Bring Out the Big Sticks

Big. Chunky. Easy. Fast. Instant Grat. That's what I'm craving right now. So for the time being, I've banished all those socks - all those small yarns and size 0 needles. Bring on the Size 13. Size 17. Size 19. How's that for the big sticks?

At the stress level I'm at right now, just PLEASE give me easy and mindless.

Now let's discuss books to inspire in this Big Knitting. Starting with Big City Knits. I know this book was out in 2007, but I didn't discover it until recently, after talking about it with a couple of people at The Studio Retreat. This is a book of 31 Chunky Yarn Weight designs by the designer Wenlan Chia, maker of Twinkle Yarns. I notice that Knitpicks has the book on sale right for now 34% off and I'm debating whether I should buy it now or wait until they have another 40% off sale. The copy I've been reviewing this week is one from the library, but I definitely think I'll try to make a couple of things from this book, as well as Loop d Loop, another great source of big chunky projects that I'm craving right now.


One thing to be forewarned about if you consider getting this book (Big City Knits) is that the bust sizes range from 22" - 35." There has been a well-discussed "sizing issue" with folks wondering why the size range doesn't expand to larger women. From what I understand, though, the patterns are made out of huge stretchy yarn, so perhaps if I make the size Large, the 35", that it might fit my 38" actual size. We'll see how that goes.

Also, the designer, Wenlan Chia, had a live discussion chat over on the Vogue website this week. You can read the transcript here.


And finally, before Vogue's Winter issue leaves the book stands, if you are drawn to these bigger knits, go out and grab a copy of the Winter issue of Vogue, which features "Bold and Beautiful" designs, including Michael Kors, Wenlan Cia and Tom Scott. The good thing about the designs featured in the mag this month is that they DO include larger sizes, not just designs for the skinny minnnies, so it's definitely worth checking out. I like these designs very much and am thinking of making one . . . or two . . . or maybe all of them. How big is my Ravelry queue getting these days?

Have a great weekend everyone. For me, it's Big Knits time. And I'm still trying to track down the jumbo needles.

A Blessed Day AT HOME

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home again,

It's so far and out of sight.

Snow is cold

Rain is wet

Chills my bone right to the marrow." Carole King


One of my favorite albums of all time - Carole King's Tapestry album and in particular, her song "Home Again" rings through my mind today. I've been listening to it a lot lately for comfort, or maybe trying to draw a part of my long ago (teenage) self back into existence so that I can better understand my own teenage daughter, who knows! But that sense of quiet desolation and chill is filling me right now, and I'm knitting like mad to try to warm myself, inside and out.

We haven't had a SEVERE winter (nothing at all compared to LynnH and Kim's Michigan winter this year!!!) but it seems to be dragging on forever. We haven't had extreme snow or ice here this year, but we've had just an enduring cold/damp chill in the air, and biting winds. So even on a sunny day, like today is supposed to be, the air is just COLD and it feels too cold to do anything at all outside.

In fact, for the past two weeks, I have felt "chilled to the bone." Today I'm staying home from work for an extra day off (Yay!!!) and guess what? I'm not going anywhere. It's HOME day.

I can't remember the last time I just had a day to stay home, get warm, mess around and not do anything. Well, maybe the dishes and laundry, but that's it. I swear. I'm hunkering down and being a total homebody today. It sounds just like what my soul needs to revive. I'm knitting, reading, taking a long relaxing bath with a face mask. I'm treating myself to a total hedonistic day of relaxation in my favorite place, HOME.

Today I'm knocking on my own door, and that seems like the best place to be and the best person to see.

I'm Not Religious, But I Believe in Prayer

I've always been a little bit DIFFERENT spiritually speaking, a bit eclectic you might say. Born and raised as a member of the RLDS church, then embracing metaphysics, meditation, agnosticism, later Unity, and sojourns Zen Buddhism and eventually converting to Judaism, but then not really adhering to ANY of those schools of thought. In short, I'm a spiritual hodge-podge and tend to make things up as I go along, believing what I believe.

But at any rate, I do pray (in my own way), meditate, think good thoughts for people, the leaders, and the world in general.


