Spindlitis

Project Updates

Projects 30.08.2019 No Comments

I started doing A Hap for Harriet several months ago. I’m not finding the most recent picture of it, but I used the yarn called for in the pattern. It was a dark teal and I had to work slowly to keep from dropping stitches or messing up the SSK. I started out using an over to make a stitch, then discovered that I would not be doing that across the entire shawl, so I just started over. I got almost to the middle section, when I discovered that one of the SSKs had popped loose and I had a hole. I just did not want to work on it any more. So I bought some fingering weight merino.

I really think it looks better and I’ve made great progress on it. I am almost done with the middle section. I haven’t decided what to do with the original project. I really need to just abandon it and use the yarn for something else.

My handspun yoke sweater looks like this:

Not really sure how this will turn out. I’d like to do some more interesting sweaters but thought something simple would be nice for now. I should have washed the yarn afterwards but really wanted to get going with this, so it looks a bit overplied right now.

I need to get back on track for my spinning projects. There’s a long weekend ahead so I’ll try and work them in. I have some sewing projects that I need to focus on first. I do get a lot more done, now that I don’t waste as much time on social media. I’ve been adding content to Slipped Stitches, so stop by if you haven’t checked it out lately.
Slipped Stitches is back up!

Thoughts 06.08.2019 1 Comment

I’ve redone the Slipped Stitches site. I just felt like the software was cluttered and hard to use. Since I didn’t have a lot of subscribers, it seemed best to start over. I’d planned to do a wiki, but found wiki markup was not easy to learn. So I went with a blog/forum. I’ll have to add back all the links I had on the original site. And I’m doing what I call Lessons. I want to talk about the basics of different crafts and how to do them. Mostly, I hope folks looking for a drama free place to talk about craft will join us.
Free Patterns

Thoughts 30.07.2019 No Comments

I see posts from people asking for sites with free patterns. I have links to some of these sites over at Slipped Stitches. But I wanted to give you a better way, a way that will free you from having to work someone else’s designs. I’m going to suggest some books that will allow you to make your own designs. And I’ll be talking about knitting here, as I’ve never used a book to make a crocheted sweater. I just started crocheting.

Elizabeth Zimmerman

Knitting Without Tears

Knitting Almanac

Priscilla Gibson-Roberts

Knitting in the Old Way

Simple Socks

Ann Budd

The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns

Knitter’s Handy Book of Top Dow Sweaters

Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns

Getting Started Knitting Socks

You’ll need a stitch guide. You could start with Barbara Walker’s first book or try Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns. Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book is useful too.

For colorwork, Alice Starmore’s Fair Isle Knitting is available from Dover and reasonably prices. Janet Szabo’s Cables: The Basics has some nice cable patterns. If you are interested in cabled sweaters, I’d highly recommend her books.

The only other thing needed here is yarn and needles. I used the Mary Thomas books plus Ida Riley Duncan’s Book of Progressive Knitting for a long time. The Knitter’s Guide to Sweater Design by Carmen Michelson and Mary Ann Davis will guide you through just about any kind of sweater you’d want to make. It’s out of print but worth getting.

You don’t need to own all of these, of course. Pick an author that suits you. It’s not hard to do your own design, just requires that you use your own creativity.
Project updates

Projects 26.07.2019 No Comments

I really think I need to spend even less time on social media. There’s a nice group on MeWe called Unraveled Conservative Knitters and the Walkaway from Ravelry group on Facebook. It’s fun to chat for a bit, but it wastes time that I could use for my projects. And I’m having more fun with my projects.

Here’s the socks I posted about, closer to being finished:

I started this fiber project on the wheel. This is BFL from Miss Babs, colorway Sugar. Really lovely stuff! I ordered another 4 ounces. I want to make a few wool undershirts for the winter. This will be the first one. I haven’t decided on a pattern yet. I’m not quite through the first four ounces.

I’m still working on the Southdown and Hot Lips. I am making some progress but the end is not in site.

I decided to give up on the Cranberry Gorse pattern. I’m using the yarn to make Sarah Swett’s Sweater Somewhat Slanted. I hope this works out. This will be the third project for this yarn.

And, this is the Bosworth Butternut Brigade!

The skinny Midi is still my favorite. I just got the Mini, so am trying to discover what it spins best. Not sure why I am so taken with butternut spindles and why they have to have walnut shafts. But I am pleased with the group. The Maxi is the heaviest Bosworth I have at 40 grams. The Midi is 27 grams, the skinny Midi, 21 grams and the Mini is 17 grams. Add the three cherry skinnies to the mix and I have a nice range for anything I want to spin. And the cherry skinny Maxis really are great for plying.
The Reluctant Sheep

Fiber, Projects 16.07.2019 1 Comment

I’ve been calling this project “The Reluctant Sheep”. I went to a shearing and this sheep did not want to be sheared. She managed to hide out until the last. Once they sat her down, she gave in. I just had to have the fleece! It’s been sitting in my stash for almost 20 years. I decided to start working up these older fleeces. I have plans to make a cabled cardigan from this, possibly one from A Fine Fleece. There’s 700 grams of this and I worked through 214 grams this weekend. I have other fleeces I bought at the same time, that will need to be worked up too. I am doing these on the wheel. I want to do everything on the spindles, but I need to crank through this. I do have a spindle sweater project going. And I am trying to work up some of the older, stalled projects like this one:

This is some Inglenook Southdown/tussah silk. I have been spinning this on an Enid Ashcroft Midge, 3 ply yarn. I haven’t worked on it in months. I wanted to spin some Downs breed and remember this, so I’m working it up on a Bosworth. I hadn’t thought about using it for socks, but that’s likely what I’ll do. And it is nice fiber.

