MG: mmm, Beaverslide

laundered and dried swatch

McTaggart Tweed swatched. washing caused 3% widthwise bloom (1.375 sts/cm to 1.3̅ sts/cm) and 7% lengthwise shrinkage (1.85 rows/cm to 2 rows/cm). ready for modified Tilted Duster.

MG: Germantown, Ohio

swatching stripes and jog techniques

drove down to Germantown, Ohio this past weekend to see Ball & Skein, a charming little yarn shop just opened this year. daytonian ravelers have been saying lovely things about this place, so i wanted a peek. also, i think the Fleece Artist fiber in my stash is from them. it's a tiny space with a small but thoughtful selection. things are packed in tightly (people included) and in an orderly fashion. i found a friendly group of happy knitters (proprietor included) tucked into armchairs, knitting away. cozy.

i remember seeing: rowan, cascade, dream in color, fleece artist, o-wool, green mountain spinnery, lantern moon needles, and some indie-dyed yarns. she also carries a colorful supply of the aforementioned fleece artist fibers and some undyed roving. i've wanted to see Green Mountain Spinnery yarn in person; they have some good sustainability practices in place. the two skeins of cotton comfort (above) i brought home are lovely--tweedy, rustic, sophisticated.

downtown Germantown was also charming. diners, a local hardware store filled with goodies, town press; stroll-friendly; gardens, brickwork, ironwork, medallions, moldings, and a covered bridge.

MG: gargantuan

3.0mm versus 12.0mm

i found some Rowan Big Wool on sale at Webs and am now swatching with 12.0mm (US 17) needles. the needles and yarn are so huge, it's a little surreal.

MG: swatchy

having trouble putting together the right design with the right yarn with the right needles. on a trip away from home; i need my stash and tools! my knitting life has been a series of photo/eyecandy-browsing and swatches. i think the lace swatch is on the verge of growing into a real knitting project though.


all i have here is my little cellphone camera, so we are stuck with fuzzy, lackluster photos. could i appease you with a fuzzy, pink paw?

MG: trained

ready for a knitting event palpable enough to be heard on NPR (link via Kat with a K). ready to click my needles knowing hundreds are clicking with me.

training swatch made. other than a too tight bind-off, it makes me smile. i love this pattern (Kiri shawl PDF on left sidebar at All Tangled Up). wanted this chance to knit something i would otherwise not knit, something beautiful, something impractical for me. wanted to follow a pattern. wanted to knit knit knit, without thinking, just for the feel of knitting.

30,945 stitches in 16 days for this languid little knitter. even if i knit not a stitch for the first 5 days, i can still finish with 2813.18 stitches a day. knitting Kiri? spreadsheet here: open office or excel.

MG: stocking swatching

i'm participating in MJ's Norwegian Knits-Along as one of a gaggle knitting the Norwegian Stockings from Folk Socks. it took me a while to get things together enough for my foray into fair isle colorwork, but i'm ready. i made a little 30 stitch swatch in the round last night, with 2.75mm and 3.25mm needles.



returning to berkeley is returning to spring, seeing home with fresh-from-frost eyes:


it's warm enough to read or dream under a tree, but the ground is too mushy--rainy season earth.


i don't tire of pondering the blue blue sky with a brightening moon.

MG: pooling woes

i'm learning variegated sock yarn may not be for me. on hubby's first sock, the pooling started off at a nifty spiral; then there was a bump in the yarn right after the heel, whereupon all the blue and yellow gathered on the back of the leg. i was slightly irritated at first by the irregularity, but the resulting sock made me happy.

on this mate-to-be sock, no bump, so the spiral continues up the leg in a contrived manner i never devised. i'm unhappy, but it's hard to bend pooling yarn to your will. below is my third attempt to adjust the pooling (efforts toward the top).


i've ripped since. after trying wrap and turn, knitting from the other end of the ball, and continuing the strand at a different point, i'm now turning AND starting at a different point on the strand. ok, this much angst isn't warranted; i'm just easily frustrated by not being able to control my knitting.

meanwhile, i've been dreaming of new projects as a break from pooling woes. this means lots of swatching. i like to swatch b/c you learn about the yarn and nothing is a mistake. these are Lanaknits Hempton (50% hemp/50% cotton, medium) and some of the beloved Manos using needles of various sizes. i'm thinking shrugs or short cardigans for either or both.


eat local challenge: last saturday i made my regular trip to the Berkeley Farmers' Market. first time since i got back; sigh... i'm home.



let's see... pluots & plums (like eating candy), onions, garlic, collards (it's delicious if not overcooked, i promise. quickly stirfried w/ garlic and mushrooms; take it out while still bright green; yum!), eggplants, avocado, early girl tomatoes, green zebra tomatoes (happy taste buds AND bio-diversity!), carrots, and a most perfect head of romaine lettuce (dense and crisp. it should squeak if you squeeze the base. hubby accused me of snuggling this head of lettuce while carrying it home. i can neither confirm nor deny that fact). and... something that begged for its own photo...


small jewels of sweet summer. they are small; what you see is only a pint. they are ripe and shiny and deep red and intoxicatingly fragrant. mmm... i'm thankful to have my market. eating local is delicious.

MG: more spinning

in the midst of my spinning fervor, i neglected to say what i was actually spinning. it's bluefaced leicester (pronounced like lester... esther; pester; tester) wool. Claudia starts her beginners on this fiber. it's soft and easy to draft; i love it. i have singles and more 2-ply to show you:


remember Stumpy the Jacob Sheep? Kitty Kitty fell in love with him at Maryland Sheep and Wool, brought home roving as a memento, and generously sent some to me. i spun up some singles--between fingering and lace weight, i think. the yarn looks funny and kinked and curly even after a wash (sets the twist), but it seems to knit up fine:


there is more swatching around here. in response to my last post, Andrea and someone who wished to remain anonymous gave me great inputs on using these first yarns i'm spinning. thank you! thanks to their suggestions, i'm now pondering designs for a chunky sweater with dropped stitches. here is my bluefaced leicester yarn in 1x1 ribbing, stocking stitch, and garter stitch with a column of dropped stitches:


i had to give the wheel back this past week, so this ends my spinning adventures for a little while. :(

MG: looking to Lelah

spring has set my heart astir for warm weather projects, and i saw this gorgeous top @ mellowtrouble. it's Lelah designed by Christine of Knitting for Boozehags. i love the clean lines and leafy lace stitch; covet covet.

Kitty Kitty was sweet and sent me some of the Jaeger Cadiz (50% silk/50% viscose) she found on sale. i have five skeins in greyish white--perfect for a summery tank; so i knitted a little swatch in the round (my flat and circular gauges differ significantly).


on 4mm needles, the gauge measures 20 stitches x 27 rows (10cm/4inch square). my target circumference is about 78.5cm/31 inches, so 155 stitches. i need an even number divisable by 11 (for the lace), so 154 stitches. ok, ready, but which cast-on to use? any recommendations for lace cast-on methods?

oh, i should wash the swatch to see if gauge changes. stinkypoo.