Clogs

Last year, I made a bunch of Clogs, nice felted slippers.  I never showed off the last couple, because I was going to do a small how-I-did-it on them.  I made another pair this year, so I will finally show my felting process and the FOs that I've felted, or more correctly, fulled, in my cold water only front-loading washer/dryer.

First off, I dunked them in the sink, in hot water, so that the temperature change would help to kickstart the felting process.  My washer has only cold water.  I found that this step wasn't really necessary with later clogs.

Next up, toss in the clogs.  Preferably with towels and/or jeans, items that are somewhat rough that will help the process along.

Ooooh, a closeup of my high-tech washer/dryer interface!  I set the wash and rinse cycles for as long as they'd go, to give the machine more time.  I found that this isn't totally necessary, just tossing the clogs in for two or three full wash/dry cycles works as well.  Before/after shots:

Pattern: Fiber Trends Clogs (Rav)
Size: Men's L
Yarn: Japanese wool in black and blue
Needles: US13

Timeframe: January 2 - 5, 2011
Mods: Used Judy's Magic Cast-On for the soles.
Problems: I doubled instead of tripled the slightly thinner Japanese yarn for this one and it felted a bit more than I wanted.  Bah!

Pattern: Fiber Trends Clogs (Rav)
Size: Men's L
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool, Taupe and Japanese wool in white, with a bit of leftover pink on the middle sole due to running out.
Needles: US13

Timeframe: January 22 - March 14, 2010
Mods: Used Judy's Magic Cast-On for the soles, knit a third sole for extra warmth.
Problems: None!

Pattern: Fiber Trends Clogs (Rav)
Size: Women's L
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool, Taupe and Red from stash
Needles: US13

Timeframe: January 6 - March 14, 2010
Mods: Used Judy's Magic Cast-On for the soles, knit a third sole for extra warmth.
Problems: None!

I also made felted panhandles using the same methodology for my all-metal pans, my little crepes pan (mmmm, crepes) and my large skull-splitting cast iron pan.  It's annoying if you're using it for awhile and have to keep checking the handle before grabbing it, even worse when you forget to check and really, really should have.

I could have made the handles smaller, in fact, I really should have looked around for the free patterns I now know are out there.  They're a bit larger than they should be.  Still fully usable, but would be nicer if they were more form-fitting.

Pattern: Nonexistent (Rav)

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Fern, leftovers from Rogue

Needles: US9/5.5mm

Timeframe: December 25, 2010
Mods: No pattern, so none!
Problems: Still a bit big - but oh well, they'll do.

Nuno Felting

I've become somewhat enamored with Nuno felting.  After making the wraps this past summer and realizing how quickly they can be made (and already having a good assortment of roving to choose from), I decided to make scarves for Christmas for various relatives.  I soon learned that while the Corriedale wool felted amazingly and quickly, the other wools that I have were not the best for felting, even if they are awesome colors.  I suppose it could also have been something to do with the quality of the silk, not being as airy and open as the silk used for the wraps too.

When I made the wraps over the summer, I posted a bit of a tutorial on how I made them.  I got some finished 8"x54" scarves from Dharma Trading and invited the local crafters to come and learn how to Nuno felt and kick off my Christmas felting frenzy.  We all followed the same instructions, and I really have nothing to add or change about them, except that when doing the scarves one at a time, since they're so much smaller than the wraps, rolling the bubble wrap up around a wine bottle to roll around works well.  I mostly made them two at a time though, and rolling them up with a bottle is not so good then.  I made eight scarves for family this year.  Eight!  While it is a heck of a lot faster and easier than knitting them, it does take a bit of a toll on the wrists, and these take quite a bit of rolling before they are adequately felted.

Each scarf only took a couple of hours to felt, so they all took an afternoon and only the couple with the extra yarn needle felted on them took extra time.  I needle felted the yarn on afterward instead of adding it into the felting, which you can do, because it just didn't look finished when I was done with the Nuno part.  I let the yarn curl around however it wanted to, helping it out a bit here and there, but not really designing it myself.  I like how it looks needle felted on afterward as opposed to being a part of the laminate.

