Catena Expressions

Crocheted Shetland sweater

When M is at work, I have to fall back on my own photography. Naturally, it's overcast - why is the days he is home the sun is bright and when... anyway.

After dealing with last week's treble stitch sweater skeins not matching, I decided to make one of handspun fingering yarn with size G crochet hook.

I usually buy around 8 Shetland fleeces yearly. Last year I bought 9 - 5 of which were white and surprisingly 4 have not been dyed (handspun now). This is a fleece I bought at Estes Park Wool Market last year. The name on the business card says Sugar N Spice from Shet-Tu Sheep Farm.

I washed this fleece just enough to leave some lanolin. I then spun and plied it to fingering weight. When I spin for crocheting, I spin a finer weight of yarn then when I spin for knitting.

I crocheted this sweater almost exactly the way I did last week's Abigail sweater. That is, crocheted the body front to front in one piece, the sleeves to the armhole separately, joined them and did a mock bottom up raglan. I say mock because I adjust the decreases so the yoke would fit me better. I love the neck. I love how this drapes.

I don't know if I will add buttons to it - I crocheted this with the thought of wearing it in the summer time over a light shirt. If I do add buttons, they will be mother of pearl ones from my grandmother's button collection.

I'll have M take a better photo with me wearing the sweater. I'm sure it will get worn a lot in the coming week - what with the cooler rainier days in the forecast.

 

 

 

3 crocheted sweaters

All of these sweaters are crocheted with Grayce Aggen's Plain and Fancy sportweight singles yarn (CVM wool) with size G crochet hook.

First up is a double crocheted top down raglan of a green/rust colorway I bought way back in 2005.

I want to make the front more interesting so I crocheted the raglan fronts more narrow then went back and crocheted sideways and joined down the middle. I love the comfort of this sweater. It's been worn frequently and already washed since I finished it!

Second up - I asked M what color I should use next and he picked "Winter Sunset" which is a lavender/orangy colorway. It's not the color I usually choose so it's been interesting to play with it.

I fooled around with this sweater the longest - experimenting with different techniques. At first I thought I'd try a saddle shoulder with a shell stitch (briefly it's *4 dcs, dc ch 1 dc* across first row then *4 dcs in the ch 1 of previous row, dc ch dc in the middle of previous 4 dcs* - alternating it makes a very pretty shell stitch pattern) down the sleeves and double crochet added to it (going the other way) but the double crochet was too baggy. I thought about crocheting from  sleeve cuff - sleeve, yoke, sleeve to sleeve cuff approach using the same shell stitch but that didn't look right. Ripped that out again. By this time the weather had warmed up and I wanted to get this sweater done (putting the yarn back in stash didn't occur to me) and I decided to do another top down raglan. I went back and added the collar and made the front yoke a bit more decorative.

Then the next storm came in. We got quite a bit of snow which meant it was wonderful weather to ply (finished up the Shetland fleece I have been working on) and spin (still on the sagey blue roving) and dive into the Plain and Fancy stash.

I chose  "Abigail" colorway. I bought this one the last time Grayce had her Estes Park Wool Market booth a few years ago. She said she named this colorway for her granddaughter.

I thought I'd crochet this one with a treble stitch (briefly *3 dc ch 1 1 dc* 1st row followed by *3 dc ch 1 1 dc in the ch 1s* from previous row). I decided to crochet the body first, using one skein of yarn and going from front to front for a cardigan. Then I crocheted the sleeves and joined them to the body. I then crocheted the rest of the sweater as a bottom up raglan cardigan.

There's always variations in Grayce's handdyed yarn but I was rather surprised when M took this photo (just finished, not washed) and the fronts were markedly different colors. This is from the one skein.

After deliberation, I took the sweater apart - which sorta killed me coz it fit me so well. I am now crocheting it from the bottom up using that darker segment at the bottom, then the next dark (medium) skein in the middle and finally the lighter part (the other front) for the yoke. I think I will remember how I put the yoke together if I do it in the next few days.

