The Farmette Report

Squares and rectangles

I dutifully started this post waaaaaay back when, but the effects of a long week, a fun time at Knit Night, and then the beginning of feeling yucky for too long took me out of the game before I could finish the post. After that the unfinished post simply got buried. Some people have unfinished objects, I have unfinished posts. But I do want to get this one up so that I can proceed with some overdue knitting-related posts that build off of this one....

Here's a quick tour of my first year of knitting:

With the arrival of twin nieces in March '05, a pair of baby blankets seemed in order, but first I would need to learn how to knit. And I would have to get over my wool allergy. Yikes! It seemed to make more sense to start out with baby-proof, hypo-allergenic acrylic yarn than to splurge on yarn that would likely prove to challenging for sensitive auntie and babies alike. I went down the Pound of Love road and became something of an Acrylic Queen for a few months:

Being a somewhat dyslexic self-taught knitter, it turns out I was knitting into the backs of stitches when I made those blankets. And I think I was messing up the purl stitches, too, but what did I know? At least it didn't stop me from trying. I knit some scarves and a couple of baby sweaters. Another baby blanket (not posted yet). A basket weave lap throw in more cheesy acrylic (definitely not posted yet). Some cotton dishcloths - too well-used to post now - but perhaps the subject of a future post will involve the practical, everyday dishcloth.

When we decided to drive up to Maine for vacation in August, it was time to pick a special project. One of Keith's favorite places in the world is Otter Cove on Mount Desert Island. I wanted to knit a special scarf that would remind him of Otter Cove, its sea tang, exposed cliffs, granite shores, and colors and shapes that are often muted by sea fog. For the yarn, I chose Noro Kureyon in - natch - one of the manliest of colorways (brown/gray/taupe). Keith is not one for stripes or variegated yarns, but it helped enormously that the Noro colorway echoed the colors of our two mini donkeys. More on the simple 2x2 rib Otter Cove scarf later, but here is a pic from when it was still on the needles - and back from its travels in Maine:

While we were on vacation, I picked up a copy of Odd Ball Knitting by Barbara Albright and was taken in by the pattern for a scarf called Bamboo Rib. The pictured yarn was silk, a little pricey for my budget. Never mind that the point of the book is to help you use up the odds and ends that are already in your yarn stash, I went looking for something that would have the desired drape and a pleasing sheen, and ended up picking up a couple of balls of Berroco's Softwist in Twine from my local yarn shop. Here is the scarf when it was still on the needles last fall:

The hand-off

Without much warning, the CEO of the health center where I work had to change her plans and I and another executive ended up attending a policy and issues conference in Washington, DC, in her place. Which meant that I spent a good amount of Sunday afternoon and evening learning how to speak with our congressional representatives about funding reauthorizations and appropriations and other policy issues involving community health centers. Learning advocacy was fun. Really.

The downside (other than the obvious one of being away from husband and donkeys) was that I did not pack a laptop. Oh, sure, the conference organizers had set up Internet stations for the attendees to use during breaks - complete with long lines of people and screens that were situated so as to offer absolutely no privacy to the user. Ick. That wasn't how I wanted to use the limited amount of time available between workshops.  Therefore, I did not have Internet access for almost three days.

That worked out just fine for me. What I wanted to do at the end of that first day was to decompress with a low-tech pursuit and temporarily get the bureaucratic acronyms out of my head. Sunday evening was my chance to kick back in a comfy armchair in my hotel room, light a scented candle, listen to Glenn Gould on my iPod, drink a cup of tea and knit. Perfect!

The next day brought more workshops and little time for anything else. Keith and I had planned to have dinner together, and he almost got wet feet at the last minute because he had been running errands with his pickup truck and felt a little self-conscious about pulling up to the Washington Hilton in a vehicle we affectionately refer to as Ol' Paint. Heck, I rationalized to Keith, most community health centers are in rural areas, so a pickup will be like old home to most of the attendees and will give the rest of the folks at the Hilton something to talk about.

