Arachne: Our first Spinny Godmother

I chose this motif for my first attempt at knitting charted stitches. This is from Barbara Walker's Third Treasury, the book where she switches from written directions to charts. I actually think I am going to like charts just fine -- for larger repeats, anyway.

Below is my first attempt. I was doing fine until I got to the left and right purl twists stitches. But that's not a chart problem, I just don't know how to do them. So I put the spider on pause to sort out the purl twist.

Ravelry Store

I am setting up a Ravelry store for my patterns. I haven't quite got it figured out yet, and I have to open a PayPal thing too, apparently, but when I get it sorted out, I'll post the info.

The Dropsy Hat-better photo

Here's a better photo of the Dropsy Hat. The scanner really distorts the colors. This is knit from my stash in Koigu (sorry, I don't have the info on the colorway)  and Cascade heritage sock yarn, (probably color 5614).


The band is seed stitch and the rest of the hat is done in a ribbed drop stitch motif from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns .


Ribbed motifs are great for hats because you can gracefully decrease at the top. I added a little bobble in the Koigu to finish it off.

Today's sampler

From Barbara Walkers 2nd treasury. I'm doing sample swatches of the stitches I might use in upcoming patterns. The purple hat I finished yesterday (shown in the next post, and/or above, depending on how you're viewing this) is knit in a ribbed drop stitch I found in this book.

Hats from previous seasons

I know this is not a hat

Hot Off the Needles

Koigu seed stitch and Cascade sock in drop stitch rib.

Knitted objects of apparel

Reg'lar old gloves in Noro sock yarn

neck warmer thingy with a beaded edge. Koigu.

Gloves of Koigu and Ironstone boucle.

Ree's Coffee Beanie!

Beyond (or maybe before) spinning

Taking the advice of my Spinny Godmother, I've ordered Clemes & Clemes hand cards. The Woolery says they are in the mail, and as soon as they arrive, I'll try to to figure out how to process bison fiber.

Singles, plying, Navajo plying.

Louet roving

Koigu roving single--the wool is 100 percent Targhee

Koigu Targhee plied. Patty made a cowl from this.

Early Efforts

I dropped off the dogs and picked up a new Kromski Prelude wheel; the same one I had learned on at the Sheep & Wool Festival. And then I drove off into the sunset.

Delivering Dogs, Taking Home a Wheel.

A box of puppies in the front seat

and three adult Saint Bernards in the b

After many nights of thinking about spinning and spinning wheels, I decided to do something about it. I had a transport coming up that dropped off in Black River Falls, and as luck would have it, it was the same weekend as the open house at Deb Jones’ Fiber Garden. I could drop off dogs at the Orange Moose in BRF and continue to the Fiber Garden.

Sitting and Spinning

After years of choosing Ironman Wisconsin over the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, (always the same weekend) I registered for a beginning spinning class. On the day of the class (and the race) I drove out of town via John Nolan Drive and saw the triathletes in the lake as the morning sky lightened.

The Sheep and Wool Festival was everything it was cracked up to be and more: two barns full of fiber vendors, working sheep dog competition and a quintessentially gorgeous fall Wisconsin day.

 THe class, taught by Deb Jones, was terrific and I left Jefferson, Wisc., with visions of handspun spinning in my head.

As I drove into Madison along John Nolan Drive, I shared the road with Ironman cyclists coming off the bike course and headed to the marathon course.

Tall Grass Farm Fiber Jubilee Spring 2011

Tall Grass Farm Angora goats are sheared twice a year.

Lovely mohair on the hoof. Tall Grass Farm April 2, 2011.

On the first weekend in April (and the first one in October), the friendly Angora goats at Tall Grass Farm are relieved of their extra fiber. This was my first time at the farm since I started spinning, but I have been going to the farm for several years.

This year I got a mixed fiber batt from one of the vendors, and two balls of kid mohair roving.

Bison hides for fiber harvesting.

The smaller hide is not really that much smaller.

Don't worry, it wasn't a baby. It's just the wide-angle lens.

A detail of the hide

On Thursday (4/22/2011) I went up to Sandhill Wildlife Area to collect FIber from two bison that had been culled from the managed herd.


Thanks to my spinny godmother, I had a little bit of an idea of what I was looking for, but  was pretty much making it up.

I brought a St. Bernard-sized furminator, a cat comb and a dog's slicker brush. Furminator worked best, and I was able to hand pick some areas.

I ordered a set of Clemes & Clemes cotton hand carders (recommended by the above mentioned spinny godmother), which should arrive next week, and then I'll start learning how to process the fiber!

The larger hide. It was a very large bull.

Knitting While Unemployed

Awhile ago I decided to be happy, and  for the most part, I have been. I know I am supposed to be miserable and stressed out and terrified because I lost my job (again; second time in two years) but I'm not. I discovered that I really really disliked that job, and I have used my time to do some things I love. Like fiber.

As luck would have it, I have enough yarn, roving and other forms of fiber to last me for many many years, so while I don't have an income, I have plenty of fiber to play with. See? Happy.

So this blog is to share my adventures while I seek another job or figure out a different way to pay my mortgage, buy dog food and receive health care.