Cold Mountain Journey: This month's lace knitting

Showing someone your lace project before it's finished and blocked is a little like showing someone your bread dough before it's baked.  It's gooey and sticky and chewy and a big ole blob of not-quite-something-good. 

Nevertheless, I will show you the progress on my Cold Mountain stole, since I am doing it as part of a Knit-A-Long and that's what it's all about--showing how it's going, even if it looks lumpy and disheveled and like something no one in their right mind would ever want to wear.  I am also overlooking the fact that I am not "caught up" to where I should be if I had managed to knit 15 rows every week so far.  I am, in fact, a little bit behind on the count...

It's getting longer! Note the cowardice displayed in the use of TWO lifelines!

I love all the flecks of color in this KnitPicks Shadow lace weight yarn.

I have to say I am starting to enjoy this project more.  I hesitate to go so far as to say I've got the hang of it, but things that didn't make sense before, make better sense now. (Isn't that a lot like life?  The more you learn about something or someone, the more sense it or he or she makes.)

The length of time of this KAL seemed a little daunting at first, but I am SO glad that I don't have to rush through this.  I have so many other projects in the works right now that I have to schedule "shawl days" and "charity project days" and "new design work days," just to cover all my bases.  It's a good thing I love to knit!

More Indigo Dyeing

Noticed today that Wendy over at Spinsjal has been messing around with Indigo.  Very cool!  I love seeing other folks using Indigo. It looks like she had some great results and I'm very intrigued by the silk yarn she dyed!

Also, Leigh at Magar Hatworks has been dyeing some fabric for fall--yep, using Indigo. Beautiful stuff!

And finally, here is a recent post from The Charleston Museum's Tumblr page featuring, what else? Indigo. 

I used to notice when people were knitting; now I see them dyeing with Indigo...

Want to have your own expereince with the magic of Indigo?  Don't forget, my next Indigo Dyeing Workshop at the Charleston Museum is Saturday, October 19. Space is limited and you must pre-register.

An adventure in felting

I recently took part in a back-to-school education expo.  This being the second year of my participation, I felt better prepared to create a display that would be bright but not too bright, colorful but not overwhelming, and above all to clearly communicate the message I wished to convey:

Y'all come let me teach you to knit!

In my efforts to stream line the display, one of the things that I dropped everything to make (with only a few days to spare--living on the edge here, people) was a felted bowl.  This was my first attempt at knitting a felted bowl, but having felted a bag a few years ago and being currently in the state of euphoria brought about by kicking "behind" on that lace shawl KAL, I thought, I can SO do this.  And I did.  Naturally, I used some scraps of leftover yarn from the bag (I knew it would felt!) and having found a simple-looking pattern on Ravelry, I busted it out.  The result was that I now think that everyone I know NEEDS a knitted, felted bowl. Also, I wish I'd tried it sooner. 

If you've never felted before, let me encourage you to try this project.  It was a quick knit (my son wanted to confiscate it as a hat in its pre-felting stage), didn't use much yarn and the resulting felted coolness of it will make you think you're a Felting Rock Star.

Indigo Dyeing, version 2.0

There's something to be said for being open to growth and change, and for never saying "never."

In my previous Indigo Dyeing workshops, I think I might have said just that: never.  As in, I will "never" use extra chemicals when dyeing with Indigo.  So, by now you can guess where this blog post is headed, right?

In the quest for ever more impressive results, I gave thio-urea dioxide and soda ash a chance to wow me, and they did. 

First, I was wowed by the odor.  I won't sugar coat this: it stunk to high heaven! On it's own, pre-reduced Indigo has a subtle scent that is not unpleasant.  When these chemicals are added, it's a whole 'nuther story!  Two words: abundant. ventilation.

Secondly, I was wowed by the richness of the color.  This blue was so intense, even in lighter shades, that it took my breath away. (OK, what little breath I still had after the smelly, chemical-laden vat took away a good deal of it.  In the interest of honest disclosure.)  Y'all, the yarn and fabric I dyed using the new technique is just amazing.  I'm going to start carrying some of it around with me at all times to show people, because, while it does photograph nicely, in person it's even better.

And third, I was wowed at how much easier it was to rinse off all the leftover Indigo. My theory is that the chemicals reduce the Indigo and this makes the Indigo WANT to stay on the yarn.  I like it--it's a good theory.  Things should make sense as much as possible, whenever possible.  Anyway, whether you buy into my theory or not, the fact is that the yarn was a joy to knit with.  The color still rubbed off slightly in the process of knitting, but it was a vast improvement over previous yarns which had not had the benefit of super smelly chemicals added to the vat.  (Two more words: vinegar. soak.)

So there you have it: Indigo Dyeing, version 2.0.  Just in time for the next Workshop at the Charleston Museum. 

Indigo All Over

My friend Kaye is a traveler extraordinaire.  She recently returned from a road trip that took her to New Mexico, and while there she visited Tierra Wools and saw their natural dyes operation.

In my studies of indigo dyeing I ran across this article about a dye master in Mali.

And then this happened in my own garage yesterday.

Just pulled from the vat, turning blue before my eyes.

Beautiful!

I've begun experimenting with a slightly different dye process.  It is proving to be rather stinky, but the results are so intense that opening an extra door for added ventilation is really no problem at all.

