old book

Just digging through my various library resources for spinning books and found this treasure.

 It is an oldie. I can't believe they let me check it out...

Good reading.

the first fiber

Moving house unearthed some hidden treasures. I discovered not only exactly how much fiber I've hoarded (a lot), but also the first fleeces that got me into spinning.

During a road trip down the Oregon coast many years ago, we ran across a "wool factory" and had to stop. The store assistant was very nice and spent a good 45 minutes explaining how to clean and card the wool she was selling me. I had NO idea what I was doing, but took home a pound of Romney, a pound of Friesian, a drop spindle and some lavender oil.

I don't remember doing that much, but I cleaned, carded and spun 148 yards of Romney over the next few months. It is rough wool; not something you want directly on your skin. And super bulky.

It was my gateway drug into spinning more seriously. The only problem: what to do with this yarn? Can't quite decide what would be an appropriate project... all ideas welcome.

easy yoga mat strap

This pattern is so easy, it is not really a pattern.

First, you knit a strip of garter stitch in a feltable, 100% wool. I chose some spare black wool we had in our stash. I think I made it 25 stitches wide on size 7 needles and knit 75% of the skein. Then felt it. Results will vary, but it shrinks a lot. My finished strip was 2.5" wide and 56" long.

Then sew loops into the ends. I had to make my own because I couldn't find anything at the crafts store that was wider than 1".

Pull the loops through and insert yoga mat.

Easy.

UPDATE! May 23:
Of course, the strap stretched out after a few uses. So I doubled a portion and sewed it together- makes a bit of a padded section for my shoulder. I recommend this if your strap stretches, too.

summer goals

Feeling ready for summer, so thought I'd do some summer goal setting. Here we go:

#1- more outdoor time. With cancer-lockdown over, Taters and I hope to go hiking 3-5 times/week. Also big weekend hikes and camping trips. And- dare I say it- maybe a backpacking trip?

#2- run for fun, no goal races. I have a half marathon in October, but until I need to start training for that, only aimless meandering.

#3- be more productive. This is two-fold. I hope to have more patterns to share (some free!) and do some more knitting-in-real-life activities (fiber fests, fair demonstrations, etc.). Basically, get out of the house and interact with the world a little more...

#4- focus on relaxation. Maybe this means getting into meditation, maybe just trying to de-stress more. But practically, I think it'll be a foot massage and two restorative yoga classes every week. Plus gardening, pool time, reading, petting the Tots. All the cancer stuff over the last few months really heightened my anxieties and stress levels. Time to let that go...

So that's the hopes. Anybody got some summer goals they'd like to share, too?

new, new, new

If you are a keen observer, you'll notice that there's been a small gap in postings. But we're back with lots of new things:

1. New place! Yepppppp, we bit the bullet and bought a place. Since we live in the Bay Area, I'll understand if you scoff and declare me insane. Kinda feels like we are... But boxes are mostly unpacked and I've resumed knitting.

new rug suits the Tots

2. Lots of new fiber. Between Stitches West, fiber guild and a generous friend, I'm up to my eyeballs in fiber to spin. I only really noticed how big the stash got when I had to pack for the move...

3. New health status. You can now call us Kate + Tatum + Remission.

That's it for now. Will be back with pretty pictures of yarn (and Tatum) soon.

Bye!

Hog Island Fleece

Now that I'm equipped with my Pollywog, I've been spinning up a storm, getting to know the wide world of fibers. My spinners' guild is also doing a rare breed study, so I have a bunch of fiber samples stockpiled and begging to be spun.

To start with, I dug into some Hog Island roving that I picked up at last year's Lambtown. I mostly nabbed it because it was sized and priced right, but I was thrilled to get home and discover it is a feral breed.

According to the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook, there are so few Hog Island sheep left that characterizing their wool is difficult. Hog Island is off the coast of Virginia and the flocks went feral after storms drove away the human population. They were then removed in the 1970s and are sustained at historic sites or by private farms. Hog Island sheep developed the ability to shed their wool (so cool!) although they are sheared these days. There are so few left, Hog Island sheep are a critical conservation breed.

Romney on left, Hog Island on right

The fiber is high in lanolin and too coarse to be directly on the skin, but otherwise keeps air well for sturdy garments. The Sourcebook says the greatest challenge with this fleece is fiber length, which I agree with; it was tough to avoid breaks. My sample had some naps and inconsistencies, too. It's recommended to keep singles spun fine, so I plied it with Romney to beef up the yarn.

All in all, it was fun to try a new and rare breed, but I won't be reaching for Hog Island fleece often. Now to figure out what to do with this yarn...

Bridesmaid Shrug

We've been on the East Coast for a wedding this past week. Despite some reticence about being a bridesmaid, I ended up having a great time and loved the dress I wore.

At Stitches West, I got the yarn to make a shrug that matched the dress. It took several hours, but I found a match, with a slight purple sheen to it. (Purple = favorite, favorite color.)

For the pattern, I used Madder's Maeve, which I've made before. The pattern calls for a 12 inch color, which I found to be too much, so I only made it 6 inches long. 

I think it made and excellent addition to my bridesmaid outfit (and it garnered several compliments), but the most important part is that it covered up all my California winter tan lines. Ha.

Also, this was the first time I got fancy dressed and went out, meeting new strangers, with my neck showing. Thanks to a wonderfully kind make-up artist, my necklace strategically covers my scar and she glued it into place with eyelash glue. I was more confident because of it.