And when they discussed the power of Prayer Shawls at The Studio retreat a few weeks ago, I became inspired because I've been wanting to do some charity knitting and this seemed to interest me more than any other project I've heard about in a long time.

It's good that I can give to an organization such as House of Menuha which is where The Studio prayer group's shawls are being donated. Women who receive these are usually at some crossroads in their life and can use a bit of spiritual shoring up.

After a Prayer Shawl Meeting with Deb, who coordinates The Studio's Prayer Shawl Group, I decided to set to work on one. Following the general guidelines: fast, easy, acryllic or washable yarn, size 13 needles.

I used the Easy Triangle shawl, a free pattern on the Lion Brand website. It's so easy and fast, it's amazing. I knit this whole thing up in just over a week and hardly spent much knitting time on it at all. It uses size 13 needles, and I used Deborah Norville's new Chunky line of soft acryllic yarn approprately called the "Serenity" line. Colorway: Chocolate and it took only 4 skeins, costing me $2.99 X 4 - about $12 for the whole thing. The finished shawl is a roomy 65" X 31". This yarn is amazingly soft and best of all, it's beautiful and washable. She has several gorgeous colorways to choose from.

Not being a particularly GOOD prayer, and being kind of fast and scattered by nature, I tried to get in a peaceful frame of mind when I worked on this project. It actually made me feel good myself. So making things for others has an added benefit in making me feel better, not only by giving but just the process itself. Very gratifying!

Another kind of neat thing I did was have several people who ARE good prayers and who I consider to be really good spiritual people to touch the shawl in progress and to say some prayers over it for the recipient.

So I already have started doing some charity knitting, and I'd like to do a lot more of it this year.

Sweet Valentine

Well I had a rather busy but wonderful Valentine's Day weekend. I didn't realize how much more FUN Valentine's Day can be when you have a whole weekend to celebrate it, instead of it being crammed into a busy work week as it normally happens.

Anyway, I came home from work Friday night to find this lovely bouquet on the table and a sweet note from my husband. Then we went out to a crowded but delicious dinner at Outback. Saturday we spent the morning looking for vanities for a bathroom remodel we hope to eventually do - my husband will do the work himself. He's handy that way.

I spent Saturday afternoon with the knitting group, something I haven't been able to do in recent weeks. A day of "no overtime" is a blessed one in my book!


Saturday evening we went to Paradise Playhouse - a fun little dinner theatre that is in Excelsior Springs. We've gone there for years, since 2000 when they first opened. The cost of going to this out-of-the-way theatre is only about half of what it costs to go to an upscale one here in town. Since I rarely dress up anymore, there is something so romantic about dressing up and going out together.

Also, something funny happened at the beginning of the play. The curtains opened, we were watching the first scene where an actress placed a picture of her beloved film star up on the mantle of the fireplace. She was speaking about how she loved and admired this starlet and was so proud to have the picture there in a prominent place of her home. Another relative came by moments later and snatched the photo down, burying it in the closet and saying it was tacky and she wouldn't have it there.

Suddenly from the first row of the audience, a very conservative, mousy looking man shouts out, "There you go, honey, now you know how I felt when you took down my gun!" At first I thought it was part of the show, but no, it was just a fellow audience member upset over his wife's removal of his beloved rifle from over the mantle. Somehow, Bob and I started picturing that we we couldn't stop laughing. It hit other audience members in a similar way, and there was a wave of laughter temporarily disrupting the regularly scheduled play. It was a really cute moment.

I've been married a LONG time, and it is weird, funky moments like these that we will look back on and continue to laugh at years later. Those moments of "private jokes" are a treasure.

One last note about relationships, and particularly romantic ones. A man called into my favorite radio talk show the other day. The topic was relationships and how you stay happily married etc. An older man who'd been married forever said, "Just remember, there's no joy in being right."

I thought it very sage advice. So I leave you with, "There's no joy in being right."

Invincible Summer

One of my favorite quotes of all time:

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."
Albert Camus

When I was in Junior High School, I cut that quote out of a magazine, posted it on a piece of dark blue construction paper, along with a photo of a bright summer day. Every day, I struggle to find that invincible summer and try to grab on to at least a few strands of inner sunshine.

