A Whale of a Time

Stephanie wrote:

A few days ago the kids and I took a trip to the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  The museum is filled with information and artifacts from the days when New Bedford was a port for whaling boats. 

We learned that most whaling expeditions lasted 3 - 4 years.  We learned that whales are enormous and that a baby blue whale gains 200 pounds per day.  Right whales are the rarest of the whales with approximately 300 left in the Atlantic.  And did you know they used to make margarine with whale oil?

Baleen comes from a whale's jaw - it's used like a comb to filter the food.  After a whale was killed and processed, the baleen was used for all kinds of scrimshaw - elaborate, decorative carving and handiwork that the sailors did to while away the long hours at sea.

The museum is filled with many examples of scrimshaw - some plain and simple, others detailed and elaborate. The kids wandered ahead (I linger over museum displays) but soon raced back to get me. There was something I just had to see, something yarn related.

A beautiful swift.

Notice the pedestal and the little drawers.  

And there was another.

This one used yarn for demonstration purposes.  I imagine most museum visitors don't have the slightest idea what a swift is.

Right next to the swifts was this ornate sewing box - a work of art.

Note the spool holders on top.  And more little drawers - I love little drawers.  Pardon the reflection - all of these items are behind glass.

And last but not least, a work basket. 

The details on the needles - simple and elegant.

We had a great outing.  So much information, so much history, a way of life that's come and gone.  I'm sure we'll go back for another visit.

Longing for Lace

Stephanie wrote:

I've had the urge to work on a lace project - a nice, substantial shawl.  My eyes wander to various lace patterns online and in magazines. I scan my queue of projects looking for lace patterns I know I have saved for "someday".  Which pattern?  What yarn?

Until I decide I have this tidy little neck warmer to satisfy my hunger for lace.  This is Hoarfrost by Anne Hanson.

This has been a fast moving project.  Well, fast when I don't get distracted by a couple of other projects I have in the works.

This is shown in Twinkle Toes Chile Pepper.  I've been struggling with color and lighting so the color on the website is more accurate.  This pattern has wonderful texture and highlights the color variations of this yarn.  

Yes, this is destined to be a booth sample, but I'm going to start one for myself as soon as this one is off the needles.  And neck warmer projects make great go anywhere knitting.  They are a close second to socks when it comes to a knitting project that travels well.

Tubular Cast On in the Round for Socks

Mona Wrote:

I enjoy acquiring new skills and have tried many different cast on techniques in my quest to find one I love for socks. I think I may have found it. Check out the edge on this sock. Isn't it beautiful?

Best of all, it's super elastic. It's a two-row tubular cast on done in the round for a 1x1 rib. Here's the basic steps:

1. Cast on half the required number of stitches using waste yarn. The needle(s) used should be the same as those you plan to use for your sock cuff and the waste yarn should be the same weight as your sock yarn. In the sample pictured here, the sock required 72 stitches so I cast on 36 stitches onto my circular needle (I'm a magic loop sock knitter) using the backward loop cast on method.

2. Knit a few rounds using the waste yarn. In the sample pictured here, I knit one row straight, redistributed the stitches for knitting in the round and then knit several rounds with waste yarn. You don't need to knit as many rounds as I did -- only two are needed; I knit more rounds to create an easier-to-photograph sample. After completing 2+ rounds of knitting with the waste yarn, cut the yarn leaving a six inch tail.

3. Purl two rounds using your sock yarn. After completing the two rounds, look at your knitting. Notice that between each pair of purl stitches on your needles, you have a bump created with the sock yarn in the first purl row. You will also notice a bump between the last stitch on a needle and the first stitch on the next needle.

4. Create cuff edge. Purl the first stitch on your needle. Bring the working yarn to the back of your work. With your left hand needle, pick up the first sock yarn purl bump and knit it without twisting the stitch. If your needle tip picks up the purl bump in a top-down motion, you will knit into the back of the stitch; if your needle tip picks up the purl bump in a bottom-up motion, you will knit into the front of the stitch. Continue across all stitches, alternating between purling a stitch from the needle and knitting a purl bump. You have now doubled the number of stitches on your needles and established a 1x1 rib. If desired, you can shift your work one stitch to start each needle with a knit stitch.

