Disaster theory

My darling husband teaches society and environment, and he tells me that everytime it comes time to teach a section on man made or natural disasters, one happens. For instance, he's teaching about earthquakes today, and last night there was one in Los Angeles. I think its a coincidence, but maybe not.

Sunday I had my own personal disaster, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Friday night before work, I decided to pull out the spinning wheel and give the new spinning book I bought in Bendigo a chance to teach me something. I had gotten a couple of rovings from a friend at work, and had spun up a bobbin full of the grey. I got out the other color, a sort of brownish orangy color, and spun it up as well. It went fairly well, and for awhile at least, I felt like the spinning wheel and I were working with one another, rather than working against one another as it's often felt in the past. I went to work and took up the spinning again when I got home Saturday morning. I finished an entire bobbin of the stuff, but the book says to let the bobbin "set" overnight to allow the yarn to relax before plying. So I did.

Sunday morning, feeling I needed to keep going while the "spinning mojo" was still with me, I began to ply. Chris had stayed up late to watch the Tour De France, so he was sleeping in and the house was nice and quiet. Plying did not go as well as spinning had done. I kept getting the threads tangled. Every time I needed to change the yarn to a different hook (which is often when plying), I had removed tension on the two singles and kinks and tangles ensued. A couple of times I forgot and let go of the twist all together, which of course meant it ran almost all the way up to the bobbin and 15 minutes of untangling was required.

Finally, after much trial and error, a bobbin full of plyed yarn resulted. And dammit, it looked pretty good.



I was immensely proud of myself, took pictures, and went to brag on Ravelry of my success. I also wanted to look and see if the yarn once again needed to "relax" or it I could skein it more or less immediately. Now that it looked like I was getting somewhere, I was anxious to have some finished product. I also had the idea that, lacking a Niddy Noddy, I could just skein the stuff on my skein winder.

The rest of the story I am now borrowing from a post I made the next day on Ravelry to some encouraging friends. It tells the story well enough, and given the sad nature of the affair, I don't want to retype the trajedy here:

I could find nothing saying I should wait before skeining my yarn, and I couldn’t figure out any reason why I couldn’t use my skein holder for this purpose, so I decided to jump right in with both feet. I brought my Lazy Kate into the study where the umbrella type skein holder is, postitioned them properly, and began winding the yarn on. I noticed right away there were a good many kinks in the yarn, so I held the yarn taught, as I had read somewhere that I should, pulling the kinks out, and kept winding. What I DIDNT notice was that my “umbrella” was closing ever so gradually…probably due to the tension I was putting on the yarn and the tension of the thousands of kinks trying to re-kink themselves…until of course, kinks started showing up in the first part that I had wound on. Of course, they had been wound on when the skein holder was fully open, but now at half mast, they didn’t have any tension on them anymore. I tried to push the umbrella back open, but of course the last few dozen rounds of yarn had been wound when it was smaller, so it wouldn’t go up. Ok, so I try and wind them back off, but then the kinks just started getting out of control, and suddenly everything was a tangled mess. After giving up, untangling and winding the rest at the smaller circumferance, I took my lopsided “skein” off, and all I can really say is that it bore a striking resembalance to a blue and brown unclipped poodle! I’m too embarrassed at the moment to include a picture, but I might start seeing more humour and less mortification in the business in the next few days and put one up on my blog.

I’m thinking I might need to patiently sit down and rewind it all on the bobbin, then reskein using my old arm…then do the wash thing and hang…oh I don’t know…my car maybe…on it to straighten the kinks out. Here’s hoping. As it is, it won’t even do as novelty yarn!

So that's the whole sordid story, and today, finally, I felt brave enough to take a picture of my "yarn poodle".



I had thought to sort and and wind it back on the bobbin today, but I had way more stuff to do, and not the heart to sit thru all those tangles. So, I suppose the poodle will have to "relax" and wait for another day when I feel more courageous.

On a more positive note, yesterday I finished those heel turns on the "Socks Ahoy" project. The Widdershins heels are a cross between the old fashioned heel flap and the short row heel. I searched thru Ravelry forums and found a post that directed me to this blog entry by K2Knits called Revisiting the Widdershins Heel. It literally saved my bacon. The pattern itself is only in one size, and unlike short row heels, there isn't just this easy "knit to the last wrap" thing going on that will adjust to any size. So for my fat feet, I needed adjustments, and the worksheet on her blog was indespensible, given my arithmatic retardation.