How about you? What makes you feel sunny inside?

Getting My Knit On

Whew! I'm back. Did ya miss me?

I had one of the most physically relaxing and creatively stimulating weekends that I've had in a long time. I decided not to take any classes, but just meet knitters, sit, knit, relax and talk to people. Get inspired. Boy, did I!

The setting (Elms Resort) became the perfect setting for a bunch of fiber obsessed women (and one brave knitter man). The market was great, the people were wonderful, and the projects - amazing.

The market featured da da da DAHHHH - Kay's Dome Hill Sock Yarn:








I mingled with old friends . . .



















Met some fascinating and fun new friends . . .






Became empassioned to buy a "Trashy Bag purse" - besides being environmentally friendly, it's very cute . . . . now have a hankering for "taffy" yarn . . . and prayer shawl knitting is in my future, inspired by some very special people who have benefited from them, and whose lives have grown richer by making them for others.

Definitely a weekend to treasure.

Knitting Priorities

As my sprinkling of readers may or may not know, I've been putting in a lot of hours at work lately. We're in a real crunch there on several incoming clients and projects. It's meant a lot of overtime. I'm not a person who does well with a lot of hours. This blog isn't calling "Hanging By a Thin Thread" for nothing, don't you know?

I have some stress coping mechanisms, but most of those involve having time off to meditate, read, knit, walk, do some yoga, reflect. With the time crunch, I've lost a bit of perspective.

But this coming weekend, I will have time to do ALL those things. Because . . . . The Studio Retreat at The Elms is finally coming right up. I'm counting down now. Five days to go. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday . . . then da da da DA - Friday I'm at The Elms. Three whole days to intermingle with my knitting peeps. A hot spa tropical bath treatment. A yoga session or two, lead by a yoga instructor. Sitting in the lobby, pictured here, of a 150 year old hotel in a peaceful setting. Nothing but TIME, TIME, precious TIME to share with my knitting friends. I can't begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to it.

I was considering taking some classes there, but decided that the time to just relax and knit is more important than anything else right now. Learning a new technique would be nice . . . but not as nice as just vegging out. Remembering my priorities - yeah, no classes for me.

My knitting life, much like the rest of my life, has felt fragmented, confused, sporadic and unfocused. Though I don't want to put myself on any kind of productivity regimine, because knitting should be fun and not work, I nevertheless haven't felt relaxed even in my knitting lately, because I feel off kilter and unsuccessful at nearly every project I laid hands on in 2008.

Don't know why, but I produced a lot of duds last year, and 2009 started off with a frustrating experience trying to knit a Jane Thornley Organic Wrap that I ended up frogging. I had hoped to wear it to the Retreat, but no, forget that.

While I'm at the retreat, I'm going to reflect on what are my knitting priorities this year? What do I want to make, learn, do? What excites my knitter's passion in 2009?

A Day of Pride

In November, we did it, we elected Barack Obama as our 44th President. That election day filled me with euphoria. But today, on his inauguration day, I am filled with something else, something deeper and more profound . . . not just hopeful idealism, but true pride in our country and the realization of how far we've come in my own lifetime.

My childhood occurred during the years of the Vietnam War and during the struggle for racial equality. I was raised believing that while women and blacks SHOULD have equal rights, they really didn't and were desperately fighting for it.

Today I had to work, so I tried to catch glimpses of the big event on my coworker's monitors as we watched it through website feeds. But when the swearing in came, we all stood transfixed as we saw the dream come true. It was very emotional and moving.

Now we've come full circle. We have a leader who represents all the best qualities we so desperately need in a leader at this point in our history. It feels as if we are on the brink of something.

This President isn't promising to do it all for us, but to lead us in a new direction and into an America that we all participate in and create together.

Knitting Caddies

I am a natural bag lady - one of my favorite things to knit is purses and bags, and those have also been some of my most successful projects.

However, yesterday when Bob and I were shopping at an Antique Mall, we happened upon this:

Finding that knitty caddy reminded me that my favorite knitting bags aren't knitting bags at all, they are knitting CADDIES and that's why I have these other two as well:






My Grandmother used similar caddies during the 1960's and 70's and I forgot how much I love them!! I am going to be on the lookout for a vintage version - I am very sentimental about the wild, garish prints of the '70s and those are my favorites.

