geekweaver

more spinning

2011-03-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

I've been spinning the fiber from a set of sample fibers that I bought long ago. The fiber came from Hood Canal Yarns, and there are some great exotic fibers and blends in it.

The fiber that I'm currently spinning is yak/tussah silk and the singles are spinning up quite nicely:

I'm going to navajo ply this as well. The singles are fairly fine, and it should make a nice yarn for weft.

I'm thinking that I'm going to weave a couple of scarves where I use all these samples up. I'll make them striped with different combinations of the sample fibers. Of course, that will be sometime after I've managed to spin them all.

I keep trying to plan my next weaving project, but don't quite get there. Maybe that will be tomorrow's project.

Not much to share

2011-03-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

I think I've managed to share most of the recent things that I've been doing. I've got two sweaters that I'm working on, the pink socks that I shared the other day, and a pair of Glittens that I don't yet have a picture of. Oh, and an alien from Take Me To Your leader by Knitting at Knoon.

I will take some pictures and post them here, though the weather needs to cooperate too. Today actually has been sunny, but for the last week it's been pretty gray and rainy, so I'm very glad to see the sun finally.

And I think that's all I've got for today.

Coils

2011-03-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of 2010, I decided I wanted to try spinning coils. There had been an article in Spin Off, and the yarn in it looked like a lot of fun. So, I pulled out the roving that I had from a fleece I had sent off to a mill, since I had a lot of it. The first attempt was kind of pathetic. Couldn't really tell what I was doing, and the "coils" looked like thick and thin yarn. The second attempt was only a little better.

I then switched what I was using for the yarn that is spun thick and thin to make the coils. I don't think this made any real difference, I think it was the experience that was the key. Here's a picture of my last two attempts:

The coils on this look almost like the coils in the pictures that I liked so much. I think a few more practice runs and I will be able to produce something that looks vaguely like what I'm aiming for. Of course, I've gotten sidetracked and am spinning other things at the moment, but I'll get back to this eventually.

I'm finding that I want to spend more time knitting than my shoulder can take. I've had to start a couple of projects that are knit using the continental style so that I can knit a bit more than usual. I'm also pushing it in terms of what my shoulder can take.

Socks!

2011-03-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

One pair finished, one still in progress.

The top pair is using the Leyburn socks pattern. I really enjoyed this pattern, though I did toe up and used one of the Cat Bordhi arch increases. The pattern slips stitches with yarn in front, then you pick up the yarn to make the crossing pattern. It was quite quick and a pretty mindless pattern once started.

While I enjoyed the pattern, I think I fell in love with the yarn. Twinkletoes from Chameleon Colorworks. I'm going to have to get some more of this yarn. It was a dream to knit with and I love how it feels.

The second pair is a pattern that I was playing with using the spiral arch increase from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters, and doing some cabling with it. I'm not particularly happy with this pair, and I think I'm going to try doing some more involved cables that work in that increase as part of the pattern. It'll be interesting to see if I have the wherewithall to plan it rather than just trying to make it work as I go (which is my usual method).

Camel and Yak

2011-03-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here are the results of some of my recent spinning efforts:

A little blurry, but such is life. The white is yak and the brown is baby camel. The baby camel is what I was spinning in the picture I posted last week. Both are spun find and then Navajo or chain plied.

Working on some socks and a couple of sweaters in knitting. I spun some coils recently, and maybe I'll do another post and show what I ended up with.

Other than that, not much to report.

Off to Maryland

2011-03-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Maryland for a job interview. I'm interviewing for a position as a QA Manager at a small company that creates software to help translational research. What is translational research you might ask? It's the idea that you put together all the clinical, phenotypic, genetic, test results, etc. etc. etc. and use it to draw new conclusions and develop new therapeutics. Right now, it's very messy and no one does it well.

In my opinion, what's needed in software for translational research is an emphasis on user experience and usability. So far, the companies that have tackled it have concentrated on the back end, because of a belief that getting all the disparate data together is the hard part. When really the hard part is in building something that someone who is not a computer expert can use to query and to explore data. I don't think anyone has really gotten that right yet, though I'm going to see if maybe this company is closer than anyone else.

I'm staying a couple of extra days to see friends, so I'll have some fun while I'm gone. Hopefully, something will come of this and I'll be able to get out of here.

It doesn't get any better than this...

2011-02-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

...on a Saturday morning.

Sat down to spin and watch a show and the cat decided it was lap time. With the dog and some tea, it was a perfect Saturday morning.

I'm spinning some baby camel from a variety pack that I bought a couple of years ago. I'm spinning from the stash these days, and this seemed like just the thing for a slow Saturday morning.

I managed to finish spinning the baby camel over the weekend. I'll ply it in the next couple of days and post a picture when it's done.

Starting again

2011-02-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

Since I have some time, I thought I'd try to start posting again, but I'm not sure what I want to do with this blog.

I have a lot of FO since I last posted. In all categories--knitting, weaving, and spinning. And all kinds of things--scarves, socks, shawls, skeins, etc.

I recently tried to spin some novelty yarn. I read an article on coils and decided that it sounded like something fun to try. After three tries, I think I've got something that resembles what I was after. I definitely need to try again, though I've moved on to spinning some stuff from my stash.

I'm in the middle of winding a warp on the loom, but it's giving me trouble. It is very fine yarn and is pilling and the pills are making it very tough to wind the warp on. I'm very close to giving up on it, since I keep breaking threads about every 2 or 3 inches.

I'm thinking that I may do some techniques here, and start doing some posts that highlight specific tecnniques that I like or I want to try. Have to think about that some more.

I definitely need to get together some of the photos of FO so I can do something with those. At a minimum, I can post some pictures and talk a little about the projects that were the most fun.

testing...

2009-11-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

I think it took the slow boat...

2008-03-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

...except that there shouldn't have been a boat involved--oh wait! I live on an island, maybe there was.

Simply Socks is doing a short yarn club for yarns with unusual fibers, and I decided to jump in with both feet, since there were only going to be three shipments over six months. Seemed like fun.

