Pink week continues...

There has been a fair amount of pinkness this week in the Free World, in both knitting and spinning. It may be because I recently discovered cuteoverload and am now obsessed with it. It may be because my swap partner listed it as her favorite color. I may never know.

Are you allowed to do that to your tailpipe?

Cute Overload is where I first spotted this Hello Kitty fanciness. It's classified under "What not to do to your Ferrari" but I'm not so sure about that.

Can you imagine the person who would drive this car? Some kind of superhero I expect.

Who is the genius who made this car? And how do I get him to photoshop my Mini Cooper in a similar manner?

Inspiration comes from unexpected sources, no?

Knitting show and tell

This summer has been filled with lots of knitting and spinning. I knit a small cotton bag for a camera as a gift for Gina. The top has a drawstring closure. The colors are a bit nutty but it is summer after all!

I also finished a pair of knucks (from knitty) but still have to embroider the knuckle tattoo part. They are made in fall colors because it's what I had in my stash. I will do the embroidery when I make up my mind as to what to write on there.

I know "love" and "hate" are traditional but I don't think I ever understood what that meant. I've narrowed it down to something knitting, spinning or blogging related.

I need to pick up another project but what? I've seen a lot of bloggers making posts about their unfinished projects...well I only have one, and I'm not going to finish it anytime soon! Wanna see it? It's a lace scarf. It turns out I'm a monogamous knitter! I tend to finish what I start (or rip it out and pretend it never existed).

There's a certain emptiness a knitter feels in between projects. Like a reader feels in between books or a chef in between meals. You have a world of potential before you, which is both inspiring and intimidating. Are you going to make another cuff that takes thirty minutes or a complicated lace shawl that will take you about a year to finish? Or socks? But a new pattern for socks you haven't tried yet? Something to make from your yarn stash or something you give yourself permission to shop for?

I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. Until then, I'll look through my stash, look through the recent knitting magazines and hope I feel a connection to something.

Band Cuff Customer Gallery!

Free pattern for band cuffs!

Check out these cuffs from Zen Gwen: brown and aqua, white and black, and aqua with tan? I LOVE the color combinations!

Phizzychick made some red, yellow and pink cuffs - SWEET!

I made a bunch, including a triple band cuff!

Speaking of cute overload, check out this pink and black number made by Sopranospinner! By the way, I hear the seven-year-old model is knitting her first poncho this summer. I love it! Kids who knit are cool.

Fiber Friday 8/4/06

TGIFF! I have some yarn to show off today. The first one is a bright combination of purples and blues 2-ply superwash yarn measuring 356 yards! You read that right. 356 yards. It weighs about 10 oz. I can't remember exactly what it weighs because it's not here. It is one of three yarns I entered to the homespun division of the LA County Fair... (UPDATE: See more of the Fair yarns on Sopranospinner's Progressive Purls blog! Have you seen her socks? Yeah!)

The truth is out, I didn't exactly spin it this week. But this is the yarn's debut in this blog and that's good enough for me. By the way, the yarn on the right in the same photo is a polar inspired 2-ply superwash skein measuring 204 yards. Lots of blues in a tweed fashion. It's funny, 204 yards would usually be something I'd brag about, but next to the 356...eh?

The next trio of pictures demonstrates a process. First you see the pile of natural colored roving. It's 85% wool and 15% mohair. Sometimes I dye the roving before spinning, but in this case I spun it up au naturale.

It's not the finest skein on the planet but I admit to being bored with the lack of color and spun it as fast as possible. It's 128 yards in all. Actually, I spun this particular yarn on the first day of the Tour de Fleece and put it away for about six weeks! Why? I didn't know what color to dye it. That's the short answer.

I also want to say how much it bothers me that the worst photo of the lot is by far the largest one on display here in this entry. It's HUGE! Grrr.

Anyway, I knew the dye could be a challenge because the yarn had it's own color to it and I would be overdying, which is an art form all it's own. I technically have a degree in art, but it had nothing to do with dying wool in my kitchen using cake dyes and kool-aid!

The dye hits naturally colored wool differently than it does white wool. Just imagine coloring on white paper with crayons. Now imagine coloring on tan construction paper. See how the colors are muted? If you're still with me, I present to you the finished yarn. It reminds me of a rainbow in a puddle at the gas station. You know what I mean?

Cherry blossom ice-cream smile

I've got more hand-dyed yarn to show off. It's not homespun but I report that this yarn is as soft as a kitten's tummy. It's a blend of alpaca, silk and merino in a dusty rose color.

