Guild Fiber Olympics

Tomorrow starts our Guild’s Fiber Winter Olympics!  I am trying to get things organized and “train”.  I am not sure if I am entering the Figure Spinning competition because, well, aside from maybe not having enough time (since I am also working on TWO science test item-writing assignments), my “novelty ply” skills seem to be lacking.

I tried to do “Turkish Knots”  (see page 125 of Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning — I own this book, but you can see the page on Amazon ) and it came out pretty but too tightly spun and thus “hard”.  I sought advice on Ravelry Novelty & Art Yarn Forum and got some answers that seemed to help, but I haven’t gotten any good at it yet.  My results are pretty, but still overspun.

So, I’ve picked my yarn/needle/pattern for a knitted hat and a crocheted hat for the Pentathalon, along with the two skeins of 2-ply I will spin, and I’m thinking of weaving on a TriLoom that I’m trying to get my friend John to make me in the next two weeks, lol… I can enter the crocheted hat also in the Curling (crochet) event.  And I’ll probably do some of my semi-famous felted recycled sweater mittens for the felting portion of the Pentathalon.

I’m ALMOST done knitting the lemon-lime handspun rambo/cormo lambswool Anytime Wrap!

I need to update my Etsy shop with some t-shirts that I’ve batiked but not gotten online yet.

Free Crocheted Washing Up Cloths Pattern

Merry Christmas!  My gift to you is this really easy washcloth pattern for beginning (or lazy, or hurried) crocheters:

Click on the link (below) for the pdf file

Oh-So-Easy Crocheted Washing-Up Cloths

Ah….Knitting you are so beautiful and Crochet you are so fast!

Really, that is what I think.  I am sure that there are people who crochet really beautiful things (well, my friend Nadine does) but I am not that skilled with crochet.  I can do really basic things.  I can’t really follow a pattern.  I made Nadine teach me last year just so I could make hats faster for the Mitten Tree at church.  I have made a couple of things that I am really happy with (the hippy vest, the mystery-stitch hat), but I find most of the things I can do are very utilitarian.  Which is great, too.  I can crochet up a dishcloth/washcloth/whatever in far less time than it takes to knit a similar one.

But, I still love my knitting.  I am working on this green wrap and I am totally in love with it and can’t wait to finish it and block it and wear it and gather in the adoring looks.    I’m not a particularly fast knitter, however, and it is many many many stitches to finish something lovely in skinny yarn (which is how I’m starting to really prefer my yarn).

Unblocked lace Anytime Wrap I’m working on.  Knitted with handspun, handdyed, handprocessed rambo/cormo lambswool.

crocheted Santa-Elf hat with pompom.  Mostly single crochet double-strand lionbrand woolease with a faux-fur yarn (I forget which, I got it on sale) trim.

Oh-So-Easy Crocheted Washing Up Cloths–last year I finally made some knitted dishcloths.  I don’t really use dishcloths, but the lady who got them at the Twelfth Night Gift Exchange was really excited.  These crocheted ones are faster.  And really easy and I’m pleased with them.  I am hoping to write up the pattern and put it on here and add it to Ravelry…

Various things to catch up

Note to self:  the canvas bags take FOR-EV-ER to absorb dye.  I think I put the wax on thick enough that it will be okay, but I’ve had the messenger bag in the dyebath twice as long as I normally leave the t-shirts in and it is still not as dark.

Hooded cardigan with super bulky (new Lion Brand Hometown Pride) yarn.  Crocheted.  Liked all the parts.  Didn’t like the final product.  I think I’ll rip it all out.

Crocheted hats.  Sat in the children’s church Christmas musical dress rehearsal and finished one whole hat and started another.  These will go on the mitten tree at church, methinks.

Sock machine.  I knit one sock (mock rib, hung hem, will do an afterthought heel and toe later) plus half of its mate on my Gearhart sock machine, but got tired of sitting there.  Really ought to finish that one.

Bookshelves everywhere.  My FIL brought us a bunch (8?) of bookcases from his house, along with some dressers and a “new” futon/bed for child #2.  Not all of the bookcases are in their correct homes yet.  He also brought (and had previously sent, but they haven’t been put away yet) several other boxes of books and a bunch of MILs yarn.  Some of the yarn needs to find someone else’s home to live in.