Even armed with the numbers, I still procrastinated about a week, rereading things in my spare time to try and get the idea of how it was done in my head. But yesterday, the first day of my two whole days in a row off, I was determined to get into it. The first one went slowly, both because I was being cautious and because I had two socks on the one needle, and I had trouble keeping the sock I wasn't working on out of my way.

So I knit the first sock off onto my new bamboo knit picks needles, and boy did they work a treat. I had never knit socks on bamboo before, and I know some don't like it, but I loved the way the bamboo held on to the slippery sock yarn. I could knit closer to the ends of my needles without worrying as much about dropping a stitch, and all it all it at least "seemed" faster. And the cords seem much more flexible than the Addi's. I'm going to order me some more, in a longer length. The ones I got in Bendigo are 80cm, which is big enough to magic loop a sock, but not two socks at once, which is how I'd much rather do the thing.

So the heel is done, on both socks. I finished them both yesterday, though I admit I didn't get much else done at all. But I'm very very happy with this heel, and I think I will use it again and again. No holes or gaps AT ALL. It's really a nice, clean, good looking heel, and not that hard once you have the tools to resize it and have knit it through to figure out how it works. In fact, I may never use another type of heel ever again! (Ok, I probably will...but it IS a nice heel).



Now, I'm ready to start working on the leg.



Meanwhile, I'm still knitting on the "Peace in the Hood" (CPH) hoodie, but I haven't gotten much done past the last post, so no picture is really necessary. I am working on that now, though, as I'm almost finished with the ribbing on the first sleeve, and would like to establish the pattern so it will be ready to "travel" when I'm back to work again.

Ok folks, that about catches things up. Off to knit now.

Down to the Wire

Well, the house is a shambles, but I think I'm as close as I'm going to get to being ready to go to the Bendigo Sheep and Wool show. The last minute things need shoved into bags tomorrow morning, and we plan to make as hasty an exit as possible, at 9AM tomorrow morning. But first, I must sleep a few hours (a very few, it appears), work 8 hours, drive home, shower, throw the straggling things in the bag, have a ciggy, and then off we go.

The trip, theoretically, is about 6 1/2 hours from here, maybe 7. For me, of course, it's longer. There's the stops so I can wee, and the stops so I can smoke, and the stops so Chris can eat sitting still. He refuses to eat while driving. Fair enough. For the most part, it's me that holds up our traveling progress. But, according to Chris, the world as we know it will cease to exist if we don't arrive at the caravan park before 8pm tomorrow. Yes, I did the math. That would mean we had 11 hours to get there, and even I shouldn't be able to delay things that much, so we should be fine. The worst part, of course, will be before we actually leave the house, watching Chris standing, tapping his foot and scowling while I smoke "One more" cigarette before we leave the house.

I did start the fingerless mittens yesterday, although I was trying to rush and kept flubbing up the cast on. I'm doing them two at once, using the Magic Loop, and casting on is always hard for me when doing two at a time. I don't know what I was doing. I think I started knitting back the way I had just came from or something. I'm not sure, but it was hideous. So I tore it all out and started over, I worked a couple of rows and then did a few more at work last night in my free time. I will work on them a bit more tonight at work, but for all intents and purposes, here they are before the trip:



Now all I have to do is have them finished by Saturday morning. It's certainly do-able, particularly on holiday.

Because I was getting the groundwork done on the smaller projects and doing all the preparations for the trip and such at home, I've only worked on the "Peace in the Hood" cardigan at work lately, and then, of course, not last night because I was working on the mitts. Even so, I'm making some progress. I'm about halfway thru the right front at this point.




The "Socks Ahoy are just about ready for me to start putting in the pattern. I've worked on the toe increases, done numerous calculations, and to the best of my knowledge, I like 4 rows before starting to knit in the "Widdershins" pattern. I like the way the colors are knitting up so far, but it will be interesting to see how they look in pattern.



So, with the exception of any progress I make on the mitts tonight at work, those are my WIP's that are going with me to Bendigo, and how they look when I leave. I wanted this as something of a yardstick with which to measure my progress on each project over the trip. Of course, I fully expect the mitts to be finished, but it will be interesting as a before and after shot of the other two projects.

