the work, the front will not be revealed until the patterns are published, thanks for stopping by.

Because being Silent is noisy!

What can I say, life is not black and white.  I used to think in black and white ways, but Life in itself teaches you that life is a lot of shades of gray, then you have your black and white.  If you go further there are lots of combinations of colors that will yield shades of black , white is the absence of color and so we think, yet when we put white light through a prism , we have a rainbow.

So I am working on a wonderful project a serendipitous Tapestry Crochet Hat that came out of an idea. from a friend who was asked about an option.  Amazingly enough I have not seen anything like it, but I will give you the Crafty Andy version of the Hat.  Yes it is a hat.I feel more than a hat coming out of it, but I make hats and maybe is because of the Leo rising in my chart.  I do have about three more hats in the works and all of them are in color work aka Tapestry Crochet mind you.  I am hoping to bring color into your life in a different way.  Crochet is such a beautiful craft, the same with knitting, I never understand the issue with people and crochet. Some people don't understand crochet and thus unable to appreciate it's beauty and artful orchestration try to belittle it.  How many times do I hear people asking me what am I knitting when I am crocheting?  Many times, they just don't think that crochet can be beautiful until they see some of my patterns.  It humbles me, but I understand that I have always had a different view of life.  My Tapestry Crochet is the way I look at the world more so than knitting and more like weaving.  Life is a lot of work and it takes a lot of colors to make it pretty.  Well more to come in a few days, no pictures until I proof read and test the pattern.  Thanks for stopping by!

HIKoo Simplicity

HIKooSimplicity (5)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

Stitches West was a fun venue, very inspiring . There were some things that I wanted to run away from, people wearing hideous garments, fibers to avoid and some crazy gadgets. Skacel is developing this new yarn line Call Simplicity and you have to give them Kudos as you get to see that you can overdye the yarn with some fun results. The purple yarn is overdyed, it has a heathery purple look and it smells like grapes. I will have something new , a secret pattern which I can only share with the few, Triton is going to create something with this yarn for the masses I am hoping that it will be a success. I have been challenged in a good way, let's see what I can deliver. Thanks for stopping by.

Famous by Proxy

Stitches West still happening at the time of this posting.  Famous by proxy as I got to meet and hang out with some of my friends who happen to be famous in my eyes.  Lots of talented people in my circle of friends even though some are not published.  The group of people from my Monday Night Knit and the Men Knitting Retreats, knitters and crocheters are a very talented bunch, very creative and it seems like an endless  fountain of inspiration.

This place is amazing and the best choice for this venue, a lot of people were in here, mostly women, very few men.  It was nice to be the center of attention as a man who knits and crochet, it seems to be such a strange thing happening, but hey we are in the San Francisco Bay Area and anything is possible.

I was able to help for two consecutive days at the Warm Up America booth.  the charity that has warmed peoples' lives since 1991. It started in a small Wisconsin town with neighbors knitting and crocheting afghans for neighbors in need. Thanks to the creativity of founder Evie Rosen who came up with the idea of having volunteers knit or crochet small sections and then others join them together, the idea quickly caught on. Today Warm Up America distributes warm afghans, caps and other items to tens of thousands of people, thanks to the generosity of knitters and crocheters around the country. Above you see me, along with another famous friend, Peter Franzi , Hooker Bear from the Men Who Crochet , CGOA.  We both worked at the booth volunteering and representing our chapter in the promoting of  the Warm Up America venue.

By volunteering  I was granted a badge that allowed me to have free entry for the whole four days.  I did get my own tickets for two days just because this event is great and deserves to be sponsor.  Benjamin Levisay and his staff, made this a great event.  They do need to have a better perspective at the fashion show, but  even there it was a great venue to be present.  This fashion show was good, but needed some Queer Eye fashion advise, or a better Queer eye Fashion advise.  I believe the items could have been showcased a lot better.  Maybe next year.  Thanks to XRX  and the Knitting Universe for a great venue and show.

Another friend that was showcased at the Fashion SHow was Kenny Chua , another talented guy , this is the pattern that was showcased and used at this fashion show.  It is a simple yet versatile pattern.  Here I am getting famous by proxy.  Thanks to him and my friend John Silowsky, we were able to be at the fashion show.  Even bigger fortune was to sit beside Karin Skacel and Antonio Gonzalez Arnao of Malabrigo Yarns and Michael Del Vecchio of Universal Yarn. 

My friend Kyle  was also present and he is another talented man, recently transplanted to the City by the Bay. You can find Kyle at his Website busy as a bee.

