Before the big purchases of last weekend, I was making some headway on stashbusting. Two steps forward - twelve steps back. Or something like that. I figured I best start up that little project again, especially to make room for some of the yarn that won’t even fit on the shelf… two less skeins now, thanks to this quickie stashbuster.

Knit with 2 skeins of Noro Shinano is colorway 08. I used a size US11 circular needle (16″). I did a light ruffling effect on either end, and chose to make the reverse stockinette the “right” side because of the color and stitch combination. The cowl is 16 inches (about 40cm) long from end-to-end. I wanted it to be longer to wear bunched up around my neck, and also to have the option to wear it as a headcover. This piece is wonderfully warm. The silk and wool blend is soft to touch, and feels very comfortable around the neck. I think it will definitely be useful for travel, camping out, and daily wear.

This yarn was a Norovember knitalong prize in 2006. Kathy at Minx Knits gave me the choice of this and another Noro yarn, and I immediately chose this one. Noro seemed to cast a spell on me from the first project I knit with it… my Klaralund back in 2005. (I have subsequently made a few projects with the Noro, and the love is still there!) And since all good things must come to an end (at some point), Shinano was discontinued by Noro last year. Of course, it was before I had tasted “the goods”, so now I am wishing that I had known about it sooner. Seeing Erqsome Emmms amazing cardigan in Shinano doesn’t help either. I know that there are still some sellers out there that carry it… I just have no room in the stash! Maybe when I free up some space there will still be some lots available? (I am probably not helping that prospect by blogging about it and letting YOU know how good it is!)

Noro is just such an earthy yarn - you can find flora inside - so I don’t think there is a better match for Project Spectrum Elements. The underlying color of the cowl is a grayish brown, with all of the lovely silky slubs of colors throughout. The cowl was also knit for the Lord Stanley Stashbusting knitalong, during the first two games of the NHL Conference playoffs.

Many thanks for all of your suggestions in the last post! I have some really amazing things on my list for Nova Scotia!

Over the years of blogging, people have asked me why I don’t design knitting patterns. It definitely is not for the lack of ideas and inspirations… but I have a hard time moving from that conceptual state to a real, tangible knit. And, there is a lot of math, and swatching, and sizing involved - none of my fortes, as they say. So, I simply enjoy picking and choosing from the incredible and ever-growing canon of knitting patterns in this world.

What if you have an idea for a pattern that doesn’t require math, swatches, and sizing? of course, it is simple. It is easy and customizable… and not really anything new, but an interesting “take” on it, nonetheless. I have joined the “Cowl Craze” that is currently sweeping Flickr and Ravelry, and I offer up my own variation on the theme.  Parikha did it, Orinda did it, and Kirsten did it last week! 

Lichen Cowl
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool
Needles: Size US 8 (5.0mm) 16″ circulars
Download PDF here

This cowl was inspired by the varying shades and textures of lichens. Knit simply in the round with added texture of purl rows and color changes, this cowl can be worn with the “right” and “wrong” side out. One side offers the purl bump texture, while the other displays alternating stripes. The cowl can also be worn simply draped over the neck and shoulders, or looped twice for a snug warmer fit around the neck.

The variant green shades - both Cascade 220 from the stash - were not colors that I would normally pair together. The military green (colorway 9429) and the heathery teal (colorway 9451) were both purchased many years ago at my local yarn shop. The pattern uses about 100 yards of each skein, with plenty leftover for another cowl, a hat, or some matching mitts.

I knit this cowl for Project Spectrum’s Earth element (greens!), as well as the Lord Stanley Stashbusting knitalong on Ravelry.  This cowl was on the needles through several important Round 1 playoff games.  Round 2 starts this week!  what else can I make?

This pattern can be found in the web format on my newly minted Patterns page, or as a downloadable PDF.  You can also add it to your Ravelry queue!

I have a lot to stashbust… many beautiful skeins of yarn that were never really earmarked for a project, so they languish in the stash. Luckily, I have a Ravelry queue a mile long, so it was simply a matter of matching yarns up with projects. And I also have some time to stashbust with all of the playoff hockey I am watching!