So, when Alison, the wonderful proprietor of Simply Socks sent the notice that the first shipment was sent, I was eagerly anticipating its arrival. And I waited...and waited...and.... You get the idea.

It was sent on February 8th and arrived on March 14th. That's a personal record for anything that's been sent, from the US or otherwise. I'm beginning to wonder if Canadian customs harbors suspicions about yarn.... Except that the second shipment (and my Rockin' Sock Club shipments) got here fine and with no noticeable delay.

I will say that Alison was great through all this. She responded promptly and was quite willing to send an extra skein when it looked like the first was lost to the vagaries of the US and/or Canadian postal systems.

Now I have to decide what to make with the delicious yarn...and it is delicious.

Just because I'm here

2008-03-05T18:02:00.001-08:00

I'm thinking about it, so I'm going to post. I don't have too much to report that's different from last time.

I did finish spinning and plying a skein of cottolin. Looks a lot like the last skein that I posted a picture of, but a little darker in color. I have about 2 ounces each of four colors and I figured I would spin them all and then design and knit a bag (maybe to carry sock knitting). I'm thinking fair isle for the bag, but still undecided.

I have lots of ideas of things that I want to knit, weave, and design, but not enough time to do any of them. It doesn't help when I spend an hour playing computer games at night...

I will try very hard to upload all the pictures on the camera and post some stuff this weekend. I have some pictures of a couple of projects that are mostly finished. Maybe I'll even get some weaving content on here.

Sorry it's been a while

2008-02-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

But sometimes life gets you like that.

I had an unexpected trip back east, and that threw a monkey wrench into any plans I had for posting. I've been back for a week and a half and I still feel like I'm recovering.

I have made a lot of progress on the knitting and spinning front. I finished one pair of socks, though I don't have a picture of the finished objects...they were for my father and I finished them while I was with my parents, so I left them. Here's the picture that I had of them farthest along (which isn't nearly as far as I thought, I think there may still be a picture on the camera...):

I've also done some spinning. I went to a spin-in last weekend and I managed to get most of the second strand done for the cotton that I'm spinning. I just have a bit more to go and I'll have a second skein of cotton. Just two more skeins to go and then it'll be time to figure out what I'm going to make.

I'm almost done with a vest from Interweave Knits that I started a while ago. I really just need to sit down and spend some quality time with it and I can knock it off. I'm working on two pairs of socks (well...one is really slippers), and I'm definitely feeling like I need another project. But I'm trying really hard not to start anything until I finish the vest. I'll let you know how that goes.

Weird weather and wacky drivers

2008-01-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

We had the most bizarre precipitation that I've ever seen today. I think it was technically hail, but when I actually walked outside to look at it, it looked conspicuously like perlite...you know, that white stuff that they put in potted plants. It did change over to actual snow after a while, but it was very bizarre.

And, of course, this was a very wet snow--the kind that turns to ice as soon as you compress it. The sort-of main street that is just outside my house has a nice little hill on it (very little, hardly enough to notice). This hill rapidly became a sheet of ice. This did not deter a large number of drivers from trying to take the hill in both directions. Very few people were making it up the hill (mostly 4-wheel drive vehicles). Amazingly, during the time we were out shoveling the drive no one actually had an accident. Considering how slick it was, that's something of a miracle.

Apparently it got even worse. I had someone knock on the door and ask to use the bathroom, because it wasn't moving at all. And a bunch of people had taken the road as an alternate to the highway that's less than a mile away (but backs up pretty regularly because of holiday weekends or bad weather).

And, just to prove that there really was snow, a couple of pictures:

Too much knitting, again

2008-01-22T18:10:00.000-08:00

I managed to do too much knitting over the weekend again. I know that I have to watch it because I tend to obsess a bit and I will get my shoulder into a state where it needs rest. I've taken the last 48 hours off from knitting, helped by the power outage that was caused by a windstorm on Sunday night. Luckily the power was only out for about an hour, so we didn't have to twiddle our thumbs very long.

I will have pictures of some FOs and whatever is still on the needles this weekend (assuming that it isn't raining the whole weekend). We actually have a prediction of some sunny weather for the next several days, though it's then supposed to go back to typical winter weather here.

My computer that has all my pictures is currently out of commission. It's looking like it has a wonky power supply and I'll have to decide if I want to replace both that and the memory that's gone wonky, or if I want to muddle along like I have been. The most important thing is to get the things that I really care about onto different storage so that I won't have to cobble something together to get things off the hard drive if I decide not to do anything. I hate dealing with computer problems. I'm coming more and more to like the mac that we got for Christmas last year.... It doesn't help that there are a bunch of mac lovers at work singing the praises.

Well, enough for now. I'm off to a spinning and weaving guild gathering to see what I can see.

Disaster!

2008-01-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

I pulled out my trusty Majacraft Suzie on Sunday to continue spinning some of the cottolin that I've been working on lately, and, much to my dismay, I found that the wood piece on the front of the flyer was cracked in half. And as soon as I touched it the little thingy (that on an Ashford I would call the orifice, but isn't really an orifice on a Majacraft) fell right out.

I decided to check with Majacraft to see if the thing might still be under warranty by any faint chance. As I was composing the email to them, I realized that I've had the wheel for more than 5 years. I'm not actually sure anymore exactly when I bought it, but I know it had to be more than 5 years ago. My how time flies when you're having fun. Needless to say, they don't extend their warranty for that long on the flyers.

Never fear! I was able to find a somewhat local dealer that can order me one and have it within a few weeks. I really like the fact that I can find out easily from Majacraft's website where their dealers are and that there is one relatively close.

Back to knitting and weaving...or maybe spinning more on my drop spindle. I kinda quit doing that for a while, so maybe it's time to pick it back up...

Knitting and weaving and spinning, oh my!

