Maia Spins

Just a Peek

I have been busy doing stuff. Namely dyeing for Sock Summit. Are you going? I am getting very excited! Tactile will be in booth 413 near the Sock Museum. Come say hi!

There has also been some knitting. An ambiguous photo of 3 shawls in the works.They are all knit in my newest yarn, a BFL fingering weight. Love it!

I have become fascinated with garter stitch lace shawls. Something of a new obsession, usually garter stitch bores me. Never say never.

I am also enjoying knitting painted colorways.

Waterlily: purple, blue, and green.

Blueberry: purple, navy, and a touch of warm gray.

Recently, I got a moleskin journal from PuNk rAwK pUrL.

It is so cute! Plus it has grid paper (plain and lined paper also available)! Mine is a cusom order. I got to pick my colors. Tammy is so talented. Check out the full-time awesomeness on her blog and in her etsy shop.

 

 

Pickled Red Onions

Been pretty busy around here lately.  I have a progress picture on the Aeolian shawl.

It is about 80% done.  Here I am 6 rows into the Main Edging chart.  There are beads, about 1,600 so far.  Good golly that takes time!

In lieu of real knitting or spinning content, I thought I'd share my new favorite recipe.  Pickled red onions have always been a favorite, but I'd never made them before a few weeks ago.  They are insanely easy and so very delicious.  I haven't ever measured the ingredients so I am giving rough amounts.  Adjust the ingredients as you see fit. 

Pickled Red Onions

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 whole black peppercorns

Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes while you slice the onions.  You may want to keep a lid on the pot a vinegar fumes are intense.  Note: I use rice wine vinegar because it is mild.  You want a vinegary taste but not too strong.  If you substitute white or wine vinegar, decrease the amount of vinegar to 3/8 cup and add an extra 1/8 cup of water.

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced (1/8 inch or 3.5 mm) red onion, peel away and discard any dry or partially dry layers of the onion before slicing.

Add the onions to the vinegar mixture and stir.  The vinegar may not cover the onions at first.  Not to worry.  Cover the pot and stir every couple of minutes until the onions are translucent, but still have some crunch, about 10 minutes.  Allow to cool and then put into a resealable jar.  You can eat them right away or keep them in the fridge a couple of weeks (they don't last that long at our house!).  Use on sandwiches, in salads, in coleslaw, on a burger, or as a small side dish.  They make a great palate cleanser in between bites of strongly flavored food. 

This is a basic recipe and it is excellent and versatile this way.  You may want to try adding something else for variety.  Make it sweeter or tarter or add 1 Tablespoon of mustard seed.  Try adding star anise or caraway seeds for an exotic zing. 

I usually use a fork to pull out the onions from the vinegar juice.  After a while you will have more juice than onion.  Use it to make a yummy salad dressing:

1/2 cup pickled red onion juice

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 Tablespoons oil (light flavored like canola or safflower or sunflower)

1 Tablespoon mustard (whole grain or Dijon)

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

salt & pepper to taste

Shake or whisk to combine.  Quick and oh so yummy!  (ETA the oil)

To add cuteness to the end of this post, a picture of Sammie sitting on my lap while I am knitting on my Aeolian.  He is in his usual spot on my lap.

 

Love the one ear up, one ear floppy look.  So cute!

It's A Bird . . .

It's a plane . . .

It's a Baby Surprise Jacket (a.k.a. BSJ)! (ravelry link)

I am making a couple of mods (similar to my other BSJ).  I'll graft the shoulder seams, pick up and knit a collar, and add length to the sleeves.  Starting with a full provisional cast on gives me live stitches for all that including the grafting (on the back, the front is picking up garter ridge bumps).  More details as they happen on my ravelry page for this BSJ.

The yarn is a light worsted singles yarn (~12-13 wpi for those who must know) I spun from some roving I got at Sock Summit.

Here is is with one skein spun.  Superwash Colonial wool from my friend LoraJean of Knitted Wit.  She is such a sweetie and her colors are so cheerful!  It was wonderful to see her again. 

The fiber spun up like a dream.  I started Tuesday morning and had it all spun by mid-afternoon.  I washed my first skein and started knitting right away.  Why the hurry?  There is a baby coming!  It is due in early winter so I need to get cracking.  No!  It is not my baby and there really isn't a rush.  Just a mild obession and a crazed spinner/knitter.