I finished this little cowl on Friday night while watching the Penguins/Senators game. I was casting off just as Malone put in the 4th goal that led to the Penguins win! Two balls of yarn that sat in my stash for far too long are now a pretty wearable knit - in appropriately themed colors too, I might add. I used Karabella Aurora 8 and held it together with an unidentified mohair thread (it was in the clearance bin at Springwater last year, and was ballband-less). My intuition tells me, however, that it is Rowan Kidsilk Spray. Size US 8, 16″ circular needles, about 2.5 hours, and now I have a cowl for spring!

…and I followed with a quick second on Saturday night while watching the Montreal/Boston game…

I am loving the new Classic Elite email newsletters with the lovely free patterns! I saw these mitts [Inca Alpaca Fair Isle Mitts] in last month’s newsletter and knew that they would be a great match for some of the skeins in my stash. My mind immediately thought of the earthy quartet of Wool Linen that I picked up at Habu Textiles last spring in NYC. Perfect for Project Spectrum, and a fun colorwork project too! I finished mitt #1, now on to #2!

The yarn has the sturdiness of linen (20%) with the softness of wool (80%). It is a smaller gauge than the pattern calls for, but the mitt fits nice and snug, even though I went down a few needle sizes from the pattern. I had planned to cast on for mitt #2 today during the Washington/Philly game, but I got a little surprise this morning - Kris got tickets for us to actually GO to the game!!! So, I am thinking that colorwork, thousands of people, and the possibility of beer spilling on my knitting, means that it should wait for another game viewing… tomorrow perhaps?

If you wanna join the stashbusting and hockey fun, feel free! Check out the Puck This! group on Ravelry to follow along, and you can even grab the little button I made!

PS - Happy birthday to two special ladies in my life:  my momma and my JennaPinkMonkey~

Perhaps I am revealing too much about my housekeeping routines when I say that I recently discovered a finished knit from 2005 that never was photographed… Spurred by a bedroom rearrangement/purchase of new furniture, I cleaned out my closet, my chest of drawers, and …ahem… out from under my bed.  I rediscovered some interesting things that I did not even remember owning, one of them being this little 11″ novelty scarf that I made in my earlier knitting/blogging days. 

Chinchilla Neckwarmer

I remember that I got this one ball of Berroco Chinchilla in a swap, and while the ballband is long gone, I am guessing that this is the Madder Lake (5560) colorway.  The ball of yarn has only 77 yds in it, so I swatched it up with some medium needles - maybe US 7s? - and then secured it with a small safety pin around my neck.  If you recall, 2005 was the height of the novelty yarn phase, and as you can see, I was not immune to it (I didn’t quite wallow in it either, but I admit that I still have a few random skeins in my stash!).  In defense, it is so incredibly soft with the fuzzy rayon bits, and it feels quite cuddly around the neck…

Since our room was clean and our walls were bare, it served as a nice clean backdrop for a little photoshoot of old and new fibery creations.  Last year, Kris picked up one of the Strobist kits from Midwest Photo Exchange.  We have used the lighting kit for a few photoshoots already (namely Beau, Street Smart Hoodie, and our anniversary photos)  It comes with a compact collapsible umbrella that can be attached to a remote flash and transmitter.  We played around with the lighting for some time and got some interesting results - even more enhanced after a little post-production work in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. The high contrast/overexposed lighting added an interesting element to the photos…

I am a generally thrifty person, and I do not like waste.  As I educate myself in the weaving arts, I am learning that sampling is a very important part of the process; while I never quite caught on to the whole gauge swatch thing for knitting (yeah, I know, bad) I have started on the right foot with weaving samples… and I have a feeling that there are a lot more where this came from…

The finished sample from my previous warping photo - woven in the trusty TLC Essentials yarn, cranberry colorway.  The sample measures about 14 inches, and it is too narrow for a placemat, so my next thought was some sort of neckwarmer.  I secured a snap button on the back, leaving the bottom open.  I made short tassels, visible in top photo (over my shoulder).  Until I am more confident in my weaving ability, I am going to stick with weaving cheaper yarns.  I am still learning about my loom and all of its idiosyncracies.  I am quickly realizing the need to tighten up some areas, as the left side of the front apron rod never completely straigthens.  The rod does not appear to be warped, but this small imbalance causes some major tension issues in the warp of the woven piece.  My selvedges (the edges of the piece) are getting a little better - still bumpy, but I keep on telling myself that it won’t be perfect, as I have only been weaving for 2 weeks.  Practice practice practice.