2008-01-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

As I alluded to in my last post, I managed to accomplish a lot in the last six weeks or so. I've managed a num ber of knitting FOs:

In no particular order, these include a hat that I knit to include in a Christmas giveaway that my company did, a pair of socks knit using the Naive Socks pattern, a moebius cat bed from A Second Treasury of Magical Knits by Cat Bordhi, a pair of coriolis socks based on the coriolis architecture from New Pathways for Sock Knitters, and a moebius scarf that was from a half skein left over from a shawl and a skein that I got as part of the swag from the Floating Knitting Retreat (and I can't remember what it was...).

I particularly like the color blending in the moebius scarf, and it suddenly became my winter scarf. I'm not known for wearing scarves in the winter, but this one just grabbed me and shook me, so I adopted it.

Technically, the cat bed isn't finished, since it still needs to be felted, but I'm counting it since the knitting's done.

I still have several things in progress, including a pair of socks for my father:

These are out of Tofutsies, and I'm using one of the other sock architectures from New Pathways for Sock Knitters.

I also have a bag that's destined to be felted still on the needles (but only have pictures of it when it was barely cast on) and a vest (that also is, sadly, only pictured as a wee cast-on item). At some point I'll get pictures of them farther along.

I've managed to also do a bit of spinning. I've been spinning some cottolin that I picked up one year at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (probably 2-3 years ago). I've spun and plied one skein:

I've spun the first single of the second skein, and will begin on the second single this weekend. This is a pretty basic two ply...and I can't find the skein or the card where I have the details recorded, so I can't tell you much more about it at this point...

And I finally finished threading, tying on, etc. and started weaving the placemats that I started a looooong time ago:
There's not much to say about these. It's a summer and winter design, but I'm not completely happy with it. These were destined from the beginning to go into a charity auction anyway, so as long as they look ok, I will be happy with them. It was an interesting exercise in designing summer and winter, and since then I've read more about designing summer and winter, so I will definitely take that learning into account when I do the next design attempt.

And now, onto my reward for all this industry. I'm going to play a game for a bit!

Recipe box contest

2008-01-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start the year with a post responding to the recipe box contest over at Mason-Dixon Knitting.

Here's a picture of my (oh so boring) recipe box:

And a recipe from it that's from one of my great grandmothers. I got this from a cousin of my mother's quite a while ago. I always lose track of that part of the family, because both great grandparents were widowed at least once and had children from more than one marriage (if I remember right), so there are all these half siblings to try to keep straight. This is exacerbated by the fact that there was a large age difference between my great grandmother and great grandfather (I think it was at least 40 years).

Marilla's Thanksgiving Cake
Cream 1 cup shortening and 1 cup sugar together. Add 1 cup raisins, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1cup blackberry jam, 1 cup nuts. Combine 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon allspice and add this alternately with 1 cup milk into which 1 teaspoon soda has been stirred briskly until it foams to the creamed fat and sugar. Bake in a greased pan until it tests done in a "moderate" oven. Frost with Boiled Frosting (1 cup butter, 1-1/2 cups milk, 2 cups sugar boiled to soft ball stage stirring constantly, beat while cooling to spread consistency).

I will post a disclaimer that I have not tried this recipe, which should be evident by the fact that I haven't put an actual value on the oven temperature. My knowledge of baking makes me think that "moderate" from the early part of the 20th century should be about 325-350 F, but feel free to do your own research to confirm this.

I have much progress to report on knitting, spinning and weaving, but I'm going to save that for another post. I've had the last week off, so it has given me a bunch of time to get some things done and make good progress on others.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T13:04:00.000-08:00

A picture from the top of the hill in the park near my house in Victoria, BC. Happy New Year to all, and I will post more next year!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night

2007-12-24T18:40:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season

2007-12-10T18:20:00.001-08:00

It's definitely Christmastime. This weekend was my work Christmas party and it cut into my knitting time. I usually manage to knit for a while on Saturday night while we watch a dvd of some type, but I had to go out and be social.

It was a fun party, even though the activity (a funny money casino) wasn't exactly my first choice of things to do. The food was most excellent. Some of the tenderest lamb that I've had in a long time...I'm drooling just thinking about it.

I do have knitting and spinning progress to report. I just haven't managed to get pictures off of my camera yet...I'm quite happy that I got the pictures taken while there was actually decent light on Saturday.

And to make things even more fun, I'm trying to treat my dog's paws with an over the counter remedy recommended by the vet. She keeps licking them to the point that she's hurting herself and I haven't been able to get her to quit. It seemed like allergies at first, but antihistamines didn't help, so I'm trying this. The vet did prescribe something that worked very well, but I don't want to pay for another visit if I can avoid it. Not sure if that's going to happen.

Ah well...the dog wants something. I guess I'd better go see what.

Wild Cats

2007-11-27T17:52:00.001-08:00

I seem to have two wild cats running around the house. I keep hearing these mysterious sounds behind me that seem to be running feet or thunking into various pieces of furniture (or maybe walls). Those don't bother me so much, but the occasional sound of sharpening claws in the furniture do.

They used to be such well behaved cats and would only sharpen their claws on the cat tree...I don't know what happened.

On the knitting front, I've managed to start lots of stuff, and I've finished one sock that's in the coriolis architecture from Cat Bordhi. I definitely like this architecture. It's from her latest book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I'll have to take a picture when there's enough light outside. Which, given that I'm in the pacific northwest and it's late November might be a challenge. We'll see if I can get enough light this weekend when I'm home while it's actually daylight.

I'm stalled on weaving. I managed to get the warp beamed and tied on, but I haven't gotten any farther. I just need to decide that it's time to do something. Maybe if I had a purpose for the placemats that I intend to make from the warp...it's an idea anyway.

I did manage to get into both the Rockin Sock Club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and the club that Simply Sock Yarn Company is running. I foresee a large amount of sock knitting for me next year. Which is good, because I have a bunch of things that I want to try!

I think I'm going to try to use this blog to record some of the experiments that I try. Sounds like a good way to try to get myself organized.

Continental knitting

2007-11-10T15:57:00.001-08:00

A comment has inspired me to post on how I purl in continental knitting. I'm hoping this might help others, since this was my big stumbling block to being able to knit either way.

