Maia Spins

We Have A Winner

Remember the Wayback Machine Sweater Contest?

I have counted the yarns.  My best accounting says there are 48 different yarns in there.  Several of them are the same yarn in different colors.  I counted each of these individually.

Laurie guessed 46, so she is the winner.  Since Laurie has received handspun recently, I decided to randomly select an additional winner and it is Ronni!

There was another contest a while back and I forgot to select a winner!  My apologies.  I was looking for a name for the scarf. 

I plan to write up the pattern.  It won't necessarily be in these colors or have the locks fringe.  Long story short, I didn't find the name I am looking for.  I skewed the results by playing up the 70's angle.

Still, I want to reward all the great suggestions I got.  They were quite good and funny too. 

Our randomly selected winner is Lisa!  She did have a big list of great ideas.

Email me, I'll need snail mail addresses for sending the handspun love.

The Latvian mitten cuff was frogged and reknit.  This one fits perfectly and quality of the knitting is much better.  I made the changes I talked about in my last post including a black purl row to tie down the fringe, reordering the braids, and a stockinette band between the fringe and the first braid.  I also changed the direction on the middle braid.

I am combining several patterns in the book for my mitten.  I was going to try to be consistent and make a mitten that represents one of the regions of Latvia.  The pattern I chose is from Kurzeme and they don't usually fringe their mittens.  The traditional colors of Kurzeme tend to be bright colors.  I guess I am mixing and matching instead.  I love the zig-zag pattern; all four colors are in on that one.  There is a little more cuff pattern and then I start the main pattern.

Today, I caught my Sammie sunning on the bridge of the pond.  This is a good vantage point to spot all the birds violating his airspace.  Plus, the bridge (an old wooden plank) is warm from being in the sun all day.

He is so cute.  In this picture he looks peeved.  I think he is just squinting because the sun is in his eyes.

Oooh! or is it Ooops?!?

I am Knitting Like A Latvian!  Finally.  The first cuff of my Latvian mittens!  This has been a fun challenge so far.  The fringe and the braid are both new techniques to me.  I like learning something new.  I also like the look.  The colors are playing well together and the cuff pattern I am using (barely visible - up by the needles) is very satisfying.

Does anybody hear a "but" coming?

But, there is only one thing wrong with my mitten.  It is HUGE!  I guess my gauge swatch was wrong or the handspun I used in the swatch was finer than the bulk of it.  I wanted the mitten to measure a little under nine inches around and it is measuring ten inches.  Sasquatch could wear these mittens.

The plan is to go down a needle size and maybe trim the pattern a bit.  I hate to frog all that work.  It took me a long time to get this far.  Both the fringe and the braids take forever.

Oh well, there are a couple of things I wanted to change anyway.  I'd like the fringe to be a bit longer and for more space between the fringe and the first braid (blue & white just about the fringe).  I may rearrange the braids by putting the blue one above the other two.  I may also use the black as the tie down row (purl bumps just above the fringe).  Latvian mittens don't seem to be ashamed of contrasting purl bumps.  I like that.

I have started my Master Knitter swatches.  Here are the first five; the sixth is almost done.  This is some boring knitting.  The only spice comes from a sprinkling of panic that I haven't picked the correct cast-on or that my edge stitches aren't even enough.  Good grief!  I have been knitting for decades. 

It has spurred me into learning a few new tricks.  I learned several tubular (dude!) cast-ons and used one of them for the 1x1 ribbing swatch.  With a bit of practice, it turned out decent.  I like the look better than the long tail cast-on I usually use.

Next up:  I get to fret over my weaving in method.  It is a great method, never shows, and is elastic.  But, I will still fret.

Getting Closer

I'm still trying to get to my Latvian mittens. I want to Knit Like A Latvian.  I didn't exactly make it easy on myself (a common theme in my life I'm afraid).  I decided to spin the yarn from some delightful roving (see below for more info.)  I asked the seller to kindly dye some in a steel blue color (Project Spectrum colors - I was thinking two birds with one stone.).  Then I tried to find the book Latvian Mittens.  After 5 weeks I finally found a used copy.  I feel like I have been all talk and no knitting.

I think I have picked out my pattern.  I love the geometric floral design.  We shall see if it sticks once I start swatching (soon I hope, time is running out on these Project Spectrum colors).

I have half of the blue roving spun up and the white on the wheel.  While looking through the book, I realized most Latvian mittens have a contrast color at the cuff.  I decided to make a bit of black and charcoal gray.  I want a semi-monochromatic look.

But let me tell you about the fiber.  It is 60% wool, 40% alpaca roving from Jessie at A Piece Of Vermont.  Here is the white on my wheel.  It spins like a dream!  I think it must have been combed because there aren't any neps, just free-flowing soft fibers.  I am spinning it long draw and it feels like it is flying out of my hand and onto the wheel.  There is a little bit of veggie matter, but most falls out while spinning.  I don't mind a bit of VM.  It is somehow reassuring, like there really was a happy critter romping in a field.

Jessie sourced all the fibers from local (to her) Vermont.  I love that she works with local farms.  I expect the 40% alpaca to make nice warm comfy mittens.  Perfect for the early spring we have this year.  Oh well, there is always next year.

Mitten List
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from my mother.  A few minutes into the conversation this is what she said:
MOM: I want you to put me on the mitten list.
ME: Mitten list?  What mitten list is that?
MOM: You know, the list of mittens you are going to make.

The sneak plied me with talk about how everything I make is so lovely and that I am so talented.  I suspect she may be biased.  I did learn to knit from her and well, she IS my mother.  She hooked me.  Before she was done, I was committed to a pair of mittens and a matching head band to keep her ears warm. 

My mother has gorgeous silver hair; I hope I inherit her hair color.    She is leaving the color and pattern up to me "because I have such great taste" (see how she suckered convinced me?).  While I was making batts for my Latvian mitten contrast color, I ended up with a couple of colors that were too close to the blue.  I decide to make a series of grays in a 60/40 blend of merino and alpaca (similar to the roving from Jessie).  Each one is made only from white and black wool and some naturally black alpaca fleece from my stash. 

I should have enough of the white and blue left over, combined with these grays to make her set.  I think I will use Norwegian patterns.  She learned to knit in Norway as a girl.  It seems fitting; all during my childhood, my sister and I had beautiful handmade Norwegian sweaters.  The least I can do is to put my mother on the mitten list.