kitty: mink and cashmere yarn *updated*

	This year for me I have decided it will be the year of new yarns. Focusing on things that are unique, rare, luxurious, and exotic. Lets face it I do not need anymore mainstay yarns in the stash. The first of these yarns would definitely have to be a mink and cashmere blend. I first read about the blend when trying to find something interesting to spin. One luxury roving post I read talked about a woman who was collecting mink hair from her pets and blending it. I immediately contacted her to be added to her list and she mentioned that she had seen someone selling a similar blend of yarn. First Impression & Thoughts: First of all no animals were harmed to obtain this yarn. This was a crucial detail for me! UPDATED: (FEB 1, 2009) After MG wrote the comment the other day I contacted them and asked how the fiber was collected and whether the minks were wild or farmed. I got a response from Craig, below is paraphrased from his email. The minks are brushed and the fibers are then removed from the brush. It is a cumbersome processes, but this was the only way to keep the fibers long enough for spinning. The minks are also farmed raised like you would sheep. The possum yarn from Australia has always interested me, but from what I have been told and now read, it is somewhat a bi-product from the food industry. Since possums are eaten for food. Which I would be ok with, but other sources talk about the fact that they are also be hunted for there fur. Possums were introduced in 1837 for the fur industry and now hit epidemic levels. Destroying natural vegetation and have no natural predators. Though the destruction is horrible, being hunted for there fur is not acceptable. I couldn't buy the yarn for that reason. Even knowing that the animal was not harmed I had to think long and hard how I felt about it. In the end I made the decision I was ok with it and ordered three hanks to try. The yarn came in a plastic bag with a print out about the washing instructions, name of the company, and suggested gauge. The hanks of yarn are not labeled. What really touched me was a greeting card was placed in the box with a hand written note. This really reminded me of Yahaira, I so miss her store and her beautifully hand written notes when I ordered. :( When you run your hand into the bag to fondle there is instant love. Like petting a kitten who had been sunning itself all day and freshly bathed. (Ok I really felt guilty at this point and wondered if I should have bought the yarn.) The yarn made me want to swatch instantly. (Sadly I had to get back to work.)
Manufacturer: Grand Northern Yarns Website: www.greatnorthernyarns.com Ebay: Pouchet Island Name of fiber: No Name Given Fiber Content: 70% Mink / 30% Cashmere Price: $19.95 website $21.25 ebay Ply's: 3ply yarn made up of 3 yarns that are 2ply Colour: Natural and listed on the site that he will soon have black Weight: DK Weight Label Reads 5.5 st per inch on US 6 Tested: 5 st to an inch on H&S Ebony 4.5mm Washing: Instructions read "Like cashmere this yarn and should really be washed either before or after knitting in order to achieve the full blossoming of the yarn. Soak for 20 to 30 minutes in water, add cashmere soap or baby shampoo, gently wash, dry flat, never twist." Tested: I allowed it to soak for 15 minutes in slightly warm water. Then I added an organic baby shampoo and gently washed. After blooming the yarn increased its thickness by double.
Knitting UP: The yarn is pretty splitty, though I was test knitting with ebony Holtz & Stein needles which are sharp. I kept having to stop myself from splitting the fibers. After a few stitches I also realized why in the instruction it suggested that you soak the yarn for 15-20 minutes after knitting. There is a fine oil on the fiber, but I am sure that was added to control the static during the spinning processes. You don't actually feel the oil or smell the oil, but it does give the yarn a controlled, weighted feel. It is not bothersome enough to make me want to wash the hanks prior to washing. The yarn is far more manageable in its oiled state than once you wash it and it becomes feather light. Plus you get the reward of how marvelous your project will bloom after you wash it in the sink. (OK I love the surprise of Coulmart Yarns) The yarn has very little elasticity but does have a nice bounce. It is very tender but it grips your needles and hands while you knit each beautiful stitch. All in all the yarn behaves well. It didn't twist in an odd way that made things difficult to knit or require you to re-tension the yarn in your hand. The stockinette was fluid and even. Blocking and washing: I followed the instructions that were outline on the printed instructions and used a baby organic shampoo. The oil was removed easily and the yarn plumbed up so delightfully when wet. After a close examination, there were also no fibers left floating in the water after the soap was rinses out. I left the water to set until the suds died down to evaluate the shedding. The multiple plies are somewhat loosely spun together. It took a lot of tugging though to break the strands with your bare hands. The gauge didn't change that much after it bloomed though the yarn is much plumper and has a lovely soft halo. The gauge was originally around 5.5 sts/inch to around 5 sts/inch. I didn't like the stitches as much using a 4mm. It dried somewhat flat. There is some light curling on the edge as you can see in the first photo. I only patted it dry and didn't pin block it. Wearing: Hard to tell. I did carry the swatch in my pocket all day and kept it between two piece of cotton. There was some light shedding with the friction between the cloth. I worry about pilling but no way to obtain that data at this point. Conclusion: The yarn is defiantly decadent, long term wear and tare will only be able to be determined after I decided what to knit with the yarn. The yarn upon first swatching does seem very forgiving. Since I split several of the stitches and they bounced back. At 200 yards there is a good amount of yardage for what you are buying. I would have to say I wholeheartedly would recommend this yarn and it certainly fits into all of the categories I am seeking for my year of exploration. If you have any other suggestions for yarns to try, please let me know. I love trying the unusual.
This photo and the swatch photos are the truer to the actual colour then the close ups. Those photos were taken in the shadow of the folds, but clearly depicted the structure of the yarn body with hallow.