The socks are coming along nicely! Really enjoy knitting these. The grey corriedale is ready to use. I’ll use it or possibly work on socks for Lon. The double marled yarn I did is also ready to use. And I have two other handspun sock yarns ready to use. I do need socks.
Fiber diet

Projects 11.07.2019 No Comments

I’m not totally committed to it yet, but am seriously considering it. Here’s a view of my office:

The big bumps of roving are from 1995! Here’s more:

I have been combing that white Corriedale/Romney fleece, which I’ll turn into a sweater for Lon. It’s at the spinning stage, then I’ll swatch. The other side of the room is as bad:

The bottom duffels are clean, unprocessed fleece. I think there are five fleeces in there. It’s nice stuff, but always goes on the back burner. Instead, I’m finishing this:

This is Hipstrings Flannel Jammies. It was fun but pointless. I have no idea what I’m going to do with this either. I need to make better use of my money and buy for actual projects. I’m going to finish this up and start in on some of these larger projects.
Quick update

Projects 11.07.2019 No Comments

Remember this? Greenwood Fibers Bountiful colorway as a three ply yarn. Since I finished the other socks, I get to finally work with this. Sock yarn works up at 9 stitches per inch. This is working up at 6 stitches per inch. I made myself restart the sock as I thought it would be too big. I love the yarn so far.

And I finished this Inglenook Violet Teacup that I did for the Spinning Circle’s Mad Hatter SAL. I’m not on R any more so can’t do an update. It went quickly when I used a Bosworth. Still don’t know what I’ll do with it as it’s only 2 ounces.

I’m getting closer to having the corriedale sock yarn finished. I just need to ply it. Then I think I’ll do a swatch and see what happens when I wash it. I plan to use the wheel for these older bumps of roving. I’m going to spin them up as singles and wrap them off the bobbins, to be plied later. The yarn will take up less space than the roving and I’ll be closer to actually using it.
The new politics free forum is live!

Thoughts 07.07.2019 No Comments

The forum is at https://slippedstitches.com

I wanted to keep this politics free for now. So many people are tired of having to deal with politics in every little thing that we do. It’s a small forum and will probably stay that way. But anyone is welcome! We are going to focus on the things that we have in common.
New spindles!

Projects, Spindles 02.07.2019 No Comments

I received the latest spindle order yesterday. This puts me up to six Bosworths! I am making up for lost time. First up, two skinny Cherry maxis and one skinny Cherry mini.

The cherry midi is 18 grams. I need to test it out on finer fiber. The two maxis will be my go to plying spindles, although they are light enough to use for regular projects.

And this batch are my butternuts! I don’t know why I have this fascination with butternut wood, but I do.

I have a regular Butternut maxi with a walnut shaft, a regular Butternut Midi with a walnut shaft and the skinny Butternut Midi with a walnut shaft that was my first purchase. I just like the lighter whorl with the dark shaft. There’s an interesting difference in the skinny versus regular midi. The regular has a slightly slower spin but longer. It’s likely due to the slightly heavier whorl. There’s a six gram difference between the two. I’m expecting the two Midis to be my workhorse spindles. I already reach for the skinny Midi for any new project. The Maxi is a nice plying spindle, when I need something heavier. I have to keep the weight down on it, but it works fine if I ply about two ounces at a time.

And this is my first finished yarn!

This is the dyed corriedale I was spinning on the cherry Midi. I plied it on the butternut maxi. It’s three ply and I used my plying stick to ply. The plying stick is so much better than tennis balls. I wrap the singles on it, like I’d wrap on a nostepinne. When you ply, the twist will run up the yarn to the point where it’s touching the stick. It stops there. The stick is lightweight and easy to hold. I can set the project down and pick it up later, without getting anything messed up. It fits my style of spinning.

I’m trying to finish a couple of knitting projects that need to be done by the weekend. Abraham’s birthday is tomorrow, so the baby sweater needs to be finished. And his mom’s birthday was last week, so I’m giving her the socks I started. I’m close to finishing those. When I get those two projects done, I’ll be ready to start knitting handspun socks. I’ve finished a couple of skeins of hand dyed yarn and the grey corriedale is about halfway finished. I want to spindle spin one of the six ounce bags of roving I bought for socks. These yarns are thicker than commercial sock yarns, so maybe the socks will be a bit faster to knit.
Ugly yarn

Projects 29.06.2019 No Comments

I picked this up at a local store (which has since gone out of business.) It’s Masham, which I haven’t spun before and I bought it because it was the only yarn with an odd color like this. It was called “Dragon’s Breath”. I finally finished plying it and I still don’t know what I was thinking. It’s not as awful as I thought before I plied it, but it’s just not a pretty colorway. Maybe I need a felted cat bed?