Well, I'm wilting in my chair right now. My eyes are getting a bit furry, and I have a big day ahead. I should be returning Sunday night, and back online Monday. I will try my best to get a detailed and newsy post up Monday about the trip, along with lots of juicy pictures.

Until then...

Countdown

I'm knocking off yet another post before leaving for Bendigo. My mind is simply whirling with all the preparations. I'm pretty sure there are weddings being held all over the world that required less thought and planning than this 6 day excursion. I started a "Things to take and To Do" list on the computer, and I'm already on my third page.

It's slightly less than three days now until we leave. I have been hemming new pants, scouring patterns and starting projects to take on the road with me. There's an ever growing pile of books and notebooks next to the computer here. Books I MUST have with me...just in case. (Just in case what? I wonder. Just in case I'm lost in the jungles of Victoria and need paper to start a fire with???)

Knitting wise, I have finished the my "Go Go Bendigo" hat made with Bendigo Woolen Mills Alpaca in the Oceania shade. (Stuck to the theme, didn't I?)



It matches well with the Alpaca Jacket I made, both in color and in stitch, and I wore it for a couple of nights to work, but it's a bit scratchy to my forehead, so right now it's taking a soak in some wool wash to soften it up a bit. I'll take it out before leaving for work tonight, and it BETTER be dry in time for the trip. If not, it's coming along wet and can dry at the cabin.

I found a simple pattern on Ravelry for Basic Fingerless Mitts, which I want to make with the rest of the Bendigo DK alpaca before I REALLY need them at the Rav Brekky next Saturday. Pictures and pattern are found here. Trouble is, I haven't even started them yet! I plan on doing that tomorrow, hopefully, but with only 7 days to go, I really need to get crackin.

NOTE TO MOM: You can see pictures of these specifically on that link, but there are many many prettier designs out there. This pattern is the one I found that best matched the stitch pattern on my jacket and the size yarn I have to use for the project. But it is plainer than most. There are some pretty cable ones that Feisty Wench mentioned in a comment on my last posthere that I plan on making for the shoots, or lovely lacy ones here. Of course, there are many many more besides these, and I'll email you more links if you are interested in "browsing" for some.

I've decided on a sock pattern for the boaty "socks ahoy" socks I'm making with the Koolaid dyed Patonyle. It's called Widdershins. After much searching on in my sock pattern books, searching Ravelry pattern browser, and even considering designing some of my own, I finally decided on this pattern I found on Ravelry. It's ropey design seems "boaty" enough, and it looks like a fun, but not TOO complicated knit. However, the size on the pattern is too small for my chubby feet, so I'm going to have to add knit stitches along the sides (at least four..perhaps more..I'll see as I go) Still, they are quite pretty.

I have them cast on, and have now almost finished my increases at the toe. It should be a fun knit, and a good "traveling" knit.

My other active WIP, the "Peace in the Hood" hoodie/cardi has been going to work with me. It has been seeing fairly slow but steady progress, and I'm now about halfway up the right front. I imagine I will start on sleeves during the trip, unless I get too fully into the socks. Who knows. No pressure, at any rate.

Well, this post was more words and links than pictures, but I'm rather waiting until the last minute (probably Monday morning, as Monday afternoon I'm sleeping, Monday night I'm working, and Tuesday morning at 0900 we are leaving) to take pictures of my WIPs. Then it will be easier to judge any knitting progress made during the trip.

That's the plan anyway. If nothing upsets my applecart, I'll post the final "Pre-Bendigo" post Monday morning.

Preparing for the best

Again, I've neglected my blog. Work has been more or less exhausting, and...shock and awe...I've actually been doing some knitting.

After the historic fix (mentioned in my last post)I went on to finish the back of the "Peace in the Hood" cardigan. In all honesty, you can't really tell where the fix was, unless you look very carefully, and I'm still feeling rather proud of myself over that bit of magic. I'm confident now that whatever little evidence of the fix is still visible, it will be virtually unnoticable once I block.



Once I finished the back, I moved on to the left side. It went pretty quick, being naturally half the size of the back. There will be a button band added to each side peice, although I suppose I need to read ahead on the pattern and figure out exactly how that will be knitted on, as there are some odd saved stitches next to where the button band goes that I don't quite get.