That settled that. We enjoyed a casual supper while chatting about the places in DC that we used to frequent when we began dating each other nearly twenty years ago. Twenty years! It doesn't feel nearly that long.

Because I would be visiting the offices of a congressional representative and two senators the next day, we agreed to make an early night of it. He had a loaded-down truck and some animals at home waiting for their supper, so there was, sadly, not much question of sharing the hospitality of my $300 a night hotel room with him. Instead, we had our dinner date, and then he drove me back to "my" place where he kissed me good night.

"Oh!" he said, as I started to open the truck door. He grinned as he reached into his jacket pocket, adding, "I didn't forget." Then he pressed a new ball of white merino wool into my hand.

It was for the project I had brought with me to work on in spare moments; I had finished up the first small ball of wool before supper. I started the new ball that night and brought the project with me to Capital Hill the next day. Now I'll be able to tell my sister-in-law that part of her baby blanket was knit in the halls of the Hart senate office building.

Knit night

Friday the 13th. A full moon. Knit night!

The week started out with our Internet connection crapping out on us repeatedly, requiring a visit from the "cable guy." And work was entirely too intense and political and headachey. But there's nothing like the prospect of an evening of knitting with some cool folks to get one through all that.

Tons of people showed up. At least it felt that way because the room filled up so quickly and the conversation was so lively. There were - get this - thirteen of us there! All female. The ages ranged from 6 years (she was serving more in the capacity of knitting coach, but her 9 year old sister was knitting like a champ) to... let's just say that there was more than one grandmother in attendance. We should have all gone outside and danced under the moon - just because - not that the moon is showing itself as much tonight as it did last night or even this morning when it was so wonderfully glowy and beautiful outside.

This was only my second knit night. My second time ever knitting in front of other people and seeing other people knitting and talking technique and showing off projects without requiring an Internet connection. I got to show off a finished project and another in progress. I will post about those tonight, but first we must deal with Jerry's burning question about yarn: why does the stuff come in skeins instead of balls ready for use?!

I'd love to hear what more experienced fiber-folk have to say about this, but I'm willing to take a guess or two. For starters, I think it has to do with knowing what you're getting. Example: some months back, I purchased a quantity of red cotton yarn off eBay. At first glance, the box filled with skeins looked fine (as it had in the photograph), but as I unpacked it, it became clear that the yarn had been stored and neglected for quite some time. It is flecked with dust and crud. It is possible that something nested in it for a while. With it in skeins, I can inspect it very closely. I can wash it and let it dry. You can't wash yarn in balls and you don't know what's in the center of a ball unless you unwind it.

In Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee writes about a moth infestation of her beloved stash. She details every step she took to rid her stash of the minuscule menace - and let's just say that was a lot of inspecting of skeins and unwinding and rewinding of balls of yarn. Freezing and microwaving, and drop cloths were involved, too, as was lots of cursing. All completely understandable, especially the cursing.

I'm also wondering if skeins are traditional because wool is often sold by weight, and with skeins it is easier to see you are getting yarn and nothing but yarn.

I think I also read that some people use yarn for something other than knitting, but that could just be an ugly rumor.

Now, on to some actual gosh-darn finished objects from last year. It's the next post, and I'm typing it up right... now.

Busted

I was in the kitchen the other night, cozily knitting or cooking or something, and listening to the radio and feeling pretty good, when Keith came down the stairs with this funny look on his face. "Hey," he said. "I was poking around upstairs and... you know what? You have a lot of yarn. A lot. Did you know you have two trunks of yarn up there?"

My first thought was: Huh? He's poking around in my stash?! Then I realized that if he thinks I only have two trunks of yarn, then he didn't find it all. But the sad truth was: I was busted.

Then I had to laugh - here I am in my forties worried about being busted by the discovery of my stash!*

Now whenever he sees me on the computer he ribs me: "Whatcha doing? Buying more yarn? That's the yarn that's going to put you over the top, right?"

