Maia Spins

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It is raining and very wet here lately.  It is always an awkward transition for me.  This is a semi-arid climate.  Typically, we have no rainfall from late spring into October sometime.  You get used to the outdoors being a part of your living space and leave stuff lying around outside.  You know the rains will come at some point, but, you still get quite peeved when the rain starts soaking your stuff.  It was a mad scramble to bring it drying fleece and sweaters.

Notice anything in this picture besides overgrown shrubs and dying tomato plants?

Does this help? 

We estimate it to be about 4 feet tall with its neck stretched out and a wingspan of 6 feet!  Great googly moogly!

Every year we get visitors.  They are scoping out the pond and our sweet little fishies.  I know this is the circle of life, blah, blah, blah.  Those are my sweet little fishies!  Yes, I do have more babies every year and there are more fish in there than a small pond can support (anyone want cute multi-color goldfish?), but those are my sweet little fishies! 

Sigh.  At least someone doesn't mind the rain.

Let's move on to a cheerier topic shall we?  I have sockiness to show.

Charlie Socks

They are my own design.  It has been kicking around in my head for almost a year.  The yarn is naturally dyed by me using osage orange and logwood grey.  The two dyes together make that wonderful olive green.  I love me some olive green.  (Hmm, olives! a la Homer Simpson popped into my head.  Does that make me 8?)

The second one is a variation on the pattern stitch that makes diamonds instead of chevrons.  I can't decide which I like better.  With one of each, I won't have to!

I am also working with more of that yummy Shetland fingering weight yarn from Elemental Affects.  I love this yarn!  It has the grab you expect from a true Shetland wool and a wonderful heathery quality to it.  What you might not expect is how smooshy it is.  Yummy!

I am designing several socks for them; this is the cabled one.  I want to use different techniques for each one, so this sock is knit from the cuff down.  Quite a departure for me.  I can't remember the last time I designed a top-down sock.  In this case I think it will feel like the sock zooms at the end.  The sole will be stockinette on fewer stitches to make the differing gauges work.

Please excuse the craptastic picture.  I can't use my usual brackdrop as it is rather sodden at the moment.  This is just before the heel flap starts.

I am experiencing my usual naming skills.  So far I call it, wait for it, . . . . .  Cable Socks.  Anti-climactic isn't it?  Brilliant naming ideas are welcome.  Er, any naming ideas are welcome.

Have I mentioned that I am going to Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck?  I just found out that they have fried pickles there!  I am so going to have one!  Hubby doesn't believe me.  I'll get photographic evidence.  Maybe he is just getting tired of hearing me talk about it.  Who would tire of hearing FRIED PICKLES! exclaimed at random moments?  Sheesh, he's got to lighten up.

Socktoberfest accounting

Three cheers to Lolly for hosting such a great cyber event!

Socks were swatched, designed, knit, and written up.  I'll confess that I only finished one pair, the Penny Socks.  (I just posted the pattern.)  Swirl and Banana Blossom (pattern coming soon) still have the second sock on the needles.

I had a great time writing the tutorials and patterns.  I still plan to show more swatches and do tutorials for afterthought heels and my method for toe-up gusseted heels.  I've temporarily gotten distracted by Dulaan & Warm Hands knitting.  I am making hats and mittens at the moment. 

Look what I got!

For several months now I have been searching for a lace weight yarn in green.  There is a shawl idea brewing in my head and I want just the right yarn for it.  I want it to be a firm, but soft, plied yarn in greens without being too blue, variegated without being stripey, subtle, and beautiful.  How difficult is that?

At long last, I stumbled into Kate's shop, Woolarina.  She had something close to what I wanted in sock yarn, but not enough yardage.  *sigh*

I contacted her to see if she planned on making any more of that colorway.  Before I knew it she was offering to make as much as I wanted and asking if I had any modifications to make it even more suited to my needs.

The result?  Gorgeous yarn (the pictures don't do it justice), just the way I want it.  Kate was a delight to work with.  The email communication was fast and friendly and the yarn arrived quicker than I could have hoped.  Did I mention that her prices are very reasonable?  A big thanks to Kate!

