Mittens and kittens

I have never really been a monogamous knitter. Maybe on my first ever project, but that's it. I like to think that's because there's too many good things to knit in the world, but it's probably just because I'm scatterbrained :)

I'm currently knitting two fingering weight projects and so I was recently struck with the need to just knit something really fast. And I didn't have any mittens, so mittens it was. To my dismay, there is a startling lack of mitten patterns that I like out there. I just wanted something so simple, to go with this amazing Super Pink Worsted Twist I had gotten for Christmas. And I looked and looked and it was not to be found. So I channeled my inner EZ and decided to just adapt a pattern I did like. And mittens were born!

SUPER pink mittens

Started: January 2015

Ended: January 2015

Fiber: Purl Soho Worsted Twist in "Super Pink"

Notes: This is a pattern for mittens that was originally published by Purl Soho called Classic Mittens, and it was just what I was looking for, but written in fingering weight. I did a gauge swatch and was getting 5 stitches to the inch on US 7 needles, so I did a little math to convert the 8 stitches to the inch that the pattern dictated. I also did a long-tail cast on and converted the cuff so that it didn't fold over and just did a K1 P1 rib. The only trouble that I had was with the decreases, which I did more successfully on the second mitt. They were done in two days and I was happy, although with regular wear I'm finding that hot pink doesn't really go with the other things in my wardrobe. 

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On an unrelated note, my birthday was last week, and B gave me the best birthday surprise ever when we went to pick up these two little ones at an animal sanctuary. 

Naturally, we are completely in love with our little Nash & Melo and my phone is running out of space with all the pictures I'm taking of them!

Skiff: Or, a lesson in gauge

My brother-in-law moved to Boston this summer, and there was only one thing he really wanted for Christmas to survive his first Northern winter: warm clothes. On Christmas morning he received no less than two coats, three sweaters, gloves, warm pants and four pairs of socks. And from his knitterly sister-in-law? A hat, of course!

Skiff Hat

Started: November 2014

Finished: December 2014

Fiber: O-Wool Classic Worsted in colorway "Ash"

Notes: This hat taught me a lesson that I hoped I wouldn ever have to learn as a knitter. The most basic of concepts when creating a garment that needs to fit a specific way. Gauge. UGH. I have measured the gauge I have needed for almost every thing that I have ever made as a knitter, ESPECIALLY if it needed to fit someone a certain way. But for this hat, I skipped that oh-so important step. Part of it is understandable. The gauge for Skiff is given in the charted pattern, which of course is knitted in the round. And I had no idea how to do this when I started. And this being my first ever Brooklyn Tweed pattern, I was itching to get started and didn't think that it could be THAT bad. Right? Wrong. This lovely hat, which is intended to be worn as a beanie, fits more like a slouchy, oversized number. The cables are still lovely, the double moss stitch amazing. But it is definitely too large, even for B, my model, and let's just say he doesn't have the smallest head. And to top it off? I forgot to get a decent picture of the thing. Geez Abby, way to go.

Luckily, over Christmas I started listening to Hannah Fettig and Pam Allen's Knit.fm podcast, and in their very first episode, guess what the subject was? You guessed it, gauge. Shocker. And in this episode, they mentioned a great technique for knitting a swatch as if it were in the round, almost the way that you would knit an I-Cord, except with more stitches, and without pulling the srings tightly into a rope each time you shift the stitches to each end of the needle. So I would love to knit Skiff again, this time gauge swatching with my new trick. 

What are your favorite ways to check gauge? And how consistently do you find your gauge is from project to project? I wonder if this means I am a loose knitter in general, or if it was just the combination of yarn/needles. 

Knit Year Resolutions

Hi ho! Took a bit of a break over the holidays but hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year. 

As is the case with the new year, and with a good break from work, I found myself doing a lot of thinking on what 2014 meant to me, and what I want to work for in 2015. Movin' and shakin' and all that. It's good stuff. As a knitter, I grew SO much in the past year. December of last year, I was working on my second ever colorwork hat. I knew very little about wool or any of the other fibers I was knitting with, I just knew I loved knitting. The more I learn, however, the deeper love and appreciation I have for the craft. I'm grateful to have found this thing that I love to do so much and I cannot wait to see what 2015 will bring. 

With all that in mind, here are some of my knit year resolutions fo 2015: 

1. Knit my first (and maybe second) sweater. 

I have been thinking about this elusive "first sweater" for a while now, and just like with socks last year, this is the year of the sweater. I have a few wonderful options lined up and hopefully will share that with you all soon. 

