Fiber Retreat

My friend Leslie and I went on a road trip here are some pictures of our fiber & food adventures. We did not buy anything because the prices in Canada were sky hi but we dazzled our eyes with all the pretty.

The view from our hotel! Spectacular! Thank you Leslie, it was a great choice. We checked in with all our luggage (we do not travel light). There is a lot of paraphernalia involved with knitting and spinning. The projects the needles the spinning wheels the fiber etc. Usually packing my clothes is not a problem but figuring out what project to take on the road gets to be involved.

I need a small project to knit while waiting at the airport and on the airplane and of course a back up project. Yes the back up project in case I get tired of the one I chose or something happens to it. Ok I admit it I'm a bit obsessed with all this but bear with me. Then the spinning wheel, what bag to put it in what fiber to spin and all the wires, batteries etc. It was no small feat getting all this stuff through security. But I made it and by the way my Zuca bag I chose was just perfect for this, it actually fit in the over head and I had a place to sit while waiting at the airport.

We visited two yarn stores: "Knotty by Nature" ~Fibre Arts~ and "The Beehive Wool Shop" both very nice but expensive.

After feeling up all this wool we got hungry and went across the street to a Korean restaurant and the food was delicious. Then a stroll through China town, after which back to the hotel with some spinning relaxation.

Victoria, BC Canada

As time permits I will post more (maybe).

Whirling like a Dervish Dancer

It was my son's birthday and I decided to buy him a new telephone, because his old phone met an unfortunate death. I wanted to surprise him so I went to the AT&T store as painful as that is but after all it's my boy and it's his birthday. I looked around and now it was time to take a look at my family account.

Can I see a photo id? Says the young lady who was helping me. Sure I say I got lots of those right here, oh my God my id pouch is missing! My heart sinks, WHAT? WHERE COULD IT BE? OMG. What do I do? Where do I look. Do I just call the credit card company right now? I can't remember when I used it last? Did I change wallets and forgot? No it's the same wallet.....

Excuse me young lady I got to go now. I ran to my car and high tailed it back to the house arriving slightly crazed. I ran in the house and started looking and throwing things my somewhat neat desk with piles of paper here and there are being tossed around like a salad. I am in a total panic. At which point my husband walks in and asks what I'm doing.

NOTHING! I say. Oh you are up to something you look like a Dervish Dancer.

NOTHING! I say again.

Then I finally figure that I will have to tell him this dilemma sooner or later so I confess and tell him that I have misplaced (surely not lost) my driver's license, my credit card and several other important cards from my wallet. To which he answers me with "Where did you have it last?"

WHERE DID I HAVE IT LAST? If I knew where I had it last it would not be lost!

"Let me see your wallet"

WHAT FOR? TO SEE IT EMPTY?

I realize that he is just trying to help but this is not helping. By now I am beyond upset, I am quite ready to have a total melt down.

Then I spot this little pouch on a love seat in the dining room. I sometimes throw my purse there or a sweater I've taken off and not put away etc. And slowly it's coming back to me now. I went on a bike ride and my husband insisted that I take my id with me. I had a business card with emergency info on it and a couple of dollars but he insisted that I had all my id with me. Ok I did and then I forgot.

What a relief to find my id. by then I was totally exhausted and put myself to bed. Never mind that it was only 7 pm. But all is well that ends well.

Twins or Cousins?

They are not identical twins that I know! First I thought I would strive for fraternal twins but maybe they turned out to be just cousins. You see I was using up small little balls of yarn for a class I took up at the Sock Summit.

The class was

Knitted Tessellation: Playful and Powerful Patterns in Practice

The teacher: Franklin Habit

When I first read the class description it sounded really exciting and it was a great class. I loved Franklin and he was organized and well informed. Over all a good class.

A hands-on introduction to the creation of tessellations: motifs that interlock without gaps or overlaps. Tessellations are as old and pervasive as design itself; they can be found in some of the most ancient examples of human craft, and were famously used in the modern era by the artist M.C. Escher. In this class, we will discuss the theories behind tessellating, and put into practice the basic techniques for creating tessellated patterns in hand-knitted fabrics.

There was homework:

Yarn: Sock- or fingering-weight yarns in solid or semi-solid colors. Two balls in highly contrasting colors if you wish to work in stranded colorwork; one ball if you choose to work in knit/purl texture patterns. (If the latter, white or a light solid color is preferred.) Needles: Any size appropriate to the yarn(s) selected–either double-pointed or circular according to your sock knitting preference. Notions: Stitch markers (8), scissors, notebook, pencils (not pens) and erasers for sketching and charting.

