Things are looking up, now that knitting with the dread Classic Elite ‘03 Tweed is finished, since that made my hands feel dirty, and it’s onto my handspun. I’d have washed the yarn before knitting the sweater, only in a fit of preparation some time ago I’d wound all the skeins into center-pull balls. That wasn’t going to come undone, so I just knit as fast as possible. That got me into trouble when I started the yoke. I just sailed along, not noticing that there was a very distinct gauge change after the yarn switch. When I finally saw the puckering at the edge of the garter stitch, I took the sweater off the needles and found that the shoulders were about 10″ too big around. That’s not something you can fudge, so off the yoke came. Down 2 needle sizes was the ticket and it’s smooth sailing again.

I did some simple waist shaping that worked out very well. My usual waist shaping is 4 sts. per decrease row, 2 on either side of the side seam, every inch until the waist is the proper measurement, knit about 2 inches, and back up again. I am short-waisted, so measure yourself, of course. I waffled about where to do the decreasing on this sweater. Inside the garter strip, so that the strip was shaped like an hourglass or at the outside edge of the strip, not affecting its shape? I opted for the latter, decreasing the last 2 stockinette stitches before and first 2 after the garter strip up the sides. K2TOG before and SSK after gave a nice edge to the stockinette, and picking up the bar between the first and second stockinette stitches after and between the last 2 stockinette stitches before the garter bands made a nice increase.

Reminders:

Friday the 12th (tomorrow): fiber club renewals go on sale
Monday the 15th: shop update
Wednesday the 17th: fiber club on sale for everyone

I’ve decided on another change for the fiber club and will be offering a double dose of fiber for an extra $45. There will be a little option box you can check when ordering.

Pushing Daisies:

Are you watching it? You should be! It’s just the sweetest, most morbid, super-saturated, wonderfully charming show on. Also, in the second episode, there’s KNITTING. Actual knitting, with needles and yarn and proper terminology, and when the garments are tried on, the knitter sees the glory of his projects and utters one word- “Sweet.” It’s funny because that’s what happens in this house, too.

For the last week or so, I’ve been preparing like a madwoman for Yarn School and getting the fiber club dyed and out. The fiber club shipped fully yesterday (I haven’t had a chance to enter all your tracking numbers into the database, but you’ll get them soon) and Yarn School preparations are winding down. I might actually breathe properly soon!

Cobblestone!:

I was calm enough last night to cast on the body of Cobblestone. This is going to make super excellent airplane knitting on Tuesday. The sleeves are done. Wanna see?

I’ve got my waist shaping planned and my yoke yarn wound and ready to go. The body numbers had to be fiddled with a bit, as I’m knitting the smallest size, but I’m a bit hippy and bewbsy for the lower body, though the arms and yoke are fine. There’s only an 8 stitch difference, so the yoke fudging, which will be done on the fly, should be fine. It will be ready for Rhinebeck.

Navajo Plying:

I’ve been preparing and collecting spinning samples for Yarn School and one thing that was missing was Navajo plying, which I’ll be teaching. So, I dug out a bit of hand-dyed BFL wool top and pre-drafted it without splitting so that the color repeats would be nice and long. I spun and Navajo plied it into a bulky, amazingly puffy yarn that acted like a spring when stretched. The resulting yarn was the stretchiest, bounciest, and softest BFL yarn I’ve ever spun. I knit it into a top-down hat (no swatching!) and watched the stripes appear.

I’m going to have to Navajo ply more often.

Out of Town:

I’m leaving for Kansas and Yarn School on Tuesday the 25th and returning on the 1st of October. Any orders and emails placed after Sunday won’t be dealt with until I return. I’ll put a notice across the top of the shop to be sure everyone knows. When I get back, there is a glut of new yarn bases and fibers waiting for me to dye them. I’m going to have all kinds of new lace and sock yarns, and great yarns for sweaters, as well. There will be a bunch of new wools and blends, as well. The next fiber club will go up for sale in mid-October. I’ll post again about that, but mark your calendars if you’re interested in joining. I don’t think I’ll be able to increase the number this time, with the Christmas rush happening in the middle of it. Maybe next time.

Have fun on the internet while I’m out of the loop!

Bohus sweater? What Bohus sweater?

I’ve been spinning for a new project. It couldn’t be helped. The moment I saw Jared’s sweater (Fall 2007 Interweave Knits) and dyed the Mollusc Wensleydale, I knew they were a match.

Won’t the garter of the yoke look like wet cobblestones in this handspun yarn?

The facts:
Wensleydale wool from my hand-dyed Mollusc top
worsted weight
two ply
approx. 550 yards/ 11.7 oz.

This is heavy, dense, drapey, shiny stuff.

The yarn I’m using for the body is Classic Elite ‘03 Tweed in color # 5975. People, there is acrylic in this yarn. You wouldn’t know it, though. I was going to use the called-for Classic Elite Skye Tweed I have in charcoal, but after reading Aran Knitting, I am OBSESSED with Na Craga and will die if I don’t have a charcoal tweed version for my very own self. And really, the Classic Elite ‘03, of the ‘03 is to be believed, has been in my stash a good long time!

I’ll woman-ify Cobblestone a wee bit, adding waist shaping and not much else. As for the waist shaping, I could narrow and widen that side garter band so that it looks like an hourglass, or I could do the shaping on either side of the garter band. I think that the latter might be more interesting.

Oh, and that Bohus:

I is *this close* to being finished.

Shop Update:
It’s tomorrow at 2pm EST. There’ll be lots of sock yarns and spinning fibers, and Sarah from Maisy Day Handspun send some big fat cushty skeins of thick and thin Merino and some gorgeous fine and slick two ply mohair.