I had started a knitted diagonal experiment sweater using my handspun 2 ply yarn (fleeces from Black Pines so long ago!) using Katherine Cobey's book Diagonal Knitting a Different Slant as a guide. That sweater is now on hold. Drives me crazy but there's no help for it. It would drive me crazier not to finish the "Abigail" sweater.

And I am still crocheting on the free form sock yarn hanging - it's going slow while I think about sweaters.

For the first time we had white crowned sparrows at our feeders. They have been lots of fun to watch. The last time I saw white crowned sparrows was at the MO farm bird feeders 14 years ago.

 

It's been quiet here

We had over 20" of snow in April - which is a good thing here in drought country. The snow is rapidly melting but our ground hasn't hit saturation yet so no flooding (yet). Our spring snow season can last through mid June and we desperately need more.

That all being said, I haven't done much with the camera for blog pictures tho I just finished spinning Korny's 2012 fleece and have 11 and half bobbins (Kromski 4 oz bobbins) to ply. I spun primarily fingering weight plied. It always makes me laugh when I realize I spin/ply to the weight of the yarn I've most frequently used - sock yarn recently.

I had Wooly Knob Mill process a musket Shetland fleece (dyed sages, light blues) into roving which arrived last week. That spurred me on to finish spinning Korny's so I can start spinning the new roving - never mind all the Shetland (mostly lamb) roving in stash from the last WKM order.

So spinning every morning. Crocheting most evenings. Still working on the free form hanging (sock yarn) and amusing myself by designing and crocheting 2 sweaters of Plain and Fancy yarn. Those were washed and blocked yesterday. I started another (Abigail colorway) just for the heck of it.

My gardens took a real hit. The white bleeding heart which was bushel basket size is brown and just lying there looking pathetic. The first blizzard flattened all the early daffodils, the 2nd squashed the 2nd wave of daffies + the tulips. I have 2 sorry looking red tulips bravely blooming.  I transplanted a couple lilac suckers last fall and they, remarkably, not only have tiny little leaves but also a hint of buds. We'll just see if something actually blooms. I know most of my daylilies got frozen. Hopefully they will recover before long.

And all that is why there are no photos!

I'm rereading Gail Godwin's Heart in conjunction with Barbara Walker's Crone and Restoring the Goddess. The imagery has filled my heart. There are still a few Walker books I haven't gotten to - so that tells you how slowly I am devouring these books. I do like the mythology and history presented in these 3 books and it's been a fun time.

Hope all is well out there!

 

 

 

 

Waiting for snow

I spent the weekend cleaning the gardens (5 large lawn/trash bags filled for compost) and throwing the windows and doors open to let it lots of fresh air. Ohhhh, spring, how wonderful to be able to go outside and play in the yard!!

In tonight and tomorrow's forecast -snow! Maybe a foot? Preceded by thunderstorms - hail, rain, severe weather.

Which means the crocus won't be seen for a while.The daffodils should still be visible - a favorite photo is the daffodils popping out of the snow - we'll see if I can get a decent photo of that Wednesday.

Now to batten down for a few days of house time.

I've been combing and spinning Korny's 2012 (River Bend Shetland) fleece - a mioget. The 2010 Korny fleece is fine and very pale mioget. I've had 3 shades of mioget to work with - lovely to play with the shades of fleece. That's why I love Shetland fleeces so much - the variety of texture and color. I've used the more coarse/double coated fleeces (like that lovely islet) for hangings and I can well imagine getting more for rugs. You know, I love the fine variety of Shetland but I also have medium weight fleeces in sweaters which have lasted for years without pilling. I'm always a bit more careful with my fine Shetland yarns. If I raised Shetlands, I think I would want at least 1 coarse/doublecoated (preferably islet), 1 medium weight (fawn?) and at least 5 fine (whites, greys and hopefully a black).... but fortunately for me, I can find fleeces that suit me just fine. Isn't that the best part of life - when you have small aspirations that are easily and happily fulfilled? This year, I need to get more fine fleeces and I can't wait to see what is available.