For the designing process, the first few were not really designed.  I slapped the wool onto the center of the scarf in varying directions and felted it that way.  I like the fan motifs, as you can see from the white wraps, so I did one of those next.  The rest of them were mostly based on ideas from my fellow felters, as they were in general more artsy than I.  The fringe along the edge of the scarf was more from knit scarves I've seen, and I thought it might work well.  I like it, and the recipient does too.  The squares were a motif placed by a friend, and I liked it so much I used it as well, and made one for me afterward.  The large "X" motif was also inspired by a friend.

For closeups, see Flickr

All in all, I really hope that the recipients enjoy their artsy scarves.  They're 100% wool around a base of 100% silk, and actually quite soft and surprisingly warm.  I don't consider them to be great works of art, but then again, I am not an artist so these are pretty gosh darn good for a layperson who hasn't studied art since eighth grade.

Deer in the Headlights - that's me!

March

For this month, I changed the Y axis to give a better look at the data points.  For March, I have two data points, one right under the other.  The lower point is without the Knit Picks order of Christmas yarn.  The lower point does include the skeins of Cascade Heritage and Malabrigo Rios, though not the Patons Classic Wool from the US I got in addition to the Knit Picks order, which is why it's not lower than the prior data point.  Houston, we may have a problem.  39.4 miles of problem.  Lee says this is the saddest graph ever, since the desired trend is in fact opposite to what is going on here.  Spectacularly so for that last data point.  As long as it all gets knit up for Christmas, it won't be that bad.  Right.  Right?

Once I finish this major blanket, which is s      l             o                  w going, I'm sure I'll bust out a bunch of projects.  Or at least start a lot of them I have yarn for!  I'm limiting myself to that and a traveling project for the time being.  I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to keep that up until it's finished, but I'll go for as long as possible!

Absinthe, Finished!

I love these socks!  This is the first pair of shorter cuffed socks I've made, shorter due to yarn quantity in this case.  I'll probably make a pair of short-cuffed something else after I finish with Rhiannon, as there should be enough leftovers for a small pair.  Sadly, wearing these with my Danskos seems to give them some permanent black marks.  Only on the toe though, so not a major problem, but still, sad.  They also pill due to fiber content, but I knew that going in.  I still love them to bits!

Pattern: Absinthe (Ravely)
Yarn: Abstract Fibre Sock Club, Cyrus base

Needles: US1.5/2.5mm
Timeframe: June 30, 2009 - February 28, 2011
Mods: Heel.  I started the gusset earlier due to my larger instep, after doin' it rong the first time.

Problems: Just the heel issue.  Stupid high instep.  Oh and I suppose the cuff problems, though I am glad with how it turned out.

Socks!  Now to continue in my quest for a fully handknit sock drawer with Rhiannon.

February Tally

Well, I didn't get anything done for the 12 in 2012 stash knitting group.  I did get one done for the LSG11ty group, which surprised me, but I also didn't get any done for Christmas knitting.  Instead, I knit nearly a mile on two projects from my stash that I'll probably finish in March, and a bit on my blanket.  However, my abysmal yarn total for this month (tallying the yarn I've used up) is mostly due to the fact that I really, really, really wanted to cross stitch, so I did.

When things get frustrating and crazy, I gravitate to cross stitch.  The methodical nature of it, the fact that it's something you have to pay attention to but isn't technically difficult, and the way the design just kind of appears on the fabric, especially once you add the backstitching, really calls to me when I need a calming distraction.  A lot of knitting just doesn't do that.  I think a fairly simple sock in some amazing variegated colorway might give a good bit of the same soothing relief, but I'd probably autopilot it while reading or watching a movie, rather than being enthralled with the colors.  I very much enjoy watching the yarn colors change, stitch by stitch, but it isn't something that grabs me and makes me sit down and concentrate like counting the stitches on the plain background does.  I usually have to be already relaxed to enjoy it, rather than using it as a relaxation technique.  Any knitting that makes me sit down and pay attention the way cross stitching does is likely to be a somewhat difficult and will add to, rather than subtract from, the blood pressure level.

So I stitched, and finished three ornaments.  Well, mostly - I still need to glue on a pretty paper backing and cut them out.  I was getting worried about catching the edges of the perforated paper and wanted to start cutting out the completed ones so I didn't royally screw them up, but the paper became more friendly the longer I worked with it.  Three (just about) down, 15 to go, three of which will be easily finished next time I pick it up.