Now the reason I love these caddies so much is because they sit on the ground, open while you are knitting and when you are ready to go, you just flip it closed, grab the handle and go. Your knitting stuff never falls out - it's compact, easy and really works well.

Fun Saturday in Parkville

Knowing this was my last "workfree" Saturday for the next few weeks, I took a small roadtrip to Parkville, Missouri with my Mom and Kay - and we drove to the Florilegium shop. It's a charming yarn shop that is that and so much more. It's a unique gathering place for crafters.

This week, they featured a visitor, Dave from Ozark Handspun fibers. Dave was there to demonstrate his talent of spinning hand dyed locks in big creative skeins of yarn that knit up quickly and produce works of art.

Best of all, Dave brought along a trunk full of freeform garments to try on, many of which were designed by my Ravelry friend, Janice Rosema. I first "met" Janice over on Knitter's Review Forum several years ago where we shared a mutual love of Freeform, but whereas I'm a dabbler in the art, she's a true master - she designs pieces that are amazing. This weekend I was finally able to see these projects first hand.

You should have SEEN the shop full of excited knitters, gathered around ohhhinngg and aweing the fabulous yarn. There was a gathering especially around the huge trunk with the freeform garments. They looked like a happy group of little girls at at a costume party. They were trying on wild crazy hats, vests, sweaters and purses, all the while asking the other women, "How does this look on ME?" Great fun.


If you would like to see some of Janice's work, she has an article with photos of her freeform shawls in the Jan/Feb issue of Belle Armoire. She also has a pattern in the Winter issue of Knit N Style - it's a freeform cape design with matching fingerless gloves.

Huckleberry Ascot Completed

In spite of the craziness and required overtime at work, I've been able to squeak in a LITTLE knitting. This is my latest project - the Huckleberry Ascot from the Winter 2007 Holiday issue of Interweave Knits. I am showing a shot here with the left side bobble-free and the right side with the bobbles so you can see how it looks both ways in case you don't like bobbles.

My friend Laura kindly gave me a gift certificate to The Studio, so I bought the most luxurious yarn called Shi Bui which is DK weight Baby Alpaca. That is what I made the Huckleberry scarf with - the colorway is 229 which is a rich purple-burgandy.

Though the time for gift giving is now officially over, it's good to keep this project in mind if you ever need a quick gift. I knit it up in one week - a very hectic frantic week at that. Many faster knitters could probably whip it up in a couple of days. The ascot uses short rows and you pick up the wraps. That taught me a new technique because I'd never picked up wraps before. Carol showed me how to do it. Also, the optional bobbles on the ends of the scarf were fun.


Just to note though, instead of doing 8 repeats of the shortrow to create the flaired ends, I did only 6 and also instead of picking up 120 stitches on each end I picked up only 48. This made the scarf less bulky at my neck, and also saved yarn. If you knit it "as written" it uses a bit MORE than the 225 yards, causing you to have to buy a second skein to finish. But if you do the abbreviated version I did, you use slightly less than one whole skein.

I'm Reducing

2 decades ago, when I was a young sales clerk in a Ladies' Wear Department, I worked with a fascinating and attractive older woman named Betty. In her early 50's at the time, she was the epitome of grace, style and class. She kept a beautiful figure and ate and exercised carefully. Whenever her clothes became a bit snug, she would come to work that day, hold her manicured fingertip in the air and announce, "Okay, ladies, the skirt is pinching a bit, therefore I am re-DUC-ing." Reducing seemed such a classy way of saying, "I'm going on a diet." Betty didn't diet, she REDUCED and somehow it made her wellness routine an elegant process. (the photo is of actress Tippi Hedren, who played Melanie in The Birds, but that is how I always pictured Betty must have looked during her beauty peak).

That "reducing" phrase has always stuck in my mind - and since "dieting" has such a negative connotation with me and all my various attemps at weight loss, I'm going to change my phrasing to REDUCING as well.

