How The West Was Spun

Fall 2011 - Ennea Collective

The Fall 2011 edition of the Ennea Collective magazine is live!  We've got some great articles and a product review, and as always, some fun knitting patterns to go along with all of that.

Y'all have already seen previews of my Hollow Oak Socks, which are a heavy fingering-weight wool yarn written for small/medium and medium/large feet. These featured a 3-ply yarn I spun from 4 ounces of mixed BFL from Two If By Hand, and I've already worn these once this season during a cold snap (it's now quite warm and sunny again here tho!).  I think they are going to be a go-to pair for the winter, however.

 

I've also decided to join up with the KAL for Lori's Mystery Shawl, which will be released in installments (the first one is already available) over the next few weeks.  This is another fingering weight project.  She knit her original from the same mixed BFL colorway from Two If By Hand.  I opted to go stash-diving and came up with a skein of 440 yards of 50/50 silk/cashmere in the "Forest" colorway from Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks that I think it going to be beautiful with this pattern.  Here's the first clue.

 

And.... today Lori is arriving from Toronto after a long day en route through Dallas/Fort Worth.  Once she recovers, we are heading out to Taos Sheep and Wool this weekend for a little R&R and vino and dinner out!

All for now......

 

Spinning Friday: 2IBH - Superfine Merino - Singles

I'm working on another 4-oz braid currently.  This time, it is a superfine (super soft, super awesome!!) merino from Two If By Hand in the Department of Mysteries colorway.

The original roving is all sorts of pretty blues with a bit of brown and gray mixed in.

 

I am spinning this up fairly fine.  I have the first 2 oz of singles done and I just started the second 2 oz on bobbin #2.

 

I'm hoping to get somewhere around 700 yards of laceweight from this so I can knit Lori's Waterlily shawl with it.  But if I'm low on yardage, I think it'll be a pretty colorway to use in just about anything lace-y.

All for now.....

September/October SAL/KAL

I am really excited to announce another collaborative SAL/KAL that'll be kicking off today with the Two If By Hand gals and a pattern I've designed for Ennea.

Do y'all remember this pretty fiber?

 

This is the We Took To the Woods colorway on mixed BFL that I spun up into a heavy fingering-weight 3-ply yarn earlier this year (350 yards/4 oz).

 

Maria and Ceylan will be offering this fiber in the month of September as a pre-order (meaning, you order it, they dye it to order and then ship it out, so a bit more time than if you were able to snag something from one of their updates, but they have awesome turnaround time on custom orders, so I don't think much of a wait).  You can find the preorder selections on their Big Cartel site.  They will be offering this colorway in mixed BFL, but also in SW BFL, so you can pick which you prefer.

Then, when our fall edition of the Ennea Collective magazine comes out, we'll be offering SAL/KAL a coupon to purchase the pattern for my Hollow Oak Socks.

 

These are a unisex sock (sizes for both men and ladies in the pattern), with a cabled pattern running up the feet and legs of the socks.  These are a toe-up pattern with a gusset heel (and really... I know... I used to HATE toe-up socks, but the 2 techniques I've used for these make them my new ALL-TIME FAVORITE construction).  The pattern can be customized to suit the length of the leg and foot.  We have details on how to spin a matching yarn over at Ennea.  The yarn doesn't have to be spun as a 3-ply tho.  A firmly spun 2-ply will also work great for these, and should allow you to get enough yardage for even a larger men's size out of the 4 oz. (You can, of course, also knit these in a commercial yarn.  If you have something a little lighter weight - more like 400-425 yards per 4 oz - try knitting the larger size numbers but go down to a size 1.5 US needle and I would bet that would work just fine!)

I hope you'll join us with these great socks, just in time for cooler weather this fall!

All for now....

Mental Lists

We had a bit of good news at the end of last week - D does NOT have to travel for work this week.  Some delay with things at the other end he was travelling to getting their portion of the the checklist done, so it'll be at least a month before we worry about putting him on a plane again. 