The yarn is soft and luscious; I can't wait to start playing with it.  Why haven't I knit a swatch?  How hard to that be?  I am resisting temptation.  I have a few things I need to get done (like the 3 pairs of socks I just started).  If I play with this yarn now, I'll get seriously sidetracked.  Soon.  Maybe sooner than I think.

Lolly asked:
Do you have certain patterns planned for some of the yarns?  Do you buy yarn and then choose a pattern?
I rarely have a sock pattern in mind when I buy sock yarn.  Usually it is an impulse buy.  I have never knit a sock from someone else's pattern.  I start swatching and see where I end up.  The sock comes from the yarn.

Does a certain sock yarn you have in your stash take you back to a certain event? (where you were when you bought/received it? what was going on in your life at the time!)
Yes.  I don't have a lot of sock yarn in my stash, maybe enough for 6-8 pairs.  I bought a lot of it at Stitches West in March.  I like to buy directly from the dyers whenever possible.  My Stitches haul includes 3-4 skeins from Lisa Souza, some sport weight from Nancy Finn, as well as some Socks That Rock and Cherry Tree Hill.  My sock yarn stash also contains some naturally hand-dyed handspun (say that 10 times fast) waiting for its turn.

Did you see this? and this?  That is a lot of Latvian mittens.  Thank you to LaurieM for the link.

Errata on Cable Embrace:  Tami discovered that the pattern says to cast on 35 sts when you need to cast on 37 sts like the chart shows (thankfully).  I'll correct the pattern soon.  Meanwhile, check out her blog.  She has dogs, cats, and soon alpaca.  Not to mention her great taste in knitting projects.

Just so you won't think I play favorites:
It looks like Sammie is getting comfortable in his new home. 
Pay no attention to the tissue on the floor.  Dirt in my shot is the price I had to pay for a candid picture.

Bits & Pieces

You may have seen the cover of the current Spin-Off (yeah, yeah, I know, it came out weeks ago).  There is an awesome bag on said cover made by Nancy Roberts of Machine Knitting to Dye For.  She uses a knitting machine to knit fabric, paints them, and then reknits them by hand.  It is a great technique for creating self striping yarns, mock fair isle, and soooo much more.  She is very talented.  She is also a great instructor and extremely well organized.  I took a small one-day workshop with her last winter and color me impressed (yeah, pun intended - sorry).  If you have a chance to take a class with her, DO IT! 

Have you ever wondered just what the heck is superwash yarn?  I know I have. Well, hop on over to Isis Rising for a nice bit of research on the topic.  Ah, I love the smell of science in the morning.

Despite my lack of posts in the last few days, I have been knitting.  Socks, that is.  I am making the second cable sock.  The first is not cast-off; I plan to work both to maximize the length. 

I started on another sock in some yummy Sock! yarn from Lisa Souza.  More details on both socks later.

I'll leave you with a shot of my old man, Toby.  (Behind him is my wonderful Schacht Matchless DT spinning wheel, slightly neglected at the moment, and my knitting/spinning command center.)  I realize that he is sleeping in most of the pictures I post of him.  Truth in advertising  blogging folks.  He is about 12 years old, sleeping is his number one hobby.  Such a cute face.  I need to go kiss it now.

Sock Progress

Socks are socking along.  I have one little lacy number in ArtYarns UltraMerino4 (can you say yummy to knit) and one cabled toe of a Wensleydale millspun yarn that I naturally dyed last spring.

I love toe-up socks and I love gussets.  Gussets fit my high arches so much nicer than a short row heel.  I looked for something on-line to do a gusset toe-up, but couldn't find anything except references to a book I don't have.  So I made up my own version of a toe-up gusset (have I said toe-up gusset enough?).  It worked pretty well; the fir on this sock is good.  More experimentation will be needed to figure out exactly where to start it and much gusset to make.

The toe of the yellow sock is in sport weight Wensleydale.  I love this wool.  It has a long fiber, so it is well suited to hard wear and a bit of fuzz like an unbrushed mohair.  Granted, it is not as soft as merino, but it is not harsh either.  My skin is sensitive and I can tolerate Wensleydale on my feet without trouble.