Didn't know I was going to Sock Summit?  Ah, yes.  That would be because I neglected to tell you.  Bad Maia!  More on that to come.  Remember my resolution to blog shorter and more frequently?  I am managing the shorter part.  Now for the frequent part . . .

Gotta run.  There is laundry to wash and fold, a house to clean, and my brain has gone AWOL.  Must find my brain.

Stole My Heart

I've started a new stole.  This is the Lilac Leaf Stole (rav link) from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush.  The fist lace pattern is done along with the first few rows of the second pattern.  If you look closely, you'll see the first nupps just below the live stitches.  It is proving to be a quick knit; I started last night.

The yarn is a new one we are dyeing now.  It is Silk-Linen in a heavy lace weight (about 3000 yards per pound).  After dyeing it, I had reservations.  It was crunchy and seemed flat, showing its linen side.  Once it went through the ball winder, it changed into a soft drapey yarn reminiscent of cotton.  I am really enjoying knitting on it. 

The color is a quiet blue.  A departure from my normal color choices which is adding to the interest.

Time Flies!

Time flies!  I hardly know where it goes.

There isn't a lot of knitting to show you.  I am casting off Aeolian.  It is just a lump right now awaiting the magic of blocking. 

I have been very busy dyeing.  A few personal items managed to pass through the dye pots.

I dyed the yarns I bought at Stitches West this year.  The singles yarn from Sweet Grass is now Tangerine and I've started a capelette-ish shawl.  The charcoal worsted from Sweet Grass is dyed green and still undecided as to what it wants to be. 

One of the charcoal skeins from Island Fibers is now purple (top skein below).  I plan on making striped socks.  Maybe have the toes and heels solid and opposite from each other?  It has been a while since I've made socks. 

The Blue Faced Leicester/Pygora lace weight yarn from Toots LeBlanc (bottom skein above) is dyed purple as well.  This picture makes it look pinker than it is.  Maybe a little lacy scarf?

I have also been dyeing Yak-Cormo from Bijou Basin Ranch.  That is for Tactile.  Oh so dreamy!  Watch for it soon.

Have I mentioned that I'm on Facebook now?  Feel free to friend me.  I'm there as Maia Discoe (the only Maia Discoe - who knew?).

Enjoy the weekend!!!

Friends & Lace

It has been a disjointed week.  I feel like I have been very busy, yet have little to show for it.  It has been all bad, I've had lots of time knitting with friends.

On Sunday I spent a few lovely hours at Janine's knit-in. 

Rachael with Joaquin.  Aren't they cute?  The color was wonky so I used Rachael's trick and made the picture sepia.

Brooke & Joaquin

Pardon the blurry-cam technology.  I thought the picture was cute enough to overlook the blur.

It was nice to visit with Celia, Becca, Nancy, and meet Joy and Therese.

On Tuesday, I went to knit night at Llama Llama Knit in Novato.  Love that store!  There is a wonderful crowd there and I feel so at home.

All this visiting has helped to get some knitting done.  I have neglected to show you the shawl I'm making with the Meyer Lemon Chocolate Alpaca-Tussah Silk. 

Golden Aura Shawl

There are three patterns before a wide edging.  I have completed the first two patterns.  So far I am quite happy.  It is about 30% done with the knitting.  Soon, I'll have to spin the second have of the roving.

I found that my Sweater Swine is perfect as a T-pin cushion.  So darling!

Aeolian is coming along too.

 

I'm done with the set-up edging and just started on the final edging.  It is hard to put down, easy to follow, and well written.  The beads aren't going to happen.  Maybe on the next one.  I am very intrigued by the Alternate Narrow Edging (ravelry link).

Off to get some work done!  Must prepare for Fiber Club dyeing plus dye some lace yarn and camel fiber and BFL and . . . .  I know, tough life!

Aeolian Update

Just a quick post with an update on my Aeolian Shawlette.  I am about 30% done.  It is a straight forward pattern.  All confusion has been of my own making (as per usual).

A quick block of half the shawlette:

The transition chart is complete.  I am hopeful that I have enough yardage to add a Agave repeat.  I have made some calculations that support this hope.  If I am wrong, I can resort to the Alternative Narrow Edging (rav link) which is pretty frakkin' beautiful.  Worthy of a second shawl.

I have not added beads.  I've been thinking I'd add them to the edging, but that idea is waning on me.  I think I want to celebrate how whisper light the shawl will be.  Maybe the next one.

I'll leave you with a picture of my silly boy.

Sammie really needs to learn how to relax!