Homework:

Using the sock knitting method of your choice, CO 64 stitches (using main color, if you choose to knit your class project in stranded colorwork) and work in k2, p2 ribbing for 1.5 inches. Do not cast off. And get a good night’s sleep.

Because I'm a good student I did as I was instructed and knit 64 stitch rib for 1.5".

When I got home I decided that I liked the idea and maybe had enough yarn to finish a sock. I had a tiny ball of Koigu and a tiny ball of hand spun that I did in Judith McKenzie's class the day before.

The Gentle Art of Spinning Socks

The only thing better than a handknit sock is one made from your own handspun. This class is all about spinning a sock yarn that will make a pair of socks that will last longer than it took to spin and knit them. It will help you decide what type of fiber to choose, how to prepare it, and how to spin it to make radiantly beautiful socks that will be a pleasure to make and a joy to wear.

After I completed the first sock I really liked how it looked so I reverse engineered it so it's kind of similar but not quite the identical twin.

Update on my Zuca Bag Research

(BTW the "miniSpinner" is a Hansen electric Spinning Wheel)

You can't say that I'm making this decision lightly. Now that I went down this road I had to turn every corner. Here is what I have figured out. The main difference besides the approximately $100 difference between the Zuca Sport and the Zuca Pro is the width and height. Not in the size of the actual bag but the way the wheels are positioned on the Zuca Sport it makes that bag almost 4" wider. The actual bag is almost the same size. The Zuca Pro has the wheels built in therefore making the Pro narrower so it fits in the overhead and rolls down the aisle easily.

Zuca Sport on the left and Zuca Pro on the right.

I was at my Spinning Guild meeting last Saturday and was lucky enough to spot two Zuca Bags. One of the members had a Zuca Sport and the other was a Zuca Pro! Perfect! I rolled them next to each other and compared in person.

Just to "muddy the waters" I do have one more addition, I just found out that there is a Zuca Pro Artist! The Zuca Pro "Artist" has vinyl inserts and the Zuca Pro has mesh inserts!

There! I have decided to buy a Zuca Pro with mesh inserts in the "Dusty Rose" color. Just because it's on sale and is a $100 dollar cheaper right now.

ps. I've decided to sell my Pocket Wheel if you know anybody who wants a Pocket Wheel let me know (there is a long waiting list for them)

Always happens for a good reason...

Even though at the time it was very annoying. I was walking around at the market place during a break at the Sock Summit admiring all the goodies. My yarn and fiber stash is overflowing so I'm trying not to buy too much in that department but tools and bags and jewelry is always tempting. The best part of these collective market places is seeing all sorts of things that I may not see at any of my Local Yarn Stores.

Because I travel several times a year and have always been.... well ok I'll admit it I am a luggage junkie. Packing is fun and trying to get just the right bag for the occasion is part of the fun of traveling. I like to have a rolling carry on and have had one for years and it's starting to show it's age. Even though my Dear Husband reinforced it very cleverly, it's starting to be not the ideal rolling bag. It has a lot of miles on it and it has served me well but all good things must come to an end. I am shopping for a replacement.

After looking at many options I've decided that a Zuca bag will be the next rolling carry on I want to get. There are many many reasons this bag is kind of amazing and part of it is that you can roll it around and sit on it. You know all those lines you have to wait in and sometimes there is no seating available etc. So as I was walking around at the market place I see that Morgain from Carolina Home Spun has several Zuca bags. She had them for a reasonable price and had several colors to choose from. No shipping or taxes I thought it would be good deal to buy one in person.

When I first started to shop around for this Zuca bag I came to realize that it was not so simple. There were models and colors to choose from. I mean lots of colors and patterns.... it turns out that the bag was designed for kids with sport activities ie. ice skaters etc. That is the reason they have all the colors like hot pink frame with Pink Dots & Hot Pink Reversible inserts. Oh my the colors.... I was very happy to see some of these bags in person but I kind of would like to have a bag that does not stand out like a loud sore thumb. I kind of would like to have some sort of dark color with a darkish insert.

As I was admiring all the frames and picked out a black frame and there was several choices of inserts. One of them was a black insert but it had rhine stones and kind of a tacky buckle. I was trying to decide weather I could replace this buckle or could I live with it. As I was deciding another woman showed up and she started giving her opinion on which one I should get. Often this happens when shopping people are friendly and will give their opinions freely.

Which one should I get I said? The black bag or this brown one? I put the black one on the chair and held up the brown one. Just at that moment when I took my hand off the black bag this woman picks it up and says I'll take it with the black frame. Those were the only black bag Morgain had so I would have to choose bright pink or polka dot something.

I can't believe what she just did, I'm looking at this I say! She tells me oh well "You snooze you loose".

She paid and took off in minutes and left me standing there in disbelief! WTF?