Technically when I purl when I'm knitting continental, I purl backwards. The stitch ends up on the needle backwards.

Here's the best explanation that I can manage without pictures. With your knitting in front of you, hold the yarn in your left hand in front of the knitting, insert the right hand needle as if to purl. Look at the orientation of the yarn and the needle. Now, it's relatively easy to scoop that yarn up from front to back, but if you have to try to grab it from back to front, you end up doing all kinds of gyrations. The most effective way that I've seen to do this involves holding it at a weird angle with your index finger (which works but isn't particularly fast or efficient for me).

So, when I'm knitting continental, I scoop that stitch up and keep going. By doing this, I actually think that I purl much faster than I knit. The drawback is that the stitches end up reversed on the needles. That's not a big deal, since all you need to do is knit or purl into the back of the stitch.

I was encouraged in this behavior by one of the ladies behind Just Our Yarn, and by Knitting for Anarchists by Anna Zilboorg. I particularly like this book, since it pretty much echoes my philosophy for knitting, spinning, weaving, etc. Do what works for you, don't be persuaded to do something a specific way because they believe that it's the correct or only way.

I do find purling into the back of a stitch to be a pain, and so I often wont use continental for something with a lot of knit/purl patterning (cables for example). I also don't find it as satisfying for my knitting experience (and stress relief), so I usually end up designating fairly simple projects as my continental knits. Knitting continental doesn't bother my shoulder nearly as much, so that is often the motivation I need to cast one on.

I think it's time to go do some spinning.

Too much knitting!

2007-11-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't think that would be possible, would you?

I've been doing a lot of knitting over the last few weeks, and my shoulder is complaining about it. I have an old repetitive motion injury that is mostly kept in check with exercise, but excessive knitting can set it off. Too much mouse work on the computer, and certain other things can also set it off, but knitting is definitely one of those things that I have to watch.

I guess it's time to go weave or spin, since I think I'll regret it if I do much more knitting without giving my shoulder some time. Sigh...

I've had a lot of inspiration from the workshop that I took from Cat Bordhi, so that's part of the problem. I have lots of things that I want to try and I don't want to lose the momentum.

Seems like maybe time to try continental knitting again. If I cast on at least one project that's continental, then I can at least knit something when my shoulder is like this. Sounds like a good excuse to start that moebius cat bed that I wanted to do...

Floating Knitting Retreat

2007-10-27T11:54:00.001-07:00

I'm just back from a Floating Knitting Retreat that was run by Cat Bordhi of moebius knitting fame. She has a new book out that does some very interesting things with sock 'architecture'. I've fallen in love with this book and I believe that it will make sock knitting a lot of fun for the foreseeable future for me.

The retreat was in the beautiful San Juan islands of Washington state. Just to give you a taste, here are a couple of pictures:
It's a beautiful area, though not very far from where I live. And not too different in the way it looks--different islands and different mountains.

We spent three days riding on the inter-island ferry, the ferry that goes around to four of the San Juan Islands. There's no charge for walking on the ferry, and it made the nicest knitting classroom and gathering place that I've been in for a long time.

We had great weather for the time we were there. It only rained part of one day. For this time of year in Washington, that's pretty remarkable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop that Cat ran. She's very low key and is willing to let students do what they really want to do. I found renewed interest in several things, but especially in sock knitting and playing with some different sock shapings. I definitely have a few pattern ideas out of this.

This was the second of two retreats that Cat did this fall and if you want to see what the other one was like, in theory, this link will work. It's currently not working at all (server down or DNS entry not there from the error message), but I figured I would include it anyway.

My friend Bonnie and I used this retreat as an excuse to get together and have some knitting time. It was great to see her and I'm very glad that we did this. We then went on to do a yarn crawl on the way back to SeaTac to get her back for her plane flight. I bought way too much yarn on the yarn crawl. Combined with the lovely gifts from the retreat, I had to make far too many trips into the house to unload my car.

And, speaking of all that yarn and ideas, it's time to go do some knitting!

Tagged!

2007-10-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Christine (of Spin, weave, knit, cake) tagged me with a Nice Matters award a couple of days ago. I'm a little behind in my blog reading (not to mention blogging).

This means that I'm supposed to tag seven others similarly...I definitely need to think about this a bit. I can't say that I know who to tag (except perhaps some people already tagged...).

The last couple of weeks have been crazy, and the next couple aren't looking any better. I was out of town last week for work for two days (and ended up on a late ferry because there were too many other people trying to get onto the island, grumble, grumble). This week is swamped because I have to give a bunch of different training sessions (all to people that I work with, not to customers that we sold to). And next week I'm meeting a friend to go on a Floating Knitting Retreat that Cat Bordhi is hosting. I'm looking forward to having some time off and spending a bunch of time knitting. I did have someone at work suggest that I postpone the vacation and that didn't go over very well...

Fiber wise, I still haven't wound on the warp for the placemats. I have managed to finish threading, but haven't gotten any further. I have three things in progress on the needles, and I'm still spinning some cottolin on my wheel. Progress is slow on all fronts, because I've had to spend a bunch of time on work that otherwise would have gone to fiber work.

Oh yeah! I also joined the Knitters Tea Swap 4, so I had to go find appropriate things to send off in my package this weekend. I may send the package while I'm in the states, since my swapee is in the US and that way I can avoid a customs form.

Some day I'll have time to do all the things that I want to do. Right about the time that I don't have any aches or pains or other reasons to not knit or spin or weave...

Snide comments not withstanding

2007-10-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

All right Christine with the snide comments...

Yes, it has been a while. Things have been a bit busy since August. Work has been pretty amazingly busy, and that keeps me from being enthusiastic about posting. Somehow, the more time I spend on the computer at work, the less I want to do things (besides read) on the computer at home.

I did manage to finish a couple of things. Two pairs of socks and a felted bag have joined the FO queue. I felted the bag, but it felted unevenly, so I need to see if I can get the side that's too long to felt more if I agitate that side by hand. This is something that I auctioned off at a charity auction, so I need to see if I can resurrect it pretty quickly. Otherwise I may be making a new one, which means I need to find some yarn to do it with...