Last but not the least our friend Chuck Wilmesher who was working very hard at the Skacel booth.  Chuck is working  as the Director of New Products at Skacel and his boss Karin Skacel was very kind to us and allowed us to snatched him couple of times to spend some time with us.  She is a very kind person and someone so full of ideas, no wonder Skacel Knitting is such a successful company. Karin and her staff are a very creative bunch of people who I am very honored to know and be friends with. Skacel is a great sponsor of the Men Knitting Retreats and very interested in promoting Crochet as well.  There is a new line of  yarn  Simplicity from Skacel that I am hoping to make some designs for.HiKoo Simplicity Yarn is a wonderful, soft, washable yarn with an amazing twist and is available in some of today's most popular colorways.

Stitches West was a great success in my eyes.  Lots of vendors, lots of sponsors and a terrific crowd of very talented people.  It is worth the time to go and visit even if you don't take any classes.  Ali Mac Graw was signing a pattern for another worthy cause, Ali's Cap .  This is a place were America and it's friends promote creativity, friendship and altruism in the same venue. I hope I have the opportunity to be of service to the Warm Up America booth again next year.  This is Crafty Andy Thank you for stopping by.

Valentine' s 2011

Valentine2011
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

Happy Valentine's Everyone!

Retro Caprican

RetroCaprican
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

Can we survive the Ice Age?? Retro Caprican is a challenge because I am using a yarn that was not around in the time of this sweater. I believe this pattern will look luscious with this yarn. A Bernat Boatneck Classic and it is given in thre different weights of yarn and it is given in three normal sizes. Normal for the time that the pattern was written. I think is very Retro Looking even though the pattern was printed in 1960 , the same year I was born. Fantastic a celebration to my life with such a great pattern. I owe thanks to one of my friend Kyle fort the gift of the yarn a few weeks ago. Hope to have this one done in a month.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weaving Vocabulary

I do have other projects that I am working on, but  becoming more involved with weaving and all the possibilities there are.  This weaving is with my Schacht Loom, the Cricket.   hope this video gives you a new insight into tubular weaving, it is fascinating like Spok would say.  Anyway I hope you have a great week and I will continue making some nifty Weaving videos as I get to progress in my craft. Thanks for stopping by!

Tapestry Weaving SF

TapestryWeavingSF
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

John S., Kyle and Crafty are taking a Tapestry Weaving Class at CCSF John Adams Campus. Our teacher D. Corsini is a wonderful an eclectic teacher and has a lot of fun teaching the guys and gals how to make art. We had a guest Visitor, John C. (Far on the left of picture) it was nice to be able to share with him and he was such a wonderful guy to sit with us through class. Kyle and I stayed until the end of class then walked to my home, then to Chilli Cha Cha, then to Kyle's Home.

It is so wonderful to have such talented friends and between the four of us so much crafting experience. We talk a lot about crafts don't we, and what we want to learn and accomplish. I think we are going to make it all happen, because we can. I am a lucky guy to have so many creative friends. There are more creative friends in my life, but not all of them taking the class. We do have homework for the next two weeks and I will be avle to share it with you.

Another view of the weaving loom with the cotton warp. This is not as easy as we thought, it takes focus and lots of patience.

Today we made the header which is the pink or dark weave and the filler which is the white weave, and of course we warped the loom. We discussed waves, vertical stripes, horizontal strips, passes, and spots. YOu will see my homework as it gets done. Thanks for stopping by.

Weaving a bag WIP 2

This is my Knitting bag, I carry this bag around with my WIP, but is getting a make over with some of the weaving that I am doing.  Here you will notice I have the front and I created a side pocket where I can put a pattern or a book , I thought it was clever way of using the fabric without having to join the fabric.

This that you see below is the side of the bag, this is side one as I am working on side two.  I joined the material with a single crochet , the bright orange material is a fantastic accent.  SO I am working on the other side.  I eventually will make more weaved material to cover the handles and will be able to line the bag as well.  Thanks for stopping by.

Double Stranded Weaving

So what do you know about weaving?  All I know is that I know nothing.  I am playing along, playing around and having fun.  Here I have two colors  and I am working with them at the same time, twisting them as I return on the other movement of the shuttle.  In these pictures you will see the different ways I am playing with two strands of colors.

On some of the rows the browns are double, then the orange, but that is using two strands as weft and utilizing  a single warp.  I alternated colors , then I didn't.  What I found is how much fun can weaving be when you are just making  cloth.

I am all about texture and my hats are always an inspiration after I made them.  Some people don't realize that I make my hats out of the blue, the ideas come from the ethers and then I usually reverse engineer the pattern, which usually comes out a bit different than the original pattern.  I am going to transform weaving as well, I want to inspire you to play with making fabric.