I don't want a pink bag with little pink flowers! So I walked away empty handed. When I told this story to my friend Angela she tells me that there are two different styles, one is called the Zuca sport and the one you want is the Zuca Pro!

Well you see I would have bought the wrong bag. The Zuca Sport is for sporty kids and is wider and has different dimensions than the Zuca Pro. The Zuca Pro is designed to fit in the overhead and roll down the aisles of the airplane the Zuca Sport is wider and will not roll down the aisle as easily or fit in the overhead. The Zuca Pro has No flashing wheels nicer colors and yes a bit more expensive but it's a sturdy aluminum alloy frame which is super strong and would support 300 pounds. I've made up my mind this bag should last for quite a few trips to come.

Developed for the seasoned road warrior, the ZÜCA Pro is a PATENTED new concept in travel that protects your valuable gear and provides a place to sit. You can also use the seat as a platform for carrying additional gear. Measuring 19" x 13" x 10" the Pro fits in the overhead compartment of standard commercial aircraft from 737's up. Easily roll down narrow aircraft aisles with an adult friendly 41 1/2" telescoping ergonomic handle. The ZÜCA Pro is protected by a limited LIFETIME WARRANTY, see details. With the ZÜCA Pro, you will always have the best seat in the house.

I call it "Clever Kate"

It functions as a Lazy Kate but I prefer to call it the "Clever Kate". It's the MacGyver version of building your own Lazy Kate to wind your bobbins.

Materials you will need are: A $1.00 basket from the bargain bin a couple of rubber bands and a set or two of size 9 knitting needles.

It works like a charm.

A Birthday gift

My DH surprised me with this gift he made. He even rummaged through my knitting bags and picked out two little canvas bags I had to house this gift.

We call it Lazy Ana. More commonly known in the spinning world as Lazy Kate and I have no idea why Kate was Lazy. It seems to me that Kate was very clever how else can you ply several strands of single yarn strands together?

He it is and I LOVE it.

Sheep to Shawl

This is my one year anniversary of being a "spinner". My Ashford Joy spinning wheel is one year old. Because my DH bought me this great gift last year for my birthday I've decided to celebrate the spinning anniversary rather than how many years I've lived on this earth.

My attempt to a "sheep to shawl" is kind of sort of almost there but I have a lot to learn. This does not stop me, I am just plowing on and knitting a shawl from the Dorset fleece I got from Escondido. As I wrote about last April: "Flirting with Skirting".

The wool is "Dorset" from the Escondido Wool Festival this last spring. I do not think it's ideal for a shawl but that is what I decided to knit. I was going to make socks but then I would have to dye it because the last time I knit a light colored pair of socks they got very dirty and washing did not seem to clean them. So socks is out because I do not want to dye this wool, I want to leave it with the least processing as possible. Don't know why but that is what I decided to do and it's my hobby and I can do what ever I feel like with it.

More combing and spinning then of course knitting, I will post my progress.

Dyeing experiment.

I'm calling this color-way "Annette" because my friend Annette gave me some dye and I decided to try this experiment. I did not feel like making a big production out of dyeing so I just filled this dedicated dye pot with water and showed this roving in.

I had about 8oz of this wool mixed with this odd brown stripe. I'm not sure where I got this but I've had it for a while and did not particularly like this odd combination. I knew that sooner or later I would dye it.

I added dye a squirt of this and and squirt of that then closed the lid and simmered for 15 minutes. Let it cool off and rinsed. After I put it out to dry I was indeed surprised at the wonderful colors it turned out.

I'm not sure what I will make out of this wool but I guess I'll have to see how much yardage it will yield after I spin and ply it. I'm spinning it "woolen" so I'm told, woolen vs. "worsted" is the diameter and the "luftiness" between the fibers. I'm still a new spinner so I have my default draft and it makes a nice 2 ply yarn between sock yarn and dk weight.

I prefer to knit with smaller needles so I can't spin a thick yarn. Smaller needles just seem to fit my hand better. I will post the progress of this project one of many I have floating around.

Been so busy -- Sock Summit 2011

I have not posted for a while simply because I've been so very busy. I went to Portland, Oregon to the second Sock Summit. I had such a magical time two years ago I just had to go again. This time it was great even though not quite the same as last time but a wonderful time was had by all.

On the way home my son picked me up at the airport and as he was driving he asked what I did up there? I answered: "I was in a flash mob"

Son: Flash Mob mom? Really?

Me: Yup a flash mob!

Son: Did you and five of your friends get together and jump up and down and called it a flash mob?

Me: That is not a bad idea but no honey me and 600 of my fellow sock knitters got together and jumped up and down.