I've got a workmate who asked me quite some time ago if I would make her a hat. I told her sure. She kept saying she would buy some yarn, but never got around to it, so she finally asked me if I would get her some, in a cream sort of color. I told her I could probably "suffer" thru a shop for yarn, so I stopped by Spotlight on my way home from work and bought some Basics Entwine. It's reasonably priced, 50% wool, 30% acrylic and 20% alpaca. She specifically asked for warmth, so some alpaca content seemed a good idea.

She wanted a simple rib hat with a fold up edge, so I looked on Ravelry and found a nice hat pattern called "Noodle Cozy", a rib hat knit in the round. It only took me a couple of days to make, and turned out quite nicely. I took this picture of her this morning before coming home. She wore it in to work this morning, and is quite happy with her new "boggen".



After this, I started knitting the right side of my Peace in the Hood cardi, and got most of the way thru the ribbing:



Then I decided I needed another hat, one that matched my alpaca jacket. I made the alpaca jacket with two different colors of Bendigo Woolen Mills alpaca, Pistachio (a light green) and oceania (a seaish blue with green specks). I still had some of the Oceania left, so I'm now knitting away on a hat for myself in that color. It's about 1/3 done, and I'm calling it "Go Go Bendigo".




Next week I'm leaving for Bendigo, for the Sheep and Wool Show and the Ravelry breakfast get together, which is in the park at 8:30 in the morning, midwinter, and bound to be terribly cold. Thus the need for the matching hat. Originally, that's what I made the "Copper Topper" hat for, but it doesn't cover my ears well, and this pattern and yarn will match the jacket much better. If I finish this soon enough, and I feel froggy, I might use the last of the Oceania alpaca to knit me some mittens, or fingerless mitts. We'll see.

I'm so excited about my upcoming woolie holiday! Only 9 days away now! I'm already doing some preparations, digging thru patterns and writing down the amounts/meterage I might need for this or that. The last time I went to Bendigo and visited the woolen mills, I went in rather blind, with no idea of what I wanted to make, much less how much wool I would need. It worked out in the end, but only after careful pattern searching...trying to find patterns to match the amounts I had, rather than the other way around.

This time, with the wool show and the woolen mills on the agenda, I'm NOT going to go unprepared. Hubby is already discussing "taking the trailer to haul all the wool back in". I love the way that man thinks!

I've also cast on a pair of socks with the white Patonyle that I splash dyed with red koolaid, creating a white with red blotches effect.



I've always planned on that lot to go for some socks that would match my favorite summer boating outfit, so that's the plan. I'm doing them two at a time using the magic loop method. I wanted to get them cast on, as I still have trouble with the provisional cast on, and didn't want to be attempting that while on the road. And I wanted a small project to work on during my travels, so of course, socks are the best. I haven't quite decided on a pattern yet, but something fairly simple I reckon, to make for easy travel knitting. Besides, they are to wear on the boat. Anything too lacy or intricately stitched would look silly.

Ahhh, but back to the Bendigo trip. I'm super excited about the breakfast as well! I wish I'd had more time to spend on Ravelry lately, but it will be so great to catch up with some of the folks I have met on there. There's a few I will be particularly glad to see! I suppose I'm a bit nervous too. While I know everyone in "internet land", that's not quite the same as having met face to face, so I revert back to high school and wonder "Will they like me?" Silly me, but that's the way of it.

But anticipation and "saving" for Bendigo did not completely keep me from buying any "stash" in the past couple of weeks, but I did limit it to one small purchase. My LYS here in MB had Sirdar Ultra Denim Tweed at half price. It's a blue denim colored cotton/wool blend. She had 3 balls left, so of course I got them all. It's super bulky stuff and will be great for whipping up quick easy Christmas presents. Or that's my excuse anyway.



After the Bendigo trip, I plan to start working on some Christmas gifts in earnest. Yes mom, that means your jumper, among other things. It may mean I have to hibernate, or simi-hibernate, a couple of my WIPs, but that's ok. I'll still keep the "Peace in the Hood" on the needles, but it's all for me at any rate, so there's no deadline. And I should have lots of time to work on the "Socks Ahoy" and the "Peace in the Hood" over this holiday. Yippee!

I will try my best to make one more blog entry before leaving for Bendigo, although it might be short one. But when I get back from Bendigo, I want to dedicate the entire first post to my woolie holiday, so I want all the loose ends tied up in advance.

Till then...