2. Go back to Rhinebeck

It was truly amazing even knowing so little about wool, and going back this year would be such an awesome experience knowing so much more. Plus, you know I would love a chance to fan girl so much at the Ravelry meet-up, which somehow I missed last year. 

3. Buy local

I've really felt some great convictions about buying American-made in the past few months, and I'd love to apply that to my saving and purchasing habits when it comes to the yarn I buy this year. Suggestions on great American yarns would be welcome!

4. Get connected. 

There are so many wonderful fiber folk that I have the opportunity to be connected to, but so often I am shy when it comes to making connections and reaching out. This year, I want to just ask and see what happens. 

5. Be brave. 

In life (see above), but in knitting particularly. Don't know how to do that cast on? Figure it out and forge ahead! This year I want to channel my inner EZ. 

6. Goodstitch: the handmade business

A big dream in the making. More to come soon!!

I've been scoping out everyone else's resolutions, and I'd love to hear yours?

Love from this side of the world!

Another sheep related post

source

Hi hello hey there. 

The closer that the holidays get the shorter the days seem. Does anyone else tend to feel that way? Lots of knitting in my life, not so much picture taking because the sun has been setting at 4:30 PM. Wut. 

Anyhoo, last night the hubs and I were hanging out, browsing iTunes U, which has lots of great resources for post-college individuals like myself, and found a course from the University of Glasgow about, wait for it - "Hand Knitted Textiles and Economies of Craft in Scotland". It includes lessons on the history of sheep farming in the highlands, Shetland wool production, Shetland lace and a few other topics on Shetland history, all which were recorded during a seminar in 2012 at the University of Glasgow. In addition to getting caught up on the newest Knit.fm and Woolful podcasts, my super nerdy side is very excited to dig into that resource. 

There were a few other courses I was looking at as well that were non-knitting related, but thought I would share that with the world in case anyone else was interested in learning more about Shetland's knitting and textile history. 

Hope your Wednesday is just wonderful!

Thoughts: being fiber-conscious

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately, to be sure, but on top of the projects I'm working on for Christmas (which is approaching much more swiftly than I'd like), I've also been doing a lot of research. Two weeks ago the first Woolful podcast came to be, and I was so excited to listen to it, and also so challenged. This happened again with the second podcast, and again as I read Ashley Yousling's post about superwash wool. 

I feel like there has been a pretty natural progression the more serious that I become about knitting and other fiber arts, that I just sort of naturally have started to gravitate towards more natural fibers & yarns, but all the research I've been doing has been bringing those feelings into much sharper focus. In Kylie Gusset's interview with Woolful, she talked a lot about her company, Tonofwool, but even moreso towards the end of her interview about the wool industry in general. That 80% of the merino wool in the world, regardless of where it is produced, is processed in China. That chemical dyes that are used to dye the yarn are often harmful to the environment and the people living in the communities where the factories reside. That superwash wool gets that way because the fibers are actually coated in plastic to resist felting in the wash. I realized that as far as sourcing goes for the wool that I knit with, I had very little idea about where it came from originally or how it was made.

As a knitter, my most important questions about the fibers I work with have been, "How does it feel?" and "what colors does it come in?" and "do I have enough of it to finish this shawl?". But with as with being a conscious consumer in all things, I'm trying to become more fiber-conscious about the fibers that I'm buying, and asking for this Christmas. 

Before I read the history of Brooklyn Tweed and how their two yarns came to be, I had no idea that finding wool that was sourced, dyed and processed all in America was so rare. Or even, finding wool and other fibers that are processed in their country of origin at all, or act transparently about where their fibers are processed at least. And I think at the end of the day, that's really what I want: transparency. I want to know that the money I'm spending on these fibers are going to companies that support sustainable practices for the environment, that treat their workers fairly, that treat the animals they come from with respect, and that strive to connect the consumer with their process as much as possible. 

This summer, I was pleasantly surprised when I went to my local farmer's market and discovered that a vendor there not only brought vegetables from her farm, but had brought wool yarn from sheep on her farm native to NC! I made a hat that week and it was one of my favorite projects to date. My most recent project was knit in O-Wool, a company that has a real commitment to organic and sustainable fiber processes. Every time I knit with these natural fibers, it's so rewarding. And as tempted as I might be by the acrylic blends that go on super sale this time of year, I'm trying to remember these projects as I shop, and how the money I spend on yarn sends a real message this holiday season about what I value as a consumer. 

I suppose I just needed to ramble about all this for a bit, and get my messy thoughts out of my head to process them in a way that makes sense. To get them out there. But I'd love to hear thoughts that others have about choosing the fibers they work with in their knitting, and what kinds of factors influence those decisions. 

Bye for now.