5. Remove waste yarn. After completing several rows of 1x1 rib, you can remove the waste yarn. Using a spare needle and starting with the last stitch knit with waste yarn, pick out each waste yarn stitch around the cuff. In the sample pictured here, I knit several rows of twisted rib (k1tbl, p1) before picking out the last waste yarn row.

Enjoy!

SPA Recap

Stephanie wrote:

We had a wonderful time at SPA.  The weekend was a lot of work, but we did manage to squeeze in time for knitting and relaxing.  Neither of us planned to bring our wheels, and it's a good thing - the van was packed.

We spent Friday afternoon setting up our booth for the opening of the market that evening. Over the course of a year our booth has undergone many changes.  Currently it looks like this.

Being on the end the Luster Sox got plenty of petting.

SPA was the debut for our Build a Kit station.  Choose the mitt or neck warmer pattern of your choice, select the yarn from one of the baskets (various colors and fibers available) and you're good to go.  All of the available patterns require less than a full skein of yarn.  We package the yarn accordingly and pass the savings on to the customer.

Judging by the success of Build a Kit, I'm sure we'll offer it at our upcoming events.

Before we knew it the weekend was over, and we were packing up to head home.  We arrived just as a Nor'easter was getting ready to hit the area.

This past week found us diving back into the dye pots, cooking up more fun and color.

 

See You At SPA

Stephanie wrote:

Later this week Mona and I will be heading to Freeport, Maine for a bit of R&R and a lot of work.  We will be vending at the seventh annual SPA, Knit and Spin weekend.

Knitters, spinners and fiber enthusiasts of all kinds will descend on Freeport for the weekend.  There will be a marketplace at the Hilton Garden Inn, a fashion show, impromptu sessions for sharing techniques.  Best of all there will be knitters and spinners just hanging out doing their thing.  And if that isn't enough, the town of Freeport has a lot to offer too.

In preparation for this fun weekend we have been busy with the dye pots.  Production has been ramped up so we will have a wide selection of yarn goodies available.  Here is one of many baskets of yarn. These skeins are just waiting for labels.

And here is a close up.

The yarn is Twinkle Toes, a blend of 50% superwash merino and 50% tencel.  The colors shown here are moss brown, lavender, grape and caribbean.  But go ahead and click on the link to see the full range of colors.

As a bonus we will have a giveaway on Saturday.  Susan Gibbs from Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm has generously donated some of her remaining 2009 calendars.  Susan raises sheep and operates a fiber CSA.  You can read of her adventures on her blog. We will be giving away the calendars on Saturday while supplies last.  The shots in this calendar are adorable and will be appreciated by any fiber lover. If you make it to SPA, stop by our booth for a free calendar.

We will have Twinkle Toes and our full line available at the marketplace on Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday morning. There is no admission for this event.  If you're in the area, come for a day or the whole weekend.  Spend time with friends and make new connections.  It's a great way to treat yourself.

Mitts

Stephanie wrote:

Off and on over the past week I've been working on another Anne Hanson pattern - Cloverleaf Lace Mitts.   Anne is a prolific designer so be sure to check out some of her other patterns.  And if you have time, her blog makes good reading material.

This Cloverleaf Lace Mitt knit up very quickly.

I knit this with Dream Sox, colorway cranberry.  This tightly twisted yarn produces wonderful stitch definition.  Dream Sox dyes up in colorways that have depth and striking variation.

These mitts have a 6 row lace pattern that is easy to memorize.  I extended the lace panel into the cuff, but you can also make a more standard ribbed cuff.  Sad to say this mitt is destined to remain single as a booth sample.  But my daughters saw this mitt and have already placed orders so I will be making it again.  

Woodsmoke Sock

Stephanie wrote:

A couple of months ago Anne Hanson of Knitspot released a pattern that caught my eye - Woodsmoke Sock.  I vowed to knit this pattern sooner rather than later.  It was only then that I realized that Anne had listed our Luster Sox as one of the suggested yarns.

Recently Mona and I discussed adding new patterns to our inventory.  I'm happy to report that Woodsmoke Sock made the cut.

This week I started knitting a Woodsmoke sample to display in our booth.

I chose Luster Sox Pine for the sample.  The color on the website is more accurate than the picture above. I am loving this pattern - the twists and turns of a cable without doing any cable work.  The depth and texture of this sock highlight the slight color variations of this bluefaced leicester yarn.

As soon as time permits I'm going to knit a pair of these socks for myself.