Taking action: I've been on the Jenny Craig eating/exercise and mental tune up routine since November 18th - and am now on my 7th week of "reducing." I've lost 12.6 pounds and some inches as well, but I need to take my measurements again before I can report on the inches yet. Suffice it to say, my bursting-at-the-seams size 12s are now LOOSE, so I'm a happy reducer.

So far, I am quite pleased with the Jenny program, because with the prepared meals, it has alleviated the stress of planning, shopping and cooking a 1200 calorie healthy and tasty food plan each day. The Jenny foods provide the variety in my food plan that I didn't find with other plans. I am exercising so far by just walking on my treadmill regularly and wearing a pedometer. My goal is 10,000 steps a day, and I'm walking at least 7000-8000 steps - still aiming for more, but it's a good start.

I also like the way that with JC they focus each consultation session on food/exercise/mind - all 3 components working together is working well for me. Eventually, they will start weaning me off the frozen foods and onto cooking a couple of days per week for myself. But I'm enjoying the well-balanced meals. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. I drink at least 64 oz of water and I exercise. On my drive to work and back, I listen to self-help CDs to retrain my thinking.

While I'll never look a thing like Betty, or Tippi Hedren, I'll look and feel like a healthier ME. Here's to healthier in 2009.

2009 New Word Selected - "Priorities"

For my long time readers, you know the drill by now. Each year, I pick a word that will guide the year ahead, and hopefully help shape it. My word last year was "awareness" and I think it really helped me change a few bad habits and improve some of my relationships. Awareness naturally leads to several outcomes: 1) change; 2) acceptance or 3) release.

In the fall, I was considering picking the word "Release" for this year - because frankly 2008 has been a pretty crappy year for many people, including myself. The awareness I practiced last year seemed to lead me to getting rid of some "hangers on" in my life that had lingered a bit too long and were dragging me down. You know, some fringe relatives, toxic people and self-made ways of relating to people that just weren't working any more. So toward fall of last year, I started releasing some of those old, dead situations and thought patterns - including an old vision of "me" that was stuck in feeling fat, dumpy and middle aged.

I am still in that process of release - and am planning on symbolically releasing those things - especially on New Year's Eve. But Release for a whole year seemed daunting to me, and frankly a bit scary. I don't think I'm ready for a whole year of that quite yet.

At any rate, as I was contemplating the new year, and during my morning meditation, a new word popped into my head like a new friend walking in the door - PRIORITIES. That is the word which will guide 2009.

Why? Being a big naval gazer and goal setter, I already have some general priorities established. They've stayed pretty constant for a few years now - but those priorities too often get shoved aside and not LIVED on a daily basis. I get so caught up in putting out the daily fires, and just doing whatever maintanence activities are needed for survival that I fail to do the really important things that will have the greatest impact on my life.

So last year's awareness has led me to the realization that my priorities are too often sidelined - the big rocks in my life have too often been displaced by the small rocks and sand of daily existence.

Right now, I'm in the process of emptying out that terrarium of "my life" and selecting the big rocks that will go in first - then the other stuff can filter in around what really matters. Does that make sense?

What will your word be for this year?

Is anyone else ready to release 2008? Whew - I'm getting this bad-ass year's hat and coat right now - ready to close the door on it.

Merry Christmas - The Gift of Friends

Okay, it's Christmas it's not usually my favorite holiday - but this year, I've remembered how very blessed I am with friends. I've been working overtime a lot and hadn't had time to check the mail. Imagine my surprise when I opened up my mailbox today to find a gift - a very special gift from a very special friend, LynnH, of ColorJoy!!!

I've been blessed to find some of my most cherished people over the Internet. Around 2003, after discovering/rediscovering the wonderful world of knitting, I happened upon a wonderful knitting blog by a very colorful and joy-filled person named Lynn. She is beautiful, creative, a talented designer, artist, dancer not to mention a delightful musician and writer. I admire the fact that she has so many talents - any one of which a person would be glad to possess - but she has many. I started reading her ColorJoy blog five years ago, and even with a plethera of blogs now available, hers remains one of my all-time favorites.