I've been playing with sock yarn in free form - that's the quilting frames I showed a few posts ago covered and bound together. I bought the white sock yarn from Sheep Shed a number of years ago, dyed it and stuck it into stash.

I always crave Grayce Aggen's Plain and Fancy sportsweight yarn - this is a top down, raglan sweater. I was playing with the contiguous method in crochet which doesn't translate well in double crochet. I know it's meant for knitting and of course I can always hit the P&F yarn stash for another sweater. I have enough of her yarn stashed for 4 sweaters and about that many vests. And one of leftovers. I'll be sad when I've used up my stash so I try to limit myself to only a few projects a year. I so miss seeing Grayce at the Estes Park Wool Market.

Dori, the littlest dog, had her 11th birthday on April 2nd. How close Ms Hot Headed Aries came to be an April Fool puppy! She tackled my ankle a few weeks ago because I told her she couldn't go with me when I took Bridgy to the groomer. We burst into laughter at her ferocity and vicious growls. She is pretty much toothless. She took umbrage to the laughter and cat calls and stormed down the hall to her sanctury - our bed pillows.

Right now, she and Frisco (the big Maine Coon cat) are peacefully sharing my recliner in the sun. Days like this I think how blessed we are with our fur, feathered and finned family.

March/April 2013 On the Nightstand

I'm fortunate in my friends.

Mary B started me back on Craig Childs so I've been steadily reading and reading his works.  The Way Out a true story of ruin and survival arrived a couple weeks ago - so I immersed myself in that book. During the same time, M and I went to the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit at the Denver Art Museum - the paintings, the katchina, the Hopi renditions of weavings and of O'Keefe herself all coalsed with the Childs books. Then M and I went over to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and wandered around the Snowmass exhibit before wandering around the North American Indian exhibits - again, reminding me of Childs books. And, in an aside, I bought the recent Vogue Knitting book for the little article about Van Gogh's Wooly Balls. Another connection - M and I enjoyed the Van Gogh exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, I love Cheryl Oberle's books and my son, the artist, so loves Van Gogh he named one of his mastiffs Vincent. Some things just resonante.

If all that wasn't enough, Mary told me about Nancy Spies's book Here Be Wyverns - Hundreds of patterns graphed from medieval sources from Arelate Studio. I also purchased Here Be Drollies - Hundreds more patterns graphed from medieval sources

I can see spending hours filet crocheting some of those graphs into curtains. I have a number of medieval graph books but began to wonder about knitting ones... which seems to have lead to nothing but trouble:

Medieval-Inspired Knits - stunning brocade and swirling vine patterns with embellished borders by Anna- Karin Lundberg.

I doubt I'll ever knit any of the sweaters - gorgeous tho they are - but I love her concept and her inspirations. I especially like this part of the blurb "...this gorgeous book is a visual playground for the knitter". Yes, indeed - visual playground.

I have been rereading and reading Gail Godwin since I recently bought her writer's journals. I've read Godwin for decades so I don't know how I missed reading the Odd Woman before. I have A Southern Family on deck, so to speak. But what stopped my heart and sent me flying to other books is her Heart [a personal journey through its myths and meanings]. I thought her chapter on Absense of Heart/Heartlessness was beyond compare and reread it several times. "All of us have known someone with an absent heart. You knock on this person's organ of response and get no reply. The first few times, you make excuses for the lack of resonances... But after the dozenth - or hundredth time, if you're the hopeful type - your knock begins to echo the terrible truth. There's no response. Something basic seems missing, but you still can't believe it's the heart." Godwin goes on to quote from Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig's book Eros on Crutches: On the Nature of the Pyschopath rather extensively. I'd recommend Godwin's book for this chapter alone but then... she went on to discuss An All-Around Heart - Paul Klee and my heart was lifted in response. I love Klee (how not) and to read her chapter on him was so splendid it brought happiness to my day. Godwin writes "When I am fearful or melancholy or petulant over something, I can take up a volume of Klee's paintings and drawing and ...immediately enter a better place."

