Fuzzy Noodle Knits

Camp Pluckyfluff Rocked My World!

In typical Caryn style, I totally forgot to take pictures while at Camp Pluckyfluff at the MN Textile Center this weekend.  I get so into what's going on, I forget to photo-document!  I did get a couple pics with my iPhone, and a kind fellow camper took a great picture of me spinning!  See the happiness on my face.  Spinning does that to me!

 

On Day 1 we played around with plying singles with commercial yarns, doing fun things like making coils and loops.  My first skein I plied with a neon yellow commercial yarn, and, um, accidentally plied my pink single the same direction I spun it (I was just so excited to get going...and the gal next to me did the same thing).  However, it was a happy mistake, because I got a skein of yarn that is SUPER elastic, and has a lot of potential to become something great.  Lexi Boeger (she who is Pluckyfluff) thought the skein is perfect as is...and demo'ed what a great cowl it would make!

 

We then spent the afternoon carding crazy batts!  I cannot tell you how much fun that was!  We had mounds and mound of fiber to play with, including angelina, firestar, shredded money, silk, bamboo, etc.  I went nuts, to say the very least.

 

 

I enjoyed carding so much, I now realized that I can't live without my own carder.  I'm not sure how I'm going to get one...I might have to beg and borrow for a while until I figure out the financing and set up in my house.

I spun my batt as a single...

 

...and then thread-plied it with a Sulky hologram thread. I didn't get a picture of the finished yarn, and because it's been getting so dark so early, I probably won't be able to get a picture until this weekend, so there will have to a a Camp Pluckyfluff post Part 2! 

We finished up Day 1 doing some core spinning.  My first attempts failed miserably. I then when home, passed out on the couch, and proceeded to cough up fiber for the rest of the night.

Day 2 was a lot of demos.  Tail spinning, working with mohair, wrapping, and adding in things.  I made two more yarns that day...a chunky single with add-ins, and a second attempt at core spinning, which turned out really well.  Again, I'll have to post pics later.

The other wonderful thing about this workshop was working along side other amazing spinners.  I may have learned just as much from them as I did the class.  I was so overwhelmed at the diversity of the group, yet we all have this obsession with one thing, making amazing yarn. This workshop taught me many things, like technique, how to card, how certain fibers work in your spinning, how batts are better than roving for art yarn.  What I'm really taking away is the freedom I have granted myself to spin what makes me happy, and making yarn does not have to be about a project.  Yarn first, project second.  Crazy creative always.

 

                            (Table-o-yarn at Camp Pluckyfluff)

Getting Ready for Camp Pluckyfluff!

My reward for surviving this Hell Week at work (my busiest week of the year) is Camp Pluckyfluff this weekend!  I will be attending a workshop this Saturday and Sunday at the Weaver's Guild of MN given by Lexi Boeger of Pluckyfluff.  I have been a fan of Pluckyfluff yarns for years, and have really enjoyed her quirky and whimsical spinning style, even before I became a spinner.  I even bought her two books just to have "in case" I ever became a spinner.  Now I'm going to have the wonderful opportunity to learn how to spin art yarns from the master, and I am super excited!  This weekend I worked on my homework list and cleaned off the bobbins so I have room for the lovely things I will make!

I really only had one project going on my Kiwi, but I wanted to finish it prior to class. 

 

This is Spincerely Yours Superwash BFL in "Grape Goddess Transitions".  I spun 4 oz. into 416 yards, Navajo plied at about 20 wpi.  This was intended to be sock yarn, and I think I hit the nail on the head with wpi and yardage!  While the yarn is a bit overspun, I think it will work out during knitting as I am a left-handed thrower, and we tend to untwist yarn as we work.  I wanted to keep this yarn to myself, but it was intended to be for a Christmas project.  Since the yarn was dyed to have long color sections, I chose to N-ply it to maintain the sections.  I pre-drafted it down to 8 bumps, so I'll probably have 4 repeats of the color pattern per sock.  I am planning on making Crevasse Socks with it.  The pattern was written by a friend of mine, and she's a spinner too, so it will be fun to put the two together!

I'll tweet and blog my spinning adventures this weekend!  If you think of any fun and wacky things I should spin art yarn with, just drop me a comment!

Socks for the Hubs

As I stated in my last post, my husband has recently requested handknit socks for the first time!  Handknits aren't really something you can force on someone...the have to want it.  Give handknits too soon to someone, and you run the risk of the item not being appreciated as it should be.  That can lead to resentment, anger, disappointment...not something you really want in a marriage.  So, I waited until I knew the Hubs would appreciate them.  This fall as the temperatures started to plummet (which they did quite quickly), the Hubs asked about handknit socks.  He circulation is a bit off since his weight loss last year and his ever-present slipped disk back problems, so his little toes are now always cold.  As bad as I feel for the guy, I am now SUPER EXCITED to have another person to knit socks for!!  I finished his first pair on Sunday.

