Author: Nancy N

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Leg One of Event is Complete

First Leg of Scok

Our intrepid knitter has completed the first leg of the Rumpelstiltskin sock event at these winter games, and despite the twists, turns and holes the course has thrown her way, she has completed an error free run so far.  Next up is the heel portion of the first sock.  In this segment of the event there are new obstacles and the knitter may perform a bit of free-style to impress the judges by attempting an eye-of-partridge heel rather than the standard slip-stitch heel that most other competitors will do. Stayed tuned for further updates as the games continue.

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Let the Games Begin!

 

Every four years, knitters around the glproject readyobe band together over the internet via social networking to conduct the Knitting Games which coincide with the Winter Olympics.  The basic premise is to choose a project that is a personal challenge in some way, to cast on during the opening ceremony and to finish before the closing.  My challenge this year is a pair of Rumpelstiltskin socks in a very cheery red colorway of Knitpicks Stroll Tonal sock yarn, with size 0, double pointed knitting needles.  An average pair of socks contains about 34,000 stitches.  If I knit about 4850 stitches a day, I should be able to finish.  The challenge is to find the time….

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Wool = Love

clog slippersI have found the best way to my let my kids know how much I love them, is to let them know I thought about them in some way.  For my daughter it usually involves chocolate. I buy my daughter a really dark chocolate bar when I am at Trader Joe’s or the frozen chocolate croissants that we defrost and let raise overnight and bake for breakfast together.  My oldest son likes when I can get  a nice dress shirt or tie on clearance.  Their favorite supper or dessert  is always a hit. The second oldest son likes leftovers from Sunday supper that I package into lunches for him for a couple of days after he goes back to his college apartment.  My eleven year old is especially easy, spaghetti with meat sauce is his favorite meal and you would have though I hung the moon when I found a box of white chocolate covered caramels.  One thing they have in common is that they ALL love warm feet, and they know that I think about them when I make them something.  I can’t knit fast enough to keep up with their craving of wool socks in the winter, so I supplement with some store bought ones and those are their favorite stocking stuffers.  A couple of years ago I made them each a pair of felted wool slippers and they all wear them (husband included), all the time.  So far they are holding up pretty well for the third season.  My youngest has just started to get big holes in the first layer of the sole as you can see in the picture, but since he has outgrown them, I have to knit a new pair anyway.  His requested colors this time are silver and gold.  I have gotten the first one knit and will make the other one this week.  Then I need to shrink them down (no his feet haven’t grown that much) in hot water in my washing machine .  They fit just right when I am finished.

If you need a quick Christmas gift, they are the perfect thing. They knit up fast and everyone I know who has made them swears how much they are loved.  Even though the pattern is very well written it can be a bit tricky the first time you knit it, especially if you are unfamiliar with reading a multi-sized pattern, decreases, short rows and picking up stitches.  I have a class coming up at Silk Road Textiles beginning November 17.  If you can cast on, knit, purl and bind off comfortably, you can lean to make these and have them be the big hit under the Christmas tree too.

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Everyone in the Pool!

Faux Ikat ScarfSometimes you see a beautiful skein of hand-dyed sock yarn that you just have to have, and it knits up looking like rainbow pony barfed on it.  The colors pool into blobs instead of blending nicely in the sock.  But in weaving, having the colors pool in a scarf creates an effect similar to that of a warp dyed for ikat without all the mess of dying it yourself.  With a rigid heddle loom like the Cricket looms I teach with, you can direct warp that skein of yarn in less then an hour and have a scarf with a few hours of weaving.  I made this colorful scarf with a 50 gram skein of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock yarn and some red 8/2 tencel (laceweight).  It’s just plain weave, but far from a plain scarf.

I made this as part of the Rigid Heddle Study Group that I lead at The Weaver’s Guild of Greater Cincinnati.  Next month we are going to continue our study of hand-dyed knitting yarns and help each other with this technique.  This scarf itself is destined for our guild sale on November 8, 9 and 10 as a donation to the sale from the Rigid Heddle Study Group.  If you are interested in weaving, starting with a rigid heddle loom is a good way to begin.  You can get started with small amounts of  knitting yarns, a relatively small investment in a little loom that is portable and a minimal amount of equipment.  Although they are simple looms, you can create quite complex looking textiles that anyone would be happy to have.  If you are interested in learning to weave, check out my classes at Silk Road Textiles or look for some to be posted on the WGGC website that will begin after the first of the year. If you want this scarf, go to the guild sale, hire me to teach you how to weave it, or I can take a commission if the price is right.

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Time to Knit!

Yarn ClockIn July, my two oldest children told me that they were moving out.  I was sad and worried for about ten minutes, then I realized, that I could have a whole room to use as a studio for my fiber art.  I took out the ratty rug and cleaned up the hardwood floor, painted the wall with the color “Fuzzy Sheep” by PPG Porter Paints and moved in my weaving equipment, spinning wheels, book shelf,  books, yarn and sewing machine.  I am trying to decorate with items that have meaning.  I put up some of my children’s artwork and a photograph that a friend took and matted of downtown Cincinnati at night. Then I needed a clock and remembered a project I had seen a few months ago and though was really cute.  It took me about two hours to knit it up once I found the correct clock.  I dug out my scraps of worsted weight wool and wool blends, cast on 10 stitches with a provisional cast on, and changed colors at random on the same side, just tying the ends together.   I knit until it looked like it would fit, grafted the beginning to the end. (Grafting garter is just as easy as stockinette, just a little different.) Did a single crochet border on one side and ran a length of cotton yarn down the other side to cinch it together on the back of the clock.   I tucked in all the loose ends at the back of the clock–no need to weave them in.  Now I just need to find more time to knit (and weave and spin) .