Coming soon: what's off the needles, what's on the needles, and the yarn that put me over the top.

* And I can't have been the first knitter to make this bad joke, yet I still couldn't resist.

Baby bib pullover

My second baby sweater is complete! This one is the "Bulky Baby Bibbed Pullover" from The Domestic Sphere (scroll down, you'll see it), only I knit it with Coats and Clark's TLC Cotton Plus which is a worsted weight cotton/acrylic blend, not a bulky yarn, so I had to do some calculating to make it work. It took less than two skeins of the yarn - it looks like there should be enough left for another hat. The original is in garter stitch, but I knit this in stockinette with a seed stitch bottom border, cuffs, and bib panel cuz I am a complete sucker for seed stitch on baby clothes. This is what it looked like after it was knit up, but before it was finished . The hat is from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson. This was my first time knitting with DPNS - and I can't believe how easy and quick this hat was! But here's a hint if you decide to adjust the pattern to fit your yarn's weight and gauge: make sure you end up with an even number of eyelets to thread the I-cord through! (Good thing nobody had to tell me that, cough cough.)

Other firsts for this project: first time knitting an object with "moving parts" (that grafted on bib), first time making an I-cord, first time knitting a garment with buttons and button-holes. The above photo shows the sweater before being blocked. Contrary to how it looks, the bib is actually centered in the piece. This project has really boosted my newbie knitting confidence level, and I may soon feel ready to try out better yarns and bigger projects.

This ensemble is a gift for a co-worker friend and his wife who are expecting their second child this month.

By the way, Kristi Porter, the designer of this baby sweater, is also the designer of Haiku, a baby sweater pattern that definitely has my attention even if the bib sweater edged it out of the queue.

First sweater, baby!

Woo hoo! I finished my first knitted object that isn't a square, oblong, or triangle! After reading a number of knitting books and patterns, I was finally able to mentally get my arms around the mechanics of a simple knit sweater (yeah, I'm a slow learner), and so it was time to try my hand at one. Being the risk averse person that I am, a baby sweater seemed the best place to start for quick gratification:

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(Hmmm, looks like it could stand some more blocking.) The sweater is adapted from the Baby Kimono pattern in the Summer 2005 issue of Interweave Knits. The original pattern is all garter stitch, but I wanted to try stockinette stitch with a seed stitch border. I also used Bernat's Handicrafter worsted weight cotton yarn (the photo makes it look pink, but it's actually peach), which knits to a different gauge than the Rowan Wool Cotton recommended in the pattern. I re-jiggered the pattern to adjust to my gauge by simply converting the original number of stitches into inches, then multiplying the result by my number of stitches per inch. Also, the sleeves looked a little short to me, so I added another four stitches (about 4/5ths of an inch).

Other firsts with this project: first piece in stockinette, first time using cable cast-on, first time using stitch holders, first three-needle bind-off, first time sewing pieces of knitting together.

It was so much fun - I'm ready to knit another!

Coolest stitch markers ever!

Some months back, I started picking up a few knitting related odds and ends on eBay - things like knitting needles, a stitch counter, a needle case, and some stitch markers. (I won't go into all the yarn I bought!) I discovered that I kept doing business with one purveyor in particular who sold handcrafted markers and needles, and during our correspondence I happened to ask Claudia of The Silver Goose, if she might be able to make some special stitch markers for me: donkey stitch markers.

No problem for Claudia! She went out and sourced some absolutely wonderful little pewter charms and offered to make up a batch of markers with a colored glass bead to serve as an accent. I chose red beads because the donkeys live in a red barn, natch. I also asked for hook-style markers instead of closed loops so that I could more readily put the markers on and off the needles. Claudia couldn't have been more accommodating. She quoted me a very reasonable price.

I've had the markers for months now, and adore them, but have never given Claudia the props she deserves. Because my camera can't take detailed close-ups, here is the detailed image that Claudia sent me when she first found the donkey charms:

 

What a noble, long-eared beast! This charm really captures the essential traits of "donkey" without being kitschy or cloying. Perfect!