 

Pattern: "David Sock" by Anne Hanson of Knitspot

Materials: Briar Rose Fibers "Grandma's Blessing" yarn in colorway 9072B; US Size 2 needles 

Finished: October 25, 2009

 

The Hubs is in love with his socks.  In fact, he had to wait a day to wear them so I could get pictures, and he wasn't very happy about it!  He reported that the yarn was super soft, comfy, and warm.  I report that knitting with Grandma's Blessing was like buttah, and I am just so in love with Cris' dyeing process!  Now I know why Anne Hanson loves this sock yarn so much...she has made me into a convert!  I have three more skeins of Grandma's Blessing in the stash that the Hubs is patiently waiting for to be knit up into more socks.  I plan to use some more of Anne's patterns for those too....she's nailed "man socks" very well!

What's next?  Well, I'm working on two sweaters right now...one is the Bubble Pullover from "knitting Nature"...I have 3 of the 8 pentagons done, but only have a picture of the first pentagon (I blame the shortness of days for my lack of photography lately).

 

This purple is going to be fun to wear!  I'm really enjoying knitting this sweater...the construction is just so unusual, it totally holds my interest.  Thank you Norah Gaughan.

I also started a Redhook cardi/vest thingie from Jared Flood's new pattern book from Classic Elite.  I'm still working the bottom ribbing so there really isn't anything to look at.  I've had to rejigger the gauge to upsize the thing as the largest size was only a 45" (insert rant about lack of plus size patterns here).  My actual bust is a 45" (which, isn't that plus size BTW). so I went with a yarn, Berroco Peruvia, that gave me .5 sts more an inch, and I think that should do the trick.  Rav page for this project with my notes on size is here.

I have eleventy-billion more things I want to make right now (including yarn for 11 sweaters!!!).  I'm seriously considering quitting my life so I can get it all done.  Until that happens, I'll just continue to work away at the queue!

A whole lotta FO's!

First off...my apologies for being so quiet lately.  It seems Twitter is my social networking device lately, so If you really are that curious about what I'm up to, you can follow me here.  Secondly, this month has majorly sucked.  Between illness, deaths in the family, BFF's husband's leaving them unexpectedly, and drama at work, I just haven't had the energy to blog.  However, I have had the energy to knit!  Let the parade of FO's begin!

 

Pattern: "Handspun Show-off Socks" by yours truly

Materials: 1,000 Petals Superwash Merino/Nylon top in "Fraternal Twins: Brad and Braden"; US size 2 needles

Finished: October 9, 2009

 

Pattern: "Vaila" by Gudrun Johnston

Materials: Malabrigo Worsted in "Pearl", US size 8 needles

Finished: October 14, 2009

 
 

 
Pattern: "Foliage" by Emilee Mooney

Materials: Malabrigo Worsted in "Pearl"; US size 5 and 8 needles

Finished: October 18, 2009

This hat was made for one of my besties, but I'm making one for me too!

And last but not least, my current WIP, socks for the DH!  Yes, after nearly 10 years of marriage and nearly 10 years of knitting, he finally asked for handknit socks!  I knew if I waited patiently, this day would come!

 
This is one "David Sock" by Anne Hanson, using Briar Rose Fibers "Grandma's Blessing".  I adore both pattern and yarn!!  Good thing I've stockpiled more Grandma's Blessing and bought a bunch of Anne's pattern so the hubs will have warm feet this fall!

Once October is over, I know things will get better.  I'm planning my next sweater project (a Bubble Pullover in Malabrigo Worsted...of course!), getting ready for Camp Pluckyfluff the first weekend in November (a 2 day intensive art yarn spinning camp taught by Lexi of Pluckyfluff), and looking forward to an undefeated Vikings season!  November and December need to suck much less than the rest of this year has!!!

Catching Up

What a crazy weekend!  I got back yesterday afternoon from my spinning/knitting retreat, and what a wonderful weekend it was...minus the stomach flu on Saturday night/Sunday morning.  Yup, I was puking my guts out on retreat, not so much fun.  I did enjoy the trip, company, and wonderful food, and got quite a bit done!  I'm really close to finishing my Vaila sweater, and finished a pair of socks that had been on needles forever.

Pattern: "Yarrow Ribbed Socks" from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush

Materials: Zwerger Garn Opal Hundertwasser, color 1435; US size 1 needles 

Finished: September 26, 2009

I also had the amazing opportunity to see an antique circular knitting machine in action!  One of the retreat attendees had one, and kindly knit up a pair of socks for me!

This was knit up with Madeline Tosh sock yarn in "Deep Plum".  We timed the knitting...doing the leg (after the cuff) takes only about 2 minutes!  Ok, I want one now!

I also used a drumcarder for the first time...another thing I want badly.  Sigh.

And last but not least, I finished up spinning my All Spun Up Aug/Sept 2009 SAL fiber before leaving:

I got a total of 1,956 yards 2ply at 35 wpi, and then had enough of a bobbin left over to get 278 yards navajo ply at 24 wpi.

