| some results |
monday 04.03.2006 |
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i spent the weekend spinning up all the rovings i dyed last week.
left to right: 1.25 oz, 2.25 oz, 1.75 oz, and 2 oz
i used the office's analog postage scale so the numbers are not entirely accurate. i just want to give you an idea of how small the amounts are. anyway, i am not very happy with the gray wool. it's relatively coarse and the colors are much too subdued.
on the contrary, i can't stop looking at the rest of the batch. i get such satisfaction from the hodge podge colors. i was thinking that if the yarn never got used, it would be just fine with me. i can do with a stash of eye candy.
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| dye exp 04 |
tuesday 04.04.2006 |
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sunday night i dyed batch four using merino roving. it's like handling clouds. and spinning it, like butter!
hank 5, 1.5 oz
i learned that merino takes dyes differently than the previous wools. i got pastels using the same method i did for the first three batches. it still spins up very nicely. for your reference.
5 versus 1
i just love the spongy feel of the merino. as much as i dread pastel colors, i think they do a good job indicating the softness of the yarn.
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| yoke sweater, take 1 |
wednesday 04.05.2006 |
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that's the zimmermann fair isle yoke sweater project which i finally started last week. it took me months to overcome my fear of the colorwork involved. it's off the needles now because:
first mistake, i odered the most mismatched set of colors possible. i want to blame it on knitpicks but it really isn't entirely their fault. anyway, i figured it's worth a try because this is more or less a trial run.
second, i managed to cast on 4 more stitches than i needed. you can see the odd pattern interval (and my lousy attempt to correct it) front and center the image above.
last night i decided to start over. i cast on 276 stitches and checked them half a dozen times. i decided to use the same yarn though. alas.
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| hank 07 in progress |
friday 04.07.2006 |
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the experiment continues.
roving to yarn
i must not have rinsed this dye batch very well; the roving stained my fingers while i was spinning it. it's just as well because i'm not liking the resultant colors. too dark, i'm afraid.
in full sun
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| seven eight and nine |
monday 04.10.2006 |
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hank 08, a bit less than 2 oz
that's what the yarn looks like right off the spindle. pretty neat, huh? i just might keep it in ball shape permanently. a lot of fun to fondle. wish i had taken pictures of every hank at this stage.
09 (1 oz) and 07 (2.5 oz)
it's really difficult for my cheap little camera to achievecolor accuracy. i took that picture in full sun and still couldn't capture the vibrancy and warmth of the colors. anyway, hank 09 was a bit painful to spin up because of the raw colors. i used rovings from the pure color test dyes. i still have over an ounce of it to go.
as for hank 07, sigh, i am having a very hard time embracing the colors. not sure if it's the intensity or the color combination. both, i suspect. anyway, here's a more accurate rendition of the colors.
two sides of hank 07
may be i should just give it away. for a small fee, may be?
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| wheelers |
tuesday 04.11.2006 |
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last night i went to mary's for spin group. it was my third attendance so i was pretty comfortable in the crowd.
arlene, kenna
kenna, jeff, pandora, larry
larry, barbara, ginny, mary, sandy, edith
edith, erin, and, last but not least, yours truly
three hours went by in a flash. i love watching and listening to the little old ladies, especially barbara. ginny, too. we spent a good while talking about elizabeth zimmermann. anyway, i was hoping for a panorama but it just didn't work out. may be next time.
until then, here's a blurry blind shot of my best friend erin.
fireside spinning
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| fair isle yoke, take 3 |
thursday 04.13.2006 |
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my progress as of this morning. it has taken me days to knit that four inch. there was a fair amount of ripping because i tried to stray from zimmermann's pattern several times and failed repeatedly.
if you're familiar with the pattern, you'd see that i still strayed some. also, i'm using a lot more colors than called for. it looks a bit nutty but i'm okay with that.
one more round of color pattern to go. i expect to finish knitting the entire sweater this month. just in time to wear it for summer.
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| i would like |
friday 04.14.2006 |
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g gave me a whole mess of old vanity fairs last week. it was a good batch because i got all manners of neat clippings from them.
exaggerated cables (tse ad)
i could never pull off that coat length cardigan. but oh, how much i love the cablework! i am set on copying it for an aran. after the yoke sweater, fashizzle!
i really shouldn't give myself away like this but this next item is the ultimate indicator of my ever growing obsession with girly things.
puffy voluminous (lens crafters)
i have been studying that tutu of a skirt for days. i happily entertained how, if i had one, i would wear it anywhere and everywhere. lounging, hiking, meetings. but then i realized, hm, it may not be very suitable because i have meaty calves. and i was sad.
heh, who am i kidding? i would totally wear it. to meetings, especially!
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| fair isle yoke progress |
monday 04.17.2006 |
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40, may be 35, percent done
i'm not happy with the neck ribbing. will have to reknit it once i figure out a neater looking collar.
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| gem suzie gem suzie gem gem gem |
wednesday 04.26.2006 |
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i've lost count of the yarn i've been spinning. after the ninth hank i started messing with the thickness of the yarn. i tried spinning as thin as i could. it works great except now i can't revert back to spinning the thicker weight i prefer.
10, 11, 12, and 13
they're around 1.5 oz each, all too thin to be used with the yarn i spun previously. as for the colors, i'm still experimenting with the dyes. i hope to have them refined before i run out of roving.
this spinning business is driving me nuts. i had the darnest time deciding which wheel to get. i have been in correspondence with majacraft for months and only today did i decide to go for the little gem. now i have to figure out a way to get majacraft to customize it for me.
majacraft vs schmeebot
i have never used or even seen a little gem in person. foolish, isn't it? anyway, it's not as clean looking as the suzie but i am taken with its weight and portability. i am hoping that majacraft could do away with the knobs and carvings on the shaft. a plain square post is boring, i know. but i am just not into the traditional knobby look. it reminds me of old table legs.
wish me luck.
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| more to come |
thursday 04.27.2006 |
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14+15, 1 oz each
14: failed attempt at using darker orange for higher contrast.
15: surprise success. the greens were acid to look at as roving but are lovely as yarn. must replicate.
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