I finally FINALLY!! finished up the monster sekret knitting lace project and got that blocked.  It feels fantastic to have that off my plate.  I cannot show you pictures of that until December, but it is done. 

Otherwise on the needles, I have:

• 1 project for the fall Ennea, which is going to be part of a SAL/KAL with the Two If By Hand gals.  Stay tuned for info on that around September 1st.
• 1 project that I have a design concept for that I need to put some swatches together for, but I did get the yarn dyed and wound this weekend for that.
• 1 newly started project for Ennea for the winter edition.
• 1 other design project that I'm waiting on yarn for to swatch with as well.

For a bit of fun Sunday night, I did start a new spinning project. This is mixed BFL from my fiber club in the "Red Truck" colorway.  I'm spinning it up as a 3-ply sockweight yarn.  I love this fiber base.  It drafts like a dream and the heathery singles are very pretty.  Here's a little eye candy for you of the original roving:

 

Another busy week ahead getting set up for our ride.  Lots of copies I need to get made, and we'll start marking some of the trails this coming weekend!

All for now.

FO: Posies Shawl

My second pattern, the Posies shawl, featured in the Summer Ennea Collective edition is for a pretty little shawlette that I knit up as part of a KAL/SAL with fiber provided by Krista of Pigeonroof Studios.  The original roving was a super soft 100% merino in the Violet Cachet colorway, which was a blend of pale purples, violets, and lavenders with a hint of dark rose. 

 

The colors in the roving reminded me of the small bouquets of flowers Eliza Doolittle sells in the opening sequences of My Fair Lady. (Eliza's costume in the movie and from the Broadway stills I've seen also show the same cluster of blue-purple posies). 

 

The shawl is knit from the bottom point up and features an easy, triangular, bouquet-shaped floral motif.  Once you've knit the shawl to the top edge (and it is very easily adjustable), you begin at the top corner and add a knit-on border.  The original was knit with less than 400 yards of a light fingering-weight yarn, so if you wanted a small project for a skein of commercial sock yarn, you could probably duplicate it easily enough.

 

All for now....

FO: Lupine Cardigan

The Summer edition of the Ennea Collective magazine is live!  I've got two patterns in it for this issue, but I'll preview these for you on two different posts.

First up, is a pretty feminine summer cardi.  The original yarn is handspun Funky Carolina merino/tencel (50/50) yarn which I spun into a light fingering-weight 2-ply.  The colors are soft herb greens and lavenders and a tiny bit of pink.

 

The construction is a bottom-up raglan.  The lace portion is worked up from the hem to just before you begin the raglan shaping, which is then knit in simple stockinette.  The same waving leaves border the sleeves as well.

 

This could be knit up in any light fingering-weight yarn that has a nice drape to it. I used just about 750 yards for the sample (which is the size 36").   I left mine as an open-front, but you could certainly add a pretty pin to hold it closed, or even make an I-cord loop at the point where the stockinette starts to add a single button from your collection.

 

I should note these photos were NOT taken in drought-stricken NM, but were shot along the San Juan river in southern Colorado outside of Pagosa Springs, where D and I took a long weekend holiday just before the fire started here.  What a difference!

All for now......

Spinning Friday: Some random tidbits

I am currently inching along thru yet another bobbin of the cormo singles.  I almost have the next bobbin filled and ready to ply, but I am currently in the throes of horse boot camp for a certain gray horse who has decided to be a complete brat. This involves a lot of time working his way thru his crankies, but hours that I hope will pay off when he gets his head screwed back on in the soon future.  (Fargo - I am looking at you. Ahem.)

In the meantime, I wanted to let anyone who does spin and is thinking about some Tour De Fleece time that the Ennea group is hosting a VERY casual TdF team.  The only "requirement" is that you spin something sometime in July.  You may sign up for the group, if it sounds like something up your alley here.