Rambo-Cormo lambswool anytime wrap.  I finally finished spinning the rest of the kool aid lemon-lime dyed fleece into 2-ply yarn and I have knit about 2 bobbinsful into this very easy (see other post about the Anytime Wrap I made for Jane from handspun, handdyed wool) lacey shawl.  I have lots of shawls, but I almost didn’t give Jane’s to her because I thought it was so pretty.

Going to dye PINK in a couple of hours…

so if you are “waiting” to do a special order or looking for a pink-batiked bag or tshirt, let me know RIGHT AWAY (as in, before 10 am Eastern, Tuesday, 12/15/09) and I won’t charge you the extra (usual) “custom order” fee, if I have the blank available without going out to the store and you want PINK!

I have several t-shirts (med, large, extra large, 2x womens, 3x unisex) on hand, as well as the 8″x10″ drawstring bags and a couple of “messenger” bags.

Samples and already-ready stuff on my Etsy shop!

Etsy Buy Handmade goodnessgraciousWV

Holiday Multiple-Order Special

If you wanted to get a handful of my batik shirts as Christmas presents for people but thought that was going to be pricey, I have a deal for you!

If you order more than 2 custom-ordered batik shirts, I’ll do them for you for $15 each (plus shipping, which will be combined). If you are local and buy the shirt blanks for me, I’ll do them for $10 each. If you want more than 7 or 8 shirts, we need to talk more.

Look on my Etsy shop for more details.

http://goodnessgraciouswv.etsy.com

100th Sale???

The next person who buys something on my Etsy shop will be my 100th sale and I’ll send them a little gift with their purchase.  Not sure what, yet, some fiber or a little baglet?

Etsy Buy Handmade goodnessgraciousWV

Sorry I haven’t posted in ages–haven’t progressed on the saxony wheel.  Haven’t done much spinning–have been busy!  Haven’t done much knitting, oddly.  Did a couple pairs of fingerless mitts.  Have been crocheting some–a hat to match a pair of fingerless mitts and now a baby blanket.

I’m having lots of luck (and happy children) with the Brown Bag Enrichment Lunches at school and have been reading to a couple of different library classes, as well as tutoring a boy in reading during school.  I made & sold (for donations toward breast cancer screenings via the Walk for Women) some batik “pink ribbon” t-shirts.  Cub Scouts continues.  All our church activities continue.  I’m reading a good book right now, the second in a trilogy:  The Bartimaeus Trilogy:  The Golem’s Eye, by Jonathan Stroud.

I got the flyer out!

I JUST figured out how to get the flyer assembly OFF.  Unfortunately  I do not really understand double-drive wheels very well and am not sure that the extra whorl thing is doing what it is supposed to.  I have been reading up and I’m getting closer to “getting” it.

The open end of the flyer shaft (where the orifice end is) is fatter than the hole in the front maiden, so I cannot slip it out of the maiden. When I put a leader onto the bobbin and put the end through the orifice and out again and then turn the drive wheel, the bobbin shifts and the leader gets jammed in between the orifice and the maiden opening.

I thought maybe I could put a (new/different) flyer assembly into it instead of trying to get this one to work, but the two I have at home are from my Traub and Baynes wheels and they are TOO LONG to fit between the maidens.

I have also thought about trying to make it (convert it?) to single drive and add a brake someplace. Anyone have experience to share about doing this?

With some reading on the Antique Wheels group on Ravelry I tried again and I got the front maiden to swivel–still a problem since the front orifice end of the flyer is too fat to fit through the bearing, but I managed to un-wedge the leather bearing (that is what I thought was plywood) from the back maiden and get that end open and got the bobbin off so I can clean & oil it up.  Whew!

What is it?

I mean, it is a saxony-style spinning wheel.  I know THAT.  But what else?

the treadle is missing (I have the footman bar, but the cat was playing with it).  The bobbin does not move freely on the flyer shaft.  The whole maiden setup thing comes loose from the base (it had been glued). So, I have some fooling to do to get it spinning, but I am hopeful.

Wondering if anyone recognizes it (there aren’t any marks that I found to identify it) or has any brilliant ideas for me.

My Phat Fiber September contributor box came!

And it is lovely!

The card-pack thing was very sweet, with a coloring book Once Upon a Time and a page from The Hobbit (or one of the Rings books? I will have to go back and look) and a couple of stitch markers, including that pumpkin one…

IF I get a chance, I will post actual info about the contents!  :)