I'm spinning up this batt right now...hoping to finish the spinning tonight and start plying!  I have a super busy week ahead, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to accomplish this week...I'm just glad I had a lovely retreat to get a head start!

Happy Sheepy Monday!

In honor of a short week (knitting/spinning retreat for me Thurs.-Sun!!!) I thought I'd start out Monday with this fabulous picture:

Here's the back story...my youngest cousin, Shane, is an artist.  There are only three of us grandkids, so myself and the two boys were close growing up.  Shane is 7 years younger than me, so I always felt like a protective, big sis to him.  However, due to the age difference, we drifted a bit when he was still a kid and I was entering adulthood.  Now that he's here with me, we are reconnecting in many ways.  The glue that is making us stick is our passion for art.  He and I are the only two in our extended family who aren't in the medical profession...we both also happen to be left-handed.  He has a BFA in fine art, a degree I'm quite jealous of as that was a path I wanted to go down, but received a bit of pressure from the family to major in something that was "more useful", hence my communications degree.  By the time Shane got to college, I don't think anyone really cared about degree usefulness anymore, as it didn't get me far that fast (I did come out of school right after the dot bomb recession of 2000).

Shane is getting prepped for applying to MFA programs, so he's doing a bunch of residencies right now.  Currently, he is in Iceland, doing a documentary on a little town that is the "Country Western Capital of Iceland".  I kid you not...there is definitely a story in that!  Shane spent a couple days with us prior to leaving (Mpls. is a hub for Icelandic Air...go figure), so we had to chance to talk "shop".  He also really got into my spinning wheels and fiber.  He really appreciated the artistry not only in spinning, but of the mechanics of the wheels and the dyeing and prep of the fiber.  He told me he'd be on the lookout for fiber and sweaters for me.  And by the looks of this picture, taken at a "Sheep Roundup", I think he might have found it!

(Chuck, me, Shane prior to his departure. Yes, he is 6'13"...and I'm not that short in real life)

He's back next Wednesday, and will hang with us for a day or two prior to returning home to Kentucky.  I can't wait to see the sheep goodness that awaits in his suitcases!

New Pattern! "Handspun Show-off Socks"

I have had a lot of pattern requests for the handspun socks I have made recently.  Really, they are quite easy and basic, but I use a heel and toe that are just a little bit different, so I decided to write up a pattern!

Handspun Show-off Socks pattern is available as a free pdf download on Ravelry here!

Finished Project: Flower Child Handspun Socks

Pattern: My own...52 stitch circumference with k1, p1tbl ribbing and garter stitch short row heels and toes
Materials: Spincerely Yours Superwash Merino/Nylon in colorway "Flower Child"; US 2 needles
Finished: September 16, 2009

These socks started out life as this:

And now they are beautiful and warm, the reason why we crazy people take precious time to spin and knit items that one could buy for a dollar at Target.  Target ain't got 'nuttin on these babies.

Another Big Secret Revealed!

This past April I was working on a secret sock project.  I can now reveal what it was...

Any Cookie A fans out there?  Yeah, I know you all are! ;)  Well, as you may or may not know, she has another book coming out, Knit. Sock. Love, in 2010.

So, go to that website, and see the mosaic of pics below the cover?

See the one circled in pink?  Yeah, I knit those sample socks.

Suprise Revealed!

So that super secret knitting project I've been working on for the last month-and-a-half?  Here it is!

Pattern: Corfu Shawl by Bad Cat Designs
Materials: Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Laci" in "Jengu"; US Size 4 needles
Finished: August 30, 2009

It was my baby nephew Will's baptism this past Sunday.  Chuck and I were unable to attend (Chuck had to do some serious crisis management at work, so we couldn't drive out to MI), so I made this pretty little blankie for him instead.  The colorway is one of BMFA's "Spirits"...Jengu is spirited from blue, so there's this little hint of blue in the blanket that is so very subtle but pretty. 

I altered the boarder quite a bit.  Instead of all the crazy bananas lace, I did about 2 inches of garter stitch, then did a picot bind off.  I like the texture it gave the lace, and made it more appropriate for a blanket.

Not much else going on here...I'm working again on my Vaila...

I'm up to the armholes, and am now furiously working on the sleeves.  Pretty boring, so I'm also working of a February Lady Sweater as part of a KAL with my Wednesday night knitting buddies.  I'm using Dream in Classy November Muse...very pretty, but each ball is really different, so I'm having to alternate.

And last but not least, I am spinning up a storm too!  I'm working on 8 oz of merino/silk/bamboo blend from All Spun Up.  I finished the first 4 oz this weekend:

Spinning is such a relaxation for me...and for some other members of the house.

And last but not least, this weekend is Stitch and Pitch!  Twins versus some other team.  Can't wait to hang with all my spinning/knitting buddies for a day!!  It'll also most likely be my last baseball game in the Metrodome.  Now that the U of MN Gophers have a new outdoor stadium, and the Twins move to there new outdoor stadium next spring, I won't get to spend much time in the Dome anymore.  I will miss the Dome Dogs.  And not getting badly sunburned or rained on.