One of Lynn's designs I've always loved is her ColorJoy Stole. Well, now she's has a new pattern out called Party Stole. Guess what? She made one for me and sent it in the mail. You can see me enjoying it on a Christmas Day, and I do indeed feel wrapped in joy and warmth.

I have been blessed with some special relatives, but friends like Lynn remind me that friends surround me - even one like her whom I've never even met (in person). If you have a chance - drop by her blog, check out her music (1920's style) and take a peek at her projects and patterns.

It's cliche but so true that friends are some of our greatest gifts. Now back to my stole and a warm cup of tea. Yum!!! I'm curling up with a very good book called MIDDLESEX and sitting by the fire for a while.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Boot Toppers

The next IG (Instant Gratification) project comes to you from Kristin Knits: 27 Designs for Playing With Color. Specifically, the Boot Toppers on page 68. They are SO CUTE and have the added benefit of being 1) fast and 2) easy - my two favorite criteria for knitted projects when I'm in this frame of mind. If you're still looking for last minute gift ideas, these boot toppers would fit the bill perfectly. They could be made in a day (for fast knitters) or two (for slower knitters like me)- and you could put them on all sorts of boots, both casual and dressy. I just finished mine and I love them. I will probably try to make another set for my mother to match her new green boots.


I was so excited about this idea for boot toppers that I went out the other day and bought a pair of women's fashion work boots (Mudd brand) just so I can have something to put the boot toppers on!!! You could actually put these on any kind of boot, including the tall dressier boot.


The boot toppers are knit using two-color Fair Isle knitting (but it's really Beginner Fair Isle) and then you embellish with just a bit of duplicate stitch to make it look more complicated than it really is. Yarn used was Julia yarn, again, which is apparently produced by Kristin Nichols, author of Kristin Knits. She has produced a set of yarn in this Julia line so that the colors all go together. I love her sense of color.

Daughter's Birthday Celebration

Hard to believe that my daughter turns 17 today! And on top of that, it's a snow day - we're both off from school/work.

It's a lovely snow - a downright beautiful, light fluffy snow that really DOES put me in the holiday spirit. In fact, it looks like a lifesize snow globe outside.

Days such as this are unique and rare. A blessed winter day.

A Window of Relief

I was all set to work yesterday (Saturday) but due to a computer application being on the fritz, my overtime was unexpectedly called off. Yippeee! So Saturday I had a day off to visit the knitting peeps, do a bit of holiday/birthday shopping. And Saturday night, we spent a wonderful evening with Kay and her family.

You see her here, clowning around with her new marino/roving "wig" ala 1700's. We opened the big box of roving I ordered from Sheepshed Fibers and we had fun playing with it a bit on my drum carder. The roving she's wearing is from a grab bag of fibers, but the best of the lot was the $7.95 white roving mill ends that were wonderfully soft merino. It is great! We're both planning on expermenting with dyeing that roving and seeing what yarn we can spin up with it.

We made a lovely blue/green bat and a pink/burgandy batch with some other roving I had in the closet. Kay had already worked with drum carders when she went to Yarn School a couple of years ago. I think she'll be getting one soon - maybe even for Christmas? Here's hoping.

Ever since I started to spin last summer - I've become obsessed with making my own yarn in all aspects, the spinning, dyeing, carding. I am just beginning this exploration but it's so much fun. Mostly, I've been reading and studying, but I've been buying crockpots at thrift stores, so don't be surprised if you soon see me venturing into dyeing as well.

Here's some lovely silk I've been spinning from the silk yankies we bought at Yarn Barn last week.

If only there were enough hours in the day to practice all the things I'd love to do better.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

It's December again - and instead of "Merry Merry Christmas/Hannukah" I find myself groaning each morning as I wake up counting down the days until it is all over and I can breathe again.

Not only is there Hannukah and Christmas (we sort of half-heartedly celebrate both), but there's also my daughter and husband's birthdays as well as my grandmother's and 6 friend's birthdays.

And I've been working overtime at work to the point where I feel even more rushed and stressed. In short, for me this is NOT the most wonderful time of the year. (Yes, I'm extremely thankful to HAVE a job, and the overtime money is much appreciated, but right now, the time crunch is overshadowing everything else).