MG: making cake

cupcakes for a birthday boy

dressed in strawberry cocoa chantilly

cake based on Nigella Lawson's "Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake" (How to be a Domestic Goddess, pg 166). i replaced some of the water with yogurt, decreased the sugar, and melted the butter with the chocolate. oh, and i used white whole wheat flour, my default flour. it seems to work for all sorts of baked goods except for ones needing lots of gluten. chantilly was heavy cream whipped with strawberry extract, cocoa powder, and agave syrup--Meiji's Apollo strawberry chocolate being one of the favorite candies of said birthday boy.

kitty: sit and spin

	SIT AND SPIN! is out!! Order here HAVE YOU SEEN IT!! WOW!!! Check out the youtube trailer Art yarns have always fascinated me in there total lack control and imagination. The surprise of a little coil, loops, a hive, slub, thick and thin, or hidden objects plyed right in at random intervals. The imagination really runs wild with some of the art yarn spinners and I always sit in amazement. Every time I notice on Sage that Pluckyfluff or Insubordiknit have updated I always rush over. How do they do that? What was there inspiration? How can I do that too? Wouldn't it be cool to have that hanging on the wall? This video has answered a lot of those mystery questions for me and I couldn't be any more excited than I am right now. If you are curious about the video I would definitely say go and order don't stop and think twice. Just Do It! I haven't had such a wonderful afternoon in a long time.
Contains Instructions for: Beehives, Twist, Halos, Tiny Circles, Coils, and most important Foreign Objects Instructional quality: Very well done, she takes plenty of time to show how the technique is done and repeats it several times for the viewer. I actually though I would be able to accomplish the techniques after watching it a few times. The music videos are also pretty hilarious.
I am not really sure how art yarns really fit into what I like to spin or what I like to knit. I do think they are pretty hard to use for day to day projects. I have really been trying to figure out a perfect project that I would actually use the yarn I have purchased and spun. We will see what happens. I am definitely going to be spinning tonight and watching the dvd again.

kitty:spinning recap for january

One of my new years resolutions was to become more active in my life. So I decided that if I was allowed to sit on the couch and watch TV I had to spin. Not that I have a lot of time to just sit on the couch, but I have kept to my resolution to this point. Even when all I have wanted to do is sit next to the fire and zone out. So here is the recap for January Spinning:

Indie Dyer: Crash into Ewe - webpage Fiber: Merino / Targhee / Ramboulet Amount: 8oz Colourway: It's not easy being Green About: 810yards other photos: photo 1 - Photo 2

Woolarina - webpage Amount: 4oz About 90 yards

Indie Dyer: Neighborhood Fiber - webpage Fiber: 80% Merino Wool / 20% Silk Amount: 4oz Colourway: Glover Park About: 230 yards

Indie Dyer: Neighborhood Fiber - webpage Fiber: 80% Merino Wool / 20% Silk Amount: 4oz Colourway: Logan Circle About: 360 yards Other photos: Photo 1

MG: Malabrigo sock

sock one and one fifth

hubby has a routine when visiting yarn stores with me. he heads straight for sock yarns, picks out the enticing ones, and brings them over for discussion: is this machine washable? will these colors stripe? is this the same yarn as his xyz pair? he'll then choose one for his "socks-to-be" stash with all manners of childlike delight, which makes me want to furnish him with a small mountain of handknit socks.

last time we were at Yarnique in Fairborn, they had just gotten some Malabrigo sock, so hubby picked out a skein of purply grape and wine hues. i always struggle a bit working with variegated yarn and swatched quite a few bias stitch patterns. nothing was quite right, so i somehow settled on purl ridges spaced in stocking stitch.