If that wasn't enough, there is Mary Walker Phillips'  Creative Knitting a new art form which I wish I found decades earlier. But here we go - her response to Klee (page 12) where she says "The works of Paul Klee never fail to give me new ideas. Many of his compositions are harmonious lattics of verticals and horizontals - the linear qualities that are so inherent to knitting"

Reading Phillips brought me to Mary Thomas' Book of Knitting Patterns then I wandered over to buy Phillips book Knitting Counterpanes: traditional coverlet patterns for contemporary knitters which lead me to Marianne Kinzel's First and Second books of Modern Lace Knitting.  And of course the Legacy of Shetland Lace by the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers remains close at hand.

All this medieval and heart stuff finally made me realize it's time to study Barbara G Walker's nonknit books. I've heard about them for decades but never had the time to get or read them. It's time.

So here are the ones I bought and am contemplating:

The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets

The Crone woman of age, wisdom and power

The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects

Restoring the Goddess equal rites for modern women

and finally (because M has a Tarot deck and I know absolutely nothing about Tarot):

The Secrets of the Tarot origins, history and symbolism

 

Now, if you want to look at all the above books and think about it - you can see the connection of Walker's knitting books and her woman studies books. It's striking, at least to me this sunny morning, that at 60, I am revisiting some of the things I contemplated, achieved and dreamt back when I was a younger woman in the 70s. Back when life was wide open and I could make of it what I willed. I think these books will open some more doors into new ways of thinking and I am eager to step through and see what I will learn along the way.

Thanks always to Anne who mailed me her copies of Walker's  Knitting Treasuries - bookmarks and all - a number of years ago and started my journey on the Shetland lace project. Another connection - her mind and designs are myth and story inspired.

Oh yes, it appears my spell check is refusing to help me out - forgive any misspelling.

Saturday snow

Yesterday I simply had to do some spring cleaning and finishing of some UFOs - this was one of them.

Remember the Shetland/alpaca/silk I drumcarded then spun up and called let it roll?

It made a nicely textured garter stitch (size 7 needles) vest. Soft and cuddly for today's snow.

I'm looking at these quilting frames and thinking of a 3-D sculpture.

Finished adding more crocheted flowers to the flower arch - photos of that will have to wait til I can get it in the window.

Today, however, I am going to watch BookTV on Cspan-2 and embroirder 10 little cat faces on those little kid socks.

And watch it snow too.

 

Bobcat Ridge - Walk with Me Wednesday

Last Friday, M and I decided a walk was in order. We debated between Lory State Park and Bobcat Ridge but decided on Bobcat Ridge after seeing a plume of smoke rising in the air.

We didn't see any wildlife other than an mountain bluebird and a pair of ravens. We did see several white marked areas on the canyon walls but have no clue what raptor left them.

The walk was wonderful - lots of people out enjoying the day.

On the way home we detoured to look at the fire area. This is the best photo M was able to take - the winds came up and the smoke was thick. That darker grey area in the center of the photo is a line of trees on the opposite bank of Horsetooth Reservoir.

Even at our house (20 some miles away) the smell of smoke was strong enough for us to leave our windows closed.

Today, of course, everyone who was evacuated are back in their houses - bracing for what could be another devastating Colorado fire season.

lazy day

I finished knitting 5 pairs of tiger bootie socks, crocheted and sewed on the little ears. Next is embroidering the faces. I needed a day off from socks.

I spun a couple bobbins of blue/green Shetland dyed in the fleece on the Kromski Symphony (shown a post or so ago). That was entertaining then in the afternoon I  reread Sylvia's Farm, the journal of an improbable shepard by Sylvia Jorrin which always makes me think of spring calving at the farm. Makes me miss my calves. The descriptions of her lambs just knock me out - thinking of a little face looking up, the little body standing on your farm boots and waiting to be picked up. Doesn't it just make you want a lamb?

and began a garter stitch vest of "let it roll" yarn (Shetland, alpaca and silk).