I do have pictures of both pairs of socks. This one is made with Tofutsies and is a pretty standard cuff down sock pattern (I think I was basically following the Yarn Harlot's basic sock pattern).And this one is made from Panda Cotton, using the Crooked Cable Socks pattern from Sock Bug:

I really like Panda Cotton as a sock yarn. I don't particularly like wool socks, so it makes a good sock yarn for me. Even the wool/cotton blends are not my first choice for socks.

I've now started a new pair of socks and vest from an issue of IK from last year (or maybe it was early this year...). I'm meeting a friend for a knitting retreat at the end of October that promises much more in the way of socks and maybe a moebius project.

Slow Sunday at Bubonicon

2007-08-26T07:29:00.001-07:00

I'm having a slow Sunday morning. I've had a good time on vacation and at Bubonicon. Managed to play a good game of Arkham Horror last night, and will probably try to play another game this morning.

Sunday morning of a science fiction convention is always a bit slow. Everyone is tired from late nights on Friday and Saturday and not moving particularly fast.

I've had a good time catching up with friends that I sort of lost touch with. I'm happy that we managed to make it here. We (as usual) have bought too many books. We haven't bought too much else, mostly because of the issues of carting the things back home. I'm still debating on buying one thing as a gift for DH. I'll decide later on today. It would be an anniversary present if I do decide to get it, and it is something that I know he'd like.

I've gotten a bunch of knitting done on two different socks. Unfortunately, I had to suspend knitting on one, because I managed to break two of the needles in carting the socks around this weekend. That's why I prefer metal needles--I am much too hard on my needles and have a tendency to break them. I'll have to order some metal needles in several of the sock sizes when I get home. I haven't been able to find any when I've gone into stores, so it's time to just order them.

I think it's time to go veg out for a while. No one will be stirring for another half hour at least, so I can continue to relax.

Vacation Time!

2007-08-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm heading out on vacation tomorrow. Planning to get in lots of knitting time.

We're going to Albuquerque, NM to visit old friends and go to Bubonicon, a science fiction convention that we used to attend regularly (once upon a time when we lived in Albuquerque). Definitely planning to go to Village Wools, which used to be a regular stop, though they've moved since I was last in Albuquerque. They're in a place that used to be the middle of nowhere.

And the fun doesn't stop there! Several wonderful places to eat are also in the plans. Monroe's, Sadies (which used to be in a bowling alley, but sadly moved from there before I left Albuquerque). Some shopping is in store at Palm's Trading Company, Nob Hill, and anywhere else that we can think of.

I'm also hoping to post a few times while we're gone. No guarantees though, since I tend to get unplugged by the end of my travels when I'm on vacation.

I'll definitely have more to say when I next appear here.

FOs and WIPs

2007-07-29T14:30:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to do this for the last week. Here are some pictures of FOs and WIPs.

I'll start with a couple of FOs that have been finished for a while. A shawl that is about to be sent of to my mother (as a very late birthday present). This was woven with 5/2 and 10/2 tencel from Just Our Yarn. Intended to be something light that my mother can throw on when she needs just a little bit of warmth.The weaving was finished quite a while ago, but it took me a long time to finally get around to twisting the fringe.

Next is a cabled scarf/shawl that I did as a sample for Just Our Yarn. If you catch them at a show, you may be able to see the real thing!
And then I have a pair of socks made out of Traveler that's also heading off to be a sample. This was a simple toe up using the magic cast on from Knitty, a short row heel, and a short stretch of k2 p1 rib at the top.

These are hot off the needles, just finished this afternoon.

And now the WIPs. Inspired by Ravelry--I needed to put some pictures up anyway, so I figured it was time to post them here too.

A pair of socks out of Tofutsies. I couldn't resist a yarn with chitin in it.

I also have a bag that's destined to be felted in progress. Not the best picture I've ever taken.

This bag had its genesis as the donation in a charity auction for the Canary Foundation. We put together a charity auction at work with the proceeds going to Canary, and I donated a hand made knitted or woven object. The person that won the bid chose a felted bag.

And I hate the way that blogger deals with pictures. It keeps putting them at the very top (no matter where I have the cursor) and making me move them. Since the actual space where you can view text is small, and will not scroll when you click and drag to move something that's selected, it is extremely annoying.

I seem to be posting less frequently

2007-07-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....

Seems like every time I come to post it's been longer than I think. I'll definitely have to try to work on that.

I have been making progress on projects, though. I've got a pair of socks almost finished. A bag destined to be felted that was an auction item in a charity auction at work, some cottolin that I started spinning and I started warping the loom for some summer and winter place mats. We won't talk about the sock that I kept knitting in the round when I was supposed to start turning the heel. I haven't been able to face frogging it yet. Though I could decide not to, since I'm going to have to redo the first sock anyway--after finishing it I decided that it was just a little too big and cast on fewer stitches for the second one.

I'm doing the place mats as a test to play with the summer and winter tie up. Even with Fiberworks PCW, I was having difficulty envisioning what the final weave will look like. So I decided I needed to do some tests.

The cottolin is an attempt to use up some stuff that's been in my stash for ages. I'm going to figure out what to do with it when I finish spinning it. There were four different colors in the starter pack that I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool several years ago, and I'm trying to see if I can spin a nice fine yarn and then figure out a pattern to use all the colors.

Coming soon some pictures of FOs (and maybe some WIPs).

I finally managed to get the cursor in the box!

2007-07-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to put a title on this entry. It's very odd. Just goes to show you that the oft-quoted definition of insanity (keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result) really just reflects what each of us does every time we get an unexpected results. I just keep clicking in the box and nothing happens, but I click again and again.

I got a lot done this weekend. Mostly starting things and designing. I do have a couple of FO pictures to post, but I need to upload them (can you say procrastination?).