Stitches West Report 2009

I'm home and caught up on sleep.  I may even have recovered from the wool fumes.  Wanna see my loot?

From left to right: s skeins of Blue Faced Leicester/Pygora lace weight yarn from the wonderful folks at Toots LeBlanc (a can't miss booth for me at any event!), 2 skeins of singles ply lace weight and one skein of charcoal worsted weight from Sweet Grass Wool (Montana grown Targhee wool!), and a spindle from Asciano in cocobolo, her signature wood.

 
I also bought a circular needle from Asciano, seen here with a new project.  It is fingering weight cormo-silk I bought at Lambtown last year.  I dyed it in the new Tactile colorway, Dew.  I am making up the pattern as I go, with the help of a bit of frogging.

We were quite busy in the Tactile booth.  Thank you to all that stopped by.  What a good time!  I have zero pictures of our booth.  It looked a lot like the Madrona booth except that they provided black backdrops at Stitches.

On Saturday night I snuck out of the hotel for a few minutes at Purlescence in Sunnyvale.  The poor shop was decimated as most of the stock was at Stitches.  It didn't stop a small army of folks from stopping by and shopping.  Nice store.

The lovely Nathania.  Always charming and beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful, the moon was out and gorgeous on Thursday night.  I love twilight; it is my favorite time of day.

Well, that's all I've got.  I think I'm not quite over the wool fumes after all.  Must be nap time.

WIPs and a Winner

We have a winner in the Get This! contest.  There were 72 entries, a total of 89 when counting the ones who got a bonus entry for donating to the needy.  Our winner is a spinner and knitter, YanTanThera.  Congratulations!  Take a look around her blog, she has some nice projects including handspun socks and shawls.

Thank you to all that entered and I loved reading the ways in which people give to others.  I especially loved Susanne's idea of buying warm wool socks and filling them with personal care items.  What a great idea! 

On the knitting front, I have been bewitched by this Neibling pattern I am test knitting.  Obsessed might be more accurate.

A blob of the Leaves Shawl ready for the crochet cast off.  I want to wait for the FO post to show you the pattern thus far.  I will say that it was a joy to knit.  I can't wait to see it blocked out!

I loved this pattern so much that I scrounged around in the stash for yarn to start another. 

This one is in a naturally dyed organic wool.  It is supposed to be a sport weight, but I am knitting on US 10 needles (6 mm) and it isn't all loosey goosey.  I probably could have gone up another needle size or two. 

Thinking ahead, I have been thinking about this yarn for a long time.  I dyed merino-tencel fiber in yellows and oranges and spun it into a light sport weight a couple of years ago.  It has patiently been waiting for its moment in the sun.  The flash has made it look shinier than it really is.

It is tentatively named Lemon Drop.  Maybe a simple shawl to show off the stripes of the yarn?  An idea is just beyond my reach, taunting me.

The Lace and I

I am so loving lace at the moment!

I have been knitting away at Tangerine (seriously soliciting a better name).  This start-at-the-bottom-and-work up thing is brilliant!

The field pattern (shown below a bit washed out) is lovely, but I am a short attention span knitter (who likes small gauge knitting - mild case of self loathing???).  It is ideal to have the rows getting shorter and shorter.  I picked up almost 450 stitches off of the 9+ feet of garter lace edging (that better block flat dammit!) and now I have about 150 stitches.  Love, love, love that!

As part of my determination to not actually complete a project, I started a new lace shawl.

 

The folks at Lacis were looking for test knitters for an upcoming book.  They are reprinting Gestrickte Spitzendecken, an old German book full of doily patterns, most written by Herbert Neibling.  Large doilies can become gorgeous shawls and even blankets.  Reprinting this book is a huge undertaking as it is known for having many errors in the charts. 

What was I to do?  You know I had to volunteer to help!  Here is the original version in the book.  I am knitting a triangular version.  Imagine just two repeats of one square with the edging.

And, I am so glad I did.  I can't put this shawl down!  Seriously.  Less sleep is seeming like a fine idea. 

 

The yarn is a new lace weight yarn I am testing for Tactile.  It is 100% tussah silk in a lace weight.  Holy smokes!  I love the yarn too!  It has a little bit of texture, so it isn't crazy slippery like 100% cultivated silk.  And the luster!  These pictures don't do the color (darker and richer sage green) or the shine justice. 

* The title is a small homage to one of my favorite childhood movies The King and I.  I had a huge crush on Yul Brynner.  Weird for a preteen girl now that I look back.