Son: Oh NO

Me: Oh Yes and I have pictures!

Took some classes with Judith McKenzie and Franklin Habit. Both teachers were great and I learned a couple of new tricks, totally enjoyed each class I took. Spinning with Judith is truly magical, she is so relaxed and so full of knowledge that I could just sit and hang out with her for hours on end. Franklin was very organized and was well prepared with nice hand outs and samples. In my opinion that is important if you are paying money for a class the teacher best be prepared. The knitters are a tough and opinionated bunch.

Lots of "window" shopping at the market place. I did not buy much but really enjoyed looking at all the wonderful wares and chit chatting with the vendors.

Then there was the Fleece to Foot race, a bit silly but fun to watch. Yes they actually brought in sheep to shear and then spun the wool and knit the sock.

Probably much more but this is all I can think of to share with you. Clara Parkes did a wonderful job of writing about details of the Sock Summit read it here.

Lost in the Land of Beads

It's been a while since I've updated this blog and I have been busy. As I was sharing in my previous post about my back pain and it lasted longer than I thought. While I was sitting in the "Lazy Boy" chair which was the only place I could find some relief bored and not able to knit I had some beads near by and some yarn. I decided that maybe I could just string beads and maybe crochet something. Crocheting is a different movement than knitting.

I happen to have a ball of Noro Sock Yarn and 6 /0= 4.0mm ("e" beads) that I could reach. Slowly one by one I started to string the beads on to the yarn. Then I started to crochet chain one bring one bead down and the next thing I knew I had a bracelet. And so started the slippery slope or black rabbit hole of beading.

This necklace I call the "4th of July" for obvious reasons (next weekend is the 4th of July holiday). What I did here is crocheted around and existing leather necklace with a hook and chain fastener. Then I started to add beads, lots of lots of beads. Oh my who knew I loved doing this and am very pleased with the outcome.

Here is a video I watched and was inspired by:

Seed beads I love seed beads, I need more seed beads. My friend Brenda sent me a list of shops down town Los Angeles, now when to get the time to go.

Here are some of the shops that I like to go to, for beads:

1.) Athenian Fashions Main Store

820 S Maple St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 623-1289

Athenian Fashions Annex Store

416 E. 8^th Street

Los Angeles, CA 90014

213-489-2237

2.) Bohemian Crystal/The Bead Factory

810 & 812 So Maple Street

Los Angeles, CA 90014

213-627-9553

(This is the place with the big bags of seed beads)

3. Beads & More

800 So. Maple Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90014

213-955-9000

4.) Shenoute

813 Maple Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90014

323-305-7051

5.) Berger Beads

Berger Specialty Co. Inc.
413 E. 8th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: (213) 627-8783

FYI

(I often put up information so if I need to access this stuff I can search my blog and it may help some of my friends to access the information I gather.)

Seed beads sizes are stated in aughts, (not millimeters) ~ as strung beads per 20 mm or 3/4 inch length.
The higher the number, the smaller the bead.

Conversions from aughts to millimeters, large to small:

1 /0= 6.5mm
2 /0= 6.0mm
3 /0= 5.5mm (pony beads, crow, roller)
4 /0= 5.0mm
5 /0= 4.5mm
6 /0= 4.0mm (popular "e" bead)
7 /0= 3.4mm
8 /0= 3.1mm
9 /0= 2.7mm
10 /0= 2.3mm
11 /0= 2.1mm
12 /0= 1.9mm
13 /0= 1.7mm
14 /0= 1.6mm
15 /0= 1.5mm
16 /0= 1.3mm
17 /0= 1.2mm
18 /0=1.1mm
20 /0=1.0mm

3/0 beads would be 4 per inch,
about 1/4 inch thick each.
(Crow rollers, pony beads)

6/0 beads would be about 8 per inch,
or 1/8 inch thick each.
(The popular "e" bead)

15/0 beads would be 18 per inch,
1/18 inch thick each. (Tiny)

Just remember, the higher the number, the smaller the bead!

How to slow down my knitting

Slow it way way down..... actually I've been in so much back pain that I could not even knit! My dear husband remarked "You must really be sick you are not even knitting". I was doing some yard work and pulling some weeds, cutting some bamboo and actually having a great time out in the yard. The weather was great I was full of energy and Lucy by my side helping me dig we had a terrific time. This is the "growing" season for my Hawaiian Golden Bamboo and as you might guess it's growing like crazy. I love the way it looks and it serves a a natural "high" fence. The next day I was flat on my back and could not move from the pain.

Oh why did I do that? Oh it was not worth it! I'm never doing that again! Now I just have to wait to get better. It's a slow process but I am on the mend.

Soon I'll update my progress on my latest project the "Red Neck" sweater.