When I am time-pressed the most, that's when I realize how very much I rely on knitting and spinning to release the tension and provide relaxation. When I don't have time to even finish knitting a pair of boot toppers (my current project sitting by the wayside), then I get very frustrated and cranky. Instant gratification projects shouldn't stretch out over two weeks, should they? And when my brain is too fried to even knit simple ribbing, it's a signal something's gotta give.

I think this is an especially dismal and stressful season in 2008 in particular, with all the financial worries in the country and the world. No one can be completely sure that they'll even have a job in January.

Sorry to gripe - but the blogging helps me sort of unload and express it. In spite of the stress, I know that I and all of you too, will get through this okay. We'll have time to spend with friends and love ones and maybe instead of feeling out of control and helpless for all we can't BUY, perhaps we can share what has become increasingly precious - a little bit of time and companionship.

I feel most sorry for those single mothers and fathers out there, many of whom I work with, who feel special pressure to produce, at the very least, a decent Christmas for their kids, with very little money to do it.

Here's hoping things get better soon. And 2008 is almost over. Can I hear a "yippee" from the peanut gallery?

A Spinning We Will Go

On Saturday, my friend Kay and I took a "More Spinning" (Intermedidate Spinning) class at Yarn Barn, taught by Cindy Harberger. All I can say is "Wow, what an intense, information-packed 4 hours." Maybe it is because I am a kinesthetic (hands on) learner, but having an experienced spinning teacher beside me guiding the way while I try different techniques is an excellent way for me to learn.



We started by spinning using our own intrinsic method and style for about half an hour while she went around the room observing each of us and writing up a little index card describing our current style, with suggestions on how to improve both the technique and ergonomics of our current spinning method. It may sound scary being critiqued on one's spinning, but it was very nonjudgmental, friendly, and with all the best intentions - to help us become better and more talented spinners. And I've seen such improvement in my spinning from the first session with her, two months ago, to now.

Last time, she suggested that the posture I was using to spin might eventually cause pain in my right hip - and she was right, I'd already begun to experience mild hip pain, but with her suggestion on sitting differently, I've been able to spin in total comfort for the past two months.

She analyzed my current style as "Short draw, but allowing draught against twist." What this means is that I do a short draw, but I occasionally take my hand off of contact with the fiber, which causes a nubbiness or unevenness that can be solved by keeping my hands in constant contact with the fiber. We practiced this new way of spinning short draw, and it produced much smoother yarn. But now I know that if I ever want that nubbiness, how to produce it.

We practiced modified long draw and true long draw, which she says that very few people do a TRUE long draw, but it can be very effective for some types of fibers. Kay was able to perfect both the modified long draw and long draw very well. I think her natural style is modified long draw.

Treadling: medium fast. As with everything else, I tend to do it a little faster than I probably need to. The teacher suggested that I slow the pace of my treadling just a bit. She says that we live our lives at such a fast pace, that it sometimes transfers over into our spinning - but in fact our "real life" should mimic our spinning pace - medium paced and relaxed most of the time.

We discussed woolen vs. worsted weight yarn, and how to produce both. She says that most spinners do a combination such as semi-woolen or semi-worsted. Two yarns can appear to be the same thickness, yet the weight and handling characteristics of each can be quite different, depending on how it was spun.

Worsted yarns - extremely strong, smooth and durable, are produced from parallel fibers. You can get this effect by aligning the fibers by using hand carders, in particular, and creating a little "rolag" out of the fiber. We learned how to do this, and at first, I couldn't do it very well. Because I am left handed, I was getting my handedness confused. But Jane, another student in the class, helped orient me and practiced with me, which helped so much. By the time we made a second rolag, it turned out much better.

Woolen yarns, on the other hand, are made from randomly oriented fibers and they are soft, warmer (because they incororate more insolated air space) and not as hard-wearing as worsteds.

Clarification from Cindy the Instructor: True worsted is prepared only from combed fibers and spun and plied butt to tip. Rolag preparation is used to create woolen yarns. Rolags rolled in the conventional way (as we practiced) creates a preparation that has the fibers at perpendicular to the orifice. Worsted spinning requires fibers to be "in parallel" with the orifice.