The other day we got an unexpected 8" of snow - the cats fought over the Shetland afghan I made earlier in the season...

Taz had left the afghan to get a snack and like the saying goes  "you move your feet, you lose your seat". Shortly after I took the picture, Taz's nose was really put out of joint when Jesse (the other black cat) joined June d Clare on the afghan.

You know, it's a fine day when I can take the day off to spin in the morning then spend the afternoon under the poodells reading and knitting and just glazing out.

M and I intend to walk somewhere during the lovely weather forecast the next few days. Stay tuned.

3/5

I forgot how long it's been since I posted. I've been knitting on the 5 pair of tiger booties for the kids then I have in mind 3 pairs each of dragon (2 adult, 1 kid) and 3 pairs of unicorn (1 adult, 2 kids) which I still have to design. I finished knitting 7 adult gifts last month (as well as the crocheted snowflakes which I must admit I am very fond of) so that's all I've been working on. Let me tell you, I am a bit tired of knitting socks. The thought that there are still 8 pairs to go is more daunting then I want to admit.

I did finish spinning and plying one skein of the blue/green Shetland fleece and I have 2 more bobbins to ply as well as more than half of the fleece to go. That's my go-to for fun activity.

Recently I bought Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers book A Legacy of Shetland Lace. It's wonderful and didn't take too long to be shipped from the Shetland bookstore. It's my reward for finishing the socks. We all know how much handspun natural Shetland yarn I have in stash and that I need to do something with it all...

And if you've tried to reach me in the last month - my new e-amil addy is catdair at juno dot com.

Oh yes, bloglines has been a mess - I can't access the blogs there. Hopefully I can locate my favs again and get another reader lined up. One friend recommended reading blogs via ravelry but some of my favs are not fiber related. Anyone have any suggestions other than google reader? I'm open for some ideas here.

February feasts

Such a lovely time of year to enjoy the outdoors especially when you see two big birds on the lake ice. And they are feasting - probably a goose.

We've heard a lot of shooting lately - maybe this goose was winged or maybe the eagles caught it themselves. We did see a snow goose flying with a formation of Canadian geese last week - first time I've seen a snow goose here - used to see big flocks migrating when I lived at the MO farm.

Inside, I've been working steadily on boot socks for women ... here's one pair finished and another well started.

The pattern is in that fall 2012 Creative Knitting magazine which has the tiger socks (and spiral afghan I did last Nov). I'll get to the tiger socks after I finish the adults stuff. Oh yes, I'm using size 6 needles with DK Knit Picks superwash yarn.

Spinning has been "oh, let it just roll". I look forward to plying this alpaca, silk and Shetland wool. The wool and alpaca are the bits left over after I comb and spin for smooth yarn. I thought...well, lets just run this through the drum carder and see what happens. I don't usually do this but it's colorful and fun. I forgotten how much fun spinning is when you just play.

And during the drives to and from places, I've been taking along motifs to add to the flowery arch. Fill in those gaps which I don't much care for. The motifs are fast and easy.

Helen was taking knitting needle inventory and played right into my hands. I needed size 7 needles for men's projects but not a one to be found in the size I need (29" circulars.) I keep my needles in one place until I use them - then they are in a project box. 

I found this at Sam's a while ago and thought it perfect for storing needles. I have labels on the drawers - skewed as you can see. The labels don't stick well. I suppose I could come up with better ones. I like the drawer size - I have straights, double pointed and the circulars all in the same drawer so I can easily find what I need. The bottom drawers hold the odds and ends of sock yarn and one drawer contains my extra crochet hooks and knitting misc stuff (cable holders, markers etc).

As I crawled on the floor to take the above photos, my ring neck doves Whirly (age about 12) and Mitchell (the white one - about 22 years) spoke to me. They love it when I am in the work room and they can watch me. Of course, after I post this and before I go watch Jon Stewart, I'll clean the dove cage which means they will get patted and talked to.