I naturally dyed it with osage orange (or maybe it was fustic) and added little dabs of logwood grey (grey to slightly greenish) and madder (red clay color).  The "dabs" were watered down to be subtle.  It knits up as an almost-solid yellow with just a bit of variation.  Love it!

On the food front
I have been craving Mexican food lately.  We had burritos and enchiladas last night and I wanted Heuvos Rancheros this morning.  Unfortunately, we did not have tortillas or salsa. Whaaa!  What to do?  You go to the cupboard and ask Mother Hubbard what she has. 

I present to you (insert drumroll here): Uovo Campagna (Italian for Country Eggs).

Uovo Campagna serves 2
Slice one onion and one bell pepper (I used yellow), saute in olive oil until lightly browned, set aside.
Slice a roll of ready-made polenta and fry in olive oil until lightly browned, set aside.
Fry four eggs.
Assemble by placing polenta on two plates, add 3-5 Tablespoons of canned pasta sauce (warmed), add eggs (salt & pepper here if desired), top with onion-pepper mixture, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Eat it up yum!

To further demonstrate how resourceful I can be in an emergency:
A coffee grinder for that morning when the power is out.
Must. Have. Coffee.
Thankfully, we have a gas stove.

Everything, no matter how stupid is blog fodder.

It's Sock Time!

First I want to say a big drat!  The link to the Bias Scarves Pattern wasn't working and I have no idea how long it has been that way.  It is fixed now (I hope).  Sorry 'bout that.

I am setting aside scarfiness for sockiness.  Socks! Socks! Socks!  Socktoberfest is in full gear; I need to get going.  The swatching has begun in earnest.  I may knit some Wensleydale that I natural-dyed, or some Socks That Rock, or some of Lisa Souza's Sock! yarn, or some Koigu (all from The Stash (not to be confused with Stash)).  It all depends on how the swatching goes.  Not much to show yet.

Lolly asked us to talk about our sock history:
When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
The first socks I remember making were Fair Isle Christmas stockings about 20 years ago.  I made 6 or so (singles) complete with names at the top. I taught myself to knit those socks using a pattern from a World War I knitting book. The pattern was intended for knitting socks for soldiers in the trenches. The Fair Isle part I taught myself from books. I want to make some Christmas stockings this year, I don’t think any of those stockings remain. :-(

What was your first pair? How have they held up over time?
I only started making socks for humans(instead of mantles) recently. The first pair was made from energized singles straight off my drop spindle. The idea is that the energized singles (very recently spun with the twist not set by time or plying) would cause the stitches to spiral around the foot and ankle. So, I’d spin a bit, then knit it, then spin some more; keeping the singles energized (less than 24 hours old before they were knit up). The singles were spin from dyed locks of wool (polwarth I think) in a random color order. They are very fraternal. Unfortunately, they have not held up well. Each one has a good-sized hole in it. I have worn them a fair amount though, so no complaints.

What would you have done differently?
Nothing for that pair. I love to play with various heels and toes. Every pair is a little different.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
Handspun is my favorite. After that I would say Lisa Souza, Nancy Finn (amazing color sense). In the stash, I have Socks that Rock and Koigu which I haven't knit before.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I am old school; give me metal DPNs any day. I have tried two circulars and couldn’t get those stitches back onto my trusty DPNs fast enough. Magic loop has suffered from “guilt by association”. I love my circular needles; I never knit on straights. It is just that socks = DPNs for me. It has never ocurred to me to crochet socks; I don't crochet much.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I like all kinds. I try to experiment and try something different. For top-down socks, I like the flap and gusset method. For toe-up socks I have always used a short-row heel. For patterning (especially the spiraling color stripes – yes, I do like that) sock yarn, I like an afterthought heel so I don’t mess up the color pattern. I have high arches and prefer the fit of a gusseted sock, but I like toe-up better for test fittings. On my next pair I will play with toe-up (using Judy's Magic cast-on method) with a gusset.

How many pairs have you made?
A couple dozen? Maybe more?

editted because the formatting is very wonky.  I must remember to never cut and paste from Word; it goes sour every time.