For now, I'll be frantically trying to finish my socks so I can wear them and the lace so I can send it off when I'm in the US (and pay less than an arm and a leg for shipping).  Sadly, the probably over 3 miles I'll be subtracting from the stash in March by finishing these and the in-progress Christmas scarf will be lessened if not negated by the Christmas Knit Picks order soon to be added.  If only the embroidery floss was counted in my stash...actually, it's a good thing it's not - I'm sure I'd at least double the mileage, probably more if I counted each strand separately!

Right now, I have barely over 35 miles of yarn.  I went back and figured out what I had at the beginning of August to give me another data point in that long stretch between January and October.  I only finished the Aran Afghan between August and October, so I subtracted the yarn I brought back from the US and added all the skeins of blanket yarn to the October numbers.  I did the same but left in all the yarn I got in the US to get a September number.  I used just under three miles of yarn for that blanket - and my yarn total still went up!

Absinthe

I started knitting Absinthe way back in July of 2009, on a summer trip to Bali.  It was a great trip, and these socks should have been a nice, fast, appropriate vacation knit.  However, I have a fairly high instep. My heel flaps tend to be longer than most patterns call for (except Hedera) and short row heels do not work for me, so toe-up socks are typically not my cup of tea.  This pattern was just so gorgeous, and the yarn I had so perfect for it, that I had to knit it anyway!

After my first attempt, I ripped back, re-figured what should be where (check out Ravelry for knitting details), and then put them down when other projects were new! shiny! and needing the same needles.  After the Rhiannon annoyance and before ordering more yarn, I wanted a different traveling project for a few days so I could decide what to do.  Instead of starting a new project (always a draw) I chose to grab something from the WIP pile to plod towards the goal of using my yarn.

The first sock went pretty quickly, being halfway through the foot chart, and took a bit to figure out what to do with the cuff.  A cabled I-cord looked great, but even going up a full millimeter in needles didn't allow the sock to go over my instep, and larger needles would make it start to look ridiculous.  I suppose I could do some extra I-cord rows that don't knit with a leg stitch to increase the circumference, but I decided to stop playing with I-cord and did 1/2" of 2x2 ribbing as called for in the pattern.  The cabled edge looked great though:

One sock down, I went to check my stash to see how much I'd be using if I were to finish the pair this month.  300 yards, not bad.  300 yards, if I'd put that yarn into my stash instead of putting it into the project page only.  D'oh!  I realized I did the same thing with the other skein of Wild Fire Fibers Cyrus (for Blooming), put it directly into the project it was used for and never entered it when I was putting my stash into Ravelry as it was in the WIP basket, not on the shelves.  I've added it into my stash totals, bringing the total up another nearly half mile to just under 35.5 miles, and with the additional Cascade Heritage, the Rios I purchased along with it, and the Knit Picks Christmas order waiting for me in March, I think my goal may just be to get it below 30 miles before leaving Japan!

Rhiannon WIP

So.  I'm working on the gorgeous Rhiannon socks.  I'm pleased with my progress; getting them done by March 9 (finishing on the plane ride) seems to be perfectly reasonable.  I'm done with the cuff of the first one, have the pattern for the leg all set up and am nearly two inches into it.  Except.  The yarn...there seems to be roughly one average sock (6" leg) left in the first skein.  I am only 2" below my knee for a top-down sock.  Something is not right.

Check Ravelry - yeah, the maximum yarn called for is only about 50 yards more than I have, and I'm knitting the middle calf size, so it should not be a problem!  I have checked this before to make sure my two skeins, originally for German Stockings, would be enough.  I checked some specific projects using Cascade Heritage, the same yarn I'm using.

They all used a third skein.

Crap.

Here's an idea - check the PATTERN.  Oh crap.  Minimum yarn is about 50 yards more than I have, and I am definitely not knitting the smallest possible sizes!

Thankfully, I've got another skein coming in, and I can start the second and stripe the legs with the new skein for both socks if the dyelot is off.  Still hoping to wear these in March, but we'll see when the yarn gets here.