The picture below is a bag that I am working on, I am remaking the bag with the cloth I am making.  The pictures at the beginning of this posting is what I am going to use for the sides of the bags, then I am going to create more cloth for some fun handle coverings for this bag.  What is exciting to me is that I have discovered double strand weaving without reading about it or being taught.  These are the discoveries that I treasure.  This is Crafty Andy in his creative endeavor toward understanding the potential that weaving has for me.  I am in a new Fiber Journey and I will take you along with me.  Thanks for stopping by!

Looms and Fabric

Last Friday me and other guys from the Monday Night Knit Group went to a Tapestry Weaving Class at a local JOhn Adams Campus of CCSF. Adult programs for enriching our lives and that of others.  It was interesting and will be a complete semester.  Tapestry weaving is a bit different than weaving with a rigid heddle loom.  Our first assignment or Homework sort of speak , was to make a loom for our class.  We had a choice of copper which was beautiful and very expensive these days, or wood, which was under $ 20.00 in materials.  Here I present you my Tapestry Loom.  Michael helped me in the construction, I gathered the materials and prepared them for assembly.  The class was inspirational and Kyle, John and I were very excited about the class.  We met a lot of people and introduced them to the Stitches West and The Cricket and Flip Looms.  The fabric below was inspired by the class but was and is being made in my Cricket loom.  I am using some of my homespun for the weft along with some bulky Knit Picks Swish, the Warp is hand dyed sock yarn, wool/nylon blend.  It has taken a very interesting look. My plans is to use this fabric to make a bag.  

The yarn below is the one that I spun on my Kromski and plied with the Alpaca Cloud  Lace weight from Knit Picks.  I am just starting to see the possibilities of creating very exciting textiles with the loom.Thanks for stopping by.

Kobol140 gms 245 yds

Kobol140gms245yds (1)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

I really enjoyed spinning this fiber, not my favorite, but I learned a lot. I plied it with Knit Picks Alpaca Lace weight, that is the dark brown thin thread you see. I did manage to set the twist with very hot water and I don't know what I will be making with it, It has so much potential. The firestar and the bamboo were very easy to spin, I really enjoyed the way it felt in my hands and how easy it was to spin and draft. Rambo , probably like the name implies, ha a definite attitude ha ha ha. Hope you have a great week, I am resting as somehow I got a cold last night while I was asleep lol. Thanks for stopping by.

Kobol has Risen

"Rambo, Perendale,Corriedale,Bamboo,Falkland, and a hint of Sparkle" These are all the materials of what is in the picture. I got this a while ago for the holidays and until today I got some spark to spin it. This Batt is difficult to spin because it has a lot of character and you can't fight with the character, the crimp and the fun. I am working on making a novelty yarn to be able to weave a scarf with this or maybe a shawl. I can tell you that whatever it will be , it will be plied with some kidzsilk mohair. As I learn how I spin I learn to allow the fiber to speak to me. No it really does not speak to me, but it has something to say that is subliminal. A specialty Batt like this one has a character that can not be spun like regular yarn. Your choice is to spin the fiber as a novelty yarn and take advantage of every noil, cluster and every piece of crimp that the fiber offers you. I also learn that Sometimes is good to let singles on the bobbin overnight and then ply in the morning, it allows the twist to settle more. One thing is for sure, Crafty Andy is learning about spinning and weaving and iis having a great time. You can get personalized Batts from www.desertgarden.etsy.com  

Thanks for stopping by!

Caprica's Apollo and more

 
Welcome to the New Year and to the new projects of Crafty Andy.  I am so excited to be making this scarf and I am hoping to delight you with more weaving as the year goes on.  Next Month we have Stitches West which will bring me to see more looms  to try and see.  I believe I want to buy the Kromski 32 inch loom , definitely make my own bag for it.  I say why buy the bag unless it is a good deal, never the less it is too early to think about buying a new Loom, maybe for my birthday.  This pattern is fascinating, it is called the hounds tooth and it is a very simple pattern.  I took the beginners class at A Verb for Keeping Warm store's new location on San Pablo avenue and Alcatraz , Oakland California.   April is our teacher, great lady, and great class.
 
This above is the Ionian Herbivore, it is made with the malabrigo sock yarn in overdyed indigo color.  This is one of my most favorite West Knits patterns along with the Boneyard.

Last Sunday I got together with my friends Kyle and John and I spun with my Sonata while they were doing some knitting.  This was a gift from James Herbison of FIBREALIVE , thank you my friend for such a thoughtful gift.  I thought of you as I was spinning and plying. It is a very cold day and the gym is waiting for me.  I will come back home and work on my weaving for some hour or so and then on my herbivore a bit more.  I do have some nice camel / silk blend to spin that my friend Naomi drum carded for me, it is like spinning a cloud, very lovely.  Thanks for stopping by!