And please feel free to copy and save to your computer our TdF Team Ennea Collective graphic if you would like to join too!

 

Please note we've got some random giveaway prizes for group members, and we'd LOVE to have you keep us up-to-date on your spinning plans, and then, of course, in-progress and finished spin pictures on the group list as well! 

Have a great weekend everyone!

All for now.......

Pigeonroof Studios: Violet Cachet - Merino Roving

I've actually had this skein spun up for a while, but I can spill the beans on it now that it's June!

Earlier this spring, I got in touch with Krista at Pigeonroof Studios about doing a collaborative fiber/colorway/design for a SAL/KAL for a small shawl.  I was delighted when she said yes, and even happier when she sent me this braid of beautifully dyed merino in the "Violet Cachet" colorway.

 

I spun this up as a light fingering-weight 2-ply yarn (540 yards from 4 ounces - that merino has awesome yardage potential).

 

So here's the deal:  As a special limited edition/custom colorway, you can visit the Pigeonroof Studios online shop and preorder this colorway.  (If it's not available as a specific listing, please feel free to convo Krista and ask for it!)  Details on how I spun my braid up will be available at the Ennea Collective site, so you can spin a matching yarn if you are so inclined, and then, in our Summer edition (slated for publication mid-July), there will be a matching pattern for a shawlette that goes with this fiber and colorway.

If you aren't used to spinning to a specific standard, don't worry!  If you can get a fingering weight yarn with at least 400 yards in it, there will be enough to knit the shawl with no problems. 

We'd love to have you join us for the Spinalong or the Knitalong, or both! 

 

All for now........

Spinning Friday: 2IBH Mixed BFL - We Took To The Woods

A finished spin to share with y'all this week again.  This time it's a braid of mixed BFL (natural fawn and white BFL wool) from Two If By Hand.  The colorway is: We Took To the Woods.

Here's the original braid, which I know I took a picture of, but since I have upgrade computers in the last month, it apparently is AWOL or something, so this is from the 2IBH Etsy site.
 

I spun this up into a 3-ply yarn with a nice tight twist in both the singles and in the plying.  I wanted a well-rounded yarn that would hold up to a lot of wear. The finished skein is 4 ounces with approximately 320 yards (heavy fingering-weight).

 

Look for this one to appear as an Ennea project this fall!

All for now...

Ennea Collective - April 2011

The newest Ennea Collective edition is live!  The theme for this edition is Celtic and natural wools.  We had a lot of fun with pattern concepts for this one.  There's a great article on CVM sheep by Nancy Zeller at Long Ridge Farm, and we've profiled FatCatKnits as our Indie artist this month. 

In this issue, I've got three patterns.  The first is a lacy stole knit in 3 natural colors of CVM handspun (from Long Ridge Farm), but it'd be great in any DK or light worsted yarn in a solid color too.  (If you had something like a Silky Wool from E. Lavold, or even Cascade 220, those would be great to use.) It knits up quickly on size 8 US needles.  That's the Currach stole.  Knit on a lot of our driving trips to and from Texas this winter.

 

Then, I worked up two smaller projects.  The first is the Ballycastle Tam.  And MANY thanks to Christina for test-knitting this sucker.  The charts took some finagaling, but we got them there!. This is knit from 5 different Shetland fingering-weight wools.  It has two traditional peerie patterns and a star-shaped crown.  If you don't wish to spin your own fiber, you can easily substitute in something like Harrisville Shetland or Jamieson's Spindrift yarns in any color grouping you like.

 

Finally, the Triskele Mittens, which are also knit in a fingering-weight yarn, this time a colorwork kit of BFL from Two If By Hand in Fawn and Cranberries.  Again, Harrisville Shetland or Jamieson's Spindrift yarns would be great substitutions if you don't wish to use handspun.

 

Look for our next edition to be out this summer!  We are also planning a spin-along of an exclusive colorway with another indie artist for that issue, so details on that shortly.

All for now.......