Thank you to those that read my last post and took the time to leave your informational comments and thoughts on color forecasting and trends.  It is a fascinating field, and I am interested in researching it more…

I guess you could say that I did not waste much time. I knew what I wanted… all I had to do was find it. So, I got a little obsessed with the search. I found her on craigslist, and started corresponding with the seller. Things looked a little dicey at first (there was another interested buyer!) but things worked out so well - almost like it was meant to be!

Yesterday morning, Kris and I drove down to DC and picked up my new loom, a Schacht Baby Wolf, the loom I used at The Mannings last weekend. It was a wonderful transaction: the seller was so kind and gave me some great information about the loom. We managed to fit her in my compact car (a feat in itself) and brought her home along with several accessories like the warping board, the shuttles, the bobbin winder, a swift, etc. (Of course, this is not to say that I had very much room for her yet…)

Loom in a little room

Buying the loom was the catalyst I needed to get organized. I agreed to the sale on Thursday night, and I spent the evening culling through old papers and my bookshelves in an attempt to consolidate. Still working on the consolidation bit… and while it is a little tight, the loom is still perfectly usable in this room. It didn’t stop me from warping it up - er, trying to warp it up.

Warping is time-consuming. There is no way around it. However, I realized that when I changed my attitude - ugh, warping to all-part-of-the-process - it became more enjoyable. Knitters can see a parallel here; while warping comes at the beginning of the process, it is akin to seaming up a sweater. It isn’t necessarily fun, but of course, a very necessary part of the craft. Without the warp there is no weave; without the seams there is no sweater.

Plus, I used this time to truly test my knowledge retention. I took the introductory class last week - how much did I remember? How much could I recreate? I used my detailed photoset from the class, as well as the go-to book, Deborah Chandler’s Learning to Weave. Kris was interested in the process too, and helped me with a few of the mechanical bits and using the warp board. Throughout the warping, I realized that I still have SO much to learn. There are so many little steps to remember, but as I go along, I am hoping that they will become second nature. We shall see.

This morning, I finished the last step of the warping - tying the appropriate knots on to the rods - and actually started weaving. I realized pretty soon that I had tension issues, and I tried to rectify them as best as I knew how. My first little sample was not pretty. If I were to grade myself, I would give myself a C. My knots need a lot of work, as they control the tension for the piece. Much like knitting, your tension (gauge) really matters.

… A pretty picture doesn’t make a pretty sample, unfortunately…

I used TLC Essentials, one of the nicer acrylic yarns, for my weaving practice. The color is just too pretty and perfect for Project Spectrum

Beautiful new loom, now I just need to learn all about her! The key is practice, and I am hoping to have some of my issues cleared up soon - at least I know what I did wrong!

If you are knitter who relies on the web for a lot of instruction and education, whether it be knitting-help.com or Ravelry, blogs, or any number of forums or listservs, say a little thank you. I sure did. I have used the web for years to teach me little things about the knitting arts - from different techniques to different yarns. It truly is amazing how much a beginning knitter can learn from the web. This is not the same story for a beginning weaver, unfortunately. I am finding a few interesting websites, but nothing with the same comprehensive approach. This means a lot of practice, and trial and error. Things are much easier when you have an experienced teacher to help you out! I am determined not to let this lack of instruction deter from my passion for weaving. If anything, it will help me truly understand the process…

… and lest you think I left knitting behind…

I cast on for a perfect Project Spectrum scarf - I coined it the Embers Scarf, because the colors reminded me of hot coals. The yarn was a gift from Kimberly a few years back. She bought it on one of her frequent trips to China, and sent it my way. It is Olympus James Dean Road, an aran-weight wool blend. I am using the Lopi Lace Scarf pattern from Weekend Knitting.