Learning the art of dyeing is a little like learning a second language.  You don't ever forget your first language (knitting), but eventually you see connections between it and your new language.  If you look on the rack in the pic above, you might see a wee bit of wool roving, dyed a glorious indigo.  If you think that this might mean that I plan to attempt a third language (spinning) soon, you might be right....

Red Scarf Project 2013 (plus a free knitting pattern!)

The Brickworks Scarf

Most of you who know me know that I love to knit for charity and one of my favorite charities is the Red Scarf Project.  I enjoy knowing that somewhere there are young adults who have grown up in foster care who are wearing red scarves they received in a care package while away at college.  It must be the mom in me, wanting these kids to have a tangible expression of love and support.  And it's the knitter in me who jumps at the chance to make that expression out of yarn.

This year in addition to knitting a scarf for submission to the Project, I also designed a pattern: "Brickworks".  It is available now as a FREE Ravelry download--giving you plenty of time to send one in for this year (between September 1 and December 15--address on their website).

So enjoy, and thank you in advance for sending scarves to help make a difference in the lives of foster youth in college.

Feeling Blue Again, or, Indigo Workshop #2

Today we dyed, again!  It's such a privilege to get to guide people into the world of Indigo dyeing.  I love seeing how their yarns and fabrics turn out, and watching them experiment with different techniques is so fun.  My favorite thing, though, has got to be getting to chat with our workshop participants and learn from them as well.

Here's a little of what we did today.  If you find yourself wishing that you, too could have been a part of this workshop, then plan to join us in October for our next one!

Curator Jan Hiester shows us the Indigo exhibit

Is it done yet?

Undyed wool yarn + Indigo = Magnificent!

There's a lot of rinsing.  A LOT of rinsing!

We 3 Hues of Indigo Are...

 

Amazing tie-dye! So creative!

Shaking out the fabric

And the racks filled with so much blue...

Cold Mountain Journey: Knitting Lace (or anything else)

I made it to 15 rows!  It took a little ripping back and a bit more concentration than I'm used to having to give my knitting (sorry, Hubby!), but I made it.  With a weekly goal of 15 rows, we will be knitting this till February 2014, but that's OK.  If I felt rushed to knit this lace project it would never get done (I know me!).

Today's tips for knitting lace apply to other projects as well--cables, color work, even plain old garter stitch sometimes.

1) Count often!  Because there is a "resting row" between the lace rows, by the time I discover I missed a YO, it's 2 rows back and the ominous black clouds appear directly overhead within minutes.  The answer? Count. Then count again. Don't move off the lace row until you know it's right, then knit the resting row and count it, too. Find the mistakes early so it's less heartbreaking when you have to go back and fix them.

2) Use markers!  Stitch markers are our friends, and I use them all the time.  For this project I have markers right after and right before the border rows (4 stitches on one side and 5 on the other) and in between the pattern repeats (which are 30 stitches wide).  This means I only have to count (and re-count, see item #1, above) up to 30, which saves me time and makes this more like Fun and less like, well, Not Fun.  And knitting really ought to be Fun at least part of the time, right?

For those of you participating in this KAL, hang in there, especially if you're new to lace knitting or using charts or if you have your own version of the Lace Prom Shrug Fiasco of '12.  I tell my beginning knitting students this and it bears repeating:

You are bigger than this yarn and those needles and that pattern.  

You are the boss. YOU CAN DO IT!

Cold Mountain Journey: A Word About Lifelines

I'm one of those people who likes to look for the educational benefit in just about anything.  This means that, as I knit this Cold Mountain stole, I have no doubt that I will learn a lot--chiefly by screwing it up as I go along.  It IS lace knitting, after all, and so far, we are not BFF's.

After one day of knitting, on which I made it to Row 7 only to have to rip it back to Row 5 and go to bed with a sick headache, I learned the following:


1) Use a Lifeline.  If you don't know how to use a Lifeline, do not knit any lace until you go to KnittingHelp.com and watch this video.  I'll wait till you're finished.

2) When you put in a Lifeline, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
a. Write down the number of the row that you put a Lifeline on
b. Make sure you have the correct number of stitches knit on that row (because if you have missed a YO, you will hate yourself)
c. Don't put the Lifeline through the stitch markers if the stitch markers do not open.

3) Unless you have bionic vision or 300-watt lighting near your recliner, try to use a light colored yarn.  It's too late for some of us, so please, save yourself while there is still time.

4) Lace knitting and lap cats are not always a happy combination.

5) A missed yarn-over is in fact, a major catastrophe, and your loved ones should agree to treat it as such.

Please don't get the wrong idea about this project.  The pattern and chart make sense and I am an intelligent, experienced knitter who likes a challenge. Even it it's lace.  And hey, this morning before breakfast I knit two rows and moved the Lifeline up to row 7!

 

Cast-On Day!

Today I will be casting on to participate in a KAL for the Cold Mountain stole pattern.  I'm excited for a number of reasons, among them:

1) My daughter picked out the pattern because she wanted to tackle a "big lace something."
2) When I suggested she might want to make it a KAL (peer pressure done right), she did.
3) Do I need to mention that I like knitting with this kid?
4) Some of you may remember the Lace Prom Shrug Fiasco of '12. It's nice to have a fresh start.
5) Starting a shiny new project is fun. Period!
6) Starting a Knit-A-Long is even more fun!

So, if you're game, join us.  More details can be found here. Also, here are some tips on reading knitting charts.  By the time we are through knitting this lovely shawl, we should be expert chart readers!