We then moved on to learning about and spinning many different fibers from our "goody bag." We learned that Merino would made a great woolen-spun yarn. It was easy to spin.

Cotton - 1" staple length and very hard to spin because of short fibers, you would best use the smallest/fastest ratio on your wheel, and treadle fast! When we worked with it, my cotton kept breaking off, and I finally gave up. I don't like cotton anyway.

Flax - use a lot of twist, dampen fiber to make it more smooth to spin. She suggests wearing a belt when you spin it, or use a distaff to put the fiber through.

Mohair - comes from a goat, very shiny and has a halo. It is best spun from the fold.

Cashmere (we didn't practice spinning this) but did you know that some cashmere is raised in Texas and some in Mongolia? So next time you buy cashmere fiber, find out which is it. The Mongolian cashmere is softer, more luxurious fleece.

Alpaca - 3 -5" staple length. the fiber has a hollow core (creating good insolution) so this fiber is not only extremely soft but is WARM. It's best spun from the fold. Some people are allergic to this fiber. Suri is the best and most expensive Alpaca.


Silk - yum!! We spun this and everyone loved it. Of course, silk worms produce silk. The teacher told us about these wonderful "silk hankies" which is a packet of silk you can buy at Yarn Barn, where one $18 package contains at least 10 hankies and gives you quite a bit of silk at a much better price than if you just buy the fiber itself. These were GORGEOUS and Kay and I both are planning on trying our hand at spinning that lovely silk. Maybe we can make a little purse or something out of it. The one thing Cindy warned us about is that silk is rather inflexible fiber, so one wouldn't want to knit something like a sweater out of pure silk. But using a blend of silk with wool would work well. Also, some Art Yarns are spun with chunks of silk thrown in.

So now you see why my head is exploding with knowledge. For you Yarnies out there (nonspinners that is), I hope you weren't too bored with my in-depth coverage of this class, but I want to save the info on here to refer back to later.

Recommending Reading:
The Essentials of Hand Spinning by Mabel Ross, excellent explanation of hand carding. Ross was like the Elizabeth Zimmermann of spinning and was the mentor for our spinning instructor.


The Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning

A Whole Lot of Embellishing Going On

I am still in the process of making Laura's Chocolate Truffle Socks, which is a great design, and are coming along, but I've felt scattered and having my Knitter's Attention Deficit Disorder.

What has been drawing my attention is my fascination with embellishing my knitted items with embroidery. I mentioned this earlier, a couple of posts ago, but the fascination continues!



I made a pair of Cupcake Fingerless Mitts by Karen Neal (works at The Studio). She designed the mitts in both adult and children's sizes. They are called "Cupcake" mitts because you knit the mitts up plain, like a cake, and then you decorate the "cake" with yarn "icing" (embroidery). For this pair, I embroidered a paisley design on each mitt. I LOVE paisley. The knitting part is fast and easy - the embroidering took a bit longer, but very enjoyable and helped me renew an old forgotten skill.

This partiular pair is a gift to my Mom. I think I'll also make a pair for myself and predict they will go faster. It's hard to see in the photo, but the little tiny circle of silver on them are two tiny word plates, the left glove ways "wish" and the right says "believe." I bought those little word plates at Michaels. Yarn used is Nashua's "Julia." I love that yarn, the colors are great, and the yarn has a bit of mohair in it to add just a slight halo.

I had fun making these . . . and now I'm at work on yet ANOTHER embellishing project that I'll be showing you very shortly.

People must be doing a lot of crafting (more than in usual Christmas times) BECAUSE, while the regular shopping malls and stores in my area have not been very crowded, the craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby, not to mention the local yarn stores, have seemed EXTREMELY busy. More so than usual Christas times that I've noticed. I think with the weak economy, people must be focusing less on buying expensive gifts and more on making meaningful, more personal gifts.

My goal is to do more charity knitting in 2009. I know, I said that last year, but this year, I really mean it. I'm going to try to do one charity project per month. Even if it's just a plain hat or scarf, doing a little bit of embroidery on it, especially for kids, would make it more unique, don't you think?