Tomorrow is "fiber friday" and I will show off some actual homespun then. I must confess that pink isn't really my thing, but I am trying to push myself to make up all sorts of dyes in every color just to see what happens!

In band cuff news, a craftster started a knitalong! There is already a pretty finished cuff in the gallery. Neat!

I'm flattered and honored and will try not to keep checking every five minutes to see if anyone else is making the cuffs! I'm going to make a few more cuffs myself to test out some variations I'm toying with in my head.

I can share one thing, it's really hard to take a picture of your own wrist! Tip of the day: take a picture using a mirror. That's how I got the picture of my hand on my hip.

How to survive a hot day:

I've been spending too much time in Cute Overload where I found this photo. Intriguing, no?

I didn't want to post at all today because it means kicking Alias socks off the front page. I don't know what I'll do next week when the Band cuff pattern gets the bump. I set up a link in the sidebar and I'm confident most people are sharp enough to figure that out...

I finished spinning my swap yarn and I'm not sure if it's good enough and I can't post photos of it until my partner gets it in the mail. This being my first swap I'm not confident with what the expectations are. I went back on Craftster today to read the swap guidelines and I see they have a new swap up called "I have a disease swap." (pause)

The number one swap rule seems to be "send to others what you would like to receive yourself."

Hey! I'm going to see Al Green tonight at the Hollywood Bowl! I hope someone brings the frozen carrots. I can't get enough of those.

strawberry sunrise yarn

Now that the weather is a bit more reasonable I have been back in the kitchen with fiber and dye, making a go at down-home mad science. I prefer to think of it as wizardry.

This jumble pictured here is a blend of Wilton's buttercup, copper, and aster. Translation: yellow, orange and pink. This is actually commercial yarn and not homespun! I'm not as spinny this week as I once was. I do have a full bobbin of homespun right now but I can't show you a picture until after I ship it off to my swap partner.

Now that it's finally August I can count down the days until the fabulous fiber fest! This is where I learned to spin last year, which means on the 18th, I will officially have been spinning for one year! I can hardly believe it!

It all started with a spindle and curiosity. It blossomed into massive frustration and self-doubt. And now it's grown into mostly joy. Ah yes. Mostly joy! Peppered with moments of deep fondness when I am spinning in the flow of things and the harmony of life is balanced and resonant with me, through me and infinite.

But more often, frustration, self-doubt and mostly joy.

Band Cuffs - free pattern!

Here is a fun summer knitting project that you can make in less than an hour and wear out tonight! They use very little yarn so it's also great for using up scraps. These Mason Dixon inspired banded cuffs are knit out of worsted-weight cotton and can be layered or worn alone. The pattern is simple enough but I wrote it down for your personal use. If you want to buy these cuffs instead of knitting them, I am selling them in my Etsy shop.

PDF file available here.

SIZE: approx. 7 inches around (will stretch to fit)

MATERIALS: Any worsted weight yarn in two colors. "A" for background, "B" for band. I used Lily Sugar 'n Cream 100% cotton

Size 7 needles (slightly tighter than the usual 8's = better fit)

CO 30 sts with "A" color and knit one row.

ROW 1: Knit
ROW 2: Purl
ROW 3: Join "B" color, k2, slip 1 purlwise, *k5, sl 1 purlwise; REP from * to last three sts. K3.
ROW 4: K3, sl 1 purlwise with yarn in front, *k5, sl 1 purlwise wyf; REP from * to last two sts. K2.
ROW 5: P2, sl 1 purlwise with yarn in back, *p5, sl 1 purlwise wyb; REP from * to last three sts. P3.
ROW 6: Repeat ROW 4.
ROW 7: Using "A" color, knit.
ROW 8: Purl.

(For single band cuffs like green or pink in photo):
ROW 9: Knit.
ROW 10: Knit.
BO loosely.

(For double band cuffs like blue in photo):
ROW 9: With "B" color, *k5, sl 1 purlwise; REP from * to end.
ROW 10: *Sl 1 purlwise wyf, k5; REP from * to end.
ROW 11: *P5, sl 1 purlwise wyb; REP from * to end.
ROW 12: Repeat row 10.
ROW 13: Using "A" color, knit.
ROW 14: Purl.
ROW 15: Knit.
ROW 16: Knit.
BO loosely.