I also got some stuff done in the back yard. I'm on mission to rid my yard of holly bushes. I've come to hate them in the last few years because they are a real pain to trim and keep in good shape. I'll probably have to bite the bullet and actually dig out the roots of the ones that I can reach. Otherwise I'll be constantly hacking at the new growth. Which could be entertaining for others, but frustrating for me.

Hmm...I right clicked (accidentally, if truth be known) in the box and I managed to get the cursor into the box. Somehow that doesn't strike me as intentional....now the debate about whether I try to report a bug. I know that blogger would appreciate it, but it can be a pain to walk through all the info they want. Working in the computer industry and knowing how easily things can slip through the cracks, I feel compelled to report bugs when I find them, but can't always get myself to.

I think I'm going to veg out. It was a very busy day, and I'm exhausted because of it.

Mind Bending

2007-07-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

I've spent a good chunk of the day trying to wrap my head around summer and winter threading, tie up, and treadling. I now have some concept of the possibilities, but that just warps my brain a little bit more.

Since I'm not really sure what I want, and playing with drafts is only giving me more ideas, I think it's time to quit for the day. I keep thinking that I want one thing and then finding other possibilities as I play.

I do have one FO shot but I need to upload it. I haven't taken the time to dump the latest set of pictures from the camera. It only took me a year to finish twisting the fringe on a shawl for my mother. But I think it turned out absolutely lovely.

Took the dog for a slightly longer than usual walk this morning, since this today's a holiday in my adopted home. We tried a new park, Goldstream Provincial Park. It's an absolutely lovely area. I also need to grab the pictures that DH took there... Sounds like a good excuse to add to this tomorrow.

I got to watch the dog chase a squirrel off of the deck this morning. I think I'd better avoid putting out any wool to dry, lest I find I have a yarn thief like the Yarn Harlot. Luckily I had all the fleece that I had processed into roving so I don't have any right now. I'm making myself not buy any more until I spin at least some of what I have stashed in the closet.

Speaking of which, I want to ply the stuff that I finished spinning earlier this week. Sounds like a good thing to do now!

Sitting on the deck in the wonderful weather

2007-06-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, there is an advantage to living in Victoria. It's a gorgeous evening, about 72 F or 20 C and I'm sitting on the deck with the laptop enjoying the lovely weather and blogging. Not a bad life.

I'm currently doing some research for the runner that I want to make. I've decided on a block weave, now I just need to figure out how to get the pattern that I want. I need to spend some time reading about summer and winter to get there. I think I may actually do a test run and make towels or something smaller (with cheaper yarn) to really understand what I'm doing.

I need to take some pictures to post of both some UFOs and FOs. I finished one sock of a pair for two different pairs, and they look pretty good. I do seem to be having second sock syndrome with these, though, since I haven't been motivated to finish the second sock for either pair.

The dog can't quite decide whether she wants to be out with me or inside where dinner is being prepared. I think she probably wants me to go inside so she can be there when everything is ready. She's outta luck.

I think dinner is ready, so it's time to go.

The local guild

2007-06-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to make it to a local hand weaving and spinning guild meeting. I've only been trying to make it to a meeting for a year now. Since the meetings are only once a month and are on Thursday nights, getting there has not been particularly easy. I either completely forget until the week after, or I'm so tired that I can't even think of going out. I was extremely tired on Thursday, but I made myself go anyway, since it was the last meeting before the summer break.

It's the Victoria Handweavers' and Spinners' Guild, and they are a very friendly group. I also made it to a spinning group last night, so I managed to get some spinning done.

I'm trying to design a runner with a block weave, and having trouble wrapping my head around how to use one set of shafts to tie down the weave. I think I need to do something different with the tie up, but haven't quite figured it out. I really need to sit and play on Fiberworks PCW, but I haven't managed to dredge up the patience.

I did find a set of very interesting articles about the latest in evolutionary biology and developmental biology research that are in the NY Times. It's stuff that I was peripherally aware of, since much of it had started back when I was doing my research, but I hadn't been paying much attention for the last few years. It's a nice summary of the latest thinking in evolutionary biology and how advances in the study of developmental biology have fueled the new thinking. I actually think it puts some of the creation 'science' arguments to bed, since it explains how you can get relatively radical differences rather quickly.

And work seems to be finally calming down a bit. After switching roles, I felt like I was playing catch up, since the whole reason for switching was because there was only one person doing the definition work and he was totally swamped trying to do it alone. I think we're almost to the point of being far enough ahead that we can breathe. I'm certainly feeling like we've finally figured out the way to get the functionality that's needed without killing ourselves or producing something that's completely unusable.

I guess it's been a while

2007-06-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...I was just looking at the date I last posted, and I guess it's been a while.

I think I'm finally coming out of my fiber hibernation. Between moving twice and starting a new job, the fiber stuff has kinda been on the back burner. I haven't been very inspired, and haven't had much energy to spare for doing any of my fiber crafts. That's been changing over the last few weeks, and I'm very happy about that.

I've managed to start designing several different things, a couple of knitting projects and a weaving project, and I went back to spinning the yarn that I started last fall (or maybe it was summer...).

The weather has also turned gorgeous. The last couple of days have been clear, sunny, and right around 70 F (that's ~20 C for those outside the US). This is what I remember the weather being like last year when we first got here. Of course, everything was new then, so I can't say for sure what it was really like.

I'm going to have to take some pictures so that I can post them here and show what I'm currently working on and then post some stuff on the designs. Always way too much to do!

The Yarn Harlot comes to town

2007-06-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Yarn Harlot came to town, and I had the pleasure of going to see her talk. She was very entertaining and filled in some gaps from some things that appeared on her blog. I waited in line to get a couple of books signed, and got a picture taken because I had the rattiest copy of the Yarn Harlot that she'd ever seen. I keep it in the car to read when I have appointments and forget to bring something with me (which happens pretty often...)

Today was the Victoria Fibrefest, and I went over to check out the local groups and the stash enhancement opportunities. The weather wasn't the greatest, so I only ended up staying for an hour and a half or so. If the weather had improved, I would have gone back with my spinning wheel and joined the people spinning from the local weaving and spinning guild. But it stayed blustery and kind of rainy, and is still pretty windy outside.