Here is a shot of a stitch marker in action:

I can't tell you how much I enjoy seeing these little donkeys while I knit. If you have a passion that you would like to incorporate into your knitting (llamas? motorcycles?), or you have a friend deserving of an especially memorable gift, and you aren't up to the DIY hassles, I highly recommend The Silver Goose.

Back from the festival

Oh. My. Gawd. I was so not worthy of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. There were endless booths like this:

Booth after booth, building after building. The choices were overwhelming to this newbie. I... I ended up not buying any yarn. That's right: none. That's partly because of so much to choose from and partly because I have a trunkful of yarn stash as it is and no specific new project in mind that isn't already in the stash. I did have my eye out for a special thick and thin yarn, but didn't see any in a colorway that appealed to me.

I do appreciate that vendors have to pay for their booths and go to considerable trouble and expense to participate in the fair, so I supported them in other ways. Among my purchases: a CD of music from the festival, a sheep Christmas tree ornament, honey - produced by one silk-screener's husband, a toy donkey, and bars of hand-made soap. That's pretty small-scale, but I picked up a vendor directory (almost as big as my local phone directory) and will be visiting vendors online. Also, the festival will open an online store on May 15.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a T-Shirt or tote bag with this year's cool festival logo; they had all sold out yesterday.

As much as I was looking forward to seeing all the yarns and fibers, the real reason I went to the festival was this:

The sheepdog demonstration. Those border collies did an amazing job moving the sheep where directed - and they did it under difficult circumstances: it was sunny and hot, and they had to work on sharp crushed gravel (it was a horse ring), instead of grass or dirt.

There were also plenty of sheep to ogle. This is a Leicester sheep. Gorgeous, isn't she? (I think it's a she, but I forgot to look. The rams seemed to be at the other end of the tent.)

There was also this reminder of another aspect to raising sheep:

Makes me glad I don't eat meat!

All in all, it was a fantastic event. I plan on going back - better prepared - next year.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

This weekend: the 32nd Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

It's free. It's only an hour away. Oh, but I have sooo much work to do around the house. Did I mention the sheep dog trials? Did I mention that festival admission is free?

Red scarves

Before signing on to the Red Scarf Project, I had recently completed another scarf for myself. It's red, but not exactly red enough to qualify as "good luck" red. And it was fun to make, my first time doing yarn overs and drop stitches and knitting with ribbon yarn.

The pattern is from Candi Jensen's Knit Scarves! and the yarn is Tartlette from Knit One Crochet Too in Velvet Rose - exactly the color and type of ribbon yarn used in the book, but I used it only because I stumbled across a good deal for it on eBay.

I really need to learn how to photograph knitting projects. Oh, and I need to learn how to knit better, too. I'm still plagued by uneven tension and by binding off much tighter than I cast on. Nonetheless the scarf turned out really cushy and springy and fun to wear. Doubled up like this, it provides just enough warmth on a not too cold winter's day. And it can be left on and worn like jewelry.

As for the Red Scarf Project scarf, that one's finished, too!

I knit a red neckerchief based on a design from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Halverson. Beyond being relatively quick and easy (necessary for this newbie to be able to stick to her commitment), I chose the pattern for several reasons: it's not your conventional scarf in that it can be worn around the neck or as a head scarf, so that its suitability is independent of the season. It is knit on the diagonal the same way as a popular yet basic baby blanket pattern, which provides a nice connection to the original impetus for this outreach project. Also, it's small enough so that it could be knit from one skein of yarn - resulting in no broken threads, which is important to the tradition that the project idea was drawn from. The yarn... well, I'll admit that it is a very practical sport-weight acrylic, Red Heart's Luster Sheen in Warm Red, which actually has a very nice silky feel and drape. (Yeah, I know. Acrylic. I need to find a real yarn shop close to hand, instead of relying on those craft-box places when I'm in a hurry.)