Sew up side seam and weave in loose ends. Put on cuff, raise your hand in the air and wave it like you just don't care...

If you make these I would show them off here in the customer gallery if you send me a photo. Also, if there is any interest, I can write up a pattern for a smaller size. Otherwise, enjoy!

PDF file available:

Craftsman's Etsy Shop - Wooden Rings

Craftsman's Etsy Shop

Check out the coolest rings ever! His descriptions are really poetic too. I know I'm not very traditional but I think these are better than diamonds. Etsy is such a great site!

In other news, I can't stop thinking about some really good cake I had last night at Gina's birthday party. The rest of the party was great fun too of course. It's just that I'm haunted by the memory of the cake. I'm just finishing up her birthday present just now. (I'll post a picture after I give it) I'm only eight days late but that's what knitters are especially good at. Miscalculating the time needed to complete the project (and finishing sentences with prepositions.)

In short, it's a slow news day here in the Free World. It's such a Sunday. I'm lazy and unmotivated. This morning, I slept late. Even when one is unemployed, the natural powers of a Sunday resonate on a strong frequency.

New products!

This is a ball winder and I finally have one! I bought it with a 50% off coupon (of course) and I am very happy with it. In fact, I spent much of last night winding balls of yarn for fun. Have you put it together that I am referring to what I did on Friday night? Be honest, would you rather play with a new ball winder or go out partying? On second thought, don't answer that!

I wasn't sure it would be as great as it is because there were some mixed reviews online. The only part that bothers me is they keep referring to the balls of yarn you make as "cakes" of yarn. I don't care for that expression and at the same time it makes me want to eat cake.

Picture #2: my hand modeling the knucks. I still have to decide what to write on the knuckles. Check out this list. There's some pretty good ideas in there! I was originally inclined to "blog this" or "knit this" but "omg! wtf?" is pretty funny.

The last picture shows off my new Knit Lites in action. I picked these up last week and think they're pretty interesting. I wrote about them before (the link = the whole story of what they are and you can see them lit up too). I finally got them on a field trip to the valley with my new pal Sopranospinner. In short, they light up, but I'm thinking you figured that out already. What's on the needles? A swatch of homespun of course (see the pretty ball?). I wanted to see this yarn knit up. Check out it's history!

That brings me to an important point. Homespun is not like commercial yarn. It is unique and beautiful and yes it costs more but it is worth it. No machine can create these subtle color shifts and rich texture. It's so hard to explain this to the uninitiated. You know, the people who think knitting socks is dumb because you can buy them at Target for $2. Or the people who ask you if you churn your own butter too. Actually I did churn my own butter once so maybe they do have a point! (I churned by accident by over-whipping some heavy cream. - Try it!)

In summary, we spinners are making art. Not everyone appreciates art, and that's okay. I'll get off the high horse now; I have some more yarn to wind into balls.

Fiber Friday 7/28

I dyed some roving this week!

Thick-thin kool-aid dyed yarn plied with heavy gold blue-jean thread. 3.1 oz, 84 yards.

Before and after: (2.9 oz bulky, 58 yards, merino, targhee, rambouillet) I put both of these in my Etsy shop!

Landis had positive test after Stage 17

Here's the latest cycling news: ESPN.com - CYCLING - Phonak: Landis had positive test after Stage 17

I've been working on something about why I love the Tour to post here to explain why this event is so amazing. Something that communicates why The Tour de France is more compelling to me than the World Series or the Superbowl or any other sporting competition. It's still a work in progress and I'll still post it here when it's written.

It seems every day new stories emerge in the world of cycling. Today's story is again about doping. All the press is bad press it seems. For people who assume cycling is an over-drugged sport based on headlines I want to remind you that each doping story related to this year's Tour is full of allegation and not proof of guilt. When there is conclusive evidence then judgment will be passed.

Also, cycling has the strictest tests for doping. No other sport tests for as many substances or as often as cycling. The punishments are far stricter in cycling than in any other sport as well. If a cyclist tests positive for a banned substance they have a two-year suspension. If it happens a second time, they are banned for life.

During the Tour OLN put a screen shot of a chart that listed each sport and what their penalties were but I can't find that information on the web just now. I'm just sad about such a negative stereotype growing about such an amazing sport. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. In the last 103 years the Tour de France has seen lots of cheating, riding trains, stealing sign-in sheets, and tossing nails on the road to burst tires. I think it's because the race is SO freaking hard to complete, much less win.