I did get some good info about the Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival, which I had intended to go to last year, but missed. I might actually be able to remember it this year. It's interesting to get to from here, because there are two ferries and a drive up one coast or the other (a choice of ferries from Vancouver Island).

I actually have a FO to blog about. I finished a vest for my DH (Greg) that I've been working on for at least a year and a half. That leaves me with two socks (from different pairs) and a shawl on the needles, so it's time to start thinking about something else to knit. I do have a donation that I have to knit--I put a hand made item in the an auction for the Canary Foundation, because work was raising money for them. I made it an item to be designed in conjunction with the person that won, so I need to take some ideas in and run them by the woman that had the winning bid.

Next week is the Canary Derby, which is another fundraiser for the Canary Foundation. The Canary Foundation is dedicated to finding ways to detect cancer early, since cancer is most treatable and has a higher chance of survival when it is found in its earliest stages. They work directly with researchers and connect the right people together to get both the basic research going and get biomarkers identified and tested for early detection.

And I've got the information for a spinning group tomorrow evening. I will be trying to head off to spin tomorrow evening so I can get to know some of the local fiber folks. Since the last Fibrefest was so soon after I moved here, I haven't had a good way to get information. I kept trying to make it to the weaving and spinning guild and forgetting completely until it was too late.

So..here's hoping that work is not too crazy tomorrow and I have enough energy to go spinning!

knitting on a lazy sunday afternoon

2007-06-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know how lazy I can really call it, since I spent the morning ripping things out of the garden. I did some weeding, then got a wild hair to get rid of all of the holly bushes and stumps that seemed to be scattered in the yard. There were three stumps that I knew of (someone previously had cut them back), then I found two more that had been cut back and sprouted way in the back corner. Those had quite a bit of growth on them, so I may be destined for a trip to the local compost drop-off place. The only place that I can get rid of them if I can't get them to fit in my composter.

Then I spent some time working on the first sock out of Traveler and turned the heel so I just have to figure out how long I want the leg portion to be. Since they're for a sample, I'll probably make them longer than my usual short socks.

I've been designing in fits and starts this weekend. I finally have a general idea of what I want to do for the runner I want to weave. Now I need to try some drafts to see if I can actually do it in 8 shafts. This could be the impetus for starting to save for a loom with more shafts....

I don't write much about work here, but I've changed roles at work. I had been managing the test group, and had an opportunity to move to the other end of the process and help to define what we're building. Since it is something that I had seriously considered when I was job hunting, I decided that I should take the plunge and switch. I started in the new role on Wednesday, and had to dive right in because there needed to be enough definition to allow a small group to start working on Monday. The next couple of weeks will be interesting, since we'll be playing catchup.

But that's for tomorrow. For today, I think I'm going to go find a good book on CD to listen to and knit outside to take advantage of the gorgeous weather we're having.

After a long weekend

2007-05-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for the best of intentions. Last weekend was Victoria Day, the long weekend that marks the start of summer for most people in Canada. I intended to get a lot of stuff done, including gardening, pattern writing, designing a runner to weave, photographing some FOs. Only a fraction of that got done.

I do have two different pairs of socks on the needles. One out of Tofutsies and the other out of Traveler. The one out of Traveler is destined to be a sample.

I need to make some decisions about the weave structure for the runner that I want to weave. I need to start pushing myself to explore some different structures and learn about them, rather than just picking a random threading, tie up, and treadling.

I also need to get back to the spinning that I was doing over the winter. I managed to get more than half of the fiber spun, but have not gotten back to it since we moved in February.

And work is being interesting. I have an opportunity to move into a different role, and I'm taking it seriously. It's a role that I've played before and enjoyed, and I've been thinking that I need a new challenge. We'll see if it really happens.

I think it's time to go do some other things. I'm going to post more often and do all the other things that I've listed in this post...

Another weekend, another...

2007-05-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

...maybe we won't go there.

I managed to get some stuff done this weekend. Still need to finish off the pattern for the shawl that I delivered last week. I mostly spent time trying to figure out the best way to chart the cable pattern. I may have to buy some software to make some of these things easier. Just need to get over being cheap.

I need to dig through the stash to see if I have the right yarn for a couple of projects. Both weaving and knitting. Hopefully that will be during the week this week.

I started a new sock with the new Traveler sock yarn from Just Our Yarn. It's knitting up very nicely. I need to write down the details before I forget them.

The last couple of days have been absolutely gorgeous. One of the cats has decided to obsess on the screens in the open windows. He managed to get a claw stuck in the screen where it was trapped by a partially open window yesterday and started crying like his life was in imminent danger. Nothing like a cat crying to get your attention.

I think I need another vacation

2007-05-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

I'm back from going to Maryland Sheep & Wool and visiting friends, and I think I need another break.

The problem with going back to a place you've lived is that there are way too many people that want to see you, and somehow it's not as much of a vacation as it could be. Whine, whine, whine.

Unfortunately, I'm finding S&W to be waaay to crowded and can only take being there for the morning. By about 11 or 12 it is so crowded that you can't move and it's really hard to get to the vendors and buy anything. I did get some good yarn from Brooks Farm and some silk roving from Just Our Yarn. I also delivered the scarf/shawl to the ladies at Just Our Yarn. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it, so I can't post one, and will have to get one from them when they take a picture of it.

It was great to see friends and spend some time doing something other than work. I needed the break and it was great timing to get away.

I think this weekend will be split between doing some gardening, including figuring out what I want to put in pots, doing some designing for weaving, and writing up a couple of patterns. I also need to start a sock, since I got some yarn to do a sock sample for Just Our Yarn.

I just might start another set of posts around work stuff. I realized after a couple of conversations today that there might be some demand for some of the info that's rattling around in my head. I'll see if I can manage to convince myself to start writing.

I think I'm going to go off and do some other stuff.

Why are vacations always not?