kitty: dreaming of fall 2009

The weather outside is really frightful! Winter is definitely still with us, so the thoughts of warm fuzzy woolens are really in my thoughts. Valentines day is also coming up so I kind of got the idea maybe to make M a sweater. Though he probably wouldn't get to wear it until next fall. So I thought maybe I should check what they are saying will be the fall trends in men's knitwear for fall 2009. First step was to do some research on what the colour trends were going to be for next fall.
The Pantone Spring 2009 downloadable pdf is online.
Color Trends for Autumn/Winter 2009/2010 Season
FALL 2009 MEN'S KNITWEAR RUNWAY INSPIRATIONS all images below are from men.style.com
ANN DEMEULEMEESTER	link to collection
EMPORIO ARMANI	link to collection
HERMES	link to collection
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER	link to collection
MISSONI	link to collection
MOSCHINO	link to collection
NUMBER (N)INE	link to collection
PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND	link to collection
YOHJI YAMAMOTO	links to collection
Elements that really drew my eye when I was going through the pages
	Alexander McQueen had these amazing accents of red gloves. The collection was pretty much muted tones except for these amazing fingerless gloves. Link to the collection
	Check out the detail of this Lavin sweater. It appears that they top stitched a sheer fabric over a gray cardigan. I am always impressed by the details at Lavin. link to the collection
	Dolce & Gabbana hasn't done much for me for several seasons. M still lives in his D&G jeans since they actually fit his body frame, but that is about all for the line. I did like the piping accent above the ribbing on this sweater and the icord finishing of the cast on edge. link to the collection

kitty: 花生湯圓

photo taken by M Canon 450D

花生湯圓

Hope you all were able to find a few moments to spend with your love ones today. This is how M and I spent the last few minutes of January 1, 4707 . We made tangyuan (peanut butter dumplings) and I thought seriously about making molded cookies, but laziness won out. I got them out and got them oiled so that should count for something. They just take so long to make and bake. Though M was just happy to have the majority of the tangyuan he thankfully didn't care. I really think the year of the Ox will be a good one for me and scary. Lots of changes and new beginnings to look forward to this year. I just need to do my best! Change and a new outlook on things is sometimes what we all need. :)

kitty: HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! May the year of the ox be a good one for you and your family and may all your dreams come true.

kitty: Brioche stitch reference site

Brioche Stitch.... I may be very slow to the game on this one, but I found an amazing site dedicated to the brioche stitch. Nancy Marchant has done an amazing job on the site. Just though I would pass it on to anyone who may be trying to figure out the stitches in some of the runway designs from this past winter.

MG: resurfacing

Beaverslide McTaggart Tweed

white kitty likes it too

didn't mean to disappear for so many months without word. needed insulation and silence and invisibility; almost hung up my blogging hat many times... but here i am suddenly wanting to write out loud and sneak the world peeks of my makings. it's good to be here with Kitty Kitty again.

alpaca armwarmers

kitty: a moment in photographic history

Today marks an amazing moment in Photographic History... The first official portrait of a President was taken with a digital camera. (Click Here to see the photo) January 13, 2009 with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 105mm lens.

kitty: something new in the knit life in Columbus, Oh

Libby (Wonder Knit) and Karida (Neighborhood Fibers)
Last summer I had the pleasure to meet Libby Bruce at Knitters Connection and TNNA here in Columbus. She was talking about the possibilities of opening up a shop and low and behold she did with her best friend. The Store opened on Dec 1,2008. (Sorry for the delay in posting about it.) Columbus Alive also recently did an article about the cute store in Clintinville. Be sure to check the Wonder Knit web site for a list of local classes and a map to help you find the store. Last time I was down there they hadn't gotten a store sign up and it was a little hard to find.
Location: 3165 N. High Street Columbus, Ohio 43202 Phone: (614) 261-YARN Email: info@wonderknit.com	Store Hours: Monday: 11AM-7PM Tuesday: Closed Wednesday - Sunday: 11AM-7PM

kitty: catching the motion of spinning

Aperture Priority

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Shutter Priority

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Some fun eye candy of me spinning. M was playing with his camera as we watched the Buckeye's loose in yet another bowl game. I really loved the two photos, if you click on the larger size link it will show you the full size. Shrinking them down to 390 doesn't really do them justice. I really thought in the first photo he was able to capture the act of spinning and the second to freeze a moment in time. Taken with a Canon 450D, 50mm lens, flash fired Fiber: Yak and Silk from a Verb of Keeping Warm fiber club.