2007-04-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

So, I'm getting ready to head out for vacation on Wednesday. I'm going back to roads once traveled and heading off for Maryland Sheep & Wool. While there, I'm going to visit a bunch of friends that I made while living in the area. It seems like my vacation is even more scheduled than my normal life.

Not something that I usually strive for when I go on vacation. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to need a vacation when I get back...

So, I have cabled the scarf/shawl to deliver to the ladies of Just Our Yarn. I think it's been in the works for more than a year (in my defense, I moved across the continent during that year...not that that really made a huge difference in finishing time). I do need to finish the pattern for it. One of those things that I always hate doing.

I want to look for yarn to weave a runner while I'm at S&W. I'll probably be looking for greens and browns because that's the color of the room that it's destined for. Also colors that I tend to have a lot in the house, so it's likely to work no matter where the piece of furniture ends up.

I'm definitely ready for stash enhancement at S&W. I have been feeling a distinct lack of choices here, which probably doesn't say anything about the real choices, but says something about the availability of stuff in the DC area and from being near S&W every year. Mostly I miss the interaction and the creativity that it generated in me. I haven't found a good group to get creative with yet.

Ok, done whining for tonight.

Spring colds are the pits

2007-04-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

The creeping crud has officially caught up with me. There's been a rather nasty cold going around work and I finally caught it. I thought I was going to manage to dodge it like I usually do, but I think it just hung around a little too long as it was being passed from person to person.

It's gone from my head to my chest, so I'm having fun coughing my lungs up. At least the drugs for chest congestion seem to be working well.

I finished the socks and the scarf/shawl over the weekend. About the only thing I did besides stare at the boob tube and sniffle. Still need to do some design for a couple of weaving projects, pick out some yarn for a new knitting project, and find the pattern for the next pair of socks. I have about 3 or 4 patterns that I want to try over the next couple of months.

I'm going to go back to my corner now and sniffle in isolation so I don't infect anyone else...

Somewhere in April

2007-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

So, it's more than half way through April and I feel like I haven't gotten much done. I still have the same things in progress.

I do need to spend some time designing a weaving project (or two). I have a couple of things that I want to make, and I just need to make myself sit down and do it. I need a new cover/runner for my cedar chest and I want to explore some new structures, so I'm thinking about making some placemats--that way I can make several pieces in the same theme, but not keep doing the same thing over and over.

I'm headed for Maryland Sheep & Wool at the beginning of May. That will be a nice break from work and a nice trip away from here. Since I lived in the area, I have lots of friends to visit and lots of stuff to do while I'm there.

I swear I'm going to set aside time this weekend to design the weaving and actually spend time knitting the vest that I have neglected for DH. That ought to be interesting, since I haven't done anything since well before Christmas. Wonder if I can keep the same gauge...

Time to go. If I go knit now, maybe I can get myself to do some of the design stuff later.

Spring has sprung

2007-04-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Posting just to get myself back into posting.

I spent a good chunk of the day figuring out what I want to do in the yard, putting out compost, weeding and pruning. I need to finalize some decisions on what to plant and what I'm going to put in containers.

Currently knitting a shawl/scarf destined for the ladies at Just Our Yarn, a pair of socks that is almost complete (should manage to finish them off this week), and a vest for DH that I have been working on for hmm....not sure I should say.

I've started the preliminary design to get something on the loom now that chaos from moving (first across the continent and border, then into a house where we actually have enough room to set the loom up) is almost over with.

More later. I'm going to go do a few other things before reading time.

weaving and knitting projects to share.

2006-11-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

Bonnie,

Here's the weaving with the tencel. You can tell it was my favorite colors... I used a straight draw for the threading, and I know I have something written down about where I got the tie up and treadling, so let me know if you want that info. It's a broken twill of one sort or another.

Cathie, Here's the colors on the scarf. When I went looking for the next skein, that I actually have two more, so it might be a reasonable length with both. Let me know if you have more.

Bonnie, this is the wool camel, so you can see how it knits up.

Just another day

2006-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here watching my dog get scratched in the place that makes her leg move. She's having way too much fun lying there begging for attention.

On the needles right now, I have a vest for my DH in some cotton worsted weight yarn that I picked up a long time ago at a fiber garage sale, a shawl in some yarn that I bought a few weeks ago, and a cable scarf out of Caravan from Just Our Yarn. I will post some pictures of all of these things before too long.

I suppose I should also talk about weaving, since I titled this blog based on the fact that I weave. I do not have anything on the loom yet. I recently moved from Maryland to British Columbia, and I just feel like I'm recovering from that. I also don't have a ton of space in the place that I'm renting, so I'm not quite ready to start something new. I do have the last thing that I finished weaving before leaving Maryland that still needs the finishing done. Its a shawl that I made for my mother out of Almaza and Aziza (tencel), also from Just Our Yarn. I actually had enough of the yarn to make a second piece, so I have two to finish off.

Speaking of luscious yarns, if you haven't seen the yarns from Handmaiden, they are worth looking for. Made by the same folks that make Fleece Artist. I bought some of their Sea Silk and Silken a couple of months ago, and I love it.

So, time to figure out what I'm really going to make this blog about, and maybe start publishing more regularly.

1st stab

2006-10-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been claiming for almost the last year that I'm going to start a blog. I'm finally making myself sit down and create the account and write one.

I expect to mostly post on knitting, weaving, spinning. If you haven't guessed by that list, I'm a fiberholic, and the various ways of working with fiber are my passion. I do hold a day job that I enjoy immensely, but I really look at it as a way to pay for the other things that I want to do in life.

I hope to post here regularly and update on the various projects that I am working on, but today I'm a little fried from work. My day job is at a company that develops LIMS software for the life sciences. For those who don't recognize the acronym, LIMS stands for Laboratory Information Management Systems. I joined the company about 3-4 months ago, and I'm very happy I made the decision to join. It was not exactly an easy decision, since it meant pulling up stakes and moving across North America and from the US to Canada.

So, time to move on to some other stuff. Guess I'm gonna have to let some people know about this...